By now you know the cardinal rules for pitching your story idea to a blogger. The top five include: Know the blog and its author's interests before making contact. Tailor your pitch accordingly. Give specific reasons you believe the blogger might be interested. Provide links for background and research. Ask if it's OK to follow up.

In a post at the blog Web Ink Now, David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR, adds a new suggestion to the list: "When you pitch someone who wears multiple hats, it is a good idea to tell us … which publication you are pitching."

His rationale becomes understandable when he lists the various outlets for which he works: "I am a contributing editor to EContent magazine, a contributing writer to The Pragmatic Marketer, and I occasionally write for other publications (MarketingProfs and RainToday, for example). Obviously, I am a blogger here at Web Ink Now, but I also have a blog about Apollo moon mission artifacts, and I have written three books."

Since many bloggers write for a number of publications—both print and online—Scott recommends specifying which one you're pitching.

The Po!nt: Bloggers who receive hundreds of email queries each week will appreciate a carefully targeted pitch that outlines why they should cover your story as well as where the content would best fit.

Source: Web Ink Now. To read more about this and other viral marketing strategies, read the entire post.

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