What’s the SCOOP?
In responding to a particularly tenacious person pestering me to post something at my personal blog, I laid out some guidelines for sending me pitches and realized it was an acronym. When pitching a blogger, remember that you want to develop a working relationship. So, be sure that you have a valid reason for contacting the blogger. Consider, are you offering a SCOOP?
- Supporting a relevant and vital charitable effort?
- Cross-promoting the blogger on your (or your client’s) established, respected, popular site and/or with other social media?
- Offering something of value to the blogger’s audience?
- Offering something of value to the blogger?
- Providing relevant and important breaking news?
Of course, the meaning of these things varies from blog to blog. Something of value may be a product, interview, or exclusive information.
But if you cannot answer yes to any of the above questions, if all you have is a press release about how cool your client’s product is, know that most bloggers will pass; if you keep sending e-mails with nothing of value, your e-mail will go, unread, into trash.
