Sometimes there isn’t enough recongition or celebration of things that other people get right. The Oylmpics has shown us exactly how skewed things can be. This time two weeks ago, not many of us had heard of Jessica Ennis (a hard working, dedicated and inspirational athlete who generally keeps herself to herself) but most of us could name a footballer or two who had disgraced himself on a night out. Similarly, we know all about x,y,z celeb who slept with so and so or swindled the tax man, etc etc etc. The point is, we notice the bad stuff and the bad stuff gets reported. We don’t often sit back and tell people about the good stuff, mainly because we sometimes take positive actions for granted.
Last week I read a post by Attachment Mummy about a PR approach that had gone badly wrong. It led me to thinking that while I had every sympathy for her complaint against the PR, why does nobody celebrate the things that PRs actually do for bloggers? It seems that blogging is a little like being a celebrity (hear me out PLEASE!) – at first, they need the media to get themselves out there and get people to recognise their work, but after a while the media attention becomes tiresome and they start to feel overwhelmed by it all. Likewise, bloggers need good PRs to help them to raise their profiles and to build relationships with brands. But there comes a point where deleting email after email also becomes tiresome so its easy to forget why we bothered in the first place. So I’ve been wondering- what are the good things that PRs do?
1. They read your blog
We’ve all had the email that says “I’ve been reading your blog and I really love it! I wondered if you would like to sample a packet of tasty dog treats…” when you are a single mother with no pets and no desire to feed dogs. But every now and then we get a lovely email that really shows us our blog has been read. Some of them even comment on specific posts, which is fantastic. Tristan Harrison from Philips Avent said
2.They take the time to have a conversation with you
This is a good one. They do want you to do something for them because as a blogger, you are useful to them in promoting their brand (and they are also useful to you) but they don’t just leave it there. I’ve had some genuinely lovely emails with Emma at Cosatto that often have little do to with whatever we’ve been discussing for the brand/ blog. We’ve chatted about being battered by toddlers and she’s imparted advice on weaning. Via email, she comes across as approachable and friendly. She isn’t all business and let’s face it- as bloggers,we are mostly all in it for the hobby. It’s not our job and so its nice to come across a PR who recognises that. Leading on to the next point…
3. They don’t put unrealistic time restraints on you
Parent bloggers are parents first and good PRs recognise this. Its unlikely we can make it to a central London event tomorrow if we live in Manchester. Good PRs will know where you live and will give plenty of time for you to make arrangements. When completing reviews, good PRs will allow you sufficient time to use the product and to write the review. Excellent PRs don’t chase reviews and they certainly don’t badger you to include specific details. I’ve had the pleasure to work with lots of PRs that have allowed me to juggle my job, my kids and my blog last because it is my hobby, not my job.
4.They organise good blogger events well
Bloggers love being invited to events that are well organised, interesting, relevant and manageable. The best events have childcare and travel costs covered, PRs inform the bloggers why they would like them to attend and they also let them know why it is worth their while. This isn’t to say that bloggers are only happy to attend events that have a decent goody bag. Rather, bloggers like to know that their time is being valued and a good PR will know this. I attended a fantastic event at Mamas and Papas, which was organised by Lynne and Nicola at Mum Panel and I’m told that Next throw a good bash too. Others worth a mention are Daniel Johnson PR (via Molly at Mother’s Always Right) and of course I need to mention Cosatto once more for their fantastic Great Cosatto Cuppa. The latter isn’t only open to bloggers either, any of the brand’s fans are able to apply for golden tickets and the point of the events is simply to meet the mums who use the products. A good blogger event doesn’t have to sell you something or provide content for your next post, although a good event will certainly prompt a post anyway.
I should point out here that I have also attended an event that was not so well organised and did leave a bitter taste in my mouth. BUT I have to say that once I had let the PR know what had gone wrong, things were rectified efficiently and I feel this is important. Things do go wrong now and then and good PRs know how to handle that. Most bloggers are happy enough to get a polite and constructive response to their complaints and let’s face it- that doesn’t cost anything.
