Or is it fueled by a genuine desire to help the public relations industry better inform reporters of key trends and provide the sources they need to report on the world’s news?

My cynical side tells me it’s neither. Instead, it’s a good bit of self-righteous hand wringing aimed at embarrassing us into submission.

Latest among this latter scenario is AdAge columnist’s Bob Garfield’s scathing screed against a young PR professional in the LA area. I’ll refrain from publicly naming the PR pro in question, because I derive no joy from embarrassing a fellow professional who was likely doing what he was told by a boss, even if the instructions were bone-headed. But let’s just say the column left little to the imagination as to Mr. Garfield’s feelings about PR professionals: he’s not a fan.

And that’s unfortunate. But it shouldn’t surprise anyone. Ever since WIRED Editor Chris Anderson uncorked the journalist naming-and-shaming of PR pros meme in 2007, a subculture has emerged within journalism whereupon blaming PR pros for all that ails the business of journalism seems to be the cool thing to do. Never mind if you publicly embarrass someone whom you may not even know, dammit, they had the temerity to send you a pitch about a new e-reader when you cover business tech.

How dare they!

Now, before anyone starts writing a scathing rebuttal to this post, claiming that I don’t take these types of complaints seriously, let me set the record straight: I hate spray-and-pray pitching efforts. The spamming of the media is ridiculous and is a practice that must stop within PR.

Public relations is about establishing mutually-beneficial relationships with many stakeholders, the media included. Spamming a reporter does nothing to engender successful relationships with the media on behalf of one’s client. In many cases, it only serves to alienate those who we are trying to inform and influence.

And allow me to take this point a little further: as an advocate for the PR industry, through my work at PRSA, I understand the seriousness of this issue better than most. See my response in the comments section to Mr. Garfield’s AdAge column to get a sense of how PRSA feels about this issue and what we are doing to educate PR pros to eradicate the pernicious effects of spam pitching.

With all that said, I still have uneasy feelings about Mr. Garfield’s column and the broader media obsession with naming-and-shaming PR pros. Thankfully, not all feel the same as the former AdAge critic and “On the Media” co-host (who now writes a semi-regular column for AdAge and is listed as a consultant in his bio).

Commenter Stan Bratskeir had perhaps the most astute assessment of this issue, providing points I wish Mr. Garfield had considered before unleashing his vitriol against a young, aspiring PR pro. Here is Mr. Bratskeir’s superb comment:

It’s true that much irrelevant junk gets passed off as news by p.r. people. It’s also true that publicists are typically young and inexperienced, and measured by the number of reporters they contact and hits they generate.

At the same time, most reporters depend on p.r. people for story ideas and, then, for research and for access, so their relationship is always going to be necessary, if uneasy.

It’s also true that p.r. people who are careful about who they pitch, what they say and how they represent their clients take exception to being called flacks. Just as good reporters probably don’t like being called hacks.

Ahh, perspective. Just what this discussion needs. Unfortunately, Mr. Garfield’s column offered little of that. Which is a shame, because the headline for his commentary was promising: “One Strike and You’re Out: In Relationship Era, Bad PR Pitches Will not Be Tolerated.”

Wouldn’t it have been far more interesting to read his thoughts on what PR means in the “relationship era” than reading yet another column about why journalists just can’t stand those damn emails they receive from PR pros?

I guess we’ll have to wait for the sequel to Mr. Garfield’s column to find out …

• 10 February 2012 : Doing It Right & Doing It Wrong
• 9 February 2012 : 5 Ways that Bloggers Are Like the Cool Kids in High School
• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had

Dear PR colleagues: Pls do not pitch earthquake-related stories unless you rep an earthquake preparedness company/expert.

I wrote that tweet Wednesday afternoon in response to a tweet from Forbes media reporter Jeff Bercovici that he, like every other reporter it seems, had received an irrelevant earthquake-related pitch from a PR pro.

And Friday afternoon, I tweeted this as Hurricane Irene beared down on the East Coast:

Oh wow. Bad PR RT @ShopWiki_Hlth_B Be prepared for Hurricane Irene with this awesome waterproof mascara by @LorealParis

*Headshaking* Far be it from me to fault my many excellent colleagues in the PR business, but let me be blunt, fellow PR pros:

Please stop being stupid with your pitches.

