Bloggers get lots of pitches from brands and PR companies looking to work with them. The best pitches show that they have researched you and your blog in order to pair you with a relevant opportunity. The worst pitches have spelling errors, aren’t clear, and are bossy.
Here is some advice on how to pitch a blogger:
1. Spell the blogger’s name and their blog’s name correctly.
2. Quickly explain why are you pitching them. Tell them why they are a good fit for the opportunity. Say something like, we are looking for Chicago based fashion bloggers, or we are contacting you because we noticed your article on gluten-free pasta.
3. Personalize it a little, but be careful. The more you personalize each email, the greater the risk is of forgetting to delete something before you send your draft to the next person. I have received emails that say things like “I am from Ohio too!”, when I am not from Ohio.
4. Give us some details about the product/event/etc, but feel free to include details in an attachment. We quickly skim these emails so keep it short and to the point. If we are interested we will read attachments with more information. Or just paste it below your pitch.
5. Make your call to action clear. We get lots of emails and lots of press releases, and we don’t have time to reply to every single one. Unless you tell us how you want us to get involved, the email may be ignored. Tell us what you want from us. Don’t bury this! Include a mention of this in the first couple of sentences.
6. Tell the blogger what is in it for them. Are you offering tickets to an event? Free product? A paying gig? Be clear. Be really careful about offering “exposure” in exchange for work.
7. Outline specific ways we can work together. The best pitch I have ever received clearly explained 3 way we could work together, the timeline in which they wanted to work, and what I would receive in return based on each option.
8. Tell us what the next steps are. You caught our attention, now tell us what to do next whether we need to email back, set up a call, meet in person, provide an address for shipment, etc. Do you need to hear back by a specific date? Is space limited?
9. Spell check. Spell check. Spell check.
10. Be responsive. Reply to emails and answer any questions. Follow through. I am pretty sure most of us have dealt with awkward situations of not being on the list at an event even after we RSVPed, or showing up for a media meal when the restaurant wasn’t given a heads up. The blogging community is tight knit, so word spreads when bloggers encounter these awkward situations. Most importantly, when the situation is awkward, we are less like to write about it and cover it on social media.
And, if you are emailing about an event:
- Bloggers get lots of last minute invites. Emailing 3 weeks before the event is a sweet spot.
- Are you offering a media pass? If so, be clear. It can be hard to determine if it is an invitation, or just a press release announcing an event.
- Do we get to bring a plus 1? Bloggers don’t know who is on the invite list, and if they will know anyone at the event. Giving bloggers the option to bring a plus 1 might make them more likely to say yes. We have found that bloggers will often invite another blogger to be their plus 1.
- Make the time, date, and location clear. Explain is it an event were people can pop in, or not.
Bloggers- What do you think? What are the best and worst pitches you have received?