In today's media landscape, blogs are to communications what radio was in the 1920s and 30s, television in the 1940s and 50s, and newspapers in the 1960s and 70s, thus
requiring PR professionals to continuously evolve their pitching strategies. While senior executives often hover above the trenches where most pitching takes place, their junior
associates must be up on all strategies that produce results. Pitching blogs, though, can be uncharted territory.
Blogs are a new twist on traditional media channels, given their limitless audience, their forum for commentary and their element of citizen journalism. They can be a
perfectly targeted outlet for disseminating news or a trap that, once fallen into, is impossible to recover from. Given this dichotomy, the following are tips that can serve as a
roadmap for navigating the challenges of successfully pitching blogs.
- Do your homework: Yes, it is obvious, but that doesn't mean it isn't overlooked. PR professionals can't just send a mass mailing to bloggers in hopes that one or
two reputable ones will bite. Sites that are specific to the company's industry and target audience must be selected in advance and pursued accordingly, with great attention to
the subject matter and tone. Otherwise, not only do you risk being disregarded; worse, you could be fodder for ridicule if the story you pitched is off-base enough.
- Read commentary before you pitch: The comments section of any blog is indicative of its tone, readership and, quite frankly, relevance. Do people who post comments
just use the space as a platform for waxing poetic (or unpoetic) on a subject of their choosing? Do they offer thoughtful commentary, or are they unreasonably critical? The
online community is representative of both lucrative consumer groups and people who live in the margins of society. Don't get caught pitching to a blog that would invite
unfounded criticism.
- Develop a relationship with the blogger: Posting comments of your own, either to express interest or to engage in a dialogue, can help develop a relationship with the
blogger and become part of the community. Doing so will increase awareness for your own pitches.
- Keep vanity in mind: Bloggers often start blogging to hear themselves talk, so to speak; in other (kinder) words, they usually have a passion for a particular subject -
and a certain amount of expertise. PR practitioners should play to that passion and expertise, offering their material as a beneficial addition to the site and a good
conversation-starter among the blog's readers.
- Give a little, get a little: Send the product you are trying to pitch to bloggers of interest; if they really like it (or really hate it, which is a risk you must be
willing to take), chances are they will feature, or at least mention, it. Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide's vice president of interactive marketing, Rohit Bhargava,
notes that this is often frowned upon when pitching traditional media journalists, many of whom are not permitted to accept "gifts," but the same standards don't apply to
bloggers. It's not a bribe; it's an opportunity to try a product with full knowledge that the PR professional has no control over the review.
- Traditional media relations etiquette still applies: Be timely, be knowledgeable, be relevant, be professional.
Just as there is no fool-proof way to pitch traditional media journalists, the blogosphere is still somewhat of a wild west for PR practitioners looking to pitch a story or
product. But with a little research and legwork - not to mention a propensity for risk - communicators can reap the benefits of cyberspace's newest cash cow.