When you’re a start-up, there’s a hunger to capture the spotlight. When a start-up is scrambling for users, the chance to be get some coverage from bloggers or reporters seems like nirvana. To paraphrase “If we build it, they will come”, start-ups enthusiastically buy into the belief “If we get covered, users will come”.

While trying to attract attention is obviously a good thing, it’s difficult to make it happen because there is so much noise and competition. A blogger with even a modest amount of traffic is probably inundated by start-ups and PR agencies, while reporters are swamped.

In a previous post, I offered eight tips on how to get bloggers and reporters to give you the time of day. Today, I want to look at what start-ups should avoid when they approach bloggers or reporters. This post was inspired by a start-up that sent me an e-mail recently that suggested “We’d appreciate your support by introducing us to the world on your blog.”

While I give the start-up credit for reaching out and using my name to personalize the e-mail, the biggest problem is the message was all about them rather than being about me. They provided a nice overview of their service but it was missing insight into why I should be interested and how it would be relevant to my blog or readers.

In an ideal world, there would have been some information that would illustrate why their service would fit into my editorial focus or interests. The personalization would be included a statement linking the problem the start-up is solving with how the service would make my life easier, more productive or convenient.

Now, it may sound selfish to force start-ups to cater to my needs but it’s a competitive landscape with many start-ups battling for a piece of the attention “pie”. Unless you’re doing something extraordinary, a start-up needs to nail its pitch to bloggers and reporters.

It means start-ups really need to think through what they are pitching and, as important, who they are targeting. It could mean investing their time going after a small target group rather than using the shot-gun approach in which you hope and pray that a few of your blasts get picked up.

It’s not good enough to do an average job when you pitch bloggers and reporters because there are too many other companies playing the same game.

It can be a major challenge for start-ups because telling their stories effectively is often not part of their core competency. Even if they spend the time to tackle it properly, their skills may lie elsewhere. This is where using a third-party could make a lot of sense.

The other consideration is balancing the need to capture the spotlight with the need to make sure your service or product is kick-ass. At the end of the day, great stories and pitch need to sit on a rock-solid foundation of a service or product that delights or solves a problem.