How to pitch to bloggers
Carrie Musch
Blogs have created valuable opportunities for the public relations discipline. They allow PR professionals to communicate with target publics in a unique way. Professionals who participate in online conversations engage their publics and are in a better position to influence them.
So, how do you get bloggers to blog about your client? Follow these four rules and you’ll be a blog superstar.
Be blog worthy. Bloggers have little tolerance (even lower than journalists) because their thoughts aren’t edited. Attracting a blogger is easy if you’re behind a great company or product.
Know your blogger. Your pitch must be relevant to the blog, which means researching more than just the title of the blog. The best way to determine whether your pitch will be a good fit is to subscribe and get involved. This will also help you make connections before you need them. Ogilvy PR’s Web site has a collection of feeds from some of the most influential blogs out there. Linking IS the sincerest form of flattery.
Be persistent. E-mails are received and forgotten. Respectfully send follow-up e-mails to get a conversation going. Don’t be offended if a blogger isn’t receptive to your first pitch. Keep subscribing to their blog and you’re sure to be successful at another pitch.
Schwag is good. Schwag for bloggers is a great marketing investment. Bloggers don’t make a lot of money from their blogging efforts so gifts can go a long way. You can’t buy bloggers, but you can give them an excellent opportunity to post a photo with some honest commentary, which is why the first rule is so important.
Carrie Musch
Blogs have created valuable opportunities for the public relations discipline. They allow PR professionals to communicate with target publics in a unique way. Professionals who participate in online conversations engage their publics and are in a better position to influence them.
So, how do you get bloggers to blog about your client? Follow these four rules and you’ll be a blog superstar.
Be blog worthy. Bloggers have little tolerance (even lower than journalists) because their thoughts aren’t edited. Attracting a blogger is easy if you’re behind a great company or product.
Know your blogger. Your pitch must be relevant to the blog, which means researching more than just the title of the blog. The best way to determine whether your pitch will be a good fit is to subscribe and get involved. This will also help you make connections before you need them. Ogilvy PR’s Web site has a collection of feeds from some of the most influential blogs out there. Linking IS the sincerest form of flattery.
Be persistent. E-mails are received and forgotten. Respectfully send follow-up e-mails to get a conversation going. Don’t be offended if a blogger isn’t receptive to your first pitch. Keep subscribing to their blog and you’re sure to be successful at another pitch.
Schwag is good. Schwag for bloggers is a great marketing investment. Bloggers don’t make a lot of money from their blogging efforts so gifts can go a long way. You can’t buy bloggers, but you can give them an excellent opportunity to post a photo with some honest commentary, which is why the first rule is so important.
No comments:
Post a Comment