BlogHer - 10 Tips for Asking Bloggers to Write About Your Cause - Comments

Good point

Denise — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:48:08 -0600

Bloggers can't (and shouldn't) blog every topic they're asked to blog - and those asking ought to respect those decisions. But sometimes, they don't.

Good point.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Someone actually sent me a

amberlrhea — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:41:27 -0600

Someone actually sent me a snarky, "Thanks for nothing" email a few weeks ago, because I didn't blog about his new product as quickly as he wanted me to. I actually *was* planning to blog about it but just hadn't gotten time yet, but as soon as I saw that email, my decision changed!

Gee thanks Amber

Denise — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:02:13 -0600

I just spit my coffee out all over the keyboard. Patience is sooooo totally a virtue. :-)

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

I would add: "11. If they

amberlrhea — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:49:41 -0600

I would add: "11. If they don't post about your thing, don't whine/complain about it." Not that I have any experience with that...

What are your tips?

Britt Bravo — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:22:34 -0600

I'm glad you all liked it (: Do you have any tips to add?

Britt Bravo
Blogher Contributing Editor: Nonprofits & NGOs
NetSquared Community Builder
Big Vision Career & Project

Excellent tips!

Kim Pearson — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:40:50 -0600

Thanks so much for putting this together Britt. I think a lot of people who do PR are still on the learning curve when it comes to understanding how to craft messages for this medium.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

great tips

Virginia DeBolt — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 08:44:47 -0600

You are always powerfully persuasive to me when you mention a cause, so I know your tips must work. Very good advice.

ttp://www.webteacher.ws/
http://first50.wordpress.com/

I took My Cause UnitedSpinal to my Blog and Second Life!

Jody DeVere -- Ask Patty — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:41:38 -0600

Ask Patty supports United Spinal Association with our involvement in their Motorsports activities and promoting awareness of people with spinal cord disorders.

I have has taken a personal interest in the organization because my son has MS and has a spinal cord injury from a car accident in 2005. I support involvement in United Spinal programs and I currently chair the United Spinal Motorsports
Committee.

We are having an event in Second Life Saturday December 15th to raise awareness and riase funds to support MotorSafe and many other programs benefiting vets, kids and many others!

http://askpatty.typepad.com/ask_patty_/2007/12/charity-cruis-1.html

Jody DeVere
President
www.askpatty.com
www.carblabber.com

Thank you Britt

Denise — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:24:10 -0600

I loved the Common Craft video and I really love the 10,000 Villages blog press list idea.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

10 Tips for Asking Bloggers to Write About Your Cause

Britt Bravo — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:20:32 -0600

A friend recently asked me, "How can I get the word out about a court case surrounding the harmful effects of uranium mining in the Lakota (Sioux) Pine Ridge Indian Reservation?" There are a lot of answers to that question, but if you want to do outreach to bloggers about an issue you care about, here are a few tips:

1. Search for bloggers who write about topics related to your cause on Technorati, Google Blog Search and Ask.com's blog search engine.

2. Search del.icio.us for blog posts tagged with words related to your topic.

3. Read blogs. Just like you would read a magazine or newspaper to decide if it was an appropriate place to pitch a story, you need to read the blogs you are considering too.

4. Find the name and contact information for the blogger. A personal email is more effective.

5. Think about who you are pitching to. Most bloggers aren't paid to blog. They post whenever they can. They write in coffee shops, during lunch breaks, at kitchen tables and in bed. They are a person, not a corporation. Keep that in mind when you email them.

6. If you have lead time up until you'd like them to write about your story, comment on their blog. Bloggers can sniff out a fake commenter a mile away so steer clear of comments like, "Great stuff. Check out my site: www.mysiteiwantyoutosee.com."

7. Start your email with a compliment, or some indication that you have read and enjoyed their blog. I'm telling you, they'll know if you are faking, so be real.

8. Make it easy for them to post about your story. Send them all of the information they would need to write a post without ever having to contact you again, but not in a press release form. Remember, you are one person asking another person to spread the word about something you presumably both care about. Be sure to include:

The who, what, where, when, why, and how of the issue, campaign, event or product.
The date, if any, that it should be posted by.
The action you want their readers to take, if any.
An image they can illustrate the post with.
Your web site's URL.
A short "about" paragraph for the lead organization, person or business.
Where they can find more in-depth background information, if they have time.

9. Choose a subject line that tells them that your email contains possible blog post content. Steer clear of vague subject lines like,"Interesting event," or "Fair trade business." Here are a few I've received that I opened because I knew what to expect:

Story of Stuff Live with New Youtube Teasers
100K Prize for Social Innovation
Annie's Homegrown/Scholarship Program Launch

10. One follow up email is helpful, more than one is annoying.

Bonus tip: If they write about your cause, thank them and link back to them!

For more ideas, check out Reaching Bloggers on Spare Change and a cute little video Blogger Outreach 101 on the Common Craft blog.

Also, check out what 10,000 Villages did. They contacted bloggers and asked them if they would like to join their blog press list.

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Britt Bravo, also blogs at Have Fun * Do Good, and NetSquared