Five Things Brands Should Know About Bloggers

Working with brands is one of the most enjoyable things I do as a blogger. I love teaming up with a company and producing a creative collaboration to spread the word about an awesome organization/product. Over the years however, I’ve realized that sometimes brands don’t fully understand what collaborations are like from a blogger’s perspective. Here’s a list of things I wish brands understood about bloggers. Feel free to add any of your own thoughts in the comments section!

1. We Like Personalized Pitches

I get a crazy amount of pitches each day. I would say I decline about 70% of the pitches I receive right off of the bat because the brand didn’t personalize it or do their homework. I get really frustrated when a brand doesn’t bother to include my name in a pitch (mass emails are a no-no!) or when someone spells my name wrong. Don’t ask me how many times I’ve been addressed as “Alisha,” which is pretty ridiculous considering my name IS my website! 

Step two: do your homework! In the past I’ve received pitches geared towards mommy bloggers and family-oriented blogs even though I make it very clear on here that I’m a single 20-something with zero children. Spend a few minutes on a blog and research them before sending a pitch and see if they’re a good fit in the first place. It will save you a lot of time in the end!

2. Let us try something before writing about it

This one kind of blows my mind — I get a lot of press releases from PR folks asking me to write about a product that I’ve never tried myself, and then they also proceed to say that they don’t have samples available. How am I supposed to write an accurate recommendation based off a write up and high-res images? Let me experience your brand/product first before writing about it!

3. Communication is key

As I’ve advanced in my blogging career, I’ve learned the right questions to ask a brand before starting a collaboration. However, when I was a rookie blogger and working with brands for the first time, there was a lot of miscommunication happening that could have easily been avoided. Before working with a blogger, set your expectations right off the bat. For example, if you’re sending gifted product, are you expecting a full-on blog post in return or are you ok with social postings? Do you have a deadline for the campaign? Do you have any key messages you want to get across? Communicate with us and let us know!

4. Our schedules are crazy

A lot of bloggers balance other jobs, friends and families in addition to blogging. Also, the more popular a blogger is, there’s a greater chance that their editorial calendar might be booked up weeks or possibly months in advance. Plan ahead and schedule your blogger campaigns ahead of time, especially for busy seasons such as holiday and back to school! Also, give us a week or so to get posts up. I usually ask for a 10-day turnaround after receiving a product so I have enough time to shoot the product, do a write-up, and you know, balance a full-time job/social life.

5. Collaborate with us more than once

If you really enjoyed working with a blogger, keep in touch! Don’t hesitate to ask them to partner up again. Establishing long-term relationships with brands is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done as a blogger. 

What are some things you wish brands knew about bloggers?