Star Trek, x5. Battlestar Galactica, x2. Babylon 5. Farscape. Firefly. Dr. Who, x10 (Doctors that is). V. Red Dwarf. Blake’s 7. Lexx. Andromeda. Stargate SG1. Stargate Atlantis. Buffy. Angel. Lost.
No TV fan is more loyal, more devoted than the science fiction/fantasy fan. So loyal in fact that many of them start Web sites and blogs devoted to covering their favorite shows and favorite genre. And not just fan sites and spoiler sites. News sites that rival the mainstream media for their depth and breadth of coverage.
But quite often, these sites find it difficult to get access to the TV shows and stars they cover.
Until the Sci Fi Channel boldly went where no network has gone before and invited the digital press to Vancouver, where many of the network’s shows are filmed, for a special press tour.
I’m one of the sci fi fans who regularly reads these online sites for the latest news, and spoilers, from my favorite shows. I’ve also been covering the topic of blogger relations quite heavily here on the Roadmap so this story is kind of a dream come true. Or at least a two-fer.
One of the problems with most coverage of blogger relations is we tend to obsess over what is wrong with blogger outreach programs. Wal-Mart’s ill-advised RV trip. The Microsoft Vista laptop snafu. Even criticisms of programs that really weren’t bad at all, at least in my opinion.
We spend a lot of time telling businesses what they shouldn’t do and not nearly enough time talking about programs that did work, that did achieve their objectives, for both the bloggers and the companies.
Well, beam me up, folks, because that’s going to be the focus of Marketing Roadmaps this summer. Starting with Sci Fi’s successful outreach to the digital press.
Earlier this week, I spoke with Michael Hinman, founder and site coordinator of SyFy Portal about the digital press tour. Michael was one of the online editors invited on the tour, along with representatives from UnderGroundOnline, IGN, Sci Fi Meshes, Monsters and Critics, TV Addict, TVaholic, DVD Verdict, TV Squad, GateWorld, Eclipse Magazine, TV.com, Zap2it, TeeVee, Media Blvd., ACED Magazine and in-house network news service SCI FI.com.
The basics
Sci Fi Channel invited the online editors and bloggers to Vancouver for a two day blitz during which they attended cast panels and toured the sets of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis, Eureka and a new show for the coming season, Flash Gordon. The network organized some deals on hotel rooms and provided some meals, but the editors were basically responsible for their own expenses, which Michael welcomed:
"I’m a journalist in my regular, "offline" job, and SyFy Portal is a news site. If they had offered to fly us out, I would have turned it down. We went because we wanted to go."
Overall, Michael was very pleased with the event. It was his second trip to Vancouver. The first time he went, last year to visit Battlestar Galactica, he had to pull quite a few strings to get near a filming site, and only succeeded when he made a connection to Edward James Olmos. As a result, he was able to spend a day on set as EJO’s guest, but that is a very different thing than being welcomed as a member of the press. [Note: as Entertainment Weekly was prior to the start of season 3 last fall.]
This time, he felt like the network rolled out the red carpet to connect with the digital media. One of the things that really impressed him was how accessible Sci Fi executives Mark Stern and Bonnie Hammer were – leading and participating in the cast panels, attending the dinner and so on. Having the chance to sit down and meet with them gave him a better respect for them as people, not just network faces. He said that does make a difference, given how heated online exchanges can become.
For him, the biggest draw was getting access to filming sets:
"I really like to see what it looks like behind the camera. When I was there before, I was able to visit the New Caprica set while they were filming the scene in which Apollo finds out that Starbuck has gotten married."
While it would have been nice to have some of the bigger names like EJO and Mary McDonnell on the Battlestar panel, he was impressed that Sci Fi got Michael Hogan (BSG, Colonel Tigh) to participate, as he rarely talks to the media. Overall, he thought the Eureka panel was the best one, and mentioned that the Stargate Atlantis panel suffered from the fact that the series was on hiatus so not as many stars were available. Battlestar, not surprisingly, was the big draw for most of the editors.
Michael and I chatted quite a bit about why the network decided to do the digital press tour [Note: I have sent email to the network’s PR rep at New Media Strategies asking for an interview, but haven’t heard back yet. Update 13 July: heard from agency, interview is on, just need to find a mutually convenient time.] He commented that up until this tour, outside of a few times or for a few outlets, by and large, the network has ignored the online media. I asked him what he thought had changed:
"They are starting to realize how much people are using the Internet, especially for entertainment news. Sites like Monsters & Critics have huge readership and Zap2it is syndicated in print. Our site is getting huge traffic- 40-50 thousand visitors per day — as more and more people get their Sci Fi news from us. "
Although, he admits it is still tough to get attention. For example, in early June, at the same time the network was inviting the digital media to the special event in Vancouver, the news broke that Battlestar Galactica would be ending after the upcoming 4th season, but to Michael’s knowledge only one Web site (not his) was invited to the special teleconference with the show’s producers Ron Moore and David Eick.
