When clients meet with Nicole Kaney, a Sarasota, Fla.-based wedding planner, they almost always come armed with dozens of photos they found on sites such as Style Me Pretty, Fab You Bliss, 100 Layer Cake, Destination I Do, The Oceanside Bride, and Every Last Detail.
“There’s no denying the influence of blogs,” Kaney said. “Brides are really paying attention to them.”
That’s why Kaney makes a concerted effort to get her work featured on the above blogs as frequently as possible.
“It’s instant credibility,” she said. “Every time I get published, it boosts my reputation.”
If you thought all it took to get posted was luck, try again. Every single wedding was submitted by one of the vendors.
Here are Kaney's tips to get your work in front of brides-to-be:
· Stay in touch with your bride’s other vendors, namely her planner and photographer. “If you notice, during the planning process, that you’re working on a really remarkable wedding, bring it up with the planner and photographer in advance,” Kaney said. This makes it easier to gather the necessarily details for submission than if you wait several weeks or months after the big day.
· Read the specific guidelines for each site. “You’ll achieve nothing if you send blanket submissions,” Kaney said. “Some sites want 10 photos; others, 25. Some want a personal story from the bride. Some just want a list of vendors.” Carefully reading the rules and tailoring your submission shows respect to the editor making decisions which weddings to pick, which ups your odds of publication.
· When you’re published, you’ll receive notification. When you do, promote it like crazy. Kaney immediately posts to her business Facebook page, Instagram account and website and tags all the other vendors, so it’ll show in their networks too. “Sometimes I’ll just go ahead and post it directly on their pages, rather than asking them to share it themselves,” she said. “It only takes a few more minutes and then you know your post is out in front of their followers.”
· Be persistent. “Don’t be discouraged if you get denied,” Kaney said. “I’ve had some truly amazing weddings get turned down. You just have to keep trying. Eventually you will get published.”
“There’s no denying the influence of blogs,” Kaney said. “Brides are really paying attention to them.”
That’s why Kaney makes a concerted effort to get her work featured on the above blogs as frequently as possible.
“It’s instant credibility,” she said. “Every time I get published, it boosts my reputation.”
If you thought all it took to get posted was luck, try again. Every single wedding was submitted by one of the vendors.
Here are Kaney's tips to get your work in front of brides-to-be:
· Stay in touch with your bride’s other vendors, namely her planner and photographer. “If you notice, during the planning process, that you’re working on a really remarkable wedding, bring it up with the planner and photographer in advance,” Kaney said. This makes it easier to gather the necessarily details for submission than if you wait several weeks or months after the big day.
· Read the specific guidelines for each site. “You’ll achieve nothing if you send blanket submissions,” Kaney said. “Some sites want 10 photos; others, 25. Some want a personal story from the bride. Some just want a list of vendors.” Carefully reading the rules and tailoring your submission shows respect to the editor making decisions which weddings to pick, which ups your odds of publication.
· When you’re published, you’ll receive notification. When you do, promote it like crazy. Kaney immediately posts to her business Facebook page, Instagram account and website and tags all the other vendors, so it’ll show in their networks too. “Sometimes I’ll just go ahead and post it directly on their pages, rather than asking them to share it themselves,” she said. “It only takes a few more minutes and then you know your post is out in front of their followers.”
· Be persistent. “Don’t be discouraged if you get denied,” Kaney said. “I’ve had some truly amazing weddings get turned down. You just have to keep trying. Eventually you will get published.”
