How to get featured on blogs: 10 full surefire tips for your pitch

This is a guest post by Jen Wallace. She shares her indie life over at Indie Fixx where she writes about making, creating, cooking, learning, playing, loving, and pretty much anything else that strikes her fancy.

Every independent designer knows that a mention on a big name blog can be a make it moment, but how to get bloggers to notice your shop?

You could wait around for bloggers to come across your shop while they wade through the Internet, or you could reach out to them.

It's called the “pitch”, and the most important thing to remember is that pitching your shop is just like dating—you wouldn't go on a date in curlers, so don't pitch as if you were in curlers.

Here's a few ideas for how to send an email pitch to bloggers that will stand out from the cacophonous amount of submissions they receive.

Do keep it short

Bloggers are not going to read a long email. 2-3 short paragraphs tops.

Do get to the point quickly

Again bloggers are a fickle bunch and if you don't grab their attention in the first sentence or two, you will lose them.

Do offer suggestions on how bloggers can make a story out of you.

Do you have a unique story? Work as a chemist by day, but feel the call to letterpress by night? Do you use a  unique material or process? Did you study your craft at the hands of an Italian master? Share this!

Do make sure to include a link to your online shop.

Do include 1-2 small images of your goods with your pitch

Make sure the photography is stellar though. It does not matter how wonderful your products are in person, bloggers will not feature them without fantastic photos.

Do not send out a pitch to every blog in your feed reader.

Instead, do take the time to choose a handful of blogs that really fit the aesthetic of your products and approach those blogs only.

Do take the time to learn the blogger's name 

and make sure to show that you are familiar with their blog.

Do offer to share a guest post on the blog, if appropriate.

Many blogs feature guest bloggers and are looking for DIY and tutorial projects, studio tours as well as other posts. It does help if you have a blog to offer up as an example.

Do make sure to include an about page or bio section in your shop.

If a blogger decides to feature you based on your email pitch, they may need more info as filler. It's possible that they may decide they need this info at 3 in the morning for the next day's post. If you don't have additional info available, the blogger may move onto shop that does. Most blogs do have an editorial calendar, but you might be surprised at the number of posts that are written at the last minute.

Finally, do not get discouraged if you do not hear back from a blogger you have sent an email pitch to...they may be saving your shop for a rainy day.

Share your tips in the comments!

Image: mambol