While there are a lot of rules around how to pitch traditional media sources, the rules for pitching online sources are often looser, and the opportunities could keep you busy for years.
The good news is that bloggers have more influence than ever before. Consumers love recommendations, especially when it comes to what books to read, so reaching out to bloggers can lead to some tremendous exposure.
As an author seeking to grow your audience, the goal is to reach out to bloggers who reach your target audience and see if you can contribute any of the following:
- A copy of your book for a book review.
- An excerpt of your book for reprint (if allowed by your publisher).
- A guest article you’ve written.
- An interview, if they host them.
- A donation of several books for a contest/give-away.
Some things to keep in mind when contacting bloggers:
- The top bloggers receive a lot of pitches. You might get better results by pitching mid-level bloggers, who still have loyal readers but aren’t quite as inundated with requests.
- Make sure your pitch fits the tone of the blog. If you’re asking for a book review, search the blog to see if other book reviews have been featured there. If not, find another angle. Perhaps you could offer up copies of your book as a give-away promotion or contribute a guest article.
- Get creative and try to create a win-win situation as much as possible. For example, you could offer to feature the blogger on your site in exchange for a mention on her site. Or you could offer to promote the blogger to your social media following.
- Flattery will get you everywhere. Make sure you let the blogger know that you enjoy their work and that you’re familiar with their content.
To locate bloggers, search for related keywords via http://technorati.com, http://networkedblogs.com, http://blogarama.com, or http://bloghub.com. (Side note: Make sure you list YOUR blog with these directories, too!)
Hint: For Google searches, try these combinations (change “parenting” to your genre):
“parenting book review”
“parenting blog”
“parenting advice”
“call for guest posts parenting”
The same rules above apply to podcasters, who can also have tremendous influence with their audiences. And guess what? Podcasters need guests! Locate programs via iTunes and then search for the podcast website and locate contact information.
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Thanks for this good info. I wasn’t aware of the blog directories. I’ll let others know.