Brands are constantly out in Internetland seeking out great influencers to work with. And they're vetting you before you even know they're interested. They might do the work themselves, use an agency to do it, or even hire your peer to scope out blogs for them.
Of course, your content must pretty much be awesome. You already know this. But what about the rest of your site?
Don't let something as simple as the things listed here blow your chance at getting contacted.
1. Your Navigation Menu Includes Top Categories
Brands know that many, many bloggers blog about more than just one specific topic. A fashion blogger might cover beauty, fashion, and travel. A lifestyle blogger may cover all that plus food, family, and parenting. But brands don't want to comb through your archives for half an hour trying to figure out the last time you blogging about their industry. So put your most prominent topics in your navigation menu, then make sure you ALSO have a menu of all your categories elsewhere (like your sidebar).
Of course it doesn't have to cover everything under the sun, but your blog really should focus on a small number of topics. If you write about a gazillion things, pick the most popular or brand-worthy and use those.
A great example is Anna's navigation menu from My Life and Kids.
Not only does this show brands they're in the right spot, your new visitors will sure appreciate it too. Bonus!
2. You Don't Have Too Many Sponsored Posts in a Row
Most brands don't want to see that all of your last posts were sponsored by one brand or another. Are you a blogger or a salesperson?
Different PR peeps and marketers will tell you different ratios of sponsored to non-sponsored. I've heard 80/20, 60/40, even 50/50. So go with what makes you and your readers comfortable. Honestly, some brands don't care and just want their name out there. But some of the best opps come from brands who DO care. A lot.
3. You Use Good Images
With brand marketers starting to use Pinterest and Instagram more and more, the power of good images is on everyone's radar. Brands want their products looking snazzy and brilliant, so they look to see that your photos impress them.
Looking for a good example? How about Kelly from Smart School House? She knocks it out of the park with clean designs and a consistent look.
4. A PR or Advertising Page
A page devoted to PR and/or Advertising opportunities shows brands that you DO in fact have an interest in working with brands (let's just get rid of the term PR-friendly, shall we?). Use this page to give brands a little insight into who your audience is, any work you've done before (with links!), and any accolades that make you look good.
Like #1, this page also goes in your navigation bar either as a main heading or under something like your About page. If you have a primary and secondary navigation menu, you can drop it into either.
A great page example: Jo Lynne Shane
5. Your Social Media Buttons Are Easy to Find
While a brand rep or PR person might start with looking at your blog, in order to properly vet you, they'll also want to check out your social following and engagement. Plus, a certain platform – like Instagram – may be a key part of their campaign and if they can't find you easily, they might just assume you aren't on that platform.
Keep your social media buttons towards the top of your page or in your header so they can't be missed.
Did You Pass the Test?
Got any updates to make? Have an awesome PR page to share? Dish in the comments!
Want even more ways to make sure brands don't hit the back button out of frustration? This post explains some basic (but often missed) info you want to have on your blog.
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Hey- I'm Melissa! I'm a mom, side hustler, online course instructor, and brand marketer. I run a 6-figure blog helping online biz owners find their a-ha moments with can-do tips, tutorials, and online courses. I also work at Burt's Bees as the Social Media Strategist (yep, it's as cool as it sounds). Jump start your biz productivity with my free worksheet!
Great tips Melissa. I definitely need to tweak a few things on my blog. I love reading all of your advise, I learn something new with every post.
Thanks for the compliment Lisa and I’m glad it helped!
Okay, Melissa! Here’s an idea for another post on a related topic: Fundamentals of an Advertising Page If You’re NOT Wooing Brands
(Maybe you are approaching just a few MAJOR sponsorships/partnerships every year so you can really serve your readers and advertisers with extended quality content? And you don’t really want to get bogged down with PR emails for small stuff.)
I think I still want an advertising page because what if there’s a brand out there that’s looking for me that I don’t know exists yet? I wouldn’t want them to think I’m not interested. I’d want to decide on a case-by-case basis. How do I word it for long-term sponsor relationships? I have some ideas, but I’d love your opinion!
Great topic, Michele! I’d say just that then– that you focus on long-term sponsorships. Stay away from saying what you DON’T focus on and be clear about why you want long-term sponsorships (i.e. tell them the benefits of it). I’d probably also specify how you define long-term. At least 3 months? 6? Hope that helps!
I have a question about images. If I understand correctly, you are encouraging to use brand google images or owned quality images? Please let me know. Thanks!
Hi Yadira! I’m not sure I totally understand the question but I think you can either use your own images OR use other images (though not via a google search as you don’t know the copyrights on those). The key is to make sure the images look awesome! If that doesn’t answer your question, let me know.
Right now I’m working through getting my posts categorized. Yes… I originally did categorize each post when I wrote them… all 600+. But right now I’m adding pull down categories to make it easier. (It was hard for me to find things sometimes.) Which makes me wonder… should all the posts for a category be in one category box with the same posts listed out again in their sub categories? I’m guessing the additional listings on the sidebar should be pictorial with just a few of the most popular categories? Any tips would be welcome. 🙂
Thanks Melissa! Almost every post you send, gives me something to improve my blog. 🙂
Hi Diane- I’d say so because someone might just browse the main category but not go down to sub-category level. If you put something on the sidebar, it can be the drop-down menu or images highlighting the categories. Some people prefer to use the sidebar to share most popular posts instead so I’d pick one or the other to make images for as it would get too overwhelming with lots of images for categories AND popular posts. Hope that makes sense!
Thanks for that confirmation! Thanks for your helpful thoughts, Melissa!
For the categories, do you suggest using creative names or something that will immediately click with an advertiser? e.g. – I lump a lot of things into out & about. Should it be separated into days out and restaurants? thanks!
Hi Shobha- I wouldn’t use creative names unless they contain the more obvious category name. The category names are important for search engine optimization too so you want to be pretty straightforward.
yet another informative and useful post! I’m bookmarking!
I like the idea of this and so great tips coming from you Miss Melissa.
Hi Melissa,
I love that your blog is about showing BRANDS that you’re right for the job because so many bloggers get focused on popularity contests and write for their PEERS rather than the people who may consider hiring them. In my case, I don’t write blogs to impress other content marketers (as many in my field do!) I write blogs to be helpful for the kind of clients I love to take on (those who care about storytelling and know how important storytelling is to a brand’s survival!) Happy to have found your blog through a joint Pinterest board and hope to have fun pinning together!
🙂
Katherine