Marijean has a good post-BlogHer item on blogger relations.
As BlogHer started I noted a marked increase in the number of PR folks in the audience. They were there no doubt to 'reach' this highly coveted 'segment'. However during many of the sessions the vibe was very clear, the majority of them resent PR/marketing folks and their intrusions. And they're just that, intrusions. Marijean talks about the relationship aspect necessary for anything to work.
I point back to my earlier post about my rule of blogger relations: Send Something of Interest to Somebody You Know. I also touched on this topic a bit in my 'jaded view' post.
The other thing is that a blogger relationship is based on more than a link or a basic piece of information. What I mean by this is sending a blogger a link to 'check out' or a press release is one of the worst things you can do. When I engage in blogger relations I rarely send anything, I ask. If the blogger has written about a subject or expressed interest in the topic I ask if there is anything else I can assist them with.
There is a big difference between saying, "Here is our latest press release." and "How can I help you?"
A number of other folks also blogged about the relationship with PR and the momosphere.
It's sad that so many PR people don't do things right. All we can hope is that more people in the profession realize that it's about relationships and not pitches or target audiences, etc.
Visitor Comments
It all comes down to people needing to remove the word "pitch" from their vocabulary when they are talking about bloggers. I am fortunate to be coming into the industry out of college solely focusing on bloggers, so I never have the temptation to do a traditional pitch. I could imagine though that it would be very difficult to leave the traditional approach behind. It is so much more personal now. It has been interesting and thought-provoking following the ongoing conversation from BlogHer on the State of the Momosphere session. The rants and raves will always be there, but when reaching out to bloggers, it all comes down to education and taking the initiative to learn the best approach.
Posted by: Mary Metcalf | August 2, 2007 11:55 AM
The link was very nice, thank you. I also really appreciate the humility I am finding with people who see that PR has a long way to go before they will be able to reach everyone. And the thing is, they can. We're here and many of us are waiting and many of us are waiting to be contacted to get our fingers in the pie, so to speak.
Your post just helps get the word out there. Again, thank you.
Posted by: Mocha | August 2, 2007 7:58 PM
You can hit all three of the legs - transparent, professional, advocate - and still get kneecapped if you run headlong into the Gray Zone.
Posted by: Ike | August 2, 2007 11:56 PM
Thanks for the link. I am delighted to see this conversation continuing online in an effort to see all PR practitioners gain greater understanding of the blogosphere. I agree with Mary that "pitch" needs to go by the wayside.
Posted by: Marijean | August 3, 2007 1:35 PM
Yeah, I'd have to say that the PR industry is in for a nasty surprise as social media becomes more prevalent. The rules have changed entirely in favor of actual public relations, meaning facilitating relationships between entities and their community... Not dictating messages.
Posted by: Geoff Livingston | August 6, 2007 9:48 AM