Are you trying to get your company written about in the top blogs for your industry?

Online PR Best Practice

The bad news is that sending out press releases to the right bloggers isn’t enough. The good news is that it can be done if you know how.

What it comes down to is this: if they don’t know you, chances are good that a given blogger will ignore your press releases.

The answer?

You need to build a relationship with them over time.

Get to Know a Blogger

How do you build a relationship with a blogger?

• Leave comments on their blog posts.
• Jot them a quick email to praise an article they’ve written and suggest a couple of other things they might be interested in.
• Don’t pitch your company or story.
• Do mention your company’s name in your email signature.
• Try to attend industry events where you can meet them in person.
• Meet them.
• Buy them a coffee.
• Get to know them.
• Let them get to know you.

Build on Your Relationship

When you’ve got to know a blogger, they will be much more receptive to your news and you’ll have a better understanding of what they’re looking for in a story. All in all, you’ll have a much better chance of getting written-up and receiving favourable mentions in their blog

It going to take time and effort, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

Good luck!
photo credit: richardmasoner

Are you thinking of using Web video to promote your business?

According to one expert, it could hurt your brand.

Loren Feldman of 1938media and idiot puppet fame gave a presentation at a recent conference on his tips for doing Web video.

If you don’t have time to watch it all, skip down to my summary of his main points below.

Online video chat by Ustream

Why Video?

1. It can set you apart from your competition.
2. It’s a powerful communication medium (“nothing tells a story like video”)
3. Tends to rank well in Google.
4. It’s not for everyone. If you haven’t got the right personality, maybe you should skip it. Bad video could hurt your brand. That said, you can get better with practice.

Style

1. Web video is intimate. Talk as though you’re talking to a friend.
2. Look straight into the lens (imagine the camera is the person you’re speaking to.
3. Talk about things that interest you. Your passion (or lack of it) will show through.
4. Find your own style. Be yourself.
5. Keep it short. 2-4 minutes is good.

Technical Considerations

1. Shooting: You don’t need expensive equipment (Loren shoots 99% with his Mac’s built-in camera, the rest with a $120 Casio camera). Audio is very important, but the built-in microphones of the Mac and Casio are fine.
2. Editing: look to cut on audio (not necessarily video). Loren recommends iMovie for basic editing and FinalCut for more advanced editing (both on Mac).
3. Distribution: YouTube has the vast majority of the audience. Use relevant tags and titles. If possible, make sure the image that gets used to represent your video is a good one.

Have you experimented with using Web video to promote your small business? Let us know how you’ve got on.