How To Get Your Cool T-Shirts Reviewed by a T-Shirt Blog

April 10, 2013 By Jon 48 Comments

Of course, there are never any guarantees. But speaking from my own experience (as both a t-shirt blogger and a t-shirt entrepeneur), here are some things to keep in mind when you get in touch with a t-shirt blog about your own awesome t-shirt designs:

1) Most of us don’t get paid for this.

We do it for fun! We can’t review everything, and we can’t like everything. There are a lot of t-shirt blogs out there, and each blogger has different tastes. We Bonanziers happen to prefer images over text, and we don’t really go for the whole streetwear thing. But that’s just us! So how should you know which bloggers to contact? Read their blog! See what they like. Getting a feeling for what a blogger likes and their style of communication will help you immensely.

Another side of not getting paid for t-shirt blogging is that it competes for our free time, so emails can sometimes slip through the cracks. If you don’t receive a reply, don’t take it personally! You might as well try emailing again with a friendly, personal reminder. (Sjors at Shirtlog definitely wants to hear from you.)

2) We want information.

Just saying Hey, check out these cool new tees! doesn’t pique my interest as much as some interesting factoids about you, your company, your vision, whatever. It’s not that I want to publish what you tell me word for word, it’s that if I like your work, I’ll probably want to know more about you! On the other hand, some blogs will publish a brief blurb that you send them, so figuring that out before you contact a t-shirt blog is a good idea. (Both iloveyourtshirt and shirt2 often publish short company-provided blurbs.)

3) Imitation is boring.

This has two implications: I see a lot of t-shirts, and if what you’re doing doesn’t set itself apart in some way, I’m less inclined to give it a second thought. I also read a lot of t-shirt blogs (last I checked, I’m up to 50 feeds), and we like to be original and unique, too! So when you contact us, if you offer us something special (like some extra information that you didn’t give to other people, and advance notice of something ahead of everybody else, a unique coupon code, etc.) we’re more likely to shower you with praise. (Adam talks about the problem of duplicate content on t-shirt blogs over at HipHipUK.)

4) Free t-shirts aren’t golden rings.

That is, offers of free gear don’t guarantee you a review (with me, at least). I only enjoy writing about things I like, and I only enjoy wearing t-shirts that I like, so if you want to send some free swag over this way, that’s great! But if I like what you’re doing, I’l blog about it anyway. Which isn’t to say that freebies aren’t nice, but my favorites are tokens of appreciation for something Ive written about in the past. Just make sure you’re not pouring all your profits into free things for others! (Andy’s policy at Hide Your Arms* is to review any samples sent to him.)

5) We aren’t robots.

We have feelings! When I get an email for a t-shirt review request, I like to see my name and something indicating that you’ve read my blog. If I feel like I’m just some free advertising for your company, I don’t feel very happy. So build a relationship with t-shirt bloggers. Leave comments on their posts with your own opinion, or a question, or something interesting and/or insightful. If you enter a website in the URL field when you leave a comment here, chances are I’ll check it out and maybe even blog about it before you contact me. (Last I checked, Rangga at Tshirt Island wasn’t a robot.)

Well, that’s about it from me… I know other t-shirt bloggers have guides with advice on getting your t-shirts reviewed (like Tcritic’s), so you should look for one of those before contacting them. About and Contact sections often have relevant info as well that can also help you start a conversation; because a genuine conversation is infinitely better than a press release and an attached picture.

Originally posted by Joe at Fantastic Bonanza. This is copied from his original post on his blog

I also wanted to add that after you’ve become friends with these bloggers reward them for their hard work. Something as simple as a pair of glasses or and handwritten thankyou note will go along way.

Filed Under: Advertising, Marketing

Thread's not Dead: The Designer’s Guide to the Apparel Industry. Start your own clothing company and become the next Mark Ecko, Obey, or Johnny Cupcakes! Learn how to dominate the graphic tee business and become the next legendary t-shirt designer. Live the dream! This is the most extensive book written about the subject and is a must have for any clothing entrepreneur trying to make it big.



