When we started off Lil Helper Cloth Diapers a year ago and we needed to learn how to pitch companies for review packages.
In order to get traction for our products, I started contacting some top cloth diaper bloggers and pitched our company and products to them.
My only expectation was to start a conversation through which I would expect them to either review our diapers or share our brand with their audience.
I was mostly successful in doing so and most of the bloggers we contacted were very receptive of our Baby Do Good mission and the way we source our products.
After the initial leg work, we started being contacted by dozens of eco-friendly bloggers who wanted to review our diapers on their blog and do giveaways, etc.
The problem is most of the pitches we receive from bloggers are unremarkable.
They get lost in my mailbox and I cannot tell one from another.
If you run a blog where you would like to do the occasional review or giveaway for your audience, please keep this in mind when you contact potential companies.
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Address the e-mail by Name
Yes you went through the trouble of finding the company’s email address.
If you look deeper, it is not difficult to find the name of the person who runs the company.
We have a bios page and an about page, where our FULL names are available, yet almost none of the pitch e-mails have our name on them.
We get emails addressed as Hi Lil Helper or To Whomsoever It May Concern.
As soon as I don’t see my name on an email, I am not interested because it shows that you don’t care enough to find the name of the guys who might read the mail.
A little Flattery goes a Long Way
Tell your potential client how much you like their products or their mission or the way they conduct their business.
This shows that you have spent some time reading about their company.
But also connect to them in some way, which would make it worthwhile for them to give you a chance to review their products.
Most of the e-mails we receive just have a copy-pasted blurb that has been sent to a million other companies, there is no personalization.
Heidi from DiaperDeals.ca was one of the first bloggers to have contacted us even before we had officially launched.
She had taken the time to go through our website and had written her introductory email as if she knew us.
Then she demonstrated that she did know us because she must have spent a few minutes reading through our website.
Finally, Heidi told us how well our website is designed and even a few pointers on making it better.
Nobody Cares About YOU
Which basically means that everybody cares about themselves, first.
Rather than telling them about yourself, you show the company how the event that you are hosting be it a giveaway or a blog hop will help their business.
The focus should be on how you will help them, not how they can help you.
Talk about specific aspects of the your blog or audience that you will harness to give better exposure to their brand or product.
Celeste from Thinking-About-Cloth-Diapers.com convinced us why it is imperative that Lil Helper participates in her Cloth Diaper Charity program.
Again, her email was personalized for us – this is How to Pitch Companies for Review Packages.
Give Before you Receive
If you want to work with a company and think you will be a great team together, then become their ambassador.
You don’t need anybody’s permission if you want to create positive chatter around a company.
Once you Tweet, post to Facebook or blog post about the company, email them and show what you have done.
Now tell them, “imagine if only I had some of your products, what more magic I could weave for you.”
Alaina from DinkerandGiggles.com put up a post on her blog about her favorite bamboo cloth diaper and mentioned Lil Helper Cloth Diapers. She had not asked us about it.
We were so impressed. So we needed a community manager and she contacted us, it was a no-brainer when we had to pick someone.
Anne from Zephyr Hill wrote me a beautiful thank you letter when I answered a little question she had on the TOTS Facebook party.
Through that initial conversation our friendship grew and I offered her to review our diapers.
Deliver More than you Promise
So you got the confirmation that you will receive a review package.
But, there is no contract that stops you from talking about the brand or company before the review.
Show the company that they have made an excellent choice by working with you.
Put up a small post introducing the brand or products to your audience even before the review.
Maria from Change-Diapers.com wrote such a heart-felt post about Lil Helper even before we mailed anything from our end.
We were thrilled then and I still remember that gesture. (I had pitched Maria to review our products.)
Krystyn from Really, Are You Serious? tweeted out a beautiful mini-review of our diapers even before her official review was out.
Give Constructive Feedback
As you begin to learn How to Pitch Companies for Review Packages; know this – No product that you will review is perfect.
There is always scope for improvement.
Tell them what could be done to make a better product, so that the company can be more successful.
This will build trust and let the business owner know that you have their best interest in mind.
If and when, they make the changes you suggest, guess who gets to try the new product- YOU.
Kristy from Manager-To-Mom.com wrote a thesis like thorough review of our products and gave us some amazing feedback.
We acted on her recommendations and when the new samples arrived, she was the first one to try it out.
Our relationship has grown to a level where I feel at ease talking to her about upcoming products.
