9 Things Bloggers Really Wish PR Firms Would Know and Do
Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on December 15, 2020.
Disclaimer: This Week in Blogging uses demographic data, email opt-ins, and affiliate links to operate this site. Please review our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
We receive pitches from PR firms just about every single day on our sites, and almost every one of them falls flat in one way, shape, or form.
There is seemingly some disconnect between PR firms and bloggers such that PR agencies don't seem to understand us, and perhaps bloggers do not seem to understand them in return.
To help with this, I thought it would be fitting to publish a few things that bloggers wish PR firms would know about us, as there are some rather easy explanations for why your campaign pitch fell apart, a blogger ignored you outright, or they quoted a fee for the promotion you are looking for. To help unravel some of these mysteries, and to help educate PR firms about bloggers in general, this post was born.
This article is specifically dedicated to PR firms- agencies that are hired as a 3rd party to represent a brand, product, or destination. While some of the following points are also applicable to DMOs, CVBs, and companies who represent themselves in marketing, a few points are tailored specifically to third party PR firms exclusively.
So while all marketing teams and agencies may find the following useful or insightful, a few are purposefully written for these firms only.
*Note: I did not crowdsource any of these points. So while I may be speaking solely for myself here, the below echoes many sentiments I have seen in private Facebook groups from my fellow bloggers.
A Blogger's Perspective into Advertising and Sponsorship Values
Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on December 14, 2020.
Disclaimer: This Week in Blogging uses demographic data, email opt-ins, and affiliate links to operate this site. Please review our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Are you a PR representative or represent a brand in their marketing efforts and are looking to work with bloggers, social media influencers, or other non-traditional media and don't know where to begin? We're here to help!
We will be the first to admit that this field is quite murky as everyone looks at blog sponsorships and advertising differently. But as not all advertising is created equal, and to help you know what you're getting into, this guide was born.
So depending on what you're thinking of for your next campaign, the following outlines many things you need to consider!
Why Your Affiliate Marketing Stinks (And 3 Ways to Fix It)
Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on December 15, 2020.
Disclaimer: This Week in Blogging uses demographic data, email opt-ins, and affiliate links to operate this site. Please review our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Affiliate marketing is a tough nut to crack, and I would know.
Three years ago, in my 9th year of blogging, I was barely making $100 per month on affiliate marketing, despite having over 150,000 monthly page views on my two sites combined ($0.66 on an RPM, revenue-per-1000, basis).
After many months of testing, optimizing, re-optimizing, and learning about best practices, I've overhauled my process to consistently make $1,500 to $2,000 per month in affiliate marketing on 225,000 monthly page views ($6.66 to $8.88 on a RPM basis- over a 10x increase!).
During this process, I learned the reason why my affiliate marketing sucks, and realized it is the reason why most blogger's affiliate marketing sucks. So today, I wanted to share more about this, and give the three biggest lessons learned in the entire process- whether you're a beginner looking for how to start affiliate marketing or are a bit more advanced and want to increase your earnings.
What Happened When I Removed Dates from My URL Slugs
Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on December 14, 2020.
Disclaimer: This Week in Blogging uses demographic data, email opt-ins, and affiliate links to operate this site. Please review our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
When I started my first blog in 2008, I had no idea what I was doing. In many cases I opted for whatever the default setting was in Blogger (my CMS at the time), and, as blogging best practices weren't established just yet, I had no idea why some settings were terrible.
This has come back to bite me many times throughout the years.
Having dates in my URLs was one such setting that I was unaware could pose a problem down the road.
It only took 11 years for me to pay a developer to remove dates from my URL slugs on that site, and quite frankly it was something I should've done a long time ago. In this one, I wanted to share the results of this change.
Pitching Tips for Bloggers with Lavina Dsousa
Published by Chris. Last Updated on December 14, 2020.
Disclaimer: This Week in Blogging uses demographic data, email opt-ins, and affiliate links to operate this site. Please review our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
A lot of the time in the blogging world, opportunity doesn't present itself on a platter, and that means you need to understand how to effectively market yourself. Perhaps the most obvious way that we seek out opportunity is through pitching. In short, “pitching” is the practice of reaching out to new potential clients or partners to showcase why you'd ideal to work with.
It could be because you've got a stranglehold on their niche, or because of your access to a strong community that heeds your advice, your proven professionalism, or any number of things. That, ultimately, is for you to know and convey in your pitch.
Pitching, as you probably already know, is more an art than a science, so it's always worthwhile to see how other people approach it. And that's why today we've got an expert who knows a thing or two about pitching. Don't forget, by the way, that we feature an expert every week on everything from SEO to affiliate marketing, YouTube to Patreon. But today, of course, it's all things pitching, so we'll go ahead and introduce our expert!
Lavina is an Analyst, Entrepreneur and the founder of ContinentHop.com which strives to inspire professionals to invest in immersive travel and make the most of their limited holidays while ensuring they get to explore the world no matter how short the duration. In addition to being a content creator, she is also a freelance writer, photographer and mentor to numerous women, helping them to start working remotely while working full-time.
To empower women she met on her travels, she set up untraditionalhumans.com, a space for South Asian women to share their stories about breaking free from norms and to inspire others to never give up.
She's also been to 52 countries across 5 continents, while working full-time. She has been nominated for various awards including one by Saveur magazine for her expertise in food, culture and travel, and has worked with numerous brands like Intrepid Travel, Skyscanner, and TripAdvisor to help them get the most from their marketing campaigns. She's also been featured by Lonely Planet and the Times of India to name a few.