MAKE YOUR BLOG BRAND & PR READY

Blog Audit

1. Let them know you want to work with them! • Add a PR Friendly Page - this tells them you want

to work with them

• Add an Advertising page

• Add a really well written “About Me” page

• Add a Pitch Policy page to your blog

• Add a Media Kit page including blog statistics and blog policies

• Add your email address making it easy for brands to contact you - not just a contact form

http://www.talesofarantingginger.com/giveaway-policy

http://www.quietfish.com/notebook/?page_id=1762

http://www.simplystacie.net/advertise/

http://www.mommymatter.com/advertise/

http://www.mommymoment.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Spring2013mediakit.pdf

2. Add a Disclosure Page

• Let brands know that you are aware of blogging disclosure policies.

• Because advertisers are offering bloggers payment or gifts to create content about specific products or services, the blogger's interest in the product or service may be due, in part, to the financial gain. It doesn’t matter if the blogger would have included content in his/her blog about the product or service without gift or payment, the fact is the blogger is receiving payment for certain content.

2. Create your Disclosure Policy

3. Promote your other social channels

• Do you only blog? – if yes then get onto other social channels

• Do you have a twitter account, pinterest account, google+ account? – if yes be sure to post them on your blog

• Do you have an RSS feed? – if not add one so that brands can subscribe to your posts to get a better idea about working with you

• It is so important to put your other social media channels on your blog so that brands can see your social reach!

http://kidsumers.ca/

4. Language

• Do you use profanity on your blog? (and your other social channels like twitter, facebook, Google+)

• It matters to SOME brands.

• We are not telling you to change the way that you express yourself – we are just letting you know that it sometimes matter

• If you were going to a job interview would you use that kind of language?

5. Do you bash people and brands?

• Some people use social media to vent about anything negative

• We don’t recommend that, you should try traditional methods first

• We cringe when we see the brand bashers. Brand bashing discourages many brands from participating in social media

6. Do you get snarky with brands if they don’t know everything about you? • When brands first get involved in social media

they don’t always get the budgets they need to create blogger programs

• If a PR agency/Brand reaches out to you about a program that may not be relevant – just tell them. Don’t get angry and bash them on social channels.

7. Do you support other Bloggers? • If a blogger gets selected to work with a brand

and you don’t – do you complain publicly? (Do you think that will make the brand want to work with you the next time?)

• If someone writes about a product/service you don’t like – do you bash them? (Bloggers can write about what they want – it does not mean they are selling out and other bloggers should not jump to conclusions)

8. Blog Posts

• What do your brand sponsored blog posts look like? If you were a brand looking at your blog post – what would you think?

• Did you add photos/videos?

• Did you add a disclosure statement to your blog post?

• Did you really put in the effort?

• If you are going to work for a brand then you should do a great job with your posts.

• Many brands will look at your previous blog posts to see what you might be like to work with

9. Many brands don’t spend a lot of their budget on social media - YET

• Many brands we speak to spend only 2% of their time on social media right now – so don’t get discouraged

• If you reach out to a brand and you don’t hear back – don’t get discouraged

10. Brands want to work with bloggers not businesses

• If you have your blog is incorporated into your website – a brand may not want to work with you.

• We suggest that you separate your blog from your business site.

11. Brand Love

• Genuine brand love could make a brand want to work with you – we see it happen all of the time

• Remember that just because you love a brand doesn’t mean they have to interact with you.