Pitching Bloggers: 10 Things That Make Bloggers Angry

Following is the second of our articles on pitching bloggers...

Pitching Bloggers: 10 Things That Make Bloggers Angry
©2006 by Patsi Krakoff, Psy.D. and Denise Wakeman, The Blog Squad

If you have a product, book or service you want people to know about, pitch bloggers!. They know how to create buzz, especially about cutting-edge stuff. Bloggers pride themselves on knowing who is doing what, and love to be first to post about new ideas, products and events.

In fact, some publicists and PR professionals are now going straight to bloggers instead of to journalists for creating media attention. Several books were launched into best seller status before they were published because review copies were sent out to leading bloggers: Freakonomics and Call to Action are prime examples. These books got plenty of buzz on the Web from bloggers with huge audiences, and others blogs linked to them: the news spread like wildfire.

But don't make mistakes when you try to pitch bloggers or your publicity explosion will burst in your face. When bloggers get angry they will not quietly toss your product or book into the round file. They will tell everyone what they didn't like and what you did wrong.

Here are 10 things that make bloggers angry when you try to pitch them:

1. Not spelling the blogger's name right

2. Not understanding the blog's purpose or niche

3. Not understanding the blogger's attitude about being pitched

4. Telling them that they should print your info; telling them that their readers will want to read about your product, book or service

5. Blatant product pitches in the blog's comment section

6. Information that's of no use, irrelevant, and uninteresting to their audience,

7. Repeated pitches after they've told you they aren't interested

8. A cookie-cutter bulk email sent to a long list of bloggers with no personalization

9. Sending attachments of any kind, and not including any links about the item

10. Posting irrelevant and condescending comments on their blog

For more leading edge Internet Marketing tips go to www.biztipsblog.com. Subscribe to The Blog Squad's ezine Savvy eBiz Tips at www.savvyebiztips.com. To learn about using social media tools like blogs, go to www.buildabetterblog.com.  Denise Wakeman & Patsi Krakoff are known as The Blog Squad.

Related Post:
Pitching Bloggers: 15 Rules to Obey

Comments

[Ellen Weber]

Good tips -- Thanks Patsi and Denise. How are you? I could not agree with these more and ... I also see some of the problems that make these bloopers happen. At times people's names are so obsured the reader cannot see it. Some bloggers name a niche and write in another -- and at times folks do not answer the person who pitches ideas ... and so pitchers of ideas spam many of us -- thinking one will stick:-) I read your post with much interest and was thinking it would be fun for a bunch of us to create a blog book and add posts like this one as a classic. Thanks - you did it again.

[Ramon Ray]

Why are bloggers treated like children?

As a brief background - I've been "blogging" since 1999 (7 years) and have written over 5,000 blog posts on my own site, smallbiztechnology.com

And I'm just don't understand why so many blogging experts treat bloggers like kids? Spelling the bloggers name right?

Real bloggers, professional bloggers are just like any other journalist I think. They have an audience that reads their content. The bloggers, like journalists, WANT/NEED/RELY ON (to some degree) unsolicited input from the "other side" (PR folk and their companies) to tell them what's happening. They (the bloggers) then decide how and what to write about it to their audiences.

It's real simple, unless I'm missing something.

Do I get upset if my name is not spelled write?

No - of course not....people are entitled to make mistakes.

I get attachments too - do I like it no. But I deal with it.

My point is that we bloggers are not babies we don't need special treatment. I'm sure Walt Mossberg gets pitched repeatedly, gets his name spelled wrong and etc...but you just deal with it and do your job. Walt is NOT a blogger but the principle is the same I think.

I'd love to know others opinion on this...

[Tim Norton]

Hi, great article, interesting site. I do have some questions maybe you could answer, perhaps in another post. I know when pitching an email marketer (no not spammers) with a large opt-in list, with your product, you would offer them an affiliate commission, of up to 100% of sales because of the impact they could have on your product or site. You don't mention anything like this. When pitching a blogger, is this something you would do also? From what I'm reading it almost sounds like no because bloggers like to maintain a certain aloofness for lack of a better word (I don't mean that in a negative way), or disinterestedness. Thanks for an interesting site.

[Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad]

Thanks Tim, for participating in the conversation here. I didn't mention offering affiliate commissions to bloggers. It depends on several factors that we've already discussed. The most important is that the product offered be really relevant to the blog readers, i.e. solve a problem for them. And the blogger should disclose they get a fee, to be authentic and transparent. Bloggers, for the most part, want to maintain honesty and credibility, not aloofness.

[Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad]

Thanks Ray for adding to the conversation here. Bloggers aren't children, of course, yet some of the people who try to pitch them show immaturity, and a lack of attention to details that is plainly stupid. If you are trying to get on someone's "good side" you want to do so intelligently and not with reckless abandon. Shooting off blanket pitch emails with names mispelled and a lack of regard for the subject of the blog is unprofessional and ineffective. It is not a question of asking for special treatment, but for common sense.