So, I got this email yesterday.
It’s not strange. I get these emails all the time, probably at least one a day. There are tons of folks out there who are trying to build up their SEO by back-linking, and they do that by pitching guest-post ideas to bloggers. In terms of a marketing technique, this is a great one. However.
When you’re pitching to a blogger, you need to make it personal. When pitching to traditional media, it really helps to have a good relationship with that reporter or editor, and it also really helps to understand that publication’s audience so that you can pitch them something that will appeal.
With bloggers, it’s even more important to craft a personal pitch. Generally speaking, we don’t get paid like journalists do. We’re in it for the love. We do it because we love to write, we love the swag, and we love the attention. We’re passionate about our topic. A generic “Dear Sir” pitch is not going to cut it here.
When you’re pitching to bloggers, make sure you’ve actually been to their blog. Address them by their first name. Maybe make a comment about a recent post, or make some remark about how their blog is designed. And don’t try to pitch them something that is off-topic. If I have food blog, please don’t try to pitch me articles on technology.
We just wanna feel special, y’all.
I realize that pitching to bloggers is time-consuming. But it only needs to take you an extra few minutes to personalize your email.
Check out this great blog post by Monica Hamburg: Avoiding the Supermarket Approach When Pitching Bloggers.
