I hope you U.S. readers had a great holiday weekend!
A version of this post (minus the very important new #2) was originally published on a site that no longer exists. Since several bloggers thanked me for writing it, I wanted it to have a permanent home.
If you’re interested in approaching bloggers about guest posts or pitching your product, here are some good tips for what to do and what to avoid.
1. Do your research.
One thing that bloggers hate most is receiving a pitch from someone who obviously hasn’t read a single post on their blog. Like the pitch I got from someone who wanted to promote caviar on this blog. Or even better, the ones that start their pitch with, “Dear Inward.” Dudes. Didn’t you know that “Inward” is a vegetarian? Geez!
Know the blog that you’re pitching.
Make sure that what you’re asking makes sense for the blogger’s audience and that the content is relevant to the type of things that they do.
2. Value our time.
This year I was approached by a brand who was attending Alt Design Summit. I’m assuming they got my name from the speakers list and contacted everyone on it. They shared a program that they were working on and recruiting bloggers to participate in and asked if I thought I would be interested. It sounded fun, so I said that I’d be sure to find them when I was at Alt.
When I met them there, they said they would be sending out an application to everyone who responded. The application was not just the usual how many readers, twitter followers, Pinterest followers do you have. They also wanted to know why I wanted to work with them and answer questions about my aesthetic, style, influences, etc.
I spent some time working on it and sent it back in. A week goes by, time to follow up. No response. A month goes by, one more follow up. They said that they hadn’t seen my initial application, but that it really didn’t matter because they were only working with bloggers who had more than 100K Pinterest followers. Umm…would have been nice to know BEFORE you contacted me to begin with and subsequently had me fill out your application that obviously wasn’t necessary.
Seriously, brands. Please don’t waste our time. We value it at least just as much as you value your own. If you know what you’re looking for in terms of reach, numbers, engagement, etc., please post these requirements in your pitch. And better yet, if you’re looking for specific information that you can actually access on your own before contacting us, like a minimum number of Pinterest followers, please don’t approach me or have me spend time filling out your questionnaire for absolutely no reason. Thank you.
3. The “guest post.”
Another don’t is writing to a blogger and asking to “guest post” on their blog when what you really want to do is write a blatant advertisement for you or (worse) your client’s business. I usually just delete these. Rarely, on the occasion that the product or service would actually fit my blog, I’ll respond and explain that what they’re asking for is a sponsored post, not a guest post, and I charge for those. Usually this gets no response.
P.S. These emails are even worse when they’re presented as the person would be doing you a favor. I’ve had people say things like, “I’ll provide you with blog content at no charge….” I’m like, really? I don’t have to pay you to write this totally unrelated stuff that promotes your business on my blog? What a bargain!
Sigh.
Understand what you’re asking a blogger for and make sure it’s appropriate.
4. The real guest post.
This is something that I surprisingly don’t get very often.
One of the best things we can do as business owners or bloggers is guest post on other blogs to grow our audience and customer base.
It’s a great idea to pitch an article idea to a blogger who might have readers who would enjoy your offerings as well.
But there’s a difference between a guest post and a sponsored post. It’s okay to mention what you do, like in a note at the bottom of your article, but the post shouldn’t be all about you, your product, or your service. Think of an interesting, clever idea that you know something about and that would be enjoyable to the blogger you’re pitching and his or her readers. It’s great if it’s also related to your business, but the focus should be on engaging, helping, or entertaining the readers. Remember, you want them to visit your site too.
5. The sponsored post.
You pay for these. This is a post that the blogger writes about your products or services. These posts are clearly marked as sponsored (or at least they’re supposed to be, legally), so readers know upfront that the blogger is being compensated to write it. It’s an advertisement with context and content. There’s an engaging story around your service, and it can be a very effective way to get new customers.
6. The sidebar ad.
Not as effective as a sponsored post. I think that sidebar ads get lost in the shuffle. If you’re going to pay a blogger for advertising, a sponsored post has much more value. Readers are much more likely to pay attention to a blog post and be interested in a story than to notice a button with the name of your shop on it on a storyless sidebar.
I hope this has been helpful! Next time you want to pitch to a blogger you’ll know what to do and how to avoid the delete button. If you’re thinking about starting a blog for your own business or trying to grow your readership for your newish blog, check out Blog with Purpose for helpful tips and exercises to get you going.