🔗 How To Generate More Backlinks With HARO

Want a Side Hustle? Create UGC on Fiverr

One question that often pops up in my Hustlers Outpost inbox, is what side hustle can I do that doesn’t involve drop-shipping or online selling. Good question, and there are plenty of great options for you.

This week I want to bring your attention to a side hustle that isn’t over-saturated and is doable with little to no start-up costs.

User-Generated Content (UGC) has become an integral part of modern marketing, with brands paying individuals to create authentic content like product reviews, unboxings, testimonials and more. Fiverr, a popular freelance platform, provides an excellent opportunity for individuals to monetise their services.

Getting Started on Fiverr:

Here’s everything you need to know to get up and running.

1. Initial Investment:

The beauty of this side hustle is that it doesn’t require a significant upfront investment. You’ll need basic tools, including:

• a smartphone with a camera

• an internet connection

• a laptop or tablet for communication and edition (optional but recommended)

• lighting and audio equipment can be added later for higher-quality content, but they’re not essential

2. Create a Fiverr Gig:

1. sign up to Fiverr and navigate to the "Create a Gig" option.

2. choose a gig title that clearly represents your service, e.g., "Create Product Reviews and Testimonials."

3. write a detailed gig description that highlights your expertise and the type of UGC you can produce.

4. set clear pricing, delivery time and any extras (e.g. faster delivery or extra revisions). Look at other UGC creators to get an idea of price points, structure and delivery.

3. Portfolio:

To attract clients, you’ll need a portfolio of your work. If you're just starting out, record an introductory video of yourself and the services you offer. Also, mention why UGC is important for brands. This will be a taster for potential customers to see what you’re about.

4. Get Your First Orders & Reviews:

Share your Fiverr gig with friends and leverage social media platforms to promote your services. Once you have your first couple of reviews through the door, the Fiverr community will have more trust to buy through you, and you should get more requests from there.

The Outpost’s Opinion: This is an underrated side hustle with minimal start-up costs. Although this won’t get you an early retirement, if you’re looking for a few hundred bucks in extra cash each month, as well as experience starting your own hustle, you can’t go too far wrong with creating UGC content.

How to Get Backlinks Using HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

In my time working in SEO, one of the main questions I got asked was ‘How do I get more backlinks?‘ My answer - it’s bloody hard. Yet, brands, influencers and entrepreneurs alike think that somehow, there must be an easy solution.

Spoiler, there’s not.

Yes, the best way in all honesty is by making super great evergreen content, sharing it far and wide and hoping people link back to it. But it’s easier said than done. Second to that, I’ve actually had pretty good success on HARO.

So what is HARO? Quite literally, Help A Reporter Out. Sign up as a source and you’ll receive three emails per day. These emails are comprised of topics on which reporters are actively looking for input in. From dog food and baby clothes to holidays and business success - you’ll find requests for pretty much everything.

How does it work? Let me give you an example. Let’s say you work in AI. You check your emails and see an hour ago HARO sent you a list of 50 reporters looking for a source. But hold up… one story reads ‘AI’s impact on the Human Brain‘. Here is how it would look.

Guess what, you’re up. Now you send your pitch.

So what’s a pitch? This is your moment to shine to the reporter. Write and send your pitch by email to the HARO-generated email address. Remember that the reporter will probably receive a huge number of pitches. So make sure yours it clear, concise and stands out.

For the subject line, put (HARO RESPONSE:) followed by the title of the query. For example:

(HARO RESPONSE) AI’s Impact on the Human Brain

That should grab their attention. They can see what it’s about from the subject line alone. Now for the main text in the email.

Top Tip: Don’t do what I first did, and write loads of insight, then wonder why no one replies. It’s not that deep and they won’t read it. Reporters just want some short snappy input.

First, give a brief introduction of who you are. We’re talking two sentences max.

For example:

Hi *Reporters Name*

My name is Kristian and I run Hustlers Outpost. I have 7 years of experience in helping solopreneurs create online businesses and e-commerce stores.

Now the juicy bit. Your insight. Remember to stay on topic and directly answer the query, not what you think they would probably want to know.

Here you’re looking at a handful of lines. The more concise the better. Make sure you are adding value and focus on their query, not your brand.

Finally, finish off your pitch with your job title, LinkedIn profile, and even a headshot if you’re feeling particularly sociable. People like to put a face to the name. Of course don’t forget your website link, to wherever you want them to link back to if they choose to use you as a source.

What next? Well, that depends. Usually, you don’t hear back, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Often I wouldn’t hear, then all of a sudden, 4 weeks later I see a backlink to my website. Sometimes reporters come back to you with more questions, and other times your pitch just goes into the abyss never to be seen again.

One thing is for sure though, it’s a numbers game. Sometimes you can send 10+ pitches without any results. But if you dedicate an hour a day to replying to relevant HARO queries, you’ll start seeing some good backlinks before too long.

The Outpost’s Opinion: HARO revolutionises the PR game for anyone looking for backlinks with a can-do attitude. It’s ideal for businesses, brands and solopreneurs looking to raise their profile in the media.

How Businesses Can Prepare For Black Friday

Black Friday, the biggest shopping event of the year, is just over 4 weeks away. What’s more, Black November (apparently that’s now a thing) starts in less than a week.

Am I a fan of people extending holiday events to try and create longer periods of frenzied sales? No. But unfortunately, it is the reality of November, with brands starting to offer premature discounts in the build-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. C’est la vie.

So what can businesses, specifically online businesses, do to prepare for bargain brawl weekend?

1. Stock Management.

   Review last year's sales data and marketing efforts to anticipate demand. If you’ve increased your marketing spend, expect higher sales and adjust your inventory accordingly.

2. Build Up Anticipation

   Building anticipation among your customers is a crucial part of Black Friday preparation. Use your social media channels and email marketing to create excitement and awareness about your Black Friday deals.

    

3. Email Marketing

   Email marketing is a powerful tool. Send out emails to your subscribers well in advance, offering them a sneak peek at the deals to come. Send reminder emails as the event approaches and on the day itself. Their inboxes will be busy, so make sure your emails stand out.

4. Target Last Year’s Buyers

   If they purchased before they can purchase again. Use your customer database by targeting those who made purchases during the previous Black Friday sale. Send them personalised offers or exclusive deals.

5. Work On-Site Experience 

   Ensure your website and online store can handle the expected increase in traffic. Make the user experience seamless and intuitive to prevent potential customers from leaving due to slow loading times or other technical glitches.

6. Have customer support ready

   Customer support is critical during the Black Friday period. With more eyes on your products means more queries from would-be purchasers. Don’t miss those sales with slow responses. Consider extending your customer support hours to accommodate different time zones.

The Outpost’s Opinion: Preparedness is crucial at this time of year. But I’m not a fan of Black Friday being a whole month’s event. First, it was Black Friday. Fine. Then it was extended to Black Friday Weekend with Cyber Monday - sure, okay. Now we have Black November… Just like last year, businesses will be offering deals as early as they can, so watch your competitors.