Actually, it’s more like be respectful of them. And to bloggers as well. They are press too. If you hire a PR firm to pitch for you, then you really don’t need this information since the firm will be practicing it anyway (at least you hope they will). But many of you out there are bootstrapping your company and making the media contacts yourself. So here’s a few general things to know BEFORE you approach the media/bloggers:
1. Make sure you have a compelling story – nothing turns an editor off more quickly than churned out “meaningless” press releases…on things like promotions, new hires, we’ve moved, etc
2. Communicate it quickly and clearly…don’t ramble
3. Offer value — your story should have value to the person you are pitching and thus their audience
4. Establish a relationship, have a chat, find out what they look for, they may not use your information now but they may remember you for something in the future – or remember you (fondly) the next time you call – or when they change jobs
5. Don’t ”throw” material at the press (i.e. poorly formatted, copied and pasted sloppily) – if you treat it like junk, so will your contact… look up some press release formats on the web and follow them.
6. Don’t blog just to be linked and boost your SEO (search engine optimization) – bloggers can see that coming a mile away – and avoid it
7. Just remember – pitching is like any relationship – establish it and it can work wonders for you – mistreat it and you’re in for trouble – and the press have a very long memory
Sandra Holtzman teaches CEO 035: Licensing.