I'm in the unique position of not just  being a PR professional with nearly two decades of experience, but I also write a blog totally unrelated to my career.  If you don't know, I am also known by my alter ego SteelerGurl (http://steelergurl.com) and write about the Pittsburgh Steelers on my blog.  For me, it's a passion, a hobby - but as readership has increased, so have the PR pitches I receive.  

That said, as a PR professional, it's an exercise for me to actually go through the pitch and try to figure out what was going through the mind of my peer on the other side of the computer.  The pitches have ranged from really good to very formal to just really quite bad.

Here's what I recommend:

• Be familar: Take the time to read the blog, learn about the writer and get to know what they cover.  I'm not formal and what works well for me is a personal pitch from someone who clearly knows what I write about and who has read the "About me" page on my blog.  If you know that I am a PR professional, and it says so on my blog, that should let you know I won't take bad pitches well.  Added pressure? Maybe. 

TIP: Get personal, know the blogger as much as you can, learn their style.  Most importantly, read their blog before you make the pitch.

• Be Relevant: I cover the Pittsburgh Steelers on my blog, the name is SteelerGurl, after all.  So pitches regarding college football or lacrosse, or basketball likely won't see the light of day on my blog.  But, had you followed tip #1, you would have known that.  Just because someone writes about sports doesn't mean they cover all sports.  The thing about blogs are that many are niche, it's not the same as sending to a sports editor who may consider a broad range of sports related stories.  In other words, if it isn't Pittsburgh Steelers related, I am likely not covering it.