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I have been talking with a lot of bloggers lately that are interested in working with brands but aren’t so sure about how to go about it. Since I come from the other side and help brands find partners online (bloggers, communities, events, etc) I have some good tips for you when you are ready to actually ask a someone to work with you. Here they come:
1) Make a list of people you’d want to work with. This can and should be your dream list. Even people who you don’t think will give you the time of day. It’s just an email and no one is going to say “you’ll never believe what this blogger did….. she e-mailed me!”
2) Make sure and include “what’s in it for the brand”. There is always someone at the marketing meeting for these brands who’s going to want to know how many followers you have, how many times you post a week, how long you’ve been at it, where it’s been reposted, etc. You can head this off (and look really good) if you just include a page of stats. Even if they are low, just send them. It’s also not just about traffic – but you’ll have to sell it a little bit. For example, if you write for a very specific audience or if you have some unique portion of your blog you have something to offer that others may not. Make sure and include these things in the email.
3) Explain exactly what you want but give options. Some brands haven’t ever done anything but place ads so they aren’t going to come up with anything outside the box. If you want them to buy you a camera so you can do a photo series sponsored by them you need to outline it in detail. Also, you could give a range of options from sponsoring a post (little money) to sponsoring a giveaway (product) to helping you create a video (content).
4) Make sure you ask the right person. If there’s a contact on the site don’t pitch your whole idea to that person. They may be an intern or someone else who couldn’t possibly decide for a brand if it’s ok to work with you. Find out on the first contact who is in charge of partnerships and talk with them. (bonus – do NOT pitch a sales rep. They make commission and won’t likely want to talk to you further once they realize you want to trade).
5) Don’t ask 1 brand at a time. Don’t email the world either but sometimes brands take a really, really long time to make decisions and you don’t want to wait 4 months and hear that they just don’t want to work with your community or blog right now and then have to start all over. Ask 4 or 5 at a time.
Good luck!
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Comments
06.09.10
Great tips- especially since most bloggers are often pitched. I like the idea of empowering the blogger even further!
06.14.10
Caitlin - great post. The tips are all good, but what the real gift of the post is is that it's a kick in the pants to remind people that asking is not that hard, and instead of worrying about rejection, just ask a lot so that one rejection won't matter.
Penelope
08.17.10
Caitlin
Your tips are very helpful. If you are in the business of helping brands find blogs I would appreciate it if you would look at my blog http://taitegallery.net and see if you have anyone suitable. If not what kind of brands do you suggest I approach?
My blog is an original humor blog. I have had 9000 visitors during the last month and can send you the conplete tracking details from google analytics if you give me your email details.
Thanks for the help
Steve Taite
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