More Rules of Engagement for Blogger PR
You've got to hand it to the folks at Ogilvy PR. First they stuck their necks out to codify a "Blogger PR Code of Ethics," and now they are back with Round 2, consisting of modifications and amplifications of their original code. For their efforts and for posting it all for the rest of us to use, they deserve a round of applause.
We posted on this topic a few days ago, so if you need to get up to speed, read this post first. And here's the link to their original Blogger Code of Ethics.
What's different in Round 2? Ogilvy distilled some of the feedback they received into more excellent tips for doing blogger PR. They include:
- Blogger outreach is about creating a relationship â€" so start by being honest about why you are contacting a blogger, and how you came across their blog.
- Paying for a favorable blog post -- yes, you read that right -- paying for a blog post is not out of the question, but Ogilvy comes down on the side of not doing it. They reason that bloggers are akin to journalists and they would not pay a journalist for a placement, so why would they pay a blogger?
- Don't send blogger PR spam, meaning canned press releases that they would never in a million years use on their blog. You shouldn't do this with mainstream media either, but people do. As noted on another Catching Flack post, mainstream media doesn't have the space to flame you for doing it -- but bloggers do, and will. Anyway, the main point is: form relationships. Pitch or pass along useful information based on the blogger's actual area of interest. Seems obvious but it bears repeating.