Dear Pennies & Pens,
In this post, I’ll talk about how to collaborate with hotels. In my book, #MakeUrPenLoud: How To Be A Lifestyle Blogger, Chapter 15 is dedicated to this very topic. In essence, in this post, I’ll share some of the tips in the book.
Over the past 11 years, I have worked with over 90 brands and many of my past sponsors were hotels. In fact, my most recent sponsor was The Andersen Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. That’s right, I worked with an international hotel in Denmark. How cool is that? So if you want to ink the page like me, keep reading to learn more about PR pitching.
Do research
First off, note that you can’t work with any brand until you do your research. This means: visit their website, check out their social media and read what other blogs and media outlets have said about them. You should also read reviews on Google & Trip Advisor. Basically, immerse yourself into the hotel, so that when you start your PR pitching, your pitches will be legit.
Learn all that you can about the brand so you can use it in your pitch and content. It helps to learn more about the brand so you can stand out in your pitch. A brand is more likely to work with you when you show them that you’ve done your homework.
Find contact info
After researching a hotel, the next thing I do is find contact information for the PR and marketing team. This is who you’ll send your pitch to. I start here because if I can’t find a way to contact the brand, there is no point in writing a PR pitch.
Write the pitch
When I write pitches, I start by introducing myself as far as what I do and why. I also include links to related work samples and my media kit. My pitches usually outline my idea in detail.
I’ve heard other bloggers say they keep their initial pitch short and don’t outline their ideas but I personally have had more success telling the brand what I want and am looking for up front. This way they can decide to say yes or no.
In my book, #MakeUrPenLoud: How To Be A Lifestyle Blogger, I outline exactly how to do PR pitching, and how to write the pitch. Every tip I share are things that I personally do. This is how I landed over 90 sponsors. *wink*
Media Request Form
Larger hotel brands usually have what’s called a media request form. This form allows them to review media outlets seeking to work with them in an easy way. You’ll find this form on the brand’s website or they’ll send it to you directly when you contact them.
The form asks for simple info like your name, email and phone number. It also asks for your story angle aka how you plan to write/blog about them and how much traffic your blog gets. Once you complete the form, submit it on the website or send it back to the brand rep. From there they’ll say yes or no.
Write the post
Once you land a collaboration (yass you did it, little baby!), write the post! Always make sure you deliver whatever content you created in a timely manner. Usually within 1-3 months is acceptable.
Follow up with the brand
After you publish your post, send a link to the brand rep. Brands save and track those links so make their jobs easier by sending it to them directly. It also helps you stand out if you send stats like how many views, likes or comments the post got.
To wrap up this ink, collaborating with hotels is no easy feat. You’ll pitch and bitch. It happens, little baby, because PR pitching is a game. But keep ya head up cause you got this!
And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.