Shopify is perfect for beginners and experts alike. You don't need to have any technical or design experience to easily create a beautiful online store. Simply choose a stylish ecommerce website design, easily customize your online store, add products, and you're pretty much ready to accept payments.


Related Posts

  1. Do’s And Don’ts: Getting Your T-Shirts Reviewed
  2. How to promote your blog posts
  3. How I became one of the top online t-shirt companies by being a nice guy
  4. Selling Tee Shirts Through Social Networking
  5. Top 20 T-Shirt Blogs

Connect with us

Email Newsletter

Like this post? Sign up to receive email updates and get the latest posts from How to start a clothing company.

  • http://blog.fantasticbonanza.com Joe

    That dude is me! I do hang out at Emptees, and I used to hang out at T-ShirtForums. I originally posted this on my blog here: http://blog.fantasticbonanza.com/2007/08/17/how-to-get-your-cool-t-shirts-reviewed-by-a-t-shirt-blog/

    Glad you liked it! Based on the positive response from other bloggers, I think it’s a pretty good overview.

  • http://tshirtspotters.com Bryan

    Great post. Lots of good info. Thanks.

  • http://www.lintyfresh.com Eric Terry

    Thanks for this info. I think it’s natural to assume that the best way to get your name out there is to mail a bunch of free tees to these bloggers, but as I eventually learned (and as you mentioned here), it’s really important to build relationships with these folks first, and see if they even dig your stuff. If it’s not their thing, you’re throwing away money!

  • http://blog.fantasticbonanza.com Joe

    I guess I could add a 5.5 to my own list… a pet peeve of mine is when people leave a comment with an ‘SEO name’ that links to their website, like if I left a comment with the name ‘The Best T-Shirt Blog Ever’ instead of ‘Joe’.

    And I’m glad you liked the post, Bryan and Eric!

  • http://www.joewasserman.com Joe Wasserman

    New website is looking sleek!

  • Pingback: Giant list of T-shirt blogs and T-shirt rating sites | How to start a Clothing Company

  • http://www.miniworks.com Victor Barreira

    Jon, great info, I just started my own brand, and have been searching for insight or advice, I will definitely go thru all your website pages.
    Thanks for helping guys like me

  • http://t-shirt-connoisseur.blogspot.com ph0enix1211

    I am happy to review & write about any upstart designer’s tees @ http://t-shirt-connoisseur.blogspot.com

  • Pingback: How I became one of the top online t-shirt companies by being a nice guy | How to start a Clothing Company

  • http://workingonthat Suzanne

    Hi Jon, My sister’s a starving artist -almost literally. She is extremely talented and clever. She and I have been best friends and college, and lifetime roommates. It has always been my dream to help her achieve hers. I married well, so I am in a position to help her get started but not sure how money would be best spent. I came across this article when searching the net for advise on t-shirt mark-ups to retail stores. I’ve never been a blogger but it sounds like a great way to get known if you have very clever ideas. Which, Cheri, my sister does.
    Background Cheri is a graphic artist, divorced mother of 3 children, one who is Autistic. She struggles daily to make ends meet but continues to produce the most clever and marketable work I have ever seen. If there is any way you can help me get her work out there I would greatly appreciate it. Short of that I’ll take any advise about printing, marketing, anything. Thanks so much in advance for any help you can lend.

  • http://publicwear.com.com Alex

    Hey Jon, Thanks for your article.

    It was good to see the point of view from a blogger. I have been struggling to get my own T-Shirt website (http://publicwear.com) recognised, it has been moving slowly a lot but I was curious if you had some comments or suggestions for you me?

    I realise there are some really good websites out there. I guess I am in still in the amateur space but hopefully soon I will be moving on up.

    Anyways, I would greatly appreciate any comment you might have on my site.

    Thanks,

  • http://www.projectaapparel.com Dualta

    Thanks for the help, Iv made a few mitakes by just sending out press releases but do love hearing from bloggers. Thanks again!

