{photo by Oskay. Say "Hello World!"}
You've had an online shop set up for awhile, made a few sales (mostly to friends, thanks guys!) and feel like you're headed in the right direction selling your creations. But you're floating in a large sea of incredibly talented people...how are customers supposed to find you?
You need to get the word out! You need some media attention!
It's time to start introducing yourself to blogs. Blogs are incredible media outlets for the online shop owner as they provide a direct link (literally) back to your shop, an instantaneous connection between their readers and your potential customers. Plus, some blogs have the same readership numbers as magazines and a write-up in one of those "big blogs" can mean lots of sales for you! But, how do you approach them?
Yes, it's daunting. Yes, it's a little scary. Yes, you may feel a bit like a spammer while you do it. But the best way to approach a blog about writing about you, is to ask them to!
Sending a simple email is just fine
Save the press releases and media kits for the magazines- even the blogs with HUGE
readerships are run by a person
sitting in their home office, drinking their coffee often with a cat
curled up nearby. Blogs don't have a bustling editorial office with
assistants running around, sorting through leads. We're people, just like you, and we
like to be treated as such.
Approach us casually, personally, like you're introducing yourself to a new friend.
Every blog editor I've
ever had the privilege to e-friend has been kind and personable, so
don't be intimidated!
What should you say in your email?
Your email should be short, sweet and to the point. There's no buttering up necessary :) Approach the blogger in a friendly, yet professional way, and be yourself! You want to get across what you have to sell, why the blogger may like it and where they can find it. Easy peasy!
Key points to remember:
- Approach the blog with an item that fits their theme. Make sure you know what types of goods they feature and that yours fit in.
- Address the blogger by name! A good blogger will have an about page, listed contact information or some sort of welcome that says who they are. Find it. Use it. If you don't see any info like that on the blog, check their email address- their name could be right in there. Mine is!
- Answer the the who, what, and where that bloggers are looking for succinctly and creatively. Who are you? What do you make? And most importantly, where can the blogger find your goods? Don't forget to include a link to your site!
- Make sure you're ready to start submitting before you do. You want to make the best first impression possible, so your site should look great with awesome photos and awesome products to match before you give us bloggers a chance to see it.
Make it easy for a blogger to write about you!
Tips on what to avoid:
- It's often hard to describe how incredible your stuff is quickly,
but try not to get too lengthy. If your email is short and sweet with
just the info we need to know, it'll whet our appetites to want to head
to your site to discover more.
- Avoid large attachments of photos and don't send a pdf or word doc with more info- they'll just be ignored. Tell the blogger what she should know
in the body of your email. Keep in mind, emails with attachments are
more often caught by spam filters, too.
- DO NOT sign a blogger up for your email newsletter without asking. That
is spam and a surefire way to annoy. Just introduce yourself instead,
it's easy!
- Don't send out an email addressed to "hey favorite blogger" (for example) that's sent from you, to you and obviously cc'd to all your other "favorite" bloggers. Take some time out to write us bloggers individually and be personal- it goes a long way.
What should you expect next?
You may hear back with a "thanks for writing! I'll keep you in mind" type of email- good!
You may suddenly see your creations up on the blog- better!
Or you may never hear back at all- darn!
If you send in a submission and don't hear back within a couple weeks, send a reminder email saying "did you have a chance to take a peek at my site? I think it's up your alley!" or something to that effect.
If you still don't hear back, move on to the next blog- there's lots out there! You can submit again to the same blog when you a great new line of products to present.
But why wouldn't a blog write about me? I'm awesome!
You're right, you are awesome. But believe me, a blogger not writing about your shop has nothing to do with you personally. Nothing to do with you personally. I can't stress that enough.
I've been on both sides of this fence- I've sent the expectant email only to never hear back from the blogger, and admittedly I've never written some people back. From a blogger's viewpoint, here's why that may happen:
- Keep in mind, we blog editors are often inundated with submissions. There is just no way we can feature everyone who writes to us, even though we may like to.
- I personally don't like writing about things that I've seen on other blogs already, and I imagine other blog editors are the same way. Be careful submitting yourself to a bunch of blogs at the same time- give the first one some time to write about you before you submit to another blog, or point out different lines/products to each one.
- Many bloggers are well organized, pre-planners (not me, but some
are!) that schedule posts in advance, have posts planned for the week
and have certain weekly features we have to maintain- sometimes an
extra post just won't fit in.
- We have to stay in line with our own tastes still. We may think your items are well made and unique, but maybe they don't fit into our own aesthetic. Each blog has a different set of readers based on the editors' different viewpoints and we have to stay consistent and inline with our own personality, just like you should as you create your items.
- We forget! Sometimes I receive a submission email and have every intention of writing about the shop, only to get sidetracked on etsy, or forget to put the email in my "special folder" so it then ends up lost in the sea... stuff like that happens, it's not personal, it's blogger A.D.D. :) Remind us about you!
- Don't forget about the ol' spam monster. I've found many legit
emails in my spam box months later- another reason why sending a
reminder email is never a bad idea!
I've been writing Modish for 2 1/2 years and at this point have nearly 1800 posts. Out of those posts, I'd say at least 40% of the shops and wonderful things I've written about were found right in my email, by a simple introduction letter from a shop owner. How cool is that?
Yes, it can be intimidating, but you have to give the email intro a shot. Just keep trying, stay positive and above all, stay friendly. Approach blogs with kindness and eventually that kindness will be returned with an awesome write-up by a blog that serves your niche.
further reading >> Submit your shop to blogs: the Great Big Blog List
