academy

H OW TO PITCH YOUR BRAND TO

DIGITAL INFLUENCERS

PROVI DED BY JOY CHO, OH JOY ! | COPY RI GH T 2 01 9 OH JOY ! | OH JOY.COM/AC ADE MY

 Long-gone are the days when companies had to rely
solely on print or online magazine features for great
press. Bloggers and influencers are an amazing way to

academy gain exposure and sales for your product or service

when they feature you on their social channels.

So, what’s the best way to approach a digital influencer

to have your product or service naturally featured in
their content?

Here are my 5 tips:

Do your research and create a list. Before approaching anyone, you
should research what sites, bloggers, or influencers make the best fit

1. for your brand. Who matches your aesthetic, who has a similar
customer and audience, and who uses products that are similar to
yours? There might be an influencer you love but if they dress only in
black, your colorful dress line probably won't be a great fit for them.
Put together a list of 10 digital influencers that you'd like to contact
who you feel confident would be a good fit with your brand.

Gather contact information. Once you've got your list, look for the

2. direct email of the blogger or influencer. This information should be

easy to find on their website or social channels. DO NOT DM THEM!
I only recommend DM-ing someone if you have not had a response
from your email after two weeks and you want to confirm you had the
correct contact information.

PROVI DED BY JOY CHO, OH JOY ! | COPY RI GH T 2 01 9 OH JOY ! | OH JOY.COM/AC ADE MY

academy
Write an email that is clear, concise, and includes images and links.

3. The email should include:

A. A short and clear SUBJECT line. At the least, the subject line should have
the name of your brand in it. You can even include the influencer/blog name
you are emailing in the subject line to make it more personal.
For example: "XYZ BRAND for Consideration on BLOG NAME"

B. Address each person directly. If you are a fan or long-time follower of

the blogger/influencer, tell them so without going on too much about your
admiration for them. Double and triple check your email before sending.
You can write a general email to get your main points across, but make sure
to customize every email to the person you are contacting. DO NOT use the
wrong name throughout an email because you forgot to change it when
copying/pasting.

C. Give a short description about your brand, product, or service and why
you think they would love it.

D. Attach a few low-res images of the product(s) you would like them
to consider. Pick images you think that person would love.

E. Include a link to your website (you'll be surprised how many people

don't do this!) and link to your social channels. If you have a special dropbox
file of images for review, send that as well. Make it EASY for them to say yes!

F. Tell them EXACTLY what you are asking them for or hoping for.
Sometimes people email a digial influencer using the word "collaboration" but
that term is too vague and general, and there are lots of ways to collaborate
on social media these days. You might be asking to gift them a piece of
clothing from your collection or you would like your new kid's book to be
considered for an upcoming gift guide.

G. If you are looking for coverage in exchange for a product, make that
VERY CLEAR. But I also recommend being open to whatever the person feels
comfortable with sharing, and say you are open to their suggestions in the
email! The best features of your product or service are ones where the
blogger or influencer truly love it and want to include it organically into
their content.

H. Conclude the email simply and nicely.

PROVI DED BY JOY CHO, OH JOY ! | COPY RI GH T 2 01 9 OH JOY ! | OH JOY.COM/AC ADE MY

academy
Follow up. I typically only suggest one follow up. While some may not

4. respond if they are not interested, some do respond either way. If it's
been a week or two, it's okay to send a follow up as a reply to your
original email. This is a great way to ensure your message made it to
their inbox. If you don't hear back after a follow-up OR you hear back
and it's not the right fit for them, it's okay to move on to someone
else on your list and be proud that you went for it!

5.
You're getting featured! Someone wrote you back, and loves your
work! From here, depending on what you offered or what you
suggested, they may be keeping you in mind for a feature OR your
offer to gift a product got a YES. Whichever the case, fulfill what
you proposed by sending images of your products to be used in a
gift guide (often they request images photographed on a white
background) or send sample product for someone to use or wear.

PROVI DED BY JOY CHO, OH JOY ! | COPY RI GH T 2 01 9 OH JOY ! | OH JOY.COM/AC ADE MY 3

academy
If you are gifting product,
here are a few tips:
Let the blogger/influencer pick their favorite(s) from your website or
catalog. Letting them pick guarantees the product will be the best fit
for their site or style.

Ideally, you are not demanding or placing expectations of what the

blogger or influencer needs to do in exchange. If they are accepting
the product, they will likely do their best to incorporate it into their
content in the way that makes the most sense. If you are looking for
coverage in exchange for a product, make that very clear in your email.

Send a personal note with the package you send them in the mail.
Attention to detail and a thoughtful message is always appreciated
and shows your enthusiasm and excitement for their interest in your
brand.

On the note, be sure to include your email address and all your social
tags. It could be that the person opening the mail is not the same who
answers your emails, so make is easy for the blogger or influencer to
tag you and confirm receipt of your product.

Finally, if or when you get featured on a blog or someone's social media,

be sure to follow up with a THANK YOU email or note! It helps to be
following their account to you can see when your product is featured.

PROVI DED BY JOY CHO, OH JOY ! | COPY RI GH T 2 01 9 OH JOY ! | OH JOY.COM/AC ADE MY 4