  • http://Dir-T-Shirt.com Scott

    I just wanted to say thank you for this information. I have been working on starting up my site and have been investigating ways to get it noticed. I think we have a great brand idea and it is just a matter of getting noticed. With this information, I will be able to get the word out. The best though, based on your advice, is getting to know the bloggers, what they like and their style. In doing this you gain tons of valuable information that they write about that will help me in my t-shirt biz. Thanks!

  • Alan

    This information is sooooo useful! I’m soo stoked to start up my own company, and coming from a past of trial and errors, I’m trying my best to learn as much as i can so i wont encounter many of those situations. This article is great, and is defiantly bookmarked :) !

    Thanks Jon!!

  • Pingback: Just starting out? - Ask for help, the right way » Assault Blog

  • Regie

    Thank u so much for this post,its so useful in many ways i cant imagine…
    My name is Regie and i co-own a local clothing company in Bandung, Indonesia named Koffka.
    Me n three other owners have set up the company since 2005 by designing and producing a clothing line which consists of t-shirts,sweaters,jackets,dresses mostly for girls/young adults but also have some products for guys as well(for now,but hopefully a full clothing line as we’re still developing) and we’ve been able to set up our own shop in Bandung and now working on expanding our business overseas.To be honest we’re still developing our website n we target it to run sometime this year.
    I’ve personally been wanting to know how a product in this case t-shirts are able to be reviewed by t-shirts blogs and after reading this post it has helped me answer so many questions.
    Once again thanks Jon for this wonderful post. :)

  • http://www.a7ly.com William

    I rarely comment on blogs but yours I had to stop and say Great Blog!!

  • http://stilltocome amalia

    jeez jon,

    i m a 20 years old trying to real make in this kind of art.i almost gave up my thoughts of a t-shirt label till i read this,.what a great blog

  • Pingback: How I Became One Of The Top Online T-Shirt Companies By Being A Nice Guy : Tee Biz

  • http://www.stompt.net Monica

    Thank you so much for this article. My sister found your site and told me about it and I have been reading every article. I just wanted to tell you I really appreciate all the info!

  • http://www.jonathankruse.com Jon Kruse

    No problem Monica, thanks for the kind words.

  • http://diesellaws.com Diesel Laws

    Cool info. Good to know that not all of the t-shirt bloggers are robots! Except for R2D2 reviewing shirts, humans are A-OK!

    Looking forward to reading some more on your website and getting to know you.

    Regards,

    Diesel Laws

  • Pingback: How To Get Your Cool T-Shirts Reviewed By A T-Shirt Blog : Tee Biz

  • Pingback: Do’s And Don’ts: Getting Your T-Shirts Reviewed | How to start a Clothing Company

  • http://na Tom McGee

    Thank you for the advice! Great article full of honesty, goodwill and rock solid advice. You’re a good man.

    May your business be blessed!

    Tom

  • http://www.zombiewear.co.uk ZombieWear

    Really helpful post, thanks – not enough tshirt co posts on the net

  • http://www.buyatshirtonline.com sandra

    Hi Joe,
    I happen to see your blog by chance and what i read there , i got stuck there for hours reading your posts and liked a lot waht i read.
    Recently i have started my online store http://www.buyatshirtonline.com and would appreciate if you could take some time out and review the site.
    Any sort of suggestions and advice is welcome.

    Thanking you in advance

    Sandra

  • http://www.soloadcentral.com Doctor Wojtkowski

    Introducing Our NEW Internet Marketing Service!

  • http://thecimiflychronicles.com/ cimifly

    #4 and #5 are very important and essential. I wont wear what i dont like, so branding is very important. before putting a tshirt line out there make sure you poll you friends or strangers about you brand and designs. they are going to be the ones buying it not you. with #5, no one like to feel like a statistic, so get personal people, it sure does make me feel special regardless of whether or not it was your intent to do so.

    this site has beem quite helpful for my tshirt line which in in the works.

