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This being the Internet Age, a whole lot of you have projects, businesses, charity efforts, sales, exhibits, and such going on. And naturally, you want to get the word out about them.
It’s no secret that one great way to promote your project is to contact a lot of bloggers and ask them to blog about it.
In fact, I receive a lot of these requests every week. And for the most part, I don’t mind. I do like learning about cool things going on in the craftosphere.
But you know what? Some of the pitches I receive, I read and respond to. And others I delete unread.
What’s the difference? Well, there’s a real art to asking a blogger for coverage. And there are some simple tactics that can make or break your email pitch. As a public service, I thought I’d share them.
First, make sure you’re barking up the right tree.
This has happened more times than I can count: a guy with a movie-cataloguing website goes to Google and looks up “movies.” He stumbles onto a post I wrote three years ago about Christmas movies to craft with. And he decides I’d be a good person to blog about his website.
Except, I’m not a movie blogger, I’m a craft blogger.
If you’re planning to approach a blogger you’ve never met, at least do him or her the courtesy of reading the blog for a few weeks. Make sure that whatever you’re promoting would actually be a good fit with the blog’s readership.
…And be very specific here. Just because I write a craft blog and your project is craft-related doesn’t necessarily mean we’re a match made in heaven. If you read my blog for a while, you’d likely see that, while I do write about craft business conceptually, I rarely blog about specific craft businesses or online sellers. You might notice that I rarely blog about craft fairs going on in other parts of the country.
You don’t have to be a big fan or even a regular reader of my blog to pitch me – but I appreciate knowing that you’ve at least done your research. I get fake-y pitch emails all the time that say, “I love your blog, CraftyPod. I particularly enjoyed your post about [yesterday's post topic].”
Heh – I’ll bet you say that to all the bloggers.
Be brief and well-structured, and for pete’s sake, ask.
Sometimes I get pitch emails, and I can’t even tell what they’re asking for. Some fledgling marketers feel so uncomfortable in that role, they’ll send out vague, rambling emails that never really get to the point of asking for the coverage. This isn’t effective.
I respect the fact that you have a project going on and you’re excited about it. I’d like to hear about it. But I get dozens of pitches every week, so I’d be grateful if you’d respect my time by making your request succinctly. Make it clear why you think my blog is a good fit, send me the links to your project, and explain what you need from me.
Then, I can decide on a course of action much more efficiently. If your email is long, vague, and rambling, I’m probably going to set it aside – and I may not get back to it for weeks.
…But be personal!
Just to contradict myself, then, I’ll mention that the worst possible way to ask a blogger for coverage is to send her a press release with no attached note.
The second worst way is to send an obvious form email addressed to “Dear Blogger.”
I delete this kind of stuff unread all the time. If the marketer couldn’t take the time to find my freaking name, then he obviously doesn’t care all that much whether his project appears on my blog.
So, yes, it’s very wise to address a blogger by name. And also, if you’ve had some contact with a blogger in the past, then mention it in your email. We all meet a lot of people online, and may need reminding that we chatted with you at last year at the Sock Summit. Plus, this personal touch gives your email a much better chance of being read.
(In fact, I could also make a case for putting some effort into building a relationship with a blogger long before you make your pitch. If you comment a few times on the blog, or strike up a conversation on Twitter or Facebook, this really can affect the way your pitch email is received. That is, as long as you’re being genuine about it.)
Don’t just hammer the popular blogs.
So many times, I’ve seen folks who want to spread the word about their product just make a list of what they see as the “biggest blogs,” and then they send the same email pitch to all of them.
There’s some old-school marketing thinking here – “let’s reach as many eyeballs as we can.”
But again, with this approach, it’s clear that the marketer hasn’t done his or her homework, and doesn’t particularly care whether the project is a good fit with all these bloggers’ readers. Trust me, bloggers can spot a pitch like this a mile away, and we rarely respond to them.
If you have something to promote, take the time to seek out bloggers who write regularly about the subject you’re promoting. Even if their audiences are somewhat smaller, your message will land on much more interested ears, and have a much better chance of gaining exposure.
Remember, if you make the effort to send your pitch to the right places, it will be welcomed as a service, not ignored as just one more dang marketing email.
