Over the year, bloggers have grown in influence. This is why people reach out to them for brand partnerships, joint partnerships, sponsored blog posts, interviews and other opportunities. Contacting bloggers is similar to contacting traditional media, except the process is more informal.
Just because the process is informal doesn’t mean you should throw professionalism by the wayside. Following are five mistakes people make when reaching out to bloggers and what to do instead.
Mistakes When Reaching Out to Bloggers
Sending Press Releases
Sending press releasing is not a mistake; it’s more of a preference. Instead of sending releases, pitch story ideas. To increase the likelihood of your story being selected for publishing, send a summary of the story with relevant images and videos.
Sending “Cold” Emails
I get tons of emails that starts with a “Hi” followed by generic messages with requests. The message neither addresses me directly nor mentions the name of my blog. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
You should attempt to build a relationship with the blogger before requesting for anything. Social media makes it easy to do this.
Failing to Address Blogger by Name
When reaching out to a blogger, the absolute least you can do is address him or her by name. Correction. The absolute least you can do is spell the person’s name correctly.
Failing to Build a Relationship with the Blogger
You don’t have to take the blogger to lunch (although that would be nice) but try to initiate a relationship using one of following methods:
- Mention their blog or a specific post in a blog post or social media updates
- Share their newsletter and social media updates
- Express your appreciation for his or her work via email
- Offer to help with his or her project without asking for anything in return
Being Impatient
If you don’t immediately hear back from a blogger within a week, follow up. They are not ignoring you. They may have jobs, businesses, families, inboxes full of messages and other commitments that makes it a little challenging to respond immediately. Your message could have also landed in their spam box.
If you email a blogger and don’t get a response, try again. If that doesn’t work, contact them on social media. If there is a number on their site, call them. As with any pursuit, you have to be consistent and patient.
What About You?
Have you made any of the above mistakes when reaching out to bloggers? If so, which one(s)? Let us know in the comment box below.
Image credit: Mohamed Hassan on Pixabay