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Using Blog PR To Promote Your Site
he recent trend of using newspaper! So how do you get the
the press release to influential bloggers in your
promote an online business industry to run a story about
has emerged with good reason - your business?
good press costs very little and
can do more for a business than Why Would Anyone Do a Story
thousands of dollars of About Your Business?
marketing. Most businesses use
press distribution services like Are you a new company? Did you
PR Web or PRFree to get the word just launch a new product that
out about their news. While they could review? Did your
distribution services certainly business win an award? Are you a
can be effective, they tend to group of college kids who started
miss out on arguably the most a company on savings from your
influential group of the press - summer jobs? You get the idea.
bloggers. There needs to be a reason that
someone would want to read about
Bloggers mold and shape the you. Bloggers take pride in the
opinions of their readers, who content they feed their readers.
are normally the most important You don't stand a chance of
in their particular industry, getting a blogger to write about
many of whom are also bloggers. you if you don't have a story
Not long after a post from an that their readers will be
influential blogger, your news interested in.
has been picked up by several
other bloggers and within days Research Bloggers in Your
you are all over the blogsphere. Industry
Before you know it your site is
getting more attention than it More is less when it comes to
would if a story ran in the local contacting bloggers. Buy a list
of 1,000 bloggers and send out a industry in order of "authority"
generic email to all of them and - how important Technorati thinks
you'll likely get no response. a blog is. This is extremely
But send a small amount of useful. For example, if you are
personalized emails to the in the travel industry, you can
appropriate bloggers and you'll view a list of the most
be shocked at how many positive influential blogs in the world of
responses you get. travel.
The first step is to make a list Another great way to find the
of the bloggers that would be right bloggers is to search
interested in your story. You can through your competitors press
generally get a feel for whether sections on their websites to see
or not a blogger would be what blogs have mentioned them.
interested in your story by You can also find out who has
reading a couple of posts and mentioned your competitors by
checking out their bio. If looking at the sites that have
they've done a few similar linked to them (type in
stories in the past or they are "links:www.theirsite.com" on
heavily involved in your Yahoo!). There's a good chance
industry, there is a good chance that if they found your
they'll want to hear your story. competitors story interesting,
If not, leave them off your list they'll find your story
and move on. interesting as well.
The single best method that I Compose Your Email
have found to research blogs is
the Technorati Blog Directory The best way to contact bloggers
http://www.technorati.com/blogs/. is by email. The good news is
You can peruse blogs in your that most bloggers make
themselves easy to access and
provide their email addresses on - Request them to post about
their blogs. The bad news is that you (be direct). In three
most people don't know what to do sentences or less, tell them your
with said email address once they story, why you think it would be
get it. Use the following outline of interest to them and their
for your email and you'll see readers, and respectfully ask
amazing results: that they write a post about it.
Be direct and to the point. They
- Have a simple subject. will respect that.
You probably won't get many
responses by treating your email - Offer something in
like a press release and writing return. You have something
RELEASE in the subject line. Try that could help them. Maybe it's
something simple like "fan of a link back to their blog from
your blog" or "comment about your your personal blog, or maybe you
blog." You want to make sure they could provide them with a free
actually read your email and product or service that could
don't mentally mark it as SPAM help them or their business. One
when they see the subject. way or another, there's something
you have to offer them in return
- Start by complementing for the time spent on a post
them. Since you've read their about you.
blog and learned about them from
their bio, you know quite a bit - Close with something
about them. Use it to your nice. Thank them for their
advantage. Complement them on time and wish them luck with
your favorite post, or how cool their blog and/or business
it is that they worked for XYZ ventures.
company.
Notice that of the five your industry) and if they have a
components of the email, only one positive image of you and your
is about your story. The rest of company they will undoubtedly
the email is spent complimenting give you a good recommendation.
them and offering them something.
Your chances of getting a Sit Back and Watch the Traffic
positive response have just gone Roll In
through the roof. Every blogger,
no matter how large, likes to Over the course of the next few
hear that people are enjoying weeks you will see post after
their posts. post appear about your business.
Be sure to send another thank you
Respond Promptly and email to the blogger after the
Respectfully post and also be sure to promptly
provide whatever you offered them
Not everyone is going to agree to in return. At this point you have
run your story. Some will say developed a mutually beneficial
that they don't do that type of relationship with someone
thing or that they don't have important in your industry that
time. Since you have been so nice can become invaluable over time.
as to compliment them, they will
still usually reply either way. That wasn't that hard was it?
Regardless of the response, be With a little research and a
sure to thank them for their time carefully crafted email, any
and wish them luck with their business can effectively use blog
ventures. You never know when PR to drive traffic to their
they will encounter someone who site.
needs your product or service in
the future (remember, they are in
About the Author:
Adam McFarland owns iPrioritize - simple to-do lists that can be edited at any time from any place in the world. Email, print, check from your mobile phone, subscribe via RSS, and share with others.
Read more articles by: Adam McFarland
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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