10 tips for working with bloggers

17 Jul 10 tips for working with bloggers

It’s been blogger events central in the Double Edge office for the past few months, and with almost 10 blogger events under our belt just in the past two months, we thought we would share our top 10 tips for working with bloggers.

Over the past few years blogging has been on the rise, not just as a hobby or a way to keep your relatives updated, but as a method of earning an income and a very prosperous career for lots of people (hello Fashion Bloggers on Fox)! So as PR professionals we’ve had to learn how to best work with bloggers as they can help us connect our clients with their thousands of followers. These days a blogger can be just as powerful a spokesperson as a celebrity. However, unlike some celebrities not many bloggers will sign up to support any product, they need to make sure the products they are talking about or reviewing are in-line with their blog and their readers.

So, here are our top 10 tips for working with bloggers:

1. Understand the bloggers you’re pitching to. Follow them on social media, read their blog, and make sure you understand their style and interests before you reach out to them. Also, and most importantly learn their name! Don’t ever start an email with; Dear blogger!
2. Unlike a lot of traditional journalists bloggers might have other jobs, or young children and therefore aren’t on their emails 24/7, or available every day between 9-5pm – take this into consideration when contacting them or planning an event.
3. What’s in it for them? Always be useful! They don’t want to receive a press release to re-post – they want to create content for their site. Whether that’s through a review, a first-hand experience or attending an event. They are after content they can share with their readers.
4. Engage bloggers as you would traditional media, invite them to your launches or events. You can even look at hosting a ‘blogger event’ specifically for them to ensure they get the content and answers they want.
5. If you want the biggest bang for your buck, work in collaboration with bloggers. No one understands their readers better, they can help you tailor your idea to perfectly suit their blog.
6. Unlike traditional media, not all bloggers have a big list of advertisers, and a lot of their income comes from things like sponsored posts. Talk about money up-front. Discuss with your client the concept of allocating budget for blogger activity before you start a campaign or outreach.
7. Share content and remember to tag! Bloggers are always working towards expanding their audience and gaining more followers, so remember to share content via your own channels so they can reach your audience as well. But remember to tag their social media accounts when you do!
8. Never underestimate their experience. While not all bloggers come from a professional writing background, a lot of them do come from a corporate or business background and so communicate with them as you would any other professional person.
9. Remember that they aren’t always based in the CBD – so if you’re hosting an event, they often prefer venues with free parking as some will travel from as far as an hour away.
10. Remember, just like with any other media, it’s all about relationships. Continue to build and nurture these and you’ll definitely see the benefits.

Any other tips you think we’ve missed? We’d love to hear from you!