WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Need Online Exposure? How Authors Should Ask for Help

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When authors have a book to sell, they often look to blogs to get the word out. It can be very effective, after all. As you can imagine, Writers Helping Writers is approached a lot. We get emails every day from authors, publicists, organizations, and marketers with adjacent products to sell. Unfortunately, most requests are so spammy that we don’t even respond.

It might seem like a jerk thing to do, deleting an email without responding. But when a person cold-emails with an ‘undisclosed recipients’ pitch that doesn’t follow our guidelines, doesn’t address us by name (a “Dear Sir” is an auto-delete), or heck, even show they understand what we do…well, we don’t waste time responding.

As with all things, there’s a ‘right way’ and a ‘wrong way’ to ask for help. We want you to get a yes to requests for online publicity, so here’s our advice on how to contact someone for help:

1) Do your homework 

I’ll be honest, nothing bugs me more than to be contacted by someone who sees our website’s authority but can’t be bothered to even check what we do. Cold emails wanting to promote business software, jewelry, iPad products, or fishing gear? Oh boy. Not going to win me over.

So, when you are looking for online exposure, research blogs to understand their purpose and audience. Only contact them if there’s a strong fit. This means knowing your audience before you get started.

Also, if you are requesting a book review, make sure they post book reviews in your genre. This requires minimal research using a search bar. And (this is important) look for their guest post guidelines. They may have specific instructions for contacting them, so you’ll want to follow these.

2) Show respect 

While it certainly is easier to send out a cut-and-paste email to 50 or so blogs asking for help, what saves you time WILL cost you in exposure. No one likes a generic email.

If you did step 1 correctly, you researched the person you’re contacting. So, personalize your email by introducing yourself and demonstrating that you have visited the blog and you understand the content. Say something you like about the blog that demonstrates you have spent time on it. Be authentic and friendly, respecting their time.  

3) Offer information, but don’t go overboard

Whatever exposure opportunity you’re asking for will require some specific information. Be clear and concise about what you have to offer or how you wish to collaborate. Explain why you think your book, proposed guest post, or service might be a strong fit for the blog’s audience (showing you do know who the audience is).

Provide a link if needed or how to reach you to answer questions. DON’T send them your book or product in that first email. Don’t attach a press release, book cover, or promotional information. Would you send your manuscript with a query letter when the agent didn’t ask for both? No.

4) Provide value, not promo

Your goal is to get a YES when asking for an exposure opportunity, so make it easy for them to do so. The best way to do this is to offer something of value. Perhaps the blog post you wish to write comes with free handouts that this audience will find useful. Or a giveaway for a book when they post a book review. Or, you’re just offering a blog post that goes deep into a problem that is meaningful to the audience, and contains a ton of helpful resources and takeaways.

If you are guest posting, pitch a topic that aligns with what the blog is about, but there’s not as much information on. There’s nothing wrong with pitching a few ideas for posts plus saying you’d love to work with their ideas too if there’s a topic they’d rather see.

What you don’t want to do is write a blog post that is really just a promotion for yourself/your product. No one likes spam, and the blog owner will be upset that you’re treating their readers like dollar signs. Always add value in all that you do.

5) Be easy to work with

Website owners are busy people. Once you’ve secured a guest post or exposure opportunity, send them whatever is required promptly. Also, don’t just “dash something off.” Write something you’re proud of. Check it carefully for typos and grammar as website owners appreciate clean copy as it means less work on their end of things.

Provide links so the audience can find out more about you and your book. Include a small bio about yourself and how readers can find you online so the person you are posting for doesn’t have to waste time looking for social links themselves.

6) Show up, interact, and share

The worst thing you can do is think your work is done once materials have been sent. I’ve seen this – someone guest posts with us but then doesn’t share the post online or answer comments. This means I have to bug them to show up. This burns a bridge because unless there’s a good reason, it’s unlikely I’d be open to another post from them down the road.

So, when your post goes live, do all you can to promote it and send traffic to it. Blog owners love this! Stop in and interact with people in the comment section, thanking them for reading and answering questions. This is as much for you as it is for the blog, because when people build a relationship with a blog poster, they are far more likely to check out their work.

