January 14, 2008
Do you know whom you are pitching?
Posted by Melanie Seasons under PR Resources, blogger outreach | Tags: blogger outreach, How to Pitch Bloggers, Online PP, Pitching Bloggers |There are just about a bizillion sites out there from PR and marketing folks outlining how to pitch bloggers. Most of them say something about researching the blog that you want to pitch, but they haven’t really gone further than telling you to get involved in the conversation or read a smattering of posts so you get a “feel” for the person with whom you would like to work. These are definitely musts, but it’s important to remember that a blogger lives online in more places than his or her blog, and when researching you must take this into consideration.
Blogging is platform for a two-way conversation on a two-way street. Bloggers know the importance of interacting with readers on their own blogs as well as interacting on others’. If you’re not researching his or her online presence, you’re only listening to one half of the conversation. What if the half of the conversation you’re not listening to is vehemently anti-PR?
To really gauge how a person may react to a pitch, we have to look beyond the blog. I wish that every blogger who didn’t want to be pitched had his or her wishes plastered on the About page or in a badge, but we can’t always be so lucky. When you’re building a list of people you think would be interested in your pitch, ask yourself these questions in addition to the traditional ones.
- Are you going after an active blogger or a fair-weather blogger?
If your blogger is very active online, chances are he or she has received a pitch before and will at least know the drill. If not, her or she may still be a good target, but you may have to explain the process a little more in-depth than if you introduce yourself to a veteran. - Is your blogger interacting only in the blogging community or are they active elsewhere?*
Is your blogger a Twitter or Facebook junkie? Keep it in mind, they may want to communicate by that platform. E-mail is a great introduction, but if you’re like me, you may just forget to answer every single one in a timely manner.*Please note that I am in NO WAY advocating online stalking. You can not stalk a blogger. That would be very very bad. You should just be aware of their network and how far it reaches. - How does your blogger interact online?
Is he or she cynical or critical? Is he or she part of a community that is characteristically anti-PR? Does he or she mention public relations anywhere (your agency or a competitor’s agency in a negative tone, even more specifically) online? These are giant red flags. Dig deeper. - Does your blogger comment on others’ blogs?
Over the summer, Stephen had an great post asking the question “How good a commenter are you?” Is your blogger a good commenter? (To check, Google “Posted by: <blogger name or screen name>” Should be easy to find, look in the comments of his or her own blog.) Has he or she commented on anything anti-PR on another site or on their own? This is a huge question. Think about all the bloggers that commented in agreement on Tom Coates’ anti-PR post on Flickr. That’s an automatic “Do Not Pitch” in my book. Make a note and move on. - Who are your blogger’s readers?
One of the best resources for list building a PR person can have is the blogger her or himself. Pay attention to your blogger’s comments on posts that were the result of pitches. Not only is this important for your client, but it’s a good opportunity for referrals. If your friendly blogger’s readers are asking in comments how they can participate in product reviews or receive pitches, I’d say that’s pretty much a free pass. Ask your friendly if it’s alright to pass on your contact info.
However you pitch, whether completely cold (which you should stop doing immediately) or with a quick introduction and an opt-in/opt-out clause (which you should always be doing), you have to know who you’re dealing with - and reading the last ten or so posts from the blogger isn’t going to cut it.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to be 100 percent certain how a blogger is going to react to hearing from you as a big bad PR person, but by asking these questions you will be as well prepared as possible.
January 14, 2008 at 11:50 am
As a journalist/blogger (or more so, a journalist who blogs) I have received many pitches from many people hoping that I’ll mention them. The really surprising thing is how many people don’t bother to even read my blog to see what or how I write.
The best advice is to do your homework! Isn’t that what we were told all those years? ;)
January 14, 2008 at 7:25 pm
One of the simplest, yet to informative “how to’s” in terms of pitching a blogger I’ve seen as of late. Good job. Pitching is a different ballgame these days. The mid to late 90’s days are long gone. No more can we take the shot gun approach. A sniper approach doesn’t work these days either. It’s more like a sniper approach with magic pixy dust.
But honestly, it’s back to basics…relationship building 101. That’s the only true way you’ll get coverage these days UNLESS you’re client has developed the cure for cancer or a way to stop Tom Brady.
January 15, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Don, if you don’t know about it already, read Common Sense PR. I am so surprised that more people don’t understand how easy digital PR can be.
The example I use most is: How would you feel if some random smiley person came up to you on the street, handed you a press release about a product and started spouting off how AMAZING and LIFE CHANGING it is? Bloggers are real people, and while we have to treat them with the respect of a journalist, we also have to talk to them like you would a friend or acquaintance.
Common sense :-)
January 20, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Hi Melanie,
This was a great post, especially for students. I’ve always felt the most difficult aspect of PR to learn is how to pitch, especially in the digital age.
Thanks for the great insight!
Take care,
Meg
January 22, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Hi Meg,
You have to treat people the way you want to be treated. I think traditional PR tends to brainwash its workers into thinking that their client’s product really *is* all the things the press release says it is, and a lot of the time that’s truly not the case. On top of pitching openly and honestly, we have to be honest with our clients about expectations. Unfortunately, even when you think they won’t, campaigns can fall flat.
Success can be a crap shoot, but pitching doesn’t have to be.
January 24, 2008 at 2:54 pm
This is an excellent post, Melanie. It’s really great to see such detailed recommendations. I’ve heard many people suggest taking the time to read through a bloggers archive and about page but this is the first time I’ve come across such a thorough approach.
I’ve done a lot of these things without thinking twice about them. Now, I have a checklist to keep me on track.
June 9, 2008 at 10:01 am
This is a great checklist. I have just started getting a 50% increase in pitches to my blog, and your advice is spot on. (I also pitch bloggers for my clients, so I’m always looking for new ideas - your “Posted by:” idea is brilliant in terms of background.)
Re: email pitches, most of them are decent, but rarely call out anything of note to let me know why they’re pitching ME. It’d be nice to think there was some thoughtful reasoning going on.
And, finally, I’m hearing more and more - via Twitter - that people don’t want to be pitched in email at all. If you can’t say it in 140 characters via Twitter, don’t bother.
Not THERE’s a new challenge…
June 30, 2008 at 11:53 pm
As a fairly new blogger myself, this was a very helpful article in my quest to eventually monetize my blog and to receive some of those PR pitches. It’s always good to go straight to the source!