Too harsh? Maybe. But let’s admit what every professional must know: a pitch about how your social media guru client can extol the power of Twitter when the earth is rumbling, or how your client’s waterproof makeup would be great in the torrential rains of a hurricane is not good PR. It’s irresponsible PR, in my opinion.

PR should stand for more than glomming on to the latest public emergency or catastrophe. Our greatest value is to aid in society’s informed decision-making. How exactly does pitching a social-media guru about earthquake response via Twitter add to the public’s greater knowledge?

We’re better than this. We all know that these inane and irrelevant pitches do nothing to improve public relations’ reputation or value. It does the exact opposite, actually.

Then again, PR isn’t alone in trying to take advantage of the earthquake for its own gain. As Digiday’s Brian Morrissey pointed out, Mashable almost immediately published a post Wednesday about how Twitter led the way in informing East Coasters of the 5.9 tumbler. Equally galling, Technorati (That site still exists?) ran a bizarrely-headlined post titled “Twearthquake.”

The mainstream media wasn’t much better. Scores of articles ran in the dailies and online late last week detailing how Twitter, Facebook and other social networks were instrumental in informing people of the impending earthquake (apparently, you could read about it in your Twitter stream 15 seconds before you felt the quake … cool!). And that led, inevitably, to the media critiquing the media on how the media reported the story. Yet another in a long line of process stories that the public generally hates but the media love to write.

Long story short: We all can do better. PR pros, the media and our clients.

For PR, we need to be especially vigilant in educating clients when it is and is not appropriate to pitch the media following emergencies or natural disasters. As I noted at the top of this post, there is a time and place for most pitches. Just make sure they’re relevant, lest you want to end up on another of Michael Arrington’s long line of rants against PR firms.

• 10 February 2012 : Doing It Right & Doing It Wrong
• 9 February 2012 : 5 Ways that Bloggers Are Like the Cool Kids in High School
• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had

First: newspapers still reach a massive audience. The combined local market reach (online and print) of the top-20 newspapers is 47,370,687. That’s 15 percent of the U.S.’ 307 million population. (Note: The Wall Street Journal and USA Today were excluded because their local market isn’t clearly defined.)

via Poynter.org

I don’t know about you, but if I’m able to tap into even a sliver of that size of an audience, I’m absolutely going to give newspapers a bit more of my attention going forward.

Perhaps most surprising, however, is which papers tops the list: it’s the New York Daily News at 4,56248. Long locked in a battle with its New York City tabloid rival, Rupert Murdoch’s beloved New York Post, the Daily News even beats out the vaunted New York Times. (As a New York City resident, I don’t find this too surprising. The Times tends to cover NYC as more of an afterthought.)

Second: While print circulation in the U.S. continues to fall (down 5 percent in the six-month period ended Sept. 30, 2010), combined print-plus-digital reach of newspapers is on the rise.

What does this portend for the PR industry and those who are tasked with pitching our hearts out?

For one thing, newspapers are absolutely going to remain relevant and will continue to be an important source of information for consumers. Yes, the Pew Project for Excellent in Journalism report, just out two weeks ago, found that for the first time, more people (41%) get their new online than via newspapers (34%).

But here again, we cast aside newspapers at our own peril. As Pew noted last year, a staggering 99% of links in blog posts were to legacy media outlets (read: print newspapers). Fifty percent of links on Twitter are to the same.

So, are newspaper dead? If these numbers are any indication, I’d say not a chance. They are just morphing into more vibrant forms of media. Just like PR’s value continues to grow and change over time.

Happy pitching!

• 10 February 2012 : Doing It Right & Doing It Wrong
• 9 February 2012 : 5 Ways that Bloggers Are Like the Cool Kids in High School
• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had

Maybe you have a client making an announcement there. Maybe a new, young startup out to change the world. Maybe you represent a global brand rolling into town with a caravan. As a communications pro, you have a game plan. You’ve got your metrics and deliverables all set. It’s time to put those away for a minute.

It’s time to figure out how you’re going to be a part of the amoeba-like mass that manages to keep in a constant state of motion. How do you, as a PR/communications counselor extract personal and professional value from an event such as SXSW?

Meeting in meat space

Jason Falls and Becky McCray at SXSW 2009. That's how I get down..

