bloggers

Over the years, The Motherhood has worked with thousands of bloggers on hundreds of campaigns for brands. As companies have recognized and embraced the influence of the online community, opportunities for ambassadorships and sponsored posts have increased dramatically.

When you work with brands, PR agencies and blogger networks (like The Motherhood), there are a few things you can remember to make a great impression and get yourself hired again and again.

In a nutshell, the advice from our team is be professional. When you’re hired to write a sponsored post, treat it like you would any other job: Be reliable, communicate with your team, read your emails thoroughly, meet deadlines and follow through on your commitments ethically and respectfully.

If you want to stand out in the business of blogging, take a peek at The Motherhood’s five top tips for bloggers working with brands:

1) Be professional. When you make a commitment to a brand or network to participate in a sponsored campaign, it’s important to deliver. That includes showing up on time for events like Twitter parties, meeting post deadlines, responding promptly (within one business day) to emails and providing email updates if something comes up that might hinder your ability to honor those commitments.

2) Think like a brand. See your posts from their perspective. Often, brand representatives and marketers are on the hunt for great coverage they can highlight for their executive team. Take pride in your work, and imagine how you want your post to look if it ends up in front of the company CEO. For example:

• Read the campaign guidelines and requirements carefully, and incorporate the suggested links, key messaging and images in your coverage.
• Do not search Google Images for content – it often pulls up outdated photos or logos. Ask your contact instead for brand images; they’d be happy to help.
• Proofread to ensure there are no errors or typos in your post before you click “publish.”
• Make sure brand names are spelled correctly and include capital letters and proper trademarking if needed.
• In your personal photos of the brand’s products, check the background to make sure there are no other brand names or logos visible. 

3) Go above and beyond. If you really want to shine, don’t just do the bare minimum! When you’re writing, be creative and tell your own story about the brand while incorporating their key messaging; brands aren’t interested in posts that simply copy and paste their bullet points. Publish your coverage before the day of the deadline and consider throwing in a couple of extra social media posts. Look up the campaign hashtag on Twitter and re-tweet a few times or start a relevant conversation using the hashtag – engagement matters.

4) Blog with integrity. When you’re invited to blog on behalf of a brand, it’s important to disclose work you’ve done (or are currently doing) for brand competitors before opting in. (In this case, it’s easier on everyone if you ask permission up front rather than forgiveness later!) In your blog coverage, remember to properly attribute photographs if they aren’t your own, provide links to source materials as needed and add a disclosure notice at the top of your post, per FTC guidelines.

5) Build respectful relationships. The most productive relationships between brands or networks and bloggers are ones built on mutual respect and open dialogue. For example, if you opt in for a campaign with a brand and begin to realize that particular program is not a good fit for your blog, you should feel comfortable sharing that feedback behind the scenes. Your honesty and discretion will be remembered.

Bring your best self to your work and business relationships, and it will make a difference. We hope you find these tips on working with brands helpful, and we hope to work with you through The Motherhood soon!