A blogger recently started a wiki where she listed a bunch of PR agencies that she has begun to filter their email into a trash folder for spamming her with pitches. Basically, as an influential blogger, she is receiving a ton of pitches from PR firms who continue to ignore her requests on how she would like to be pitched.
A number of other bloggers have been writing about this subject, with some interesting posts and comments. Here are a few:
http://a.wholelottanothing.org/2008/05/09/stop-asking-start-filtering/
http://a.wholelottanothing.org/2008/05/11/dear-pr-people-how-to-pitch-bloggers/
http://www.pr-squared.com/2008/05/the_pr_professionals_credo_7_p.html
And she listed the actual names of the PR firms she is blacklisting!
Ouch.
Blogs have entered the mainstream and your company should join the conversation. Blogs represent genuine opportunities for media coverage and exposure, ranging from the national stage to the HR and benefits/senior care space. If you've ignored blog writers in the past, they need to be added to your radar soon.
However, they are an entirely different animal than journalists - as the above example suggests.
The act of sending news to blogs is an ongoing source of controversy: on the one hand, many blog writers appreciate receiving news releases as long as they're relevant to the blog's content. Others strongly believe that bloggers shouldn't be "carpet-bombed" by PR and marketing people who view them as just another news outlet.
Bottom line: At HRmarketer, we don't send press releases to bloggers who haven't agreed to receive them. And it may be best to think outside the press release box if you want to engage with the blogosphere.
Here are some tips for successfully entering the blog world:
- Choose a handful of blogs that relate to your market, and become a regular reader. Get to know the writers, their interests and coverage topics.
- Contribute to the online community. Add comments that offer genuine insight and perspective; draw from company experiences, but don't blatantly promote your product or service.
- Email bloggers first and ask if they're interested in receiving releases.
- Be very selective about what news you send. Think about whether their readers will care.
- NEVER blitz a group of blogs with press releases – they are not a dumping ground. Always email them individually.
- When commenting on a blog, be sure to identify yourself as "working in the space for XYZ Company," to avoid the appearance of a hidden agenda.
Our new HRmarketer platform (coming this month) will include a database of all the influential bloggers in the HR space. However, our new platform will not allow vendors to add blogs to their media distribution lists like they can do for traditional media outlets. You are only allowed to send individual emails to blogs and only to those blogs that publish their email address and accept emails. But still, we are very clear that you should not just send a blog a copy of your press release.
Make it more personal and follow the tips above.
Posted by Mark WillamanLabels: blogger relations, blogging tips