So maybe I blogged too quickly. Maybe I was a bit harsh.
After driving home, having dinner and putting my kids to sleep, I’ve had some time to think about it.
And I’m still annoyed.
For a couple of reasons.
First of all, this pitch was several pages long when I printed it out. It included a lengthy interview with the client that had no relevance to what I blog about – it was mainly about ‘innovation’ and other buzzwords we put to rest in 2000. So I wouldn’t have sent it to a journalist, let alone a blogger.
Here’s a tip folks. All of this discussion on pitching bloggers vs. pitching journalists misses on key point. The way most PR people pitch journalists is wrong and counterproductive and only serves to piss off the journalist.
Don’t write pitch letters. Write letters! Make phone calls. Find out what the journalist or blogger is interested in and if you think they might be interested in your client, drop them a friendly email. I know this is beyond the imagination and ability of the average PR account manager, but maybe that’s why so many journalists hate dealing with PR people.
Second of all, since this pitch obviously went over like a lead balloon in the blog world, the agency will probably figure ‘oh well, so much for pitching bloggers.’ No chance at all that they might take a good hard look at how they go about approaching bloggers.
There, now I’ve made myself very happy I don’t work in an agency anymore.
Technorati Tags: blogging, /pr, /public relations
