The Blog DoggerGoogle alerts grab reporter’s attention

Don’t pitch another reporter until you read this. Plus, how bad headlines sink otherwise good blogs

Want to get a journalist’s attention? Blog about him.

Savvy journalists probably have Google Alerts set for their names; that means they receive an e-mail any time their name appears online.

For instance, David Pogue, of The New York Times, claims he rarely misses a mention of his name online. When a blogger writes about him—good or bad—Pogue said he’s the first to respond. It flatters and disarms the blogger, and Pogue makes a friend for life.

Corporate communicators can use this trick to their advantage.

Here’s a poorly kept secret: Journalists are egomaniacs. If you’re trying to grab a journalist’s attention and he or she won’t respond, blog about the person. Compliment an article by the reporter; praise his or her body of work; be shameless, but not gratuitous or obnoxious. Drop the journalist’s full name and see where it goes.