Blogger Relations & PR
Debunking Myths … Discovering Reality
#COPRSA
Heather Whaling
heather@gebencommunication.com
prtini.com
twitter.com/prTini
linkedin.com/in/heatherwhaling

Why Blogger Relations?
• 77% of Internet users read blogs
• 89% of journalists conduct research on
blogs
• 72% of bloggers blog to share expertise
• 61% of bloggers supplement their
income by blogging
89% of journs conduct research on blogs #COPRSA
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The Good,
The Bad,
The Ugly.

“Blogger outreach has proliferated in
the last year as firms and clients … see
the value of exposing bloggers and their
audiences to new campaigns and
products …
As you might have guessed, the big
dogs … are getting solicited by agencies
again and again and again and again
and again and again.” -- Ogilvy PR

“The bottom line is, we’re tired of being
marketed to; we just want to have a
conversation.”
-- Scott Monty

“At every one of my speeches,
I say PR people are spammers. That gets
everyone's attention so I have an
opportunity to explain what I mean … I
get several hundred unsolicited press
releases and PR pitches every week.
Well over 99% of them are not targeted
to me, instead they are sent to me
because I am on various PR people’s
lists …”
-- David Meerman Scott

(history repeats itself)
2007

Photo credit

The Realities of Blogger Outreach

Myth #1:
Pre-existing relationships
• Develop personal
relationships with
bloggers before
making the pitch
• “Cold-pitching” is
forbidden

Reality: Be Smarter.
• Relationships help, but aren’t required.
• A solid pitch trumps a lukewarm
relationship.
• Personalization is the key to effective
blogger outreach.
• Help bloggers cut through the clutter
With bloggers, solid pitches trump lukewarm relationships #COPRSA
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Myth #2: Bloggers = Media
Photo credit

Reality:
Blogger Relations = Media Relations
• Most bloggers:
– Aren’t breaking news
– Answer to communities, not editors
– Haven’t graduated from journalism school
– Don’t want your press releases
• Blogs aren’t newspapers or magazines,
so don’t treat the content creators the
same
Blogs aren’t newspapers. Treat content creators differently #COPRSA
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Myth #3:
Pay-to-Play, Swag & Ads
Photo credit

Reality:
Ethics, FTC Say “No Payola”
• FTC requires disclosure from bloggers
who receive cash or in-kind payments
• Fake reviews do a disservice to a
blogger’s community
• Understand the difference between
editorial, promotion, news, community
access/integration
When pitching bloggers, know the difference btwn editorial,
promotion, news & cmty access #COPRSA
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“We believe we should be fairly
compensated for promotional work, for
providing material to be sold by a third
party, for sharing our knowledge to
companies who will profit from that said
knowledge.”
-- Independent Fashion Bloggers “Fair Compensation Manifesto”

Myth #4: Content is King

Reality: … Not So Fast
• 5 C’s of Blogger Relations:
– Cultivation
– Collaboration
– Content
– Community
– Communication (what’s the ask?)
5 Cs of blogger outreach: Cultivation, Collaboration, Content,
Community & Communication #CORPSA
tweetable tip:

Bad Blogger Relations
Matrix courtesy of The Future Buzz (http://thefuturebuzz.com/2010/08/30/marketing-pr-fluency/)

Good Blogger Relations
Matrix courtesy of The Future Buzz (http://thefuturebuzz.com/2010/08/30/marketing-pr-fluency/)

Heather Whaling
www.GebenCommunication.com
heather@gebencommunication.com
@prTini
for slides & resources:
bit.ly/COPRSA
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Collaboration. Integration. Social Good.