By Bill Arnovich, Media Relations Specialist.

Everyone in public relations knows that good publicity is the best advertising. A well placed article, a positive radio show or the right interview on TV are all what good publicists and media relations people dream about. It’s what clients hire public relations firms for.

When pitching the media, it’s important that you know something about who you are calling. If it’s a magazine read, not simply page through, a couple different issues and if it’s a radio show, listen to it.

I know this sounds simple, like what they teach you in PR 101, but I wish I had a nickel for every time that a News Editor, Producer or Reporter thanked me for doing my homework. I consistently hear from the media that PR folks about media relations people who not only don’t know, but don’t care to know, and simply call to get their pitch out.

Nothing boils the blood of any journalist or beat editor more than unknowledgeable media relations people. You not only hurt your chances of securing media coverage for clients, but you also make it harder for the rest of us who actually prepare themselves before they engage any media pitching assignment. It pays in the long run, and it’s a good practice.

One of the interesting things about writing a modestly popular blog (Online Marketing Blog) that gets pitched daily and also working as a partner in a public relations firm is a view of both sides of the fence on blogger relations.

I just got off the phone with a rep from yet another big PR firm following up on an email pitch he sent yesterday about a company recently acquired by Google. I had not written about the news but here’s the insight I gave him that I think is probably true with other bloggers that also have successful day jobs.

Yes, I write a blog. Yes I am interested in story ideas. I’m also the CEO of a fast growing company. That means I have limited time to blog our own editorial schedule let alone pitched story ideas.

To make progress in such a situation, the PR professional must follow all the other rules of effective pitching such as being relevant, personal and timely, but it’s also important to make it as easy as possible for the blogger to quickly use the pitch in a blog post.