Last week I posted a few tips for brands who are interested in working with bloggers. Today’s post will be 5 tips for bloggers working with brands and I hope you will share some of your own tips as well.
Tip #1
- Be honest in your review. Remember that you should never “sell your soul” for a few free products or any amount of money. Your reputation as an influencer is very important especially in today’s world. Too many bloggers are “faking the funk” and getting caught by their loyal and conscientious followers. It’s not about “how much money can I make?” it’s more about “how much value can I deliver” to the brands and to my followers.
Tip #2
- Write in your own voice. What YOU say matters! Do the best that only you can do and don’t try to imitate another blogger’s style. Remember it’s your blog and it’s your voice that readers are following. You may not have a fancy DSLR camera or have the best photography and video skills, but it’s you that your followers like and they are looking for your voice so use it. It’s why the brand chose you so don’t disappoint them by copying another’s blogger’s style or review – that’s a big no-no!
Tip #3
- Be transparent and honest. Make sure to include an initial Disclosure Statement so that your readers know that you were compensated for the review and this also meets FTC regulations. When posting on social use the provided hashtags as well as #spon #sponsored #ad so that your readers know that you are being compensated for the post even if it’s only a $50 Gift Card to a local restaurant. Make sure to use No Follow links back to the brand or you will be penalized by Google, just remember to always be transparent and honest.
Tip #4
Create a Media Kit and Reach out to Brands Is there a product or service that you use and simply love? Perhaps you want to become a Brand Ambassador or attend a major event, well don’t sit back and dream about it, take the initiative and reach out to them. In today’s world, most brands and companies understand the power of blog posts and influencer marketing.
It cost them less to pay a blogger to write a review than it does to post an ad in the local paper so put together a Media Kit and contact the brands directly. You can make the initial contact via Twitter or Facebook because they probably receive hundreds of pitch emails daily and yours may never get read. Hey, the worst thing they can say is, “no”, but wonder if they say, “yes”.
Tip #5
Don’t Give Up – Follow Up If you’ve reached out to a brand and they don’t respond right away or when they do they say that they are not interested, don’t feel badly about asking them why. Perhaps your numbers are too low or your target audience doesn’t fit their campaign goals.
Don’t give up, use whatever feedback you have been given to improve and if at a later date you meet their criteria reach out again and ask them to reconsider. Don’t be discouraged as you may need to start with smaller brands then work your way up to the bigger companies.
Do you have any tips to share for working with brands?
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6 thoughts on “5 Tips for Bloggers Working with Brands”
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I agree with everything you mentioned in this blog. Moreover, there’s too much $ gUaP $ online to be made. One thing the U.S. government will never tell their Federal employees is side hustling online is the way to true financial security, overcoming personal debt, working closely with brands and calling the shots in commanding more $ gUaP $ from advertisers, and the way to be a future “side hustle millionaire!” 🙂
Yes, you can never knock a side-hustle especially in today’s society. “Building a Firewall Against a Furlough” is going to be my next post.
Thanks for stopping by to comment, glad to see that you are actively back on social.
Great points. I think if you are approaching a company why not if you don’t get a response from an email give a call. Also even if you hate the product you can couch it in a way that is still just your opinion but the product may be ideal for someone else. Dissing a product is not helpful to you for future or additional business or for the company!
So true, however, if there are adverse reactions make sure to let the company know before posting as they probably would prefer that you didn’t. Honesty is always the best policy especially if you are working with numerous brands.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
This was a great read – and (although I don’t blog for products) it’s helpful to know the process if any brand ever appeals to me enough to want to engage with them on my blog.
Glad you were able to get some insight into the working with brands when/if the time comes for you to connect. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.