THE ART AND SCIENCE OF BLOGGER RELATIONS

The methodologies and tactics required for successful blogger relations will shatter everything you were

By leading new media marketing & PR catalyst Brian Solis, blogger at PR 2.0 and principal of FutureWorks PR, Co-Author Putting the Public Back

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The Art and Science of Blogger Relations Table of Contents

Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People I Page 3

Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People II Page 8

The Challenge of Social Media Page 12

Brand in the Internet Era Page 14

How Bloggers Can Work with PR People 101 Page 16

Outing Bad PR Page 18

Advice on Media and Blogger Relations Page 20

Building Relationships with Bloggers Page 22

The New Rules for Breaking News Page 28

The New Rules of Breaking News, Beware of Embargoes Page 36

Dear Chris Anderson, an Open Letter to Make Things Right Page 43

Making Mistakes in Social Media Marketing Page 53

You Earn the Relationships You Deserve Page 54

Making Mistakes and Amends in Blogger and Media Relations Page 63

PR is Not Dead Page 70

Reinventing Crisis Communications for the Social Web Page 74

Leading Blog Kills The Embargo, PR Holds the Smoking Gun Page 85

About Brian Solis Page 90

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Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People - Part I

To all of you advanced new media PR professionals, this ebook may seem a bit remedial in comparison to some of more technical and exploratory subjects we usually cover.

Last year I ran a series covering blogger relations Forward Moving, a specialized blog dedicated to PR education. Due to unexpected demand, I’ve been asked to update these posts and re-run them as an ongoing series.

I’m happy to do so. I’ll try to double up on posts to make sure that we still review Social Media and other new communications subjects to advance and expand the conversation.

Before I jump in, let me just say that even though we’re talking about blogger relations, we shouldn’t forget that at the end of the day, we’re talking about reaching out to people. This is not unlike talking to reporters. It’s all based on building, investing in, and cultivating relationships. And, relationships are built on respect, understanding, communication, and information (among many other things.)

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The difference between bloggers and journalists is only the medium they use to reach people. Wait. That statement is loaded! But think about it. I know I should say that the difference is a formal education in journalism (which I have, even though I’ve been in PR since 91), experience in the print business (or online too), and circulation through traditional channels. This is why blogging is one of the great disruptors in media. It, at its very foundation, gives a voice to anyone with an opinion and an internet connection.

In a general view, the blogosphere is simply powered by people, whether they’re journalists, enthusiasts, pundits, or simply writers.

And to all those who still have yet to admit the importance of blogging, please eradicate your impression that the blogosphere is simply comprised of self-important ranters who simply keep an online presence in order to satisfy their own egos. You brush them off at your own peril.

So with that said, as one of the main drivers in the new world of Social Media, blogging has done nothing less than change everything. Even though, to this day, I am still questioned by various folks as to why I place such great emphasis and resources on bloggers, in addition to top tier press. How are they even capable of moving the needle for companies?

Well, the are bloggers in every market segment that have the sheer numbers behind them and have the ability to not only influence the people you want to reach, but also drive reporters in traditional media to cover the same topics. BusinessWeek, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, Forbes, Fortune, and USAToday, among many, many more, dedicate editorial resources to monitoring the blogosphere.

Why? Because blog readers are very loyal and enthusiastic and it shows in the internet metrics and analysis each month. While others may not have volume, many smaller communities can pool together to make a big difference.

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For those who are unfamiliar with the almost immeasurable level of clout many blogs carry today, they have substantially grown from pockets of disparate musings, personal experiences, enthusiast rants, and op eds to full blown reporting across every category you could imagine – with influential pundits defining and stimulating activity in every demographic possible. And, the interconnectivity between bloggers has formed an incredibly powerful network of authority that changes how people find information and make decisions in every facet of life.

Bloggers are ranked based on the links back to them, the traffic to their site, the amount of subscribers to their feed, as well as how well they grasp the industry they represent. There are a variety of online tools (which we’ll cover) that help define their reach, not necessarily their ability to impact decisions.

Remember, don’t gun simply for the top ranked bloggers, they’re not the only game in town, nor are they the always most beneficial or necessary target in your overall communications strategy.

Top ranked bloggers usually represent the thought leaders, held in high regard by their readers, with many creating a dedicated following that look forward to every post. When they cover a topic, it sends a flurry of online traffic, almost instantly, inciting a series of online discussions that usually extends across the blogosphere – lasting several days to several weeks. In my business, which is technology, one of the top targets is TechCrunch, which is capable of sending upward of 10 - 50,000 visitors to any given Web site within 24-48 hours.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to overlook this group. Obviously, they lend credibility to your brand, or the brand you represent – that is, as long as the exposure is representative of the story you helped to cultivate. In my experience, however, this group typically jumps from topic to topic and product to product, with very little investment in dedication or loyalty, simply because their focus is driven by activity. For the right product, story, or service, you will find that a decent percentage of these bloggers, and their readers, will keep their partial attention with you – if they like what

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they see.

But sometimes, it may be more meaningful, or additionally beneficial, to reach the “magic middle,” a group of passionate people dedicated to writing about topics and issues that are relevant to them peronsonally. They tend to inspire real world customers to explore and experiment with new products and services based on the word of their peers.

