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!

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.

When I say press coverage, I don’t mean the opposite of giving a wide receiver a 12-yard cushion (sorry, my Eagles just played in the NFC Championship game and I’ve got football on the brain). I’m talking about media exposure for you, your product or your service on the internet.

I’ll be talking about this quite a bit and to start, let’s talk about the importance of connecting with the bloggers. So, why are the bloggers important?

Well, it’s pretty simple: the media landscape is changing and more and more people are getting their information from blogs, just like you are doing right now. I’m not knocking traditional media outlets like newspapers, magazines, radio and television, but let’s be honest, the media is shifting away from that.

The days of the two-newspaper cities are quickly coming to a close. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is in trouble, as is the Philadelphia Daily News. I’ve even read that the Old Gray Lady’s print edition is in serious peril.

I don’t think print is ever going to go away completely, but circulations are down and online readership is up.

Perfect example is the websites of newspapers. Newspapers aren’t stupid, they know the deal. Go to your city newspaper’s website and I guarantee you will see blogs. The Wall St. Journal, USA Today, NY Times, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer…they all have blogs. They know that blogs are just too fast with the information and that people won’t wait until tomorrow morning’s newspaper.

Like I said before, I’m a Philadelphia Eagles fan. By reading blogs online, I know that Brian Westbrook missed practice at 3:30 PM on Thursday. Why would I wait to read the same thing in Friday morning’s Inquirer? I wouldn’t, nobody would. Blogs have the news faster than anyone, and that’s a big reason why people read them.

Sure, bloggers will never completely take over. Traditional journalists are held to credibility and accountability standards that most bloggers aren’t. But, there are more than enough bloggers who have that “street cred” and the number of them who have it is only going to grow. It’s very important to recognize the PR importance of blogs for you and your business. You need to reach out to them in order to maximize your company’s exposure.

Next time we’ll talk about the best way to reach out to those bloggers and get them to write about you.