Thoughts on Bloggers and Public Relations

These days, pitching media means pitching bloggers. For some topics, a blogger may even be the more influential expert. Still not all publicists have refined their blogger pitching methods. Three years ago when my coworkers discovered that I had a blog – or maybe I sent it to them, begging that they become my first five readers – I became the point person for blogger relations for some of my clients. Since then I have become aware of a lot of disparities between public relations professional and bloggers.

Many PR pros think bloggers sit around on our couches all day lazily typing on the Internet. I will quote a panelist who spoke at a conference that I attended: “Bloggers get to sit at home with coffee while I am in an office, wearing professional attire.” That is very untrue. Alternatively, some bloggers think PR professionals are inattentive idiots who can’t be bothered to address an email to the person we’re writing. That is equally untrue.

There are a lot of things that I wish I could tell every blogger and single public relations professional from my seat on both sides of the fence. Since I can’t, I’m going to share a few key things I have learned over the year.

For PR Professionals:

• There are thousands of bloggers and each one probably has a very different agenda and goal. Some people blog for fun, some people blog because they have professional ambition, some people blog because they love to write and blogs provide an accessible platform [right here!]. Others blog because they saw it on the Today Show and they want to get free coupons from yogurt companies.
• Yes, you should read the blog. You don’t need to know where the blogger you’re pitching went to elementary school or whether he wears boxers or briefs, but in order to deliver an effective pitch you need to know what interests the recipient. Read the blog and even if you don’t know the person you are pitching, know what they are trying to accomplish with their platform.
• Keep up. Tactics that worked with traditional media might not necessarily work with bloggers. Bloggers are not all trained journalists. Some  are, some aren’t. Newspaper reporters and magazine editors expect a certain amount of pitches each day but bloggers are not trained with that expectation. Blogs are, often, a labor of love and their writers are not getting paid to maintain relationships with media. Their job description simply doesn’t include sifting through press releases, e-mail blasts, etc. in order to produce relevant content. 
• Educate your client. A lot of public relations professionals employ tactics they don’t necessarily believe in because their client believes in a “traditional” route. Take the opportunity to do your homework and show your client by whatever means necessary that media is changing and evolving. The conservative approach might not be the way to go even if “the client wants it that way.” If they aren’t going to listen to your advice, why do they pay you?

For Bloggers:

• Know the difference between editorial and advertising. If a publicist emails you and offers you a tip, story idea, press release, etc. it is likely that they are offering this information to you. If they flat-out ask you to write something (which they shouldn’t) and you don’t want to do it, use your delete button or politely decline.
• Don’t generalize. I’ve heard many bloggers say “PR people are bad at their jobs.” Yes, some are. But so are some doctors. And some lawyers. Publicists just have the benefit of working with people who have a public forum to complain if they aren’t happy and boy, do some people take advantage of that.
• Public relations is a practice that involves earned media not paid media. It is easy to confuse PR/editorial with advertising work but they are very, very different. Though online media is blurring the lines between the two, most public relations companies are offering you information to inspire a story idea or fit into a story you might already be writing. They are not prepared to pay you to do anything you don’t want to do. In fact, if a reporter for the New York Times asked a PR person for payment to write a cookbook review, she would be fired. She writes those cookbook reviews because they are relevant and informative for her readers. Or maybe her boss made her.
• With that in mind, public relations professionals are also being tasked with figuring out how to navigate the very new waters of online media. Sponsored content might be a great way to pay the bills – and I think that it’s very advantageous to partner with brands, for a number of reasons that I will talk about later – it should be organic. Your credibility will take a nosedive if on the first page of your blog you have six posts, four of them sponsored. Be empowered to create real content and when the brands come knocking on your door prepared to hand you bags of cash for real estate, think of a way to work with them that is clearly separate from your editorial work.
• Stop comparing yourself to bloggers that have already achieved career success. For example, while The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond is one of the kindest, loveliest, most generous bloggers out there, her success is the exception, not the rule. Her cookbooks and her upcoming Food Network Show are not necessarily realistic aspirations for everyone with a dot com.  Set realistic goals and try to make yourself and your blog the best you can. You never know what kind of great things will happen to you by being yourself.

If you’re a publicist, what do you wish every blogger knew? If you’re a blogger, what do you wish every publicist knew?