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PR professionals have taken a lot of heat lately for the ways they pitch stories to bloggers. Some bloggers do not want to be solicited to by PR companies and their stance is understandable.

However, PR does serve a valuable purpose in business and it is certainly not going to disappear in the new media landscape. In this post, I will describe essential elements of a stellar PR pitch to a blogger.

I received an email today from a PR professional this morning that illustrated 8 essential aspects to include whenever pitching bloggers. Here are the good things this professional remembered that too many journalists and PR folks forget:

1. Short: The total email was 130 words long. Already, this sends the message that she respects my time.
2. Introduction: In one sentence, she explains who she is, who the client is, and why she is writing to me.
3. Description: Again in one sentence, she sums up the product with a minimum of the adjectives that decrease believability (best, great, unique, etc).
4. Seduction: I would have made the mistake of describing at least one feature or benefit. Instead, Christina piques my interest just enough and then leaves me two links from which to garner the specs. I had clicked these links before I even finished reading the email.
5. Help: Another one-sentence reminder that I can contact her with any questions.
6. Thanks: She ends by acknowledging my limited time and thanking me for reading. Even if it sounds heavy handed (which it does not), the blogger is getting his/her ego stroked and that never hurts.
7. Transparency: The postscript is not only transparent by again mentioning the client, but also encourages transparency if I write about it. This mentality builds trust.
8. Tone: The tone is helpful, but reserved (not one exclamation point!).

If your copywriting follows these simple rules, you cannot help but improve your response from bloggers. In the end, it comes down to being respectful, professional, and sounding like a human being. (It turns out people prefer other people rather than PR robots. Who knew?)

DJ Francis writes at http://OnlineMarketerBlog.com - drawing upon over 7 years of experience in strategic communications, online marketing, social media, advertising, and the relationships inherent in a Web 2.0 world.

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