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 shirt
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’ll blog about it anyway. Which isn’t to say that freebies aren’t nice, but my favorites are tokens of appreciation for something I’ve 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.
P.S. 20 points if you can spot the reference to The Prisoner without looking it up!
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Ya damn right Joe, damn right!
We want information.
Thanks for hearing from you
I think I have one golden rule, if I like it, I blog about it.
But even if I think is an ok shirt or shop, I still might blog about it depending on how the people are who are promoting it. The more they look like nice people who want to create a happy world by selling shirts, the bigger chances are I actually blog about it.
20 points for Colin!
Sjors: It’s good to hear from you
You pretty much summed up how I feel, too! I just wanted to elaborate a little bit 
Very interesting read. I share Sjors’ golden rule. I only talk about what I like
a great topic Joe. i totally agree with you. stuff to keep in mind when my tees (and website) are ready.
This is nicely written. I’ll link that post up on occasion.
I blog shirts pretty much randomly, but always based on some hard to define ‘goodness’ factor. Mostly it will just be stuff that I would buy, or that I know friends would wear.
Getting free stuff rules though - I got a free WordPress shirt a few weeks back and still get a warm fuzzy glow when I log on to wp-admin.
Oh, and we want information.
Thanks alot for posting this.
Not a problem, Bill! I’m just glad that people seem to be getting something valuable out of it.
Very nice article. As I have recently started my own little t-shirt venture, I am sure your advice will come in handy, cheers!
cheers mate some sound advice
Good post, I run multiple t-shirt shop and multiple blogs so I’ve seen both sides of the game and it takes a lot of effort to keep up on things!
Hey Joe,
Really good post. I think building good relationships with other people is a really good point. Whether you’re a blogger or a designer/entrepeneur we all love good t-shirts and its worth getting to know each other. Plus we each rely on each other for cool stuff, entertainment and income.
Great post!
Andrew.
That’s an excellent post Joe, so useful and informative. Thanks!
Thank you for this informative article. I’m a young person starting my own t-shirt venture, and I really appreciate the insight. I’ve been looking around at t-shirt blogs trying to figure out who would be most interested in my designs, and how to get them to them in an orderly fashion. This article was a gem. Thanks, again!
- Nick Steimling
You’re welcome, Nick! That’s why I wrote it
hey, can i link u on my site together w/ a review of ur blog?
Wow Joe all I have to say is this is a brilliant and informative article. thanks alot man I’ve learned so much from reading it. Keep up the great work bye.
Joe, I appreciate the rules of engagement. I just found this link from Andy over at Hide your arms and he has this listed as a must read in the about column. Really like how you mapped it out and made every step easy to understand. I love your work, keep it going.
Hello Joe, I have read your article with interest and all this is new to me.Which now prompts me to tell you about :official-fa-q.com It has taken four years to come to fruition after wearing out shoes trying to sell on the streets and markets.”THE ART OF PLAYING WITH WORDS” is the slogan which reflects the site and shirts and we believe are refreshingly different and will stimulate comment.They are called “pol-tees” made from highest quality cotton and embroidered.There is nothing offensive and the range is from humorous to political so they can be worn smart or casual.P.S.I must be getting old but I could not find the reference to the prisoner.Dave
But I like robots!
We like robots, too! But we don’t enjoy being treated like one.
Yeah same here with the robot love but I guess Joe is right. Don’t treat them like robots. That’s a no no. On a side note where can I find some robots?
Robot t-shirts: http://hideyourarms.com/2008/01/14/45-more-robot-tees/
Thanks Joe.
Not Robot shirts but more like custom robot toys. I got this idea that’s why I’m asking.
Huh, I don’t know about custom robot toys… but I’m sure you can find vinyl robot toys at places like Giant Robot, Missing Link, Munky King, etc. If you’re interested in getting some vinyl toys made, I’m not sure who you should contact, but a search for ‘custom vinyl toys’ does turn up some promising-looking links. Good luck!
That’s weird, why does it says “Anonymous” when I’ve filled in all my info? (Anybody)
No idea. Maybe try clicking ‘logout’ and then re-entering it? Although it seems to be working now, strangely enough… I’ll add it in to your ‘anonymous’ comments manually.
Thanks Joe I’ll check those out right now.
As you are talking about robots what about a best of,worst of robot on a t-shirt
I make kick ass robot tees, among other things. Check it yo. http://www.raygunrobyn.com
Hello! I liked your blog and benefited from your posts. I’ll be very interested in your further posts. Thanks.
Thanks Joe for all of the tips. I’m just starting out on the t-shirt blogging thing and found your thoughts very useful.