Approaching brands can be very daunting at times. That’s a feeling I’m very familiar with when I finally decided to step it up and contacted a few brands I was eager to work with. Because here’s the thing, I believe that you’ll never see the result unless you make an effort.
And if you want to be found by brands or companies, you need to stand out from the crowd, after all, the blogosphere is such a crowded place. Let them know your presence, and that’s when you get to see the ball rolling.
If you’re a beauty, fashion, lifestyle blogger or a mixture of three and have this overflowing motivation and desire to pursue blogging further and collaborate with a brand or company that you know of, then why not approach them? You never know, this could, in fact, open up more doors of opportunities and possibilities for you and your blog.
Every step you make into creating a good working relationship is also a learning process, which turns into valuable experience and knowledge.
Here’s a few things I’ve learned and tips I go by:
- 1. Know what you’re ‘selling’.
Know what you have. You’re representing yourself and your blog (whether in an email, over the phone or face to face) to the brand and they need to know why they should invest their product or time with you. (we’re just talking about reviewing products for now, unpaid)
And there’s no one else in this world who knows better than your blog’s ins and outs but YOU.
Need more boost? Here’s another one…
- 2. Be prepared.
And create a plan. Before going into a battle, one must have a strategy, right? Same thing goes with blogging and creating new partnerships. You need to be comfortable with your approach, otherwise, it will show.
Research the company, its history, what is it that they do well and what benefits they will gain from working with you.
- 3. Professionalism is key.
Pretty much, the brand’s decision of whether to give you a chance to review or feature their products on your blog lies with the type of email you send out. And you only have one chance to create a good first impression before they click Delete or completely ignore it.
And no, please don’t send them an essay. Being brief is acceptable as long as you cover the details that are important and if they require more information, they can always get in touch with you, which is a good thing because it means, they are interested. Give them room to be curious about you. 😉
If you’re still unsure what to write at this point, ask yourself these questions:
Which brand should I approach and why? Why do I want to feature them on my blog?
Start with the above and the rest will flow.
Your blog is an open portfolio of your work so don’t be shy to include any link of accomplishments or post links, in general, to give them an idea of your writing or creativity skills. (Think of it as ‘show and tell’ in your blogging journey)
- 4. Show some interest
Showing interest towards a brand or product says you have at least taken the time to know more about them, which always implies as a good sign.
Familiarize the range, new collection, top sellers or if you’ve used their products, even better. Share that experience. This is like big brownie points for you and chances are, they’d be more willing to work with someone who’s already a big fan.
- 5. Be genuine with your approach
When you really are just in for the samples and that’s about it, they can smell that from a mile away. And if you can get away with that, you can be sure it will be the last time they’d want to work with you.
- 6. Respect the brand or company’s decision
Sometimes you have to go through a few Nos to get the perfect Yes. Just because this time they’re unable to team up with you, doesn’t mean you have to stop doing what you love. Learn from this experience and see if there’s anything you can improve on your end. And move on.
I’m hoping that these tips will help you be the better blogger you want to become to achieve your goals.
It might sound like it’s easier said than done but the truth is, it’s not impossible. Believing in what you do is very important when it comes to expanding your blogging horizon.
Now, get crackin’ with those emails!
And if you have any questions, comment away. I will do my best to help.
Q: Share any tips that have proven effective for you and your blog. Or any concerns you have that have stopped you from approaching a brand or company?
Note: Whenever I write an email, if I have the name of the person-in-charge, I always use that in the greeting section. To me, it personalizes it and gets rid of that feeling that I’m just sending it to outer space. Otherwise, I stick to Hi there or Hello.
P.S. Check for spelling mistakes!!