My session from MozCon 2017 - How to get big links

1. How to get BIG Links
@LisaDMyers

2. In January 2015..

5. VERVE
dev
design
Tech
SEO
creative
outreach

6. Think like a 50s Ad Exec and execute like a geek!

7. 66 campaigns!

8. 350 ideas

9. What does that say about us?

10. We come up with A LOT of SHIT Ideas

13. You have to be willing to come up with
SHIT ideas in order to come up with
GREAT ideas!

14. Don’t be afraid to fail!

15. original

20. 404creativity not found

21. a creative

22. Innovative

23. Innovative/ˈɪnəveɪt/
verb
to take something and make it better

25. Jaws in Space

27. for

28. Find Something that Nearly Worked

35. 2 hours of tweeting later…

36. Over 700 links

37. It became a twitter moment..
Shared over 48k times in 48 hours

42. 97 links and 850K views

43. Over-invest in building formats
that could be used again

46. Louise
(our Head of Production)

47. KBillionaire’s League for e-sports

50. 198 links
190,000 Views

53. 86 Links
25k Views

56. 83 Links
50k Views

57. Gera
(Developer)

58. Plain and Simple

59. Unknown Tourism - com

61. 223 links, including:

65. It was even turned in to a fan-made-mod for The Sims

66. People called our office wanting to BUY
the posters

67. Over 1,100
signatures!

68. Consistent Coverage

69. Yeah sure, cool campaigns.
But does it increase rankings??

70. 46% Increase Organic Visibility
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
19/11/15 21/01/16 24/03/16 26/05/16 28/07/16 29/09/16
Site Change
Expedia
Finland 99%
Expedia
Norway 38%
Expedia
Denmark 30%
Expedia
Sweden 16%
Source: Searchmetrics

71. After 4 months:
2 campaigns + outreach
“Contact Lenses” - Position 11 at start, now position 3

72. I could tell you that we have figured
the magic formula for what type of
campaigns works

73. Data Game w/data capture Visual StreetView Video
Average monthly score by TYPE of campaign

74. Plump Attractive Chicken Vs Unattractive Chicken
Source: Study by University of Texas at Austin

75. Natural Chicken Engineered Chicken
Healthy Tastygroup 1
Tasty Healthygroup 2

76. Both groups preferred the “Natural” Chicken
Neither group
justified their
choice based on
how they felt.

77. The two groups used the OPPOSITE reason
to justify the same decision!

78. This is called Post-hoc rationalization

79. Formats are just the vessel of the idea

80. The creative is what CONNECTS with people

81. outreach

82. VERVE
dev
design
Tech
SEO
creative
outreach

83. What good outreach is NOT about

84. “What tools do you use?”
- Everyone

85. We use:

86. You can’t build a house by just holding
a hammer!

87. There is no optimum way of writing
outreach emails

88. “Keep your outreach email short and snappy”
- Said everyone

93. OMG WHAT? RIGHT.

96. It’s not about how many emails you send out

97. Emails Sent vs. Links

98. Emails Sent vs. Links

100. Outreach is about PEOPLE

102. GRIT
(passion + perseverance)

107. Now that’s GRIT

108. Realised that CVs were a shortcut
to missing the talent we needed!

109. HOW they think

110. To interview for the right mindset
– ask different questions!

111. What browser do you use?

114. Encourage people to be MORE
of who they ARE

115. There is no one shape, no one way!

116. Listen differently

118. Find your own way

120. YOU are NOT a monkey!

121. The key to outreach is:
Perseverance
+ being more of who you are

125. Thank You!
Lisa.Myers@vervesearch.com
@LisaDMyers