A question I’ve been asked so many times over the years is how to pitch brands. If you have been blogging a while and want to start making money from your blog then pitching is something you will probably find yourself doing. Lots of professional bloggers will still have a high percentage on inbound work, but pitching can be helpful in growing your business and saves you waiting for a specific opportunity to come to you.
Isn’t pitching scary? Why would I put myself through that?
Firstly pitching is only are scary as you make it. Any fear is in your head. It is literally crafting an email, sending it, following up and well, that’s it. You will get a yes, no or maybe and go from there. They might never respond and if so don’t worry. Move on and try again. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Exactly, you will be ignored. You will survive.
Need more convincing? Here’s why you should pitch.
- When you pitch you’re in control and in theory can approach anyone you wish. However, approaching a brand that’s a good fit for your blog will prove more successful.
- You can show a company straight away what you can offer them. Rather than carrying out their brief, which might mean you can be more creative.
- Pitching can get you on a brands radar, even if it turns out to be a no this time.
- You might want/need a specific item (hello iRobot vacuum!) and pitching can help you get the opportunity to work with a brand and get the item you want.
Before you pitch
- Do your research. Find out about the company and most importantly the name of the person to pitch to. LinkedIn may help you here. Go to the company’s page, find the employees section, then search for marketing and public relations. Hopefully there will be a person listed that deals with digital marketing/public relations or brand partnerships or someone with a similar job title. Check out the brands own website and look at the press section. You could even tweet them and ask for the name of the person who deals with blogger collaborations. If all of that fails, send it to the general email address e.g. info@myfavouritebrand.com and ask for it to be forwarded to the person who deals with blogger collaborations.
- Remember what brands want. Quality content; your blog to speak to their demographic; your personality to shine through; you to have an engaged audience, that you have traffic/followers. Remember 1000 engaged followers are more attractive to a brand than 5000 that aren’t engaged!
- Run your idea past a friend. I always use my blogging buddies as a sounding board. They might suggest something you haven’t though of.
- Brands need you just as much as you need them, it’s a two-way partnership. So, don’t be afraid to let brands who what you want from the partnership.
- Plan out what you are offering and what you would like in return. Be fair, but don’t under sell yourself.
- Find the post which represents you best with regards to this pitch. Are you pitching to a holiday company? If so maybe you have blogged creatively about a previous family holiday? Or reviewed a day out? These will both show the brand what you can do for them.
- Tidy up your blog – Is there anything they needs to be addressed on your blog? Have you got a good ‘About Me’ page? Is your sidebar up to date? Do all your social media icons work? There’s no point in getting them through the front door with the pitch, to find your cupboard doors are hanging off. If you were selling a house you would be sure to tidy up before someone came to view it.
- If you’re new on the blogging scene, you need to change your mindset before you pitch. I’ve seen so many pitches which include a statement acknowledging they are a newer blogger or have lowers stats and all you are achieving from that is explaining to the brand why not to work with you. If this is you remember there are newer brands just like there are newer bloggers and you still have so much to offer. Focus on the positives – how quickly your following is growing etc.
Your pitch
- Keep it short. No-one wants, or needs, you life story. Everyone’s busy so just get to the point.
- Be genuine and not afraid to show your personality. Stand out from the crowd.
- You can take the lead as you are the pitcher, so say what you want and what they can expect in return.
- Be open to negotiation, but don’t agree to do something that won’t work for you. Remember your time is valuable.
Structuring your pitch
- Clear, short, snappy subject line. Make sure the brand know what to expect from your message. It should be concise and professional.
- Introduction. Give a brief overview of yourself and your blog (the highlights!) and what you want from the brand. Demonstrate why you would be a good fit to work with the brand.
- Social Networks Influence (Likes, Followers)
- Traffic Stats
- Benefits of working with you. This is your chance to sell yourself and your blog. What sets you apart? What can you offer the brand in return? Think creatively, what can you give in addition to a blog post. Depending on what you are pitching for, create an attractive package that will entice the brand. You could even use bullet points here to list what you are prepared to offer.
- Describe your audience. Give an overview of your readers demographic. Who is your typical reader – a 20-50 year old female for example. Don’t panic about numbers, engagement is more important for most brands.
- Demonstrate your ‘good fit’. Show examples of previous work with other companies. This could be a link to a page on your blog, a couple of links to posts in your email or even a Pinterest board showcasing your work with brands.
- Give a brief outline (1-2 paragraphs) sharing your ideas for this particular collaboration. Share (in brief) your creative idea.
- Media Kit. A media kit is handy to have ready BUT I wouldn’t sent it with your initial pitch if you have your prices on there. If not send away, that’s fine, but if your prices are on there you give up the opportunity to negotiate.
