Author and technology consultant Scott Steinberg visited our self-publishing course online today.

We caught up with Steinberg while he promoted The Modern Parent’s Guide to Video Games, sharing timeless advice about he shared columns and essays on a number of sites–reaching out to new readers at major outlets like CNN.com, All Things D and ESPN.com.

In this encore edition of the  Morning Media Menu podcast (embedded below), Steinberg shared tips for pitching online outlets about your book.

To polish your online pitches, you can also take our Self-Publishing Finishing School course online, a practical program that walks independent writers through the final steps of the publishing process.
Check it out:

You want to reach out no more than two weeks in advance. You want to be close to release date. What we found is that most media outlets and reporters were so busy, focused on the here and now. Their schedules are so hectic that you don’t want to be too far in advance … We had probably had four or five excerpts prepared, and the irony is, we received over 14 to 16 requests for custom placements.

Leave yourself a bulk of time during the campaign, be prepared to write original pieces, because obviously most outlets aren’t going to want something pre-prepared, they are going to want something custom tailored for their audience.