5. They stay in touch…
… and not just when they want something from you. Nickie at Typecast has had excellent relations with the PR company for Men Are Useless. She worked on a campaign with them two years ago and since then they have kept in touch. PRs don’t have to do this, but its nice when they do. I regularly have emails from PRs I have worked with in the past that are just ‘checking in’ and I think its nice to stay in touch that way. You never know when you might work with them again so its worth keeping in touch just in case.
Obviously, there are many PR approaches that bloggers are not happy with, but they have been written about already. I’m sure that excellent PRs have also been written about too but what the heck. No harm in sharing the love, eh? Others worth a mention certainly include Bump PR, who have been lovely to work with, Louise at Your Virtual PR (always lovely to deal with) Jackie who deals with Kiddy Car Seats and River Island. I’m sure there are many, many more so I apologise if I have missed any. The point is, it isn’t all bad and as long as there are parent bloggers, there will be parent related PRs, so we may as well get on with it.
Good to see the PRs getting some praise. This could serve as a ‘how to’ for PR-blogger approaches!
As I said in the piece you referred to, I had had nothing but good PR contact up to the dreadful e-mail which I was highlighting. As the other recipients of that e-mail said, it was the fact that they had asked for bloggers via Twitter, then ‘stalked us’ as more than one person described it, and then judged us that we found odious.
Many bloggers do complain about the PR approaches they receive, in the manner of that celebrity Catch 22 you highlight, but I have to say that almost all other PRs and companies I have had any dealings with have been great. Particularly outstanding are Next, Tesco, Unruly Media and Spreading Jam.
Thanks for highlighting all the good practice out there
AMx
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Ah thanks so much for your comment. I have to say that when I read your post I was outraged on your behalf which is why I wanted to write this. I have had nothing but excellent dealings with PRs so far and I felt those guys were being overlooked each time something negative happened. I also think that if I have had a bit of a ‘silly’email from a PR, I’ve tended to just delete rather than let it worry me as my blog is my hobby and I just don’t have the time to get upset about it. But then, a scenario like yours is different as you had already entered into a relationship with that PR… I think there will always be good and bad approaches, perhaps it is how we deal with them and learn from them?
XxX
I think rather than ‘good’ and ‘bad’ the right terminology is probably ‘professional’ and ‘unprofessional’. Never forget that when the PR sends you a gift, or a review item, or praises your blog – they’re doing their job. That’s what they are supposed to do. It’s what they’re paid to do.
Doing their job well means maintaining a relationship, sending relevant, targeted opportunities, researching blogs prior to contact, and doing so in a manner that you’ll find easy to engage with.
When blogs engage with PR agencies and brands, you’re embarking on a professional relationship and you’re entitled to be treated with the same professional courtesy that the PR agency would extend to professional journalists, developers, designers and so on.
Of course, bloggers can sometimes embark on these professional relationships and then behave unprofessionally at times, so I think it probably all balances out in the long run!
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I couldn’t agree more. I think though that because most of us blog as a hobby, its easy to forget that we too should remain professional in these dealings. And yes, professional and unprofessional are perhaps better words but my blog is my hobby so they never occurred to me! In all seriousness though, I think your point of a professional relationship being entered into is a very good one and one that some bloggers are bound to forget from time to time. Thanks for your comment:-D
XxX
Fab post, I am all for bigging up people when they are doing something good. In this day and age people are always quick to say when something is wrong and forget to say when things are good (a bit like positive praise with children) so I now go out of my way to say if I have been happy with good service. I did this recently in a restaurant and the manager called the lady to one side immediately to tell her what I had said. She walked away with the biggest smile on her face and I felt happy that was because of me, va her if you now what I mean. I have worked with, and still do, some lovely PRs some who I now consider to be friends
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