This is an email chat I had today with AA from LS. In my last email (check below) I explain why this was a wrong pitch and I suggest 10 tips that anyone who’s trying to reach a blogger should keep in mind. You are more than welcome to join the conversation and to add your own tips to the list.

Andrea

On Mar 2, 2009, at 12:40 PM, AA wrote:

Hi,

I work for LS, a leading broker of online advertising, dealing with many thousands of independent webmasters worldwide. We currently have a client in the auto services industry for whom we are looking to acquire advertising from quality websites.

I’ve had a look at Vascellari.com and think that it would be a good match for our client, whose target demographic is similar to your own.

We would be interested in purchasing advertising in the form of a text-based link on your site. To reduce unnecessary admin and hassle, we prefer to pay a fixed annual upfront fee for such advertisements. Once the ad has been placed, payment can be made quickly by PayPal or moneybookers.

If you are interested, please get back to me with your rates etc. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

AA

On Mar 2, 2009, at 12:58 PM, Andrea Vascellari wrote:

Hi AA,

Thanks for your message.

It would be great if you could please send me more information about your client.
- What do you mean by ‘auto services industry’?
- What’s the name of the company?
- Do they have a website?
- Do they match the requirements mentioned in my advertise page? (Their brand/company/product/service/book/whatever has to be related to topics discussed on andreavascellari.com or it has to help/entertain my audience. Read more here)

On my advertise page you’ll find also more information about my rates. (I decide together with my audience how much ads worth on andreavascellari.com)
And then:
- What do you mean by ads in form of text-based link on your site?
- Where can I join the conversation with you? Are you on Twitter or other social networks?

Best,
Andrea

On Mar 2, 2009, at 1:08 PM, AA wrote:

Hello Andrea,

Thanks for the email. I’ve asked my supervisor to go over your site once again for review and although he’s happy with the quality of the site, he’s concerned that it’s just a little too off-topic with our client. I apologise, I hoped that at a stretch it would be suitable.

He has advised that I keep the detail on file in case we take on another client in the future who matches your site. For now though, do you have any other sites I could review?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Many Thanks,

AA

On Mar 2, 2009, at 15:01 PM, Andrea Vascellari wrote:

Hi AA,

I check and reply to all the emails I receive but next time before contacting me please have a better look at my site, content and audience.

About your question ” For now though, do you have any other sites I could review?”

To find other talented people you just need to check the community living on andreavascellari.com. In case you didn’t notice I even have a page on my site with a list of other really sharp bloggers, but let me give you some suggestions because not everyone might be patient or helpful like me, so keep in mind the following:

1. When you are trying to pitch someone, please have a look if they have a page in which they provide information related to advertisement on their site. (Rates, policy, requirements, etc.)
2. Check if the blog/site has the audience that you are really looking for (pitching a blogger without even paying attention to his/her audience is not a good move)
3. Provide proper contact information about you, your company, the client you are representing (not just your website…)
4. Which are the benefits? (Simple… Make it clear)
5. Keep it short and on topic. (Skip irrelevant details. People are spending their time to read your message)
6. If you are trying to reach people in the social media space it would be a good idea to have at least a social media presence. (Having a channel where people can join the conversation with you it’s a plus and an advantage for both. I mean something more than a simple contact form on your site)
7. Research before pitching. (Search on the blog/site for any post that might contain information about advertising)
8. Personalize your message and be genuine (Nobody likes to receive an automated, cliche, cold messages that you are probably sending out to other hundreds of bloggers)
9. Be polite (I don’t think I have to add anything to this… right?)
10. Show that you know the person you are trying to reach. (Show that you’ve dug a bit deeper than finding the email address in their contact page)

Best,
Andrea

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