HA!
Hi there everyone.
Funny, I am going to share with you how to write a pitch letter .
I am so not an authority on this subject, however, I have a recent experience I would like to share.
A pitch letter for what you may ask?
Well, if you are a blogger, or small business,
and are seeking out opportunities to work with companies or perhaps just for product review,
you have to put yourself out there and write a pitch letter.
Since the first objective is to get the recipients attention, it’s obviously a sales letter.
This is my recent experience I had and I would like to share with you what I learned from it.
As a suggestion by a dear friend Ann Drake, from On sutton place,
I am here to share a bloggers pitch story.
I have been blogging now for four years. It’s a job, it is now my full time job, and I do earn an extra small income for our household.
I finally am at a place where I feel confident enough to pitch a company I want to work with, or perhaps pitch for a large product I want for our home.
Don’t get me wrong, you have seen some very nice reviews and companies I have worked with here on my blog.
Saatva mattress,
Floracraft,
Michael’s and a more!
The above referenced companies, I really did not have to write a pitch letter. I sorta fell into most of those opportunities.
I suppose they have seen me around a time or two .
I do from time to time also get sponsored posts through blogher, and other affiliate companies,
but you really do not have to pitch a formal letter. You more or less write a brief summary as to why you want to work with that product or why you would be a good fit.
At this point in my blogging career hahahaha, that sounds funny,
I have an established readership {Thank you because I can’t be here without you}
Page views have increased year to year.
Google analytics are pretty good
My SEO {Search engine optimization}
and page rank, eh, not so bad either.
I mention all of the above, because quite frankly you need to have them all aligned, secured and in a pretty good place before you can write a pitch letter.
You can’t really expect after 6 months or even a year of blogging you can set your sights out on big companies. Unless you are an overnight success, that just is not happening, sad,but true. Our niche’ is becoming quite saturated and increasingly difficult to even get noticed. Don’t be discouraged though. If you love what you do, and love what you share, keep at it, your hard work will pay off.
We all work very hard, and I do believe that 3-5 year mark is what it takes to start really seeing growth, profit, and offers coming your way. Don’t forget, at that point, you should have a lot of content on your site, which helps to prove your dedication and establishment.
So now for the pitch.
First off think it out, do NOT be spontaneous. Just because you are excited, don’t rush into it.
Sure anyone can say they get X amount of page views a month, and a proven success record,
The company wants the proof. This is in fact, is where I learned the most.
First:
1. Find the appropriate individual to whom you should direct your pitch letter.
2. Make sure his or her name is spelled correctly.
3. Limit your letter to 1 page. No one wants lengthy and all fancy fonts and colors… NO!
4. Be concise, and to the point.
5. Be direct, instead of too elaborate.
6. Include all the right information about you, your site and what you are looking for.
7. Grab their attention in the first paragraph of your letter.
This is where you introduce yourself and describe of your website.
8. Be friendly, be unique and stand out!
This includes the “who, what, where, when, and why” of your site.
Avoid overused adjectives like unique, fantastic, greatest, incredible, best.
9. Have a set game plan and let them know exactly what you plan to do.
10. Leave your contact information in the last paragraph, including your website and url. Even if you are writing on letterhead, make it easy for them to contact you.
Personally, upfront, I would not mention compensation, especially if you are looking for a big ticket item. First lure them in and further discuss if compensation is even an option, considering the cost of the item you are looking to review.
If you are looking for a contracted business ambassadorship, I do believe those paid options are according to your monthly page views. Some will say it is roughly a $100.00 per 100,000 page views. Example, your site receives 250,000 page views a month, compensation would be roughly $250.00 for a sponsored post.
It is and can be blogger specific.
But again, some may disagree and say ask for compensation along with the product upfront.
I don’t think of myself as a professional blogger, but in a sense I am. I am here often, always have my camera, or phone in hand for that blogging opportunity, and a notebook by my desk for those light bulb moments.
I would say, I take this gig pretty seriously.
You can get all the above points across quickly in your pitch letter and grab their attention without over doing it.
Please use spell check as well, nothing worse than typos and grammatical errors.
I am the queen of both btw, and when writing my blog posts day to day, because I share in a conversational style, I feel it to be fine on occasion if you see a typo or grammar error, it truly is me writing, and I am not perfect.
However, in a pitch letter, and a sponsored post, do not do that:)!
Here are some common grammar errors.
Your vs. You’re
It’s vs. Its
Affect vs. Effect
There vs. Their.
Moving on…..
For a blogger you will want to be sure to include your media kit, along with an attachment of your Google Analytics screen shot. I wouldn’t be too hung up on your stats. If you have a strong voice, you have some experience working with companies and were successful at it, that indeed may be all they need opposed to a lot of page views a month.
I would also like to mention some bloggers have some smoking hot Facebook pages with a pretty far reach, that definitely is something worth noting when pitching. Especially, if your blog numbers are not as large, you can perhaps land the gig based on that.
I can tell you, I am NOT a mega blog. I know SHOCKING right? you thought I was Mega..NOT even close.
The company you pitch, will in fact head on over to your site if they are considering working with you, so be sure it is looking good, clean and easy to navigate. Have your menu bar at the top, a gallery page, and about me easy to find.
This particular company I pitched recently, also wanted the CTR on companies I have worked with in the past.
What, what is a CTR? I had no clue!
You can find CTR {Click through rate} in Google Analytics by clicking on Behavior (in the left hand menu) and then choosing In Page Analytics. It will show “bubbles” on your page with a percentage click through rate for each item – hover over that bubble and it will then show you the actual number of clicks.
I personally think, keeping it short, sweet and to the point is all you need to start.
Grab their attention at least and the rest will flow into place.
Some other things I also learned .
courtesy of Jennifer Zuri blogger from Town and Country Living.
Anyone who is serious about attracting brands should learn how to use Google’s reporting tools so that you can provide those brands with monthly reports. The ability to offer this to companies will help seal the deal. Perhaps a “fun” way to learn Google Analytics is to search for training videos on YouTube. Just make sure it’s a recent video and not from like, 2009, otherwise it’s outdated info.
In closing, one major important thing you should also know. Any link you have on your blog whether it be representing the company, writing a review and being compensated whether it is monetary or with product, should always be a NO-Follow link. You can learn all about No-follow links and why they need to be.
I know this is boring for the non-bloggers that read me, and I do apologize for that. But I learned something valuable that could be really helpful to other bloggers and even perhaps small business owners looking to branch out.
We are a community of caring women and supporting one another.
XO
Oh and for the record, my very first pitch letter, was effective.
I did get the gig!
I really wanted to work with this company and I feel I can deliver and share an amazing diy project!
Stay tuned.
Follow me around if you like.
If you have any input or experience, please feel free to share.
Also, there is a new e-book on the horizon
The bloggers guide to pitching and working with brands
Much more entailed and informative.
Thanks.
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