Wouldn’t it be so awesome to get a brand to pay you to go to a conference? Of course it would be. Everyone likes a free trip to hang out with friends not to mention the possibility of advancing your blog.
Here are 3 things you need to know about pitching a blog conference sponsorship:
#1 If you’re promising “awareness” talk to PR, not marketing
It’s very, very, (did I mention very?) difficult for the marketing department of a brand to justify sending a blogger to a conference. That’s because the marketing department’s job is to drive sales. That is how they are measured, so that is how they will measure you.
Do the math. Can you promise them that you will earn them more money than you are requesting? For example, if you want a thousand bucks from a brand and they make $1/new customer, you have to send them ONE THOUSAND new customers for them to just break even. Are you sure you will do that? If not, would YOU hire you?
Of course, if you talk to PR they are going to be much more concerned about your demonstrable reach and influence than marketing (who couldn’t care less about your Twitter following as long as you can deliver the sales) so be prepared to wow them, especially as compared to your peers.
#2 Choose brands that need services you can tangibly deliver
Let’s say you want a thousand dollars to go to a conference. Why not pitch a brand with an offer to write them a thousand dollars worth of fabulous content for THEIR blog? Do it at their going rate, then take that check and go to your conference.
Or maybe find a few companies that would really benefit from having a great Pinterest presence, who have none right now. Offer to set it up and curate it for them – for a reasonable fee. Do the work, and get paid. Done.
Now everyone is happy and you won’t have to wear a hideous hat or T-shirt at your conference. Plus the likelihood they will hire you again once you do a good job is much, much higher.
#3 Pitch brands that actually have money
Some industries have more money than others, so this is not only about size. The 8-branch medical practice in your city probably has better cash flow than half the retailers in the US. So think about companies and industries that have money to spend and need your services. Lawyers, doctors, chiropractors, dentists, insurance companies, real estate brokers, banks (ok, maybe not them right now) – they may not have free goodies, but they have something better – CASH. These are way better targets for people with real skills to sell.
Offer them your expertise in whatever you are demonstrably and credibly good at: Photography, recipe development or testing, writing, community management, content curation, vlogging, etc. Sell them the services they actually need and use the money to go to a conference (see point #2).
Ok, now that you’ve got the right target, you need to write a great pitch, right? Luckily, I already wrote a post about how to pitch the company you love over at Girls Lunch Out. Good luck and see you at EVO12.
This is a helpful article, which i like and want to learn for improve my skills. So, thanks for your nice post.
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Hello! I’ve read your article. It was really helpful & informative. I’ll visit your blog again to get new update..
These tips are great to target your conference 🙂 My favorite is #3, can use it right away for my up coming events
Those are very great tips. I am so inspired by them and I am so sure that they will be helpful in making my blogging techniques better. Thanks a lot for sharing.
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Hi Carol,
I had a good laugh when I read the tip: “Pick brands that actually have money”.
It inspired me to reconsider how I profiled prospects for my freelance writing business.
The best written pitch email sent to a prospect without the budget flexibility of buying, is as effective as the worst pitch email ever written.
Great ideas, great blog!
You have some great views and opinions here about blogging ans this is really unfamiliar for me and thanks a lot for sharing this.
Great post! Love the tips.
Actually Carol you have raised a very interesting topic here. Look at your 2nd point, If you are offering them value of those thousand dollars then it is essentially not a free travel, It will be a paid travel, which no one likes!
Ideally one should offer their services and in place they should expect a FREE package!
I find that an emailed pitch works too. But I’ve also tweeted asking for conference sponsorships – and then followed up via email if I found out that someone was interested. Other bloggers have created a special page or badge on their blogs advertising that they are looking for sponsors. All are good ways to get the word out that you’re looking for sponsorship opportunities.
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Hi.. I am really inspired with this post you have shared for us here.. I am sure this is a big help.. Great job!
Thanks Andi, I’m glad it was helpful! – Carol
Brilliant. 🙂 But then again, we talked about this very thing over the weekend. I love thinking outside the box.
Thanks Kerri! It was great seeing you at BlogherFood and I’m looking forward to more great convos. – Carol
These are great tips, especially #3 – loved the post!
Thanks Dawn! – Carol
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