5 Email Submission Mistakes that can leave you Feeling Foolish

{illustration by S Britt. Now's not the time to be clowning around!}

Since it's April Fool's Day, I thought it the perfect time to point out some simple emailing mistakes that I see coming through my inbox much more often than I'd like (don't worry, I'm sure I've made them all at one point too!) 

If you're emailing a blogger to be considered for an editorial write-up, a good first impression is key! So before you hit the ol' send button, make sure you're not going to be written off as an April Fool by making one of these blogger submission email faux-pas:

1. Don't forget your web address

It confuses me so when I get an email from someone who'd like me to write about their shop or advertise their shop on my blog, and they don't include a link to their business anywhere in the email. Yes, this does happen. All too often! (My goodness, I just got another one!)

I know it's a simple mistake, an easy one to make, but it's an even easier one not to make. In fact you should put a link to your website in your email signature. Do it right now if it's not there yet, please! Then, if you accidentally forget to mention your site upfront, it'll be right there waiting for us beneath your name. You did remember your name, right? :)

2. Make sure your website link is correct

You have your website address included, it's all linked up and ready to go. But is it headed to the right spot? Check! Double check!

I get too many emails from etsy shop owners in particular that mistype their web address as shop@etsy.com (there's no @ in a web address, peeps!) or shop.esty.com. Most bloggers don't have the time or inclination to figure out why your link isn't working. Make sure it's spelled correctly and leads people to the right place- make it easy for us to check out your shop!

3. Address the person you're emailing by the correct name

You read my blog submission tips (good job! :) and know how important it is to address a blog editor by name. But, if you're being a tad bit sneaky and copying and pasting the same email message to multiple bloggers (tsk tsk!) at least make sure to change the editor's name and blog name to the correct one, every time!

I don't want to receive a "Hi Grace, I love design*sponge and thought you'd like my_____" email when I'm Jena from Modish. Talk about an immediate turn off!

This is a mistake I've embarrassingly made before myself and believe me, it'll make you feel foolish indeed. Just don't get too quick on the send button, take time to review and make sure your sneakiness is well hidden if you're gonna go the copy/paste route.

4. Don't mask your submission inquiry as an advertising inquiry

Speaking of sneaky, I've recently been getting "Hi, I'd love to advertise on your site" emails that are really masquerades for "Hi, I'd love to be featured on your site for free" emails. Don't like those!

If your subject line is "advertising" and your email says you're interested in "advertising" then you're expressing interest in paying me to run an ad on my blog, right? Yet, I've had more than a few instances of figuring out ad availability and passing along the info only to hear back "Oh actually, I meant I was interested in having my shop featured on your blog. Would you consider writing about me?"

Submissions for features and advertising inquiries are not the same thing! I'm not sure if it's just vocabulary confusion or if people are being outright sneaky, but when it happens it makes me not want to write about you or have you as a sponsor. Just please be upfront. If you'd like to be considered for a feature, just say that!

5. Use the ol' spell checker

Spelling. Not so important in the grand scheme of life, but it's a nice thing to do correctly if you'd like to be seen as a professional business person. There are browser spell checkers and email spell checkers out the wazoo these days. There's really no excuse to have glaring spelling errors in your email, and it just leaves a bad impression.

And watch out for those homophones! You sell stationery, not stationary and you want me to have a peek at your site, not a peak at your site.

We all make mistakes, it's understandable and excusable, but it can leave your potential press contacts with a bad impression that you'll have to then work to correct. Just don't be too hasty, slow down before you hit send and make sure your first impression the best one possible! (And if all else fails, there's always gmail's new Undo Send feature. You just gotta be quick! :)

What emailing mistakes have you made that made you say, "D'oh!" afterward? And bloggers, any other frequent email oopsies you see coming through your inbox? Feel free to share in the comments below so we don't make the same mistakes!