Al and Scott of In a DC Minute have cultivated a healthy fan base with their suggestions for and reviews of things to do, eat, drink and more in – you guessed it – Washington, D.C. However, after years of eating, drinking, loving and adventuring around our country’s capital, the engaged couple recently relocated to their hometown in western New York, where a whole slew of new adventures awaits. But while their home base may have changed, one thing that hasn’t is the way Al and Scott run their blog – how they like to be approached by professionals, how they come up with ideas for posts and how they engage with readers. Read on for some valuable tips on how to successfully reach a regional interest blog.

How do you prefer to receive pitches?

We prefer to receive pitches via email, as our schedule is so erratic with working and media events. Email is a better way to ensure a consistent and organized system for our records.

What kind of information to you like to receive?

At this point, we are interested in any information that is relevant to our readership. We attract mostly professionals in the 25-45 age range, and we cover everything from food/beverage to travel, home renovation, dating and entertainment.

What catches your attention?

What catches our attention are opportunities that benefit our specific platform – if the offer is relevant and mutually beneficial to the product/brand and our website, we are always interested in looking further.

What advice do you have for PR professionals?

The advice we have for PR professionals is to do your research before you inquire. If you truly feel you are a fit for the aesthetic and the brand of the blog/website, then definitely proceed. We receive SO many blanket emails from PR groups that clearly did not even look at our site. Also, bloggers work full time and are rarely compensated for the amount of effort that is put into maintaining a blog. Make sure the compensation is adequate for the amount of time spent endorsing or exploring the campaign.

What are your pet peeves as a blogger?

No pet peeves… yet 😉

Do you use social media to get story ideas? If so, how?

We absolutely use social media, and we are always incorporating it into our PR plan. Twitter is a huge generator of interaction for us, and we are happy to be pitched via these channels.

 

The Cision Media Research Team maintains a database of more than 1.6 million records, including social influencers, traditional media contacts, outlets and opportunities. We collect and maintain the latest contact and pitching information of bloggers and journalists who can spread your message, broaden your campaign and help you build relationships with the people who matter.  To experience the Cision Media Database first hand, request a demo here

 

Image courtesy of Pixabay. 

About

Kelly McCabe is a Media Researcher for Cision. Her experience runs the editorial gamut, from newspaper copy editing to content writing. Checking out bands and playing bocce ball takes up most of her free time, but she’s also been known to do crossword puzzles and watch murder mystery marathons.