Dear Sarah,

Lisa    Studio Jewel

Who wants more media coverage, more website page views, bigger mailing list, more Facebook Fans and more Twitter followers?  I know I do and assume you do too!  If you had a chance to listen to my interview a few weeks ago with Megan from Blogger Black Book, you might already be on the blog review bandwagon….. looking for those lucky reviewers who get to sample your products and write a review for you.   Finding the "right" reviewers for your line can be a tedious job but if you google blogs and take the time to go down the rabbit holes and see who they like and so on…….you can build yourself a mighty fine and valuable list. 

I reached out to my Entreprenette Experts and asked them to give us some of their favorite blog that do reviews so you can check them out an add them to your list.

Some of my top favs that weren't mentioned below are:

http://www.stylecaster.com
http://mommyandmegiveaways.com
http://coolmompicks.com/
http://www.purseblog.com/

http://www.refinery29.com/

Love to know your favs too!

1. Power Mom Bloggers Rule!

Best blogs for reviews: When working with Mom Bloggers, I like to check out their stats. I use a combination of their Alexa ranking, Twitter followers and Facebook fans to decide if the fit is right! I love all of the mom bloggers that I have worked with in the past. At the moment, I am working with:

Mom Spark
A Mom's Take
Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous
Social Media Junkie
Homegrown Families

Thanks to: Christy Cook of Teach My.

2. Two tools sites with cool stuf

Best blogs for reviews: I check Cool Tools and Wirecutters in my RSS feed everyday, knowing that each could have useful or interesting things. Cool Tools defines "tools" broadly and recommends the best and cheapest items. Its writers review only items that they have used themselves and that they can rave about. Cool Tools provides links for purchase.

Wirecutter covers consumer electronics & gadgets. It is written by gadget experts whose research allows them to say that something is "best."

Thanks to: Susan Gainen of nanoscapes small friends.

3. Savvy Mom On Call

Best blogs for reviews: As a mother of five and Mom'Preneur, I am always perusing product reviews blogs. A favorite of mine is Savvy Mom On Call. They post excellent product reviews that are helpful for parents and expecting moms. They award products with their “Baby Planner Seal of Approval” which lets parents know what products and services are good to use to help with a new baby. Savvy Mom On Call is also an excellent resource to help promote your baby product or service.

Thanks to: Karen Barski of KB Designs/Woombie/Mod'Swad.

4. It's a bird...a plane....

Best blogs for reviews: NO! It's a SUPER reviewer!!

www.thebabybottomline.com
www.adventuresofathriftymommy.blogspot.com

Thanks to: Kelly Kinney of PowerCapes.

5. Simply On Trarget!

Best blogs for reviews: http://simplystacie.net Google PR 4 Ranking
Alexa Traffic Rank: 9,962 Page Hits per month: +118,000
Monthly Unique Visitors: +46,000 Blog Followers: +10,500
Facebook Fans: 15,751 Twitter Followers: +24,600
simplystacieblog@gmail.com

Thanks to: Maureen Ruble of Simply Stacie.

6. For fashionistas and creatives

Best blogs for reviews: Our favorites are createdbychicks.com and Cheapchicas.com

Thanks to: Alma Steger of Untitled Advertising & PR.

7. Healthy Lifestyle Review Blog

Best blogs for reviews: Looking for a blog to review healthy lifestyle products? Check out http://livinghealthystuff.com/. Submit your pitches and press releases to the email address published on the site's advertising page.

Thanks to: Mary White of MTI Business Solutions.

8. Product Reviews for Parents

Best blogs for reviews: DadDoes.Com has become a destination site for parents looking for brutally honest, informative and fun reviews. The site spends weeks testing out products and provides honest reviews, with videos for busy Moms and Dads. Dad Does believes that parents care about more than just diapers and strollers-they don't stop eating, drinking and playing just because they become parents. Parents do see things through a different lens and Dad Does provides reviews on everything, through that parent lens.

Thanks to: Dan Nessel of Dad Does .

9. Honest Reviews From a Mom

Best blogs for reviews: I follow Inspired by Savannah, which offers product reviews and giveaways, in additional to spotlight weekly mom entrepreneurs and their products/services. This mom writes honest and thorough reviews and you can tell she actually tries out each and every product she features on her site.

Thanks to: Enrique Ramirez of Inspired by Savannah.

10. Review for yourself!

Best blogs for reviews: It's my firm belief that in order to properly review a product, a blogger must review it for themselves first. That may seem like a no-brainer to some, but many bloggers use outside services that will pay them for a 'on a whim' review. This is unethical! Bloggers who review are like reporters looking for all sides to a story. I prefer bloggers who test the product out and provide negative AND positive reactions, since you'll never find a product that's 100% satisfactory. Honesty is respect.

Thanks to: Zlata Faerman of I Have Zlata Thoughts and ZlataPR.

