Monday, February 6, 2012

Pitching to Bloggers?

I get email pitches from companies who want me to promote their businesses on my blog. Some of them are downright terrible. And some of them are great. Here's what you need to know before you pitch to me: 


1. I like my emails generic.

Use BCC. I'd feel so guilty if you spent the time typing my name. Not to mention the time it would take you to cut and paste your message into every email composition. I'd hate to be responsible for a repetitive strain injury. I heard somewhere that some bloggers prefer emails written specifically to them, about stuff they've written. Pfft. Why?

2. Don't give me information on your company or your clients.

It's fun to click your links and figure out what you do. It would take the fun out of it if you summarized it in your email. Better yet, don't even include a link to your website and make sure I can't find it in a basic Google search! I love the creative challenge of promoting something I know nothing about. It's exciting, too. I could be writing a scam!

3. Invite me to online communities I am not eligible to fully participate in.

I love signing up for something that's "By invitation only." It makes me feel so elite. Then I realize it's so elite that the contests aren't even open to me because I'm Canadian!  It makes me work hard to someday become American, so I'm glad you didn't screen me for eligibility before inviting me. And I had a blast signing up! I would have had to anyway, as I couldn't access information on eligibility until I signed in. It was such an adventure.

4. I don't want pitches that are relevant to what I write about.

I think my readers get so tired of reading about social health issues and the arts -- you would know, having spent so much time reading my posts. I really want to switch things up and put the text you provide on banking services in one of my posts.

5. Don't optimize your website or your Twitter account.

I don't want to be able to find any information about you through a basic search engine search. I like experimenting with keywords in my searches until I find your site. It's fun!

6. Don't pay attention to people on Yahoo Answers who quote your "personal" email verbatim and ask if you are a scam.

Just keep on using that email and tactics for years. It's a good way to weed out those wacko skeptics from taking your offer. Don't even address the concerns about scams. If you aren't scamming, the good bloggers will just know.


9 comments:

  1. Nice. I feel much the same way about cold calls on my mobile phone.

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  2. Hey
    I will pose anyway anytime for the right treat!! HA!

    wags
    Jazzi

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  3. MorningAJ - Yeah there are interesting marketing tactics in all sorts of mediums for all sorts of purposes.

    Jazzi - I'm glad, but if you're going to comment on my blog, please write at least something about my post, not just your own.

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  4. Hi Ashley, I want nothing to do with ads on my blog.. I get stuff like that all of the time ---and immediately delete them... I just blog for fun and luckily have tons of followers and commenters.. I certainly don't need to promote my blog anymore than it is....

    Hope you are having a great week. Love the picture of you with your hat and sunglasses on... NEAT!!!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  5. Seems like I get these type of comments all the time. My favorite is the one for Russian brides. Hum, didn't you get from my title that I'm female? Any way you can go into your settings and make it such that those type comments can be moderated or go to your spam file. Then you can delete them.

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  6. I seem to get a lot of offers for heating supplies from Chinese vendors that start with Dear Sir and end with heating systems that cost in the thousands. What about our blog (two unemployed writers that drink beer) would lead them to believe either of us want a Chinese heating system...?

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  7. lol, your tips gave me a chuckle. And yeah, I've been getting a few of these lately...

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  8. Lynda - I'm glad you identified with my frustration! Sorry you've been dealing with this so much. It's insulting!

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  9. A Beer for the Shower - You are too funny. That's what I don't understand! The pitches are so often irrelevant. Do they really think they can sell this way? UGH.

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Blogger - Ashley Ashbee

Blogger - Ashley Ashbee