By: Julia Fain; Photos by Brooke Dennis and Justin Hackworth for Alt Summit
Pitching to sponsors can be intimidating, especially the first few times. Yesterday Kelly shared about how to meet with sponsors. And knowing how to connect is a great start! So get ready to sit down and write that email with your fabulous party idea, room makeover, DIY, or fashion pitch. You won’t regret it!
Advice for pitching to brands and sponsors
- Get to know the brand and how they typically collaborate with bloggers. Last spring I reached out to the Land of Nod with a few ideas. They were a little maxed out with bedroom designs, but I had pitched two ideas and one was a unique concept for our playroom. They were on board with that one.
- Introduce yourself. Have your concise elevator pitch ready to go in written form, but tweak it in a way that is useful for their brand. Include a few applicable links of previous work.
- Short and concise. Lengthy emails are hard to read, especially for brands. Two to three short paragraphs: introduction, why you want to work with their brand, and future steps should just about do it.
- Have a clear plan of action or question. Be specific with your idea, while still showing a little flexibility. Brands usually have timelines and product they need to promote, reflecting a little flexibility is helpful in deciding if you are a fit.
- Check and double check. Proof your email and perhaps have a second person look over it to check your grammar and that all links are working properly. Grammar mistakes can make pitches an instant “no.”
- Have a media kit ready. Know your numbers and be ready to tell them about your monthly page views and social reach. If you are new to blogging, emphasize your strengths, for example engaged readership or a percentage of growth.
- Be gracious and personable. Be thoughtful in your email. If you met your contact at a conference, remind them of when and where you met. And it is so important to say “thank you for your consideration!”
- Communicate. Follow up in a week or two and ask if they have any questions about your proposal.
