Marketing Roadmaps

Blogger relations

Link Exchange Requests are NOT Blogger Relations

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I’m working on a longer bad pitch post that will cover some recent faux pas perpetrated on bloggers by marketing and PR professionals in the guise of blogger relations. In combing through my pitch file, I found some link exchange requests, which reminded me to tell you about the "special place in hell" reserved for those that send link exchange spam. [An HP Photo Book for the first reader who correctly identifies the special place reference. Mum, you can’t enter.]

Link exchange requests are spam. Full stop. They are sometimes sent by newbies who don’t know better but most often by spammers who just don’t care.

Note the time sent: a sure sign of a mass email program. This one is probably a porn site.

Spelling errors, highlighted in both. Another sign of the spammer. No relevance to my blog other than I mentioned a trip to California.

When you are cataloging the list of PR agency sins, don’t tag them with this one. While there are always exceptions to any "rule," link exchange requests are rarely used by reputable agencies with any online experience — even those that send crappy blog pitches to <insert name here> with multiple jpeg attachments.

What should you do when you get a link exchange request?

If you sense it is from a newbie who just doesn’t know any better, send them a brief email. Tell them that you add people and sites to your blogroll that you find interesting or valuable to your readers, but you do not do link exchanges. If you sell advertising, by all means offer it up as an alternative. If the blog or site is on target to your interests, perhaps offer to check it out but make no promises. Give them the link to this post if you think it will help. If it really was a mistake on the sender’s part, they should appreciate the kindly meant advice.

Spammers? Block the sender in your spam filter and delete the email.

And think about that special place in hell just for them.

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PS — The reference to my mom is a clue for anyone who has heard me speak recently, as I often use an anecdote about her as an example. And did you know, faux pas is a pun in French. Literally it means "false step" but it also rhymes with "faut pas," as in "il ne faut pas," which translates roughly to "one must not."

Bloggers versus PR: Why can’t we just all get along?

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The answer is that we can get along, and very nicely, in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Where everyone benefits from the exchange, and neither party feels abused or taken advantage of.

The problem is that such an atmosphere is hard to come by.

Good relationships don’t happen by themselves. It takes work on both sides to develop and nurture them, and they can be severely damaged by a poorly written email, an unthinking comment or an ill-conceived reply. Just like any relationship.

And when the relationship breaks down, sides form. It’s all about who is right, who is wrong. Assigning blame.

Blecch. What a waste of time.

Sometimes PR and marketing people do send horrible, spammy email pitches. My email box is full of them — the ones I get and the ones my readers forward to me. It’s like trying to score on the first date. It’s no way to start a long-lasting relationship. Even the better ones are often filled with pitchy language — "message points" — that are like poor pick-up lines. They sound good in front of the mirror, not so good in practice.

And bloggers aren’t perfect either. Sometimes they over-react, classing simple mistakes as egregious errors, and respond with rants, negative posts and even blacklists. It may feel good to channel Peter Finch:

But it’s not always productive. Sometimes it sets off a chain reaction that makes it near to impossible for the parties to ever form a positive relationship.

As I’ve said many times, it starts with respect. Mutual respect. Both sides must understand that this is a business relationship; both parties need to benefit. The company isn’t doing the blogger a favor, and the blogger isn’t doing one for the company. They are both getting something out of the deal. If not… it’s a bad pitch.

And bad pitches are bad business. If a company has evaluated its promotional alternatives and made the decision that reaching out to bloggers is a smart business decision, it is such a waste to do it poorly.

So here are some tips that may help us all get along a bit better.

PR folks, re-read your emails before you send them. Ask yourself, is there enough value for the blogger in the pitch? Would I want to get this pitch? How would I feel if I got this pitch in my in-box? If the blogger asks you questions, don’t feed them message points. Answer the questions. If the blogger tells you that the pitch was totally off base — even if she rants — just apologize and ask nicely what kinds of things she would be interested in. And then deliver. Don’t spam her again.

Bloggers, if the pitch is off target, perhaps only slightly, tell the PR reps. They won’t learn if no one tells them. I had a call a couple weeks ago with an agency who has been featured a couple times in my bad pitch series. They wanted to understand the problems with their pitches. Good for them for asking, and you can be sure I told them. Whether they make the long-term changes I suggested remains to be seen, but it was a start.

