Communication Overtones Comments
Great post, Kami. Would be curious to see what you think about Chris Brogan's recent post:
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/great...-go-a-long-way/
Asking permission/pre-pitching seems like a good approach, but it still seems awfully direct for a lot of bloggers. Obviously nothing can replace actually following the blogs and learning the personality of the person you're pitching.
For Chris Brogan I wouldn't see this as direct at all. Really, you have to be able to gauge at what level a particular blogger might be interested in what you have to say. And if you have no idea, then by all means ask.
Being polite is really what it is about. You don't grope a person that you don't know very well. Sending a press release or a pitch all in caps (I get them all the time), is tantamount to groping in my opinion.
The pitch Chris got is more like a polite invitation to a party.
Thought-provoking piece Kami. The more I read and think about this issue, the more muddled it seems to become.
First, from the PR shop side. When I was at FH, on any given day I was working with 3, 4, sometimes on 5 different clients. We were very busy--a good thing, no doubt, but in looking back on that experience I can't see where I would have had the time to sink into researching blogs, reaching out to individual bloggers, crafting spot-on individual pitches--at least, not without blowing the estimated client budget. Ironically enough, as hated as PR pros are by bloggers, the standards to which they are held basically ensures the demand for PR pros will increase.
Second--I'm constantly struck by the need/desire for people who meet in an online/virtual environment to meet in person. How else to explain tweetups, social media conferences (after all, if it's just the learning we're after, wouldn't a webcast suffice?) and so on. Whether it's a biological drive to determine someone's authenticity through meeting face-to-face or simply the need humans have to connect with one another, in-person meetings will trump online "relationships" every time. Not sure where exactly I was going with this point, other than the online relationships will always be more fungible than in-person ones.
Third: when you reference the people that "get what they want and go home" I agree, that is far from ideal. But again, let's look at what we're asking of PR people. We're asking individuals in a fairly high turnover industry (at least while I was in PR, there was considerable agency hopping (but not at FH) hi guys!) to dedicate considerable time developing relationships with individual bloggers in niche areas. Again, I don't see where the time to do all of this is going to come from, I don't see how an agency can hope to manage these relationships and keep up with non-blogger work (yes, it exists!), and what of the PR pro who leaves Agency A for Agency B? Does the blogger relationship stay with her? I'd say yes. I agree that it's important, but I'm starting to understand why agencies are slow to adopt this full-force. It's simply not cost-effective to have a product campaign that is on a tight budget dedicate x number of SAEs to build relationships with x number of bloggers, only to find out that 2 bloggers out of 200 "relationships built" are going to post on it. And oh, by the way, 1 posted positively, 1 negatively, but both are very influential with your target audience. *Note: I make an enormous exception for tech products/items/services. These audiences are clearly online and clearly engaged, but again, there's a cost/benefit that needs to be looked at here.
My comment is long enough already...maybe I need to do a separate piece on Media Bullseye so I'm not hijacking your post. 
This is a very important issue, with a lot of promise but a lot of pitfalls too. I think many in Social Media PR are oversimplifying things by reducing it to "this is easy, just build relationships!" It's a lot harder than that, as relationships always are.
Jen
seeing that @jenzings went to all that trouble and I abandoned my effort, I now feel compelled to summarize what I was going to say!
Just like our relationships with different people differ, so do--or so should--we as PR practitioners realize that we need to adjust our relationships with different media types. We already work differently with TV vs Radio vs Long Lead vs Short Lead, etc. So why shouldn't blogger and SM relationships follow suit?
The one thing I do notice is that while there is much discussed about 'how to interact with bloggers' (which you have wonderfully gone through!) there isn't really as much about the other part of the question you were initially posed... how do we find them? And add to that how do we know that the people who visit them are truly the audience we (or our client) wants to reach?
Both of those aspects are getting better, but there is still a long way to go. It may not be as obvious in the B2C world, but try finding legit places that talk about B2b or industrial/commercial topics. It can be an enormous challenge when the need is realized but the budget is miniscule. At least with 'traditional media' we have directories and such to help us focus.
Kami,
Great post! This is such a huge topic; one I am much focused on -- more from the aspect of creating actual dialogue with publics (individuals) to build stronger, genuine relationships.
However, on the blogger relations front, from basic PR-101 -- it is all about knowing your "audience"/who you are pitching. I would never call a reporter to pitch a story, without ensuring I read a couple of past articles/know the topics they write about. Same way with going into a job interview -- you always know the last press release the company you are interviewing with sent out or what is being said about them in the news. You would never go into that cold turkey, so why would anyone assume they can pitch bloggers cold turkey? I just do not understand why blogger relations would be treated differently. No solid PR Pro would pitch the business editor to cover a baseball game, unless there was a new business angle to it. Come on -- why is this so difficult for people to grasp? Any successful public relations campaign relies on basic, concrete research. We research our clients, their customers, past coverage, now we have to start researching their online environments. We need to research bloggers that surround the client’s product/idea, understand why they are blogging, understand what the hot topics they are blogging about, then be courteous and professional when you approach them. It is so frustrating that PR gets such a bad rep because individuals do not use the manners their mama taught them. It just doesn’t seem that hard to make the effort and take the extra professional step.
Anyway, wanted to share my two cents and pass along my thanks. Great links out -- more fab info.
Christina
Christina, I think you are spot-on, but my concern is that the term relationship implies going further than you've outlined. It's *not* difficult to grasp that you'd need to do the research/homework before pitching. But building a relationship with a blogger entails much, much more.
It means reading and commenting on their blog before you pitch them--and not just a day or two, we're talking often enough so that the blogger knows who you are, well before you need them. (Note: With a last name like mine, commenting would put me on the fast track, were I still in PR. Woe be the PR professional with the last name "Smith.")
And, it means staying in touch with them and being relevant to them long after you've pitched them. If not, you run the risk of being the person Kami referred to that gets what they want and leaves.
And that is what most PR pros don't seem to "get"--or, to my point--aren't having the time built in for.
Just my .02...
Jen
I like to say networking skills -- relationship skills -- are now paramount to messaging skills. How many PR pros are professionally trained and ready for that shift?
Jen & Geoff - true! I agree. It takes years for PR pros to develop and hone a trusting relationship with the media -- specific reporters, publications, etc.. Building trust and credibility takes time and effort. This practice should roll over into networking and building relationships with individuals online or otherwise...
@Kami - Echoing all .. great post. I especially like your line - "But the depth and breadth of those relationships will depend largely on what the person you are engaging with needs from the relationship." It is not about "me" it is about "you." @Jen is right. BR is very different from traditional media relations and because of the time involved it is not an inexpensive strategy. As @Geoff indicated different skills are required. BR may not be the best direction to take for all clients. As with any marketing initiative one has to consider the investment and the outcomes.
Thanks for the shout out regarding the "industry pulse check."
Sometimes staying out of the way allows people to really explore an issue. Thanks to all of you for chiming in.
I think that there is more to be said about balancing resources with this more intense type of engagement. There are ways to limit the time spent and still have quality relationships, but it takes some judgment and strategic skills.
Also, it seems that there is still a need to spell out how to find influential people online. I will be mulling both of these thoughts over the next few weeks and see if I can deliver something along those lines.
Would love any other thoughts about these two issues to include in the post.
Kami
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