I can’t stress enough just how important relationships are. Even in today’s world of perpetual connectivity, it can be difficult to foster and grow a relationship without being present. Without being part of the conversations that happen in the real world. Without interaction. That’s why in order for you to extract value from SXSW, you need to embrace the subtitle of the conference: Interactive.

Set up coffees/happy hours/brunches with the folks that will be there that are outside your core list of media. Recognize other influencers such as the corporate bloggers of your company’s customers or analysts that tend to create more real-time content.

It’s really hard to be a part of the mix from our offices. It’s difficult to maintain the currency of the PR industry — relationships — when the majority of people that we interact with are based at least two states away. There is inherent value to meeting with somebody in person.

Disconnect and connect

Me and @Hawaii, aka Ryan Ozawa at SXSW, 2009.

As you look at the events that your clients want to be a part of beyond SXSW, keep a part of your planning dedicated to “how can I serve my clients aside from hosting meetings?”

You’re going to recap the event. Why not add a little color to it? If you’re at a tradeshow, fire up the video recorder of choice and take a tour of the show floor. Set up a Tumblr, Posterous account or posts for your company or agency’s blog to document the event in real time. I also like to take pictures at the events I go to.

A few folks have written posts recently either defending why to go to SXSW or why not to go to SXSW. In my opinion, it is one of the single-most conferences you can attend as a PR person.

Conversations go both ways

Do you follow folks on Twitter? Do you subscribe to their RSS? Maybe it’s as easy as having a two-sentence “nice to meet you” email in your drafts you can send 30 seconds after you connect with somebody. The point is, you just met somebody, foster that relationship. You never know who you’re going to meet.

A community or relationship does not occur spontaneously. They must be curated, maintained and developed. By having a strategy in place of how you as an individual communications counselor can continue to build your own little community after each event, you will see a significant increase in your event ROI.

As we look forward to South by Southwest, community building should be one of the guiding factors of our presence down there. In order to influence the conversation, we must be part of the conversation. We must become influencers ourselves in order to influence the influencers. This is why we go to SXSW.

Why are you going to SXSW?

I’ve been getting a lot more pitches lately that are starting to remind me of Idol contestants. They aren’t necessarily terrible but they aren’t that great either.

Do you want to wow the judges (the media) with your next pitch audition and get that golden ticket to Hollywood? Think of me as a sort of Marie Seacrest but taller; grab a Coke glass and sit back as we break it down for you.

The “Tease”: You’ve seen the judges when a hottie walks in with a ton of star potential and then the person starts to sing. The judges give each other that look that says “Man, we wish this singer was a little bit better than he/she actually is.” The pitch can work the same way. For example, I was sent a pretty interesting pitch and the publicist offered to send me a press release if I was interested. So now I have to respond to say that I am interested, wait for the publicist to send me the release (which in my experience takes a day or two) to see if it’s even something I want to cover. Why not just include the release at the bottom of the e-mail or send me a link to a press release online? Don’t tease the media; give them the tools they need to make a decision.

The “Over-the-top”: Like some contestants that don’t understand that there can be too much of a good thing, there are some pitches that suffer the same demise. This can be the type of pitch that when you look at it you start to get dizzy because there is just too much information. Part of you knows that there is definitely a good story in there somewhere but it’s been buried under useless facts and pontifications. Don’t confuse the media with TMI, get to the point, capture their interest then supply them with all the factoids when it’s time.

The “Uh, I forgot the lyrics”: Usually the kiss of death on Idol is when a singer forgets the words to the song. If you are going to pitch someone, call them the right name and use correct spelling – at least! Recently, I received a pitch that said “Dear Mom.” Now as far as I know my 7-month old has not yet mastered the art of typing. This is by no means is unusual because I hear about bloggers complaining about this all of the time. Look, I don’t care if you e-mail blast me; I have more important things to get all riled up about. Granted, I’ll pay more attention to a very personalized pitch but that’s beside the point. Do not use generic intros like “Dear Sir/Madam” (yes, I got this one too), use real names. If you don’t have the real name, find it or e-mail the writer first and introduce yourself. Please, please, please, I also beg you, spell correctly.

The “Not quite ready for this competition”: Yes, these are the singers that show a great amount of potential but they aren’t quite there yet. They need more practice, more showmanship, etc.  Pitches can work the same way. Practice, practice, practice. Read the pitch out loud to see if it flows, makes sense, or needs some tweaking. If your gut is telling you the story isn’t quite strong enough; try doing more research.  Latch on to a trend, dig deeper, make it better. That way when you are up to bat again; you have a stronger shot at making it through.

