What’s all the talk about Blogs? What’s a blogosphere?
Well, it’s another vehicle to “get out there.”
When I coach authors, I ask them if they have a blog. Then I ask them if they even subscribe to other blogs or even read and comment on other blogs. More times than not they say, “No, why?”
They are not trying to hear about blogs – they want to get on Oprah. They want front-page coverage and an appearance on a big show like “Good Morning America.”
Well, let me in on a secret. The little guy with the blogs are now making some noise and blog tours are selling books. And, hey – if you’re an author that what you want, right?
Don’t get me wrong, media coverage is great if you can get it. But not everybody who will want to know about your book reads newspapers, and circulation within the entire industry continues to erode year after year. As for that TV talk show, even if you get your 15 minutes of fame on “Oprah,” the publicity is here today and gone tomorrow – unless you put in on Youtube. (Another PR secret).
We are in the era what we call the “citizen journalist.” Bloggers can “be the media” and are in a position to rapidly spread the word about your book. Google has changed the game for every body. Even media now look online for story ideas and to see what’s hot.
So by having a blog and getting mentioned in a blog will make you international – automatically by virtue of the internet. And your information will remain online for months and even years, waiting to be found by people who are searching for a book like yours.
Why blogs are so powerful for publicity
Here are the reasons why pitching to influential bloggers can bring you far more publicity than traditional media:
Bloggers usually write about niche topics. So, if you’re writing a Christian novel or a book on church leadership, you can pitch it to bloggers who blog about Christian fiction and those who blog on Christian leadership. Targeting your message like a laser saves you a lot of time. Pitch only bloggers whose audiences would be interested in your book.
Unlike websites, blogs are updated frequently. Typically two to three times a week. The best bloggers – blog everyday. The more frequent you blog, the search engines will pick up your blogs and often give them a high position in google. This is called the organic search list.
Four out of 10 journalists say they read blogs when looking for story ideas or researching their articles. In fact, many journalists are starting their own blogs. Here’s a secret: If you want to reach a journalist quickly and make friends with them – don’t send them an email – read they blogs and comment often. This will put you head and shoulders above all the other folks clamoring for their attention via email and voice mail.
Bloggers like to connect with other writers - unlike journalists who like to “get the scoop.” So, bloggers frequently link to each other blog postings. So if one influential blogger writes about your product, other bloggers might link to it, thus creating viral publicity and hitting audiences you never knew existed.
Where to start your blog research
When you’re ready to publicize your book, you can start researching bloggers by using google.com. Just type a topic and put blog behinds it into the search box, hit Enter. It will return to you a list of blogs that include information about that topic. You can also go to Technorati.com search there.
Once you’ve found a blog that looks like a good candidate for your pitch, spend some time reading it so you get a good feel for the type of things the blogger writes about and their style. Pay particular attention to whether the blogger refers to people who have emailed them to let them know about something. That’s a good indication the blogger is open to receiving a pitch.
One of the very best ways to get a blogger’s attention before you pitch is to post a comment about a topic they discuss at their blog. I’ll sometimes post two or three comments within a week or two at a particular blog before pitching that blogger with my idea. Why? Because I want the blogger to recognize me when I pitch.
I have a blog (www.MinistryMarketingSolutions.blogspot.com) and I pay close attention to everyone who posts comments there. It shows me they’re willing to become involved in the conversation, not just contact me when they want something. This is good relationship building.
What not to say to bloggers
It's best not to pitch information about your book as part of a comment or it will look too self-serving. It’s better to email the blogger, catch their attention and hope they write about you or your book.
Don’t say things like “It would be nice if you mentioned this in your blog” or “Perhaps you might want to interview me for your blog.” Just tell them about whatever you want them to know, and let them decide if they want to include it as a blog item. Unless you’re doing a “special” blog tour.
How to Set up a Blog Tour
Now, you’re ready to start contacting bloggers and you know how they blog and what they like. Contact them and tell them you’d like to do a blog tour with them and list all the other blogs you’re like to tour with too. Says it’s 10 to 14 bloggers during the week after Valentine’s Day. Give them some time (about 2 or 3 weeks out) and see if they would be interested in blogging about your book during that particular week. They can interview you (called an online interview) or do a podcast (will talk about that later – but see
www.blogtalkradio.com/ministrymarketingsolutions). Or they can just post a review of some sort or write an article about the topic of your book and interview you for the story.
But always offer your book to them FREE and even through in some extra books for their blog readers. Just to sweeten the pot. Bloggers are people that you want to be friends with for a long time. They’ll blog about you – and remember you’ll want to blog about them too. It works both ways!
Make your PR stick – make it viral! Blog about it!
So, visit My Blog and comment!
http://www.ministrymarketingsolutions.blog...
Posted By: Pam Perry
Monday, November 17th 2008 at 2:55AM
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