Marketing Roadmaps

Blogger relations faux pas

by

Here are a few more pitches that illustrate the points we’ve been discussing in the blogger relations series.  Later this week, we’ll take a look at the new incumbent for crappiest pitch ever. Literally.

—

Um, no I write about marketing, blogger and public relations and social media. On a blog.

—

I love this one. Really I do. I just wish they had included a cover note.

—

Oops. You should always get a reporter or blogger to agree to the embargo BEFORE you give her the news.

—

Wow! My blog is cool!. But Arthur, do you know what I write about? Have you read my blog? I’m guessing not, because if you had you would know that I do not like unsolicited jpeg attachments and  rarely discuss products. Other folks write about the widget du jour. Not me. And.I’m still scratching  my head on how you managed to spell your own name wrong. The letters aren’t close enough on the keyboard for it to be a transposition… Could it be that you did not send the email yourself?

—

This isn’t the worst pitch I’ve ever received, but it rubbed me the wrong way. The tone was a bit arrogant and didn’t establish the collegial feel I expect the publicist was aiming for. If I interview someone, I want to actually interview them. Not submit three questions for an intern to answer using the messaging document. It’s also a bit off target; the publicist probably got my name from one of the media databases. I don’t write about branding and advertising that much, a fact for which the branding agencies should be generally grateful as they probably wouldn’t be too thrilled with what I’d write. Let’s just leave it that I think branding agencies get paid far too much for what they actually deliver.

—

Make sure you don’t commit a blogger relations faux pas. Re-read your pitch before you send it.

Tags: ,

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. They obviously haven’t read your blog (not even the categories that say clearly you don’t talk about finance, advertising, technology…). But they probably got info about your reach and forgot that somewhat a big piece of the marketing equation is relevance.

  3. Unfortunately Ari, I rarely get really cool pitches. Or offers for anything I’d actually want. For example, the book pitch above doesn’t even offer a review copy of the book. Mostly people just want me to interview their guy, who is usually some marketing VP or CEO.

  5. I have seen these “embargo” pitches a lot lately– as in, bloggers like you, Jeff Pulver, et al, complaining about them.

    As a PR person, I have to ask: Who thought that was a good idea? Do you give some guy a $100 bill and then ask him “How would you like $100?”

    Boggles the mind.