Customers and people are influenced, inspired and driven by unique channels and communities. Figuring out who we want to reach, why they matter to us, and why we matter to them, is the ante in order to buy into this game. Then we reverse engineer this process of where they go for their information and discussions to learn about how to reach them. And, while there may be several horizontal mediums that overlap, the vertical avenues are usually distinct and dedicated.

BUT WAIT. Please don’t think that this is your last step before you reach out to bloggers.

Be respectful and honest. Listen and read before you engage.

There's much to learn about each of the conversations, information and communities you wish to jump into. You'll find that more often than not, you'll change your story based on the insight garnered from simply observing. It's the difference between speaking in messages and relevance and most importantly, honesty.

This entire process is invaluable to the new world of marketing, traditional and social media alike. It forces PR to think like a customer instead of competitor.

Read this important and timely post over at CityMama and Kimchi Mamas. This is an invaluable lesson of why you have to be honest, transparent and smart about how and why you’re reaching out to any given blogger.

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"We all know PR people don't read our blogs. I mean, if one more PR person starts and email with, 'Hey! How was Hawaii!' because a quick glance through last month's posts mentions my trip, I'm gonna scream…Tell me you looked up my stats on Alexa. Tell me you picked me because you *think* I may be influential. Tell me that you know mombloggers get pitched to all the time but that you'd *pretty please* like me to listen to you. Just don't bullshit me by telling me 'you read my blog.' I know you don't.” - Stefania Pomponi Butler.

Don’t be that PR person.

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Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People - Part II

© Julia Allison

Blogger relations is a popular topic of discussion these days, not just on the blogosphere, but within the HR departments of PR agencies and businesses alike. It's something new and perceived to require a very different skill set than most PR and communications professionals possess.

Therefore new job positions are opening up in an attempt to hire people who understand the art of blogger relations and, if that doesn't work, hire anyone who blogs - regardless of industry and communications experience. After all, if you blog, then you must understand company value propositions, marketing, customer relations, and ultimately why all of this matters to the people you're trying to reach right?

Well, not exactly.

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Several companies that I work with, advise, or simply know of, have hired bloggers to handle blogger relations, even if they haven't engaged in the process before. Their thinking? Bloggers know the game, so they must understand how to get posts written on their behalf.

I can tell you from personal experience, that anyone half decent in media or blogger relations will tell you that it has less to do with the mechanics of publishing media and more to do with story telling, an understanding of what you represent, why it matters to those you're trying to reach, and a genuine intent for cultivating relationships.

I'd love to simply say that Blogger Relations is about common sense, but we all know how uncommon common sense really is.

In order to genuinely approach blogger relations, or media relations for that matter, we must first deconstruct the process of the media ecosystem and reprogram ourselves to tap into the basic building blocks of what makes good content and sparks conversations, which in turn helps define why people should make the effort to talk with us.

Like the press release, the PR industry has been stuck in a rut for so long that the industry is content with the existing manufacturing line of building news, writing reports, schmoozing, and simply broadcasting messages to anyone with an inbox.

PR is experiencing some of the greatest innovations and advancements in quite some time due in large part to all things Social Media. But instead of embracing a new and improved commitment for creating and sharing news with people, we're using the same old marketing ethics and tactics to spam our recipients.

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Well like good media and analyst relationships, blogger relations is about people.

First and foremost, blogger relations is about respect. It all starts with understanding what you stand for. Seriously, how many PR people actually take the time to really "get" what it is they represent and why it matters to the rest of us. And, more importantly, how will it help me?

Here's a test.

Quickly, the timer's running.

Tell me in one sentence why I should write about you and why my readers will care.

I'm listening.

It's amazing at how many "PR Pros" can't pass this test. Trust me. I am pitched every day, and it blows me away at how few people take the time to read what I write and match their products/services to the most important part of this blog, you.

That's right. It all starts with listening and reading.

The next step is to really think about why you should reach out. What is it about what you represent that will compel someone to share it with their community. Remember, a blogger has a responsibility to their readers in order to maintain credibility, along with the trust of the community. In today's attention economy, they must actively compete for their precious time, so you can bet that any good blogger is going to be selective.

Oh trust me, I know you're thinking, "Who has time to do this? To dedicate one-on-one time with bloggers in addition to traditional media exceeds the amount of hours in a day!"

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Let me say this as clear as possible, "make the time."

Just prioritize the people you want to reach.

Which reminds me of a discussion that recently played out at TurnPRon, a conference in San Francisco where I recently presented on a panel discussing the future of Public Relations. At one point, someone had asked why we should "waste" our time chasing down every blogger that covers our markets when we could just focus on the top, the cream of the crop as he said, as they are the true influencers out there.

Oh boy.

While there is an a-list for every market, trust me when I say that the a-list helps with the credibility of a brand, but does very little for generating new customers or enhancing brand loyalty. The true influencers are the peers of your customers.

The best communications strategies will envelop not only authorities in new and traditional media, but also those voices in the "Magic Middle" of the attention curve. They help carry information and discussions among your customers directly in a true peer-to-peer approach. The Magic Middle is defined as the bloggers who have from 20-1000 other people linking to them. It is this group that enables PR people to reach The Long Tail, and it's effects on the bottom line are measurable.

