For many brides and grooms, Wedding Blogs are where they start planning their big day. For wedding businesses they represent an opportunity to showcase their products and services.
And it’s not just the exposure – getting links to your website from blogs helps your search optimisation too.
There are lots of benefits, but it’s not an easy option. Bloggers are looking for excellence and they aren’t going to feature your product just because you asked them.
So how do you go about getting featured on blogs?
We’ve brought together the best advice from across the web to help you make blogs a key part of your marketing.
Start Here
If you want to target blog features, then you are going to need to invest plenty of time (and often some money) to make it work.
So before you start, do your homework and prepare a plan of action.
These articles all give general advice on getting featured on blogs:
How to get published on a wedding blog
Getting published – advice from top wedding bloggers
10 Tips for Submitting Your Photos to Wedding Blogs
Finding Blogs
One of the first things you’ll need to do is find suitable blogs to target.
Wedding blogs come and go – so you’ll need to keep your eyes open for newcomers. Create your own master list of suitable blogs and keep it updated. Here are some pages which give lists of wedding blogs:
Think Splendid’s blog directory doesn’t just list the blogs, it gives you details of the type of features and editorial guidelines.
Bridal Musing’s comprehensive guide lists blogs by theme/style/category so it’s easier to find the type of blogs which could work for you.
The 100+ Best Wedding Blogs For *Every* Couple
Well known wedding blogs receive hundreds of submissions every week but don’t discount some of the lesser known blogs. Watch out for:
- Blogs catering for a very specific niche
- Local or regional blogs
- Talented newcomers
- Other suppliers blogs
Check what blogs will accept – many are only interested in real weddings. Others accept styled shoots and engagement shoots and some are also interested in products and vendor news.
What do the bloggers say?
Most blogs will have a submissions page which tells you what they accept and how to submit. Here’s some examples:
What if you’re not a photographer
Many of the most popular blogs will only accept submissions from professional photographers Although some are happy to receive info from other suppliers, for the most part they will expect you to pay for a featured post (see below).
So if you’re a cake maker, stationer, florist etc then you are going to need to take a different approach.
Here are some suggestions:
Make friends with photographers
When you are working on a wedding that has that something special, always ask your couple who is taking the photographs. Contact the photographer and ask if they are submitting to blogs (if not, encourage them to do so). Blogs love details so it’s important to have shots of all the little extras that give the wedding that something special.
Styled Shoots
As well as real weddings, blogs often featured styled shoots – mock weddings around a particular theme.
Although styled shoots are often organised by wedding planners or photographers, there’s nothing that says a florist or make-up artist can’t set one up – although make sure you choose a good photographer to shoot it.
You can often find requests for participants in styled shoots on social media. Before you say yes, be aware of the pitfalls:
Styled shoots: Creative marketing or a waste of time?
Competitions & Giveaways
Many bloggers love to run competitions and giveaways – it helps them get attention and grow their readership. Offering a prize is a way to gain exposure for your product and lets you tap into the bloggers social networks.
Writing guest articles
Becoming a guest contributor for a blog (either as a one off or a regular) is another option. You will need to write well and be sure that your articles fits the blog you are targeting.
Blogger Outreach
Whatever tactics you use, you will need to contact bloggers and build relationships with them. This is known as Blogger Outreach.
This article gives a general overview:
What Is Blogger Outreach & How Do I Do It?
While this blog has some useful articles about brands and businesses working together:
Blog Sponsorship
Often the quickest way to get featured on blogs is to pay for it. Advertising on blogs is often known as sponsorship and if you choose your blog wisely it can work well.
The English Wedding Blog have put together a great guide:
Suppliers! Before you advertise on a wedding blog – read this…
Insights from Bloggers
What do bloggers REALLY do all day?
A day in the life of a wedding blogger
A day in the life of a Professional Wedding Blogger
Matchmakers
As blogging becomes mainstream, you’ll find websites popping up which help match businesses with bloggers.
Two Bright Lights is probably the best known in the wedding industry.
Bloggers Required lets suppliers post assignments which interested bloggers can pick up. Not wedding industry specific but has been used by wedding brands.
Have you had success with marketing through blogs? We’d love to hear your story (we accept guest articles on this and any other aspect of marketing your wedding business!).