Make a reciprocal offer if you can.
Think of this: when you ask a blogger to write about your project, what are you really asking for? You’re asking for publicity, yes, but you’re also asking for access to the blogger’s carefully cultivated audience. Every blogger with an audience has worked hard to earn its trust over time. So when you ask a blogger to write about you, you’re really asking for a lot.
So, what can you offer in return? I am always amazed by the number of pitches I get that make no reciprocal offer at all – especially when I’ve never met the person making the pitch. Would you walk up to a stranger on the street and ask to borrow her house for the weekend?
And no, I am not suggesting you offer money in exchange for a blog post. But I’m guessing it’s in your power to offer something. A review copy of your project, for example. A link. A giveaway prize. Or even, some content that’s really useful to my audience.
If you think I’m being crass, wondering what’s in it for me, well, consider this. In old school media, where you had publicists and advertisers and editors, much of the content happened because money changed hands.
In this new-school online media world, there’s still currency changing hands – only it’s not money, it’s trust. I need to trust you if I’m going to blog about you. I need to see that you and your project are worthy of my time and attention.
Your reciprocal offer says a lot to me. It says that you respect the hard work I’ve put into building my audience, and you understand that your request for coverage is significant. It also says that you understand that the online community is built on relationships, and you’re interested in forming one.
What it comes down to, then…
It’s a fact of life that, when you’re marketing your project, you will always care about it more than the people you’re pitching to. This doesn’t mean it’s a cruel world. It just means that, when you reach out to a blogger to ask for coverage, it’s wise to look at your project through his eyes. What would he find most interesting about it? How does it fit into his blog?
As with so many things in the online community, it’s not about you. It’s about them.
Wow! A friend in my etsy group sent me a link to your blog and its great! I am hooked and ready to read more. I am very new to blogging but have been crafting and working in aromatherapy for a long time. Thanks very much Diane!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Erin! Hope to see you again!
Hmmm…..I'm new to the blogging scene so the whole blogging ettiquette this kind of eludes me but some things are just common sense. I plan to link to A LOT of other web sites through my blog. For example. I find this article perfect for someone new like me. I would like to link to it. Do I need to ask you first?
Hi, Danielle -
Thanks for stopping by. That question of the etiquette of linking to
other people's blogs is a tricky one. There's no universally agreed-
upon procedure.
For my blog, you're always welcome to post links, and there's no need
to ask my permission. If you wanted to republish one of my images, or
any part of my post, however, I would want to be asked in those cases.
Hope that helps! And, welcome to the blogosphere!
Great article, I'm stashing it away in my brain for when I'm ready for something like this. Nice tip on blogging etiquette in the comments too. I'm pretty new to the whole putting yourself out there online and wow it can be overwhelming. I want to say thank you for helping others go further in the crafting/blogging community. Its great to be part of this community!
You're so kind, Cynthia. Thank you for the vote of confidence. I adore this community, too!
Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. Yes. And, I would add, don't put the onus on ME to take some sort of action. Nothing irks me more than someone emailing me out of the blue, asking me if I will do something for them, and then saying, “Let me know either way if you're going to do this thing I'm asking you to do. I'm awaiting your response.” Really? I hope you're not holding your breath …
I once sent a reply to a very heinous marketing email which was basically just a press release with no salutation at all … not even a “Dear Blogger” … and was accompanied by a pdf price list. It was material aimed at book buyers, like for book stores, not book reviewers. In my reply, I complained that the person was spamming me. The person (a marketing intern) replied saying my About page said I was, “interested in all sorts of crafts” and that putting my email on my website gave her permission to send me anything she wanted to send me. We got in an email mini-battle.
I now think of these people as trolls, even though they might not have the same intent (although now that I think about it … they are more similar than one might imagine at first). And, I do my best to follow the sage wisdom, “Don't feed the trolls.”
Ack, I sound like such a bitter, yucky person. They really get under my skin, don't they? ;)
Heh – they get under mine, too.
There's an interesting difference between being contacted by another
blogger and being contacted by a marketing intern. The blogger, at
least, usually has a genuine passion for his or her project. For the
marketing intern, in many, many cases, it's just a job.