Your campaigns should never be limited to either blogs or press, nor should it simply focus on the Top 100 list at Techmeme, Technorati or any other service. You need to be where your customers are discovering, sharing, and talking.

Blogger relations is all about people. And sometimes the greatest influencers are those who are already among the customers you hope to reach.

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The Challenge of Social Media

Aaron Brazell of Technosailor recently hosted an incredible and informative roundtable to discuss the state of PR, reporters, and bloggers. The conversation was focused on five questions and included the answers of Doug Haslam, Marshall Kirkpatrick, Cathryn Hrudicka, Marc Orchant (rest in peace Marc), and yours truly.

The discussion was sparked by Chris Anderson’s controversial post, “Sorry PR People, You’re Blocked.” My reply to Chris is included on Page 43.

The roundtable set out to help PR people and Bloggers work together more effectively, while improving the foundation for each along the way.

Question #1 - What do you think the biggest challenge is for the Public Relations industry to fully embrace social media?

What if we asked the question this way, “Should the PR industry participate in Social Media at all?” There are several pundits who have flatly said that “PR is too stupid to participate in Social Media” and therefore shouldn’t have a seat at the new marketing table.

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After all, Social Media is about people.

In the eyes of many PR is associated with used car and snake oil salesmen or far worse, lazy flacks that have no clue what they’re talking about.

Yes, it’s true many PR people simply don’t or won’t ever get it. The other thing is that, as in any industry, there are also opportunists in PR who simply see Social Media as a new golden ticket and in turn, are selling a new portfolio of services without having a clue as to what Social Media really is and how it works.

The challenge for PR in Social Media isn’t any different than the challenge that already exists for them in traditional PR. For far too long PR has taken comfort in blasting information to the masses in the hopes that something would stick. Until recently, the industry really hasn’t seriously considered requiring people to learn about what it is they represent, why it matters and to whom, how it’s different than anything else out there, where customers go for information, and how it benefits the customers they’re ultimately trying to reach.

The lack of presence or the drive to inject these questions into the PR process and also take the time to answer them genuinely, without marketing hype, is perhaps the greatest inhibitor of PR’s legitimate entrance into Social Media.

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Brand in the Internet Era

Question #2 - What does the concept of “brand” mean to you and how do you see the concept of brand protection (or the concept of “open source brand”, so to speak) being transformed in the internet age?

The brand is something altogether different today than it was BSM (before social media). The brand used to be something dictated by corporations and reinforced by marketers and ultimately evangelists.

However, these days, many marketing and business executives foolishly think that they can still solely control the brand and the corporate messages 100% when in fact people are also contributing to brand identity and resonance.

Social Media zealots preach that participation is marketing, and indeed it is, but there are ways to do it right and ways to completely f it up. One thing is for certain is that covering your ears to customer commentary taking place in social networks and the blogosphere and repeating “la la la la la” over and over pretending like it doesn’t exist IS

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NOT participating.

It the era of social media companies have no choice by to relinquish control, well somewhat, to those who chose to discuss it openly, in public forums that are in large part, actively contributing to the extensive influence enabled by social tools.

That doesn’t mean that companies can’t help chart the course of a brand, businesses just need to take into account that people now have voices and there in lies a new opportunity.

Let’s not forget that a good brand, or a terrible brand for that matter, evokes an emotion bond.

The true “open source brand” will acknowledge and leverage the “voices of the crowds” in order to extend and mold brands for both now and in the future - by connecting with people.

Again, Social Media is about people, not audiences, and therefore, brands affect people and in turn evoke responses. The smart marketers will learn how a brand relates to the various markets they wish to reach, why it’s important, different, and helpful, and connect with people directly to help them. This reinforces the brand and service attributes we ultimately hope to carry forward.

Read the full set of responses here.

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How Bloggers Can Work with PR People 101

Question 3 - How can bloggers work more effectively with PR people?

Yes it goes both ways...

I think it all starts with couples therapy.

Blogger, “All they do is spam with me this and that! They don’t care about me and my needs!”

PR, “They never listen to me…It’s like whatever I say is ignored no matter how important it is to me. They just don’t care!”

Seriously though, bloggers can benefit from maintaining a strategic and advantageous relationship with the right PR professionals. Love them or hate them, good PR people can still be a helpful part of the news and information process. They can and will work for you.

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I think we all learned that running the names of lazy PR flacks in a public forum is definitely one way to send a clear message. Social Media is fueled by people and their peers, so running things in the blogosphere definitely makes things very personal. But there are also other ways to ensure that PR people “think” before approaching bloggers.

One way is to send positive feedback to those that do it right. Send notes to management in regards to those who do it wrong and remind them how to do things correctly. Or, simply block the individual from contacting you again – but in the process let them know why.

We recently had a lazy PR associate who ignored repeated points of advice on how best to reach out to bloggers. Aside from the lip service we got, he continued to do things the spammy way…blasting lists of targets with impersonalized messages with irrelevant news releases. Within one week, this person was called out by two bloggers, one of whom decided to cc: everyone at my agency lambasting his approach and well, basically, calling him stupid. Names are one thing, and probably inappropriate, but the message was loud and clear and this person was now directly humbled among his peers. And, most importantly, it spotlighted a problem that required correction, while also reinforcing the need for other people on our team to remember that this entire process is about people. One news release doesn’t matter to everyone! Subsequently this person is no longer with us.

