PR Pros: Stop Treating Bloggers Like Second-Class Media

You and I are going to have a long conversation over this accompanied by some few close friends and a ready stream of service from the bar.

Our agency is working hard to catch up on blogs but it can seem daunting because the sheer volume of bloggers makes the environment so fluid and without the old publisher/editor relationship, the content doesn't always fit into neat categories. Bloggers, forgive us if we mess up in our attempts to learn this new media. We hope to deliver value in terms of in depth behind the scenes information for your readers... really, some of us folks in PR really do want to be useful.

Completely agree! PR pros should give thanks to the great publicity bloggers bring to their clients. Great post!

@ginidietrich This one. http://www.spinsucks.com/communication/pr-pros-stop-treating-bloggers-like-second-class-media/

Some friends and I were having a similar discussion recently.

PR firms forget that they can use us, the bloggers, as consultants. Who knows the mom bloggers better than a mom blogger who's been in the social media circles for a long time (ex: I've been on Twitter since 2007)? I'm not an A-lister (or even B or C or D), but I know a *LOT* of moms online -- I read their blogs, their Twitter and FB streams. And I've met a good portion of them at conferences. If PR firms don't have the time or inclination to research the people they're pitching, they could easily find a consultant to help with that.

I absolutely LOVE your passion on this topic. So...I linked to it on a post about how blogs aren't dead, they're maturing. This was intended for marketers who perhaps don;t appreciate what PR does in the modern era.
http://admajoremblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/blogs-are-maturing-as-marketing-channel.html

On a related note, I asked the PR industry how they build their influencer lists this week - and if they include fellow industry colleagues who are marketing/PR thought leaders and bloggers. I made a similar point - build relationships, approach intelligently. I said if you're pitching such bloggers you might have to be even more personable than pitching media. Is this so hard?

http://bit.ly/b3bpbc

CP

This stems from the same issue our industry has always had - PR executives being lazy and not doing their homework. They find the "popular bloggers" because it's easy. It would take research and *gasp* billable time to find, read and properly pitch bloggers who aren't written about in INCMagazine or AdWeek every week. And, *gulp* even more time to build relationships with them - oh, and actually read their stuff.

It's the same issue it's always been - the PR industry likes to take short cuts to keep those billable hours high.

This is a great blog post - I love your energy and enthusiasm. But our industry needs a total sea change - starting with agencies and the way they bill their time; what they see as worthwhile. They hand a list to junior executives and then pressure them to hit as many as possible - not to do a good job finding and building relationships.

Ugh.

Christine Perkett
PerkettPR
http://www.twitter.com/missusP
http://www.twitter.com/PerkettPR

RT @quatromama: Great convo going on ..."PR Pros - Stop Treating Bloggers Like Second-Class Media" http://bit.ly/a5GVm5 by @ginidietrich

Great convo going on ..."PR Pros - Stop Treating Bloggers Like Second-Class Media" http://bit.ly/a5GVm5 by @ginidietrich

You and your readers may enjoy perusing an article I wrote about email marketing pitches not to emulate. See http://ariwriter.com/3-email-marketing-examples-not-to-copy and you can also check out the comments.

Gini,

I love *LOVE* this. I should probably respond to this with a internet fist-bump of sorts, or something intelligent or business-like, but seriously, I love this so much, I want to hug it. And you. Is that weird? :)

There are SO many wonderful comments following a very smart post...thanks Gini! What is most frustrating to me is the failure of marketing/communications professionals as a whole (not just PR) to embrace The Shift we are seeing in communications. The Shift has moved from one-way to two-way, from telling to listening and from disruption to invitation. This particular example around the failure of many "PR pros" and organizations as a whole to embrace the power that these influencers (bloggers) have on thier respective audience...is huge. As Arik Hanson said in his comment, "you don't have to have 100K followers to be influential." The power of WOM can start with 25 REALLY ENGAGED individuals who share, advocate and embrace.
I look forward to having this conversation for a long time to come - let's cross our fingers that the image of this profession (PR) will come along with us:). Thank you again for starting this conversation!

