Execution is the key: #2 the PR/blogger situation

Second in our series of posts dedicated to execution (i created a special category for this)

Blogs are the new PR field. This is not a secret. You got a new product, you want the world to know. Specially if you are a web startup. But from my experience not many PR people really caught the right way to interact with bloggers

The problem when you start to have some audience with your blog is that people think you will necessarily find an interest in talking about them. Specially PR agencies/department. And I cannot count anymore the number of press releases I am receiving per day to talk about this new startup or that new service. Honestly? I just throw them direct to my mail bin and even created a gmail filter to deal with them.  This is not arrogance: but just total disinterest for impersonal communication (and also lack of time and necessity to prioritize).

So I tried to think what I would do to really get a bloggers attention if I was running a pr department or a pr agencies.

• First know this: bloggers don't want press releases. They want true communication and interaction. A none personalized email is simply ignored. For one simple reasons : a blog is rarely a job and a blogger focuses on what he likes meaning writing and interacting with readers.  A spammy mail sent to a bcc list of bloggers is unlikely to land anywhere.
• Learn about the blogger BEFORE: read his blog. Know what he likes and what he does not. How he thinks. This will help you in communicating with him. Of course if you can meet him even better.
• Initiate communication with him much before you "need" him. Comment his posts (does not mean you have to be nice to him for free). Send email to introduce yourself to start a human and honest discussion around his blog and your potential future intentions. Show interest and your intentions will be understood in return. The reward will be immediate. Believe me
• Give him some notice before you need him: again a blogger does not write on demand. It is not a job or an obligation. If he's busy (like all read bloggers) notify him at least a week before. There is nothing more irritating than asking a blogger involvement from today to tomorrow. Which rarely happens unless you provide a MAJOR scoop.
• Be clear on timings, exclusive and embargos: make sure you precise clearly when you want the info out (what is called an embargo) if this is an exclusive, or preferred period of publication. If you promise exclusive, keep the promise. And if you promised to several bloggers/media at the same time, be transparent and avoid frustrations on all sides.
• Find original ways to involve him: it does not have to be a post on his blog. A few ideas: including a pic in his Flickr account, a message in twitter, a widget in his blog. A beta test on your own service.
• Give him some spicy info things that will make him feel unique. If possible an early preview at best an exclusive. It could also be some unique insight, pics, inside story...
• Do not condition what you give: let the blogger decide if he wants or not cover your story. Find the right words to empower him with the decision

I do not know many PR companies/persons that know well how to interact with bloggers. When you are a young startup you don't have the luxury to hire an agency: so you'll have to do it yourself. 

I recently had a great experience with Microsoft which had the perfect approach to have me test the new vista OS. I will write more about it soon.

The problem is that this process of approaching correctly bloggers takes some time. For sure more than sending blindly a PR and certainly not scalable to hundreds or thousands of bloggers.

Therefore it is important to spot the bloggers you will bet on in advance meaning reading blogs and understand the blogosphere beyond technorati rankings and traditional media coverage. I would certainly recommend you write a blog to understand what this is about. The PR guy who is a master in that and a blogger i admire is Steve Rubel from Edelman who writes MicroPersuasion. A must read

Note: posted from new Windows Live Writer client which is really good. specially thanks to many great plug-ins (flickr, video, capture screenshot...)

 

Technorati Tags: pr, press release, public relation, bloggers, blogs, marketing, buzz

Comments

[Adrian]

"I cannot count anymore the number of press releases I am receiving per day to talk about this new startup or that new service."

Leave Ouriel alone. Create an account on Launchpad Isreal and use the menu to submit it. If it is related to Israel and hi-tech I will post it. How simple.
More info about LPI here: http://qurl.co.uk/tv8l

[Harold]

You are totally right Ouriel. I can't stop thinking about the french blogosphere which turns into a real PR mess with all the mistakes you point out.

[Steve S]

Yea, Guy and Mike wrote some things about this last week. The hard thing about switching mediums is that you think that the old rules still apply. Bloggers are a strange sort and while we love to know our opinions matter. We hate to be shilled to almost as much. Good points mate.

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