Tips For Better Blogger Outreach – For Brands And Bloggers

In the world of blogging, blogger outreach is super important. If you are a brand looking to work with bloggers, there are particular things that bloggers expect from you, and it is the same for the brand. If you are looking to work with them, then you need to know what to expect and the best ways to make the most of your working relationship. If you do it the right way, there is no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy long term business together.

I’ve been blogging for the last six years and working with brands for the past three, week in week out. So it goes without saying, I’ve learnt a few things along the way. In this post, I have put together two lists – one for brands looking to work with bloggers and one for bloggers looking to work with brands. Whichever category you fall into, I’ve got you covered.

Tips For Better Blogger Outreach – For Brands

Contact Bloggers The Right Way

The first thing we notice as bloggers when we open our emails is who you have addressed the email to. If you really do have a genuine interest in our blog, please take the time to find out our names. Mine is pretty obvious, not only is it included in the name of my blog but I have ‘Hi, I’m Jaki’ on my homepage, yet the amount of times I have opened emails to ‘Hi jakijellz’ or ‘to the editor of jakijellz’, is quite ridiculous. If you take the time to address us correctly, you will have our attention from the beginning.

Pitch to bloggers correctly

Us bloggers are pretty savvy. Yet sometimes we are made to feel like we don’t know what we are talking about. Please tell us how a partnership with you can be of value to us – whether this is via payment, product or both. Please, don’t expect something for nothing. For a lot of us, our blog is an income and whilst a share on your Facebook page is lovely, it doesn’t pay our bills. Our time is worth money and if you want to advertise something via an ‘influencer’ then you should expect to pay.

Maintain meaningful relationships

Please treat us with the respect we deserve. We work hard on these blogs – many of us into the small hours of the morning. Please pay us when you say you are going to and if there are likely to be any delays, please let us know. If you are happy with our work, please tell us. And if you really like our work, stay in touch. Chances are if we have worked with you once, we will work with you again. Influencer marketing is an industry built on relationships and the more positive connections a business can make with us, the more opportunity you will have to grow your presence online. If we really like you, we may even be able to help you with your blogger outreach in future.

Tips For Better Blogger Outreach- For Bloggers

Build your brand

If you’ve been blogging for a while and you want to dip your toe in the water of paid work, then you need to get yourself registered on to some sites where you can bid for work. Get Blogged is a great little website that pays bloggers to write posts even if they have a low DA. Once you get started and begin with the paid work, slowly but surely your name will get out there and with a bit of luck, soon you will have brands contacting you.

Don’t be afraid to pitch

Is there a particular brand that you have been desperate to work with? Don’t be afraid to pitch to them. Get social with them first – make some comments on their social media channels, engage in some conversation and then email them with your pitch. In your email, make sure you research who their PR person is and address the email to them personally. Don’t make the email too long – make it brief and to the point. Tell them what you can offer them and what you can expect in return. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t hear back immediately. Leave it a week and then send a follow-up email. This is all best practice for blogger outreach.

Speak to your blogger friends

A lot of your fellow blogger friends will have worked with brands in the past. Talk to each other and see if there is any way you can help each other. A lot of brands are always on the lookout for recommendations – as your blogger friends to put your name forward, you may be pleasantly surprised when you get an email from them.

Don’t sell yourself short

Unfortunately, there are a lot of brands out there that do expect an awful lot of work for not a lot in return. Always remember your worth. Time is money. Even if your blog is relatively new, you shouldn’t be expected to advertise for nothing in return. It may not be much until your blog is more established, but it should be something.

Hopefully, if you are new to blogging and needed some guidance, this will have helped you. Or, if you are a brand, this may have given you an insight into what we expect.

Did you like this post? Why not Pin it?

Written in collaboration