Treat Blog Opportunities as a Job Interview

Over the last six months I have noticed how bloggers are receiving opportunities. Big opportunities like complete sponsorship to blogging conventions. They stand out! Every opportunity that you are offered can lead into something bigger.

Ways to Stand Out:

1) Dress for success.

• If you are invited out on a trip and wonder what should I wear? You should ask yourself, how do I want to work for this company? Do I want to be the face of this company or just work from home as they call on me? If you dress for success then you will be successful. For example, on the Sears Design Summit The wonderful Design Mom, Gabrielle, dressed in this adorable blue plaid dress and red high heals. They offered to sponsor her to BlogHer09. Now they were not able to agree on terms but this offer was presented to her because of her professionalism, and style. Most bloggers wore business casual, but if everyone is dressing that way you need to think of a way to be unique.

2) Speak your mind

• Ask questions and give great advice. Do not just sit and absorb. You need to be proactive all the time. It is a competitive world and to get ahead you have to interact with others.
• When it comes to blog pitches be creative. Come up with unique ideas to advertise for the company. Twitter parties are a unique way to work with a company as opposed to just a review and giveaway. You could do a facebook or live party. Or make up something new.
• Be honest and not afraid to be in individual. Uniqueness on blogs and with bloggers is harder and harder to find. With the growing number of Mommy Bloggers it is getting harder to stand out.

• Another Example, I have my suspicions that the Red Plum Frugalicious event was an interview opportunity with the company, because about two weeks after the event they sent out an e-mail about conferences and I know that the responses from the event and from the e-mail are going to turn into other opportunities. There are possible sponsorships around every corner. So you never know when something is going to turn into more.

3) Be professional

• Always be professional but you can still be relaxed and or boisterous.
• Watch what you say, because once it’s on-line it’s never really gone. You can’t delete on-line transactions. You may not know this, but there is a website where you can pull up old versions of a website domain. We have a family domain that we use and my husband has looked at what the old owner had up. Who knew, it’s still there somewhere.

4) Network constantly

• It does pay to know people. It always has and always will, my grandmother once told me, “Do not burn bridges, ever”. Many of the top bloggers will spread your name around if they believe in you. I have an opportunity coming up that I am not allowed to talk about yet but I think it helped that I have made some wonderful contacts over the past year.
• PR Reps are your friend not your enemy. If you scratch their back they will scratch yours in return. You may have to wait and you may feel used but you will be rewarded. For Example, the company that represents D3 Publisher had asked me to review a video game. I said yes, a few games later I was on a paid vacation with my family. Now I get all of their games.
  Another example was a job opportunity that I did not receive but I interviewed for. I was up against some really great bloggers and know that they were much more qualified but it was because of my work with another PR Rep that I was even up for the opportunity. I find that a lot of bloggers feel like they won’t do any work unless it’s paid for with money or product. Why? Just limit yourself to what interests you and do a few free posts every now and then. The return is huge I guarantee you.