Reaching out to brands as a blogger

Blogging is competitive. We all know that. I for one know how it feels to see another blogger working with an awesome brand and feel a pang of jealousy. It's particularly difficult if you aim to make a career of it because, after all, brand partnerships are a huge part of that. However, you can help things along a little by simply reaching out to brands yourself. A lot of bloggers are afraid of this, and I understand why, but this post will help make it seem a little less daunting.

CONTACTING BRANDS AS A BLOGGER

I will state now: This is my own experience. Everything I write here is how I approach brands, which has worked well for me. By no means am I pretending to know everything or telling you that this is the only way to approach matters.

WHY SHOULD I REACH OUT TO BRANDS?

I once read something from a PR and it really helped me: Those who work in blogger outreach need to locate suitable bloggers to work with. They're spending time hunting down suitable candidates, emailing them to see if they're interested, awaiting a reply and possibly never hearing back. This takes time. If a blogger pops up in front of them, it makes their life easier. 

It's true that you may not be suitable, and they may not want to work with you (more on that later), but you're being proactive and introducing yourself to people who may otherwise never see you.

WHEN AM I READY?

Although there's no magic number, there is admittedly an unwritten threshold as to when you're ready to work with brands. If you've been blogging a month and have 20 followers, it's not going to be the best time. Unfortunately, there's no clear answer but I would suggest having examples of work with brands before you contact anyone yourself. That way, you can send examples of your collaborative posts to demonstrate your ability. 

WHO DO I CONTACT?

On many brand websites, there will be an email address for press enquiries. If this includes a name, use it. It's common sense, I know, but a "Dear Julie," is much more effective than "Dear Sir/ Madam". Some of the larger companies will have details of the PR companies they hire. If there is no indication of press emails, contact general enquiries with something along the lines of "Press enquiry: Blogger collaborations" in the subject line.

This is just my personal feeling, but I feel uncomfortable when I see people asking a brand on Twitter for their press contact. I just feel it's more professional, and shows more initiative, to find it out yourself. 

Likewise, asking brands on Twitter for opportunities is not effective. It's very public, for one thing, but it's also unlikely that they'll see your tweet amongst all the others. 

WHAT DO I SAY?

It should go without saying by be polite. There's a fine line between being overly formal (coming across as stiff and forced) and being too informal (which can seem unprofessional). Likewise, try not to seem either indifferent or desperate. It's a balancing act and it can take a little while to get into but it helps if you only contact brands you are genuinely passionate about.

Do not contact brands with the intention of getting "freebies" or sponsored work. Not only is that presumptious but you'll probably be disappointed. See it as an opportunity to introduce yourself and be kept in the loop with what the brand is doing. You may be asked to review items. You may be invited to events. You may be offered sponsored post opportunities. You may also not. This is why it helps if you have a genuine passion for the brand and want to know about new releases and information in advance.

Remember, the press and PR office is a busy place so don't take up too much time. Introduce yourself, your blog and ask to be kept in mind for future press releases. Attach your media kit, which should have all your statistics up to date, so they can find out more about you if they are interested. 

With that, wish them well and then sit back and wait. They may reply. They may not.

WHAT IF THEY REJECT ME?

After sending your email, a number of things may happen. They may offer you some opportunities straight away. They may thank you and tell you they've added you to the database. They may tell you they're not interested right now. What's very likely, however, is that they will ignore you.

This happens a lot. Do not use it as a reflection on you. As I said, they are very busy people and, particularly for very big companies, will get a lot of unsolicited requests. You can either forget about it and move on, or decide to try again in a few months. If they still ignore you, I'd leave it at that. The last thing anyone wants is to get a reputation for being pushy.

WHAT NOW?

Here's a challenge for you: Choose your favourite brand. A brand you are really passionate about, a brand you love, a brand you could shout from the rooftops about. Drop them a quick email to introduce yourself and ask to be kept in mind for future press releases and opportunities. If (or when) you get a reply, come back and let me know what happened! 

Yes, it's scary to throw yourself out there but you've got nothing to lose. They may reject you, admittedly, but you may also find something wonderful. You'll never know unless you give it a go!