Yes it takes time for bloggers to respond rather than ignore things, it also takes an extraordinary level of patience and understanding, but it helps PR adapt and learn. Using the example above, one email inspired 15 people to do things better.

Another way bloggers can work better with PR is to clearly say somewhere how they wish to be contacted, what they are looking for, and advice for cutting through the clutter. Submission forms are not helpful.

We should all be in this to learn together. And, for those that don’t want to learn or embrace evolution, then they’ve sealed their own fate.

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Outing Bad PR

Question 4: Is “outing” a wayward PR agency or individual an effective way of dealing with the problem of misfired pitches?

Quite honestly, I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often as it has been a serious problem for decades.

Chris Anderson’s post sent a jolt that reverberated throughout the entire industry. It was a painful reminder that complacency and spam do not belong in PR.

There are also several blogs dedicated to exposing spectacularly horrible moments in PR as well as exposing bad pitches and the people behind them – and they’re gaining in popularity.

The game of PR has largely been enjoyed the comfort of existing behind-the-scenes and this exposure and public ridicule is forcing PR out of its comfort zone, which at the end of the day will only make PR stronger and more effective.

Now whether or not running the names and email addresses on the Web was a good thing, however, is complicated to assess as there are many factors and ramifications for doing so.

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On one hand, it scared the sh!t out of everyone and brought much needed attention to the need to improve things in PR.

On the other hand, it starts to raise privacy issues and taboos that can lead down a scary path affecting everyone involved in the business of public relations and media publishing. And, all of these conversations at the moment are only addressing the symptoms of much bigger problems that face PR, including unrealistic metrics and a complete misunderstanding of how PR really works by clients and corporate execs.

Exposing names and contact information is a steep penalty to pay and quite honestly, it’s somewhat irresponsible. There are other ways to get the same result and impact without forcing individuals to publicly pay the price for the ills of entire industry. Note, my only reservation here is names versus contact information. Running names is a leap, but I can support it. Running contact information crosses the line.

I think that “some” lazy flacks have learned their lesson and many more have been alerted to the fact that they are the epitome of what’s wrong with PR.

Very few PR “Pros” are out there building relationships with the public or people. Most don’t bother to spend the time to really learn about what they represent, why it matters, and how it’s different than everything else out there. And, without that understanding how can anyone realistically believe that influential reporters and bloggers are going to pay attention to their generic pitch?

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Advice on Media and Blogger Relations

Question 5: What advice would you give to your own industry in engaging the other side?

Chris Anderson summarized it best, “I only want two kinds of email: those from people I know, and those from people who have taken the time to find out what I’m interested in and composed a note meant to appeal to that.”

What’s it going to take for PR to reflect that sentiment and honest plea for relevance? It should be common sense. But it’s not. Common sense is all too uncommon in almost everything we do these days.

So to help PR “pros” stop pissing-off bloggers and reporters and start building meaningful relationships with them, here is a list of things to live by:

Remember this is about people

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1. What do you stand for? Answer that first before you try to convince people that are busier than you why they should take time to stop what they’re doing to pay you any attention.

2. It’s more than doing your homework. To some doing homework is building lists. Figure out what your are representing and why it matters. How does it compare to other things. What do people need? What are their pains?

3. Practice saying it aloud in one-to-two minutes or less to a friend or in front of a mirror. Seriously. It works. If you don’t get it no one else will.

4. Less is more. Find the right people, not just because you read their profile in a database, but because you read their work and understand their perspective.

5. Engage in conversations outside of when you need something.

6. Build relationships not lists.

7. Humanize the process and remember that this is about people

8. Stop whining and making excuses. You are responsible for your actions so arm yourself with what you need to be successful.

9. Stop sending press releases without summarizing what the news is and why it is IMPORTANT to the individual person you’re sending it to.

10.Remember the reputation and the future of PR is on you. If you’re not in this to do your job better, then ask yourself why you’re here. If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem.

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Building Relationships with Bloggers

Building relationships with bloggers has been the hot topic of the last year, with an emphasis on the last couple of weeks. Thank you again Chris Anderson for sparking some of the most important and invigorating discussions to take place in PR in quite some time.

I was invited to join Marc Harty of PR Traffic to speak about how and why to build relationships with bloggers at Blogworld Expo in Las Vegas.

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The room was filled with bloggers, entrepreneurs, PR people, corporate executives, and journalists, all looking to engage. I have to say that this was a pleasant surprise as it was one of the last sessions of the entire event.

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The agenda for the hour was basic, but the ensuing discussions were deep and immersive.

Remember, the point here is that while many of this seems like common sense, but it actually requires a completely different mindset for creating blogger campaigns and measuring their success.

Conversations are taking place right now about your company and your competitors. What are you going to do about it?

Blogger relations and participation are critical to the future of your business. Here are the key points from the panel to help you engage more genuinely and effectively.

1. Define Blogger Relations

- Blogger relations is about people, many of whom might be customers and peers. It is not to be underestimated.

2. The Art of Relationships

- Be knowledgeable, transparent, honest, and trustworthy. Add value or don't bother.

