As much influence as new media has on our society, it still kinda baffles me that blogs are sometimes treated as the bottom feeders of media.

I often field questions from entrepreneurs that are completely awestruck at the possibility that their product can adorn the pages of a glossy magazine. Or, I see the stars swirl around in their eyes that, maybe…just maybe….one day….they could share their sage wisdom with Meredith Viera and the Today Show audience.

But when I talk about using blogs to publicize their business, they look at me like I’ve just handed them poop on a stick.

“What’s wrong?” I say.

Oh, I’ve had a bunch of blogs cover my business, but I got no sales. Bloggers are just looking for free stuff anyway. Plus I can’t afford to send them samples or waste my time writing guest posts. Enough with these little guys, I’m ready for the big leagues.

Sure, this can be a sound argument depending on an individual and their unique business situation. I don’t believe there is a one-sized fits all publicity approach for every business.

But, personally, I have great success guest posting for other business blogs and I can attribute tens of thousands of dollars in revenue to this strategy. And this blog is all about sharing what can work, and allows you to make the decision to use or not to use. Sharing is caring ☺

As I said, online publicity is a very specific strategy and, like anything else, can work well if implemented properly.

A friend of mine (an author) just chalked up a huge publicity campaign for her book where her motto was “no outlet is too small.” She wrote guest posts, participated in interviews, and sent review copies of her book to anyone and everyone that was interested.

This turned into “six degrees of separation” publicity – her coverage on hundreds of blogs led to an eventual Today Show appearance and write ups in several major magazines. These editors and producers either found her through a blog that they personally enjoyed, or heard of her from someone that read about her in their favorite blog.

Sure it took time. Sure it meant she had to foot the bill to send review copies to these folks. But these blog placements helped her become extremely well connected, and while her direct-pitching efforts to the ‘big guys’ were proving fruitless, these media folks respected the opinion of bloggers enough to book her based on their recommendation.

The point – you never know WHO is reading WHAT and WHO is influencing WHOM.

And if you want to play a bigger game, it can be a smart strategy.

If you’re up for it, read on.

HOW TO FIND BLOGS

There are tons of ways to find blogs that will cover you. You’ve probably heard a bajillion people say to check Alexa rankings or use specific blog search engines. These are all great ways, no doubt. But, as always, we rock things a little different over here in my joint.

1. Look at the websites for major magazines that appeal to your target customer. Lots of them have blogs (which should be an obvious target for you) BUT many of these sites also list their favorite blogs. For example: Martha Stewart has a “Blogs I Like” section on her site. Shoot, if it’s good enough for Martha, it’s probably good enough for you. ☺

2. Set up Google Alerts for people or brands that are either your competitors or that reach a complimentary audience. Find out who is covering them. Maybe they will want to cover you too.

3. With blogs, size doesn’t always matter. If a blog has thousands and thousands of readers, that doesn’t mean it’ll be a slam dunk for you. Look at the comments section of the blog to see if people are actually providing feedback.

4. Find blogs in a specific niche. For example, I do publicity consulting for a number of industries. But I’ve written guest posts for blogs that reach specific verticals – like medical, pets, bridal, and crafting communities. Even though these blogs don’t have a ‘big’ reach in numbers, the niche audience and content matched so well that I gained plenty of new fans.

HOW TO PITCH TO BLOGS

1. If you’re a product-based business, always make sure they actually feature products on the blog before you pitch something. If they do, check their About section, their Contact section, and/or look for a Review Policy section. Most blogs that accept product reviews or features list the information on how to pitch to them somewhere on the site.

2. If you’re pitching a guest post (where you would write a post for their blog with a link back to your website), make sure they accept guest posts. Many blogs that accept guest posts will have a “Contributors” tab or a “Guest Post” tab or button with more details. Or just comb through old entries and see if you can find any.

3. Read the blog before you pitch. You don’t have to read every single post, but read enough to know the subject matter, tone, and format of the posts.

4. Show the blogger you care! Comment on their blog. Share your favorite posts on Twitter and Facebook.

5. Take as much care writing a pitch for a blogger as you do for a national magazine, TV show, or other outlet. Many bloggers don’t respond because they get blasé pitches that treat them like the sewer rat of media. Not cool.

What’s your take on blog publicity? Have you tried any of the suggestions above? Share in the comments below!

Stumped for an excuse to contact the media? The media works around the clock to cover the latest news stories. How can you fit in?

A good habit is to take the first 5-10 minutes of every day to check the top news stories. I personally use Google News and look at the “top stories” box on the left hand side.

We know the Health Care Reform Law is a current hot topic. Are you a doctor, nutritionist, weight loss expert, health insurance expert or author on health care or legal topics that can provide commentary on this issue?

Every national and local outlet is covering this story and often seeks the comments of “experts” to weigh in on the issue. This could take the form of a panel discussion on TV, a single radio interview, or quotes from various experts within an article.

The only way to “strike while the iron is hot” is to stay on top of the news every day. Pitch yourself as an expert source to your appropriate media contacts, offer your unique view on the situation, and explain why you are a credible expert to discuss this topic.

Pitching the Headlines is a great way to get your name, your book and/or your business out there by serving as a credible and engaging source for the media!

A fellow entrepreneur posed a question to me earlier about pitching protocol and I thought it would be good to address it here.

The answer is – there really is no “right” way to pitch an outlet, but there are definitely several universal things you can do wrong. Each member of the media will have a preference as to how they want to receive your information. Unfortunately, we’re not always privy to their preferences and it make take some time to find out this information.

Here are some general rules that I follow when pitching:

1. Always be familiar with the outlet before sending them your pitch. It is essential to know: Have they covered this story before? Does your pitch follow their format? Are you identifying the right section of the magazine? The right hour of the morning show?
2. Write your pitch exactly as you see it fitting into the outlet. If I know that a specific TV show does 4 minute segments, I’ll write the pitch with the lead in, introduction of me, and my talking points. I also write what my visuals would be (remember TV is very visual!)
3. I usually email a pitch first, then follow up by phone within one week. Unless I personally know the media member I am pitching and their preference of getting info by email or phone ahead of time, I usually follow this format.
4. I only send samples when requested. For me, this saves time and money as many unsolicited samples go to waste. A great way to get products into the media’s hands is to set up deskside appointments – meaning setting an appointment with an editor/producer/writer to show them your product and accompanying information or letting them know about your “expertise.” More on desksides in a future post.
5. I usually only follow up three times with the media on one specific pitch. That means, after three follow ups you can be pretty certain if you’ve heard nothing that they are not interested at this time. Wait a few weeks and write up a new pitch with a new angle. Then start the contact again.
6. Pay attention to lead times. Magazines work 5-6 months ahead. TV sometimes immediate up to 6 weeks ahead. Radio and newspapers usually book pretty quickly. Don’t pitch a winter story if the magazine is working on its summer issue.
7. Subject lines of email – this is entirely my opinion – but I always get a better response if I identify what the pitch is. For TV, I always start with “Segment Idea – <<insert subject>>” If I’m pitching a specific section of the magazine I start the subject line with that section. Same thing with online outlets and newspapers.
8. Most importantly, you want to build lasting relationships with the media. Most of my relationships began with providing great segment ideas (or delivering a great segment as a guest) and they continue because I can continue to produce fresh, interesting content. Your goal should be to make their job easier – help them put together a great segment or article and you’ll be an indispensable resource!