11. Favorite Mom/Entrepreneur blog

Best blogs for reviews: Simple Mom, is one of the top 5 blogs that I actually read when I receive an email from them. The articles are written by many inspirational women, and they address various topics from packing lightly, home schooling, balancing work and personal life. They also do my favorite product reviews.
http://simplemom.net
http://simplekid.net

Thanks to: Elizabeth Del Rosario-Baker of WOMB Lifestyle.

12. Best Objective Product Reviews

Best blogs for reviews: Money Crashers is an awesome site that reviews a wide variety of products, including baby products, beauty products and recipes, meal-planning services, couponing tools, flight and travel products, smartphone apps, and online financial tools. Everything reviewed on the site has been used by its team, as they do not promote anything that they would not recommend. It's a refreshing set of objective reviews that serve as useful tools for those trying to decide how best to spend their money.

Thanks to: Andrew Schrage of Money Crashers.

13. Best Blog Reviews

Best blogs for reviews: 1. Love From The Oven - www.lovefromtheoven.com

2. Goodies For Gifts - www.goodiesforgifts.com

Thanks to: Kim Celano of KC Bakes.

14. Best Baby Blog!

Best blogs for reviews: One fantastic blog that does reviews on baby and toddler products is www.Ratedbymom.com. This site is the ultimate guide for any new parent who is looking for the most up to date products for their newborns. You cannot just trust word-of-mouth for every product you are going to purchase. Having a legitimate source for truthful reviews and articles is key to finding the latest and greatest products for the new members of your family.

Thanks to: Ian Aronovich of GovernmentAuctions.org.

15. Cruelty-free Beauty is Best!

Best blogs for reviews: My Beauty Bunny is one of my favorite blogs. They focus on cruelty free skin and hair products with great reviews and giveaways. The main blogger is super stylish, animal-loving Jen Mathews who writes honest and informative reviews!

http://www.mybeautybunny.com/

Thanks to: B. Bell of beatrixbell handcrafted jewelry.

16. Blogs on the Rocks

Best blogs for reviews: . http://cupcakesandcashmere.com: must-read if you're interested in fashion, home decorating, and cooking. Emily pulls many cute & innovating ideas, and makes it easy and quick to read
. http://womenonthefence.com: for all Women On The Fence in life, in love, and at work.. Erica helps them GET OFF THE FENCE and start living
. http://pinterest.com: the Place to Go to for consumer product reviews/ideas for babies, women, men, home, cute DIY concepts etc. Follow me http://pinterest.com/livejulie

Thanks to: Julie CROS of Post Planner.

17. AnyLuckyDay Product Reviews

Best blogs for reviews: AnyLuckyDay has been doing product reviews and giveaways since January 2009. Each day they feature a new company and product. They have an engaging video each day with a product overview, and then they giveaway the product in a random drawing at the end of the day. They've featured everything from jewelry, to clothing, to food, to electronics, to other quirky gadgets and gizmos.

Thanks to: Giancarlo Massaro of AnyLuckyDay, LLC.

18. How To Create A Smoky Eye

Best blogs for reviews: Everyone wants to perfect their holiday makeup look, simply and with panache. If you’re going for an intense smoky eye, you only need these three (3) beauty products: black liquid liner/waxy black eye pencil, lengthening mascara and false lashes. Darker shadows tends to hide your lashes, but the false ones will really make your eyes pop, whether they are blue, brown, green, hazel or somewhere in between! Adding a dark coal color in the crease of the eyes will make for a dramatic statement!

Thanks to: Emilie Yount of Fit&Fab Living.

19. Mom Bloggers Know Products!

Best blogs for reviews: These mom bloggers stand out for their awesome product reviews. We love Rave and Review for her innovative, thoughtful product reviews which always include amazing images. We love Reviewed by Mom for her always making sure she includes details any potential buyer would need to know. We love The Modern Mama for being super sweet, engaging and from the heart. We love In R Dream for her passion in sharing her 2 cents. We love Mama Ash for being the “mom in the know” for everything parenting.

Thanks to: Janine Streiter of Parent Tested, Parent Approved.

20. Unbiased Supplement Reviews

Best blogs for reviews: I write honest, science based reviews on dietary supplements. If it's on TV, radio, the web or in magazines I review it.

When a product has no research I dissect each ingredient and link to the actual scientific evidence for / against the ingredient so people can judge for themselves if a supplement is worth it or not.

Thanks to: Joe Cannon.

OMG are you as confused as I am at times with blog reviewers and if they are a good idea or not?  I just had to have a chat with my friend Megan over at Blogger Black Book and ask her to share her insider info with me (us) on how to best use bloggers to promote your brand.  As usual, Megan comes through with awesome info on how to find the right bloggers for your brand, how many to work with at a time, and how to get a blogger marketing strategy in place.  The most important thing, is to be clear with your objectives for having the blogger review your product – it is to drive FB fans, build your mailing list or direct sales to a certain retailer…….whatever the objective, be sure they are aware and can fulfill your requirements.  The other big take away for me was a great reminder – that the blogger must mirror your target market in order to be successful in reaching them!  Don't forget to register your blog for FREE at Blogger Black Book.

