Before you make your list of bloggers to approach, think about the kind of publicity you want to get. Do you want to get your product reviewed? Do you want to be seen as an expert by others in your industry? Do you want to be mentioned in a blog that’s widely read by your target customers, by potential business colleagues or by influential people in your industry? You may want all, or just some of these things.
- Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or in real life more than six months in advance of pitching a blogger
- Be clear and engaging. Don’t use jargon. Get someone outside the business to read through your release to make sure it makes sense and it’s interesting.
- At networking events, make an effort to build relationships with bloggers.
- Follow up by calling them a couple of days later to see if they’re using it, but do it under the pretext of seeing if they need any additional information.
- Understand your demographic and focus on getting press where they can be found.
- Talk to the people in your space and use the industry vertical sites or blogs that only those folks read regularly.
- Always, always, always keep your angle in mind. Always ask yourself: What is the story here and why would the reader of this publication want to hear about it?
- Call ahead and pitch a story, if you’re showcasing your product at a local event or other major event typically covered by the news. Otherwise bloggers just walk the aisles and randomly choose businesses to speak with.
- Answer the obvious questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How and So What
- Bloggers are always eager for statistics, surveys and reports. Make them available
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