- Sign off – Offer them any additional information and finish by stating that you hope to speak to them about the collaboration in the near future.
Pitching examples
Pitching for a product
Hi [Contact’s name],
I’ve used [insert their product] for over 2 years and it has helped me [give benefit].
My readers also love hearing about [name the brand], and whenever I share your products, my audience always has lots of questions.
I’ve worked before with brands like X and X. [Then give the results of these collaborations].
My blog, [blog name], gets over [X] page views a month with great engagement. My Facebook page has a reach of [X] and my Instagram engagement of [X%].
I would love to work with you and am open to hear about any possible collaborations.
I hope to hear from you soon,
You
Pitching for a complimentary stay
Hi Bob,
I hope you’re having a lovely day. I’m Fifi and I write the blog, yourbloghere.com. I’m reaching out to you as I’m currently planning a trip on to Skegness on 1st-7th May, and I’m looking to partner with local hotels during my stay.
Your hotel has been recommended to me by friends, who stayed with you last year. I saw their photos and the rooms are amazing. They said the food was pretty special too! I wondered if you would be interested in a collaboration? In return for a complimentary stay I would provide you with a solo hotel review post (30,000 page views each month), which would also include a video. This post would be amplified on my social media channels, 20k on Instagram alone. I would take my own images and you can see examples of my work here on my Instagram feed. I would also happily let you have access to these images.
Do let me know if this is something that appeals to you and if you have any other suggestions, please do let me know, I’m very happy to chat about any ideas you have.
Thanks so much for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
Kindest Regards
Fifi
If you are successful, nurture this relationship and stay in touch with the brand. Email them the social media coverage and links to the posts you have written. In short, make their life easier and do as much as you can to help.
Have you pitched before to a brand? What tips would you have?
Do you want access to my totally FREE pitching masterclass? There are 5 short videos and templates for you to use. Get access here!
Want to refer back to this? Pin it!
Comments 62
Great tips. I pitched to Harry Potter Studios, I was so disappointed when they said they would put me on their email list. BUT 6 months later and I’ve already visited HP world twice! You just never know when that pitch will kick into action!
Author
That’s fabulous and you are right, you never know! x
Great tips! I went to Emily’s session at Britmums that had similar info and learnt a lot from it. I might have to start pitching! x
Super helpful as always ! Great tips and advice #sharewithme
Fab tips, thank you for sharing. I pitched to one brand when I first started blogging but didn’t hear anything back, this helps me to see why haha! I will have to give it ago again 🙂
#sharewithme
Author
Good luck huni xx
These are great tips, Aby. My blog is slowly growing, and pitches are still a bit intimidating for me, but these few points eases my worries more. Thank you being so helpful and sharing this!
Author
Good luck! Hope they help x
These are really useful, I’ve had a few successful pitches and fine that haven’t been acknowledged so I think I’ll follow some of your tips for my next one. #sharewithme
Author
Good luck lovely x
Great tips – I’ve never pitched to a company, I’d be so nervous but I should give it a go if I see something that would really work!
Some good tips there – especially on mentioning engagement. Thanks Aby x
Fab tips. A few times I have considered emailing brands and backed out at the last minute. After reading this I feel a bit more confident that it’s not too forward 🙂 Thanks for sharing and thanks for hosting #TheList
Debbie
http://www.myrandommusings.blogspot.com
Brilliant tips as always 🙂 I must get better at giving examples of previous work to back up my pitches, this has reminded me! Mim x #TheList
These tips are soooo helpful Aby! Thank you! I haven’t worked uo the courage to approach any brands yet, but when I do I’ll be using your tips to help me! #TheList
Fantastic article! I actually prefer to pitch direct rather than apply through the other methods. As someone who has no DA it really works in my favour, so far I’ve been pretty successful considering how small my blog is, but I think that is due to contacting the right people! I’m sure I’ll refer to this one time and time again. Thanks for hosting xx
Author
So glad you enjoyed it hun. x
Really good advice here! Thanks Abi!
Very interesting! I haven’t done much brand work so far (out of choice) but have decided to change this a little – so long as it’s done carefully and in keeping with my blog – so it’s interesting to see how others approach brands! #TheList
Brilliant! My blog is a little new for this but pinning for the future #thelist
Author
Hope it helps in the future x
Thanks for this Aby, I have yet to be brave and do this, but I think I will attempt it in the next couple of months 🙂
Author
Good luck! x
Great tips Aby – as ever!! Very helpful. #thelist
This is such a helpful post! I will definitely refer to it, if ever I get lucky x
Thank you for sharing these tips, I love how supportive the blogging community is still. I especially love the idea about brainstorming with your other blogging buddies!
