Four Effective PR Strategies to Working with Bloggers
As I reflect on my experience at BlogHer 2012 a few weeks back, what resonates most with me is the importance of relationship building. Over the years, we have formed and built long standing relationships with like-minded bloggers for our clients. In fact, we have even sponsored a few bloggers to attend the BlogHer conference. This year, we thought it would be fun to take the time to meet some of the wonderful women bloggers that we have spent so many years chatting with online.
I was thrilled to tell my blogger friends that I would be at the conference and made sure to book some time to say hello and meet with them. As I knew that each of these women has taken precious time away from their families to make the most of an educational, engaging and fun-filled weekend, I didn’t want to take too much time, but enough for a quick hello, hug and special thanks!
When PR people are considering working with bloggers, it is very important to carefully research who you want to work with. What I have learned over the years is just as our clients are inundated with requests for donations, free products, etc., and so are bloggers. They are often contacted by numerous PR people representing brands that have nothing to do with what the blogger is interested in or writes about.
Here are four things for PR people to consider before engaging with bloggers:
RESEARCH. Research and read the blogs of the bloggers you are reaching out to. Check out their social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc., look at their previous posts, learn about their policies for doing PR reviews, and overall, what topics interest them the most.
ENGAGE. Once you form a relationship with said blogger, it’s important to engage with them when you can, not just when you need something. Subscribe to their posts, leave comments and interact with them regularly via social media. At Red Jeweled Media, we send a quarterly newsletter to bloggers we have worked with – filled with educational tips and information, not client pitches.
KEEP IT CONVERSATIONAL. When the time comes to pitch a blogger, make sure you do it in a personal, conversational way. Make sure that the pitch and/or client product or service would be relevant to the blogger. And never, ever, spam a blogger with bad pitches and canned press releases! Do you think bloggers really read press releases?
BE THERE. If the opportunity arises, meet with the bloggers you particularly enjoy when you can. Meet for coffee if they’re local, schedule a Facetime or Skype chat if not. Or, you can simply plan to be at networking events like BlogHer like I was!
Do you have any tips you’d like to share? OR if you are a blogger, how do you like to be approached or interact with PR folks?
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