Read this quick guide – along with examples and extra tips – to learn how to pitch companies for sponsorship and advertising on your blog and social media channels.
A pitch letter is a great way to find sponsors for your blog or social media channels. It’s not as easy as just Googling, do my homework for me cheap. But once you find a sponsor, you’re on your way to monetizing!
So, you have a blog now. And maybe you have some social media channels that are getting more interaction every week. The next logical step is to find sponsors for your blog and social media channels.
If you are a beginner influencer or blogger, welcome to this space! It’s a fun job you can do from home. When you want to find advertisers, how do you write the perfect sponsorship pitch letter? So, let’s figure out how to write a pitch – together!
How To Write A Pitch
Bloggers, how you write a pitch letter can either get you a gig or be written off. Recently, my friend Whitney asked me to help her with her pitch letter. Below I am sharing with you what I shared with her. And the best part? It worked!
What Whitney Said:
I am glad that I asked Annie to help me write a pitch to a company for a blog conference sponsorship. Not only did I get a full sponsorship but I also got a job working for a company I love. Annie extended her help, knowledge and gave me the tools I needed to successfully gain a blog conference sponsorship.
.
~Whitney from Rambles of a stay at home mom
Keep Your Pitch Letter Short And To The Point
When you pitch companies or agencies, keep your pitch letter short, sweet and to the point. Make sure the company or brand you are pitching is a fantastic fit for your audience and niche. Explore Other Ways to Say “best practices” to articulate effective methods and approaches.
Prepare Your Research
Do your research on your audience’s demographics and the ideal audience for the brand. In the query letter, describe your audience briefly. Then, confidently share how you can help them reach their marketing goals. You can also recommend them to check out Web 20 ranker reviews.
I imagine companies/reps get lots of emails every day, so I wanted mine to stand out as one that didn’t waste their time and really stated exactly why investing in me was a good marketing move for them.
Pitch Letter Examples
Here are some examples of pitch letters I have had success sending to companies.
Query Letter Example If I Worked With Them Before
Hi Ashley,
I loved that dog chow campaign we worked on last month. My readers really “ate it up!” My blog’s pets section is growing fast and I really want to promote your dog chow to all these pet-loving readers. Let me know if you would like to discuss a sponsorship package to fit your budget!
Sponsorship can range from complete blog and social media promotion to even just a few Instagram posts or Tweets. I’m very interested in working within your budget while also obtaining your marketing goals
I can’t wait to hear from you, thank you for your time,
Annie
If I Have Not Worked With Them Yet
Hi Bob,
My name is Amy Smith, owner of DogsRule.com. My readers are passionate pet owners and I am very impressed with your organic dog chow. I would love to discuss a way we can work together to promote this dog food to my audience. My readers are passionately engaged with my posts and I know they’d really appreciate learning about how your organic dog can help their puppies grow strong and healthy.
I can’t wait to hear from you and find a sponsorship package online and/or offline that works for your budget.
Please let me know what questions you have, thank you so much.
Amy
Basically, in the pitch letter, you just say how amazing their brand is, how they are the perfect fit for your audience, and why. Then you leave the rest open. Don’t list all the ways they can work with you in the first email. Either they will read it and go “yeah, can’t afford any of this” or something like it. Leave it open so they can email you back and ask more questions. You should also use an online Grammar checker before sending your letters out.
Do I Mention Numbers In My Pitch Letter?
Unless your stats are like astronomical (more than 100k uniques a month) you don’t have to mention stats. Now if you do get more than 100K uniques, you can totally put that in there. “Blog Name receives more than 100,000 unique visitors each month and I’d love to promote your dog chow to my readers.” But like I said – stats are not the only thing. Show how their brand matches your readers. That is even more important.
That is it! Keep in mind that this method works with any type of blog pitch letter. This method can also work if you are seeking a sponsor for a conference you hope to attend. As long as you say in a few words (not a book) how your blog is perfect for their brand, you are more likely to find success.
Amanda says
Great tips, Annie! I would add the suggestion of giving the the value up front by telling the brand why working with you (or sponsoring) would be beneficial for them.
Annie @ Mama Dweeb says
Good point Amanda! I would definitely keep that value statement to 3 sentences max though. I’ve read some very lengthy and wordy pitches and if you make them too long, they are more likely to get deleted and passed over. But if you give that value in a few short – and powerful – sentences, you will have them emailing you asking for more information.
Rajean says
Helpful! So I shared.
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
Great post! I had counted on paying my own way to conferences, but I got laid off a few weeks ago and now I’m reevaluating my position on that. 🙂 Bookmarked for future reference!
