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April 18, 2007
How not to pitch a blogger
In my previous post, I recommended that PR professionals not pitch bloggers the same way they pitch reporters for newspapers, TV and other traditional media. To consider bloggers who blog on certain subjects the same as reporters (and therefore fair game) for carpet-bomb pitches is a poor use of a client's money.
So, for purely educational purposes, here are ten actual pitches from PR people whose email showed up out of the blue. We never asked to be on a press list. We'd never met or heard of the PR people, or their firms. For all we knew, they were Nigerian princes needing a secure place in America to hide their sudden riches. Which kind of makes them spammers.
The names have been changed to protect the guilty. A news release is not attached.
- "We have been following your blog for a while and we find it very informative and interesting. That's why we invite you to visit Uninterestingsite.com and comment on the post titled..."
- "I wanted to let you know about a new advertising and online marketing campaign Company X is launching this week aimed at the office market."
- "I thought you might be interested in this newly launched campaign from Company X promoting a Product You Would Never in 50 Years Care About."
- "We thought you might be interested in the latest resource that Company X (www.companyx.com) is putting out there as a handy service for the marketing community. A news release is attached."
- "Please consider speaking with Ima Wastecapital, founder and CEO of Company X, to find out what the secret of their success and how Ima knows others in the industry are sure to fail."
- "This is an email to let you know that Company X has just launched a new viral campaign called WTF."
- "Lots of things going on with the
Company X Ad Challenge. I've attached a calendar of events (with links)
if you're interested. If you want to talk to an executive from Company
X about all this, let me know."
- "Feel free to add the following hilarious videos to your blog. I can imagine that your readers might get a kick out of them. And, of course, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to be in touch."
- "Today at DEMO 07, Company X released Big Whoop. I have included a copy of the press release below. We would love to get a few minutes of your time for a briefing with Company X's CEO, Rich Moneybags."
- "Hey, wanted to let you know that Stanis DaMann, CEO of Company X, has launched his new blog. You will find his most recent blog posting about email marketing here. Feel free to post it to your blog if you like."
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Ben and Jackie - Thanks for posting these.
If you ever want any help educating folks, feel free to send some of the pitches to The Bad Pitch Blog. Our goal is to entertain while we educate.
Hi, thanks for this post- interesting stuff. I work in this field and pitch bloggers on a regular basis. Your sample pitches make me reevaluate my own, and my company's. I've seen this post and the one last week and would really love to see the post "How to Pitch a Blogger"- hopefully with good samples of pitches. I totally get what you said about working with the existing brand evangelists- not pitching topical bloggers. What about brand evangelist bloggers? Pitching handpicked and relevant bloggers does work (at least for us!) and was hoping for pitches and best practices when blogs are well picked and already enthusiastic- or at least more feedback on the subject. Thank you!
"We'd never met or heard of the PR people, or their firms" ... you would think that PR professionals would at least understand the concept of "relationship building". The best pitches that I have received demonstrate that there is at least a passing understanding of my areas of interest and the people who drop by -- the rest are no better than spammers.
Hi Ben - agree with you 100%... being by far not as popular than you and Jackie... about 6 months ago I started to receive SPAM of pople pitching me in... to either receive a free book and write about it, attend in "avant premiere" new customer related events, softwares etc... The first thing I do is delete and block emails and report as spam... Relationship is about having a conversation ... and sorry to say indeed, old models do not apply to our current wrold made of respect and consideration...for real relationship...
Thanks for making it clear to companies, organozations that pitch us...badly..
Talk soon, cheers
LAURENT
Hi Ben, that this still goes on is amazing. It seems that the ground rules for PR guys dealing with the public were laid down rather nicely by four lads in a "Manifesto" at the end of the last century. I think they had a thing or two to say about conversation as well. When will the PR cats get a Clue?
Sometimes I am confused about Spam and the reactions to it.
Laurent states that a relationship is about a conversation. Apparently these PR agencies want to start up a conversation and a relationship. They apparently cannot think of another way to start up the conversation. But if one doesn't accept an e-mail as an invite to start up a relationship, are other means acceptable? I would think not. The choice of starting a relationship should not depend on the medium I would think. So how should these PR people do it?