RT @Harald_Nick: Speaking from my heart: "PR Pros - Stop Treating Bloggers Like Second-Class Media" http://bit.ly/a5GVm5 by @ginidietrich

RT @Harald_Nick: Speaking from my heart: "PR Pros - Stop Treating Bloggers Like Second-Class Media" http://bit.ly/a5GVm5 by @ginidietrich

I love Shonali's the "pitchers have become the pitchee" comment. There's a few blog posts in that statement alone. Fact is, for people like us, we're hyper-aware of how we're pitched based on what we do each day. So, I think our radar's are a bit higher than most.

The big issue for me the other night, as I was following along and participating, too, was how we approach and pitch these smaller blogs. Like I said, you don't have to have 100K followers to be influential.

What's interesting to me is that we know WOM facilitates and influences purchase decisions, right? Then, why do we think "A-listers" are the only ones who can do that? At the core, don't people trust other people like them? Do they really *trust* these A-listers? I'm not so sure. I just think about my own behavior online. Sure, I read the Solis', Shankmans and Brogans of the world. But, do I trust them? Hell, I don't even really know those guys (although I will say they probably influence my behavior in other ways). I'm much more inclined to truly trust folks like David Mullen, Richie Escovedo, Shonali Burke, Amy Mengel and Rachel Kay for starters. If they make a recommendation, I'm definitely listening. Are those folks "A listers"? Probably not. Does it matter? I don't think so.

We need to get over this A-lister exclusivity thing. Now.

@arikhanson

Speaking from my heart: "PR Pros - Stop Treating Bloggers Like Second-Class Media" http://bit.ly/a5GVm5 by @ginidietrich

Gini,

Sorry I am late to the conversation but I followed the #SBT10 chat and sensed your frustration in one of your early tweets. I knew there would be a blog post coming from that experience.

This "social medium" we are involved in when you reduce it to its essence is about relationships and media. As you correctly note earned media is earned. It is earned because of the client's story and the relationships we have with the reporters, broadcasters, publishers, bloggers etc.

Social networking provides opportunities to exponentially build relationships with the media. If we are good at relationship building we will find the right influencer's to assist us in telling our client's stories. We will notice which bloggers have an audience that would be receptive to our message, and work on establishing and growing the relationship. In the true spirit of the medium, it is about providing them with valuable content and ideas and determining how we can assist them professionally. If they are good, we will find them. If they are looking for us, I wonder just how good they are.

OMG, Gini, what a great post and what awesome comments! I wish I'd seen this earlier today (you're in my Reader but I had to go out for a day full of meetings). So much to say, where to start, and what can I say that hasn't been repeated?!

This reminds me a little of what I wrote in my BNET post about leaving PR to the pros. At the moment, I publish in three places: my own blog, BNET and I edit/manage a blog community for a client. I cannot tell you how many emails I get from PR "firms" (note the quotes) with a news release cut and pasted, telling me "my readers" would love this story.

Oh, really? Which readers? Why? I'd so much rather a few bullet points as to what's cool about this potential story than this nonsense. Ironically, this is the same advice folks like you and I have received and try to pass on to professionals, and now we're on the receiving end of it.

In a way, that's rather fascinating. The "pitchers" have become the "pitchees." I think your advice for both PR firms and bloggers are extremely salient (that's a word I learned in 6th-grade geography, btw, and I try to throw it in wherever I can ;)).

Firms - and not all pitch this badly, but many do - need to get smart about pitching and stand firm with their clients about who they're pitching and why it's relevant. Often the big wave comes after many ripples, which, especially with search playing such an important role these days, is really something they need to think about. Forget about the numbers. Figure out who's "influential" based on real research and not some crappy list somewhere.

Bloggers need to do one thing: blog. I know this is easier said than done, and I too have struggled with finding focus for my blog; don't know that I've gotten it completely down, but I *think* I'm getting better... you tell me and you're welcome to smack me down! If they/we do, it's not just the firms that will find us, but other opportunities, such as trade media, other platforms (such as BNET for me), and ... to me this is very important - new business and clients.