- You don't have the "right" to pitch bloggers, so really think about it before you approach anyone.

- Conversation seems to be the "it" word, but it all comes down to respect, articulation, and relevance. Personality helps.

- No one likes to sold "to" or marketed "at" - each person needs to hear things differently, so think about that.

- There is no market for messages.

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- You are empowered and expected, as a PR person, to know what you're talking about, its benefits, and why it matters to the markets you're trying to reach. Become an expert.

- Less is more. This isn't about numbers, this is about doing PR in the Long Tail so that you can develop more meaningful relationships that have a more significant impact on the brand, business, and customers service. Quality vs. Quantity.

- Stop thinking about PR in terms of pitches and audience. The pitch is dead. The audience is dead.

- It's all about trust and respect

- Determine their preferred method of contact - note it might not be email, but rather various social tools.

NOTE TO BLOGGERS: Please help PR help you. Create a page or update your "about" section with tips and recommendations for developing relationships with PR people.

3. Promote and Reach Bloggers Through Social Media

- Submit their posts/articles to social networks and news aggregators such as digg and reddit.

- Link to them.

- Comment before reaching out with meaningful content - participation is marketing.

- Leverage personal networks.

4. Utilize Social Tools

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- There are alternative contact channels to email and forms (No spam or invasive tactics allowed)

- Social networks such as Facebook, Yahoo Mash, LinkedIn, Plaxo Pulse.

- Micromedia such as Twitter, jaiku, Tumblr, Utterz, Pownce.

5. Be Creative

- The traditional press release has no business in blogger relations. You're going to have to put things together as building blocks in order to help someone tell a story.

- Video, create short video demos, intros, events, greetings, or skits, that are specific to markets you're trying to reach.

- Podcasts, invite them to co-host a podcast or to be a guest on something like BlogTalkradio. Or create pre-recorded interviews or discussions that matter to bloggers. Think about creating custom content for different people. One shoe doesn't fit all just like one message or one tool doesn't matter to everyone.

- Social bookmarks, Bookmark content that matters to bloggers through services such as StumbleUpon, ma.gnolia, and delicious. Also, create purpose built pages dedicated to providing unbiased market background and perspective to help bloggers gain expertise and context through one link.

- Tagging, Tag items within social networks for specific people.

6. Find the People Who Can Help You

- Google Alerts allow you to be notified if anyone is talking about your company, competition, you, or other important topics.

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- Blogpulse reveals blogs and bloggers that have strong authority around relevant memes.

- Technorati allows you to discover blogs that cover certain key words.

7. The Art of Listening

- Read.

- Explore their blogroll.

- Use an RSS aggregator or feed reader to simplify the process of reading the important blogs and their coverage.

- Read the comments (and participate). Sometimes the greatest insight is unveiled outside of the post.

8. The “C”s of Blogger Relations

- Concept: what's the compelling plan.- Context: why is it relevant to them.- Consumption: create a package that makes it easy for bloggers to write their story.- Credibility: what makes you credible? Become the expert.- Community: join it, participate without expectations.- Conversation: you are not invited to the conversation as a marketer. This is about people, so be articulate, responsive, honest, smart, and resourceful.

9. Expand the scope

- Don't get caught up in the A-list.

- Blogger relations can be based on news and also stories.

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- Focus on the magic middle, bloggers with 20-1000 blogs that link back to them.

10. Read the Social Media Manifesto

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The New Rules for Breaking News

Now that blogging is crossing over into the mainstream, certain bloggers have earned a right of influence and clout that rival many of the top journalists.

Good friend Robert Scoble recently discussed the subject of blogger relations, embargoes and the process of news and launches in tech PR. Scoble, for those who may or may not know, is probably the one of the world's most recognized bloggers. While his forte lies in tech, his influence if far greater. For Scoble to take the time to observe trends in PR and openly discuss them in the blogosphere is representative of an important shift in news distribution and the art of influence.

It got me thinking.

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The business of news distribution, from a "smart" PR perspective is evolving out of necessity with new processes dictated by the more savvy practitioners. But in some cases, it's important to expose the mechanics of the new media machine for the betterment of the entire industry.

I don't know about you, but I'm a little burnt on just being a "PR guy." There's so much more to what we do, so why not work on the PR for the PR and actually improve things.

Introducing news used to be pretty cut and dry. We'd start by running a press tour a couple of months in advance to the brief monthly print publications and analysts. Then as the official launch day would approach, we'd hit weekly print two weeks out and then online a few days prior - holding everyone to the same embargo date. The press release would then cross a news wire and some would support it with media outreach while others would cross their fingers and hope for the best.

This entire cycle seems like a luxury nowadays as the cycle of innovation is completely dependent on frequency in order to compete, and that frequency has radically shortned the span between communicating news. In turn, the business of news targeting and distribution is favoring short lead outlets such as newspapers, weeklies, as well as online venues.

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Enter blogs.

Bloggers have changed everything and it's sending PR people into a frenzy for how to launch products and broadcast news.

Yes, we're talking about tech and maybe that's not the industry you're in. However, in tech, things work on a bit of a more hectic, hurried, and constant schedule, but the processes that we develop and evolve, wind up inspiring other industries. Basically this is edgework. We're defining and refining new processes and

strategies and bringing them back to the center.

