Press Pass:

Check out a new wiki at bloggersandpr.com that allows everyone who registers to edit the “best practices” section of principles of outreach. You can also suggest questions (and vote on existing ones) for the next survey.

A few basic tools that every entrepreneur should utilize: Google Alerts and Technorati.

I sign up for Google Alerts to keep up on any time we are talked about on the World Wide Web, and I use Technorati to keep my eye on the blogosphere.

Google Alerts
It’s easy. For Google, just set up an account. Click on My Account, and this will bring you to My Services. Click on Alerts, and enter the search terms you’d like to track. I have alerts sent to me once a day. In addition to tracking my own info, I track competitors and industry keywords to keep up on any interesting trends.

For more on Google Alerts, click here.

Technorati
If you want to see what blogs are saying about you or you want to track your own blogs’ impact, simply type your name, business name, website and blog address in the search field on Technorati and check out your results. You can subscribe to other services, and setting up an account is free.

For more about Technorati, click here.

I just got the latest Marketing Sherpa e-mail blast with a good feature, “Pitching Blogs: 25 Dos and Don’ts.” This is a good, quick read with open access until Feb. 22. Access the full article here.

The Highlights:

Dos

• Do check out the sidebars for content categories. Know in advance what is relevant to each blogger. In short, be familiar with what he or she likes to write about.

• Do link to the blog you are pitching if you have a blog of your own.

• Explain why you have chosen the blogger as the recipient of your pitch. If a blogger suspects you are merely crossing a name off a long list of contacts, you will probably be ignored.

These three “dos” hit on what I feel is the most important part of contacting bloggers: being genuine. Don’t just mass blast e-mail lists. Target specific bloggers and get to know their blogs. Show that you’ve read it, appreciate his or her perspective and understand the overall tone and direction of the blog. (Again, be genuine; this can backfire on you if you are not truly reading and following the bloggers you are targeting). I always use their names when I contact bloggers and always drop in a short personal note about one of their past posts.

Don’ts

• Don’t leave advertorial comments. Be relevant and professional; otherwise you’re going to make a bad name for yourself. Why? First, your comments are probably moderated. Second, you are looking to establish a solid relationship with the blogger.

• Don’t make the huge mistake of being pushy with a blogger. Bloggers are usually their own bosses; they are in charge. Dictating when you want your information to be blogged or by what date your product needs to be reviewed is a no-no.

• Don’t put words into a blogger’s mouth. Present your information without telling the blogger that he or she will just love the subject of your pitch. Asking for their opinion on how useful it might be for their readers is the way to go.

These three “don’ts” hinge on another overall “don’t” that is important with bloggers. Know that when you turn the reins over to the blogger, he or she can be nice or mean: It’s the blogger’s prerogative. That’s why you don’t want to leave advertorial comments on blogs. It’s pushy and a quick way to lose credibility. Be there to assist and provide good content instead of trying to get a “hookup.”

Make sure to check out the entire article. It was a good one.

How many of you have “Reach out to bloggers” as a tactic in your marketing and public relations plan this year? I assume that many of you would raise your hand and say, “yes!” There are still plenty of you who have not integrated bloggers into your outreach plans, but that is another post for another day.

For those of you reading and waiting to connect with bloggers this year, here is a link to a great post by David Wescott, “The Three R’s of Blogger Relations”. Wescott has an amazing network of bloggers and is a public affairs professional specializing in issues-based online communication and outreach. His blog is one to “bookmark.”

The highlight of this post for me is when he made the point that bloggers and entrepreneurs have quite a bit in common. Bloggers are “remarkably entrepreneurial.” If you want to really find out what makes a blogger tick,he says, “You might want to read up on entrepreneurship and what the best entrepreneurs have in common.” As always, the fastest way to build good relationships is on common ground.