I’m writing this to all the random people who email me on a daily basis asking to submit a post and for an opportunity to work with me. They usually always do it wrong! And here’s why…
Have we met?
No. No we haven’t met. If we’d met you’d address me by name and you wouldn’t be so cagey about what you’re trying to get published. It’s the caginess that is the most annoying thing about these emails tbh. If you just came out and said where you’re from and who your “client” is up front, it would save everyone a lot of time. Plus make sure you do some of these other things…
Because I think you are a fraud
If you have no email address from a company I can Google, and by the way Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail don’t count as credible addresses, I think you are a fraud.
If you have no signature address and phone number on the bottom of your email to the company you are telling me about, I think you are a fraud.
If you start with “hi there” or “hello blogger at large team” and haven’t done enough of a look at my site to find my name, I think you are a fraud.
You’re trying to get a link to your gambling site, aren’t you?
Because my default setting now is to believe you are. So many of you are and I have wasted time on many back and forth emails on what your content is and what it will link to before the truth is finally revealed. Know this: my audience is not interested in online gambling. Or if they are, they don’t expect to find a link to it from my travel blog.
What’s in it for me?
I get what’s in it for you: you are tasked with getting as many back links and blog posts published as possible, but if you approached the blogger with what’s in it for them, you might see some success.
Here’s what you should consider:
Offer a specific post idea that you know fits with my blog. Don’t be vague and just say it will be “exclusive”. Of course it should be exclusive, that’s a given.
Tell me in your first email what you want to link to and make sure that it is a good fit for my readers, i.e travel related!
Tell me how you will share it across which social media channels and how many followers they have.
Ask about my rates for sponsored content – and expect to pay for the exposure that I might be willing to give your brand if I believe my readers will like it.
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That’s my thoughts on this matter so far. I expect more may come and I will add them, but for now, I hope that some of those emailers will take this advice on board and if they do, it’ll be better outcomes for all of us! Cue smiling emoji.