Over the past year, I have really stepped out of my comfort zone in many different areas of blogging, but one of my most daring steps has been pitching to brands. Sometimes brands will approach you to work with them, but that won’t always be the case. Sometimes you need to take the first step in the direction of a possible collaboration. I know it can be intimidating at first, but I promise it is easier than you think.
Pitching collaboration ideas to brands is actually one of the fun parts of being a blogger. We have the opportunity to connect with brands on a level that not every person has, and I think that’s completely awesome and life-changing. While putting yourself out there can be daunting, it actually gets insanely easier the more you do it. Pitching to brands not only helps you grow your blog, but it helps you grow more confidence and find a greater sense of self and purpose, too!
Many of you have been begging me to write about pitching to brands for a while now, and I am beyond excited to finally be sharing 8 of my top tips to pitching brands today! I know 8 can seem like a huge number, but I pinky promise it’s not that overwhelming at all. Pinky promise!
[bctt tweet=”Struggling with how to reach out to brands that you want to work with? Here’s where to start!” username=”SummerTelban”]
8 EFFECTIVE TIPS FOR GETTING BRANDS TO WORK WITH YOU:
1. Do Your Research On The Brand //
Before you even start to write out your pitch, you must know as much as you can about the brand you’re wanting to work with. Dig in and find out where they came from and what their overall mission is. Is their mission similar to yours? Is their focus similar to yours? These are questions you need to ask yourself when looking for a brand to pitch to. You don’t want to pitch to a brand that has nothing to do with your blog’s focus or niche. You must also remember to consider the brand’s audience (gender, age). Is their audience close to your primary audience? Once you’ve done your research you will be able to know 100% if you still want to pitch them or not.
2. Get In Contact With The Right Person //
When you’re doing your research, look and see if there’s a specific person or email you should contact for blogging or social media collaborations. Most times there are, but if not, try out their general contact form. If you know for sure you’ve got the right person/email address, be sure to address them properly! Finding the direct person you should be in contact with helps save you from having to jump through many, many unnecessary hoops.
3. Introduce Yourself, Your Blog, & Why You’re A Great Fit For Them //
The first thing you should do in your pitch is to introduce yourself and your blog in the first few sentences. This helps give the brand a good sense of who you are and what your personal vision and focus is for your blog. This also gives you the easiest opportunity to transition into why you’d be a great fit for the brand. Don’t feel the need to be bashful, either! If you really feel there’s something you should share or point out that’d increase your chances for a collaboration, then share it!
4. Be Specific, But Don’t Give Away All Of The Goods //
After you’ve introduced your heart, now it’s time to get down to business and share your collaboration idea with them. Be specific when it comes to the type of collaboration you’re wanting whether it be a sponsored post, giveaway, social media exposure, or more. You can even give a general sense of the direction you’d like to take the collaboration in, according to what’d draw your audience in most. But there’s one thing you shouldn’t do…don’t give away all of the goods! Call me paranoid, but I don’t want to share my great collaboration idea in full detail only to have the brand say “no” or never get back to me, and then come to find they decided to approach another blogger for my exact pitch idea. I know this is some of my blogging friends’ worries, as well. Find the perfect balance for you, but keep some mystery until they give a solid “yes” to working with you! *Side note: Only pitch what you can deliver and follow through with.
5. Back Up Your Pitch With Your Stats //
One of the most important parts of your pitch is backing it up. You always need to include your blog’s stats (page views & unique page views) and your current social media reach. If you have a media kit, attach that in the email. Put your best foot forward. If you have a low following on a social media platform you don’t use that often, then don’t include it. Share your best and always be honest! Honesty is always, always key here! Sure, the brand can’t see your Google Analytics, but what you put out and the response you get will always reflect the truth in the end. There will be some brands looking for huge followings and engagement rates, as well as a huge number of page views – don’t let them get you down. Everyone grows at their own rate, and that’s something to be proud of – own your journey!
[bctt tweet=”Bloggers, don’t lie about your stats because they’re not where you want them. Always be honest!” username=”SummerTelban”]
6. Keep Your Pitch Short And Sweet //
Most people don’t have the time to read an entire essay of a pitch, so it’s best to keep your pitch short and sweet the best that you can. Brands will appreciate your straight to the point forwardness in your ideas for the collaboration, and I think, will be more likely to actually read it and respond. It takes some practice structuring the best pitch layout for yourself, especially since every pitch is different, but you can do it!
7. Know Your Worth //
Bloggers, before you reach out to brands to work with them, you MUST know your worth. There are so many brands trying to take advantage of bloggers and their talents. Brands are trying to get you to give them free promotion…even without free product sometimes! That is straight up disgusting of them. So please, I beg you, don’t be that blogger who lets brands take advantage of you. Not only does that prevent you from growing, but it prevents bloggers as a whole from growing. So, know your worth. Sometimes a collaboration only takes free products, but sometimes it requires financial compensation. Do not be modest when it comes to your time and talent. Do not shy away from putting your prices out there. The worst that will happen is you get a “no” from the brand. Where there’s a brand that says “no” there will always be one that’ll say “yes”, it just takes time to get connected with those brands.
[bctt tweet=”Don’t be the blogger who lets brands take advantage of you. You’re MORE than that! Know your worth.” username=”SummerTelban”]
8. Follow Up, Follow Up!! //
If you haven’t heard back from the brand in a week’s time and you’re still really interested in working with them, send a follow-up email. It doesn’t have to be long, but just a check-in asking if they received your email. After you’ve sent your check-in email, wait it out a bit. Depending on the brand, they can get up to hundreds of emails a day, which makes it easy for emails to get lost. The first big pitch I made, it took two weeks to get a response from someone and I was bumming the entire two weeks. Then I reminded myself that they get tons of emails a day and that (hopefully) they’d eventually get to it. Don’t take it personally if they don’t get back right away. Don’t take it personally if they never respond to you. Some brands are just not interested in working with bloggers at all. Keep on following up, though! Some partnerships that I have landed have come from me following up 6-8 times, haha. You’re not being annoying, you’re just passionate about the potential partnership.
So, there you have it – my top 8 tips for reaching out and pitching to brands. It’s really easier than you’d think, it just takes practice like anything else does. What are some specific questions you have about connecting and pitching to brands? What holds you back from pitching to brands? Will you challenge yourself and reach out to a brand this week?