  • jonkruse

    Polling your friends and random strangers doesn't always work. I feel like so many times there are soo many people that say they love your stuff and want it just because they are your friends or because you are the one showing them your shirts. Just take their opinion with a grain of salt.

  • Rob

    Hi Jon,

    Nice article. It seems as though most of your points would be common sense or at least common courtesy. Then again maybe not. I do think that stating you all are not robots may be a little general. I remember a poetry professor in college who may have passed as a robot. :-)

    Cheers,
    Rob

  • http://www.polooutlet-store.net Polooutlet

    this article very good,i like it

  • Gustavo Ureña (LulaxCave.com)

    This gave me slot to chew on. I'm looking for ways to promote my brand in a cleaner way and getting a review I think is the most honest way to do it. Thank you so much for this post. You gave me lots of tools to work with. Gracias!

  • Drfigwood

    Great article. I needed this.

  • http://www.mychristiant.com christian clothing

    Thank you.  I would try the steps you gave.

  • http://www.issieishiyama.com/ Issie Ishiyama

    great advice again. but I don’t get the bloggers “and we don’t really go for the whole streetwear thing.” comment…great t-shirts come from all different target markets.

  • Pingback: Get more traffic with less work | How to start a Clothing Company

  • Istephjohn

    Great read. I have been reading lots of your stuff. Thank you

    @lushmayhem

  • http://www.beltsbucklestees.com/ Jason@BeltsBucklesTees

    Great blog, And great steps on how to do things, thanks for sharing 

  • Daniel19

    My name is Daniel Ennis I’m 23 yrs old, I want to thank you for all of the infomation that you have given me, I am trying to start my own clothing line and needed a few pointers on how to go about it, I really think I’m on to something special with my designs and train of thought where I want this experience to take me,thank you again for your time, and would really appreciate if u could help me further my email adress is [email protected] thanking you, Daniel Ennis.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=618970084 Bee Juiceey

    I’ve read all the 10 Articles that Every Entrepreneur Should Read, and I love it! Thanks for giving me so much insight! I was really lost on where to start, when, and how ect. Now I feel enlightenend. :) Thank You so much for all the helpful information. Although my business is far from taking off and I have a long way to go, I now have more information on the whole process.

  • Percy

    I definitely agree. I have just started my own line and slowly building up to my launch. I just started out with a few shirts with a design that had a meaning behind it. Many of my friends were intrigued and many supported. But there were some friends who seemed extra excited about getting a shirt but never really showed interest quickly after. 

    Maybe I can be even a little more aggressive, but I’d hate to feel like a salesman.

  • http://twitter.com/LA_Roberts_NYC Chad L.A. Roberts

    Great advice! A lot is about due diligence, which is something we all should do from inception but often times get lazy or take the importance of creating a relationship with the blogger for granted. Thanks for the reminder! @LA_Roberts_NYC:disqus 

  • Joey

    Thank you for this blog…helped me a lot.  I have been doing a lot of research on my own, but this has consolidated all my research efforts.  Super helpful!

  • jonkruse

    Blogs are free. There are sites like thrillest and others that have brought me hundreds of sales. You aren’t going to succeed by listening to other people talk about how to get traffic and then say it won’t work without even giving an ounce of effort.

  • jonkruse

    I understand where you are coming from but all these blogs have a different niche. Your shirts just might not be what their audience is into. You’ll find blogs that fit your style.

  • Rekha Srivatsan

    Awesome!

  • Bebe J.

    Thank You for this. I am a young woman whom is a wardrobe stylist and I started a T-Shirt company “Rare Necessity” which will expand later on in the future. I tool a loss with my first design “Cool A$$ Chick” and I am a bit devastated at the fact that I loss money in that deign. my website is http://www.rarenecessity.bigcartel.com and my instagram is rare_necessity I do not know how I am going to get rid of the shirts that I have now but I will get rid of them. My other designs i only do through pre-orders for business purposes.