Are you looking for a surefire way to drive a surge of traffic to your blog? One of the most effective tactics is publishing an expert roundup post. When done right, a roundup post harnesses the collective wisdom and audience of multiple influencers in your niche, exposing your blog to a much wider readership.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll break down the entire process of creating an expert roundup post from start to finish. You‘ll learn how to choose a compelling topic, find and convince experts to participate, put the post together, and promote it for maximum impact. Let‘s dive in!
What is an Expert Roundup Post?
First, let‘s define what we mean by an "expert roundup post." In simple terms, it‘s a blog post that collects quotes, tips, or insights from multiple experts or influencers on a specific topic. Rather than just sharing your own perspective, you tap into the knowledge of established authorities.
The typical format is to pose a question related to your niche, reach out to experts for their responses, and then compile their answers into a blog post. The end result is a unique piece of content that provides readers with valuable insights from a range of trusted sources.
Some key benefits of expert roundups include:
- Providing your audience with diverse expert opinions and advice
- Boosting your blog‘s credibility by associating with known influencers
- Tapping into the audiences of all the participants to expand your reach
- Building relationships with experts that can lead to more opportunities
- Creating highly shareable content that readers love to link to and discuss
When you consider the potential upside, it‘s no wonder that so many bloggers are eager to publish expert roundups. But to reap the rewards, you need to be strategic in your approach.
Choosing a Standout Topic for Your Roundup Post
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is choosing a generic, overdone topic for your expert roundup. Remember, top influencers in your space are likely inundated with requests to participate in roundups. If you want them to contribute, your topic needs to stand out.
Rather than focusing on a broad, beginner-level subject, zoom in on something more specific that will pique the interest of experts. Aim to cover an emerging trend, a controversial issue, or a less-discussed nuance within your niche.
Some ways to uncover potential topics:
- Dig into niche forums and social media groups to see what people are discussing
- Look for pain points or unanswered questions that come up repeatedly
- See if there are sub-topics experts tend to disagree on or debate
- Review products in your niche to spot issues that need more explanation
- Reflect on your own experience and identify challenges you‘ve faced
For example, let‘s say your blog focuses on search engine optimization (SEO). Instead of a generic roundup like "Top SEO Tips for 2024," you could go with something more specific like "How Will Artificial Intelligence Impact SEO in 2024 and Beyond?" or "Should You Still Focus on Link Building for SEO?"
The key is to find an angle that 1) hasn‘t already been covered extensively, and 2) will make experts eager to weigh in with their opinions. Take time to brainstorm potential topics and run them by your network to gauge interest before reaching out.
Finding and Vetting Experts for Your Roundup
With your topic selected, it‘s time to identify experts to pitch for the roundup. While it may be tempting to focus only on influencers with massive followings, that can actually backfire. You want to prioritize experts who are most likely to deliver valuable insights and help promote the finished post.
Here are some criteria to look for when building your outreach list:
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Relevance: Focus on experts who create content and have experience directly related to your roundup topic. A generic mega-influencer is less valuable than a niche expert.
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Engagement: Look beyond follower counts to see how an expert‘s audience actually interacts with their content. Do they get tons of comments, shares, and discussion on their posts? That‘s a good sign they have an engaged following that will pay attention to the roundup.
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Quality of insights: Review the expert‘s past content to assess the depth and originality of their ideas. You want contributors who go beyond surface-level generic advice to share unique, actionable tips.
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Promotion potential: Take note of how proactive an expert is in promoting content they‘re featured in. Do they eagerly share roundups and generously link to other sites? Experts with a track record of promotion are more likely to help your post succeed.
Tools like BuzzSumo, Hunter, and BuzzStream are helpful for discovering influencers and finding their contact info. But don‘t just rely on tools – do your own research as well. Thoroughly review an expert‘s blog, social media profiles, and other content to vet them before reaching out.
Aim to create a list of at least 50-100 experts to pitch. The more you reach out to, the better your chances of getting enough high-quality contributions. Organize your list in a spreadsheet and rank the experts based on priority.
Crafting Your Outreach and Leveraging Relationships
With your list of experts ready, it‘s time to pitch them on participating in your roundup. But before hitting send on your outreach emails, lay the groundwork by interacting with each expert first.
Follow them on social media and subscribe to their blog or newsletter if you haven‘t already. Leave thoughtful comments on their posts and share their content with your audience. Your name should be familiar to them by the time your email lands in their inbox.
When crafting your outreach email, keep these best practices in mind:
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Personalize it. Reference something specific about the expert‘s work to show you‘re paying attention and not just blasting a generic template.
