For the 8.2 readers of the Elasticity blog, you know my story. Before finding digital religion three years ago, I cut my teeth in public relations as one of those “national media relations” specialists. Yes, there’s nothing quite like being pigeonholed as a snake oil salesman. My hair was shorter and I wore ties daily, which meant I was serious, smarter, more strategic, and understood how to create synergies.

I even used to work for a sadly bitter human being who professed what we did was all about “ink and airtime.”  Indeed, that’s what public relations was very much about…five years ago and before.

But I’d like to think I’ve been relatively successful at the media relations deal because my relationships with many reporters were just that — relationships. I don’t necessarily try to pitch my client. I pitch myself as a human being, an honest broker, and someone who understands a reporter’s challenges while looking to deliver relatively interesting and timely story concepts that may or may not include my clients.

While I don’t do it as often anymore, I still pitch from time to time and talk a lot about my bizarre excuse for a life including my five “Ms”: mustaches, monkeys, mullets, midgets, and Mr. T.

I PITY THE POOL!

Pitching today, of course, is a new universe.

For one, traditional print media lacks the space it once enjoyed as magazines and newspapers continue to get Calista Flockhart-thin.  And the fact remains that reporters dislike most flacks, and rightly so in many cases. Some of my friends in media share the pitches they get — a national economics columnist getting pitched on a national hair salon opening its 100th store?  A Midwest NPR correspondent getting pitched on a mall opening in Lenexa, KS?

PR people, are you kidding me? This is not complicated. Keep it timely, concise, relevant, objective, and don’t try to position your client as the greatest thing since the late Charlton Heston’s rug (which, by the way, rocked).

Pitching blogs is subtly different. Just like pitching traditional media, you need to really understand what they write about. But the pitch itself should be even shorter, almost pithy, and, quirky works.

It’s like knowing the difference between talking to a Fortune 500 CEO or a farmer. They are both smart and deserve equal respect, but they might relate to different things.

I was reminded of an effective blogger outreach approach in a very good way by an e-mail I received in one of my other lives.

As some of you know, I blog for a few joints like Asylum.com, AmericanMustacheInstitute.org, and JoeSportsFan.com. The other day on my JoeSportsFan e-mail I received a pitch from a flack named Chris Ward with firm called Catalyst that provides “Thinkable Results” (so inspiring).

His pitch to me was as follows:

I thought you guys might get a kick out of a video I’m going to have later this week, prior to the draft of the anticipated No. 1 pick – Blake Griffin. I am doing some work with Blake through one of his sponsors and I wanted to see if you’d be interested in an original video of him prior to draft day.  It will be shot in New York City and should be pretty interesting as he is going to hit some local courts there. Do you think you’ll be interested? Let me know and I’ll pass along the details.

Chris knows I write about the NBA, he got to the point, and he did not hammer me with the fact that Subway (shameless plug for Chris here) was his client.  He mentioned it only in a very non-aggressive way in a follow-up e-mail when he provided me with photos and video.

So because he pitched me the way he did, and because the NBA draft in which Blake Griffin will go number one is tonight, and because he didn’t hammer me with length or brands — I used a photo of Griffin who is clearly wearing a shirt pimping Subway, which serves a fine meal and allows me to eat fresh.

So hats off to Chris, because my man got it right, and for the sake of my reporter friends out there, let’s hope Chris’ example can be a good one to our peers.

And now, just for my new friend Chris, I give you Subway’s Blake Griffin video.