Blogger outreach is an important part of PR and marketing. Connecting with influential bloggers can be very helpful in your promotional efforts. Of course, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about reaching out to bloggers.

Here are 3 simple rules to follow to ensure better blogger outreach.

1. Study the blog for a while—There’s nothing bloggers hate more than untargeted pitches. Research is an important part of the process. Take the extra time to identify relevant blogs to target and to learn about the authors and readers of each of these blogs. This will allow you to craft targeted pitches that get results.
2. Take time to build a relationship—Imagine that you’re trying to “hook up” with somebody. Who do you think you have a better shot of hooking up with: the person you’ve never met before or someone that you’ve been building a relationship with for a while? Spend some time interacting with the blogger, commenting on their posts and chatting them up on Twitter. Then, when it comes time to make your pitch, they’ll be more receptive.
3. Tailor your pitches with precision—Whether you’re contacting a blogger about guest posting opportunities or about providing coverage of your news story, you’ll be far more successful if you customize your pitch for each different blogger. Figure out what type of content they tend to favor most on their blogs, and during your pitch, mention specifics about their past content to demonstrate your familiarity with their blog and their audience.

What is your best tip for reaching out to bloggers?

Contrary to what the naysayers believe, press release distribution is still an effective way to get your name out there, build links back to your website, and increase your search engine presence. But of course, there’s a right way and a wrong way to write press releases. Most of them are written the wrong way. Just check out any news wire online and you’ll see what I mean.

The good news is writing better press releases is actually pretty easy. I’ve broken it down into 7 simple rules. Follow these and you’ll be golden.

1. Write a clear, compelling headline that hooks readers—Reporters and customers alike will decide whether or not to read your press release based on its headline. The headline needs to clearly explain what the story is about in a way that sparks the reader’s interest.
2. Get to the point—Your first paragraph should immediately answer the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions. Start with this overview of the story, and then delve into the tiny details as you build out the rest of the press release. Don’t bury the lead!
3. Make sure all links are relevant—Yes, press release distribution is good for building links back to your website. However, that shouldn’t be your sole purpose for writing them, and you shouldn’t cram the press releases with links just for the sake of doing so. Links should, of course, be keyword-rich, but they should also be relevant and add to the story.
4. Break free from the traditional press release template—9 out of every 10 press releases begins with the same old “XYZ Company, a leader in (insert industry), is proud to announce (insert news). This is then followed by a bunch of superlatives and buzzwords as well as a few lifeless quotes from executives. Zzzzzzzzzzzz… Feel free to mix things up by injecting life into your story.
5. Ditch the buzzwords—Speaking of buzzwords and industry jargon, they have no place in your press releases. Write in a way that a regular person (reporter or customer) can understand it.
6. Make your quotes count—Too many times, the quotes in press releases are just there. They add nothing to the story, and they’re used to repeat what’s already been said or to inject some bias (superlatives usually follow). Don’t you think you should get more from your quotes? Dig deeper to find quotes that add to the story and bring the news into context.
7. Always include contact info—Every press release should have contact info  for your company’s PR contact. This should include company name, web address, PR contact name, phone number, email, and address.

Are there any other rules people need to follow when writing press releases? Let us know by leaving a comment!

Blogger outreach has become a central part of many effective PR campaigns. Like it or not, blogs are a huge piece of today’s media backdrop, and if you want to get more media coverage and spread your message, you need to pitch to bloggers.

You could pitch to bloggers for a number of reasons, including:

• Asking them to review your product
• Trying to land interview opportunities
• Searching for guest blogging opportunities
• Seeking general media coverage of your story

Of course, there are right ways to pitch bloggers and wrong ways to pitch bloggers. Today, I want to talk about some of the mistakes you need to avoid when reaching out to bloggers.

Mistake #1: Not personalizing your pitch

Bloggers can’t stand impersonal, form letter pitches that you’re obviously sending to a slew of other bloggers. It’s borderline PR spam, and it almost never works.

