I have been asked quite a few times, how I do get PR samples to review on the blog. So I decided to write a post, and I hope it informs many new bloggers, who may have a desire to write product reviews, but have no clue on how to get started with getting PRs to notice their blogs and send samples.
I received an offer to review a homemade hair oil in 2013. That was the first of many PR samples I received to review on the blog, and my blog was only few months old then. Since them, I have worked with quite a couple of PRs, and received various samples to review. Here are some ways you could get on the radar of the PRs:
Write Good Regular Content
This should go without saying, but unfortunately it still needs to be said. For you to get on the radar of the brands and their PRs, you need to have good content and your blog needs to be regularly updated. So if you content is fab but not regular, lets say you don’t post for weeks, surely no one may want to gift you a product. Same thing applies if you content is regular, say you post every day or every other day, but your posts are not good enough.
What is the definition of a good content I hear you ask? That is subjective, and it depends on your niche. So as long as your blog posts are well written, with nice pictures, and you are informing, entertaining or doing both, you should be fine.
Grow Your Following
Unfortunately no matter how good a blogger you are, or how fantastic your blog content is, it is not good enough for the PRs, if no one is reading your blog. It is all about the numbers most of the time, because they want maximum coverage for their clients. So work on increasing your following and think of ways you could get more people to read your blog.
Some ways to grow your following and increasing your views are:
Reading and commenting on other blogs.
Following relevant people on social media
Publishing great content
Run giveaways
Sharing and resharing your blog posts on social media during peak times.
Work on your Photography
I am still improving my photography, and not where I want to be at yet but I am a lot better than when I started. PRs want you to photograph the products they send you, and they want amazing shots. So for you to get on their radar, you should have amazing photos or try to. Taking with your iPhone may not be good enough, you may need a DSLR, photo editing software, tripod, photo props and so on, but you don’t need them all to have excellent photos, but having them all won’t hurt either.
Also, PRs aside, most times your readers want to see the pictures on you or through your eyes. So if you are going to showcase a wig, I want to see it on you, if you are going to showcase a lipstick, I want to see a swatch and see it on your lips as well.
Follow PRs
Following PRs on social media is a good way to get their eyes on your blog, but you have to make sure you have done all you can do to make your blog worth reading, before you chase them. So following PRs on Twitter and Instagram is a good idea. Saying a cheeky hello won’t hurt as well. How do you know who is a PR? It is usually in their bio, a quick search on Twitter would bring a few up, and you can take it from there.
Review What You Have
So I saved the best tip of all for last. Start reviewing what you do have and those PRs in your niche will notice you.
You can read more blogging tips in my eBook – How to Cash In as a Blogger, available to download on Amazon for £3.44, and free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. If you do download, thank you, and remember to leave me a review because I need it. Also, if you are considering charging for product reviews, have a read to get ideas on what you could charge.
Thanks for reading and have a lovely week.
