How to Pitch Your Product to a Blogger

Keira-Anne, The Hudson | BCBusiness
Influential Vancouver Island blogger Keira-Anne’s flattering post about The Hudson resulted in a busy sales centre and plenty of positive online conversation.

Four tips for getting your clients’ products and events on influential blogs.

Top bloggers receive hundreds of pitches from companies pushing for profile and brands looking to trumpet on social media.
 
How do you make your voice heard in this noisy online space?
 
This summer, Dunn PR worked with Townline, the developer of The Hudson residential project in Victoria, to connect with online influencers who reach The Hudson’s target market.
 
One of those influencers, Vancouver Island blogger Keira-Anne of Keira-Anne.com, took us up on our offer to live at The Hudson for a weekend like a resident. We arranged for Keira-Anne to stay in a show suite and sample the best attractions in The Hudson’s downtown neighbourhood – including the coffee shop that will occupy retail space in The Hudson – and she loved it.

This low-cost online promotion resulted in a blog post for The Hudson on Keira-Anne.com, as well as discussion on Facebook and Twitter. Her review was well-received by the online community and resulted in an immediate spike in traffic to The Hudson’s formerly quiet sales centre.

“[The blog post] was an awesome tool to share with our potential buyers,” says The Hudson’s marketing manager. “I would say we saw a spike of 30 to 40 per cent in inquiries.” Following Keira-Anne’s review, The Hudson sales centre saw a dramatic five sales per week and a near sell-out in one-bedroom homes.
 

4 Tips for Pitching Bloggers

Not all pitches are created equal: remember these tips when you are communicating your message through online media outlets, blogs, and social media.

1. Know your bloggers

Know the individual needs and interests of different bloggers to increase your chances of getting their attention. Rather than pushing out generic messages, determine which stories and experiences would be best suited for each blogger. Sending the same pitch to every blogger in the city won’t get you far.

2. Do more than shout out a press release

Don’t simply send your messages on social media platforms and hope that someone somewhere will be interested. Pull consumers in with lively, relevant stories and visuals.

3. Get familiar with the media outlets

Adapt to the changes in mainstream media. Newspapers have a variety of niche blogs where writers talk about specific subjects. Get to know these blogs, then send them a tailored pitch that best suits their area of expertise.

4. Help your blogger help you

Make it easy for the blogger to write about you or your client. When sending photos, for example, make sure they include proper credits for the blogger to reference.

The bottom line is, when working with bloggers, you want to create long-term relationships and a win-win situation. Put yourself in the blogger’s shoes and ask the question, “What’s in it for my readers?” before clicking the send button.