A PR practitioner should understand that pitching a story to a blogger is a fairly new technique and is quite different than pitching to a journalist, therefore should follow different guidelines.

The first important thing to do if you are planning on pitching to a blogger is to familiarize yourself with their blog. It is best if you can start commenting and linking to their blog before you need something from them. Then, you are already on a more personal level, which is part of what blogging is about. Bloggers are aware of PR practitioners discovering this new medium, and generally will not welcome a PR pitch with open arms. Jeff Pulver provides a nice example of what I’m talking about.

Bloggers do not like to be generalized. They blog about unique and various subjects, so it is never recommended to pitch in a way like you would deliver a press release to hundreds of journalists. It is very important to know your blogger and what they write about, or else they will just be annoyed with you. You should address them personally and include some brief information about yourself, including reminding them of any communication you had with them in the past. You should also make it clear in the beginning who you work for, what you want from them, and the benefits they can receive if choosing to blog about your idea. More information about this can be found on Darren Rowse’s blog.

In Dan Schawbel’s blog he suggests using social media in your pitch. This is the kind of stuff bloggers appreciate and they may find your pitch more beneficial to them. Using new technology is more appropriate than when pitching to a journalist who doesn’t want to receive any extra attachments or links. When pitching a blogger, the traditional rules are thrown out the window.

However, this does not mean you should not follow general media relations guidelines. Of course you still want to be polite and professional, but without using too much PR jargon. Jim Lodico has some very valuable advice on how to get a blogger interested in your pitch. He discusses the importance of offering access to events, contest prizes, valuable content without copyright limitations, and even an affiliate relationship.

It is important to recognize that bloggers as well as PR practitioners are becoming familiar with this new practice of pitching to the blogger. PR practitioners cannot expect their pitches to go over well unless they realize they must make some changes in their method of delivery to catch the bloggers interest.