Good morning! It’s Tuesday and you know what that means… Time for another Blog Talk Tuesdays post!
Past Blog Talk Tuesdays topics include:
Today’s topic addresses reaching out to companies, reviewing products, offering giveaways and beginning communication with brands you love.
Company Outreach
- How do you get companies to send you free things to try, review or giveaway?
I would say that 99.9 percent of the time I receive a product to sample or giveaway on my blog, it’s because the company reached out to me. Companies – big and small – are beginning to understand the importance of social media and are becoming increasingly aware of the reach bloggers have.
More and more companies are contacting bloggers to sample their product because, when you think about it, it’s really cheap advertising. Millions of people read blogs and the only cost to the company is their product and shipping. That’s some seriously cheap advertising.
- How do you get companies to notice you and your blog?
To be honest, I really don’t try to get companies to notice my blog. I simply blog about my life, and products made by certain companies will pop up on my blog organically. Overtime I’ve realized that companies really do notice this and pay attention to what bloggers are saying. Also, companies didn’t just throw free things at me when I first started blogging. It took me a solid year or so of blogging before I was contacted by companies regularly.
If you want to receive free things to review, utilizing Twitter to connect with a company and express your interest is a great way to begin communication. Again, simply blogging about certain products you use or enjoy in your everyday life often times puts you on a company’s radar for new products they may debut in the future.
- Have you ever asked a company to send you a sample or sponsor a giveaway? How do you go about doing this?
About two months after I first started my blog, I emailed the people at Pumpkorn to ask if they were interested in sponsoring a giveaway on my blog. In my email, I explained that I was a huge fan of their product. I provided links to past PBF posts featuring Pumpkorn so they could see that I was a genuine fan. They were so kind and were more than happy to offer a giveaway. (You may see that giveaway here.)
I no longer reach out to companies, but am not opposed to doing so if there’s a product I think PBF readers would absolutely love. If I were to do this, I’d go about it in a similar way that I did when I reached out to a hotel before, which I address in the final question of this post.
- Do you accept free samples or offer giveaways from every company that contacts you?
No. Absolutely not. In fact, I’d say I accept maybe 10 percent of the samples or products I am offered. I do not accept products I wouldn’t personally be interested in purchasing on my own, ones I’ve tried and don’t like (um, SoyJoy bars – ick!) or ones that don’t align with my lifestyle or blog (like diet pills, for example).
- Do you post both good and bad reviews?
When I accept a product from a company, I make sure to communicate that posting a review will include my honest thoughts about the product – both good and bad. If I have absolutely no good things to say about a product, I typically email the company and ask them if they would prefer me to simply leave the review off my blog, rather than post only negative things. They’re usually very grateful for this opportunity.
- You said you were able to stay at a hotel in Atlanta for free because you “asked.” How did you do this?
I put together an email pitch. I emailed the hotel, explaining that two of my blog readers recommended their hotel to me for my upcoming trip to Atlanta. (I did this the week we would be traveling there, which I think helped since the hotel knew they were going to have rooms available anyway.)
In my email to the hotel, I said I would be happy to document my stay at the hotel on my blog (which I would do anyway!) in exchange for a complimentary room for the weekend. I also made sure to attach a media kit that I made using a fantastic tutorial I found on Katy Widrick’s blog, with more information about my blog and my blog’s statistics.
If I missed any questions related to company outreach or reviews, please feel free to ask them in the comments section. I included all the questions I received through the blog and PBF Facebook page on this topic, but I know I often think of questions after the fact and am happy to address any lingering questions you may have.
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Thanks Julie! Hopefully after I’ve been blogging for a little while companies will start to take notice 🙂
it took a long time before companies started contacting me! i’d say it took at least a year until i started to be contacted about reviewing products and offering giveaways.
All wonderful tips Julie. You definitely are a great blogger with lots of postive influence. I am glad that companys recognize that! 🙂
This is my favorite blog talk Tuesday post yet! Thanks so much for the tips!!
I felt really bad at first when I started telling companies no, but I’ve gotten over it. I think it’s important to stick only to products you would really like and want to use in real life.
Have any dog companies reached out to you about Sadie testing things out? That would be awesome- Sadie the spokes-dog!
yes!! sadie has received two different packages! one included dog treats that she LOVES from milo’s kitchen. the packages are in storage right now, so i haven’t been able to blog about them, but i will as soon as they’re out. she flippin’ LOVES those treats.
Great post! It is good to read that you decline free stuff…I do that too, fir the same reasons! It’s important for bloggers to know you CAN say no! (And for readers to know that you often do.)
Awesome post!
Also, I can’t understand how anyone likes SOYJOY bars. Barf.
This is an awesome post! I recently started blogging and trying to market myself through social media and these tips are awesome! I am hoping to learn even more next week at HLS but this was some really great information! Thanks so much!
PS I hate Soy Joy bars too! I seriously thought I was the only person in the world to feel this way.
This is such a great post, Julie, thank you so much for sharing all this knowledge and insight you have picked up as a super successful blogger, it is so cool and generous of you, and incredibly helpful 😀 Your Blog Talk Tuesdays posts are absolutely awesome 🙂 Have a wonderful day! <3 xyx
I love these Blog Talk Tuesday posts! They are so informative. These are some really great tips in this post. Thanks, Julie! 🙂
These posts are so helpful! 🙂
Another classic post, Julie. I’m sure these will quickly become a blogger’s “Bible” of sorts for newbie bloggers and bloggettes like myself (and so many others).
I’ll admit, I always have to chuckle when I imagine just sitting at a computer, writing a post, and expecting companies to throw stuff at you, so I like that you were honest in saying it wasn’t an immediate thing but took a solid year of blogging before things started coming your way for reviews or giveaways.
