5 Ways to Increase Opportunities with Brands

Today I have a guest post by the very wonderful Hannah DeMilta who is originally from Ohio, U.S.A. but has been living in Sydney, Australia for the last two years. She works in Public Relations and we met a year ago at the Digital Parents Unplugged event. I am so honored that she has shared with us her thoughts on how bloggers can increase their opportunities to work with brands.

Will you just look at me already? Image found here.

5 Ways to Increase Opportunities with Brands

1. Add yourself to public ‘PR Friendly’ directories online – I see new directories popping up all the time. A few Australian specific ones I would recommend include Blog Hub Oz, The Aussie PR Friendly Directory and the Australian Female Blog Directory. Also look at adding yourself to global or US directories if you have an international readership. These free directories are quick way to get picked up by companies looking for new blogs and often one list leads to another. If someone contacts you, consider responding even if you’re not interested in that particular campaign to say you’re welcome to receiving future pitches.

2. Create a media kit – this is turning into a standard for bloggers who want to work with brands and agencies. However, don’t let the idea of creating a whole ‘kit’ overwhelm you. In my experience (9 times out of 10) you can consolidate all of your best information into a one page document and that will be sufficient. Start small, and then let it grow. Ask friends to send you copies of their media kits or rate sheets so you can get a better feel for templates and approaches other bloggers are using.

3. Write your own case study – I think we’ll start seeing more bloggers going with this trend of creating case studies for past promotions. It’s a way of actively demonstrating to new advertisers or agencies what you and your blog community are capable of. Keep it simple, just 2-4 slides sharing the background or challenge, campaign objectives, how you engaged your audience and lastly the results or out outcomes. Ask the brand or agency if they are able to share top-line results for the wider campaign (if applicable) to include that as well.

4. Make sure your contact details are available – you might think one is obvious, but I’ve gone to contact bloggers who have ‘PR Friendly’ badge on their blog and their contact information can’t be found anywhere. Or I’ve spent 20 minutes ‘online stalking’ them to find a hidden page with an email address. Make it obvious and easy to find. My personal preference is when bloggers have an email address (rather than just contact form) because I like to keep my email formatting consistent.

5. Network with brands and agencies – this networking can be online and offline. Be pro-active and introduce yourself to people in the industry. Follow and engage them on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn and don’t underestimate the importance of meeting in-person when possible. Ask friends with blogs for introductions if they are already active working with companies. Remember that your favourite approaches from brands or agencies are likely personal, targeted and genuine, so return the favour when you’re meeting these brands. It will help make you more memorable.

Hannah is the General Manager at Rocketman Media, where she helps partner Australian brands and bloggers. She loves exploring Sydney, travel and meeting new people. Say “hello” on Twitter or follow her ramblings on her personal blog hannahdemilta.com