It’s the age-old question that so many folks ask.  OK, maybe not age-old, but it’s definitely been a frequently asked question over the past 3 or so years:  How should I pitch my story to bloggers? 

There are many sides to the answer.  Some bloggers say, “don’t pitch me.”  These bloggers say they are just people who care about an issue or a place or a topic and they choose to publish their thoughts in a public online space.  They like comments and conversations but don’t really see themselves as a news source – even if they are opinion leaders.

Other bloggers say, “pitch me with logic and newsworthy stuff.”  So just like reporters who work for a media outlet, they say they’ll scan the pitches you send.  They hope you’ll read their blog and participate in the conversation before you send an email their way.  And mostly they hope you won’t send a completely irrelevant pitch.  If you do, you just might get featured in their blog in the exact opposite way you’d hoped.

Still other bloggers come from the more complex camp of “pitch me with extreme caution and don’t include me in a broadcast email that you’re sending to many other bloggers.” 

And there are likely many mixes of opinions about pitching to bloggers from all sides – the bloggers themselves, the communications pros trying to reach them, and the social media experts. I hope we can explore them here.

My sense is that the logical approach is best because we know there just isn’t a magic bullet for getting the media coverage you so desire and need.  You still must do your homework whether you’re planning to deliver a pitch to a member of traditional media or to a blogger.  Remember to do your research and build relationships and pitch to targeted lists of folks who have covered your general topic in the past.  If you’re loading up an email to thousands of members of the media, well, that’s just too broad whether the recipients write for a daily newspaper or a blog. 

I leave you with a handful of tips from BL Ochman’s whatsnextblog.com.  The tips are directed specifically at publicists, but they apply to anyone in the pitching position.  While there are many thoughtful and intuitive resources on this topics (please share your favorites in a comment), I found his tips to be the perfect blend of helpful information and entertaining copy.  Here you go:

I won't stand for being bullshitted and snookered by flaks and neither will anyone else you pitch. Here's a hint: a lot of bloggers know eachother and communicate regularly. We talk about people who do dumbass things like pretend not to be flaks.

What's Next's Pitching Rules for flaks
Publicists, please paste these to your refrigerator or filing cabinet
1. don't pretend you're not a publicist
2. don't lie
3. if you forget rule 2, refer to rule 1
4. provide an email address from your company, not hotmail, yahoo, or gmail; and a phone number in case I have a question.
5. say who your client is and what you are pitching and why in 200 words or less (preferably much less)
6. if you make a mistake, admit it and move on
7. don't lie
8. pitch me before you give the story to everyone and her dog or don't bother me

Bloggers and other journalists won't write about your clients when you send them bullshit pitches and press releases that don't give even the most basic of facts about a company. When you pitch me, tell me:

-who started it
-how's it funded
-what's the business model
-how's it differ from all the others
-why should my readers care