Bloggers can offer companies a great way of getting in contact with potential customers and angry critics. Sending out unsolicited releases is not, however, the best method of reaching bloggers, and so a session at the BlogWorld Expo explored the relationship between bloggers and PR departments.
(Murdok spent the weekend in Vegas at the BlogWorld Expo and chatted up the brightest minds in the blogging business. Stay tuned to Murdok and Murdok Video for updates.)
Jason Falls
Jason Falls, Doe-Anderson’s director of social media and the author of SocialMediaExplorer.com, recommended that companies chat up bloggers before hitting them with business-related suggestions. Avoid the BBC field, he said, and “focus on relationship and not the pitch.”
The vice president of strategy and technology at CrossTech Media, Chris Brogan, continued this line of thought by suggesting that PR departments adopt a more human tone. Keep it short, too, so that another piece of advice – “being human also means admitting your mistakes . . . say sorry” – doesn’t apply.
Brian Solis, the principal of FutureWorks, suggested something similar, saying, “Talk to people through brevity and clarity.” And as for whether contacting bloggers is worth special efforts, Solis added, “New media . . . represents the market that we’re trying to reach.”
Here’s one last piece of interesting information: Falls believes companies can save time by using these tips to approach traditional media in addition to bloggers.
Murdok Reporter/Anchor Abby Prince-Johnson contributed to this article.
