Micah is a publicist who has worked in numerous industries from consumer electronics to private equity. He’s very big on using the bloggers as publicity tools. You can check out his company’s FeverPitch Media Blog or follow him on Twitter, or both!

This is just the latest example of why I get annoyed with public relations professionals. Yes, I am one, I understand that. But I just refuse to speak like this because I think people want to be shot straight, not “wowed” with a bunch of marketing speak.

This is important because you might find yourself interviewing PR agencies someday and if you are new to how my field works, it can be a difficult choice.

I just read where former CBS president Andrew Heyward asked the What’s Next for the Media roundtable at the PRWeek Next Conference what word or phrase best describes the next two years in the industry.

Among the answers: “transparency,” “speed and volume,” “implementation,” “keeping up,” “time management,” and “Twitter.”

With the exception of Twitter, this is just more PR speak. I can’t stand PR speak. These words mostly mean nothing and marketing folks just love to throw them out there.

You can tell this struck a nerve with me, huh? I get livid when I see PR agencies that say things on their website like “we’re results oriented.” What?! Who isn’t?! What business in the world can you say that you can get away with not being results oriented? Why does this even need to be said? As though other PR firms think, “oh…you wanted a results-oriented PR firm? Yeah, that’s just not us.”

This is just something that stands out to me when looking at other PR firms. If you are going to meet with a PR firm, look for a group of people that shoots you straight. Tell me what you are going to do. What media outlets can you get me coverage in? Stop talking about how your company “leverages synergies,” as though anyone knows what that nonsense means.

There certainly are different types of PR, but if you have an internet business, chances are you are just looking for someone to spread the word about your company in the media. This isn’t brain surgery. My job is not hard, and I don’t ever pretend that it is. Don’t let some PR company make getting your word out seem like some Herculean task that requires a “results-driven” team. Watch out for the marketing speak and look for the substance of what a PR firm can really do for you.

That’s all for now, I have to get back to leveraging synergies so that I can implement strategic solutions.

Micah is a publicist who has worked in numerous industries from consumer electronics to private equity. He’s very big on using the bloggers as publicity tools. You can check out his company’s FeverPitch Media Blog or follow him on Twitter, or both!

Just because you have an internet business, doesn’t mean that you should shun print advertising (obviously it depends on what you do). I don’t think I’d go too heavy on it, but you might want to give it a shot. Maybe start small and test how the ads perform. But how will you ever know? Well, I have a little trick.

Internet ads are painfully easy to track. You put a banner ad somewhere. Someone clicked on it. Wonderful. You know where and when they did so. I think we all get that.

So, what about print ads? You advertise in two industry trade magazines, mainly because you know you have to but aren’t necessarily sure why. What’s it actually doing for me? People don’t always say “hey, I saw your ad in such and such.” Are people actually visiting my site because of these ads? There is no way to tell, right?

Not true.

Here is a great tip that you can use in your company’s next meeting and people will think you really sat around and thought about it, when in truth you were on ESPN.com all day managing your fantasy baseball team that is currently ranked #9 out of 10 teams because you didn’t know how to draft relievers.

Let’s use my company’s URL as an example, because I don’t know your company’s URL. Let’s say we run ads in the Wall St. Journal and the NY Times. No seriously, let’s pretend.

Instead of putting www.feverpitchmedia.com in both ads and having no clue who found us from what ad, use different URL’s. Set up alternate URL’s that take you to the same homepage. In the WSJ, use www.feverpitchmediausa.com and in the Times use www.feverpitchmediaPR.com.

Only use those URL’s in those specific ads and nowhere else. So when you track who came in from those URL’s, you will know that they had to find you because of that advertisement.

You’ll figure out really quickly whether or not you should continue advertising in those media outlets.

Micah is a publicist who has worked in numerous industries from consumer electronics to private equity. He’s very big on using the bloggers as publicity tools. You can check out his company’s FeverPitch Media Blog or follow him on Twitter, or both!

I had spoken before about the benefits of reaching out to the bloggers and getting exposure for your business that way. But, now I want to talk about the best way to do it.

Traditionally, companies or their PR agencies call the media (or fax/email/whatever) and “pitch” them a story idea. The media knows the deal and knows why you are calling. They know you are “selling” them something. In my world, I sell stories. They don’t always love it, but 99% realize that it’s part of the game.

Well, bloggers are different and need to be approached differently. If you want to connect with the bloggers and get them to talk about you or your website or product or whatever, you can’t be a salesman. You need to be their friend.

Do not try to force things on them just to get them to post it. Think about them and their blog (you should really apply this to traditional media as well). What type of information do they like to talk about? Then think of the best way to package your information so that it’s of interest to them.

When I send something out to a blogger, I usually couch it with “I thought you might find this of interest for your blog.” And I really mean that. I want to come across as a friend or associate, not someone spamming them. Do not spam the bloggers, it’s a great way to get shunned. Send information that really might be of interest to them and they’ll see you as a helpful associate, not an obnoxious salesman.

I know all of this may sound obviously, but as a blogger myself, you wouldn’t believe the stupid stuff that I get sent to me.

Another good idea (and this applies to traditional media as well), is to send bloggers information that doesn’t benefit you at all. If you happen to see an interesting story on, say, dieting, send that to your diet blog contacts and let them know that it doesn’t have anything to do with you, but you thought it might be something they’d like. People appreciate this because it shows that you are thinking of them and their agenda, and not your own. This will make them more receptive the next time you do have something that benefits you.