Danny Brown - Latest Comments in How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

Re: How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

Henie — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:46:12 -0000

Hi Danny!

As always, I enjoy reading and learning from your excellent posts! Thank you!

I am not PR and I am a relatively new blogger...the learning I am experiencing is purely instinctive and boundless!

The foundation to all learning and eventual partnership is authenticity, cultivation of community, nurturing and growing relationships...all of which creates value for everyone!

Thanks much again for being a part of my stepping stones to awareness and knowledge!

Have a fine day, Danny!

Re: How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

Ari Herzog — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:57:52 -0000

Your advice to the people relations (TM @dmullen) may as well be about blogger relations to each other.

How many bloggers know about the people who read their blogs and comment like I am now? Some do, but not all. Many churn out content like a press release, hoping it will be read, dugg, stumbled, and tweeted. Shame, I say; that person is no better than the folks you're tsking.

Re: How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

Tom Vanlerberghe — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:47:20 -0000

"Always be ethical"
Just love this small part, because it can have an huge impact on both blogger, pr professional and company.

It's so important and everybody's responsible, for all the reasons you wrote down, probably more.

Too bad a lot of companies still rely on cloak & dagger tactics, just because it's online and they think the repercussions won't be that bad...

Re: How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

Jane Alexander — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:35:59 -0000

Interesting piece....I think there is a huge opportunity for PR and bloggers to benefit from one another. Was recently on the Disney 'mummy bloggers' trip and was impressed that they seemed to have done their homework very well (thanks to digital-outlook.com). But some PRs seem to think that bloggers will jump at anything and all too often I'm approached with campaigns that are either not suitable for my readership (ie baby stuff) or that are simply asking me to do their job for them (without offering any real benefit to me or my readers).
But then I was a journalist before I became a blogger and so am well used to PR pitches. Maybe PRs need to go a bit easier and recognise that - as you say - many bloggers are writing purely for themselves, their families and friends, or whatever.
I like the idea of the badge though - both the thumbs up and no thanks - think that's a good start.

Re: How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

Sasha H. Muradali — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:01:17 -0000

Hey Danny,

I have to say, I really enjoyed this post. I’m on both sides of the fence, as a PR person and a blogger, and I’ve never encountered any of these issues – thank goodness – but I can definitely see your points.

I think one of the most important things for the PR person is, as you said, not to pick a list of bloggers and to reach out to them, but rather know which ones cover what specific topics, then send them your materials.

But also that should be PR common sense – research is very important. I think too many people think it is too time consuming, which is sad because it is such a helpful resource to have acquired.

As for the bloggers with PR people – you remind me of what is said to journalists about PR people being the “dark side,” lol – but, PR people are not the enemy, some just get carried away.

I don’t think I’m the enemy that’s for sure. When I pitch, I always try to engage and ask questions.

Too often though, because we are online and not speaking face to face, I find words can be misconstrued and chopped into different meanings. There is are no facial features or body language attached to it.

Typically, online if I misunderstand something or I feel someone else has, I give them the benefit of the doubt and simply say something to the effect of “We’re online, I think we misunderstood each other’s words.”

That doesn’t always work, but I think it’s one step to pacify a seemingly awkward or testy situation. Now if someone is just rude – I’ll simply say, “No need to be rude.” Typically they retract their previous statements realizing their error and we just move on. But that isn’t everyone or all situations.

So while there are so many different lines between bloggers and PR people, I think communication and just being open to hear an idea, if anything, is the key.

Really great post Danny, as usual, you’ve given me something to think about!

Hope you’re having a wonderful day,
Best Wishes,

Sasha :-)

Re: How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

joeboughner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:25:36 -0000

With you all the way, Danny. Your post certainly repeats that a one-fit solution will never work and I didn't mean to suggest otherwise. If more PR types paid heed to this way of thinking, life would be easier for everyone.

The PR-friendly/unfriendly badge is an interesting idea but I'm not sure it's going to get traction - especially the latter. Hard to see "casual bloggers" being engaged enough in the PR realm to even know they need such a badge. Still, better than nothing, I guess.

Re: How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

Arik Hanson — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:55:25 -0000

Danny, I didn't have to go any further than "think like a blogger" for the PR side. Really, that says it all. And, PR colleagues, if we do that, much like traditional media relations, we will be successful. Pay special note of #4. Bloggers, just like journalists, like to believe they're special. Treat them that way.

Re: How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

Roger Hjulstrom — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:36:47 -0000

You've covered all the main points well, as always. And being only a blogger-in-training, don't really have the experience to add much. I do feel that bloggers and PR shouldn't get too cozy, though. A little bit of natural distrust will keep the whole process more honest. I look forward to a hopefully spirited discussion here.

Re: How PR and Bloggers Can Help Each Other

joeboughner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:35:30 -0000

Danny,

At the risk of hikacking your comment thread / ignoring the key thrust of your post, I think we have to get past refering to bloggers and any kind of a homogenous collective.

There is finally (maybe) starting to be a growing understanding that the blog is the tool, not the strategy. The extension of this, though, is that bloggers are simply people who use that specific tool.

A hockey blogger is not the same as a PR blogger, who is not the same as a knitting blogger, who is not the same as a travel blogger etc. Within each of those communities lies even more variation.

You've done a good job of capturing this with the point about "find out who we are" but I think some of your comments here go too far the other way. To suggest that bloggers "love to be involved early on," for example, makes some big assumptions about bloggers that PR people should be wary of. Some people blog for their friends, some blog for themselves; they may not want to hear from PR companies no matter how tailored and gentle the pitch.

This isn't to take away from what you've written. You've made some excellent observations and suggestions. I'm just wary of trying to define a good way to approach bloggers as a collective.