So when tech bloggers emerged as part of the mix, we found ourselves rethinking (maybe scrambling in some cases) to figure out how to balance bloggers without upsetting relationships across the board.

Scoble states, "I’ve noticed that PR types are getting very astute with dealing with bloggers lately...First they’ll call Mike Arrington of TechCrunch. Make sure he’s briefed first (Mike doesn’t like to talk about news that someone else broke first, so they’ll make sure he is always in the first group to get to share something with you all). Then they’ll brief “second-tier” bloggers like me, Om Malik [of GigaOM], Dan Farber [of ZDNet], Read/Write Web, and a variety of others. Embargo us all so we can’t publish before Mike does."

He's partially right. There is a process, but trust me, it's a process rooted in respect, admiration, and cultivating relationships (at least for the more effective communicators anyway.)

I've dubbed bloggers the new "wire" service. Providing them with early access to information allows news to bubble up, gaining credibility and momentum to the point where it attracts attention from traditional journalists. Bloggers have direct relations with people, your peers, and they thrive off of their participation.

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Attention wire representatives, I'm not saying that bloggers have replaced you. Wire services are still valuable in not only sharing financial information and meeting disclosure requirements, they also have integrated with search engines allowing press releases to reach people directly.

Bloggers add a new step at the beginning of the process.

For example, one of the primary reasons that we launch most tech companies and products in "Beta" these days is because we want feedback directly from the people who would jump in early and give honest feedback as well as sharing the information with their friends and associates. And, if a product is in Beta, most traditional media wouldn't yet pay attention. However, those journalists who do feel a greater sense of competition with bloggers in order to be one of the first to share new, new information, will make it known through their coverage.

This is why it's so important to listen and read before you create any marketing strategy.

Working in Beta not only adds a new step to the communications process, it also affects product marketing as it also requires the team to factor in time and energy for a private or public focus group in order to build awareness and garner feedback.

Most traditional journalists these days want to hear about things that are either ground breaking or changing things in a way that is demonstrable by the massive support of the people who use it. After the beta gains momentum, and enough people use it favorably, then traditional media comes into play.

The next step after that is hitting the "magic middle," bloggers who are defined as having a range of between 20 - 1,000 inbound links to their blog. These are the influencers who truly move the needle for customers and is among the best peer to peer

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marketing avenues you can pursue. In many cases, these bloggers are you prospective customers.

How do you share news with bloggers? Well, a lot of it has to do with relationships and for that, I suggest you read the series on blogger relations (Part I and II.) I can tell you that it's different for different industries and there isn't an exact science yet.

Certain bloggers maintain a higher authority than others, and while it fluctuates, most levels of influence remain constant over time.

The business of news has advanced quite a bit in the tech world, and by advanced, I mean that it has introduced a new layer to the equation.

Let me first clarify, there is still a thriving news business within traditional media. In the tech world however, the art of Beta news is the new game. But, this is not unlike other industries. Early information, prototypes, leaks, R&D, are all things that give bloggers their edge these days and, if executed properly, they only escalate the brand and the anticipation for new things among traditional press and ultimately customers.

But going to bloggers is tricky. Favoring one and not the other can cost you credibility and relationships. So borrowing a page from the traditional PR playbook, bloggers have embraced embargoes to maintain the privilege of receiving early information - in most

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cases.

I can tell you most certainly that I've had several instances where bloggers broke embargoes, which could have been costly if we didn't have backup plans in place. I have witnessed the wrath that can result if one blogger goes before everyone else. It all comes down to relationships, having valuable news to share, and working with a select group of people that can really help build the community, while adapting to the way they work.

But this is the Wild West. Live and learn.

Exclusives come into play these days still, however, they're growing more rare. Offering one story to one writer may most of the time, limit the total visibility for any story, as most bloggers extend the reach to a more complete global community of people.

Scoble points to organic initiatives such as those executed by Kyte.tv and Seesmic. Both companies are embracing bloggers, and influential players directly, without PR, to introduce them to the product and let them experience it without influence. He openly wonders if these techniques may be more beneficial in the long run instead of playing the news game.

Well, to tell you the truth, you can still run both and be successful - as long as you're smart and genuine about everything.

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Working one on one with important people, whether they're bloggers or enthusiasts, will only benefit you in the short and long term. However, this isn't always a guaranteed success - even though anything rarely is these days.

Remember this...campaigns aren't viral. People make them viral.

If it's anything that Social Media has taught us is that we can empower people to help carry the word out to others. However, most executives are far too impatient to sit and wait for an organic campaign to get traction.

Now, an even earlier step can be introduced into the process as a way of gaining traction sooner. Before Beta, there's Alpha and this is usually an experiment in organic marketing, driven by a sense of scarcity and exclusivity. Note, many companies also dub this "Private Beta."

Most of the time, new companies and services are previewed in private, through either invitations, opt-in reviews, or password-protected links. Bloggers, media, and enthusiasts are all included in this round and empowered to share information with other peers to build up excitement. For example, microblogging service Pownce was almost an overnight sensation as it was introduced in private to a select group of influential geeks and bloggers. Their touting of access to the site combined with the fact that each

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were also empowered with a set of invitation codes, created a hyper-active market for invitation exchanges, with some actually going on ebay (and selling!).

