Have you read "Trust Me, I'm Lying" by Ryan Holiday? While he was working at American Apparel, he figured out that while it was expensive to advertise directly

Have you read "Trust Me, I'm Lying" by Ryan Holiday? While he was working at American Apparel, he figured out that while it was expensive to advertise directly on major news sites, etc, it was fairly easy to figure out what smaller sites were the real "influencers." By advertising or promoting material there, he got coverage on larger blogs for a fraction of the price.