Every email pitch you receive in your inbox from a brand or PR representative won’t be a perfect fit for your blog’s content. Maybe you’re not a pet owner and the pitch is for a new cat product. Or your kids have outgrown the toys, books or mobile apps the pitch mentioned. Instead of hitting delete on the press release, because there’s no product review or sponsorship opportunity included, take a moment to pause. You could be letting go of a goldmine for evergreen content or a future sponsorship opportunity. Here are some unique ways to spin an email pitch.
Save the press release or pitch for another time.
If you editorial calendar is full and you can’t create content related to the pitch, consider what Samantha Gregory from RichSingleMomma.com said about press releases, “I created a filtered folder called PR in my Gmail account. I can go back whenever I need to.“ Although you may not be writing about the pitch’s topic now – you may be in the future! It’s especially relevant if the topic is evergreen, meaning you can share it anytime throughout the year.
Forward the email pitch to another blogger that it fits.
If you receive a pitch that doesn’t fit your personal brand or your audience demographics, forward it to a blogger in that related niche. Reply to the representative first and make sure it’s ok, then proceed.
Request a product review.
In cases where an email pitch includes images or press release with hopes that you’ll create a blog post, reply to the representative and request a product review. Establish your minimum value for reviews (ex. $50-$100) and make sure that’s included.
Reply with a campaign idea.
Every brand will not be open to the idea of a sponsored post. So if you think a Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram campaign would be a great way to visualize what’s in the pitch, reply back with your campaign idea and rates for the project. Samantha also has a “canned reply” for inbox opportunities she’d like to discuss as sponsorships:
Dear John Doe,
Thanks for your email about [insert product/service name]! While I’m not able to promote every product people mention to me, I do think this would be a good fit for my readers. I have several options for sponsorships on my blog, which would allow you reach my audience.
You can find these options here: Link to Your Sponsorship Page
I would love to speak to you more about my traffic statistics, demographics, and editorial calendar so we can work together to promote [insert product/service name]. Let me know if you are interested.
Best,
Blogger Name
Localize it.
Journalists do this all the time. If a national campaign or kickoff is announced, consider a way to cover the trend locally in your own community. See if it’s an issue that your place of worship, neighborhood organization or child’s school could undertake.
Do some digging.
Google the name of the product or brand that’s represented to see some of its latest news coverage. The pitch may be an effort to spread more positive news about the company to counteract any negative press. Investigate and do some digging before you write a post or promotion. What you find out may make a better post than the press release!
Should you reply to every email pitch or press release in your inbox? That depends on how much time you have. Consider setting a date on your calendar at the beginning, middle or end of the month to revisit press releases you’ve saved to see if there are opportunities to cover an event or represent a brand.
Don’t just wait for the pitches and opportunities to hit your inbox. Remember these 5 Must-Haves for the Perfect Blogger Pitch to Brands.
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