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Ways To Make All Bloggers Want (To Work With) You!


If you’re running your own business and not harnessing the power of working with bloggers then you’re missing a seriously big trick! With thousands (or for some people hundreds of thousands) of loyal monthly readers, getting your product or service in front of all those eager eyeballs has got to be a no-brainer. But bloggers are overrun with submissions so just how do you go about getting them to not only notice your pitch but actually want to write about you too? 


1. Contact them correctly

The “Dear Blogger” email is probably the bane of every blogger’s life. Not addressing someone by name when you email them is not only lazy, it’s darn right rude. Why would someone then want to go on to promote or help you if you can’t even be bothered to find out their name or personalise your email?
It’s pretty easy to decipher what a working relationship might be like with a brand through that very first email. When you write to a blogger without using their name (or using someone else’s name – whoops!) what you’re really saying is “I want to work with a blogger… any blogger… I actually don’t really care who they are or what they do, I just want to get featured on some blogs”. First impressions are of the utmost importance, and if you’re sending out these kinds of emails, it will just appear that your strategy is nothing more than ‘spray and pray’… spray everyone you can and pray that someone is bored enough to want to write about you. 


2. Get to know them

It’s important to get to know the bloggers before you contact them. Follow their blogs, read what they publish and interact with them on social media. Reply to their tweets and leave (non spammy) comments on their blog. Get to know them and try and get them to know you. That way, when it comes to pitching something to them you’re not just hitting them with a cold call, they might recognise your name or feel like they already know who you are. If they do they’re much less likely to just delete your email.

Similarly, if you’re actually reading and engaging with their blogs before you contact them, you can make your pitch much more personal and effective. Keep an eye on what they like, what they don’t like and the kind of things they’re already writing about. It would be a pretty embarrassing to pitch an idea to someone who’d just written about the very same thing last week wouldn’t it?!
It’s also vital that you’re pitching ideas that suit each blogger’s niche. There’s absolutely no point sending someone that loves high fashion and luxury a pitch about your new line budget sweats.


3. Don’t expect them to work for free

What?! You mean bloggers don’t just survive on freebies and the promise of ‘exposure’? I know, right, crazy – bloggers actually expect to earn money from doing their job, who would have thunk it?!

This seems to be a sticking point for a lot of brands and the amount of compensation many of them offer bloggers is laughable and often borderline offensive. Each blogger will have their own set of rules as to when a post or collaboration is paid for or not, but don’t start the proceedings by assuming that they’re going to want to write about you for free… or for a voucher… or a free gift. Some will, but most of the bigger and more established bloggers will not. You’ll be getting something out of an association with them so it’s only right and fair that they get something for their time and the exposure they can provide your brand too.



4. Don’t disregard newer or smaller blogs

A lot of brands or businesses will instinctively go for the bigger, higher trafficked blogs for their promotional efforts, but don’t disregard the smaller ones. In many cases it’s actually much more beneficial to have a really targeted and engaged audience (who are more likely to be invested in what the blogger actually has to say) rather than always going for the one with the most impressive numbers. 

Also, let’s not forget that the smaller blogs will also be a lot cheaper to advertise on and will probably be more willing to throw extra promotion your way. While the bigger blogs are overrun with content submissions, the smaller ones will be much more excited to receive yours and therefore be much more likely to feature you.

5. Think about time frames

If you’re working on a seasonal campaign, don’t email a blogger right at the last minute and expect them to be able to squeeze you in! Most bloggers work with an editorial calender and have limited spaces for sponsored content. Most get booked up at least a month in advance and for any non-paid for content they have a 2-6 week waiting time between receiving everything what they need for a post and actually blogging it. If you have a very seasonal item or an event you want them to attend or promote, don’t submit it and expect it to go up the next day! 



6. Offer them something new, unique or exciting

It sounds so obvious to me, but so many companies send bloggers the same old boring, re-hashed ideas and pitches. This just won’t fly! Bloggers a trend-setters, style-spotters and want to be seen to be sharing the next big thing.
  Have a think about what might entice a blog reader to convert to a customer. What do they already enjoy about the blog? What kinds of posts get the most reader engagement?

7. Think about what you want

You need to have an end goal in mind when it comes to working with a blogger so you can properly determine if the collaboration has been worthwhile. Similarly, it will enable you to voice this beforehand so you can work together to try and make this happen. A wishy-washy “yeah maybe I want to get some enquires” is not going to cut it. Be really specific and then come up with some ideas as to how you can make it a reality.

Don’t be afraid to suggest ideas or things that you think might work. A unique campaign will always go down a lot better with the readers and be much more exciting to work on for the blogger. Also listen to their ideas. The best bloggers know their readers back to front, they know what’s worked in the past and what hasn’t and they’ll likely be able to suggest ideas or angles that you’ve never thought of.



8. Be personable, but professional

It’s time to kick off those shoes and relax a little. Bloggers are generally very laid back and most are running this thing, on their own, from their bedroom or home office. Working with bloggers should be fun, so loosen up a bit.

Some of my favourite bloggers to work with are those that speak to me like a human being and so we talk like we’re old friends rather than trying to be all stuffy or hyper-professional. Of course don’t be over-familiar with your first email but keep things light, peppy and, most of all, fun. Ditch the generic press release and always keep it real.
It’s funny because as I was working on this post I saw a link to this article by Ash of The Middle Finger Project about how NOT to pitch to bloggers. I actually chuckled the whole way true because, oh lordy, she hit so many nails on the head. Before you even think about contacting bloggers to promote you, do yourself a favour and read it!

9.  Present your ideas beautifully

As well as great stories and offers for their readers, bloggers always want great imagery to accompany their posts. Invest some time in making sure your ideas are presented in the best way. The most exciting campaign idea ever will probably fall flat on it’s face if the images used alongside it are dated, badly composed or just plain ugly. Online, people’s attention spans are short and a really strong image will always catch a blogger’s (and in turn their reader’s) attention before anything you have to say.