She on the other hand has mentioned Lil Helper as the most innovative company around when she was interviewed for Circle of Moms.
Have Your Say
If you agree or disagree with anything, please feel free to voice your opinion in the comments section.
Pitch Me!
Or better still, pitch me at [email protected] and if your pitch is up to par, I will send you a review package of our products. And if you are up for it, I will even critique it for you. Use what you have learned here – How to Pitch Companies for Review Packages.
You can always connect with me on Twitter @Gandhilogy and come and see our range of products at LilHelper.ca.
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I am embarrassed to admit, I have tried unsuccessfully to work with these guys a few times. I have however changed my approach quite a bit, so it may be time to try again.
I would try again. Now you know exactly how they like to be contacted. I would tell them you saw the post on TOTS and thought to try again ;).
Hey Shannon,
I am sorry that I didn’t reply to you.
We read each and every e-mail sent to us and respond to all in this sequence- Customers, Media Inquiries & Family Emergencies.
You have my e-mail here and I guarantee to read your mail, if and when you want to send one.
Thanks for reading this post and commenting.
Great tips! I’m going to have to change my approach a bit!
Hey Michelle,
The approach to talk to anybody is to be remarkable. To stand out from the rest.
Write a pitch e-mail, like you are talking to a childhood friend.
Most people send rote pitches that all are just slight variations of each other.
Send me your old pitch and new one and I will help you craft a better approach.
This is very interesting and I have to say I too have pitch to this company and did not get a response it was a while ago. Thank you for the information I will def. be doing some changes in the ways I pitch to companies. Thanks again.
Hi Pollyanna,
I remember reading your pitch and am sorry for not replying.
One important thing to remember especially for smaller organizations like Lil Helper is write as if you are talking to a person and not a faceless company.
If you would like me take a look at your new pitch, feel free to get in touch. I guarantee a response.
Great advice! I don’t pitch very often, but I do get pitched for my own business and it really does go far for a blogger to take a few minutes to get to know your website and products. I have a hard time responding to those who don’t take a minute to figure out exactly what we sell. It takes A LOT of reviews and backlinks to boost sales and branding for a business so any little extra from a blogger is really appreciated.
I used to be horrible about pitching, but these are some great points I will keep in mind. I do look around every site and get a feel for the company and who I am contacted. I hate receiving pitches without someone taking the time to know me, so I am sure companies don’t like it either. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you so much for this post! I have tried different methods to pitch brands and although most of the time I’m successful I have always wanted to know what a brand was looking for from their end. I know what I can offer on my end but that doesn’t mean it works universally for all brands. My youngest is potty trained except at night so a cloth diaper isn’t something I’d be interested in at this time but I will keep this company in mind when/if we have another child.
Again, thank you for taking the time to write this!! It’s very helpful for a blogger to know what steps to take to work with a brand that they love.
I am glad you found it helpful Michelle.
Do you have any suggestions for balancing these recommendations with the LENGTH of an email? I have also heard that company representatives are so busy that they don’t want to have to read more than a few sentences, whereas it seems like following all of these recommendations would result in a fairly lengthy email. I’d love to know how to balance out BOTH!
ooo this is a good question. I understand sometimes the emails need to be lengthy. I think if you write all the important information in the first paragraph or two and then have follow up information in later paragraphs you would be fine. Gives people the opportunity to know more but not be boggled down by it.
I really appreciate this post! I always try to personalize my pitch and add unique features I appreciate about a company or product. After reading this, I think I might focus too much on me in the posts. I thought it was valuable to give a background about myself, my blog, and my experience in the product field as a way to show how my blog would benefit the company. Maybe it doesn’t appear this way on the other end, though. Some of my best experiences as a blogger have been building strong relationships with company representatives who really care about their product and value blogger relationships. I am going to reference this post next timeqa
This is a lot of great information that I can use constructively. While I am revamping my blog I can really implement this. The comment right before mine mirrors some of the sentiments I feel – I do focus on how the product will impact my life or will appeal to my fans and visitors. I worked in social media and communications for some years but there are things here of which I had not even thought. Thanks for this.
I don’t use cloth diapers, or I definitely would pitch you! Thank you so much for these tips, I think that it can really make a difference. I have really been trying much harder lately to find names and specific contacts, and I have seen that it DOES make a difference! I don’t always get the review (I am still working on my stats!), but I usually at least get a response, at the very least, which is always great!