Megan is generously offering a 50% discount on her Blogger Black Book year long subscription for only $750 to get her monthly updated lists of bloggers.  Or, if you want to get her one-time download today, it's only $500.  Email Megan directly and be sure to mention ENTREPRENETTE for the discount.

So everyone wants awesome PR right? I know I do and am not ashamed to admit it…….but how does one get it?  When I had my handbag line, I worked with several PR companies until I hired my sister to come inhouse. Over the years, I learned many tricks of the trade, but my favorite is to look at the advertising editorial calendars (on the main website for the mag) to see what the magazines are working on so you know what to pitch.  Obviously pitching on-target is the most important thing. I'm not saying they won't look at something "unusual", but often they are just too busy and overworked.

There are some great tips in this list, so if you are looking for some new ideas……read on and become a star!

Quick tip:

I like to know who which buyers are open to buying when marketing my accessory line – don't you? When I send out a marketing email, I see who opened it and clicked on the images (sometimes more than once) and email them directly with catalogs and a letter detailing the product line and try to capitalize on their immediate interest.  Then, I take it a step further, and look at ALL the people who opened the email, and send them an email introducing the line as I know they didn't click to see the rest of the product range.

This usually results in at least 2-4 additional orders if we act immediately within 2 days of sending the email.

Let me know what your tricks are!

Do you look at these "Group-coupon" style companies and wonder how they find vendors to showcase?  How they get such great deals? And how come they don't know about you?

I have to admit I was feeling the same way and then one came knocking on my door (via email of course) about 2 months ago wanting to promote some of my Simply Sarah products.  I know I keep a good secret right?  Actually, I wanted to test it out so I could give you some tried and true knowledge about it.  I have to admit I really liked it, was easy and sold 95 products in 2 days…….not bad for my first time and a relatively small group-buy company.

This wasn't a get-out-of-debt kind of situation for me, but I have some things I am looking to close out and discontinue so this was a great opportunity for me – especially since I didn't need to leave my office to arrange it!  And for those of you who are wondering, yes I have closed stuff out to TJMAXX and do when possible, but they don't always want everything……darn it all.

So all in all I was pleased – but the funny part, was that I was contacted by four or five other companies who saw my product on this one and wanted to do a promotion as well.  Some I am working with and others not, but I don't have stats to reveal yet as the programs have not all gone live.

If you are looking to do some promotions to get the word out about your product line and get some more national exposure, you might want to study and consider the options with some of these companies.

Mamapedia
Plumdistrict
Dealmoms

Your best deal
Kgbdeals
Kcrewards
Pdxrewards
Fox5rewards

If you've worked with others you like, please share with everyone!

Post a comment if you want direct connections!!

What is your call to action?

The first time someone asked me this, I looked at them like they were from Mars.  I seriously had no idea what they were talking about and this was only about 3 or 4 years ago.  After getting over my embarrassment, I got really excited about it and implemented one on my Simply Sarah website – Join our list, Get 25% off instantly.  Can I share how thrilled I was when we started to get a flood of orders using that discount code – it was about 7 per week – it was amazing. Once I got into it, I really understood the power of a good call to action.

Whether you are selling a product or a service, figuring out what will get your target market to buy from you is the key to success right?  This awesome list of suggestions from my Entreprenette experts covers ideas from free samples, try-it-out-samplers, discounts, how-to articles, and specific language to get someone to click now.

Post a screen shot of your call to action on my Facebook page!

As we approach NY fashion week next month, award shows and the holidays in general, Pop-up shops which are often popular become rampant…….and so do the solicitors who are looking to you to fill the available spots. I know, some of them are really good sales people and you are ready to sign on the dotted line right?   Are they worth it?  How much can I expect to make?  Is the celebrity really going to take a photo with it? What is it going to cost me? What's a girl to do?

I participated in a few of these back in the handbag days and I have to tell ya…….not a lot came of it.  I find that photos of celebs with your product are pretty useless with the media as they know it's a "forced photo" when they see the backdrop, and sales are usually low as most attendees are getting it for free.  Yes, you can use the photos on your website and in social media, but even boutique buyers are getting hip to the award show events and are not impressed with that type of celeb photo any longer.

Pop-up store fronts can be lucrative if the host can produce the people. But how do you know if they can?

I have put together a short list of questions you can ask the host or hostess prior to accepting to make the most educated decision possible. Don't forget, usually about 30% of the RSVP's actually show up!

This list is an assortment of questions you can ask about a celeb event or a regular pop up store front – just pick and choose what is relevant each.

1. Have you done this before?  (Or "Been in charge?" if an ongoing annual event)
2. How many guests do you expect?
3. How many Celebrities are you inviting?  How many RSVP'd?
4. Has the press been invited?  How many RSVP?
5. What were average sales last year?
6. Do all the celebs take photos with the products?
7. What kind of promotions are you doing for the event?
8. Can I bring an assistant?

Let me know if you have done a successful Pop-up and what the outcome was, and equally, LMK if you find some great new ones this year!