As a lifestyle blogger who has readers in both the US, Australia and countries around the world, my inbox is often full with pitches from various media. Pitches to bloggers like myself tend to adhere less to personalising. There’s a certain culture amongst some companies that bloggers should be lucky to hear from them and at times, a certain patronising tone often comes out in emails.

Recently, a PR company emailed what could only be called an advertisement for the company they were representing to my “Submit A Wedding” email address. This is reserved for brides and photographers who are submitting their wedding for publication on the blog. I have a specific contact page with an email address listed for ‘normal’ correspondence.

To blindly throw your company in front of me this way only makes me annoyed as a blogger.

The pitch did not address me by name (or alias in my case).

Pitching a story or product to a blogger is not the same as pitching it to a traditional print medium. Most bloggers started their blogs to share their passion, to communicate with friends, to show beautiful things. Most bloggers don’t have a background as a journalist, but instead have found a following with their own voice and own thoughts.

Bloggers can act as great ambassadors for your brand – if they love your product and are treated in way, which shows they are valued as writers within the industry.

I understand there is a place for PR companies and bloggers to all work together in the new space we’ve come to call as social media. To get it right it simply requires a little time spent on preparation.

A little time spent on what to address me as, the right contact details and understanding where I am located (yes I have had a number of PR companies “remove” their offer of engaging with me when they’ve realised I’m not based in the US).

Help us to understand who you are and what your company is, but also understand who we are.

As a blogger, I am more than happy to work with PR agencies. I love learning about new products and making new connections. Taking a little time to work out who I am will work for your brand in a new and rewarding way.

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