Janice - The Fitness Cheerleader says
Great tips thank you! I have never been to a conference before but would definitely go to some if I had sponsorship – I’ll be using your tips later this fall, thank you!
Annie @ Mama Dweeb says
Thanks Janice! I wish you luck! Let me know if I can help in any way 🙂
Stephanie Dake Thompson says
I have been wondering how to do this for months now and in fact I think it is the last question I had before I will start my own blog. I know it is so important to write it right to get the sponsership and I am hoping to get sponsers that sell the things that I already use and think A lot of. Thank you so much for sharing.
Stephanie Dake Thompson says
Spelling is important to lol.
Annie @ Mama Dweeb says
Let me know if you ever have questions, I love helping bloggers as they start out. It is so much work, but can be worth it if you enjoy it 🙂
Jelli says
How helpful! I’m bookmarking this stat & hoping to give it a try sometime soon. I always wondered how bloggers gained sponsorships to conferences. Thanks for your help!
Annie @ Mama Dweeb says
Thank you so much Jelli! Yes, most bloggers obtain sponsorship to conferences from companies they have worked with previously. Bloggers also pitch companies/brands that are directly reflective of their audience (like a mom of newborn pitching a diaper company). And the work they do to earn the money is some form of blog posts, side bar ads, and social media promotion, but I have also heard of bloggers agreeing to do video and/or creating content for a brand’s own site/blog/newsletter.
Jo @ To a Pretty Life says
Thanks Annie! I never would have thought to directly solicit sponsorship from companies. I’m knew to this whole thing, in spite of blogging for 5 years already 😉
Annie @ Mama Dweeb says
Yup! I don’t do it as much anymore since I usually just work with people that I have worked with before and/or I get introduced to reps/brands through friends. Networking is such a powerful thing in blogging (as with other careers). Let me know if you have more questions 🙂
Jo @ To a Pretty Life says
I don’t suppose you could help with my spelling/proofreading? And I’m supposed to be an editor… 😉
Krista says
Great tips! Thank you so much! I’ve recently started to dabble in reviews and have struggled with how to word my pitch – thanks!
Antionette Blake says
Great, but what about bloggers with smaller audiences?
Annie @ Mama Dweeb says
This sounds like a great question for another blog post 🙂 I mean it, cause that is exactly where I started.
Smaller audience can mean a few different things: 1) newer blog, that is growing or 2) Blog in a specific niche, dedicated (but smaller) audience 3) Still learning and achieving potential
If you are experience growth but still consider yourself “small,” just go for it and pitch brands! Tell them about your loyal readers and your engagement. And if you are #2 – niche focused – that is AWESOME! Tell the brands about how their product is perfect because your readers are already passionate about it since you blog specifically about that topic.
And if you have a small audience and feel frustrated because you are not seeing growth, I know some fabulous resources I can point you to. Just ask 🙂
I’ll be honest – the blogosphere is growing very full and very fast. It is even more competitive now than when I started 3 years ago. But don’t feel discouraged. It just takes work. So when you work with a brand – no matter how “small” you feel the campaign is – track it and make a case study of it. (I need to write a post about how to do this too) Then, you can use your experience working with this brand to share in your pitch.
Let me know if you have more questions. This will definitely be explained even further in a post this week.
annette anderson says
Thanks for this. I never thought about writing a pitch like these.
Annie @ Mama Dweeb says
I really hope this helps you Annette! Please let me know if it does 🙂
Chelsea @ Married Filing Jointly says
This is a great article! I’m pinning it now. Thanks!
Annie says
Thank you Chelsea! Let me know if you have any questions, I am always here 🙂
liz l says
Thanks for the tips- your site is very informative!
Jordan Silberman says
When you say “I can’t wait to hear from you and find a sponsorship package online and/or offline that works for your budget.”, what exactly does ‘online and/or offline’ mean? Online – Over email; Offline – in person?
Annie says
Online and/or offline means different ways of promoting their company.
Online – I write sponsored content, share social media content from their channels to my audience, etc.
Offline – Hosting parties in my home where I promote their products. (Here is one I did in my home for Barbie http://mamadweeb.com/2012/09/barbie-party-the-princess-and-the-popstar-giveaway/)
Another offline idea – wearing branded shirts/hats/etc to conferences, planning and organizing a blogger meet-up sponsored by the brand….
Basically online is online and offline is in person, as you correctly wrote 🙂
Michelle says
Simple easy to follow advice – I love it! Thank you! Shared and pinned!
