This a guest post from Eti Nachum, Co-Founder of BlogsRelease.

Planning an event can be a herculean task, with about a million things to worry about, from budgeting to booking speakers to marketing and more! There’s probably no way to make it a completely stress-free endeavour, but there are definitely ways to make it a little easier.

You can start by answering this simple question: have you invited bloggers to cover your event yet?

If not, you should seriously consider it!

Inviting bloggers boasts several advantages, including extra promotion of and valuable trust-building. Respected industry bloggers are regulars at conferences, expos, and summits; many marketers have caught on and are welcoming them with open arms.

Here are just five benefits of this partnership.

1. Enriching The Event

You can count on bloggers to be active participants in the event because they need to get as much information as possible to bring back to their readers. Furthermore, bloggers are industry experts in their own right and could contribute insight to discussions. This will turn into a rewarding experience for both the blogger and the speakers.

2. Exposure To New Audiences

Through your blogger guests you will discover a new target market you may not have thought of before. This can open new possibilities in your marketing efforts beyond the event. 77% of internet users read blogs – the potential benefits of tapping into this audience are staggering.

3. Credibility

Inviting a trusted influencer means that you are confident in your event and are happy to have bloggers give you their feedback. Furthermore, inviting coverage from a blogger improves your credibility with the public – the trust carries over and consumers will appreciate your openness.

4. Brand Awareness

It’s always good to increase brand awareness. The influencer you choose will likely have a sizeable following that will become newly aware of your brand once the blogger starts talking about it. Your name can spread quickly if you promote the blogger’s social media mentions as well.

5. Promotion

Speaking of promotion, when you invite a blogger you can ask him or her to help spread word of mouth before, during, and after the event on their social media channels (such as Twitter and Facebook) or their blog. This will be mutually beneficial as you will also share the blogger’s post to your network.

The catch about working with bloggers is that it’s all about the approach.

Influential bloggers are respected and are often considered experts in their field. Consider carefully what type of bloggers will fit your event best, and how you can capitalise on his or her coverage.

Just because a certain blogger is influential doesn’t mean they are right for your event. Consider niche bloggers as well. If you’re hosting an event on apps, a blogger who is dedicated to writing app reviews may be better than a writer from a large general tech site. A niche blogger can give you more coverage as well as access to the specific target audience you seek.

The Campaign

Once you’ve identified the types of bloggers you need, it’s time to think about how to reach them. A common mistake organizers make in blogger outreach is finding a list and sending a generic ‘come to this cool event!’ email to bloggers and hoping one or more will bite.

If you want quality coverage you need to a launch a thought-out and well-designed campaign.

Here is a bad campaign pitch:

Hi, we need bloggers to come to our awesome event. Email back if you’re interested!

This is an extreme example but it’s surprising how often marketers assume that’s all it takes. However, at this point it’s you that wants the bloggers to attend, not the other way around! Make the offer attractive and informative.

To design a good blogger campaign, start with the title. Think of how you would write a press release – you need something that is snappy and informative and lets bloggers know they’re welcome. And don’t forget to include an eye-catching photograph to compliment your headline. The text of a basic and effective campaign will look something like this:

Bloggers Invited! Awesome Conference 2015 Showcases the Latest Awesome Industry Innovations

Awesome Brand is hosting the annual Awesome Conference (link) from 10-13 September in Cool Venue, Cool City. Awesome Conference is dedicated to discussing awesome subject matter, the latest awesome innovations, and the chance for awesome industry professionals to meet and network. Some of our speakers this year include celebrated industry experts like Awesome Person A, Awesome Person B, and Awesome Person C.

We have limited passes available for bloggers to attend. We are primarily interested in bloggers from the awesome industry or equally cool field.

We ask that the bloggers who attend write a post about their experience and spread word of the event on their social media channels, especially on Twitter and Facebook. Bloggers will receive a free pass and a discount code for their readers!

Let us know ASAP if you’re interested!

The beauty is that all the relevant information is right there for the blogger to see. They now know when and where the event will take place, what the event is about, and what will be required of them. And don’t forget the link! Now they can make an informed decision and save both of you a lot of needless back and forth.

Once you’ve established the blogger will be attending, make sure to keep being attentive. Even if the blogger doesn’t enjoy the event, a positive experience with the people involved will keep them from being too negative.

Offer them assistance (by providing photographs for their posts, for example), answer their questions in a timely manner, and give them perks. For instance, provide the blogger with a discount code they can publicise on their blog, giving their followers 15% off the regular ticket price for the event. This has the added benefit of more promotion and the possibility of more ticket sales.

Relationships between events and bloggers, if approached correctly, are win-win scenarios. If you do your research, polish your pitch, and act like the perfect host, all the 5 benefits are within your grasp.

Interested in reaching the relevant influencers for your events? BlogsRelease is the #1 PR marketplace for brands to upload blogger review campaigns for products, events, and news.