There is no exact science to pitching stories to media. This rule is especially true for bloggers. Below are five "best practices" to keep in mind when approaching a blogger with a story:

1. Keep it relevant. Nothing is more annoying to the media folks I know, than story pitches completely unrelated to anything the reporter or blogger has written about in the past. Yes, this is completely commonsensical, but it is the most important aspect of getting attention from bloggers and ensuring that you aren't written off as some sort of spam artist.

2. Do your research. If you don't know anything about a blogger, you probably shouldn't be approaching them with a story. Get to know them, understand their point of view and pitch to their preferences and personality. Bloggers are far more personal, and in a lot of ways, far more independent and particular than traditional media. However, this niche mentality and practice can be to your advantage as well if you can find the right blogger for your story.

3. Incentivize. These days, this is definitely most important to bloggers than traditional media. Bloggers have a lot of considerations to keep in mind when deciding what stories to write about and where to focus their work - especially the popular ones. Bloggers oftentimes are just one person shows or small groups that need to focus on building traffic to their site. This consideration puts a lot of pressure on the entrepreneurial blogger(s) to consistently produce in-demand content. In pitching bloggers, ask yourself, "what is in my story for the blogger I am about to pitch?" "What can I do for them?"

4. Be polite. Just because a blogger isn't getting printed in the NYTimes, doesn't mean they aren't being pitched all the time. Also, it most certainly doesn't mean that they are more willing to put up with high expectations and rudeness. Behave yourself, treat bloggers as professionals.

5. Balance brevity, personality and professionalism. In a lot of ways, bloggers are more susceptible to direct/to-the-point pitches and personable public relations professionals/pitchers. You don't need to have a press release on hand for all contact with bloggers, but don't take it too far. Know your facts, know how to communicate them succinctly and know how to be yourself.