Putting Your Blog in the Media Spotlight

This is a guest blog post by Linsey Knerl of Lille Punkin’, who hosted a live chat in The Motherhood on this topic. She was joined by panelists Alissa of Fun Finds for Families, Joey of Real Mom Media, Lynnae of Freelance Homeschool Mom and Sarah of Sarah’s Cucina Bella.

Last Wednesday, some of the Internet’s savviest moms and marketers came together to discuss one of the questions that seems to be on every blogger’s mind these days: “How can I get the world to know about my blog?”  Specifically, we wanted to dig into sharing our blogs with the mainstream media.

Several moms were in attendance, and each one had something unique to offer the conversation.  Here are some of the highlights of our 30-minute chat, along with an action plan for taking your media presence to the next level.

Small Blogs Can Get BIG Exposure!

One of the most delightful lessons we learned is that blogs are really making an impact on big media.  Some of the bloggers in attendance had been featured in some very prominent periodicals, including TIME, Redbook, and All You!  Just learning that it’s possible to have the editors at these publications interested in what you do was a major inspiration to us all.

Professionalism Counts

Being polite, staying punctual, and offering a helping hand are all important qualities to bring to your blog and business.  Guess what?  Reporters respond well to these qualities, too.  By keeping your word on communications to reporters and giving them lots of direct quotes to work with, you can improve your chances of being used as a source in future articles and televisions spots.

Get Connected

You could go out and pitch every news site and magazine that may be looking for a story like yours, but it’s like casting a very large net for a tiny, tiny catch.  You are better off subscribing to free services like HelpAReporter.com or ProfNet to get alerts whenever a journalist is needing an expert to interview.  The success stories for those who have used these to score amazing press mentions are numerous, and it’s much more realistic for small blogs with limited PR budgets.

With the web being instrumental in so many “rags to riches” stories, is it any surprise that it’s one of the #1 tools bloggers have in sharing their stories with those who give news to the world?  To get started getting your share of free press mentions, follow these few simple tips:

1) If you don’t already have an easy way for reporters to reach you (either with a contact form or an easy-to-find email address on your blog), you may be missing out on the chance to see your name in the next issue of your favorite mag.

2) Get connected with reporters and news outlets on Facebook and Twitter.  Keep an eye out for “open calls” for story submissions, and be prepared to pitch!

3) Sign up for HelpAReporter’s free subscription service, and check it regularly for stories that match your expertise.  Have a pitch template on hand that you can change up to match the needs of each request.

Good luck with your pitches.  We hope to see your name in the news soon!