When I think about riffs, I think about Eric Clapton shredding up the stage with some sweet riffs on “Layla.” 🙂 I don’t usually think of blog riffing. So what is this thing I speak of you ask? Well, let me explain!
Seeing as most bloggers goal is to drive traffic to their blogs, you need a content creation strategy to succeed at this. Enter blog riffing. This is a simple strategy that you are probably already doing on some level.
I will let Tyson Faulkner explain this to you more efficiently…..(I’m riffing right now!)
As a blogger, you should be actively reading other blogs in your market and posting comments on them. This can result in a little direct traffic, but mostly is to get your name in front of other bloggers and start to build relationships by contributing.
Antone Roundy explained it like this in his blog post called “More Blog Traffic – of the People, by the People, and for the People.”
“It’s really pretty simple — all you have to do is grab a quote from somebody else’s blog and “riff” on it on your own blog. If you’re posting comments on other blogs, you’re already half way there. Just post your comments on your own blog instead.
If you grab a quote from the blog that inspired the idea, you’ll already have a little starter content for your post. And if you link back to the source blog, you’ll probably get a “pingback” link from them to your post. Plus, it’s a great way to build relationships with other bloggers as they see you responding to their posts on your blog.”
Pretty simple eh?! Grab a quote or comment from someone’s blog, give them the appropriate credit and write a quick post on it! What easier way to begin your content creation strategy? What are your thoughts on blog riffing?
With havin so much content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement? My blog has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my authorization. Do you know any techniques to help reduce content from being ripped off? I’d truly appreciate it.
Hi Isabelle:
i would try a free copyscape banner on your blog. When you find your material elsewhere, I would also request the owner to remove it or you will file a DMCA against them. I hope this helps.
Lisa
Very nice.
Thanks for sharing this article!
This appears to be the easiest way to produce an article. It doesn’t take much time to prepare, and it can provide a win-win situation for both the original author and the “riffer.” I like win-win situations.
I live by this, though I never heard it called “riffing” – definitely makes you feel like a rockstar!
One thing I’d like to point out is that this approach works well when you like to inner pages. That makes it easier for the target blogs to notice your cross-promotion initiative. If I know I will or have talked about the subject matter on my blog, I make sure I welcome folks to visit in a natural manner.
It may be worth noting that some people are a bit unfriendly when it comes to borrowing content, even when you cite the source AND give kudos to the author. I suppose some people still do not understand the social traffic model.