Blogger Relations Tips For PR/Ad Agency People & Consultants
05/23/2008
Sometimes it's tiring to try to be friends. Sigh ..
The following email from a PR Person came on the heels of an email from Marc Meyer - Emerson Direct Marketing Observations. Mark developed what he calls the 30 Top Social Media Experts, Pundits, Evangelists and Marketers. Follow-up post with a few more peeps. I am honored to be included. Send Marc some link love .. click and read who else is on the list. The PR Person is not on the list.
eMail Volley Between PR Person & Diva Marketing (modified so we can learn together and not embarrass.)
PR Person: Hi. Blah blah blah .. company (turns out to be a client) has a new product. If you’d like to learn more about blah blah please let me know and I’d be happy to set you up with an appropriate executive.
Toby/Diva Marketing: I asked a question about the campaign.
PR Person: I can not personally comment on these types of questions but I’m happy to put you in touch with one of the marketing executives who would be better able to answer that for you. Just let me know.
Toby/Diva Marketing: That would be great. Thanks.
PR Person: Sure thing. Do you happen to have any readership or unique visitor numbers handy?
Toby/Diva Marketing: Why?
PR Person: We always like to present our executives with as much information as possible when approaching them with an interview opportunity.
Toby/Diva Marketing: I am not a journalist. Diva Marketing is not a media outlet. It is a blog with some extent of influence. That is not a question that I would answer unless I was negotiating for sponsorships on Diva (which I choose not to do).
Also, you approached me .. I did not approach you. In your email you offered information to learn more about the campaign. I asked you questions about it and you offered to forward them to the right person for a response. I did not request an interview.
Seems like you don't have much experience reaching out to bloggers. These posts might be useful:
Bloggers and PR People Should Be Friends
From Blogger Relations To Blogger Relations Programs
Agencies Miss The Relations In Blogger Relations Strategies
PR Person: Thanks for clarifying. I am still learning everyday when it comes to blogger outreach. If you are interested in potentially writing about the program on your blog, I would be happy to pass along your question.
Toby/Diva Marketing: Rule # one NEVER ask a blolgger to write about your product/campaign. And NEVER make an interview contingent on a post.
Blogger Relations Tips For PR/Ad Agency People & Consultants
1. Include your name and your company.
2. Indicate your relationship with your client.
3. Learn about the culture of the social media and blogger relations etiquette
4. Educate your client about what to expect when incorporating blogger relations into an outreach.
5. Help your client understand that bloggers are not journalists nor are they media outlets. This is a different game with its own unique rules.
6. Do not offer to provide access to your client or additional information unless you can produce it.
7. Never ask for a blogger's traffic stats or RSS subscriptions.
8. Do your research: read the past posts. If your client wants to understand the blogger's influence utilize tools like Technorati, Google and/or Alexa to learn more about the blogger.
9. Do not make an interview contingent for a blog post.
10. Social media and in this case Blogger Relations is about the relationship.
A tweet from hugh gapingvoid is a perfect way to close this conversation -
The question is not, "Should we blog?" The question is, "Do we want to talk to people differently from how we did in the past?
PR/Agency People and Consultants also have to learn to talk differently than they did in the past.