In a similar vein, make sure your email pitch looks good. Double and triple check for spelling and grammar errors and don’t embed high res images that will take forever to download. I also personally don’t like those image-heavy, template style emails as, to me, they always looks like a genetic newsletter or spam.


10. Think about an ongoing relationship

Some of the best blogger campaigns are not ones that are just one post, or one tweet, or one month of banner advertising. They are an ongoing drive that builds and gets into the reader’s psyche so they then want to buy. Instead of just looking for a quick fix, think about working on an ongoing relationship. Maybe you do a banner advert for a few months, then a sponsored post or giveaway. A few weeks later you could throw in some social media love and then wrap it all up with a post about how the collaboration worked out.

Bloggers that I regularly work with are always going to be my favourites because they’re loyal and a I ‘get’ what they’re about. It’s easier for us to come up with fun concepts because I know their blog inside out and I know what kind of reaction we get from their readers.

So here’s the cliff notes: If you want to work with bloggers think about a campaign idea that will engage their readers, excite them and ultimately get your product or service in front of as many pairs of eyes as possible. Come up with a new idea and pitch it beautifully. Ditch the generic press release and be personable but professional. A spray and pray email or an unoriginal styled shoot idea is never going to cut it and, ultimately, always keep it real.
 
 

Macro Monday - 174!

Crazy build up to Christmas? grab a cuppa and get your lol on, it's Macro Monday time! 


Most popular girls is amazing.



Me as a dog (and what mine does to water!) 



Good name 
 

Amazing


Also me. 



Genius.


 CANOTT.STOP.LAUGHING



Best Game
 
 My kind of relationship



Also me. 



Murder Monkey



Amazing



lol
 

We all know one



A lot 

Have a great week folks!

DIY Essential Oil Blend to Relieve Stress and Anxiety



Depending on the situation, it usually starts at the centre of my neck. Muscles tighten, my shoulders hunch up towards my ears… my jaw begins to clench and pop. Teeth grinding, stomach churning, palms sweating. Stress and anxiety present themselves differently in each and every one of us, but I’m willing to bet you’ve experienced these symptoms — or something like them — at some point yourself. We’re a society of chronic stress, an awful fact, and what makes it even worse is that many of us don’t even realize that we’re affected by it. We go about our lives, accepting that twisted jaw and knotted stomach as an inevitability, something to live with, but slowly, that secret — or not-so-secret — stress might just be killing us.


Your body is trained to react to stress in many of the same ways it reacts to a perceived threat. Theoretically, a mountain of bills (or hey, our taxes) may seem far less scary than running from a wild animal, but our bodies don’t see the difference. While we may not be constantly under attack by outside forces, dealing with your day to day life can be enough to make your body feel as though it’s fighting a battle. While vastly different, each stressful situation, whether life-threatening or simply inconvenient, triggers a fight or flight response, releasing adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. Adrenaline increases blood pressure and boosts your energy supplies, while cortisol releases a surge of glucose into the bloodstream, curbing certain functions that wouldn’t be productive in a dangerous situation and even altering your immune system. Yes, all that can happen from just looking at a packed calendar and feeling stressed out, or thinking about an upcoming test. If you’re chronically stressed, this means your body is reacting this way all the time, which can translate to some serious health risks, including:
  • Insomnia
  • High blood-pressure
  • Weight gain
  • Depression
  • Increased anxiety
  • Hormonal imbalances
Scary stuff indeed. Which is why we need to work towards eliminating — or at least decreasing — our stress, whether chronic or not. What is causing you anxiety? What’s stressing you out? How can you work towards eliminating those situations in your life, or at least work towards lessening their effects.


While chronic stress and anxiety should be assessed by a professional, something that always helps me decompress and de-stress is scent. Scent is an extremely powerful thing. It can conjure memories both good and bad, excite us, soothe us, even encourage us to sleep. Today I’m sharing an essential oil blend that should ease a troubled mind and put nerves to rest. 



Materials:

Dark glass roll-on vial or dropper bottle (dark glass protects against sunlight)
20 drops patchouli essential oil
30 drops cedar wood essential oil
25 drops lavender essential oil
30 drops ylang ylang essential oil
20 drops bergamot essential oil
Jojoba oil (optional)

Combine all the oils in the glass vial. Depending on the size of the bottle, the liquid won’t likely fill it. You can leave as-is or dilute with the jojoba oil to create a moisturising oil for hands and body.

Uses (undiluted):

Rub a few drops between your palms and breathe in the scent deeply for an instant calming effect in stressful or anxious situations.

Add a few drops to warm bath water for a soothing, stress-relieving bath.

Add a few drops to your body moisturiser and apply as you usually would (avoiding the face).

Mix with 1 part water, 1 part plain witch hazel and add to a spray bottle to create a relaxing room spray (avoid spraying on light fabrics).

Benefits:

Patchouli: A natural anti-depressant and sedative. Stimulates the release of serotonin, lifting the mood and easing fears and anxieties.

Cedarwood: Eases nervous tension and stress-related disorders and can be used as a sedative, promotion restful and restorative sleep.

Lavender: Relieves restlessness and exhaustion, promoting relaxation and calm.
Ylang Ylang: Lowers blood pressure and bolsters the nervous system, reducing stress on the nerves and repairs past damage.

Bergamot: Reduces pain and nervous tension, easing sleeplessness, high blood pressure and even helping symptoms of depression.

 I carry a bottle of this with me while travelling to ease stress and anxiety on long flights (love travel, hate flying) and keep it close by to calm my mind throughout a busy day.

How do you destress?