Whether it be for the blogs we maintain or the magazines we publish, we get lots of press releases and “pitches” at Hammock, so we appreciated — and wanted to pass along — these tips for online publicity from writer Lindsay Robertson. Her post goes into detail on each one, but here are the highlights:

The Don’ts:
1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE means FOR IMMEDIATE DELETE to any blogger with any influence. Period.
2. Do Not Publicize the Wrong Content: As in, don’t send your music-related news to a blogger who has never written about music.
3. Don’t Lie, Part 1: As in, saying, “I love our blog.”
4. Don’t Lie Part 2: Stop being days behind on your own announcements, And don’t try to cover it up
5. Mass Emails: Bad
The Dos:
1. Research is worth it: a site’s demonstrated interest in, or similar sensibility with, your topic is far more important than that site’s traffic.
2. Pick Eight Blogs Lindsay says the most successful publicist she knows, “picked the eight blogs that covered her client’s subject, TV, that she liked the most on a personal level, read them religiously, and only sent them only the content she thought each blog would be into.”
3. A blogger’s resistance to marketing/publicity is directly proportionate to his or her influence as a blogger: If they’ll take anything you send, then maybe you don’t want to send it.
4. A Monkey Can Send a Mass Email.
Read Lindsay’s entire post.