News Search Blogs

Who We Are Launched in 2001 Full Service Interactive Agency Banner to the Blog Strong focus on analytics and on/offline conversions

Some of our clients have serious issues… global warming, pollution, genetically modified foods, equal pay, labor rights, corporate misconduct, predatory lending, medical malpractice reform, death penalty reform, right to die, gay marriage, abortion, illegal immigration, stem cell research, school choice, foster care reform, child poverty, wilderness protection, energy policy, biotechnology, youth voting, public health, Iraq war, privacy rights, AIDS, social security, animal born disease, civil rights, separation of church and state, community development, affordable housing, youth violence, teen pregnancy, homelessness, microenterprise development, higher education reform, disaster relief, poverty relief, family planning, violence against women, racial profiling, welfare reform, campaign finance reform…

Online news consumption is big and growing 50 Million Americans turn to the Internet for news on a typical day…a new high water mark for online news gathering

The Blogosphere is big and growing 1 new Blog per second Technotati tracks 35.3 million Blogs (April 2006) 39% of Internet Users (57 million American Adults) report reading Blogs Sources: EMarketer, Business of Blogging 2006; Pew Internet & American Life, 2006 Blogging Survey; Technorati 2006

Bloggers are avid consumers of online news… Bloggers consume more online news than home broadband users, the highest use group to date (80% report getting news from the Internet) Source: Pew Internet & American Life, 2006 Blogging Survey;

Bloggers don’t consider themselves journalists…

But Blogs follow, report and analyze news… 55% of Bloggers report that they often post on something in the news Internet News consumption increases during major news events

…And at least some Internet users turn to Blogs for news Source: Pew Internet & American Life, Online News, 2006

Blogs act as a watchdog for MSM…

Blogs are sources of news…

Journalists follow Blogs 51% of journalists use Blogs regularly 70% for work-related tasks 53% to find story ideas 43% to research and reference facts 36% to find sources 33% to uncover breaking news or scandals

Increasingly, Blogs and News are grouped together

Ok, but what does this have to do with News Search Engines?

Blogs appear in the results of some News Search engines…

Blogs are served up alongside MSM in Yahoo News

Blogs especially visible on searches of company name + [negative keyword]…

Bottom Line: Blogs can help you dominate News Search shelf space…

Increased coverage/visibility across search channels…

Follow up coverage by Bloggers leads to ongoing “free” visibility in News Search and in other search channels

Where are the best opportunities?

Yahoo: Easy; Double Exposure Possible

Forget the top 100 Only 15 of top 100;Only 1 of top 10

Focus on Niche News Blogs  Autoblog  Manufacturer’s Association Blog Sites Bloggers Link To: Blue = MSM; Red = Blogs

Don’t assume that overtly political Blogs are excluded…

Don’t assume that low or non-ranking Blogs are excluded…

And not always strictly News Blogs

Yes, but really No…Blogs not included in News Search

Where do I start?

Establish a Blog Outreach Program 50% of Bloggers write about companies once per week Only 21% report regular contact from companies they write about; most in the form of unsolicited press releases 48% say they are NEVER contacted by companies Only 2% say they don’t want contact from the companies they write about

Create a target list  Start with Technorati’s Blog Finder and Blog/RSS Search Engines to identify Bloggers interested in your topics/space, esp niche news sites  Use Blogpulse Profiles to identify “neighborhoods” (don’t focus on rank!)  Test your list in Google News  Test in Yahoo to identify double coverage opportunities

Develop relationships  Read the Blog; be familiar with content, style (Set up Google Alerts, RSS searches)  Don’t bother the Blogger with irrelevant materials  Share everything: the good, the bad, the mistakes  RESPOND when contacted  Send press releases only when asked**  Don’t spam, but use Comments when you have material that relates to the Blogger’s post  Use a news aggregator or feed reader to track what your target list is talking about (identify opportunities for outreach, comments, etc.)

Be Honest and Transparent  Never EVER offer to pay a Blogger for positive coverage (Pay Per Post will not last…you heard it here first)  Product testing/trial offers fine if transparent and Blogger has no obligation to cover  If you have a reputation as a spammer or a shill marketer it will not go well for you in the Blogosphere

Don’t skip the optimized press release or the wire service!