I received this email today and it made me mad.
I run several blogs and get emailed pitches on a daily basis. The majority of these pitches are ill-thought-out and go straight into the Junk folder without ever being read. It’s clear from the first line that these emails are generic – the writers haven’t taken any time to actually read the content of my blog to see if their pitch is a good fit. In the example above, the pitcher didn’t even bother to specify a blog – just “wordpress.com”! (According to the latest WordPress stats, there are 76.5 million blogs on WordPress so I am not sure which of the 76.5 million blogs hosted by WP she is even referring to.)
I don’t normally single out a bad pitch like this, but this is one is so woefully lazy and spammy, it actually made me angry. This person is writing to me representing an addiction clinic and is doing damage to that clinic’s reputation by reaching out in this poorly-executed way. This is what happens when you “do” social media the wrong way. This is why I say to clients if you aren’t going to approach social media as you would any other aspect of your business (ie in a professional manner). then it’s better to stay right away from social media.
How To Do Blogger Outreach The Right Way
Ok, rant over!
For those who are serious about their social media outreach here’s a checklist for reaching out to bloggers.
- Identifying the right bloggers is the first step in your outreach strategy. Use a blog directory tool like Alltop or Technorati to help you search by topic for blogs related to your topic or niche.
- Always address the blogger by their first name.
- Reference something from the blog that makes it clear you actually read it.
- Become familiar with the blog’s readership and how it matches your offer. If it’s not a natural fit, then please don’t waste the blogger’s time.
- Introduce yourself in a personal and friendly way. Provide a brief background on you and your brand, client, product or service.
- Explain how exactly you would like to work with the blogger. Make your pitch as concise and clear as possible.
- Provide hyperlinks to your website, product or service, so the blogger doesn’t have to search for you online.
Over To You
I’m curious to know if blogger outreach is part of your social media strategy and if so, do you have any best practice tips to share with us? Or do you think we should be over this kind of strategy? Is it a practice that has had its day?
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Recommended Reading: 4 Steps to Create Enviable Guest Blogging Success
Health Care Social Media 
I love your post about how not to do blogger outreach. I get the same type of email pitches frequently. Another thing I would add is that I like it best when someone pitching me has taken the time to follow the blog and comment on a few posts over time. That shows they have made an investment in understanding your viewpoint and focus. It is equivalent to dating for a while before asking someone to marry you! Great post!
Hi Dan, thanks for taking the time to comment and for sharing your tip about building some rapport by commenting over time — I really like that point. I wouldn’t normally give this kind of thing much airspace but it actually does our industry such a disservice when we have this kind of “marketing” going on. Outreach, when done well, really does work. I have responded positively to many PR agencies and start-ups who have contacted me in the past in a professional and thoughtful way.