Now, if you, the blogger, reach out, and they, PR,  push back inappropriately, as one PR person did when she told a friend that bloggers like to be addressed by their blog name instead of their own name, cross ’em off your list and move on. But sometimes, a really great relationship can start because people sorted out a mistake instead of shutting down. 

Walk a mile in the other person’s shoes. You’ll be amazed at how far that will get you.

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Here are a few recent posts from other folks that you might find interesting:

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Mathom Room: Compensation Architect, Media Bullseye, Intuit and relaunch of PBS Parents

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The mathom room is that place where I put all the interesting stuff that I want to tell you about but just don’t have time to devote a whole post. Here’s this month’s collection.

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Compensation Architect is a new blog that I developed for Santorini Consulting, an enterprise software implementation firm. The blog is a guide to designing, managing and implementing compensation systems; its principal author David Kelly is a recognized expert in the field. If you are, or someone you know is, involved in setting or managing sales compensation systems and policies, I urge you to check it out. Design by Leslie Doherty of Catapult Web Development.

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I keep forgetting to mention that I was a guest on the Media Bullseye Roundtable podcast on August 1st. Sarah Wurrey, Jen Zingsheim and I talked about BlogHer, whether the web is impacting reading standards and the impact of Randy Pausch’s life and death on the interwebs.

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I’m going to have more to say on the JingleGenerator from Intuit as a blogger relations campaign, but for now, just enjoy messing around and creating jingles using this tool. I’m not sure anyone would actually use one of these jingles in a promo campaign but it’s kinda fun to create one. And I absolutely love this footnote from the press release:

1Tommy Silk is a totally fictitious character, created solely for the promotion of theJingleGenerator.com because we didn’t have the budget to hire someone famous or use their name without getting our pants sued off. Any resemblance to real music moguls, living or dead, is purely coincidental. So there.

Silk? He’s sort of a cross between Austin Powers, Tommy Mottola and Tommy Lee.With maybe a dash of Van Halen. And funny, though not nearly as funny as the footnote.  Enjoy.

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PBS has relaunched pbsparents with the Supersisters blog written by sisters Jen Lemen, Kristen Hammond and Patience Salgado. I love the idea of hearing from siblings on a subject. One of the most compelling blogs I’ve ever “read” was 3191 a photo blog by two sisters who lived on opposite coasts, took a photo every morning and then posted the results. I think Supersisters has the potential to be just as compelling. Check it out.

That’s it for the mathom room. I’ll be back later in the week with more blogger relations, good and bad.

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The silly season starts

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Yes, folks, it’s that time of year again: Back to School Season.

This is NOT an excuse for linking any and every product to school-age children. So PR person who was about to press <send> on a mass email to parents… STOP IT! RIGHT NOW! [GO TO YOUR ROOM!]

Re-read your pitch and make sure there really is a link to getting kids ready for back-to-school. And please be age appropriate. I’m still laughing at the one forwarded by a friend today that urged parents to make sure their college-bound kids know how to use their cell phones.

Yes, you read that right. Don’t believe me? Here it is:

       

While I am all for parents discussing safety risks with their children — including young adults off to college, I don’t know a single college-age person who wouldn’t be insulted being referred to as a child. I’m insulted on their behalf just reading this pitch.

And of course, as my friend wrote when she forwarded the pitch, eight-year olds know how to use cell phones. The idea that an 18-year old needs help using one is just bizarre.

The other two points are more relevant to the young adult away at school for the first time, but that brings up the other problem with this pitch, all of which I’ve included above except the signoff with the rep’s phone number.

It’s a stealth pitch. I’ve written about this before, but your pitch should always be clear about who and what you represent. Hiding the client, not being clear about your agenda is dishonest. Don’t do it.

Another form of stealth pitch is the fake comment or user testimonial. This tactic is often referred to as astroturfing. On consumer sites, it typically takes the form of a glowing testimonial, purportedly from a happy customer. How can you spot this?  Look for the message points. Most people don’t write that way. PR people do. As the saying goes, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…

It is perfectly okay to leave a comment about a product if it is in direct response to a query and you clearly identify your interest. It is not okay to hide your interest or leave unsolicited pitches in the comments on a blog. If you think the blogger might be interested in your product, service or idea, send an email first.

