Long time, no blogging-related post.

I still have a huge list of topics to write about related to blogging, and this one called my name today. I’m a big fan of working with brands in a variety of ways. Just in the last (almost) three years that I’ve been blogging, the landscape has changed so much and I love going along with the ride.

A quickly changing market means that you need to be able to adapt and innovate in order to stay on or ahead of the curve. Make sure to think about how you can work together with a brand instead of just accepting free merchandise or demanding money. Be professional, be polite, and find a way for the arrangement to be mutually beneficial.

I feel like that’s an entirely different post for another day, but for now I wanted to share with you a couple things that you can do right now to increase your chances for opportunities.

1. Replying to pitches

For a long time, many pitches I received that I felt didn’t work with my current content or were for events that I couldn’t attend would end up in the trash.

A couple months ago, I somehow had extra time on my hands and started going through my emails to see if there were any that I had missed. I came across a few pitches that I hadn’t deleted and instead of doing so, I simply responded back that I wasn’t able to attend a certain event or that thank you, but the product wasn’t the right fit.

To my surprise, some of those emails were replied and I was offered another opportunity that I was able to work with or asked to visit a restaurant or gym at a different time. I assumed that since I couldn’t attend on the listed date, that I was out of luck.

What I learned by answering companies was that a) they’re people too and appreciate it when you don’t ignore them and b) there may be another way that you’re able to work together. Even if you have a suggestion of a way to work together that’s not in the initial email, simply shoot them a quick email back and see what happens!

2. Tagging companies EVERYWHERE

I put a lot of work into Instagram. In order to get the attention of brands, I make sure to include them as much as possible in my photos. The most important thing to do is to make sure that they are tagged in the photo itself, not just mentioned in the caption. Tagging a brand means that your picture will show up in their tagged images, whereas a simple mention may get lost if they get a lot of likes and comments.

I also make sure to tag companies on Facebook as well, since some are more active on that platform. My Friday and Monday posts often include a lot of restaurants and products, so once the post is live, I make sure to tag each company’s FB page on the post. I’ve gotten the attention of several brands this way which has led to talks about ways to collaborate.

I also make the same mentions on Twitter, although I seem to have more luck on Instagram and Facebook. The more that a company sees you enjoy their product(s), the easier it will be for either you or them to reach out and start a conversation.

3. Checking stats on influencer networks

If you’re a blogger looking to work with brands, you’re probably a member of an influencer network (or several). These networks match influencers (you) with brands based on social stats, location, niche, etc.

One thing you should periodically do is log in to these networks and double check your social stats. Some networks are very good about keeping your stats up to date as they change, but I’ve discovered that several larger networks actually lag behind in keeping up with your numbers.

A few months ago, I happened to log in to one of the larger sites, TapInfluence, and noticed that my numbers were WAY off. Not just “I need to wait 24 hours for it to update” off, but thousands off on some of my accounts. Ever since that happened, I log in a couple times a month to reconnect my accounts.

If you are a member of any influencer networks, take some time to log in and double check your numbers. If they aren’t current, disconnect the account and reconnect it in order to update your followers. Metrics, although not the only way, are one of the main ways that these networks match you with campaigns, so you always want to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward.

Question:

• Bloggers – do you have any to add?