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Clearly explain the topic and target audience for the roundup. Experts should immediately grasp why it‘s relevant to them.
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Describe what‘s in it for them. Will their insights be featured alongside other respected experts? Will the post be heavily promoted to your engaged audience? Communicate the benefits of participating.
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Make it easy to contribute. Don‘t ask for a lengthy essay – a few sentences or a short paragraph is plenty. The less work required, the more likely they‘ll participate.
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Provide a deadline for responses, but give enough lead time. Two weeks is usually sufficient.
If an expert doesn‘t respond, follow up after 5-7 days. It often takes a few touchpoints to get on someone‘s radar. But if you still don‘t hear back after 2-3 follow-ups, move on.
Once an expert does respond, reply quickly thanking them for contributing. Provide any additional details they need. The goal is to be professional and make the process as frictionless as possible for them.
Putting the Roundup Together and Adding Your Voice
As the responses come in, start compiling them in a Google Doc or draft WordPress post. Create a clear, logical structure and flow for the post. Here are some potential approaches:
- List out each expert‘s response one by one, with their name, photo, and a link to their site
- Group similar responses together under subheadings or themes
- Turn the post into a listicle, where each tip or insight is a separate list item
While the expert contributions are the heart of the post, don‘t forget to inject your own voice and analysis. Write an introduction that explains the importance of the topic and why you decided to create the roundup.
As you add each expert‘s insight, provide your own commentary or reflection. How does it relate to the other points made? Do you agree or disagree? Have you tried implementing that tip yourself?
Look for opportunities to expand on the experts‘ ideas and add additional value for your readers. The goal is for the post to be a conversation between you and the expert panel, not just a disjointed list of quotes.
Finally, write a conclusion that recaps the major themes and takeaways from the roundup. Encourage readers to share which insights resonated with them and join the discussion in the comments.
Promoting the Post and Strengthening Relationships
You‘ve put in the hard work to create an amazing expert roundup – now it‘s time to make sure it gets the attention it deserves!
Start by notifying all the participants that the post is live. Send them the link and thank them again for contributing. Make it easy for them to share by providing pre-written social media posts and graphics.
Some experts will share right away, while others may need a few nudges. Tag them when you promote the post on social media and send a follow-up email if you don‘t see them sharing after a couple days.
But promotion shouldn‘t stop with the experts. Share the post multiple times across all your social media channels, with unique angles each time. Boost the top-performing posts with paid ads to reach even more potential readers.
Consider repurposing snippets from the roundup into other formats like infographics, videos, or slide decks. This creates more opportunities to share and link back to the full post.
Finally, think beyond the one-time promotion. Expert roundups are a fantastic way to strengthen relationships with influencers in your niche. Look for ways to collaborate further, like inviting experts to guest post on your blog, partnering on a webinar or podcast episode, or even creating a joint product together.
By viewing your roundup as the start of a long-term relationship, you open the door to even more opportunities to grow your blog and audience over time.
Bonus Tips to Take Your Roundup to the Next Level
Here are a few final tips to make your expert roundup as successful as possible:
Ask experts to expand on their responses. If someone sends a response that‘s especially insightful, consider asking a follow-up question to dig deeper.
Include influencers with engaged audiences, not just large ones. As mentioned earlier, prioritize experts whose followers actually pay attention and interact with their content.
Make contributing as easy as possible. The more specific your question and the less you ask of experts, the more responses you‘ll get. Consider using a Google Form to collect responses.
Provide a deadline. Open-ended outreach is less likely to get a response. Give a specific date you need expert insights by to create a sense of urgency.
Optimize the post for search engines. Use relevant keywords in your post title, subheadings, and throughout the content to help it rank well on Google.
Offer a bonus incentive for participants. For example, you could offer to link to a lead magnet or promotion of their choice in their bio.
Build buzz before you publish. If a few experts respond quickly, consider sharing a sneak preview on social media before the post goes live to generate anticipation.
Ready to Create Your Own Traffic-Driving Roundup?
We‘ve covered a lot of ground in this ultimate guide to expert roundup posts. To quickly recap, the keys to success are:
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Choosing a specific, compelling topic that will interest experts and your target audience
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Finding and vetting a diverse range of experts to contribute their insights
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Crafting personalized outreach emails and building relationships with influencers
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Structuring the roundup post logically and adding your own commentary
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Promoting widely and repurposing the content in multiple formats
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Continuing to collaborate with experts on future content and projects
Now it‘s time to put this advice into action! Brainstorm potential roundup topics and start building your list of experts to reach out to. With some persistence and creativity, you can create a post that elevates your blog‘s authority, sends a flood of traffic your way, and opens up exciting new opportunities.
