5 Ways Retailers Can Effectively Work With Mommy Bloggers

• Timing: Allow three weeks to four weeks for the mommy blogger to post her review and giveaway from the time she receives your product. Allow another two weeks to three weeks for the review and giveaway to remain live on her website.
• Giveaway winners: Let your mommy bloggers know if the giveaways are open only to U.S.-based winners. You'll be responsible for shipping prizes to the giveaway winners, so consider that the rates to ship goods internationally are much higher.
• Inclusions: Provide mommy bloggers with the link to your website, professional product shots, video links, your logo and key messages you'd like them to include in their reviews.
• FTC guidelines: Mommy bloggers have FTC guidelines that they must follow, chief among them is full disclosure. Mommy bloggers must let their readers know that you sent her a free product and that she wasn't required to write a positive review. And speaking of positive reviews, never, ever mess with a mommy blogger's opinion. It's always her own.

Wendy Hirschhorn, "The Mommy Blogger Whisperer," is CEO of Wendy's Bloggers, a bridge for brands to create valuable relationships with influential mommy bloggers and their followers. Wendy can be reached at wendy@wendysbloggers.com.