This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Name.Kitchen.
As a blogger grows a site and gains more experience, it’s likely they will want to begin working with brands. It’s a great way to try new products, get more traffic, and even earn some money!
If you are ready to attract brands and PR reps to your site, make sure you are doing the six things below!
Be careful when naming your blog
When you start a blog, it’s very easy to “have fun with it” and find yourself naming it “Cute Mommy’s Life”. But as someone who has been in the blogging industry since 2008, and spent years before that on lesser-known platforms like Teen Open Diary and Xanga, names like THAT do not come across as professional. It’s perfectly fun to add some “flavor” to it, to make it unique and fun, but you have to think long-term. Not only do you want to pay attention to any keywords that might trigger unfavorable search traffic, but the spelling. If your blog’s name is more than one word, take a second to write out the acronym – it’s not something offensive, is it?
Here’s an example:
The name of my blog assistant business is Blog Assistant Media. The acronym? BAM. The name is CLEAR message of what I do, and the acrnoym is not offensive, it’s easy to remember, and it’s fun to say or write. BAM!
Need help with naming? I’ve seen people ask their friends for input, I’ve even participated in brainstorming session, but for even more help be sure to check out Name.Kitchen’s naming tools. Naminum is probably my favorite Have a pen and paper handy so you can write out your ideas as well as the generated ideas and then take a few days to step away from the naming process. Get busy with something else and when you come back, you will have fresh eyes. One of those names is going to STICK and be it.
You will find a TON of resources at Name.Kitchen for naming your blog (or your business). Find inspiration for the naming process from Name.Kitchen’s “I am.___” video series showcasing businesses leveraging naming creativity + innovation at http://bit.ly/1FmS1hL. You might even find that THE name for your blog or business is a “not-com”! Just think about it – your very own fashion blog as a “.style” or your journey to financial freedom with “.money”!
A nice design that’s easy on the eyes
For brands, and your visitors, you want a blog design that isn’t difficult to read. Perhaps the biggest design mistake is white font on a black background. It’s just not natural! Give your blog a lot of white space, a nice logo at the top, and a post font that is large and easy enough to read (no pretty, cursive letters!). Make the post titles stand out from the rest of the font too.
Make it easy to navigate
When a rep lands on your site, they need to be able to browse it easily. If they can’t find what they are looking for, they will assume your readers cannot either. This will lead them to look elsewhere for a partnership. Have a navigation menu and search form at the top of your blog to prevent this.
Supply multiple forms of contact
Once they have perused your site, a brand may be ready to pitch you an idea. If they can’t find your email address, how can they reach out?! It’s a good idea to have a contact page in your blog’s menu. On that, include your email address and a form, to give them options. Also, putting social media links in your sidebar is another opportunity for reps to connect with you.
Add your popular posts to your sidebar
Show off your best work so that reps can quickly see what you can offer them. Use images if possible, as they will be more eye-catching and stand out from the rest of the text on the homepage. Choose more evergreen posts for this section of your sidebar, so brands can see you do more than just reviews.
Write more than just straight product reviews
As mentioned above, brands like to work with bloggers that can do more than an “I got this product and I like it because XXX” review. They would rather see how you implemented it into your life. For example, say you worked with a sugar company. Inside of writing about how sweet it tasted and how it worked well in the kitchen, share a recipe that you used the product in.
BONUS: Include large, good-quality photos
Within your blog posts, photographs are a must if you really want to appeal to brands. They want to see how you will be representing them and their products. Tiny thumbnails will not do, and most reps will move onto a blogger with better photography skills.
You don’t need the most expensive camera to achieve good photos – a smart phone camera will work just fine! Just make sure you leave them large (700 pixels by 1000 pixels is a good size), they are in focus, and you can clearly see the subject of the shot. Use natural lighting when possible, overhead lights and the flash can ruin a picture. If you are taking photos of review products, get them near a window or take them outside to a table. Get creative and use inexpensive wood flooring panels, scrapbook paper, even fabric to create backdrops for cleaner images.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Name.Kitchen.