I've had so many pitch emails from “professional” marketers, where
it's extremely clear that they don't care all that much about what
they're promoting, and my blog is just one more on a long list they
have to get through. I want to shout from the rooftops: What's the
Point?!
Perhaps some of this disconnect comes from the fact that many
professional marketers are still operating under the protocols they've
used for decades to communicate with traditional media.
News flash, though, Pro-Marketers: bloggers are very often unpaid
human beings, blogging from a place of passion, and we need to be
treated differently.
Just love your ideas and I totally agree with your blogging philosophy! Now where to start!
Just love your ideas and I totally agree with your blogging philosophy! Now where to start!
Speaking of blog etiquette, I LOVE that you respond to almost all of your blog comments. So many bloggers don't, which can be frustrating for readers (especially if they took the time to share something meaningful). I'm bookmarking this post and will look back on your sage advice when my little shop is ready. Thanks so much for your candor :)
Thank you, Elizabeth! I don't always get to respond to as many as I'd like, but I sure try. It seems that there's a lot of curiosity about this subject when I teach blogging classes. Many, many bloggers aren't sure it's “okay” to respond to their commenters – or the idea simply never occurred to them. I think response will become more the norm over time.
Good luck with your shop!
Hi Diane…
I am a baby blogger, only having my blog for a couple of years, but I learned the hard way about blog etiquette. I am a scrapbook artist who likes to push the artistic boundaries of scrapbooking…Usually I have an idea on how to do something, but someone else has already done it..So I don't call it “mine” when posting a project. I usually recognize where my inspiration came from and give props where props are due. I have found actual tutorials that I have created on other sites, posted without my direct permission, and I don't usually mind as long as they mention that it was created by me, and I don't have a problem if you link it back to my blog, but when you see your work, with someone else taking credit, using your photo's!!!…I was angry. I back lashed by posting Words Of Wisdom back in February…Then contacted the blogger who took my tutorial, and asked to kindly remove the post. That's how mad I was. Working on a Design Team has also taught me a lot about blogging etiquette. And fierce loyalty…And pure courtesy. So thank you for this post. I will remember your words of wisdom. And my next tutorial on my blog (for the company I design for, Swirlydoos) I will be teaching how to make the Kanzashi flowers, I learned from your fabulous book. They call me the flower queen, as I am always looking for the latest flower designs for scrapbook pages. So thank you for the book, and the history behind the flower. It was wonderful!! As always, I will give you credit for inspiration when I do my Kanzashi flower tutorial!!
Thanks so much for sharing your story! If you have a moment and are so inclined, I'd love to have you post it over at Make & Meaning as well. Seems tailor-made for this post I wrote over there: http://makeandmeaning.com/2010/04/01/original-i…
Dear Diane,
Embarrassed as I am to confess to a complete lack of talent, I have fallen at your social media wise feet! I am currently researching this new marketing craze and would be very interested in following you. I am a Facebook addict and have been looking for you on there but can’t seem to find you. Do you have a page I can follow or any key word to narrow down the search?
Thanking you in advance!
Clara
Hi, Clara – Thanks for getting in touch. Actually, I don't have an account on Facebook any longer. I am on Twitter, however – you can find me there at http://www.twitter.com/sisterdiane .
Diane,
A quilt shop I work for is having great difficulty in purchasing your book “Kanzaski in Bloom”. We are able to get only 2-3 books at a time, and they sell out the same day. We are ordering from Checker, but the book is backordered. Could you help is some way to let us know how we may purchase the book wholesale for our shop. We are using your book to make the lovely flowers to embellish little girls dresses for our shop. We sell your book so our customers may make the flowers for their creations.
Hi, Kathy – I'm so happy to hear that your customers like the book so much!
I'm afraid I don't know anything about the distribution side of my book (and I don't know anything about Checker), but I'm wondering if you could try ordering from the publisher. When I've ordered copies, I've called Random House directly. There's an 800 number for this. (And I'm so sorry, I've been combing through my emails and cannot find it, but I'm sure if you called their main switchboard, they'd direct you.) I was able to order as many copies as I needed, and they wanted my resale number, so I assume other resellers can order there, too,
I hope that helps.