The “Wait, can I try a different song?”: There are times when a singer should  just not quit his day job.  You know the one that keeps belting out different songs hoping the judges will change their minds, and instead gets escorted off by bodyguards? Publicists can fall victim to this as well. If you get a firm “no,” avoid harassing the reporter. Wait until you have something new or a different angle, and then feel free to go back to the person.

• 10 February 2012 : Doing It Right & Doing It Wrong
• 9 February 2012 : 5 Ways that Bloggers Are Like the Cool Kids in High School
• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had

Keith Trivitt: The Daily is like any other new publication that comes out: It’s incredibly exciting to see the new product, particularly the flow of news, who’s writing what, the columnists, etc. I’m a news junkie, so I love finding new publications.

As for the PR value of The Daily … eh, only time will tell. That’s waffling, I know, but we have to keep in mind that right now, it’s only available on the iPad (though reports have it soon branching out to other tablets and e-readers eventually), it’s not searchable on Google and the iPad still hasn’t reached a critical mass. Despite 15 million iPads sold thus far globally, that’s still nowhere near the mass distribution reach that, say, a new online-only newspaper could hope to reach.

The Daily won’t be a boon for PR until its distribution is broadened to more platforms and Google eventually starts indexing content from tablets and eReaders. Until then, it’s an exciting time for media because it means our overall business is starting to come out of the recession (though one could argue that at a $30 million initial investment, Rupert Murdoch would fund the space station if it meant beating his rival, The New York Times). I’m excited about the product, but not yet sold on its opportunities for PR pros.

PRCog: Another outlet to pitch (particularly one backed by Murdoch’s dollars) is always a good thing.  Then again, with a max reach of 15 million and news readership in the U.S. generally being pretty lousy, how many are going to spring for and bother reading it? Only time will tell.

Further, how many of us really need to pitch a national outlet. The great majority of businesses are small businesses, with a local focus (Keith: Great point. SMBs make up something like 97% of all American businesses …). Time for dollars comparison, and if I were a client, I’d rather have my PR agency hitting my audience, which is probably not the jet-setting, iPad-sporting, crowd.

Marie V–B: Magazines are also jumping on the iPad bandwagon. Parenting Magazine now has its iPad exclusive content with “Seasons,” which also features a different editorial staff. While I’m always excited about new PR opportunities for clients, I’m definitely keeping a close eye on how successful these launches really are. Right now in my household, the iPad, aka the other woman in my marriage, is being used more for “Angry Birds,” rather than an e-reader.

Keith: Tonya Garcia at PRNewser brought up an interesting question yesterday in her post about The Daily. She asked whether there might be opportunities for PR pros to “pitch multimedia content in addition to text stories and images.” That would be a novel idea. For the longest time, we’ve basically had text, images, video content and other semi-multimedia. But a truly multimedia product as part of a pitch could help bridge the gap between traditional media relations and the so-called social media press release that continues to languish.

So there are the thoughts of some of the PRBC bloggers and editors about the potential opportunities of The Daily for the PR business. What do you think? The comments are yours.

• 10 February 2012 : Doing It Right & Doing It Wrong
• 9 February 2012 : 5 Ways that Bloggers Are Like the Cool Kids in High School
• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had

Yes, that’s right, publicists get pitched too. Whether it’s for product reviews or hiring a blogger for a myriad of services (writing, conference sponsorship, and consultant opportunities) – it happens.

Bloggers and publicists – it seems we are all just trying to find a way to get along and work together. There is a lot of information out there on how to pitch bloggers, yet there’s not much material on pitching publicists or, what I refer to as “reverse pitching.”

Every day, more and more blogs are popping up and it’s making the blogging arena pretty competitive. Since I work with a lot of bloggers, I’m continually asked from a publicist standpoint on how I like being approached, or what do I look for in working with a blogger. Let me just put it out there that every company, brand and publicist looks for different things.

That being said, here are a few pointers to keep in mind when pitching a publicist. Surprisingly, these may sound familiar.

