PR Firms Now Promoting Reporters Stories To Bloggers

Over the past few weeks I've been receiving emails from PR firms representing traditional print media which have online content and are looking to draw attention to stories that are written and published on their web sites. In my book they are taking a page out of what TV networks have done for years where they shipped out the schedules with details about the upcoming program's segments. This is also only going further to convince me that the world of traditional print media is a ship looking for land. They don't want to die, but they are not sure of where to go next.

The easiest way to get blog love is to turn more towards RSS, enable commentary on the stories right on the page, and to have reporters engaging with the public in some sane and responsible manner. The second easiest way is to get the reporters blogging themselves the way Walt Mossberg and his team at all things D are doing.

Given how the blogosphere has created stars like Malik, Arrington and Scobble all on their own, I'm wondering why more members of the media aren't taking a page out of David Pogue's bag of tricks and going direct to the bloggers when he announced his contract with CNBC and combined that with one of his weekly video blasts. Pogue, who has written to me in the past, has done a very good job at building "link love" relationships on his own. That added to his "street cred" and in turn built his audience. Never did I doubt Pogue would end up on TV after seeing the creativity he showed when he wrote and starred in the video news piece about client GrandCentral.

Because Pogue "gets it," when it comes to using the web, he "got it" and the CNBC deal proves it.