If you blog and are active on social media, you would have heard all about a blogger pitching to a brand, only for the brand to publish her email and their response on social media. This caused a bit of an uproar as different people aired their views. Just to be clear, I think it is so wrong for the business to publish a private email on social media. I also think they must be a very childish bunch running the business, with a response like that. They even had the time to make a video dissing the blogger some more, just because she had the audacity to pitch to them. This is a clear example of when a blog pitch goes wrong.
I have read the blogger’s pitch and there is nothing wrong with it. She included the name of a top brand she has worked with previously, and I. believe she did that with the good intentions. The blogger just wanted to be taken seriously, so she presented herself in such a manner, with the hope of the business accepting her pitch.
When things like this happen, I think we all as business owners should learn from the experience. It could have happened to anyone of us. Here are 2 lessons I am taking away from this experience –
Research the brand before pitching
If the blogger did a bit of research on the brand, she won’t have bothered to pitch. The company is well-known on social manner for their lack of manners and being very rude. So with a reputation, you won’t be expecting anything different.
I usually do a bit of research before pitching to a brand. I check out the website and social media profiles, so I have a feel of the brand before sending a pitch.
Pitch with care
I am very careful when it comes to sending a pitch. Sometimes, I find that it rubs some business owners the wrong way when they receive a blogger pitch and I am not sure why. It may be because some people are massively jealous of anyone who works from home and appears to be living a life they wish they could have.
To be frank, I have reduced the number of pitches I send out now. Majority of my work finds me and I usually pitch to brands I have worked with before or who have shown some kind of interest in my work.
So pitching to brands with care is a safe way to go. Sending pitches to any business you come across without doing a bit of research and checking to see if they work with bloggers, and will be interested in your blog may lead to issues like what we had the other day.
Another fact that I have taken from the experience is that many people don’t understand the blogging industry and how we work. They think we just write on the internet for the kick of it. They don’t understand the amount of time and money so of us spend on our blogs. Many of us blog full-time. For many, their blog is their only source of income. So they treat it as they should treat any other business.
Many brands understand the value of working with influencers. Some have no clue and that is completely fine. We as bloggers just need to be able to see through brands before we pitch so we don’t our time.
What are your thoughts on this? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. And please share this post on social media if you enjoyed reading it.
Thanks for reading, sharing and commenting. Have a lovely day.
I appreciated this post. It definitely is a matter of trial and error. Blogging for me is not currently a career, but I hope for it to be one day. I would want someone to take me seriously because it is work. Anything that you resources, time and energy in is a career. All I can say is shake the dust off your feet and keep going, no one can stop your hustle and passion. Thank you for this post! 🙂
My thoughts exactly. I think the blogger in question is doing just that. Thanks for stopping by.
Research research research that and reading your email ten times over and aloud before you send it is key to avoiding any traps!
Yes it is. Thanks Talya.
OMG! I hadn’t heard about this as I am not a blogger as you know. Nothing has crept through to our comp community, which it may or may not do, in the fullness of time. It is surprising how small the www world can be with interconnection.
It is awful and a steep horrible learning curve for the blogger. I do hope she manages to recover from and it doesn’t put off making a living this way. I see no need for it and what has happened to her. Why do they need to humiliate and be so nasty against people? It says more about them than about the blogger.
As a comp community we come together when something hurts one of us especially those of us well known around comping. We get out own problems from time to time too.
We have only ever had one business who refused to back down and discuss with us about comping and how we are useful to them. The small companies like this who see us as not helpful quickly realise we are when we point out to them the amount of free advertising we give them and so on.
This one company never gave us a chance to speak banning us all from the page when we tried to discuss with her about it. She has shut her page down now. No one was nasty or cruel to her. She was editing posts and making out it was all us. Up to her who she let enter her comps but the way she treated us did her alot damage.
Thinking on as I have my own group now I’ll share this to there as i know some will be interestef to read it. I think it is useful for others to see how others can be affected. At times there can feel like there is a bit of us and them and it is not helpful
People should also be aware of fakes who do such things. We had recently a comper who won a large prize through a well known company. When she messaged the company with her details it appears a staff member intercepted the message tried to tell her she hadn’t won.
Then when the friend who had screen shot proof contacted the company direct who sorted it this woman tried to offer her compensation and wanted her card details to put the money in her bank.
Fortunately she didn’t give them and contacted the company direct again. There can be rogue staff as well anywhere.
Awful what people can do. I hope the blogger is ok
Yes so awful. Many bloggers did stand up for her on Twitter which was great. Some people are just terrible.
I think it’s so sad that the company in question was so rude and ‘outed’ the blogger. They didn’t remain professional, which is disappointing. A lot of brands rely heavily on working with bloggers, so even if it’s not for them it doesn’t mean she did anything wrong!
Exactly. There was no need for the drama. Politely decline or ignore the email completely if it annoys you that much. Thanks Helen.
Somewhere in all the positive aspects of social media…some basic business ethics have been lost. Thank you for this heads up for other bloggers who depend on branding for their income. We do not pitch brands at this time, yet have many friends who do and deserve privacy in their endeavors.
It is definitely lost for that company. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Thank you for the tips lovely i try and be caerful with who i am collaborating , i have recently read some horror storries x but most important thing is not to let any bad expierience bring you down x
Yes Pati. Thanks for your comment x
We have been discussing this in a Facebook Group. First of all I think it’s really tacky to publish an email that is sent to you privately especially if it is a business email. The brand was totally unprofessional. While the blogger didn’t do anything wrong, what I would say is that I never mention the word free when I am pitching to a brand. I just tell them about my blog and what I can offer them and leave it to them to get back to me with an offer, if they are interested. I also agree with you about doing your research as this will show that you are indeed interested in the brand.
My thoughts exactly. Thank you Ronke.
Great tips here – I hadn’t heard about this but this seems extremely unfair to the blogger indeed.
Very unfair.
Fab tips Stella. I don’t know what is wrong with some people! No need for all of that drama.
No need for the drama at all.
Great tips. I agree that the brand were wrong but that really the blogger could have saved herself the bother, knowing what they’re like on their social media.
My thoughts exactly.
This was just awful. I understand that some business don’t understand blogging and why working with an influencer would help them, but their approach was just appalling.
Yea so appalling.
I haven’t heard of this but I do think the companies reaction sounds terrible! How unprofessional! Kaz
So unprofessional I know. Shocking behaviour.
I was so disgusted to see some of the comments about that blogger from people with no understanding of it. Research is key when it comes to pitching to brands.
Yes it is Jordanne.
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