12 Ways To Work With Bloggers - How to Collaborate With Bloggers
Partnering with a blogger is key to online brand growth. Bloggers are writers who build lasting relationships with readers through trusted write-ups. The right bloggers can even open an extra ROI channel for businesses; hence they are quite the asset.
Understand that picking the right blogger comes first, after which you’d want to gear yourself up for a successful outreach — targeted effort yielding results.
So, as a business, how do you reach the right bloggers in a sea of them? And what can you do to make them part of your marketing efforts? We unpack actionable steps to get your business the blogger that just fits.
1. Know What Your Bloggers Want
Every blogger has a different plan for their career. It’s essential to find out early on from product exchange collaborations to “riding” on brand exposure. How? We recommend:
- Reading their blog posts thoroughly
- Keep tabs on their social media
- Notice their interactivity with brand pages/their fans
You will be surprised at the sheer amount of information available about your bloggers. Think of it as pitch research to landing a great advocate for your brand.
PRO TIP: Study your blogger’s social connections for details that give you an edge. Showing what you know about a blogger (their interests or past projects) helps, especially in your pitch.
2. Send A Straightforward Email
Emails that focus on the core intention are everything. An example of that would be a brand blogging partnership. Crafting these focused emails could indicate refraining from including company profiles and achievements or asking rates. Keep things strictly about the opportunity at hand and personalize your communication:
- Greet them by name
- Introduce yourself and what your business does
- Why are you reaching out
- How you want them to be a part of this partnership
- Thank them and schedule a follow-up
This isn’t even the part to pitch yet. We’re just putting our foot in the door, getting them to say “yes” to hearing more from us.
PRO TIP: Tell them about a specific blog post they wrote and what part of it (give details) moved you to reach out to them in this email.
3. Create Unique Content
Bloggers are always on the lookout for stunning brands that match their niche. They have their spy goggles on (like us) when it comes to research. Two things are on their mind — what’s hot now and how it benefits them as a blogger. The only way to be what’s hot (even in a market that’s been around for years) is to produce unique content.
Rand Fishkin calls this “10x content,” which is about creating a relatively new and unique approach. In a content-saturated world, streamlining 10x-worthy content could get you your big break. This is what 10x content is about:
- Showcasing great UI/UX on any device
- Having all or a combination of content that’s
o High quality
o Trustworthy
o Useful
o Interesting
o Remarkable
- Being considerably different in scope and detail
- Creating emotional response (make readers feel something)
- Solving a problem or answering a question
- Delivering in an unexpectedly pleasurable style or medium
Wordstream.com states Coca-Cola spends more money on content creation than television ads. Know that investing in quality content puts you in the forefront of your bloggers’ minds and screens.
4. Be Generous With Your Offer
When it comes to an offer, it’s more than compensation rates. Bloggers can be loyal partners that stay with brands even if it pays them average rates. This ties closely to point 1 above about knowing what they want. If it’s creative freedom or a monthly shout-out, why not help out? Gary Vaynerchuk says: “The best marketing strategy ever: CARE.” Be that brand that cares.
5. Engage A Blogger Marketing Platform
There are millions of bloggers out there — a handful of them are right for your business. Finding and trying them out on your own would take months. After all, you should be out there bringing in sales, not fussing about which blogger is right for you.
Here’s where folks like us come in. At Blogger Outreach, we find bloggers that meet your criteria; they blog about your brand and link readers to your website. So, you get all the traffic and leads you deserve. Read more here.
6. Create Fun Contests
Everyone loves a good giveaway. Running a contest is a great way to get bloggers to work with you. Bloggers understand that unique content involves variety and engagement; pitch how promoting this contest would gain them new followers and engage current ones. This marks a win-win situation for both brands and bloggers.
Bloggers have unique ways of keeping their fans excited about contests. They could ask fans:
To comment “Why I would like to win [Product X]
To post a photo using [Product X] or at [Location X]
To tag as many friends as they can as entries to win tickets to [Event X]
To like and follow the sponsor’s social media channels to win [Product X]
To give their new collection of [Product X] a creative name, where the best name wins
Don’t let the fun stray you away from the purpose of a contest. Suppose your goal is to increase Facebook followers or email subscribers. In that case, different strategies apply. Look into steps such as capturing data and any various additional opportunities to engage or sell something to them. As far as choosing a prize goes, ensure it reflects your brand, their blog, and it’s readership.
Next, you’d want to get your blogger to set up the post. Keep rules for entering simple with a clear image of what readers stand a chance to win. Get your blogger to review the prize instead of promoting it as a product that’s up for grabs. To keep things fun, use giveaway widgets like Rafflecopter or PromoSimple to help with collecting entries.
In 2014, personal care brand Dove ran a contest called “Real Beauty Should Be Shared,” asking fans to tell them why their friend reflects “Real Beauty” by filling in their friend’s name and two things that make them beautiful. The best entries won a meaningful prize — becoming the next faces of Dove. The objective was to celebrate women’s natural physical selves and encourage confidence. They even won several ad awards for this campaign.
PRO TIP: Giving away an iPad might give you great engagement but low ROI. Make sure your giveaway always points back to your brand at the end.
7. Start An Affiliate Program
Like any other creative, bloggers enjoy long-term partnerships and an opportunity for them to generate a steady income stream. Affiliate programs are a commission-based arrangement where bloggers get a percentage of the sales they make. Depending on the blog’s popularity and how experienced the blogger is, commissions can range from 20% to 50% — all done through personal discount codes.