Annie says
Thank you Michelle! I really do think people overthink pitch letters. What matters most is “how does this brand relate to my audience?” Sure every blogger rocks it on social media, we can (mostly) all write freaking awesome posts – but what is it about YOUR blog and your audience that makes this brand a perfect fit?
Thank you again for pinning and sharing!
Tammy Graham @ LoveMy2Dogs says
Thanks for sharing this information. I guess that I wasn’t far off in what I was thinking, I just always second guess myself.
Allie says
So simple! And, hopefully effective. Looks like it worked just fine for you and Whitney! Thanks for passing this on.
Annie says
Thank you Allie! If you ever have any questions about pitching companies or other blog things, let me know, I am happy to help!
Patricia says
I have a really stupid question– what person in the company are you pitching? Are you looking for their head of marketing, advertising types, or one of the execs? I don’t want to waste someone’s time. Thanks!
Annie says
Patricia, that is NOT a stupid question. In fact, the answer isn’t straightforward, and I hope it helps you 🙂
Cold-pitching is one of the hardest forms. I mean, completely COLD pitching. When it comes to blogging, it is ALL about relationships and networking – with other bloggers and with heads of companies and PR/advertising reps. So if you have a circle of close blogging friends, you can begin being introduced to the people THEY work with. Here is a post about some communities I have found, there are TONS out there http://mamadweeb.com/2011/04/mom-blog-communities-necessary-for-blog-growth/
But if you are cold pitching without an introduction from a friend, you will have to do research. Typically (there are always exceptions though) Public Relations firms have less of a budget than advertising firms. PR’s goal is more about working the image and “good words” about a brand. They often have access to free samples of products but not much money. Again, there are exceptions! But you can always Google “BRAND NAME Press Release” or if you saw a review on a blog for an item you want to review, search “BRAND NAME ITEM NAME PRESS RELEASE CONTACT” and you will (often) be able to find the Press Release with contact info. Finding the advertising rep has proved harder for me. Often I have to just make an initial contact with someone, build a trust with them and then ask that if they don’t have a budget if they can share the contact info of the advertising person who might. 🙂
If it is a small business, often emailing their main email found on their website will get your email sent to the correct person. In that case, send a brief, “please direct me to the right person” email, explaining very briefly what you desire and why that is a fabulous investment for them to make. And another tip: you will have much more luck cold pitching companies that have worked with bloggers before 🙂 (Google “Item Name blog review” to see if they have)
This answer is pretty lengthy, let me know if I did not answer your question! 🙂
Shecki says
Great post! Thanks for sharing what’s worked for you. It helps those of us who are just getting our toes wet learn the dos & don’ts. 🙂
Annie says
Thank you Shecki! Good luck as you venture into the world of blogging! Let me know if you ever have any questions, I am always here! (I’m always a tweet away LOL @MamaDweeb)
Ria C says
Very concise and that’s how I think pitch letters should be. Thanks for sharing these tips and the samples you have provided. Now, I can tweak my own pitch letter. 🙂
Linda Kinsman says
I really want to start pitching for spring and having never pitched I find this post pure gold- thank you so much!
Nicole says
Thank you so much for this post. I was having a hard time on where to start with this and didn’t want to go over board. This is a great resource and I both pinned and bookmarked this for reference. Thanks again!
Robert says
Some very helpful tips even though the post is a couple of years old now. Just had a successful trip to Mexico having been sponsored on a number of tours. Put together a pitch email to the sponsors but felt it was too long and dragged out. Going to make the next emails short and sweet and as you mentioned … why it would be beneficial for them to sponsor me as they would be a perfect match! Thanks, any updates since this post?
Momzcuisine says
These are excellent tips, I’m just starting to think about sponsorship with other bloggers!! Thanks a whole lot!! Following you on FB and G+
Lydia Dickson says
I’m so glad you wrote this post! I decided to pitch to my first possible sponsor today and was all set to write an email when I realized I could use a little advice from someone who’s been there before. Thanks so much for the post, I know it’s been a while since you wrote it, but the message is just as valid!
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Jen says
So many thanks! Going to put these tip to hard work over the next few weeks for our travel blog sponsorships. So appreciate the advice.
Kanyi says
Thanks so much for writing this. I’ve been meaning to start pitching ideas to various brands. Your post simplified the process for me. It doesn’t feel so daunting now. I will definitely make use of this info. Thank you.
Jessica says
I am so glad I found your blog! This post has been so very helpful to me!! I have so many questions so now I’m off to check out the rest of your blog! Thank you for sharing!
Renita Betts says
Thank you for this! I had no idea where to start. This was extremely helpful.