7) Keep on asking

Sometimes, a post or a request isn’t a fit. Don’t give up! Most bloggers are caring and helpful and want to build relationships. Just try to be as genuine as possible and think about what the blog owner probably needs before you ask them for help. When you have something that fits their need, and you demonstrate you know a bit about them, you often get a yes.  

Marketing a book can seem intimidating,
but you’ve got this!

If you’d like a boatload of help with marketing and promotion, we’ve created a page of helpful information and links for you. Good luck! Save

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress says

    This was GREAT! And wonderful examples. I know I was guilty of this very thing when I first started on twitter. I “copied” the wrong people, but now how made some twitter friends and it’s much more fun. Once I stopped thinking about “how to get” and just starting giving, checking out other’s sites, commenting, sending thankful DMs, RTing, it got much more fun! Thank, I will share this with my writing group 🙂

  3. Lindsey Pogue says

    So helpful! Asking other bloggers/authors for help is something I’ve always considered, but wasn’t sure how “kosher” it was. Thanks for the help, you ladies are always so awesome. Can’t wait for another webinar!…and of course the next thesaurus!

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  5. Lydia Kang says

    I get spam emails constantly asking to use my blog for exposure to their product. They go in my spam folder and stay there because they are almost always generic emails and they clearly don’t know me or my blog.

  8. Hugh says

    Hi Angela, thanks for this great advice. Do you suppose people don’t follow it because its the Internet? After all, IRL you wouldn’t just walk up to a total stranger and demand something of him or her, would you?

  10. Becca Puglisi says

    @Marcia, I really like that. Just add value. It keeps the focus on the other person instead of on what you can gain. Very insightful.

    @Stina, that’s the way to look at the positive 🙂

    @Angela B, this is why it aggravates me to no end to get these form letter requests. I know how much time it takes to personalize and make sure you’re a good match for whoever you’re contacting. When I don’t have time, I don’t send the request. It’s that simple. *grumble*

    @Donna, this tends to be my response, too. I think that Angela, like @Rosi, at least replies with a no thank you, which is probably the nicer response. But my thinking is that if they didn’t take the time to do their homework and are contacting me cold like that, then I shouldn’t have to take my time—which is surely as valuable as theirs— to respond.

    @Angela, it does feel good!

    And @Bonnie, I have the same response. I know I usually end up not reading those blanket emails. I have to think that when the guilty parties receive those kinds of messages from others, their response is the same. I bet they don’t read them, either. This is why I think it’s so important to examine our own responses to different promotional efforts. If their turn-offs for us, definitely don’t go and inflict them on others.

    Great post, Ange!

  12. Angela Orlowski-Peart says

    These are very consise and helpful points, Angela. It’s sad to see some authors (and not only authors) keep throwing a wide net without making an effort to actually build the relationships with the bloggers first. Most bloggers don’t get paid for what they do, they just provide their valuable service to the public for free. So remembering that is my first priority. I always offer my help, books, swag etc. to them, and I make sure to tweet, Facebook etc. about their own posts, especially when they are promoting someone else and not me 🙂 Paying forward is not only the right thing to do. It definitely feels great!

  13. Rosi says

    Very useful post. I have learned to say no to those who clearly haven’t been reading my blog. This post is full of good tips. Thanks for this.

  16. Angela Brown says

    The tips you provide require “taking time,” something many folks would rather not do. And the personalization can help because it says that you’re taken the time to get to know before sending that cold call communication.

  18. Stina Lindenblatt says

    At least now that I’m not longer on the SEO charts because I had to start over, I won’t be getting anymore of those requests to be on my blog by people who have nothing to do with what I post about. Yay!

  21. Angela Ackerman says

    Julie, I am glad it was easy to join in last year. That was a big event to coordinate, and i am so appreciative of everyone who participated to give it wings. I would love to do it again!

    mrkohler1, I think the scary things that I see this happen with marketing departments and publicists, and know that someone has paid them money to get their book or product out there. It’s unfortunate, because often that means money down the drain. People need to be wary of companies that promise to get your content seen by large numbers of blogs and websites, because how they do it could potentially alienate buyers in the process.

