An essential part of social media management is blogger outreach. It might sound obvious but make sure that the bloggers you contact are actually relevant for your message. If you’re not sure whether something will fit, it’s probably sensible to err on the side of caution and not bother (most bloggers will probably hate emails that start “I know you never write about X, but I’ve got this product…”). And where do you find relevant bloggers? Get to know your bloggers and build relationships. Don’t just send a blogger a press release and hope for the best. MORE >>

I was thinking it was probably time to post something for Twitter beginners, since it’s been a million years since the last time we did , but luckily we have some fab blogger buds who have been busy writing some of this up so I don’t need to! If you are suddenly in the position of having to get on Twitter and figure it out quickly, look no further than Deirdre Reid ‘s fabulous series: Twitter Basics– Part 1: Benefits. Twitter Basics – Part 2: Set Up an Account and Create a Profile. Twitter Basics – Part 3: How It Works. MORE >>

I've been on Twitter for almost exactly three years to the day. During that time, my Twitter bio has evolved ever so slightly. Over the course of my three years on Twitter, I've had a chance to go through at least 14,730 people's Twitter bios. Because they respond to me when I talk about them on Twitter. So while I'm up on my soapbox, here are a few other tips I'd recommend if you're interested in getting more out of Twitter. Yes, there are hundreds of other good Twitter tips. Tags: tips Twitter bio It's funny. That's it. Why do I do this? MORE >>

PR behemoth Ketchum (the PR agency of record for ConAgra) caught it’s foot in a bear trap of its own manufacture recently, when it thunk up and perpetrated a bait and switch blogger outreach program. Evidently, Ketchum invited a group of bloggers to a restaurant in NYC, where they would enjoy a “delicious four-course meal”, a food trends discussion from an analyst, and an unexpected surprise. Bloggers Are Not Reporters. Bloggers are not typically trained journalists that understand the company/PR firm/reporter news continuum. It’s recognition. MORE >>

TweetLast Monday I was the guest on #AtomicChat, a Twitter chat sponsored by Atomic Reach. Our topic — blogger relations. Fact is, some of them I could tell by their comments were bloggers who had been approached [.]. Commentary blogger relationsI’m not sure of the backgrounds of those attending that chat, but my hunch was many blogged regularly. MORE >>