In my last post I talked about how the author of Dooce, an influential blogger, had spent an entire post, complete with product shots, talking about how great a soap was.

At the end of the article she wrote that she was posting about the soap because she loved it, not because she was paid or asked to do it. I got the impression that this was as much for her audience as it was to discourage marketers from requesting a post to promote a product.

Awhile ago, I came across a blog called elise.com that posted a great article on this very topic: The Do's and Don'ts of Marketing to Bloggers. It's good press when a popular blogger posts on a product and it can be fantastic for search engine rankings. Bloggers tend to view product promotion requests as a pest, though. The article on elise.com gives solid suggestions on how to go about making the request, and hopefully not irritate the person you want positive press from.