Blogging Outreach is a process by which you connect with bloggers to build relationships and earn coverage for your brand or product.
There are many different ways to go about conducting blogger outreach, but not all tactics are created equal. In the below post, we’ll share 21 uncommon blogger outreach tactics that can help you stand out from the competition and get the attention of the bloggers you want to work with.
Blogger Outreach Tactics You Can Try
Blogger outreach can be done in a variety of ways. Some of them could be regular strategies like cold emailing using various cold emailing tools, while some could be creative that instantly catch a blogger’s attention.
Here are some of those ways that you can try it out.
1. Personalized Video Messages
Reaching out to bloggers via video is a great way to make a personal connection and stand out from the crowd. You can use video hosting platforms like Wistia or Youtube to host your video message, or simply embed it in an email.
While creating the video, be sure to introduce yourself and your brand, explain why you’re reaching out to the specific blogger, and make it clear what you’re hoping to accomplish with the collaboration.
However, remember that a video message should be personal and not be too salesy, so create a personalized message and avoid reading from a script or sounding like you’re giving a pitch.
2. Handwritten Notes
Sometimes the old-fashioned way is the best. If you can manage to get their address, sending a handwritten note along with your pitch can show that you’ve put in the extra effort to stand out. There are various creative ideas to write interesting notes that will make an impression on the blogger.
For example, you could write a haiku poem about their blog or include a fun pun related to their niche. If you have trouble coming up with something on your own, there are plenty of resources to go about it.
Some of the ideas could be:
- Sending a book with a handwritten note on the cover
- Including a piece of jewelry or another small gift
- Writing a personal message on stationery
3. Exclusive Previews or Sneak Peeks
For a new product launch, you can offer bloggers an exclusive preview or sneak peek. It gives them something unique to write about and helps build anticipation for your launch.
However, to do that effectively, you need to reach out to relevant bloggers. For instance, when you’re launching a new beauty product, you can approach fashion and beauty bloggers.
You can also send a carefully curated list of bloggers early access to your product along with high-resolution images, instructions to use and anything else that would be helpful for them.
4. Latest Trends
Keep an eye on the latest trends in your industry and use them to your advantage in your outreach efforts. You can share relevant blog posts, infographics, or studies with bloggers and position your brand as an authority in the industry.
There are various ways to stay updated with the latest trends. You can follow relevant blogs and websites, sign up for newsletters, or use Google Alerts to get notified whenever there’s a new development in your industry.
When you find something interesting, reach out to the blogger and let them know that you think their readers would be interested in it as well.
5. Behind-the-scenes access
Giving bloggers behind-the-scenes a look at your brand or product’s creation or manufacturing process can help them write a more accurate and interesting article about. It could be something as simple as giving a tour of your office or factory, or an introduction to key team members.
As a blogger, when you share your experience with your readers, it builds trust and credibility. You can share with the list of topics or your brainstorming process for the article.
For example, if you’re a food blogger, you could share behind-the-scenes photos and videos of your kitchen, cooking process, or even the farms where you source your ingredients.
That helps the readers or fellow bloggers to connect with you on a personal level and understand the hard work that goes into creating your products.
And, they are more likely to respond to your request.
6. Free Trials or Samples
If you offer a service or sell physical products, consider giving the blogger a free trial or sample. It allows them to experience your product first-hand and write about it with authority.
Most bloggers are happy to write an honest review of your product if they liked it. Just be sure to give them enough time to use the product and write a review before you start promoting it on their blog.
However, to get them to review your product, you can also offer something in exchange or take care of the shipping charges.
7. Discounts or Coupons
Discounts and coupons are another great way to get bloggers to write about your product. Most bloggers are always on the lookout for deals and discounts that they can share with their readers.
If you offer a discount code to their readers, they’ll be more likely to write a review. Plus, their website traffic will be more likely to use the code and buy your product.
So, you can generate a unique coupon code for each blogger. That way, they can track how many sales they’ve generated for you.
You can also offer a percentage-based discount or a dollar amount off. Just be sure to make the discount significant enough that it’s worth their while to write about your product.
8. Offer interesting research study
If you have access to interesting data or research, share it with the blogger. They can use it in their article to add more value for their readers.
If you own a makeup company, for example, you could share research on the latest trends in the industry. That helps the blogger write a more informative and interesting article.
And, if they use your data in their article, be sure to link back to your website. That way, you can get more traffic and exposure for your brand.
9. A Case Study
Case studies help you come across somebody who knows what you’re doing. If you have some data or results from using your product, consider sharing them in the form of a case study. It showcases the blogger how your product has helped other people and why it’s worth writing about.
Collect data from customers that can be displayed as success stories. It could be something as simple as a survey or questionnaire.
After that, compile the data into an easy-to-read format, like a graph or chart. And, reach out to the bloggers you want to promote the case study and give them all the details.
10. Exclusive Content
What you can also do is offer the blogger exclusive content that’s not available anywhere else. Such content pieces are very valuable to bloggers because they can use them to generate traffic and engagement on their blog.
However, if you do not possess any exclusive information / content, you can perhaps create something just for that particular blog. It would leave an even bigger impact on the blogger.
11. A Personal Story
Stories sell. Personal stories are no different. If there are any personal stories surrounding your products or services, consider sharing it with the bloggers you want to promote your product.
Bloggers love stories because they’re relatable and engaging. These stories can help those bloggers get the most from their marketing campaigns. So, there are high chances that the blogger would share your story on their blog.
However, you need to write the story in a way that’s easy for the blogger to share on their blog. You can either write it yourself or hire a ghostwriter.
Once the story is written, reach out to the relevant bloggers and start sending it across.
12. A Review
Many bloggers review others’ products — sometimes for upfront payments, and other times, for affiliate commissions. Many bloggers also review for free.
