Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Pitching Blogs

Posted by Anonymous on 1/30/2006 at 5:08 PM ET 125 Points
I’m the Marketing Manager at a natural foods company that gives part of its profits to social causes. This means that the marketing budget is less than ideal, and we rely a lot on PR. Recently I’ve thought about contacting blogs. I’ve found a few popular ones whose readership I believe would greatly appreciate our products. However, I am used to approaching conventional press, and feel like some bloggers might feel used or offended by the idea of being marketing vehicles. Does anyone have ideas on how to best pitch products to blogs?
Thanks
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by darcy.moen on 1/30/2006 at 8:05 PM Member
    Check out www.gapingvoid.com Hugh is one heck of an example of how blogging can be used to promote a product. Look into the wine he has been blogging, I think its a wonderful example of how to use blogs to promote a product. So, don't be shy, do it!
  • Posted by Carl Crawford on 1/30/2006 at 8:13 PM Member
    Why not have a product "give away" on the blog? What you need to do is set up a competition where the readers use your product in someway and either make a video, photo or do something related to our product. See an example here: It is a tech blog, they give away watches, laptops, ipods, amazon gift vouchers etc

    https://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/announcements/laptop-confidential-contest-fi...
    https://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/announcements/hard-drive-dying-dance-mix-con...
    https://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/announcements/gizmodohouse-contest-eat-the-c...
    https://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/contest/ipod-shrine-winner-robots-rule-14027...
  • Posted on 1/31/2006 at 1:30 PM Accepted
    Bloggers tend to be pretty sensitive about their community, and will most likely resist direct attempts to exploit their environment for commercial purposes. That said, everyone realizes that everybody's got something to hustle.

    The surest way to effectively market a blog would be to become an active participant in that sector of the "blogosphere": post relevant comments to the target blogs, familiarize yourself with each blog's language, customs, manners and major players.

    It takes time, but blogs are (for now) hybrid creatures, and can't be approached as merely collective groups of captive eyes, ready for your pitch.

    Once you are seen as a member, and not a "lurker", your input will be organically accepted within your target blogging group. You will be regarded as authentic, as will your communications within the particular blogging community. This will provide more credibility than money could buy in any medium.

    And in the end, that's what distinguishes marketing from advertising, isn't it?
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