Who To Pitch – Guest Blog Edition

When I talk about getting media mentions, press and publicity it does not necessarily mean from what we consider traditional media, like television, radio, magazines and newspapers, all the time. Media has a really broad meaning now. Blogs are a great source of media. Blogs might be the perfect medium to get mentions, press, and publicity for you and your business.

Your Media/PR Goals

Here is the thing, when it comes to your Media & PR Plan you need to think about your goals when it comes to press and publicity. What are you trying to achieve?
  • visibility?
  • customers?
  • sales?
  • credibility?
  • raise your know, like, and trust factor?
  • recognition?
  • education?
  • awareness?
  • fame?

There are a number of reasons you might want press and publicity. There may be a specific goal at a specific time or there might be a few reasons all at once. You really need to decide what your goal is, what you are trying to achieve and look for the media outlet that will help you reach those goals.

Blogs are a great way to connect directly with your community or ideal customer. Guest posting might not bring you fame or general recognition like being a contributor or guest on Good Morning America will BUT it will help you reach a specific, targeted community. Guest posting helps you reach your targeted community or ideal customer directly. It helps you share your expertise, helps you build that all important know, like, and trust factor. It helps you share that owned media (your website, your about me, your products, services and your knowledge).

So, how do you reach out and get press from blogs?

Many of the strategies and techniques you use for mainstream, more traditional media, like broadcast and print, work for blog and podcasts.

Pitch Techniques

  • A story pitch/story idea
  • Be professional
  • Be clear and concise
  • Be brief
  • Craft a targeted, well-researched email pitch
  • Make sure you have a subject line that reads like a headline
  • Address the email to a person…when it comes to blogs and podcasts you will want to address it to the owner (in most cases)
  • Get to the point
  • Be of service to blog owner
  • Make sure it’s not about you. Craft a story pitch that entertains, educates, and/or enlightens the audience
  • Include a short bio of you and your business
  • Include your contact information
Recently, I had the opportunity to ask blog owner Sara Hodge what she likes to see from a pitch! She shares some advice and tips to help you pitch a blog owner so you can land your first or next guest post.

 

Sara Hodge

Founder and Principal, Strong and Worthy

LinkedIn: Sara Hodge
Twitter: @StrongWorthy
Pinterest: StrongWorthy
Periscope @Strongworthy
 
 What is the best way for an entrepreneur to get in touch with you to contribute to a blog or your blog specifically?

I prefer all contributing writers to go through the contact form on my website, as opposed to e mailing me directly. This is mainly because most people contacting via e mail tend to leave out key pieces of information I find helpful. The contact form provides a drop down menu with options for them to choose from which give me a better idea of how to proceed, and it also asks them for details which they may not provide otherwise.

What tips do you have for entrepreneurs when it comes to stories you want to see in a pitch? 
1. Make it brief
2. Provide your information in an organized fashion, as opposed to one giant paragraph. If you have several ideas or if your main story idea has several aspects or points, a point form list makes it an easy read.
3. The less questions I am left with after reading it, the better. Be sure to provide any additional details you feel are pertinent.
4. Tell me why you feel it’s a good fit for my audience. I may initially disagree, but if you present a case for why you feel it is, I may change my mind.
What are your pet peeves?
1. Super vague inquiries that provide little or no info. I sometimes receive e mails via my contact form that have no message included. Not helpful!
2. Multiple spelling and/or grammatical errors. One or two in a lengthy message may just be typos I can overlook, but if there are a lot, this tells me I will have my work cut out for me every time you send me something because I’ll need to be editing it, which I don’t have much time for.
3. Taking too long to get to the point.
 Is there anything you think is essential for entrepreneurs to know before they decide to pitch you or any other blog owner?
1. Take a THOROUGH look at the website, as in at least 3-5 different pages. It will be obvious if you don’t.
2. Get a feel for what the site is about, what the vibe is, and whether or not you truly feel your piece is a good fit for this audience.
3. Prepare (and ask) any questions you have and ask them in your pitch e mail. The most common questions would-be contributors ask me are: whether or not I accept syndicated posts, who owns the post once it’s published on my site, and whether or not they can include their own graphics. Think on what questions you may have and be sure to ask.

Sara’s additional tip…

 
Understand that the site you want to contribute to will likely have contributor guidelines you will be asked to stick to if your story is accepted.
This means you may be limited to a certain character length, and your post / provided images will likely be subject to some editing (both for spelling/grammar and also aesthetics), etc. Don’t expect your post to be published exactly as-is.

 

 

Want more help with your media outreach and want to have some one-on-one feedback? Check out my Media Brainstorming Session.

 

Be sure to join the Media PR Collective for Entrepreneurs Facebook group.

Author: ChristyAnn