Delivered to Central Ohio PRSA's blogger relations conference, this presentation is designed to help PR pros understand the realities of blogger relations and the value of incorporating blogger outreach into PR strategies.

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

2. 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
tweetable tip:
89% of journs conduct research on blogs #COPRSA

3. The Good,
The Bad,
The Ugly.

4. “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

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

6. “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

7. (history repeats itself)
2007

8. Photo credit

9. The Realities of Blogger Outreach

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

11. 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
tweetable tip:
With bloggers, solid pitches trump lukewarm relationships #COPRSA

12. Myth #2: Bloggers = Media
Photo credit

13. 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
tweetable tip:
Blogs aren’t newspapers. Treat content creators differently #COPRSA

14. Myth #3:
Pay-to-Play, Swag & Ads
Photo credit

15. 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
tweetable tip:
When pitching bloggers, know the difference btwn editorial,
promotion, news & cmty access #COPRSA

16. “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”

17. Myth #4: Content is King

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

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

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

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