• Tweet
• Buffer

• Tweet

Wise Ink is still a baby blog. We’re not the rockstars in the indie publishing world…yet. Needless to say when we get approached by folks who want us to review their books or post guest blogs, we’re still somewhat shocked. It’s humbling. We love to support our indies so if you would like us to interview you about your book or you have a great post for our audience (bloggers, writers, authors), shoot us an email.

We’re not terribly picky. We get how hard it is to reach out to strangers and hope someone answers you back. But here’s some advice: put your best foot forward. 

Bloggers, even newer ones like Wise Ink, get spammed a lot. And here’s how not to come across as spam:

1. Research the blog or website

Always address the blog or website from the position of someone who is a fan. Even if you’ve sent the same generic email to two hundred other blogs, try to personalize your outreach as much as possible. When someone addresses us with “Dear Wise Ink…” we’re less likely to pay attention than if they start with “Hi Amy and Dara…” That alone says, they’ve read our blog enough to know us by name. Likewise, saying “I really enjoy your content” is less personal than “your blogs for indie authors are…” or “that blog you wrote about…”

Hate to say it, but flattery does go a long way in the blogosphere. Prove that you’ve invested a little time on a blog before you reach out to it and don’t be vague.

2. Make it easy for them to say “yes!”

It’s harder to tell someone “no” or to ignore them if, for example, they provide multiple post ideas, send a PDF of their book for review, or send along a summary of their book with links to their website. Bloggers and reviewers are not interested in searching to find more information. Another tip if you want to be a guest blogger, is to let the blogger know that you’ll include links in your post, will promote it through social media, and that you’ll include images and a bio. That alone tells a blogger that you know what you’re doing and that you’ll make their job easier. It’s also not a bad idea to link to other guest posts you’ve done and to your own blog/website.

3. Follow Up

We’ve been guilty of not getting back to people who reach out to us. It’s not intentional. We work full-time and we blog for fun. It’s hard to balance it all sometimes. So if an author or publicist follows up, we’re actually grateful. We know we suck sometimes at getting back so it’s actually helpful if someone sends a polite “remember me” note.  Don’t be afraid to knock on the door more than once. Following up proves that you’re not spam.

Here’s examples of what I (Dara) sent when I reached out to bloggers to promote my book The Indie Author Revolution: 

Hi INSERT NAME,

Dara from Wise Ink here. As you know we truly love your blog!

I’d love to share my insights with the readers of your blog in a guest post titled, “INSERT TITLE.”

In this post, I’ll discuss some key points including choosing a title that engages your audience, not settling on the first or even second idea that comes to you, and to focus on the reaction you want from your reader to have after hearing or reading your book title. The word count of the post will be no less than 750 words and I’ll of course include hyperlinks and images. If this post doesn’t work as well, I have others prepared that might fit better. Just let me know! Below are links to posts I’ve written for ___, ____, and ___. By the way, your post on Friday about _______ was super timely — I’ve since visited that website you referenced. I look forward to hearing back from you. 

Talk to you soon,

Dara

Here’s one to reviewers I sent to promote my book prior to publication:

Hi _______,

 My name is Dara Beevas, the author of The Indie Author Revolution.  I’m in the process of reaching out to reviewers whose audience is interested in indie publishing and I happen to follow your website religiously. The Indie Author Revolution is a companion guide for writers, bloggers, and speakers who are investigating self-publishing. I’ve worked with more than three hundred indie authors and I’m passionate about the self-publishing movement. Because of the personal stories and words of wisdom from more than a dozen indie authors in my book, I felt your readers would enjoy hearing about it.

I’d love to have you review the book, do a Q&A for your site, ezine, or printed publication. I’m also very interested in an opportunity to write an article for your site or in any combination of the above. I’ve attached a free PDF copy of the book. Can I  send a hard copy in October? If so, to what address? Here’s a link to my website for information: www.indieauthorbook.com. 

Thank You,

Dara Beevas

So what do you think? How are you reaching out? What are your tips?

Subscribe to the blog

Have every new post delivered to your inbox every time we publish a new article. Your email address will never be shared!