Honesty really is the best policy.

UPDATE 8/19: As some of you know, I used to work for an Internet filtering company. It turns out that the PR agency that sent the stealth pitch I commented on above represents a company that recently acquired one of the brands I worked for. I discovered this fact when my friend forwarded me another pitch she received today from the same rep that did name the product. While strictly speaking, I was never an employee of this new company, I do have a general policy of not commenting on former employers, and this is close enough for me. I also have a soft spot for this brand, since it was my baby for a very long time, and would never criticize it publicly. But in a roundabout way, I did.

Stealth pitching is a BAD idea. Don’t do it.

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Where’s the beef: The content of a good blog pitch

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Now that we have the secret sauce for a blog pitch, it’s time to think about the main ingredient — the content. There is no single recipe for this; it’s different for every product, service and program.

Like any other marketing activity, you start with your marketing objectives. With an important caveat: you have to get over the idea that anyone actually cares about your product. What they care about is how it makes them feel, how well  it satisfies a need or desire.

That’s where the concept of adding value comes in. You can’t just deliver a laundry list of facts and features, and expect a blogger to write about it. They might buy your product, as a customer, but in order to give you valuable space in her story on her blog, the blogger needs something more. She needs your pitch to add value to her blog.

Here are a couple of examples that do a nice job of adding value.

First,  a pitch for Quaker Chewy Granola Bars with Protein.

The mom blogger who forwarded this pitch to me said that although the pitch was a bit spammy  (can you spot the message points, everyone?) she was impressed with the offer. Since her daughter would be starting soccer soon, she was inclined to do it.

My take: Although I would be thrilled if agencies ditched the message points ( "Moms like you will be able to please the pickiest eaters with kid-friendly flavors") and just used plain language,  the value added in this pitch is very good: a decent package of products and review product for the blogger plus the offer of a giveaway package for a friend or reader. Along with a clear understanding of the privacy concerns of the blogger. Grade: A- [PR Agency: Ogilvy PR.]

And a pitch from the National Women’s History Museum.

Why is this pitch so good?

It’s on target. I am on the record, in multiple places, as a feminist with a great deal of interest in gender issues. This is something about which I could reasonably be expected to care.

I’ve met the PR rep who sent the pitch, Erin Skinner, from Weber Shandwick unit Powell Tate. She interviewed me at BlogHer Business as part of Weber Shandwick’s video coverage of the event. What really impressed me: she’s still reading my blogs. And not just this one, but also my personal blog, which is where the referenced post appeared.

She doesn’t ask me to write. But here you go, I have. If the pitch is good, you don’t need to ask. I also sent an email to my congresswoman — dead easy, do it.

Now, for an example of  a pitch that doesn’t pass muster. For comparison purposes.

See the difference?

Let’s start with the salutation. Two parent bloggers forwarded this to me for bad pitch. One was addressed as Blogger <Lastname> and the other as Blogger <Firstname> . Seriously, how bad is the database this firm is using? And what is with the salutation BLOGGER? Is it a category in the database and someone screwed up or do they really think this is a legitimate salutation?

It’s a short pitch –that I will give you. But it is nothing more than a series of message points strung together. "A funny and heart warming film." "Makes for a perfect summertime watch for kids of all ages."

And typos. Hate typos.

But most importantly –where’s the value? Why should these bloggers write about this film? Where’s the offer for a review copy? Or perhaps a copy or two as giveaways? I realize that many companies have to limit the offers of review product. Fine. Then limit your outreach to bloggers and journalists who might reasonably be expected to review your product. And offer product straight up. Don’t wait for the blogger to ask.

And heaven forbid, when they ask for product, don’t offer them a .jpg instead. As this vendor did to a mom blogger who actually replied to a blind pitch because the product was relevant to her family’s needs:

Ummm. If you can’t send samples, why did you pitch?

Bottom line, if you want a blogger to write about your product, you have to give her a reason that matters to her. Otherwise, you should simply run an ad on her blog. End of story.

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