According to ComScore, blogs combined receive 77.7 million unique visitors each day in the United States. Furthermore, 77 percent of active Internet users read blogs, according to Universal McCann. That’s an audience the size of over 175 million people in just the United States alone.

Of course it’s great for your company or organization to have a blog, but what happens if it’s not reaching the right audience, or a sizeable one for that matter? That’s where blogger outreach comes in. Is there something your company just created or launched? Is there a really big event coming up? Is there something exciting you just have to share? It there an issue that’s a hot topic that concerns your organization? Those are all great opportunities to use bloggers to help disseminate your message. So, how do you get them talking?

#1: Provide an incentive. You may be thinking “What else does John from Oshkosh, Wisconsin have to do besides blog about my cool new product?” but the reality is that many of these people pour their heart, soul and free time into their blog’s content, and they often can be picky about what they choose to share. So, in order to ensure that your time is well spent, make sure you provide an incentive. Maybe it’s cold hard cash, an exclusive peek at the new product, an all expenses paid trip to the event or some free schwag – whatever it is, providing incentives shows bloggers that you respect them and value their time and efforts.

#2: Pitch when it really matters. An obvious example is with new technology. You don’t want to pitch a review of a cell phone after it’s already hit the market, you want to offer bloggers a free new phone, months before anyone else can get their hands on it. If there’s a new tech toy coming out, you better believe interested consumers will do their homework months in advance and often will have made their decision before the product even goes on sale. You want to make sure that your pitches are relevant and timely.

#3: Branch out to reach a wider audience. Let’s say your organization is dead set against the latest health insurance reform bill. Instead of speed dialing your go-to political blogger, think about who else you could be reaching. Think about who’s most concerned about health issues on a daily basis. Got your answer? If you guessed moms, give yourself a pat on the back. Looking for a mommy blogger who is on the conservative side would help spread your message and reach an entirely new audience. But remember to make your message relevant to them, not you, for example pitching scenarios of how the bill could potentially affect moms and families.

photo: Nele en Jan