As mentioned earlier, Loic LeMeur's Seesmic is pursuing the invitation strategy and is currently in Public Alpha. This is unique in the sense that it still creates a sense of exclusivity, however, people are so excited to be part of it, that they show off their creations in public, thus fueling demand and increasing visibility for the up-and-coming company. Here's an example of Robert Scoble using Seesmic to discuss Upcoming.org, which he promoted across all of his social networks.

Imagine for a moment breaking news organically without worrying about embargoes, but instead by using social tools and people through all channels of Social Media to share information before an official launch. Yes, it's possible and is being practiced and streamlined now. But, we can talk more about that later as part of an upcoming series, "How to do PR without a Press Release."

Social media is forcing an evolution in how companies share information with customers as well as those who also act as information intermediaries to the people that depend on them for guidance. The art of news is truly an art and it requires practice and experience. It also requires talent and creativity. The most successful ways of sharing news will be dependent on your ability to listen and by building and cultivating relationships with those who can help break news under the "new" rules of the launch.

There isn't one way to work with bloggers, enthusiasts, and traditional journalists, but there are more than enough opportunities to do it the wrong way. Pay attention. Think. Be Creative. Have a plan. Build trust and ensure that your intent is genuine.

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Conversations with the bloggers and media (and customers) will help dictate the launch and news strategies that are going to have the biggest impact and meaningful benefits for your company.

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The New Rules of Breaking News, Beware of Embargoes

The New Rules of Breaking News was written to open your mind and unlock creativity when introducing new products and services. It subscribes to the notion that there isn't one "audience" to any given story or campaign. There are opportunities outside of the usual routine of drafting press releases and blasting news to reporters and bloggers.

Shortly after the last chapter ran, I had not one, but two news announcements where stories either broke ahead of their intended time and voices. In one case, it wasn't even part of the embargo process which was just unbelievable.

To the lead bloggers whom I had brokered these launches, it appeared as if I had mislead them, instead sending the news to others, even though I had assured them that they were given first rights.

In both cases, I took credibility hits and had to do an exhaustive amount of repair work to ensure that these and other relationships weren't damaged because of the mistake, spite, or questionable activity of other ambitious bloggers.

I did take the steps to rectify things, and ultimately the "mistakes" were corrected...but the damage was already done. Any attempts to convey that to those affected may or may not regain trust.

So, rather than just share with you the ways to be successful or constantly focus on the future of PR, it's also important to share the experiences where things don't work out quite like we planned as a way of learning together.

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In the realm of technology, this practice is all about who can be positioned as the "lead" story and tools such as Techmeme's Leaderboard, Technorati's Top Blogs, Bloglines Top List, Google Reader stats, and other highly referenced lists, only encourage bloggers to do what they can to increase rankings. After all, these lists influence and determine not only PR campaigns, but also where ad dollars are spent.

But it's not just technology. There are lists that cover every market segment therefore the lessons from this post are helpful to anyone in PR.

What happened here sends an alarming signal, not just to me, but to the entire blogosphere and PR industry.

Outside of my two recent experiences. There are grumblings about foul play across the board that we should all understand.

The business of news can be ugly. There will always be an underground rivalry between top and up-and-coming writers for authority, links, views, and ultimately ad dollars.

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The rumors and stories are thick with rife, including the manipulation of "time stamps," copying and pasting from other blogs and sites without attribution, not disclosing any personal or professional interests associated with the stories they run, and running controversial or early stories with checking facts first.

However, this isn't unlike the business of traditional news media, who have always been notorious for scooping each other.

This is business and business is never clean.

These enlightenments, however, force us to rethink the process of PR launches and news distribution, because at the end of the day, it's our relationships that will carry us forward.

The message to us is, "be careful and do your homework."

We walk a tightrope between client/company expectations and the relationships we maintain with writers and bloggers.

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On one hand, those we report to want to see coverage and they want to see it everywhere. Most have no clue what it takes to make that happen, but they don't care either.

On the other hand, relationships are the foundation for all good PR, and risking or compromising them should never factor into the news equation.

In the last post I wrote that bloggers were willing to honor embargoes as a way of participating in the business of news distribution. Many bloggers are trying to run legitimate businesses and having the privilege, and yes it's a privilege, to receive news early is an earned right that offers mutual benefits between the blogger/writer and the company.

As I said, top bloggers are the new "wire" service. Providing them with early access to information allows news to bubble up, gaining credibility and momentum to the point where it attracts attention from traditional journalists. Bloggers have direct relations with people, your peers, and they thrive off of their participation.

There's a difference though between top bloggers and those who aspire to take the lead, and those differences will ultimately determine who you can trust and who you

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can't.

Maximizing coverage is a risky business. And unfortunately, there are many ways things can quickly go south:

- Not communicating the embargo time clearly, complete with time zones

- Not receiving a documented acknowledgment of the embargo

- Not fully knowing the reputation of the blogger beforehand

- Being careless and trying to go for too much right out of the gate without ensuring everything was set

Unfortunately however, the reality is that some of us will learn these lessons the hard way. And many times, these lessons come at a steep price, with reputation, trust, and relationships as the currency.

