Here is some interesting food for thought. How do you pitch bloggers and how do you make sure your pitch doesn’t end up as spam? 
From what I have gathered, there is no shortcut for PR professionals. Web 2.0 is all about fostering long lasting relationships with bloggers, journalists and the community in general. It’s more than just researching what they write about. It’s about giving them a story that matters to them and how it benefits their audience.
I won’t bore you with things you already know about. But here are some questions that I have found from The Bad Pitch Blog that you should ask yourself before pitching to the blogger or journalist. Have you…
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Read more than the most recent post of the blog?
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Searched the blog for your client or relevant product/service/industry terms to see if they are covered?
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Subscribed to the blog’s RSS feed or e-mail delivery to make it easier to follow to boost their audience metrics?
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Left a comment on the blog that continues the discussion and is unrelated to your pitch?
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Looked for posts and links from their home page telling you if/how the blog author likes to receive information?
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Sent the blogger author an e-mail unrelated to your pitch?
Now these questions may strike you as odd, and definitely seems like a lot of work. But this is how it is done. You don’t want to seem like you have a hidden agenda and you certainly want to build a relationship with the blogger, journalist or community. Educate yourself on what the blogger generally covers by setting up a Google News Alert. That way, your pitch does not end up in the trash.
What do you guys think? How would you approach a blogger?