I love the advice to just blog your life, and also if you truly want to reach out, use twitter. I think companies are really starting to utilize it to its full capability, very exciting time as the gap between the consumer the and company is getting smaller every day!
Interesting! And awesome that you got a free stay at a hotel. This reminds me to keep on truckin’ even if things seem slow for now. I think perseverance really pays off in the blogging world.
I love blog talk Tuesdays! And I agree about soy joy bars- ick!
Another great post, these are super helpful!
Good info! I don’t have a blog, but I appreciate your honest perspective. I still think it’s awesome that the Ritz comped your stay. Next time you’re in Atlanta, you should check out the Mansion on Peachtree – it’s divine and they have a wonderful spa. 🙂
I loooove the Sadie pics in this post, especially the second one. My dog makes that face all the time too.
Thanks so much! I think by blogging naturally about products that you use and enjoy everyday is a great way to create a sort of “product profile” for companies to view.
Julie this is a wonderfully informative post! It really makes perfect sense to see how things work now! Also…at my old job we actually placed the food chemists at SoyJoy, and in return for doing so they sent us all boxes of SoyJoy bars in early May…those boxes were around until WELL after the next May (untouched mind you). They were gross gross!
Thanks for your hints on how to get things fo’ free (Sadie was a great side-kick for this post!)
Wow – that was incredible savvy of you to think to ask the hotel. It’s so true, we end up documenting our stay anyway so why not ask? The worst that can happen is they say no! You’re a clever girl 🙂
that’s was my philosophy exactly. i mean the worst thing they could do was send my email around the office and laugh at my request and tell me no. 🙂
Hahaha yeah exactly!
this is the one I have been waiting for!!! thanks Julie!!!
Great post once again Julie! I agree with you – if I am asked to review a product that doesn’t fall in line with my values and lifestyle, I don’t normally do it. I’d rather keep brand bashing off my blog because I’m a firm believer that if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say it at all! Super cute Sadie photos! 🙂
Thank you for helping out so many newbie bloggers. I have often wondered about contacting companies about samples and reviewing their products, so this was very helpful. I am really enjoy blog talk Tuesdays!
My blog is about a month old and I have been doing my best to promote it through social media to grow my readership. Maybe this time next year I will be doing my own product reviews!
Awesome post! Thanks so much! 😀
I am loving these Blog Talk Tuesday posts. I totally hear you about not accepting samples from companies you don’t agree with, or you already know you don’t like the product.
I have never even thought about making a media kit for my blog! What a great idea.
I received my first sample inquiry the other day and it was so exciting!!! Thank you for this series– It is very helpful for us new bloggies 😀
I am really liking this series! Although I’m not a health or food blogger, a lot of these tips are universal and, as a new blogger, I really appreciate them. Thanks so much!
I’m not sure which I like better about this post…the truly informative information, or the Sadie pics.
Seriously…these have got to be some of my favorites of her 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I always appreciate these Blog Talk Tuesdays. 🙂
Very interesting and helpful! Thanks!!
I love that you use blog talk tuesdays as a chance to post pics of Sadie. She is so cute! She makes the posts interesting for people(me, lol) who aren’t bloggers.
I am loving Blog Talk Tuesdays. It really helps when starting up a blog. Thanks!
Do you think I’ll ever be capable of holding a giveaway whilst having a tumblr blog? I have a lot of followers and I want to give back to them ha. I don’t really blog about food though just fitness :)!
love love this series!
LOVE this. I get so many opportunities to review and most of the time I have to turn them down because well, they’re not that good!
Thanks! I always wonder how some bloggers get so many product reviews! I guess I’ll just have to give it some more time 🙂
Great tips again this Tuesday! Thanks Julie.
OMG! I have missed Sadie. Thanks for the informative post.
thanks for posting this girl!! I look forward to Blog Talk Tuesdays and it is great to know you started out a “normal” blogger like many of us and have grown into so much more!!
I believe this is my first time commenting – I’ve been reading for a couple months now and these blog posts have been so helpful as I have been trying to decide weather to not begin one again.
You’re awesome – thanks!
Another great blog talk Tuesday post! I hope my little baby blog grows up to be a big girl blog like yours one day! 🙂
Thanks for another great Blog Talk post, Julie! You have some great advice!
Thank you so much for your Blog Talk Tuesdays! I really appreciate your advice!
Such an awesome and informative post! As a new blogger as of this year, I appreciate all of the tips I can get!!!!
Great post! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I’ve always wondered how the whole company sponsored giveaway thing works!
I remember how I first discovered your blog was through another blogger (ginas skinny recipes) A group of bloggers had been invited to the Pom factory and Gina posted about her experience. I saw you and thought you looked like a fun hip blogger and here we are now your blog is my fav!!! Thanks Pom!
Hi! I just discovered your blog and love what’s on here.
This post just caught me at the perfect time. I was contacted my a organic fruit rollup company last week asking if I did product reviews. I’ve only been blogging for 8 months, and these tips were helpful!
Alysha
hysterical. I just got an offer for a giveaway on a “gum health” screening. Apparently, they think I am an oral health blogger. LOL
Just wanted to say, that since I don’t have a blog and have no intention of starting one, I love that you include pictures of Sadie in these posts.
Hi Julie, just want to say thanks. You’re such an inspiration.
Thanks Julie, another great Blog Talk post! As a newer blogger, it’s good to know it took a year to get to the point of companies contacting you.
Very helpful post! And I’m not sure if you’ll cover this in future post, but how did you increase your blog views so that companies would start offering you to review?
i plan to do a future blog talk tuesdays post about increasing readership and marketing your blog.