I just want to start by saying that pitching to brands has completely changed my business in the past 6 months. While we live in a very saturated market, reaching out to brands has been such a game changer. I’ve learned that we each have a very unique perspective, style, and point of view. You and I can both promote a product or brand in two very different, successful ways. The key to pitching is to understand what it is that you can offer and who your audience is.
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1. Do Your Homework
Over the past six months, I’ve been in and out of hundred’s of meetings working to develop a relationship with brands and PR companies outside of those nine little boxes and emails. I want to show off who I am, teach them about my goals and dreams for my business, and let them see my personality. Pitching is without a doubt the thing I spend the most time on. I send hundreds of emails a week (I wish I were exaggerating) in hopes of landing brand deals. I spend hours a week doing research in order to find the correct contact for each brand.
In order to find the relevant contact information and email address for each meeting, Google will quickly become your BFF. If you’re not having luck finding the information you need online, shoot over a DM to the brand or company. I’m a huge fan of sliding into the DMs and use this just as much, if not more than email. If you have blogger friends, ask them for their contact person if they’ve previously worked with a brand that you’re interested in working with – I’m sure they’d be happy to share (#collaborationovercompetition)!
Ok, so you’ve got their email contact! Now what?
Send them an email addressing these five things:
- Tell them who you are
- Give them a reason or two you love their brand
- Tell them what your ask is and why you’re reaching out
- Offer dates to meet and ask what works best
- Leave your social links in your signature
2. Follow Up: the most important part of your pitch
Now that you’ve reached out to your contact and have set up your first in-person meeting or phone call, it’s time to pitch yourself. Ideally, your first meeting addresses to some extent, but your initial meeting or phone call should really focus on building rapport with the brand and understanding if you two would be a good fit. Often times, you won’t walk away from that first meeting with sponsorship or a collaboration.
Follow Up
After your meeting, be sure to send an email thanking the brand for their time and provide them with any additional information they may need to move forward. If you haven’t sent them your media kit yet, attach that in your follow up email. I prefer to lead with my media kit, but some people like to attach it once they get the initial response – I’ve tried both and I haven’t found that one way works better so do whatever makes you comfortable.
If you don’t have a media kit yet or you don’t know what that is, it’s essentially an extension of you and your brand, and similar to a resume. It will showcase your bio, work you’ve done, past clients you’ve worked with (share any testimonials), stats such as follower count, engagement rate, reader demographics, etc. I’d also add a rate card either separately or at the end of your media kit. Rates vary based on what the job entails, but it’s great to have a baseline that brands can refer back to. Click here to download a free media kit template!
Spend Time On Your Pitch
Before pitching any company you need to think about your vision for the partnership. What can you offer the brand? Why should they choose to work with you? Be sure to remain authentic, genuine, and realistic. For example, I have been traveling non-stop for the past few months and have a few more trips I’m still finalizing. On every trip, I’ve been able to land some sort of partnership just by pitching myself to companies that I was interested in working with.
My Top Tips
Pitching yourself requires lots of time and hard work. Remember to be clear, concise, and persistent. I’ve learned so much about pitching in the past few years and have really come to learn what works and what doesn’t.
- Be confident. Talking about ourselves is so hard, but this is the time to shine and share with brands why they should partner with YOU
- Be prepared to hear ‘No’ but remain positive
- Working for free or on a gifting basis can sometimes be beneficial so don’t be discouraged if every pitch doesn’t land a paid opportunity. Know your worth and identify what makes the most sense for you
- Be honest about your stats
Follow up with brands and keep them updated on your current content strategy, projects, and plans. It’s kind and shows you’re interested in a long-term partnershipI’m so passionate about this topic and could go on and on. If I missed anything or you have any questions, let me know and I’d love to help you! xx
