Welcome back to Self Employed Mum. Thanks for visiting!
Running a few blogs with one of them being a large product based blog, I get hundreds of requests each year asking me to feature sites/products and in essence, promote someone else’s business. Everybody has different ways of handling their editorial which can create a bit of a minefield, but here are a few fundamentals that will keep you out of shark infested waters.
1) Always address the blogger by name. There is always an author name on the blog, even if it is a pseudonym. ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ or ‘Hello there’ just doesn’t cut it and shows that even though you are looking for something, you didn’t even take the time to find out their name.
2) Don’t approach with emails chock full of attachments. If I have no clue who you are and also haven’t requested the information, seeing a gigantasaurus email full of serious megabytes, will potentially send your email to the spam folder. Send an email and introduce yourself without the copious attachments.
3) Don’t tell us about how you want a free ad or coverage because you’ve been burnt by mainstream press. You show how little you value what that person is doing by approaching in this manner.
4) Get the fundamentals by reading the about page. It’ll take you about two minutes to read this page which will stop you from making a nob out of yourself by emailing about something completely irrelevant. I appreciate you’re time poor but don’t let your first communication with someone be your last because you couldn’t get the basics right of knowing what the site was about. For example, I am regularly approached about products for kids over four, even though I write about products for under four’s. Also check to see if they have a published editorial policy or any details of how they prefer to be contacted.
5) Never, ever, try to dictate what is written. Ever. Don’t send pre-written stuff saying that it must be included in the post and unless there is something factually incorrect, don’t keep asking for changes. Do we look like your flunky who you can order about?
6) Don’t harass. Being an eager beaver will win you brownie points in other areas of your business but pestering people who may be getting a large volume of emails will have them regarding you as an annoyance.
7) Don’t be mean spirited or nasty if you don’t always get your way. No-one, and I truly me no-one is under any obligation to write about your product or service or say that it’s wonderful. You need to believe in whatever you’re pitching so you’re bound to be an evangelist, but remember to be 100% professional, because not only will you be remembered and bloggers talk amongst themselves and sometimes even in the open, but if you are representing someone else’s business, you are being highly unprofessional. For PR reps in particular, I’ve heard stories of bloggers telling the client directly about unprofessional behaviour and invariably it leads to loss of client.
Check out part two for some more tips.
photo credit: Picture Perfect Pose
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- How to approach bloggers for coverage – Part Two
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- Text 100 Global Blogger Survey Report: Helping ‘tense’ relationships between PR & bloggers
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- Content ideas for your blog that add value to your business