There are several ways for businesses to start with affiliate networks. Some popular networks include ShareASale, ClickBank, and Amazon Associates. You would gain access to a massive pool of affiliates almost instantly, each offering their average commission rate and payment schedules (weekly or monthly). Another popular way is to search for niche blogs and work on blogger outreach (link to third post). Most people who are passionate about something (cooking, gardening, tech, etc.) are suitable candidates to provide helpful content to other people with the same interest.
If convenience is a priority, an affiliate platform like CJ Affiliate is a paid arrangement to help set up and run your affiliate networks. It offers global opportunities to partner with high-performing publishers, setting you apart from the competition. Leading brands such as Barnes & Nobles, J.Crew, and Priceline.
To get started, the merchant (you) gives a unique ID and specific URL to use when the affiliate (blogger) promotes the company’s product. The affiliate uses the link in their blog content to invite readers to click and hopefully close a sale. When a prospect clicks on the link that leads to the merchant’s site, a cookie tracks the affiliate accordingly and ensures it links back to them.
If a prospect becomes a buyer and completes the sale process, the merchant is notified and has a record of the corresponding cookie and affiliate ID. The merchant would then have sales reports available to affiliates to keep track of their referrals and sales. The merchant pays the affiliate the agreed commission at the end of the payment period, as decided through revenue sharing.
PRO TIP: Be clear about your terms to avoid any misunderstanding or potential conflict. Also, show them examples of other bloggers monetizing in their space. Google almost any product, service, or industry, and you’ll find bloggers ranking prominently from their reviewing or providing of guides. The subject matter contained in those resources is invariably affiliate-based.
8. Share & Engage With Their Content
Build relationships before you need them. Research from Omnicore states that 63% of bloggers responded positively to their pitch when there was some form of contact made for the community blog, YouMoz.
Saying “Great post!” on their blog won’t get you far; instead, leave thoughtful and genuine comments. Explain what’s great about it and how it made you feel, which takes time. Sharing and commenting on their written work could take weeks or months before they notice you on their radar. After all, blogging is a viable career in 2020.
9. Use An Email Sequence
It’s normal not to hear from bloggers right away. An email sequence generates a series of emails to connect with your target audience (bloggers). A simple “Hey, (name)! I was just thinking about (topic) and your name came to mind! Just popping by to follow up on…” can go a long way.
Let’s say they’ve agreed to hop on a call with you. You discuss the scope and terms, and they are keen to collaborate. You could create another email sequence to check in with them from time to time, just for that added personal teaching that makes the relationship meaningful.
PRO TIP: There are many email sequencing software in the market. Find what works best for you. Check out this list for the best ones.
10. Post A Backlink
Another great way to get bloggers to notice you and your brand is through backlinking. A backlink refers to the process of linking one web resource to another. It’s a nudge to tell your prospective blogger that you enjoy their content and would like to collaborate.
Experienced bloggers monitor their backlink profile religiously. So, they will get a notification that there’s been a new link and will likely contact you. Enter: your opportunity to explain your offer and tell them your business-blog partnership.
PRO TIP: The quality of backlinks impacts your ranking on Google. Consider professional service packages that feature guest posts and sophisticated backlinks.
11. Investigate Link Parties
Link parties — a party of publishers, usually bloggers, who have the same types of links. In this party, bloggers network, get more eyeballs on their content and get some extra traffic. Each link party has a host (or a few of them). Targeting the host could be a smart strategy to get access to similar blogs and blog styles.
Interior designer blogger Tasha at Kaleidoscope Living is a link party host. She sorts her link parties by days of the week, which features a full list of other bloggers. Each link takes readers to blogs that have similar niches and styles. It’s a way for bloggers to show off what they’ve posted recently and gain exposure. A link party works because it’s a virtual space to connect and build meaningful relationships that transpire into brand growth.
Checking blogs for badges is another simple way to identify a host. A blogger who hosts a link party on their blog may be a host on other blogs too, which adds to their social presence and niche credibility. When you get investigative, you find the talent with the criteria you want to represent your brand.
12. Create a Bloggers Kit
When you pitch your offer, add this kit for extra brownie points. A blogger kit functions as the hub for your bloggers’ FAQs. These must-know pointers will get you started on an epic toolkit:
- Objective & Brand Story
o The purpose of the collaboration + how they contribute to this purpose
o Brief overview of what your brand stands for + why you want their expertise
- Terms of Collaboration
o What is expected of both parties
o The type of collaboration and for how long
o Brand do’s and don’ts
o Rules if either party does not perform as stated
- Content Expectations
o Number of deliverables
o Mediums involved (blogs, videos, social media posts, etc.)
o Tone of voice and style
o Communication channels
o Software and tools involved
- Payment terms
o Invoicing dates
o Compensation rates
o Payment type (PayPal, bank transfer, etc.)
o Payment period (Monthly, % of commission, etc.)
o Key details (PayPal email address, bank account no., etc.)
- FAQs
Meshing these tips together will set the right tone for your outreach. We believe that this brand-building process takes time, so don’t rush it. If you’d like more expert advice about your current situation, we’d love to hear more.
The right blogger will come. Figuratively. Don’t check your door.
Try practicing these time-honored tips, and the opportunities will come sooner than you think.