The Damn, I Wish I Thought of That! blog asked an interesting question: Q. How do we STOP a blogger from writing about us?
The answer: Send them a canned pitch from your PR firm.
These pitches are instant turn-offs to bloggers. We get them every day. And we never write about these companies again.
Getting bloggers talking about you is a good way to spread the word. But the old-line PR approach of blasting out a snowstorm of press releases is counterproductive.
I get dumb, off-point, misdirected, press releases every day. Just about 100% of them are from PR people who clearly have never read one word of my blog. I think most bloggers have that experience and quickly develop a deep disdain for clueless PR people and their irrelevant press releases.
So if you want to get a blogger's attention (including me), try these things:
- Read the blog. Just a few posts will tell you what their topic is. You'd be amazed how many PR people clearly have no idea what my blog is about and send me insanely off-topic stuff. You'd think the name of the blog would clue them in to the fact that I'm not likely to post about new games or banking services.
- Read the blog policy if they have one. (Here's mine.) This will tell you even more about what the blogger cares about and is likely to respond to.
- Be part of the conversation. Actually discuss your topic with the blogger. You'll quickly find out whether what you're pushing is a no go, or what it might take to make the blogger pick up the story. It would help to be a recognizable name from the blogger's comments.
- Don't send a press release at all. Most bloggers take that as a clear sign that you're irrelevant.
- Most important: Do something worth talking about.
