A few years back TechCrunch published what I consider to be The Blueprint for approaching bloggers – and these tips still resonate. Brian Solis, the author of the post, is back in the news with his new book about social marketing, Engage. Here are 3 of his tried-and-true tips that ring most true for me:
- You’re not the only story in town!
In the post Solis states: “You send me an unsolicited press release as a “story idea”, and I write a new spam filter / auto-delete rule.” We see this now more than ever. My recommendation: Pitch very selectively and intimately know your targets interests, or you will be blocked. And don’t send them a press release unless they ask for it. - Pick the Right Person to connect with the blogger
Bloggers are not your average journalists, some, like Michael Lamoureux, blogger of Sourcing Innovation, is a PhD in computer science. His view: “A PR person who thinks Java is what you drink when you wake up…is probably not the right person to be reaching out to the doctor.” Be sure you have the right person pitching your key bloggers, especially if they need to go deep on technology or industry specifics, essential for establishing credibility. - No Two Bloggers are Created Equal
And this, from Solis: “Relationships are cultivated and should be mutually beneficial as dictated by the extra time the PR team takes to personalize and package the story and align it with their workflow.” Bloggers respect you more when they understand you are targeting them, and not just blasting some cookie-cutter pitch out to a massive list. Kind of like customers.
About The Author:
George Robertson, Media Strategist at Corporate Ink
Going on his sixth year at Corporate Ink, George Robertson is a media pro – driving killer placements every week in the pubs our clients care most about. He’s the insider’s insider when it comes to security and health care.
