An aftershock of a Trapani incident tends to be a wave of best practices posts (this great one by Jennifer Mattern/Darren Rowse came before Trapani). In reality, bloggers are people, and because each person has unique aspects to them and no blogger has to adhere to any journalistic code, blogger relations really comes down to individual relationships. As a result, many conversations deal with basic principles of listening and not overselling, oops, over-pitching (image by nickstone333).

Rather than rehash old content here, I thought it’d be fun to share some unorthodox ways to build relationships with bloggers. When you have a relationship, said acquintance (note word choice) is likely to listen to your pitch. All of these tactics require time investments so if you are looking for instant hits, go buy a list and spam some bloggers :P

Before I begin, these tactics are not for everyone. In fact, one I wouldn’t even recommend to my staff. But I’ve found they work, repetitively. So in homage to Todd Defren, I classified these by Jedi skill set.

Blog Crush: Use your magic middle blog to get targeted blogger to pay attention to you… How? Crosslink. Frequently! But your crosslinks must be relevant and meaningful to the person with whom you want to develop a relationship. Also be sure to comment on their blog, too. Skill level: Jedi Knight.

Interviews: This is a no brainer. Most bloggers want to be read, they want to be recognized, and they need visibility. Use your blog to help them. Further it recognizes that you have respect for others’ thought leadership, making your blog a larger community vehicle. The Buzz Bin features at least one interview every week, and this tactic really introduced the blog beyond the DC region. Skill level: Padawan.

The Challenge: Most bloggers have strong opinions, some of which you likely believe are incorrect. Call them out. That’s right. Call them out, challenge them. Publicly, perhaps in their blog comments, a social network, or even your blog. Make sure you have factual information to back your point, and don’t cave in.

It’s important that your views are sincere, that the tough conversation is a genuine one that you care enough to speak out on. To do so faithfully is in line with the force, but to make hay for the sake of generating attention borders on astroturf. Be careful young Jedi, the Sith are often attracted to the dark side of the force by its power. We don’t need any more uncouth PR people.

In your second or third discussion point, make sure to be deferential and pay proper respect to the blogger. Afterall, while you disagree, you also want to build a relationship here. The blogger will remember you engaged and did not slime him him/her with shameless PR shmooze. If you use strong relationship skills afterwards, you can use this challenge as the point where the blogger begins listening to you.

This is not a recommended tactic as it requires great skill, can corrupt you, and you must not be afraid to lose. Skill Level: Jedi Master/Sith Lord (Don’t be a slime bag).

Socialize: Use conversational social networks to begin talking and building a relationship with said blogger. In essence, use the medium to your advantage. An increasingly common tactic, but one that is not as easy as it looks. You actually need to have relationship building skills, not spamming skills. It’s about them, not you. Skill level: Jedi Knight.

Give: Ahhh yes. Give shamelessly, not just to your intended stakeholder, but to the general community that you want to play in. The fact of the matter is that social media is bigger than individuals and pitching. Building relationships often means being a good member of the community. With a good reputation through listening, comes a willingness to listen. In essence, you are paying karma forward.

Where to start? Here are ten tips with some more in the comment section. Make no doubt about it, this is the true way of the force. While easily recognizable, it’s hard to master. Skill Level: Jedi Master.