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With new technology developing at a rapid pace, the ways of getting media attention have changed dramatically. Although you may be used to pitching and publicizing through traditional media outlets, including newspapers, radio, magazines and TV, you're missing a big chunk of the pie if you ignore social media.

Keep in mind we are talking about social media here. Using the social media to promote a message means you need to recognize you are talking to specialized publics that will be interested in your news. This means a shift in etiquette and form to match a new audience of "catchers" for our pitches.

So what are some do's and don'ts for pitching to media?

Do find out the blogger or person's name you are trying to pitch to. Personalization goes a long way: show you care enough to get their name and they might care enough to run your story.
Don't pitch as you traditionally would; new media requires new templates and guidelines for your pitch. Research "social media pitch templates" and find out what works for you.
Do make sure you are pitching to someone who has interest in your business. Sending a pitch about a retirement plan to a blogger who deals with college issues is not going to get you coverage. It could, however, earn you humiliation on their blog.
Don't pitch advertisements. You are supposed to be giving them something interesting to cover and create conversation about in their blog, not pushing your product on them.
Do send interesting and relevant stories. This rule will never change. Get used to it.
Don't send attachments. A few links about your story are fine for relevance purposes. If they are interested and want more information, they will ask for it and then sending attachments is appropriate.
Do make bullet lists. The average attention span is dwindling. The more places on the page for the eye to easily land on, the easier it is to scan for the reader. Short, sweet and simple is the way to go.
Don't take too long to get to the point of your story. The further down the email, the less likely it is to be read by someone scanning your request.
Do show your gratitude when a story is covered. Not doing so could sever ties and get future stories denied or unread all together. This is a general relationship maintenance rule.
Don't forget to include contact information. Remember, most people are not professional bloggers, they have jobs also, so a nice touch might be to include a phone number where they can reach you after normal business hours.