It’s not the same old, same old when it comes to pitching company news stories to the new media, especially bloggers. Pitching stories to bloggers demands a new way of doing business with a style all its own.
Build a List of Blogs and Bloggers
First and foremost, search the net for blogs and bloggers that fit the company’s media profile and then make a bloggers list similar to a media list.
Building relationships is important in all areas of business, but especially so when working with the media, including the blogosphere. There are net tools that can be used to setup alert lists of bloggers and blog entries on topics related to the company.
To build a relationship with a set of topic related bloggers, watch their blog for a few days or weeks to see how they cover industry news and topics. Possibly start small by making short comments without any spin on certain posts. It would be a great idea to start providing selected bloggers with resources for them to use in their posts.
Two not-to-dos, do not snub bloggers and do not manipulate bloggers.
Pitching to Bloggers
Andrew Lark, a blogger and blog workshop instructor, developed several suggestions for pitching a story to bloggers including:
- Tailor the pitch- don't use standard pitches.
- Don’t post the pitch to the blog, instead send it in an email.
- Invite the blogger to look at the company’s online site, but do not send a link.
- Read the blog on a regular basis.
Darron Rowse, from ProBlogger offers the following for pitching to bloggers (these are just a few of the 21 tips he has developed):
- Personalize the pitch, don't use auto generated pitches.
- Get the details right before sending the pitch.
- Know the blogger and his or her blog.
- Keep the pitch short and simple.
- Be polite.
- Give an exclusive.
- If the company has a blog, mention it to the blogger being pitched.
Blogs are a Proven Viable News Resource
Working with new media has some similarities to working with traditional media such as targeting the right bloggers, getting to know the bloggers and what they blog about and what their writing style is, getting to the message quickly and getting the details right the first time. The differences include keeping the pitch short, simple, and conversational. It also helps to really know the blogger by reading their blog often and then custom writing the pitch for each blogger.
While bloggers are not journalists, their importance to today’s net-based world is vital. The new media is the hot media. Find bloggers that are related to the company’s industry and start building good solid relationships- it will be beneficial to the company and the blogger.
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