    Thanks Matt! Hope you had a great summer!

    Natalie, yes a presence is good. For us it isn’t a must, as long as the quality of writing is there. If you can write a strong guest post, then we’ll consider you, that sort of thing. But the guest post has to be strong, and not something that’s been written about to death. We like unique content and strive hard to bring it here to our readers. 🙂

    PK, it could have been the same person–who knows? It was from a big organization, one I was surprised to get a form letter & attachments in that manner from. Their loss, because had they simply asked and personalized a request, i would have had the organization on my blog.

    Gwen, yes the tweeters. Every once in a while I watch the stream for everyone, and it is saturated with promo screaming. IMHO, a person stands out these days by not pointing to amazon and their book’s profile!

    Thanks Jeff! *waves*

    Jemi, us as well. Especially because we have a form page for guest post requests, and if a person is sending me a direct email, they haven’t even bothered to look at my site enough to see I have a form. I wish we didn’t have to do the form, but Becca and I got so many requests that didn’t even make sense for our blog’s audience, we had to go that route.

  24. gwenstephens says

    Wow – that’s just rude. The same can be said for the folks who Tweet nothing but spam several times an your. The louder they shout, the less I’ll listen.

  25. Pk Hrezo says

    This is so ironic, because I got email yesterday from someone doing this exact thing. No one I’ve ever met or who has commented on my blog. She sent me all her attachments and requested I feature her. I think I’ll respond with a kind word and link back to this post. It may even be the same person who prompted you to write this.
    I might add, I concur with you %100.

  26. Natalie Aguirre says

    So agree, Angela. The giveaways really do help bring traffic.

    I get lots of requests too and one of the first things I do is look to see if the person has an online presence. If they haven’t done their homework like set up an author page on Goodreads or a website, I wonder what they’re offering. This is really an issue with some self-published authors that I sadly have to say no to.

  28. mrkohler1 says

    Great post! I did PR and marketing pre-internet days. And I realize not everyone has training in PR, but you’d think common courtesy would dictate how to conduct business, even on the internet. However, it seems there needs to be more education on this subject or else people are self-defeating in their presumptuous requests.

  29. Julie Musil says

    I saw your post on Facebook yesterday! Thanks for this great advice. I especially like the part about making it easy for the blogger. You guys made things so easy for us when ET came out. Other authors that I’ve had on my blog have done the same…included links, edited content, friendly chatting with followers who leave comments. All of that is so great!

  30. Angela Ackerman says

    @Jenny, I agree. In fact we had so many people hit us up with a form letter, or splatter us with promo, or simply ask to blog but have no idea what to blog about, we created a form. It can be incredibly time consuming to work with some people who want to do a guest post, so it’s better to be respectful of their time and really think it thought right up front.

    @Bish, I agree. I have made some amazing connections with people because of guest posts! It is worth the effort and if you really show courtesy and authenticity, you never know where it will lead.

    Michael, I agree, but it means that those who are courteous stand out, right? All the more reason to be this way. 🙂

    Tracy, so glad this helps! Thanks for the shares, too. 🙂

    Beginingsinwriting, that is a great point. I often share proactively long before approaching a blogger, and I try my best to share posts that come before and after with people who will find those topics interesting, just to continue to add value to the site who hosted me. Definitely courtesy doesn’t have to start and end with the post!

    Melody, it’s definitely about relationships. as I said to Bish, I have met and become friends with some amazing people that started out as a post request–either theirs to my blog, or mine to theirs. 🙂

  31. Melody Valadez says

    Thanks for outlining this etiquette! I hope your blog becomes the handbook for such things. As a blogger, I love the oppprtunity to showcase people’s gifts and talents and even products, but ultimately it’s all about people, and it is a relationship, even if an email one.

  32. beginingsinwriting says

    Another tip: Offer to assist them with stuff ,before you need their help. Some folks call it “paying it forward”. I call it “Helping those I like.” I also don’t worry about if they can help me out later on.
    To be honest, when I help promote the places, and things I like, I see it as a great chance that the creators will make more stuff I like. I’m kinda selfish that way. 🙂