Custom Categories Guide

Welcome to the Custom Categories feature on AIStartupSEO.com! This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about creating and managing your own outreach lists to supercharge your outreach efforts.

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What Are Custom Categories?

Custom Categories are user-created lists that let you organize any type of outreach or contacts in one place. Whether you're targeting blogs for guest posts, pitching podcasts, or tracking partnership opportunities, you can build and manage all these lists yourself.

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Common Use Cases

Here are some popular ways to use Custom Categories:

• Guest Post Targets: Organize websites you want to pitch guest posts to.
• Podcast Outreach: Track podcasts you want to be a guest on.
• Partnership Opportunities: Keep a list of potential collaborators or sponsors.
• Custom Directory Lists: Manage niche or industry-specific directories.
• Local Business Directories: Track relevant local listings for SEO.

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How to Create a Custom Category

1. Navigate to Dashboard > Custom Categories or go directly to /dashboard/custom-categories.
2. Click the New Category button.
3. Fill out the details:
   • Name: Give your category a meaningful name (e.g., "Tech Blogs Guest Posts").
   • Icon: Choose an icon that represents the category.
   • Color: Pick a color to visually organize your lists.
4. (Optional) Define Custom Fields such as "Contact Person," "Email," or "Outreach Status" to capture additional info for each entry.
5. Click Save to create your category.

Example:
Creating a category named "Podcast Outreach" with a microphone icon and blue color helps visually differentiate it from other lists.

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Adding Entries to Your Custom Category

You can add entries to your custom list in two ways:

1. Manual Entry

• Open your desired category.
• Click Add New Entry.
• Enter:
  • URL: The website or podcast URL.
  • Notes: Any relevant information or pitch ideas.
  • Custom Fields: Fill any additional fields you defined.
• Click Save.

Example:
URL: https://examplepodcast.com
Notes: "Pitch episode about AI in marketing"

2. Bulk Import from CSV

• Prepare a CSV file with your data (see the CSV Import Format section below).
• In the category, click Import CSV.
• Upload your CSV file.
• Map your columns to the fields in the category.
• Confirm and import.

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Tracking Progress

Stay on top of your outreach by marking entries as:

• Contacted: You have reached out to this entry.
• Completed: Outreach was successful or no further action needed.

This helps you see which targets are still pending and track your overall progress.

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Plan Requirements

Custom Categories are available only on the following plans:

• SELF_SERVICE Plan
• DFY (Done For You) Plan

If you are on a different plan, you will need to upgrade to access this feature.

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CSV Import Format

To ensure your bulk import works smoothly, format your CSV file like this:

| Name | URL | Notes | Contact Person | Email | Outreach Status | |----------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------|----------------|----------------------|-----------------| | TechCrunch | https://techcrunch.com | Pitch guest post on AI trends | Jane Doe | [email protected] | Not Contacted | | AI Podcast | https://aipodcast.com | Interested in marketing AI | John Smith | [email protected] | Contacted |

• The Name and URL columns are required.
• Other columns can be your custom fields.
• Column headers should match or be mapped during import.

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Summary

Custom Categories help you build and organize outreach lists tailored to your needs, track your progress, and import large datasets with ease. Just remember:

• Create meaningful categories with icons and colors.
• Add entries manually or import from CSV.
• Track outreach status per entry.
• Available on SELF_SERVICE and DFY plans.

Start creating your first Custom Category today in your dashboard!

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If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to our support team. Happy outreaching! 🚀