You need to personalize your pitch to the blogger. Mention the blogger by name (get the name right!), and explain how your pitch relates to his blog and his readers. Clearly lay out the benefits the blogger will experience if he accepts your pitch.

Mistake #2: Making irrelevant pitches

Never pitch a blogger until you’ve taken time to confirm the story is relevant to his blog. In other words, you wouldn’t want to pitch a story about gardening tools to a blogger who writes about bicycles. That’s an extreme example, sure, but you would be amazed at how many irrelevant pitches I (and other bloggers) get every single week.

It’s not that hard to do a little research to make sure your pitch is well targeted and a good fit for the blog. And doing your homework now can go a long way to keeping you from looking like a PR spammer later.

Mistake #3: Being demanding or disrespectful

Bloggers don’t owe you anything. They don’t have to grant your request if they don’t want to. You might think you’re doing them the biggest favor in the world by offering an exclusive or an interesting story, but they won’t always see it that way.

You should never be bossy or too presumptuous in your pitch. Be polite, and respect the blogger’s time and opinion.

Mistake #4: Having a long pitch

Get to the point. Bloggers receive pitches on a daily basis, and they just don’t have time to read through hundreds or even thousands of words in your pitch. Keep your pitch as short and clear as possible. Just explain the basics and the benefits of covering your story, and leave it at that.

If you must include a press release, do so at the end of the email, after your signature. This way, it doesn’t bog down your pitch and overwhelm the recipient.

Mistake #5: Lying about reading the blog

Don’t try to pretend you read their blog unless you really do. Otherwise, you’ll inevitably end up looking foolish as you make mistake or get mixed up. If you really do read the blog, make reference to an article or accomplishment of the blog. If you haven’t read the blog, you may be able to say something along the lines of “I’m aware that you’re a leading blog in the bla bla bla niche.”

What are some other blog pitching mistakes you try to avoid?

When it comes to public relations, everyone has their own opinion on what works and what doesn’t. Because PR isn’t pure science, it harbors many myths about what it takes to get publicity and to create a buzz for your company. I’ve come up with a brief list of 4 PR myths I hear on a regular basis. I’m sure there are far more PR myths than this, so please feel free to leave comments sharing your favorite myths.

1. No such thing as bad publicity—Not a week goes by that I don’t hear this phrase uttered by someone who fancies himself a PR expert. If you don’t think there is such a thing as bad publicity, ask any of dozens of politicians who have been caught in sex or financial scandals, forcing them to resign. Or ask Michael Vick. While there are some people who are able to leverage negative publicity to their advantage (e.g. Kanye West), these are the exceptions. Bad publicity can cause irreparable damage.
2. Social media can’t be used for PR—Despite the growth in popularity of Twitter and Facebook, there are still plenty of naysayers who believe social media is a complete waste of time. I feel sorry for these people. Social media is an excellent medium for PR. It allows you to create a buzz around your business and to build relationships with your target audience. But be careful: Many have shot themselves in the foot with social media. Just flip over to ESPN and it won’t take long for you to hear a story about another athlete getting in trouble for something stupid they Tweeted.
3. You need to have a gimmick to get attention—Too many people believe you need to pull off a major PR stunt to get attention. Remember the balloon boy story from just a few weeks ago? Those nutjobs thought pulling this hoax would land them a reality show. Granted, maybe it will…after they serve time in jail. Gimmicks are generally a bad idea for few reasons: 1)Any attention is usually very short lived; 2)The gimmick almost always distracts from your main message; 3) Gimmicks appear desperate and unprofessional.
4. Major media is all that matters—Everyone wants to be the next major story on Oprah, or they want to get interviewed on CNN. Many people think small media is a waste of time. It’s not. Getting coverage in a small magazine, on a podcast, a blog, or on a local TV show is an essential first step for getting the larger coverage you desire. In many cases, media coverage from smaller outlets can also help you more accurately reach your target audience too.

Which PR myths would you add to this list?