Tips for bloggers and influencers contacting PRs

As a travel PR agency with clients offering lovely products and services that span the globe, it’s not surprising that we’re approached on a regular basis by bloggers and social media influencers who are interested in partnership opportunities. Although we encourage bloggers and influencers to contact us, the high volume of enquiries – and the fact that many lack essential information – can make the evaluation process difficult and time-consuming. It’s apparent that many bloggers and influencers are unsure how to present themselves and tend to place a great deal of focus on stats. Stats are important, of course, however, there are other aspects to bear in mind too when composing your pitch:

Be professional

We love an easy, breezy relationship with our industry friends, but don’t be overly casual in your initial approach. It’s important for us – and our clients – to see that you are professional, hardworking and serious about what you do.

Do your research

We understand that you want to get your pitch out to a wide audience, and that you might be open to a variety of opportunities. However, it goes a long way if you send your email to a particular person, and if you research the agency and its clients before getting in touch. Be specific about why you are contacting us and how you heard about us. If you can identify why you would be a great fit for one – or several – of our clients, this could speak volumes. Better yet, if you have a creative idea about how to promote a hotel,  destination or holiday company with which we work, we’d love to hear about it.

Tell us what you’ve done

You are writing to us because you have something to offer. Yet many of the messages we receive from bloggers and influencers don’t include a media kit or any reference to past work. In the same way as a CV does, your media kit should give us a summary of your blog or platform, as well as an idea of what work you have done. This is also where you should include stats such as domain authority (DA), unique visits to your blog per month (UVM) and your social media reach. Don’t forget to include your viewer demographics – it’s very important for us to see who views your content, in order to know if they fit the target market of our clients. It’s also very helpful if you provide your rates and let us know if there is flexibility on this front.  Might you, for example, be happy to exchange accommodation and travel arrangements for payment?

Show us your value

As mentioned above, we’d love to have an idea of brands you have partnered with in the past and to hear about the value they gained from your work. Listing the brands you’ve worked with is a good start, but this alone doesn’t tell us very much. It’s ideal if you can pull together a brief case study to display the reach, traffic or ROI generated by your work.

Stay connected

Social media is not only a marketing tool for us but also a way to stay connected with people in the PR and tourism sectors. We constantly have our eyes on where people are and what they are up to. If you are planning to be in a location that one of our clients represents, or if you are based in London and might be interested in attending events, follow our social pages and keep in touch!

By: Mandy Haakenson