10 Tips for Asking Bloggers to Write About Your Cause

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.


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blogging
outreach
nonprofit
social media