image source: thefrisky.
Every so often, for some of us more often than not, we receive product review requests that we don’t care to do. We may feel the product or website is not relevant to our blog. Perhaps we get that gut feeling that maybe we should pass on this one. Maybe we have already a negative personal experience that product or service and know we could not give an unbiased review.
It would be easy to simply delete these requests and pretend we never received them, but we should take a few moments to respond. Lack of response is a big complaint of some brands. They took the time to contact you. They feel they deserve the same in return. They are correct, even if it is to decline their solicitation.
Be Polite. Thank them for taking the time to contact you. Even if you have no interest in what they have to offer, they did stop by your blog and take a few minutes to contact you. Be appreciative. You do not need to go into detail about why you are declining their request, just let them know you do not feel it is a good fit for your blog now.
Give Them Resources. We are bloggers. Most of us feel our job is to help others. Do not let that stop with your readers. Point these brands in the proper direction. Provide them with a list sites that connect brands with bloggers to speed up their process. You likely already belong to a few.
Be Timely. It can be easy to let these requests slide to the bottom of your To Do List for several days. You do not know what to say. Maybe you feel guilty about turning them away. Keep a stock letter saved on your computer that you can easily modify. This letter will thank them for their time, politely decline the request and point them to a few resources for finding relevant blogs for their brand. This makes it easy to respond within 24 hours. Copy, paste, make any necessary tweaks, and click “Send”.
Brands are heavily depending on bloggers these days to get the word out about their products and services. Many bloggers appreciate the attention this is sending our way. For that to continue long-term, we need to act as businesses ourselves. Remember how you feel when you contact a business for something and never receive a response. Give those brands the treatment that you expect to receive.
Angie Nelson is a Virtual Assistant and founder of The Work at Home Wife where she provides home business solutions and internet marketing tactics for business owners and bloggers on a budget. You can connect with Angie on The Work at Home Wife (http://theworkathomewife.com).
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I am guilty of just ignoring the request :l
Miranda Grimm recently posted..Meet Shanae Dykes- a Resume Builder
We need to chat, Miranda.
I wonder, however, if there are instances where a big “thank you” reply is not even warranted.
For instance, if I got the same “stock” email blast that a zillion other bloggers did or if the pitch is so horribly bad or unrelated to my subject matter. Did this PR firm really and truly take all this time out of their busy day to stop by my blog? I find it difficult to “be appreciative” of some of the wacky emails I get.
Also, if I did not ask for the email in the first place, what obligation do I have to respond in a timely fashion (or at all), or more than that, point them to other resources? If the PR company got it wrong with me, I’d be hard pressed to want to send them to other bloggers.
I will agree, respect is a good thing. But it must go both ways.
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Angela, I don’t have my email available publicly. The ones I receive in all cases come through the contact form on my blog. Those I receive in some way or form do possibly relate to my topics, but sometimes they are not a good fit. I do refer them to a better suited situation. It doesn’t have to be a big thanks, just a response.
If you do have a note on your site stating you don’t accept pitches, I personally wouldn’t feel the need to respond. You made your wishes known prior. If you have state that you welcome reviews, then I do feel a response is warranted.
And, there have been quite a few groups popping up recently that are strictly built on the responsive, respectful mantra in direct response to feedback from the brands and PR firms.
And a follow-up comment to Angela’s: If you do feel there are serious flaws in a PR firm’s pitch, there are several resources popping up to educate PR firms about relating to bloggers. Many are brand spanking new to working with us. It’s a different world. The longer no one tells them any differently, the longer they go about business as usual as if they were dealing with the traditional marketing avenues.
That is one of the core values of this site, to educate both parties on how to build better relationships long-term. The sooner they see what we need, the sooner they can give it to us. And vice versa.
Angie recently posted..What Is Your Customer Service Saying About Your Business?
Angie, I get that and of course, long-term relationships with brands matter to me. But maybe I should add – the RIGHT brands that are in alignment with my site and values.
Please understand that I get many, many emails per day. I spent many hours each day running my site and business. I get speaking engagements, reader inquiries, blogger inquiries, and sometimes writing projects. Bottom line, my time is valuable. If I get a pitch that is clearly a pitch uniquely to me, yes, I will likely respond. But if I get what is clearly an email blast (which many of the pitches I get are), I feel zero obligation to take valuable time out and educate the PR firm about how to work with me or my colleagues.
I do consider myself a thoughtful, helpful person – just ask my readers! I also have made some great inroads with brands and PR firms that truly respect me and care about my readership and some wonderful opportunities have come my way. Those are the relationships I care about building and I will gladly continue to work with these folks on how blogger relations works. However, I don’t feel I need to be providing free consultation services or unasked for advice to PR firms that don’t care about me or my readers – but only care about getting a link on my site.
While we’ve not seen eye to eye on this topic, I appreciate you taking the time to dialogue with me about all this. I think you’re right – these are emerging topics and are worth discussing. Thanks for opening up a great convo and stepping out with this post.
Angela recently posted..New printable coupons at Coupons.com: Nature Valley, Gerber, Larabar
Fantastic post, Angie with some great points!
There are some of us PR people who really do try- I like to read through blogs and find out as much information on the blog and the writer as I possibly can before I send anything. Sometimes I get it wrong and getting a polite, thanks but no thanks, helps me out. Plus, then I don’t have to send the same product/different pitch to the blogger who stays quiet over and over. If it’s not the right fit, let me know, I’ll make a note and move on to the next
Amanda, I am so happy to see a comment from the other side. I think creating the “perfect pitch” every time is nearly impossible. For many of us, it has taken years to create the blogs we have now. It make take just as long for you to figure out what makes each individual tick. Even with blogs that I have personally followed for several months and decide to approach with one thing or another, I find out I had it all wrong.
There are thousands of smaller media companies around these days. There are also smaller companies doing the pitches themselves or having their virtual teams take care of them. I know after so many times of not receiving any response, a blogger may eventually get crossed of the “master list” for anything in the future. That next product may be the *perfect* one, and now that blogger may not receive it.
I’m truly excited to see more and more sites popping up to get some collaborating going. Many times, both sides assume the other knows exactly what they are supposed to do or say. That just isn’t the case.
If the product doesn’t meet any of your set qualities then you can always turn down the offer. It’s no difference when you say no to your child if he wants an ice cream but he’s sick and have a high fever. Don’t get intimidated with the product or you might end up fooling yourself.
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