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Advice on Pitching to a Company

I noticed this week that a big company who's headquarters is located practically in my backyard just started using Twitter to promote itself. It's a large regional store chain. I shop there every week, I use a lot of their store brands.

As far as I can tell they haven't yet extended their social media marketing to blogs. I am thinking of approaching them with some kind of pitch about my blog and partnering with them. I see this as an opportunity for both of us. As a company they would get a local, loyal customer promoting them. As a blogger I would have the benefit of the support of a large company.

Right now my blog is really very small. I haven't done a lot to try and grow. I'm just starting to really want to expand my horizons.

This is kind of out of my comfort zone, and I feel silly approaching them. Am I crazy to think they would even consider?

If you've had experience doing this can you share any advice on pitching ideas to them?

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Permalink Reply by Dagmar Bleasdale on December 25, 2009 at 12:11am

Just approach them -- you have nothing to lose! An they have nothing to lose, just to gain from you being an actual customer there and liking the store.

Companies are getting hip to the fact that moms buy after other moms' reviews, and that mom bloggers is the way to go for promoting their company or product.

Have your blog in order, know your stats, and find out who is in charge of promoting the store.

I am not clear on if you want them to advertise on your blog or if you are going to write about the store for them. Either way, make them pay you for it! Even if it's just a small amount. If you are putting your time into promoting them, have them pay you. They have an advertising budget for that, might as well be you who profits from it.

Good luck!

Dagmar
Dagmar's momsense
http://DagmarBleasdale.com

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Permalink Reply by Tamara Unexperienced on December 27, 2009 at 8:34pm

I agree with Dagmar. Get your stats ready and go for it!

I recently starting hosting giveaways and conducting product reviews. My very first product review came when I contacted a company to ask if I could get samples to review. I emailed them with my blog stats as well as other networking capabilities, both online and offline. I received an email response quickly stating they'd love me to review their product and that they would also give me a product pack for a reader giveaway.

Since then, I have inquired about 3 other reviews (all of which I will now be doing) and one company contacted me on their own to do a product review.

I'd also like to branch out and approach larger companies to advertise on my blog and to team up/promote their products. I am attending a blogging conference soon to find out more about the "business" side of blogging, but once I switch my blog to Wordpress and get it settled again after that move, I intend on approaching business to at least make some connections/get my name out there.

Good luck with your pitch and be sure to let us know how it goes!

Tamara
The (Un)Experienced Mom
www.theunexperiencedmom.com

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Permalink Reply by Jermaine Mintuck on March 30, 2010 at 12:15pm

This is SO ODD for myself... I had approached product companies since October 2009. And what makes this EXTREMELY odd, is that my blog was a very small NEWBORN, born either that month or the month directly before October. Pretty much 0-readers and no Google PR of any sort. I mean, just a fresh tiny newborn-WAA-WAAAAA!

I had emailed a Christmas-related website after i had planted a few mostly online Java/Flash game portal sites. And a quirky item store item. I never asked to get that quirky item, not believing that they would have sent it to me. Don't know even to this day, if they would.

From the Christmas store, I had asked for those retro-bubbly lights. I just wanted to see "what would happen". Well, they actually SENT them to me FREE! Remember, we are discussing a baby blog, no a small newborn one, at the time. What even gets me, is that I hadn't even perfected the pitch letter that I now use. I think that old pitch letter I had sent at the time was really crappy, compared to what I have now. "beats me" how they had even looked at it once.....

Heck, I don't use my stats in my pitch letters and I STILL get free stuff as if there is NO tomorrow! I actually forget sometimes that I have spoken to someone, and a package comes to my door and surprises the dickens out of me, even!

Beats me how they have listened to me so earnestly. And I had unravelled this "get stuff free to review" secret so well. And NO! I have NEVER read Ramped Reviews ebook.

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Permalink Reply by Marla on April 10, 2010 at 12:19am

Is there a rule of thumb on how big your stat should be that makes you feel confident in approaching companies?

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Permalink Reply by Mandy K on July 30, 2010 at 9:29am

I wonder the same thing. I have only 77 followers and wonder if a business would even see giving me products to review and giveaway "worth it".

Marla said:

Is there a rule of thumb on how big your stat should be that makes you feel confident in approaching companies?

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Permalink Reply by FrugalMom on August 8, 2010 at 5:43pm

I just started approaching companies about two months ago, and while I received very little response in the beginning (had about 150 followers, I am now receiving much more response (400 plus followers). In the beginning I did not add my stats, but now I do, because they have improved tremendously.

I suggest you start working on your pitch letter, and this week go big on the link parties to increase your readership. I have a link up collection at my blog Frugality Is Free. When you feel like your numbers are comfortable add them to your pitch letter/email and send it off.

Good luck! It never hurts to ask, but if you don't ask, you won't get an answer.

FrugalMom
Frugality Is Free

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Permalink Reply by Joanna on August 13, 2010 at 1:44pm

I think I've been hiding under the wrong side of the rock. Never once did I consider me pitching to a company for a review. The few I have done from companies, the company has inquired and I have done the review or they were items that I liked and already owned, purchased or borrowed for a review. Hello, thanks for waking me up! :-)

I hope that your pitch works out well for you! I'm interested in hearing how it goes, too!