Ah the moment when you wake up and check your phone to see 50+ emails in your inbox – for a blogger, it can be  equivalent to Christmas morning. More emails = more opportunities and when you depend on your blog for your income (or to pay half your rent), you live for checking and answering your inbox promptly.

So you answer a few exciting opportunity-driven emails as quickly as you read and agree upon the requirements. Maybe you sign a contract here or establish your willingness to post including X, Y, and Z on behalf of the brand via written email text. And then you wait for that product delivery & mentally plan the date you’ll be posting in the meantime.

But then a week or two goes by without a word or update via the brand rep that initially contacted you. You begin to wonder if there was a tracking or delivery issue & email for a status – because you planned this post around the many others you’re working on, for other brands. Therefore, you’d like to have an idea when you can plan to do your job.

ANOTHER WEEK OF RADIO SILENCE…

You’ve officially been “ghosted” by the brand – in other words, purposely ignored or lost in the disorganized shuffle of whoever’s job it is on the other end to answer you back.

You’re pissed and frustrated, naturally – you’re trying to schedule your month in advance with multiple brands looking to work with you. They all have demands and you’re trying to do your best to make everyone happy; except you’re left getting the short end of the stick here…

TAKE A BREATH. YOU’RE NOT ALONE. THIS HAPPENS..

More often than not this happens to bloggers that work with brands with a large contact list of its own. However, it’s important not to lose your cool and remind yourself to play devil’s advocate when handling a situation like this; Especially if the brand “ghosting” you is one you’ve been eager to work with and hope to continue a partnership with down the road.

HOW DO YOU GET THEM TO EMAIL YOU BACK?

 SEND A FRIENDLY REMINDER EMAIL

Sometimes it genuinely is a mistake and your email may have gotten lost the first time around. So it’s important to begin and end the email in a friendly manner, rather than accusatory. I like to include !’s and sign off with my signature “xx” to keep the conversation light while still asking about the status of whatever I’m expecting to receive.

REPLY TO THE ORIGINAL EMAIL CHAIN

When sending your friendly update email above, it’s important to send it as a response to the brand’s original email & your original response to it. This allows the content of the brand’s original email to show up below in a thread and might help to remind the brand of the agreement you both made.

WHEN APPLICABLE, CLICK “REPLY ALL”

This allows your friendly update email to be sent not only to the person who originally contacted you but also to anyone else that was included in the prior email on the brand’s end as well. Most often this gets a response quickly on the brand’s end; someone more senior is often included in the original email and will see the delay in collaboration if you include them in your friendly email reminder.

SEND (2) FRIENDLY REMINDERS A FEW DAYS APART

During the first week, send 2 reminder emails (keeping them friendly) 3-4 days apart. If you still don’t receive a response from the brand, then you might want to consider replying one final time in a more serious, but business-professional manner; most importantly, if a contract was signed then you definitely want to address the lack of response on the brand’s end.

SIGN OFF ON THE BRAND, PROFESSIONALLY

Let’s remind ourselves that we’re not trying to “get even” but it is important to stand up for yourself as a brand and business person. Unfortunately sometimes big brands “flake” on you and don’t give you a reason for it, so you have to mentally decide if this is something you want to bring up now or put to bed for a little while. You never know, sometimes they can get back to you down the road and a new rep is the contact. That’s happened to me before.

But if you feel like you we’re taken advantage of, with your time and energy planning for nothing, then you should make it clear to the brand that you aren’t satisfied with the inquiry service they provided and won’t be interested in working with them down the road. It can be an awkward email to send but for the reputation of yourself as a blogger, you should defend yourself when you see fit.

Here’s an example of something I would send:

Hi (Name of Brand Rep),

Due to the lack of response on your end, I will no longer be planning to schedule any content surrounding your initial inquiry. My time and editorial calendar availability is extremely limited, as well as my willingness to work with disorganization. I’m disappointed this opportunity did not work out but I must focus on my other clients’ that are more on-top of their contact lists & inbox deliveries. Thank you for understanding.

(Your Name)

The important thing that brands should remember is that bloggers talk, and poor communication is something many of us strive to stay away from. Your time is valuable, and so are your networking techniques, which is why it’s important to stay professional while respecting your reputation and defending it maturely when necessary.

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