I get pitches all the time from writers who want to help with all sorts of projects. Some are terrible, they're all about them, not enough about the business - or the value to the business.
Others are much better. Take for example this one (emphasis mine):
Case history articles, also known as application stories or testimonials, are a great way to interest others in your product or service. But case histories are often viewed as being very difficult to complete, largely because of the need to gain cooperation from the customer who is featured.
Here are a few tips on how to make them happen. The first step is getting your customers to agree to work with you. Try approaching your customers as if you have something to offer them. For example: "We see the opportunity to get some favorable publicity in major trade journals for both of our companies based on the success of this application."
The job of the writer is to make everyone in the process feel that they have been positively and fairly portrayed without going so far that the article lacks credibility and becomes difficult or impossible to publish in reputable trade journals. Find a writer with experience in creating an article that simultaneously promotes your company, makes the customer feel comfortable, and fits the requirements of your target magazines or websites.
The rest of the job consists of presenting the first draft to all involved parties and making changes to win their approval, collecting illustrations and obtaining written approval from the customer. Make sure that you have either allocated the time to do it within your organization or selected a partner with the experience and resources to get it done.
If you create professionally-written and reasonably objective sounding case histories, magazines will bring them to the attention of tens or even hundreds of thousands of readers at no cost to you. The articles can often be placed in more than one non-competing publication by writing them with several audiences in mind. Case studies also can generate traffic and backlinks on your website and serve as great printed handouts.
I have written over 5,000 case history articles on a wide range of technical subjects. My team and I handle the complete job including interviews, approvals, images, placement or whatever part of the job you would like to outsource. We also produce white papers, thought leadership articles, press releases, sales collateral, websites, ebooks, and many other types of technical content. We do placements in all types of technical print and web publications. Hope we can work together in the future!
It's a great pitch. Although I object to the italics on two grounds - 1) spin or suggested spin on your part - the only spinning I do is at the amusement park; 2) it implies that you can basically guarantee a placement and write your own article - I actually do like working with reporters and journalists - and that tens of thousands of readers is relevant to you.
It misses the mark also on another count. One much more subtle, one that we should care about at it goes to the very core of the promise of social media. A promise that I'm seeing go unfulfilled more often than not.
The problem is often to have such a relationship with customers that they'd want to be part of a case study. That is what needs addressing. And it takes much more than a simple pitch from a well intentioned writer with good marketing skills. It takes a community. Your customer care people, the service delivery team and the rest of the organization needs to be aligned to deliver the very best service - and relationship.
If you are the fellow at the company receiving the pitch - have you thought about what you can do to actually get to know your customers better? Are you providing them with such compelling value at your blog on top of the good service experience that they will leave you those testimonials in the comments?
Stop thinking about volume, start thinking about quality and relevance. Start thinking about that one customer you'd like to hear from. This blog doesn't have tends of thousands of readers, but those who read are engaged with the content - and with each other.
Think about your resume, your tweets, your posts, your talks, your work overall. Are you misdiagnosing the problem?