I’m all about freebies- and that’s why this post isn’t going to be all about “GO TO ROCKSTARBLOGGING.COM AND BUY MY GUIDE!” Instead, I’m going to give you some quick action steps from the book that will help you score some freebies, get some recognition, get noticed by brands and grow your blog.
I get some flack from my guy friends for my uber-girly layout but it’s worked like a charm to attract both the audience I want and the advertisers and sponsors I want to feature on the blog. I’m a girly girl who loves to be able to afford the finer things in life. People can know what I’m all about in 2 seconds or less with one look at my layout, tagline, content & social media.
Pick a look/feel & message for your own personal blogging brand. Make sure that brand is consistently represented in your design, colors, social media user names & in your email signature. You are your brand and make sure you make it obviously awesome in whatever communications you have.
You’re going to get noticed- make sure you cover your tush with a disclosure page (see mine here) because the free stuff is comin’! Additionally, put together a 2-3 PDF media kit with info about you, your stats, rates and deliverables to send to potential advertisers.
Be prepared for success- disclosing when you get free products is regulated by the FTC and quite frankly, it’s just courteous and transparent for your readers. Having your affairs in order before you get offers for reviews, giveaways, exclusive event invites & travel sponsorships will just make it easier!
Every blogger should have a standard template ready to send out to any brand they want to feature on their blog for a review, giveaway, sidebar ads or conference sponsorship. Having a quick-and-ready template that’s short and sweet in 6 sentences or less not only saves you time but saves the time of the PR people you reach out to- it’s important to note that if your email wastes the time of marketing or PR employees of major brands, you’ll most likely get ignored.
Your perfect pitch should just include a bit about your, your blog, your demographics and of course, why you’re reaching out to this brand and what you want to offer (review/giveaway, etc.) If you’re unable to find someone to pitch directly or your email was ignored, having a great plan with social media is key- many brands have social media managers who don’t handle budgeted marketing projects, but it’s still important to build relationships. Never use social media to “cold pitch” a brand, but it’s more useful to build a brand relationship with and open the door for further conversations.
Your social media outreach is key if you are dying to work with a brand and other forms of direct communication by phone or email have failed- plus it’s vital to get your name out there as a savvy influencer who knows how to use Twitter and Facebook!
Many of us bloggers love to hide behind our words, but if you’ve ever toyed with the idea of adding personalized photo or video (even if you’re not great at it), NOW is the time to add it. Having video and photo on your blog, especially to do some reviews and projects on your blog is a key selling point for marketers who will be more willing to invest in your blog with free product and sponorships if you’ve already invested in some good equipment and time behind the camera.
YouTube brings me a LOT of traffic and helps people find my blog as alternative SEO, but beyond that, being able to point advertisers and brands to my YouTube page has really helped me market my blog. There have been times where I nearly lost out on a sponsorship or review product freebie, but video was that little extra something that helped me get on the radar of hard-to-reach brands!
If you want to start or jumpstart your blog to earn more income, grow your readership and work with major brands, I offer competitive pricing and a “kick butt guarantee,” that will help you earn your coaching costs back within 30 days!
All new coaching clients will receive a $54 value bonus in February & March- A Gold Version of Rockstar Blogging & a free sidebar ad on Frugal Beautiful!
Click here for my coaching info!
Congrats Shannyn on the launch of RockStar Blogging 🙂
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