Consider sending the bloggers a review copy. But the bloggers you contact should already be reviewing similar products or in the same niche.
To find bloggers who review products like yours, do a Google search for “keyword + product reviews.” For example, if you sell beauty products, you will search for “beauty product reviews.”
13. Content Ideas
The biggest asset for any blogger is content ideas. You can give them blog post ideas that are specific to their niche or audience.
For a fitness blogger, you could give ideas on fitness tips, healthy recipes, or workout routines. For a beauty blogger, you could give ideas on makeup trends, skincare tips, or hair care.
If you’re not sure what type of content would be valuable to the blogger, look at their blog and see what kinds of articles they tend to write. That’ll give you a good idea of the topics they’re interested in.
14. An Infographic
An infographic is a visual way of presenting the information. They’re easy to consume and can be a great way to get people interested in your product.
By offering these infographics to bloggers, you’re giving them something valuable that they can share on their blogs. And, if the infographic is interesting and well-designed, it can be a great way to generate traffic and engagement for the other blogger.
But before you create the infographic, make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to include. You should also consider hiring a designer to create it for you.
Once the infographic is ready, you can email them to the bloggers to publish.
15. A Giveaway
Running a contest or giveaway is a great way to get people interested in your product. Most bloggers are always looking for ways to engage their audience, and a contest or giveaway is a great way to do that.
3 types of giveaways to offer:
- A free product: It is the most common type of giveaway. You simply offer a free product to the winner.
- A discount: Another popular option is to offer a discount on your product. And, that can be a great way to get people interested in buying your product.
- A gift card: You can also offer a gift card as a prize. This is a great option if you want to offer the winner more than one prize.
To find bloggers who are interested in running a contest or giveaway, you can do a Google search for “keyword + giveaway.” For example, if you’re giving away a beauty product, you would search for a “beauty product giveaway.”
You can also use a tool like BuzzSumo or WooBox to find the most popular giveaways.
16. A Tool
Bloggers use plenty of tools to perform their day to day tasks. From productivity tools to marketing software, they are always on the hunt to save their time, money and energy. So if you a tool that could do any of the three, they would most likely love to hear from you.
To get to bloggers who would be interested in your tool, do a Google search for “keyword + blog.”
17. A Link to Their Blog
In the digital world, a link is like a currency. When you add a link of other bloggers in your blog post, you’re giving them something valuable.
And, in return, you can ask for a link to your product. But make sure you’re only asking for a link from the relevant blogger.
There are many ways to get links from other bloggers. But one of the best ways is to write an expert roundup post.
In an expert roundup post, you reach out to several experts in your industry and ask them for their input on a particular topic. Once the post is published, you can request the experts to share the post with their audience.
18. A Twitter Chat
Twitter chats can be an ideal method to connect with the bloggers in your industry. You can also use that platform to promote your product.
These chats usually last for an hour, and they can be leveraged to connect with people in your industry. To engage in a Twitter chat, you need to use a specific hashtag. Hashtags allow you to follow the conversation and see what people are saying about your product.
And getting involved in such chats can help you get more exposure for your product.
19. Merchandise
If you have branded merchandise, such as T-shirts or mugs, you can send them to bloggers. That would allow you to get your brand in front of its target audience.
Plus, that would give the blogger something to use or wear. So, it’s a mutually beneficial situation for both of you.
However, not all bloggers would be interested in receiving branded merchandise. So, before sending anything, make sure the blogger is open to such requests.
20. Membership to a Private Forum
Many bloggers try to gain member-only access to private forums. When you have a membership to a relevant private forum, you can offer it to bloggers.
These memberships usually come with a fee. But, if you can get a discount or offer them for free, that would be great.
The advantage of offering such memberships is that the bloggers can get access to exclusive content. And that can help them provide more value to their audience.
21. A Free Course
Bloggers are learners. They’re always looking to improve their skills. With a free course, you can offer them something of value.
The course can be in any format, such as an ebook, a video course, or even a physical course. But make sure the course is relevant to their blog. And it helps the blogger enhance their skills. Or help them in their business somehow.
5 Common Blogger Outreach Mistakes to Avoid
Now that you know some of the best ways to reach out to bloggers, it’s time to learn about some common mistakes to avoid.
1. Not Knowing Who You’re Contacting
The first mistake is not knowing who you’re contacting. Many people make the mistake of blindly sending their pitch to any and every blogger they can find. But that can get your pitch ignored.
Before you even start reaching out to bloggers, take the time to research and find the ones who are most likely to be interested in your product. Once you’ve found them, make sure you know what their blog is about and what kind of content they typically publish.
2. Not Having a Clear Goal
Another common mistake is not having a clear goal. When you’re reaching out to bloggers, it’s important that you have a specific goal in mind. Are you looking for them to write about your product? Are you looking for them to review your product? Or are you looking for something else entirely?
If you don’t have a clear goal, you’re likely to get lost in the process and not get the results you want.
3. Not Offering Anything of Value
Another mistake is not offering anything of value. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they can just pitch their product and the bloggers will be interested.
4. Not Following Up
Many people make the mistake of not following up. After you’ve sent your initial pitch, it’s important to follow up with the bloggers. It shows that you’re interested in working with them and that you’re serious about getting your product featured on their blog.
5. Not Measuring Your Results
Finally, many people make the mistake of not measuring their results. When you’re reaching out to bloggers, it’s important to track your progress so that you can see what’s working and what’s not.
In conclusion, blogging outreach can be a great way to promote your product or brand. But it’s important that you avoid making these common mistakes. If you take the time to personalize your pitch and follow up with the bloggers and use the above blogger outreach tactics, you’re sure to see success.
