The Hartsock Agency LLC -Digital Strategy, Online Outreach, Marketing Consultant

5 Ways to Kiss Your Publicist Goodbye And Pitch Your Book Online:

1. You’ve compiled your list of bloggers to reach out to. You’ve read their blogs, followed their blogs or websites and know the kind of books they like to highlight or review.

2. You demand coverage or review of your blog in an ALLCAPS email to them. (Ok…no you don’t.) What you do instead is send them a brief email pitch like this one below:

DEAR (NAME) (real name!):

I’ve been reading your blog and know that you review business books on networking and I wanted to see if you might consider a review copy of my new book, “Accidental Networking.” (PUBLISHER, 2010)

BRIEF PARAGRAPH ABOUT THE BOOK HERE – this paragraph would answer WHY, WHAT and HOW.

a. Why the book is important and different than other books out there

b. What the book details very briefly and its target audience

c. How their blog readership will benefit from the book and the blogger sharing it with them.

Here is a link to the book and my site for more information.

Thank you and please let me know if you’re interested in seeing the book.

END

3. You wait patiently for their response. You give them time to consider the book before you followup with another email. You don’t email every hour, you don’t send them chocolates, wine or fervent pleas about how they must cover your book on their blog. You don’t comment on their blog about how they must cover your book. You just wait. Wait, wait, wait.

4. If you’ve not heard back from them within 2 weeks of your first pitch, you make one more pitch to them. It looks like this.

Dear NAME,

Just wanted to reach out once more and see if you’ve had time to consider the possibility of reviewing my book, “Accidental Networking,” , it was most recently reviewed here – LINK TO REALLY GOOD UNBIASED REVIEW (not one your mom wrote) – and I hope you might take a look at it too.

I know you’re probably inundated with pitches, so I appreciate your time in considering it.

Thank you.

Your NAME

END

4. They respond to you and say they’d love to read the book  and you SEND it! You also note in the email that you would be happy to provide them a ready-made Q&A or a book for giveaway to their readership if they feel that would be appropriate.

5. You go back to your target Excel sheet (where I know you’re keeping all your outreach lists organized) and you mark that blogger as IN PROCESS and you go to the next blogger. Also keep in mind that you’re always compiling a new list of 20 bloggers, tweeters or websites that you can reach out to.

Bonus: The blogger reviews your book and you link to that review in your blog, thank the blogger via the comments on their blog and feel grateful that you’ve garnered another review.

Bonus:  You start all over again. You don’t give up. You keep pitching, researching and of course thanking anyone who takes time to cover your book!

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