As someone in the PR field, this should be PR Basics 101, Chris. Anything else is just sloppy or lazy (hey, that's the second time in as many days these words have appeared in your comments!) ;-)
Even if you're not in PR, anyone just reaching out to someone else should have at least some common sense how to approach them. You know, good old-fashioned, "Hi, I'm so-and-so, good to meet you. I was wondering if..." or something similar.
Course, we live in a time of instant snapshots - maybe that's to blame a little? Still, doesn't replace professional courtesy.
Eric Matas
· 10 months ago
Bloggers -- all writers -- who care -- should think about raising the bar so that the writing is not merely the blah blah that gets surrounded by ads.
Or drop the ads.
(Just kidding, ads, we love you.)
areapal
· 1 week ago
im agree with you mr. eric. most of the bloggers not follow the rules in this article. thanks to remind me also. if i ll be a future blogger.
Lindsay Lebresco (Graco)
· 10 months ago
Just something I've run into in my business (baby stuff)- read the bloggers' blog- like a couple weeks back- and make sure they don't have big stuff going on - sometimes it's ALL about timing. Probably not a good idea to pitch a mommyblogger who's currently in labor :)
Patrick Dominguez
· 10 months ago
As a blogger, I've seen people who reach out to me break these 'rules' many, many times.
So thank you for highlighting these tips.
(And a good reminder for me when I'm approaching other bloggers).
Casey DeLorme
· 10 months ago
Though there are nuances of understanding the individual media demands and work styles, what you said here is basic "how to connect with a person and ask them to take a look at something you'd like them to be interested". It applies to bloggers. It applies to traditional journalists. It applies to building a personal network. Heck, it applies to finding out if someone would like to go on a date. I'm always amazed that people need to be reminded how to do this as though it was foreign. Seems like it should be common sense. But I'm also amazed at how eye-opening it is when they learn it. I'm also amused that every journalist and blogger who has built a solid following has their "hall of shame" file of nightmarish pitches, press releases, and even threats from those who believe they should be written about (favorably) because they "pay your salary". Thanks for the reminder.
Meg Roberts
· 10 months ago
Hi Chris,
Since I still consider myself new to the PR world, I always appreciate posts like this. Even though, as Danny pointed out, it's basic PR101, refreshers are always important for everyone in the communications business.
Thanks again, Meg
Martin Schumacher
· 10 months ago
COULD REALLY USE YOUR HELP ON OUR TEAM AS A 'BLOGGING' EXPERT - NO ONE TEAM CAN DO IT ALL - NO LIMIT TO A 'MULTITUDE OF COUNSELORS' AND THE BENEFIT THERE OF...................HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU...........AS WOULD OTHERS ON THE TEAM...........
Angry Julie Monday (Julie)
· 10 months ago
This is an excellent post!!! I get e-mails daily that resemble spam like this..Dear Blogger!
Jack
· 10 months ago
I can relate. I receive several emails a week from people who ask me to write a review about some sort of product, book, movie etc. I always ask how they found me and why they are interested in my blog.
Far too often I receive a response that shows that they haven't read my blog, they are just sending out hundreds of emails and hoping for a response.
It is a bit like throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks.
Ria
· 10 months ago
Chris; Thank you for sharing your blog. More times than not, Social Network sites are just working hard to obtain the "audience" and not the personal connection. I am definately going to enjoy reading your blog. Have a great day,
Susan Getgood
· 10 months ago
Thanks for the kind words Chris. Blogger relations has indeed become a focus for me over the past few years, and I'm glad my posts and workshops are useful to marketers and bloggers.
I have moved the blog to a new platform. It's no longer on Typepad. The address is now http://getgood.com/roadmaps
Susan Getgood
· 10 months ago
Can't tell if this comment went through before or not so trying again. Thanks for the kind words. Blogger relations has become a focus for me over the past few years and I'm glad that my posts and workshops are helpful to marketers and bloggers.
I did move the blog off Typepad last fall. The new address is getgood.com/roadmaps
Murph
· 10 months ago
I respond to "dear blogger" with "dear PR hack"
chrisbrogan
· 10 months ago
@Susan - I found it in spam, so now we have two. But to the good, I also fixed the URL now that you've corrected me. Google told me otherwise. : )
whitetrashmom
· 10 months ago
chris, it's starting to seriously creep me out how when i am thinking about a subject, i go to your blog and you have posted about the subject. it's a wt-boston-vulcan mind meld. i got an agency pitch today that said, i kid you not, HI MOMMY BLOGGER. then they told me how lucky i saw to get the opportunity to pimp their lip gloss. it's just so bad all i can do is laugh. i met susan getgood last summer and have been cyber stalking her ever since, she's wicked smart. i get to meet liz strauss in real life next weekend and i am so pumped. i hope she doesn't run from me.