Great post – you are always full of useful tips!
Great post I’m fairly new to blogging and the thought of pitching is still a bit intimidating but a breakdown like this makes it seem less daunting. Thanks
ps #thelist lol!
Great Post Aby! I pitched only once, and was lucky as I got the job. however was through bloggers required, never tried to approach a brand on my own volition. I still feel my blog has a lot to grow and improve. I do think I am getting there, slowly, as I am growing in confidence as well…. Thanks for the tips! Never thought about using linkedin for my blogging….x
Great advice! Your blog is always the one I turn to when I have questions about blogging. Love these posts! Your like my (and probably a lot of others) blog guru lol x ps thanks for hosting #thelist
Author
AH that is such a lovely comment, thanks hun. I am glad you find it useful x
Great tips Aby I’m going to save this one for when I start pitching. Still need to get my media kit together first! xo
Author
Good luck with it hun, I have a post on media kits if you need help x
Keeping it short and to the point is so important, as is pitching to the right brands. In my other life in PR I had quite a few approaches from bloggers who were clearly just after any freebie they could get. With one click I could see their blog content and audience weren’t right for my client’s products so it was an immediate no without even looking at their media kit. Great tips #thelist
Author
Thanks for the response, yes I imagine some people are like that, sad really as it gives us all a bad name x
Aby, thanks for the advice, good stuff-as always! I have pinned this so that I can utilize it when i do approach companies/brands. You are so great at sharing information, really appreciate it.
Author
Hope it helps when you need it Nikki x
These all make so much sense, but so hard to remember when you’re writing a pitch. I have to admit I’ve only done a few for sponsorship, but there’s a couple of brands I would like to work with so really should get my pitches done for them.
Author
Good luck, hope it helps x
Oh this is everso helpful, Aby! I’ve never pitched directly before, and it’s something that I definitely know I need to move towards. I’m bookmarking this for future reference! #thelist
Great tipS. I haven’t pitched for a while so feel out of shape!! x
Great tips, I have never pitched to a brand before, I am too nervous and don’t think I would be good enough so I have chickened out, I should give it a go though I will keep your tips in mind when I do.
Love this post it took Mr a while with pitching and now I’m fairly confident. In the UAE blogging is relatively small so it’s about approaching. I’ve found that by suggesting how and why I will post has really helped. As well as thinking of other ideas, for example a dress review I’m doing will have a pick a dress for me section on Facebook as well as a review. Great tips as always Aby x
Author
Yes I think it is great to show your creativity and how you would approach a collaboration, do the work for them x
This is so very useful and coincidentally, I was thinking earlier how I would like to start pitching when I can put more in to my blog and I was going to scour Live Love Blog and/or your Blog Club to see if you had covered this particular topic! So pleased to have seen this! 🙂
Thank you for sharing all of your tips, I will definitely be using this as a framework going forwards! X X
#TheList
Author
Happy to help and hope it works for you xx
Great advice! #SundayStars x
Very helpful post one again. I haven’t done much pitching to brands but I would like to start. I love how clear and easy to follow your blogging posts are! #SundayStars
Author
Aw thank you, I am glad you like them x
i think one of the problems with pitching to a brand is that I don’t know how other people do it! These tips are great, thank you 🙂
Always such helpful advice from you Aby, thank you. I’ve yet to pitch to anyone as more focused on growing than anything else at the moment, but wil be bookmarking and coming back when I am ready, to make sure I have things right 🙂
Aby, you are the pitching guru and if you say it, I will follow ; )
This is a great and informative post, thanks for sharing your insight.
Thanks also for linking up to #SundayStars xx
Author
Ah bless honey, glad it helps xx
These are great tips. I have pitched a few brands with ideas, I’ve only recently had the confidence to try as normally I just respond to what comes to me. I’m happy to say I mostly have been doing what you say so I’m glad to be doing it right haha!
Author
Perfect 🙂 X
Always giving away great tips! This is really good. I’m still not in that page yet but at least I know now what to do. Thanks for hosting, #TheList
I know I say it every week Aby but you are so full of knowledge and I wish I knew half of what you teach. I have so much to always catch up on and learn its a never ending battle with it all. lol At least I can learn each week from you. lol Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me #sharewithme
Author
Oh thanks honey. It is just stuff I have learned along the way and have no issue with sharing. Truly believe that together we are stronger x
Great tips lovely! I have pitched successfully a few times now and it’s a great feeling!xxx
Author
Fab isn’t it. Well done honey xxx
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