I have a very niche specific blog. I gear my posts towards the autism community and when I review a product, it is from that viewpoint. I have noticed that there are a lot of opportunities to review products for blogs that are general mom blogs. Opportunities to review items for my blog niche are slim. I believe that this is because there are a lot of companies that do not believe that their product can be autism related.
That is a shame. I have used things with my son that are not “autism related” and they have been great. For an example: the Tasty Baker from Pop Art Toaster. It is a great kitchen gadget that allows you to bake brownies, pancakes, muffins and more into shapes. This product is not geared specifically for the autism community, but I have found that it has been great for my son. I use it to work on cooking skills, fine motor skills, and communication. The motivation for doing the work is the end result of our task. He gets to eat a yummy treat.
If you are a company that thinks that their product is not suited for a blog that is niche specific, like this blog, think again. Break down the skills needed to use your product. Does it require good fine motor skills? Is it educational? Can it be used in a different way than what the directions call for? Games can be a great item for families with a child that requires fun and unique ways to work one on one. We don’t have to follow the rules of the game. Most of us develop a new set of rules that are geared towards our child’s strengths and weaknesses.
Also, parents of an autistic child have similar interests as any other parent. You can pitch a product that a mom or dad would like. Parents that read our niche blogs like to read about things that will make their lives easier. Household items like kitchen gadgets and home décor are a big hit with us. Home spa or clothing items are also popular items of interest.
The key to pitching any products to a niche blog is to do your homework. Read the blog that you wish to pitch. Knowing what interests the blogger is a good way to stream line your pitch. Always keep in mind that bloggers are like you, they don’t like to have their time wasted. If you have a product that is geared towards kids, break down the skills that are needed to use the product. Include this information in your pitch along with additional ways it can be used to improve important developmental skills.
If your product is geared towards adults, say so in your pitch. Offer to sponsor a giveaway. For niche’s like mine (autism related), you would be supporting the autism community by helping parents. You would be helping us by offering a giveaway for a product that we may not normally go out and buy. I have always believed that parents need to take time to take care of themselves in order to be able to give the best of themselves to their child. Unfortunately, we can not always afford to. You can be sure that the participants that do not win a giveaway that you sponsor will remember that your company cared enough about the autism community to do something for it’s parents. They will remember your name, be more inclined to talk about you and be more inclined to buy from you when their wallets allow.
My final tip, don’t push. If the blogger absolutely does not think your product will work on their site, accept their decision. I have had to turn down a few items that I really thought were not appropriate, and the representative would not accept my decision. That’s when I started getting used to using the delete button. On the other hand, you can always request that we pass the opportunity on to other bloggers. Chances are, we know a few that would love to review your product.
Don’t be afraid to pitch a niche blog. Give it a little more thought about how you could work together, before assuming the two of you won’t be a fit. If you need some help or advice, feel free to contact me. I would be happy to help.
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