But, in Michael’s opinion, the digital press tour was a good first step to improving the situation. He told me that the network is planning to provide a dedicated contact person for the online media which will go a long way toward putting them on an equal footing with the mainstream press. It’s not set up yet, but Michael is willing to give the network a little slack as the tour was just a couple weeks ago.
"It’s still not perfect, but it is getting better. Everything they did, and everything they promised as follow-up, showed that they recognized that online media not only exists but also has a significant audience."
As we wrapped up our chat, Michael told me that he appreciated that they were treated both as journalists and as fans:
"They made it really easy to get pictures of ourselves on the sets, in front of key props like the Viper and the Stargate. Something that perhaps a less invested journalist might not care about, but we did. They treated us the way we wanted to be treated."
They treated us the way we wanted to be treated.
That pretty much boils it down for me. As you develop your blogger relations programs, if you remember nothing else I or anyone else writes or says on the topic, remember that, and you stand a pretty good chance of being successful.
Now, strictly speaking, the Sci Fi press tour isn’t blogger relations in the "pure" sense. Many of the sites are Web sites with RSS feeds, not blogs in the generally accepted definition.While some of the sites are famous for their point of view, many of the invited editors are or consider themselves to be journalists and certainly, most approach their writing in a journalistic fashion. That means this is just PR, right?
So why am I writing about this press tour as a positive example of blogger relations? Other than the obvious excuse to write about Jamie Bamber, Tahmoh Penikett and Aaron Douglas?
Because it is about relationships, whether it be with bloggers or reporters. In its courtship of the online press, Sci Fi used some of the very best practices that I recommend for engaging with bloggers.
Give bloggers access to exclusive content and company principals. Bloggers need content for their blogs. Give them something good and juicy. Let them try your products. If you have interesting execs, give interviews. This in particular gives your company a more human face, just as the participation of the Sci Fi execs in the tour did for the network. But don’t force-feed the execs. Give ’em what they want, not what you want.
And don’t just approach the bloggers (or the media for that matter) when you have something new. Stay in touch and be sensitive to their needs, feed them material when they need it too. One of the reasons the Sci Fi tour was so successful was that it met important needs of all the parties. There was something in it for everyone. Including the fans.
With the exception of Eureka, which had its season premiere this week, and BBC import Doctor Who which just started its 3d season run in the US, most of the top Sci Fi shows are over for the summer. Which means there isn’t a whole lot to review. And the shows are filming, which makes access to the cast a bit harder. You can of course dig for spoilers, but other than that, not a lot going on. The digital press tour gave the online Sci Fi press material in the dry-ish spell running up to Harry Potter month (formerly known as July.)
And it serves the needs of the network. The coverage, which was pretty extensive and generally good, keeps the shows top of mind for the audience, even as we wait months and months and months for the return of Galactica. And it introduces us to a new show, Flash Gordon, which might not have gotten anywhere near the play without being surrounded by the other three. Most importantly, when the new season starts, Sci Fi has built a better foundation for its relationship with the online press which should pay dividends in the long run.
Treat them with respect and treat them the way they want to be treated. I cannot repeat this enough. If you don’t know, ask. In the case of the online Sci Fi press, they wanted, and were enticed by, the same level of access that mainstream media get. Sure, they are fans, and many loved the little fannish touches like photos in front of Vipers and so on. But I doubt they would have flown to Vancouver from as far away as New York and Tampa for a few photo opps and a t-shirt. It was the cast panels, set tours and respect for their publications that drew them North.
It’s the same with bloggers. Understand what they want, what interests them. Don’t assume that just because they are your customers, that they will want the same things you do. They might, but your product, while of central importance to you, is only important to them in its ability to fill a need or desire. Your outreach must be grounded in what they want, not what you want. The good news is, if you do this, if you stay focused on what is in it for them, you are far more likely to get what you want than if you try to forcefeed your approach, your product.
Bottom line: I was impressed by Sci Fi’s digital press tour and hope the network continues, as it has promised, to reach out to the online media. Hhmm, maybe I should start a science fiction blog in time for the Battlestar premiere in January 2008…..
Tags: Sci Fi, science fiction, Sci Fi digital press tour, Battlestar Galactica, SyFy Portal, Michael Hinman, blogger relations, public relations, pr