The A-List, Part 1: Getting Started

Every blogger dreams of being part of the so called “A-List” crowd. You know, those guys who travel all the time to conferences like SXSW, Blog World Expo and so on… get all kinds of press coverage, are able to command hundreds of dollars for ad space and get more free stuff than they care to have.

Well it’s about time to step it up a notch and make an entry into this list.

One of the main ingredients of a successful blogger is how prolific they are. You can’t expect to make an impact by just broadcasting from one area. You need your voice to be heard on an international level not just the local level. So how exactly do you do that?

Do you -

• Try and get a breaking story? {if you have the connections, by all means go ahead}
• Offer the best advice you can by guest posting on other blogs? {this tends to work quite well}
• Create real juicy linkbait articles by debunking a popular belief? {people thrive on scandal}
• or, All of the above?

You see the choices are many, but people don’t have a clear distinction which path to follow. Because each and every single choice has its own set of obstacles and drawbacks.

The Breaking Story

Let’s say you are a tech blogger and know someone on the inside who can get you juicy information about a new product launch. You get the info and publish it, the sad part is that no one visits your site. You soon find out that some other bigger site has just quoted your content and they end up linking to you. The traffic you see is next to nothing, mostly because the audience on that site don’t care what you had to say about it. Even though it was your scoop. Period.

• How do you make sure that the scoop you get makes it around the net and back again, with your name on the bottom?

Your Cup Runneth Over

You are literally spewing out gems of advice with every single word you write. The thing is you are on the opposite side of the road with all the traffic going the other way. I’ve read your content and I know it’s good but yet you languish in the dark corners of the web where no one can see you. You decide one day to take a walk across the street and introduce yourself to your neighbors.

• Do people take notice of you or do they simply ever so lightly withdraw their hand from yours and say, “Sorry, I’ve got to go, it was nice meeting you though”.

All A-List Bloggers are Self-Righteous Morons

Nothing gets people’s attention than a statement that goes against popular belief. Everyone thinks that if someone is well known, or important, and makes a statement that they are probably saying it with the best of intentions and total selflessness. Yeah, that and it’s not about the oil.

The fact of the matter is, you will never take an action in your life without expecting something in return. Even people who do charity do it because it makes them feel good about themselves. You are getting something in return there too, a moral boost that could carry you on for the rest of your life. I’m not saying that you are not a genuine person, I’m just saying that doing something like that makes you feel good - so you do it.

• How lightly do you tread to make an impact with your words against a popular belief, without sounding like a complete idiot?

I’ve asked three major questions above. Subscribe to my RSS feed as I delve into these topics and squeeze my way into the executive lounge of the internet.

Read the Series -

The A-List Part 2: Be The Source

The A-List Part 3: Fitting In and Sprouting

The A-List, Part 4: Challenge The Status Quo