subject: Connecting With Bloggers As A Media Relations Strategy [print this page] When it comes to your media relations strategy you cant forget about bloggers. Successful bloggers have a targeted and engaged audience that you would love the opportunity to reach out to. Whether its self-help, green-living, finance you name it the people who follow these blogs look to the blogger as someone who represents their voice and provides new and cool insights into whats cutting-edge in their niche.
Before you begin pitching bloggers, youll have to find them first. Its easy to search on Google for bloggers related to your expertise. If youre a green-living expert, you can simply type in green-living blogs and youll find links to these blogs, articles mentioning them, blog posts about these blogs and blog posts about these blog posts about these blogs. Usually youll find the most popular blogs related to your expertise, and because they are the most popular they will also be the hardest to break into. But right off the bat though, you have your goal: Get on that blog!
If you're just starting out, you should find a less popular blog or one who maybe has even more of a niche following your expertise can fit into. Sites like Technorati are really helpful in narrowing down blogs and bloggers to start building relationships with. Youll definitely find the most popular ones and the most popular posts, but they also have comprehensive directories with each blogs authority ranking on the particular subject manner, i.e. green living. You can search Technorati just like you would search Google and start browsing blogs with the reach youre committed too. Make a realistic list of five or so blogs youd like to be a guest-blogger or be featured on, then get ready to begin building your relationship with them.
Before you reach out to the blogger, make sure you know the blog and youre keeping up with the kinds of content that is being posted. Note if they have guest bloggers, do reviews, etc., and ask yourself whether or not this blog is truly a good fit for you and your expertise. If it is, start by posting comments with good commentary or additional thoughts wherever you can. The goal here, is to show the blogger and its followers youre an avid and engaged fan of what they have to say, and you have a genuine interest in being part of this community.
Once youve established yourself in the community, its time to reach out to the blogger with an email. Make it short and simple, telling them you really enjoy the blog and was wondering if they were in need of anything. Ask if they accept guest-bloggers or do reviews of books and products. By now though, you should have a good idea whether they do or dont, but ask anyway and give them a taste of what you could offer. The key here is to be extremely polite and not to overload them with information. Keep it short and sweet. It could take a couple of exchanges before you get the results you want, but remember its relationship building. It takes time.
Once youve had your product, book or service reviewed or provided a guest blog post for the site, be sure to show your gratitude. Now dont worry about finding their home address and sending them a thank you card or gift basket. (If you do have a book, it would be a good idea to send them a copy if you havent already.) But really the most important thing you need to do is follow-up with an acknowledgement. Theyll appreciate it.
So by all means, brag about yourself to everyone you can possibly brag about yourself to. Get on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and tell the world about how you were featured on this blog. Provide a link and drive as much traffic as you can to the blog and really be a voice for support. Send them to the blogs main page not just to the page youre featured on. The idea here is to increase the whole blogs readership and create returning fans. Make sure you keep on top of the comments and respond and engage the community of followers who are commenting on your feature.
And then keep it up. Play an active role in this newfound community where you now belong. Try to provide fresh content whenever and wherever you can and stay in contact with the blogger and continue to develop your relationship.
