#TIPSTUESDAYS: HOW TO NETWORK WITH BRANDS & PR'S
Following on from last weeks #TipsTuesday post (how to network with bloggers -here) I thought I'd do a two part on how to network with brands and PR's as you guys always seem to find my blog tips posts helpful. I did a similar post a few months back on how to approach brands and PR companieswhich had some similar points but this post is more about how to network and meet with brands and PR's as a blogger. I'm working on putting together lots more brand advice posts where I'll be getting some top tips from PR companies to share with you all so keep an eye out for those!
Get introduced to brands by other bloggers: I do this with a lot of my blogger friends, one thing that's important to grasp in the 'blogesphere' is that it's okay to see fellow bloggers as friends and not competitors. I've made some incredible friends since starting my blog and although we are all aiming to improve and grow our blogs I don't ever see them as direct competitors, if I can't attend an event I'll suggest to the PR that some of my other blogger friends might like to go instead to share the love.Also, among my blogger pals we often share contacts and e-introduce each other to brands, if a close friend is working with a brand that I've also dreamed of working with but I'm unsure how to approach I'll ask them to CC me in an email and introduce me, this has always worked really well and often brands and PR's love being recommended great bloggers by bloggers they already work with as they trust them and have already built a working relationship together.
Make brands aware of your presence: If you've featured a certain brand on your blog that you're yet to work with why not tweet them a link? Show them that you love the brand and you're actively talking about them on your blog off your own back, this way they will be more inclined to approach you as you are already a fan of the brand organically. Likewise, if the brand is tweeting about something always jump in on the conversation and tell them about your favourite products etc!
Attend events and network: I always say 'yes' and attend as many events as I can, it's so important to network and I'm a firm believer that you can never have too many brands to work with. I'm continuously trying to grow my blog and by working with new brands this allows me to do so. I always make sure I introduce myself to the PR's running the event and make sure I keep my business cards to hand, always tweet the brand to say thank you for letting you attend and perhaps follow up with an email the next day to thank them and mention you'd love to work together in the future.
Be friendly and approachable: If you are going to reach out to a brand or PR company always make sure you're approachable and friendly in email, even from my work side of things I've had a few snipey replies that really leaves you a little shocked at how some bloggers approach companies. Always keep your email short and to the point but in a friendly tone (most PR's don't have time to read really long emails), include a media kit, your stats and a link to your blog, make it easy for them to reply and want to work with you.
Try to meet with PR's when possible: If I have a close relationship with companies, I always try to meet them face to face where possible, it's great to grab a coffee and discuss the latest releases and any upcoming features I'm working on. Again, most PR's are extremely busy but if you start to build a good relationship always suggest meeting face to face over a coffee, it's great to put a face to a name after a long time of working with someone!
What are your top tips for networking with brands and PR's? Hope you found this useful!