Oh, I agree. I have a little blog -- but I'm also in public relations. So when I get pitches for my blog that are just so horrible and off, I'm embarrassed for my profession. Today I got one that was thanking me for a review I did -- and it was addressed to the wrong person! Eye roll worthy.

Hi Gini, I missed the chat last night, ironically because I was doing a presentation on social media for paralegal professionals. I will have to find the transcript of the chat, it sounds fascinating.

I ran a non-profit (Wausau Whitewater) for 12 years. I worked a little with PR firms for sponsorship but more with reporters from print, radio, and television.

I find it hilarious that now that I am on my own in the career industry in a climate where unemployed, job search, resumes, etc are top news but I am no longer a source. People (reporters) who know what I am doing,know me personally, may follow me on Twitter or FB, have been told I would be happy to be a resource locally... totally forget me. However, I was always on TV, radio, or in print with WW...

We hear this a lot. Many of our clients ask us to recommend a good PR person, because they have had bad experiences. We have reached out to many firms to work together to offer our clients & theirs the best solutions, but most are not open to it. We have even run into some who feel they are the web experts and we are the little people they dish orders to, instead of hearing our ideas or solutions.

Gini, I caught the chat last night, agree with so much of what you wrote, the comments.

Technorati. Is that the end-all, be-all of blog registries? I quibble only b/c of technical difficulties I can't login, register, unregister, list my blog. And I can't get anything more than an auto-reply from "support."

Love Abbie's point about if a blog hits all the client's happy spots, it IS "A list" no matter how big or small the audience.

Taking it back to your advice to PR and bloggers, it all boils down to doing it "right" and everyone acting professionally. Pitch the right blogs for the client's product/service; accept the right pitches for the blog, etc.

Hey there miss,

First, thank you for being such an awesome guest on last night's chat, and for offering some great advice for both sides of the fence.

Part of me wonders if it's a control issue? To a degree, many PR pro's like to feel they have control of their client - how they present to the media, what questions can be answered, what can't, how to respond to crisis, etc.

With bloggers, you don't (or shouldn't) have that control. Their only commitment is to their readers, and to be honest to them.

If that means giving a crappy review of a product, or calling out the ethics of the client you're trying to promote, that raises alarm bells.

Or maybe it is reach. When you're used to having a slot on NBC, do you really want to have to deal with 100 bloggers that might be the local cable equivalent? (And I use that term with the greatest of respect, as a blogger myself).

Um, yes you do. Because you do not know how far these 100 bloggers may take you. And these 100 bloggers are interested in your product; you may not necessarily have to pitch too hard.

Compare that to your huge wining and dining budget just to get a slot in the local paper...

Just my two cents. And thanks for being the PR agency the bad ones should look to, and the good ones are already emulating.

Gini, In my Vistage group, whenever someone mentions a PR firm, most people rill their eyes. It is like having to get a physical or something uncomfortable like that. And when someone reports back something positive, the first question is; "What was your ROI"? I think there are no standards in the industry so anyone with some college courses call themselves a PR firm or expert. Can you point to some kind of affiliation that helps people qualify the great PR firms form the ones who are hot air? Hope that question does not drive you crazy.

Thank you, Gini, for your boldness, insight, and honesty. I truly believe we can build mutually beneficial relationships that will influence and shape the new media world, through following much of this post and listening to one another.

It is discouraging when companies continue to reach out to A-list only bloggers or possibly worse, request free advertisement disguised as a "limited review opportunity" to 100s of bloggers in a spamming type email.

I know you encourage us to continue to create great content and be involved in the blogging business aspect, but are there any other tips or tools you would encourage a blogger to use in order to be "discovered" by potential business relationships? Our blog ( http://4tunate.net ) has maintained a large, loyal, engaged, and compassionate audience that is often overlooked.

Again, thank you for addressing this pertinent issue and raising the bar for both bloggers and PR reps alike!