A technique many marketers make in their pursuit of bloggers is create a huge list and fire away messages in a stock email. We’ll be honest – you’re wasting your time if you go down this road. Bloggers get hundreds of emails from brands and they can sniff out stock messages like a bloodhound. Instead, it’s definitely worth being direct, honest and authentic. Trust us when we say bloggers will be able to tell when you’re putting in the effort to speak to them. Build up some rapport and make some conversation to really nail that first impression.
Similarly to most online campaigns, setting out your goals is an essential part of blogger outreach. Put simply – if you don’t know what direction you’re going, it’s very easy to crash. Take some time out and sit down and think about what your goals are with this campaign, including who your ideal influencers would be. It could also be a specific product, specific tone or specific number of references. Also, if you can set some specific statistical aims, it’ll be much easier to quantify your whole campaign and see what needs changing for next time.
Ultimately, blogger outreach needs a bit more time and effort than traditional marketing if you’re going to get things right. Don’t be afraid of failing and always try experimenting – you might just strike gold.