Three Ways Not To Approach A Blogger For Coverage

Blogger outreach is the newest concept being aimlessly tossed around company boardrooms. It seems that both large and small brands recognize the value of online promotional partners, but very few understand how to approach and build relationships with bloggers. My inbox is filled daily with opportunities to cover the latest and greatest, but my trash is equally as full of botched attempts to get my attention. Here are three approaches you should avoid to keep your request for coverage from getting canned:

"Here, Publish This On Your Blog."

While there are some self-proclaimed bloggers who are merely curators of content, most of us create our own. Requesting that a blogger publish a finished article completely undermines what it is that they do. It sends the message that you have no faith in their ability as writers. Reach out and take the time to explain your goals for promotion. In turn, allow the blogger to propose campaign ideas and writing strategies. Allow for bloggers to take part in content creation and don’t reduce them to simply being press release-publishers.

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"I’m Only Interested In A 750-Word Blog Post."

Bloggers today rely on a mix of social media platforms to share information, not just their blog. While an elaborate post with a mix of multimedia, hashtags, and SEO seems like the ultimate product a blogger can give, focusing only on getting a post may cause you to miss out on other viable ways to spread your content. Evaluate a blogger’s entire online presence in terms of what you want to share. A Twitter chat or Facebook competition may be a better fit to deliver your content. Also, make sure your news is worthy of a post before requesting one. There’s nothing worse than racking your brain trying to turn a 30-second message into a complete blog post.

"You Weren’t Invited, But Please Publish How Great Our Event Was."

Need I say more here? Simply put, if a blogger is not important enough to make your guest list, assume that they won’t care enough to make your list of publishers.