Fireside21

As a follow-up to my 5 tips for reaching out to the blogosphere, I wanted to point to a post by Richard Edelman about how the PR industry needs to adapt to ongoing changes in the mainstream media to realize client successes.

He gives a great example of blog outreach and tactics that can be adapted for Congressional offices:

So let’s say that you are at a PR firm representing a diabetes drug. The mainstream media has been reluctant to cover the category. You come across this interesting blog written by Amy Tenderich, a Bay Area resident and a Type One Diabetes patient, called DiabetesMine.com. You see that she wrote a letter to Steve Jobs which sparked the design of a next generation diabetes measurement gadget. You learn that it attracts 30,000 unique visitors a month. So you offer Amy an interview with the doctor running the important clinical trial with a human interest angle with a few of the patients who have benefited. Amy posts and you are off and running in the long tail. Note a few recent posts: http://www.diabetesmine.com/2007/09/where-healthcar.html and http://www.diabetesmine.com/2007/09/health-20-a-mov.html. Scott Hensley, the WSJ health blogger, picks up on the story for his blog and you are working in a new media-eco system.

Mr. Edelman is the President and CEO of Edelman Worldwide.

Blogging is a great way to cultivate new audiences for your web site, but even if you don’t blog, you can still reach out to the blogosphere!

Step 1 - Identify “friendly” and “unfriendly” blogs

This can be as easy as searching Google Blog Search, Technorati or Icerocket (blog specific search engines) for your boss’ name. Once you find them, keep track of them using a feed reader like Google Reader or Bloglines. In addition to reading the blogger’s post, it is important to look at comment threads to get a feel for other reader’s opinions.

Step 2 - Comment thoughtfully

If you have something to say–leave a comment. It is important to be thoughtful, factual and transparent with your identity. Don’t try to be sneaky with your identity or your argument, because you will get caught! Emotional rants should be discourage, but counter arguments to “unfriendlies” is an important component of your outreach.

Step 3 - Contact bloggers directly

Every blogger has their own preference for communicating, but consider reaching out to “friendly” bloggers with an email to introduce yourself asking the best way to contact them. They may prefer you to send them a message another way–perhaps by Facebook.

Step 4 - Provide exclusives or other privileged information

Bloggers love special treatment. Scheduling a regular blogger conference call, for instance, could give the participants access directly to your boss. When you are pushing out informaion, keep in mind that bloggers inboxes are swamped just like the rest of us, so don’t inundate them with every press releases.

Step 5 - Ask for feedback

This is a two-way street, so provide mechanisms for bloggers and their readers to interact with you. Providing surveys and polls on your web site is a great way to continue the conversation without jamming up your back office. Added bonus to those of you who can gather email list opt-ins from your surveys.

More on identifying and developing a relationship with bloggers.