AngelaConnor
· 10 months ago
Here's one for you Chris: I recently received an e-mail that actually said....Okay, are you ready for this? "Dear Sirs:" Now who the heck still says that? And it wasn't even a Nigerian lotto scam. I was floored. We are no longer in a world where it's okay to generalize. With information at our fingertips, it's pretty much shameful not to take that extra step toward personalization. I can't even read beyond the colon with a greeting like that.
Kaplan Mobray Author, The 10Ks
· 10 months ago
Hey Chris, Thanks for your post. You touch on an interesting phenomenon that is dramatically changing the way traditional media and PR view the blogosphere. As a blogger, with a following, you create the ability to start trends, test trends, kill trends, scoop trends, and validate trends that deserve to be more newsworthy. In essence you become an online location scout and can save companies millions of dollars just by starting conversation and creating the true test lab for aspiring concepts. In the years to come blogs will become the first stop on the product launch assembly line. (K)udos to you and all the other bloggers out there who are singlehandedly saving consumers and companies time through informed decision making.
Michele Lamar
· 10 months ago
sorry to be a stalker about this post but i have just gotten so many horrid 'dear mommy blogger' posts lately that this post fired me up. i think the only thing missing from your post is this....don't be an jerk. if the offer does not motivate you, the pitchER, then why would it motivate the pitchEE? i was a media planner for years, i always told my media buyers/planners who worked for me this about making media recommendations, telling clients how to spend their ad dollars: if you would not write a check for the online/tv/radio/print campaign out of your own personal checking account, don't tell the client to write the check out of his/her checking acct. marketing campaigns are not 100% science but common sense is often ignored by the pr/agency people. common sense and thinking of the other person is the bottom line.
Jesse
· 10 months ago
Very helpful post. Being new to blogger outreach, I'm taking your entry and all the comments into consideration next time I have to reach out to bloggers.
All Comments
Even if you're not in PR, anyone just reaching out to someone else should have at least some common sense how to approach them. You know, good old-fashioned, "Hi, I'm so-and-so, good to meet you. I was wondering if..." or something similar.
Course, we live in a time of instant snapshots - maybe that's to blame a little? Still, doesn't replace professional courtesy.
Or drop the ads.
(Just kidding, ads, we love you.)
So thank you for highlighting these tips.
(And a good reminder for me when I'm approaching other bloggers).
Since I still consider myself new to the PR world, I always appreciate posts like this. Even though, as Danny pointed out, it's basic PR101, refreshers are always important for everyone in the communications business.
Thanks again,
Meg
Far too often I receive a response that shows that they haven't read my blog, they are just sending out hundreds of emails and hoping for a response.
It is a bit like throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks.
Thank you for sharing your blog. More times than not, Social Network sites are just working hard to obtain the "audience" and not the personal connection.
I am definately going to enjoy reading your blog.
Have a great day,
I have moved the blog to a new platform. It's no longer on Typepad. The address is now http://getgood.com/roadmaps
I did move the blog off Typepad last fall. The new address is getgood.com/roadmaps
i get to meet liz strauss in real life next weekend and i am so pumped. i hope she doesn't run from me.
I recently received an e-mail that actually said....Okay, are you ready for this? "Dear Sirs:" Now who the heck still says that? And it wasn't even a Nigerian lotto scam. I was floored. We are no longer in a world where it's okay to generalize. With information at our fingertips, it's pretty much shameful not to take that extra step toward personalization. I can't even read beyond the colon with a greeting like that.
Thanks for your post. You touch on an interesting phenomenon that is dramatically changing the way traditional media and PR view the blogosphere. As a blogger, with a following, you create the ability to start trends, test trends, kill trends, scoop trends, and validate trends that deserve to be more newsworthy. In essence you become an online location scout and can save companies millions of dollars just by starting conversation and creating the true test lab for aspiring concepts. In the years to come blogs will become the first stop on the product launch assembly line. (K)udos to you and all the other bloggers out there who are singlehandedly saving consumers and companies time through informed decision making.
i was a media planner for years, i always told my media buyers/planners who worked for me this about making media recommendations, telling clients how to spend their ad dollars:
if you would not write a check for the online/tv/radio/print campaign out of your own personal checking account, don't tell the client to write the check out of his/her checking acct.
marketing campaigns are not 100% science but common sense is often ignored by the pr/agency people. common sense and thinking of the other person is the bottom line.
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