Article's Content
Article's Content
You spent hours, days, months (maybe even years) creating something awesome. Something you’re beyond proud of and excited to share with the world. Something that could completely change (or kickstart) your business. And finally…
You hit publish—it’s go time!
But you’re met with…
🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗 (crickets… if you couldn’t tell.)
No downloads. No sales. No clicks. No visits. No comments. Nothing at all.
What’s the deal with that?
How is it that so many marketers and creators you’re seeing on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. can get such great results from content that’s no better than what you’re creating? What’s their secret?
Prepare for the curtain to be pulled back…
Today, I’m going to break down the *exact* content distribution process I followed for one of my recent case studies on how SEO, content & backlinks have led to Canva’s $6B valuation
(And share a little bonus for you at the very end—so stick around.)
It’s this distribution process that’s led to 26,282 page views in the first 7 days after hitting publish:
It’s this distribution process that’s resulted in amazing feedback on Twitter like this…
Typically, I don’t share many SEO case studies, but this one ➡️ by @TheCoolestCool on @canva‘s stratospheric growth is both educational + inspiring:
The Canva Backlink Empire: How Outreach & Content Led To A $6B Valuation
Post — https://t.co/k4T0hrqMgr pic.twitter.com/SYEK6ZdanT
— Cyrus (@CyrusShepard) June 26, 2020
Or this…
Love posts like this from @TheCoolestCool, highly detailed analysis of the Canva SEO strategy:https://t.co/TsOaqgBjOp
— Paddy Moogan (@paddymoogan) June 26, 2020
And this…
Simply the best, most inspiring, most actionable content marketing case study I’ve read in a while. I’m starting a discussion with our marketing director about this TODAY https://t.co/XQlnqiTsn4
— Mark Traphagen ✊🏾🏳️🌈 (@marktraphagen) June 26, 2020
And it’s the same distribution process I’ve been using for years to promote my content, content from the Foundation Team, digital products and more to *millions* of people online—and open the door to live on-stage speaking gigs at MozCon, SearchLove & more.
Build.
Ship.
Learn.
Decide.
Damn good model for content & distribution experiments from @TheCoolestCool #mozcon pic.twitter.com/7XUAMkR7Pa— Rand Fishkin (@randfish) September 12, 2016
So the question is…
What does this distribution process actually look like in action? It’s a 3-step process:
- Build hype & anticipation
- Launch like there’s no tomorrow
- Engage, amplify & keep pushing
Step 1: Build Hype & Anticipation
Highlights:
- Start talking about your content *before* it’s available
- Create exclusivity from the jump
- Build up launch day as an *event* rather than just another Tuesday or Thursday
Just because the content or product itself isn’t published yet doesn’t mean you can’t start talking about it today.
That’s exactly what I did with this tweet:
Canva is now valued at $6 billion.
They’ve built a backlink & traffic empire. Definitely one of the most impressive SaaS companies using SEO over the last few years. I’m sending an email tomorrow that will tear down how they did it…
Don’t miss it: https://t.co/2eHHwOI2Vn pic.twitter.com/ZbnseZ3582
— Ross Simmonds (@TheCoolestCool) June 22, 2020
Offer a sneak peek into what’s coming, catch the attention of anyone who sees it, and offer them a way to get the content as soon as it’s published.
The end result?
- 25,969 people reached with this tweet
- 300+ email subscribers in 24 hours
- Anticipation = built ✅
Because I took the pre-launch hype approach, I’m no longer launching my content to no one then hoping it takes off on its own.
I’m launching to (1) a list of people who’ve already raised their hand to say they want it, and (2) ANYONE else who’s seen this tweet but didn’t subscribe, and anyone following them…
Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, we’ve got a certified LAUNCH DAY on our hands.
Step 2: Launch Like There’s No Tomorrow
Highlights:
- Block time to prepare for launch day in advance
- Spread your content to the masses—don’t be shy
- Lean on partners, colleagues & industry friends to help
First thing’s first, you don’t need to do all of the work in real-time on launch day. In fact, I’d highly recommend you prepare as much in advance as possible.
Block time in the few days before launch—even before your PRE-launch—to craft a handful of tweets, LinkedIn posts, templated messages for forums and communities, your email campaign, etc.
Then when launch day hits—it’s GO time. 🔥
Share it on Twitter…
The Canva Backlink Empire 🚀
How Outreach & Content Led To A $6B Valuation, 20M monthly active users, 4+ million backlinks & 270M+ visits a year https://t.co/S3GiS6vAYY
— Ross Simmonds (@TheCoolestCool) June 24, 2020
Share it on LinkedIn…
And don’t get stuck in the one-dimensional trap of *only* promoting in one spot. Block time in your calendar on launch day to HUSTLE promoting your content wherever you can. Promote the content in multiple channels:
- Slack communities
- Facebook groups
- Subreddits
- Quora
- Niche forums in your industry…
Don’t be shy. Distribute aggressively.
Step 3: Engage Often And Promote Regularly
Highlights:
- Be engaged with your audience.
- Amplify the positive feedback coming your way—reply to tweets, comments and shares to takeover the news feeds
- Keep. Promoting. Your. Content. Don’t sit back after you share your first wave of posts.
Because you’ve already prepared the bulk of your promotional posts and content in advance, you can spend every minute available on launch day AMPLIFYING the messages you’re getting and joining the conversations now happening.
On LinkedIn, reply to the posts others are sharing and reply to the comments popping up on posts of your own. If you can, hit reply to every comment:
Then do the exact same thing on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit…
Love to hear it. Thanks JP!
— Ross Simmonds (@TheCoolestCool) June 26, 2020
Thanks Ben!
It’s an awesome tool. So glad you enjoyed the teardown!
— Ross Simmonds (@TheCoolestCool) June 25, 2020
Why bother replying if they’ve already shared something?
- Show some gratitude.
First and foremost, it’s a good idea to say thank you when someone else is sharing and speaking highly about the work you’re putting out into the world. Say thank you (and mean it) and the relationships you’ll build for the future… Exponential growth from here.
- Take over those news feeds.
Social media platforms love engagement. They love to see posts pick up dozens of comments. The more love your posts get, the more visibility in news feeds they’ll pick up.
More comments on your content = more reach = even MORE comments = even MORE reach… You see where this is going. 📈
Plus, every time you reply to someone on Twitter, for example, your post is getting bumped right back up the top of the news feed.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR + a Bonus)
👋 Skim to the end? Got you covered…
To put your best foot forward with every single piece of content or product you launch, follow this distribution process:
- Talk about your work *before* it’s published to build anticipation
- Create a “launch day” for your content
- Launch like there’s no tomorrow—don’t be shy, just hustle
- Amplify all of the positive feedback and reactions coming your way—hit retweet, reply to tweets, reply to LinkedIn posts, reply in Slack, etc.
- Don’t sit back thinking the job is done. Keep hustling.
About that bonus…
If you want to take your content distribution 10 steps further, I have something to share with you. It’s called The Distribution Challenge, and it’s a 2-week training program breaking down the exact processes and strategies my team and I *actively* use today.
Here’s what’s in there waiting for you:
- 3 sneak-peek video lessons on how to overcome mental roadblocks & prepare for distribution
- 5 video lessons on how to create your own distribution plan & use your existing connections for good
- 6 channel-specific lessons to help you get the most out of Twitter, LinkedIn, etc
- 1 wrap-up lesson to help you put what you’ve learned into action
And when I say unlimited—I mean it. Every single new template, video walkthrough, webinar, etc that’s added to the program in the future, you’ll get as well.
Create once. Distribute forever.
