How to get coverage in law blogs

I receive 15 or 25 emails or press releases a day from companies or PR agencies announcing a new product or service. The vast the majority of which are of news of no interest to my readers. Shortly before a conference such as ABA TechShow or ALM’s LegalTech the number only increases.

At some conferences, talented PR professionals will introduce me to their clients. I want to be polite so in most cases I accept the offer. But I feel a little sorry for the CEO of a company I meet on such an introduction who asks ‘How can I get on your blog.’ They have little understanding of social media or blogs, they just want coverage.

If I have the time, I’ll explain that I really don’t know anything about them or their company so I have no idea if what they do is of interest to my readers. I’ll further explain that for me to learn about them and their company they’ll need to mention me or talk about items of interest to me in their own blog, if they have one, or other social media.

It’s not that I have a big ego. It’s just that until they mention me or subjects of interest to me, I can’t see them. They’ll not pop up in the items I follow in my RSS reader. Only then will I be able to see them, and possibly other people I follow talking about them. Until they do, they’ll not get to the busy intersection of people discussing items of interest to me and my readers.

IT marketing pro, Tom Pick, had a nice post this week on how to get coverage in blogs in which he explained it’s no longer enough to follow the longstanding do’s and don’ts of pitching bloggers. Personalizing an email or offering an interview and not taking the shotgun coverage won’t cut it. “The volume of pitches has exploded.”

Pick is spot on that establishing a relationship with a blogger prior to pitching is key today.

• Follow your targeted bloggers on Twitter. Retweet some of their posts.
• Provide relevant and helpful comments on some of their blog posts.
• Promote their content through Twitter and other social media tools.
• Join the same LinkedIn groups they belong to.

No question this requires gaining an understanding of social media and more work, but the relationships established will result in coverage.

I totally agree with Pick that PR professionals must evolve with the changing social media landscape. “Smart PR firms, and their clients, will focus less on ‘cold’ pitches and more on establishing relationships and creating thoughtful content.”