Whether you’re new to the world of small business ownership or you’ve been in the game for years, your ability to market and promote your product or services is crucial to your business’s survival. Although there’s a lot to be said for word of mouth marketing, paid advertising and more, one of my favorite ways to both spread the word about my business and find new businesses to feature on my blog is through brand-blogger collaborations. Not quite sure what that term means? Take a look at your favorite lifestyle or fashion blog. Chances are, they’ve shared sponsored posts or reviewed a product a brand sent for their consideration. For shop owners and boss ladies with a tangible product line, this can be an especially great way to reach a specific market and forge new relationships.

But before you start mass emailing every blogger or online magazine you can track down, let’s chat about the proper way to go about approaching someone you would like to feature or promote your product. As a small business owner, I’ve worked with blogs and writers to have my products featured, and I’ve also been in a position to field promotional requests thanks to the #bisforbonnieloves blog series. Having been on both the receiving and promoting end of things, let me share what I’ve picked up throughout my experience.

Choose Wisely

With the prospect of getting your product line out in front of the eyes of a brand new audience, it can be all too tempting to reach out to every blog with a huge following. But just because someone has 15k followers on Instagram doesn’t mean they’re the right person to feature your product. Look for bloggers and websites that either share your brand’s core values or hold similar values of their own. Consider how their audience matches up to your own. As a writer, your credibility and the trust you build with your readers is paramount. A professional blogger who is aware of their audience’s likes and dislikes would never choose to work with a brand that doesn’t line up, so save yourself the kind rejection email by doing your homework beforehand. You can tell a lot about the type of people who read a certain blog or follow a specific site by seeing who interacts with their posts on social media. If you’re desired blogger focuses on home decor with a masculine twist, your ultra-feminine products probably won’t win many fans. Remember that just because you feel like your brand is a good fit for a blogger or website, that doesn’t necessarily mean the recipient of your email will feel the same. In order to make the decision to work together as easy as possible, include a quick paragraph or two to three sentences detailing why you think your product would be a good fit for them. Whenever possible, I like to tell bloggers how I think my prints or inspirational paper goods could be a good fit for their current readership. Collaborations are a two-way street, so do your best to ensure that both parties will benefit from the partnership. If you receive free publicity and the blogger creates engaging content their readers will love, everybody wins.

Be Upfront

So you’ve wooed a blogger and you’re both incredibly excited about the prospect of working together. You’re thinking that nothing else could go wrong at this point. Well, that’s not entirely true, friend. If you aren’t totally honest and state your intentions upfront, it’s possible that one or both parties may end up unhappy with the partnership. If you wanted the blogger to dedicate an entire post to your shop or products, and instead they included one link to your shop along with a blurry image of your product buried deep in a post about kitchen tiles, then you won’t be happy with that end result. But if you weren’t clear in the beginning about what you expected from this partnership, then that kitchen tile disaster post is all on you. Most bloggers are highly creative writers who will feel the freedom to incorporate your product however they see fit unless you include any specific requests you have in mind. While I wouldn’t recommend giving them a specific word count or number of images to include, I would encourage you to tell them if you want this feature to show up on their blog or social media. Are you interested in hosting a giveaway on their page? What URL should they link back to? I often provide a short list of post ideas for a blogger to consider or to get their creative juices flowing, too. The way that I see it, this person is doing me a favor by sharing my work with their sweet readers, so I want to make it as easy as possible for them to compose a quick social media post or a blog post that everyone loves.

Be Authentic

Remember that you are doing more than just sending someone a product in exchange for a promotional service. Instead, you are building a relationship. A few of the bloggers I’ve had the pleasure of working with have turned into friends, and I believe those friendships wouldn’t have blossomed if I were only focused on how this collaboration could benefit me. Don’t be afraid to let your personality and the heart of your brand shine through in your emails! While I may not be able to work with every potential collaborator who shoots me an email, I will remember those who were personable, friendly and weren’t afraid to use an exclamation point or two. This should go without saying, but in case anyone needs the reminder, be kind, be respectful and always say thank you, especially to those who are taking time out of their day to share your business with others.

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to send that initial email. I remember how nervous I was to reach out to a super popular fashion blogger when I first launched my shop, and I was terrified I’d never hear back! In my experience, some people won’t email you back, a few will send you a note to let you know they aren’t interested, and then there will be those who will be so excited about your shop that they cannot wait to share your products with their readers. Those are the emails to focus on and to celebrate! When used properly, brand-blogger collaborations can be a fantastic way to increase sales, boost your social media following and build new relationships in the creative community. They may not be the best idea for everyone, but it’s worth pursuing at least once.

Happy collaborating, lovelies!

post graphic design by b is for bonnie design with stock image from SC Stock Shop