In the previous post it was mentioned that PR agencies should invest in a dialogue with consumers instead. But does that mean that "influencers" are totally out of the communication picture? I find that hard to imagine!
I don't want to be carpet bombed, but I also don't mind getting a well structured pitch. And enjoy receiving requests to review books (oh if only I had the time to read them all!)
One of the things that I'm looking for is actual information, so I don't have to do all the work. Enough info to decide if it's worth even investigating/thinking about. I've had PR e-mails that didn't even have a link to relevant material or the organization's web site. Huh??
Too often there's no real substance in the request, which I doubt is helpful for any mainstream media either. It amounts to "we want publicity, can you help?" Well, the WIIFM rule applies, and even more, the WIIFMR (What's in it for my readers?) rule. You need to give me a reason to be interested.
Ben and Jackie,
Good points. However, I think your assumption that traditional press are fair game for carpet-bomb pitches (whereas bloggers are not) is incorrect. Nobody likes to be either spammed, or hit with irrelevant sales pitches.
- Max
One irony of this post and the previous one is that within several hours of publishing them, I received three new copy-and-paste pitches. Sigh.
Kevin -- Will do!
Lauren -- So glad to hear it. Good point about including evangelists and the how-to. Working on a part 3 post that may address that issue.
Gavin -- When firms promise clients they'll pitch x number of people with a hoped-for conversion rate, it goes against the grain of relationship-building.
Laurent -- As far as we know, it's not machines making PR pitches, so here's to furthering the grassroots education movement.
Dave -- I seem to recall such a book. Hmmmmm. Written by a doctor, right?
Pepita -- I think a great way to start a relationship is without any pitch, any sales or client agenda. Simply an invitation to discover a mutual connection.
Susan -- Your point is well-taken. I hope that my post doesn't leave the impression that I'm against all PR pitches (although I've yet to be sent an unsolicited pitch and actually write anything about it). In fact, a part 3 (or part 4?) post on this subject will offer up an idea or two. We'll see if people think it's a good idea or a stupid one.
Max -- Not my assumption that it's OK. I think, though, that most people in newsrooms understand that PR pitches are a part of the job, however good or bad their arrival. At least that was my experience working in a few newsrooms.
Thanks for sharing Ben and Jackie. Its so true what you have just described and the surest way to turn bloggers off. Sitting on both sides of the fence though as a PR practitioner and a blogger, I wonder what would be the best way to cultivate bloggers and generate true social media relations. Does it mean that we must be blood brothers before you will post about company ABC or XYZ? ;)
Surely some of these get caught in automated spam filters. I can't say I get many of these, I still get the "I've linked to your site from site I've never heard of, about something I don't care about. I would apprechiate if you would link to my site."
I almost never link to these people and I link a lot. If I've never heard of your site why would I want to link to it?
I read somewhere that Google considers all paid links spamming now, I wonder about link exchanges. With all their PhDs I'm sure they can match up paired links, but sometimes there is legitametly a mutual admiration thing going on.
I've seem to have gotten off topic now...
I still think spam filters could get rid of lot of these unwanted PR spams from people you don't know. If you use a white list, your real connections can still contact you, it is sad that so many emails you receive are unwanted from people you don't know...
Walter - You don't have to become blood bros. "That's how I discovered PR doesn't work and that markets are conversations." This remark came from a PR guy. To learn more, pick up a copy of The Cluetrain Manifesto and read Christopher Locke's chapter.
Most here are professionals and I sit here as a little kid behind the first base dugout. But once upon a time I, along with two others created a Web based community structured around an industry. We wanted publicity. So I engaged the editor-in-chief of the second largest publication covering our profession. This was ten years ago and I can't remember exactly what I said but it was based on me being inquisitive and it was based on this editor. I signed our URL but never once mentioned anything about the site. We traded a few more e-mails and the editor finally said that I was the first person he ever corresponded with who didn't beg him to write about them or their company. He then proceeded to ASK ME if he could interview me for a story.
As that little kid here I feel awkward in writing this stuff but I know that it works. Try to help others get what they want and revel in them getting it. You might not get what you want, but you'll probably get what you need. (Thanks to Mick and his crew's eternal advice!)