Be Honest

On occasion a blogger may feel she/he has to exaggerate blog stats. This is not a good idea. Publicists and companies use a number of measuring tools and will quickly discover if you are not being entirely truthful in your statistical roundup. If your blog is new, that’s okay, say so. If your blog has less than flattering stats, why not focus on the other things that you bring to table?

Showcase yourself…the right way

Yes numbers are important, but that’s not the whole enchilada. Influence can come from more than just blog numbers. Focus on your writing, your community reach – anything that might appeal to that specific company or project.  Clearly state the services you can offer. If you are looking to host a Twitter party, lay it all out there. Also, try linking to a few example posts within your e-mail.  I can’t stress this enough, spell correctly. If you can’t use proper spelling in an e-mail, a company will be less inclined to have you review their product or hire you for your services.

Be Patient & follow up

Yes, bloggers get a tremendous amount of e-mail. Want to hear a secret? So do publicists. Don’t be discouraged if it takes awhile for a company or PR person to get back to you. If you don’t receive a response, it’s okay to follow up. If you do hear back, and the answer isn’t quite what you were hoping for, be patient and don’t lose touch.

Develop a Relationship

Ever hear that saying: “It’s all about the relationship?” Well it goes both ways. I’m not a huge fan of receiving e-mails starting with “Dear PR Person,” or wacky version of my name. Make the introduction personal. Also, don’t give up hope. For example, when I speak with bloggers on a regular basis, I keep a file on all the other services that they offer (Twitter party hosting, writing, etc.), so that when the appropriate time and need arises, I have quick access to the info. Also, if one project isn’t right for a specific blogger, who is to say another project won’t be?

As a publicist, is there anything that you look for in working with bloggers?

• 10 February 2012 : Doing It Right & Doing It Wrong
• 9 February 2012 : 5 Ways that Bloggers Are Like the Cool Kids in High School
• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had

Now, this isn’t a post about personal branding, which despite my dislike for the phrase, is a real aspect of our lives that we need to be aware of as we actively broadcast nearly every aspect of our lives online. How we carry ourselves and how we interact with a wide range of people affects how we are perceived as communications professionals.

As I prepare to head to BlogWorld, I have been thinking a bit about how I will conduct myself. What my escalator pitch is. How I interact with people and making sure I am affecting the proper perception. I think that having this sort of plan, yes, this goes beyond “be yourself,” is essential for any size networking event.

So, while agenda-free networking may be a slight oxymoron, let’s explore how we can do just that.

• Be yourself. Above all else, paint a genuine picture of your personality. Embrace your awkwardly loud laugh. Be the guy that buys everybody a drink. Be the silent sage. It’s OK to embrace the role you are most comfortable in. There is tremendous pressure for us to be constantly “on.” Sometimes being off is being on.
• Be the story you want to tell. This is important. How will people talk about you after you walk away. Make sure that the impression you leave is the one you intended on leaving. If you sense a conversation going south, don’t awkwardly walk away, rescue it using those fancy communications techniques we teach our clients.
• Walk softly and carry a big stick. By stick, I mean camera. I’ve found that carrying a camera is such a great way to interact and meet people. You get to strike up a conversation, learn their names and make a memory.
• Ask questions. Be inquisitive. I treat each person I meet like they are smarter than me. I feel that every person I meet has an opportunity to teach me something. It’s OK to ask questions.
• Follow up and follow through. If you take a business card, do so with a purpose. Same if you offer yours to someone. I believe it’s OK to be direct with your thoughts and desires.

We’re waist deep in conference season (well, I’m 6’8″, so waist deep for me, neck deep for you). What networking strategy will you use to control the perception people have about you?

• 10 February 2012 : Doing It Right & Doing It Wrong
• 9 February 2012 : 5 Ways that Bloggers Are Like the Cool Kids in High School
• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had

The importance of trade press and niche outlets is hard to argue against. For every TechCrunch, there  is a Commercial Construction & Renovation Magazine. Keeping this in mind, I was intrigued when I saw a tweet from somebody that I respect that he was compiling a media list for an upcoming announcement.

So, I called up Allen Stern, who is the founder of Cloud Contacts, which scans, transcribes and connects your business cards on social networks, email services and CRM systems about how he approaches PR. What makes Allen’s perspective valuable is he is also the founder and editor of Center Networks, a news blog that focuses on start ups and Web apps.

