But the thing is, pitching to companies is harder than what people think. Haven't you heard of the saying that applying for jobs is a full time job within itself? Well that's just what pitching is. Pitching to companies takes time, thought, and planning if you're looking to get the desired end result, which is sponsorship! Before starting your journey on pitching to companies, here are 5 key points to consider before reaching out:
Why do you want to work with them?
What exactly do you want from the partnership?
How will you benefit them? (what do you bring to
the table)
Do you have previous content that shows your talents and abilities?
Do you have previous content that shows your talents and abilities?
What makes you different from the other bloggers
inquiring to work with them?
These might be silly questions to ask, but they play a major role in how you will present your brand in your pitch email. Once you have thoughtfully answered each of the 5 points before reaching out, it's time to start the process!
PIN THIS!
SO WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO? WHERE THE HELL DO YOU START?
The very first thing you need to do is research! Research the basis of the company, their target audience, and how they are currently doing; business, social media, and marketing wise. Second, find the contact information for the company and save it for later. Last but certainly not least, find a designated time to draft your pitch emails. We've learned that by sending pitch emails on a whim, we were sloppy and messy with our approach, not good.
PIN THIS!
SO WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO? WHERE THE HELL DO YOU START?
The very first thing you need to do is research! Research the basis of the company, their target audience, and how they are currently doing; business, social media, and marketing wise. Second, find the contact information for the company and save it for later. Last but certainly not least, find a designated time to draft your pitch emails. We've learned that by sending pitch emails on a whim, we were sloppy and messy with our approach, not good.
So how do you even begin to piece together your pitch email? Everyone's will be different, of course, but there are some key points to keep in mind when drafting your pitch, including:
Introducing your brand and your selling points
is key
You want to show the company that you’re a blogger they want to work with
You want to show the company that you’re a blogger they want to work with
Personalize your pitch
Make it unique and tailored to the collaboration opportunity
Make it unique and tailored to the collaboration opportunity
Keep it short and sweet
Emails aren’t meant to be long for a reason, keep it between 200-300 words (we’ve done pitch letters shorter than that and got a positive response within hours)
What's the point?
From what you answered in the 5 points before reaching out, you should have a clear idea of what the collaboration will entail, more so what is the story line that the collaboration will be featured in
Emails aren’t meant to be long for a reason, keep it between 200-300 words (we’ve done pitch letters shorter than that and got a positive response within hours)
What's the point?
From what you answered in the 5 points before reaching out, you should have a clear idea of what the collaboration will entail, more so what is the story line that the collaboration will be featured in
Stay concise and straight to the point
In addition to being short, emails should not be difficult to decipher or understand
In addition to being short, emails should not be difficult to decipher or understand
No canned emails, press releases, or anything
that makes it seem like you copied and pasted your pitch
This is just tacky as hell and you risk putting information not meant for the company such as the wrong company name or contact information
This is just tacky as hell and you risk putting information not meant for the company such as the wrong company name or contact information
Manners
Hello's, good morning's, afternoon's, and thank you’s go a long way
Hello's, good morning's, afternoon's, and thank you’s go a long way
Include your past work including photos and or
links
Gives credibility to what you’re saying and shows what you can produce
Gives credibility to what you’re saying and shows what you can produce
Media kit!
It doesn’t matter if you’re a small blogger or a blogger with a huge following, having a media kit is just as important as having a resume. Once again, it gives credibility to what you’re even saying. You can create your own free media kit on Canva, or buy really cheap ones from The Creative Market.
After you have gathered all of these components, you can now start to organize your email! A simple format like this should do the trick:
Catchy Subject or Headline
Introduction of your blog/brand
State what you want and what you’re willing to provide (storyline)
State what you hope will come from this partnership (benefits to the company)
Mention past work and for them to reference your media kit
Thank them for their time in advance and welcome any questions and their response!
YOU DID IT!
via GIPHY
Give yourself a pat on the back!
But what. you're not done yet now, you still have to...FOLLOW UP! This is going to be the most important part. Some companies are quick to give an answer but some aren’t. There is no harm in following up. Now I’m not saying email them 3 times a day but following up every few days is OK, this is business you know. What you can do is turn on your read receipt indicator for your pitch emails. This way, once you know that the company has read your email, you can begin to follow up in a respectful yet diligent manner (every 3-4 business days).
From here, there are two scenarios that will happen (unless the company is just rude AF and doesn't respond). The first scenario is you've got the collaboration! Great job! After securing the collaboration:
Be proactive
It doesn’t matter if you’re a small blogger or a blogger with a huge following, having a media kit is just as important as having a resume. Once again, it gives credibility to what you’re even saying. You can create your own free media kit on Canva, or buy really cheap ones from The Creative Market.
After you have gathered all of these components, you can now start to organize your email! A simple format like this should do the trick:
Catchy Subject or Headline
Introduction of your blog/brand
State what you want and what you’re willing to provide (storyline)
State what you hope will come from this partnership (benefits to the company)
Mention past work and for them to reference your media kit
Thank them for their time in advance and welcome any questions and their response!
YOU DID IT!
via GIPHY
Give yourself a pat on the back!
But what. you're not done yet now, you still have to...FOLLOW UP! This is going to be the most important part. Some companies are quick to give an answer but some aren’t. There is no harm in following up. Now I’m not saying email them 3 times a day but following up every few days is OK, this is business you know. What you can do is turn on your read receipt indicator for your pitch emails. This way, once you know that the company has read your email, you can begin to follow up in a respectful yet diligent manner (every 3-4 business days).
From here, there are two scenarios that will happen (unless the company is just rude AF and doesn't respond). The first scenario is you've got the collaboration! Great job! After securing the collaboration:
Be proactive
Send the company a detailed plan on the partnership details with dates on when you plan on completing each task and follow up with frequent check ins on your progress.
Go above and beyond
For us, we try to go above and beyond to show the company once again we’re not trying to just get free product or money. If a company buys a vlog post from us, we’ll give them a blog post as well in addition to a social media campaign. This is how you begin to develop long lasting partnerships.
But what happens if you get a no? It sucks, but it will happen. For whatever reason, a company might not see it fit to use the services of a blogger at that time. In this case:
Be nice
Thank the company for their time and suggest they think of you in the future for their blogging, branding, or social media marketing needs
Try again after 6 months
This may sound stupid, but we’ve done this before. When initially pitching to Legoland KC, we were turned down because at that time, the marketing rep was only looking for travel or mommy bloggers even though we explained to her that we were nicheless with a parenting segment. So, after revising our pitch email and updating our media kit to make that point of having a parenting segment more concise, we were granted free entry into LegoLand!
I know, this is a lot, but hustling don't come easy lil' baby! Even pitch letters take hard work. Since we've given you a lot, we've summarized it all in our new printable!
Available now in the blogger studio! Not a member? Sign up today and become one!
I know, this is a lot, but hustling don't come easy lil' baby! Even pitch letters take hard work. Since we've given you a lot, we've summarized it all in our new printable!
Available now in the blogger studio! Not a member? Sign up today and become one!