Know where your paying customers are

The top piece of advice Allen shared was to make sure you know where your paying customer base is getting its information. He said that while he has been featured in the major tech blogs, they don’t generate new customers. In fact, one site’s feature on him is his top referrer, but he can only track one (yes, one) paying customer to that coverage. Instead, it was a passing mention on another site that catered to his ideal customer base that has driven the most customers.

When you are thinking about where to go (with news), think about ‘Where are your customers? Getting featured on TechCrunch if you have a food product might not make as much sense as getting on 10 different food blogs.

Allen Stern

This same idea applies to the role a company’s executives play in its communications strategy, he said. The most impact a CEO can have on a company is to be out making deals and networking. The current trend of communications plans are to have the top executives speaking to customers through a blog. But the reality is that for most small and medium-sized businesses, deals still happen in person.

Allen took this to heart, moving to Austin earlier this year so that he could more easily travel to events outside of the tech echo chamber. Instead, he is making an effort to attend industry conferences such as BlogWorld (disclosure: I am speaking there. Join me!) or real estate conferences.

Pitching the pitch man

Of course I had to ask Allen how he approaches PR for CloudContacts after receiving thousands of pitches over the year. So he shared his top three tips with me:

• Due diligence. Make sure you are researching the outlets on your pitch list. While this may sound like PR 101, Stern says he still gets numerous pitches that start out with “I see that you write about Twitter, so I thought you’d be interested in…” But he said he never writes about Twitter.
• Make your pitch interesting. Stern said if you are pitching him for the first time, don’t send a note and attach a press release. Instead, send a short 5-6 bullet point mail with links to more information.
• Stay at it. Be persistent. Don’t be afraid to follow up on a pitch, especially if it’s the first time working with him, Allen said.

As the silos around communications continue to break down, being able to tell a story is essential. Being able to get that story in front of the right people is even more important. How will you share your stories?

• 10 February 2012 : Doing It Right & Doing It Wrong
• 9 February 2012 : 5 Ways that Bloggers Are Like the Cool Kids in High School
• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had

We’ve all heard that relationships matter, right? But, it’s not always realistic to think we can build a solid relationship with every blogger (or traditional journalist, for that matter) before the pitch. Especially if you work in an agency environment, with clients in multiple industries.

So, what’s the secret to effective blogger outreach?

Not too long ago, a blogger emailed this to me after receiving my pitch:

I really appreciate you taking the time to know a little bit about me before you emailed me. You have no idea what a difference that personalization makes. Or, maybe you do. But in case you don’t hear it enough, good job!

Personalization. You’ll notice this is the beginning of a theme . . .

In the Anatomy of a Great PR Pitch, Geoff Livingston shared a pitch he recently received. (Tip: Read it. It’s a good pitch.) Admitting that he rarely follows up on “cold pitches,” Geoff cited four reasons that this one worked. Reason No. 1: “Did his homework and knows what I tend to write about …” And, the second reason? “Went beyond the norm and researched my personal interests, and even included a motorcycle pic.”

Need more evidence that it’s the personalization – not a pre-existing relationship – that really matters? This summer, the Hoosier PRSA blog shared a pitch from Liz Pope. What made it so great? From the post:

Lesson One: Read the Blogger’s blog and connect with them.

Here Liz Pope, along with her Sevans colleague, Kairi Soosaar, do three very important things:

• Address me by name.
• Demonstrate they have read my blog by referencing it in the opening sentence
• Show they know exactly what I’m interested in “online community that [are] bridging the gap between traditional and new media.”

Liz and Kairi also use the word “share,” which is more friendly and helps build that relationship. They are also concerned about my readers by referencing them in the opening sentence.

The next time you build a blogger list, don’t just hunt around on the targeted blog for an e-mail address or contact form. Find a way to establish a connection. Personalize the pitch by referencing a relevant post or a shared like or dislike. And, don’t forget to check the blogger’s Twitter stream to find those nuggets ideal for personalization.

What advice would you offer to help PR people craft stronger pitches to bloggers?

• 10 February 2012 : Doing It Right & Doing It Wrong
• 9 February 2012 : 5 Ways that Bloggers Are Like the Cool Kids in High School
• 8 February 2012 : Drop the Salesman Mentality
• 7 February 2012 : Giant PR Lessons from the Super Bowl Champions
• 6 February 2012 : Video: Job Interview Conversations That Should Be Had