The best thing we can do is keep an open dialog with our best contacts. Talk with peers. Share experiences. There's plenty to learn from others to minimize the mistakes and the steep costs associated with them.

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In the attempt to earn the respect and trust of bloggers, many PR professionals are subscribing to a "Blogger Relations" code of ethics - although this draft is in dire need of revision (which will be a later post), but it's a start in the right direction. WOMMA also offers 10 principles for ethical contact by marketers.

Perhaps many bloggers need to think about subscribing to a Blogger Code of Ethics. Breaking embargoes, changing time stamps, editing/barring comments, pilfering content, etc., is just not going to fly for the long term. And it's unfortunate effects are that these practices will continue take down people and relationships in the process until we all do something about it. That's the beauty of civil enforcement. Collectively we can dictate the winners and losers.

Tim O'Reilly has an excellent series on drafting a Blogger's Code of Conduct. Forrester's Charlene Li also got the conversation going almost three years ago with a call for Blogging Policies.

We as PR and communications professionals don't need to support those bloggers or writers who don't keep their word.

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I know my word is everything to me and I will make decisions that only strengthen relationships and build trust, on both sides of the tightrope.

Most importantly, sometimes less is more. And, expectation setting is everything.

Breaking news with a few trustworthy bloggers and reporters may be more than enough to effectively align PR with business and communications objectives. After the first stories break, follow up with outreach to other primary influencers, but also find something unique for them in a way that helps them find a unique angle for coverage. Some will push back for not being included in the earlier rounds, and it will be up to you to consider opting them in for the future, but do so based on the discussions and trust.

Contrary to popular belief, the business of news isn't formulaic. It's less of a science and more of an art.

Make decisions that benefit your stories without compromising relationships.

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Dear Chris Anderson, an Open Letter to Make Things Right

Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief of Wired and also author of The Long Tail, is someone whom I deeply admire and respect. We've linked to each other in the past and for the most part, I agree with his views and observations.

Every now and then Anderson discusses the state of PR and when he does, it causes nothing less than a full blown blogstorm that reverberates across the entire industry. But, what matters is that we all learn from it.

In his latest post, he makes a pretty powerful statement, "Sorry PR people, you're blocked."

If you don't read anything else in my post, please just learn from what Chris says here, "So fair warning: I only want two kinds of email: those from people I know, and those from people who have taken the time to find out what I'm interested in and composed a

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note meant to appeal to that."

Is that so hard?

Really?

What's it going to take for PR to reflect that sentiment and honest plea for relevance?

It should be common sense. But it's not. Common sense is all too uncommon in almost everything we do these days. I really wasn't going to blog about this as there have been plenty of very astute, as well as unbelievably lame, commentary on the subject.

Taking a step back to observe the landscape, the cumulative response represents both sides of the spectrum and everything in between. The net result should be that we as PR people need to do things better.

First, let me say this, more for Chris, but to the benefit of everyone else as well, I agree and empathize with the inspiration behind your post.

No, really, I do.

Hell, I only get a small fraction of the press releases and pitches you receive, but it's still enough to give me a taste of your frustration. I'm committed to helping rectify this problem for you and all other respectable and influential journalists and bloggers.

I promise to fix this problem among those with whom I work with and can reach. I will also work with others whose voices are trusted among PR practitioners and their peers within the communities in which they seek guidance. We will do everything we can to help teach those PR people who truly desire to learn and truly understand the ramifications of their actions, good and bad, and how to be successful while respecting the rules.

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Everyone else, aka the lazy PR flacks, well, they're are on their own.

Your post sent a message to the lazy flacks and hopefully they learned their lesson – they have all been alerted to the fact that they are the epitome of what's wrong with PR; well, that, and the fact that your post scared the sh!t out of everyone else.

Yes, they represent the larger epidemic of what we the few, but proud PR folks who try to do things better, have to contend with day in and day out - the worldwide poor reputation of PR. Public Relations, when you think about it, really is the furthest thing from PR these days. I mean honestly, very few of us are out there building relationships with the public or people for that matter. Most of us don't bother to spend the time to really learn about what we represent, why it matters, and how it's different than everything else out there. And, without that understanding how could we possibly figure out the channels and context necessary for it to reach the people that would need to hear the story?

This is the reason why many PR people aren't or will never be, ready to make the transition to Social Media. After all, if reporters and bloggers don't want to talk to us, why would we bring the same foolish BS and spam tactics to our customers?

I dedicate this blog and almost everything that I do to try to change things for the better. But I am only one person. I join a growing group of people who really do want to change, build relationships, and be of service to you, our customers, as well as to the people who employ us.

But it's not just PR. It's the whole game of media. And, the game itself is broken.

The only reason anyone is paying attention now is because Social Media provides the ability for people to to reach other people on a global and immediate scale, and in this case it just may start to work itself from the right to the left on any market graph. People have voices now and they can now publicize and expose the very things we took for granted for far too long.

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Let's look at the game however, because PR is only one of many functions in the greater scheme of content distribution.

It is a job that many people perform everyday in order to earn a living. Like any business, there are shining stars and lazy flacks that ruin it for everyone else. But, it is still a job. and people are still just people. We all have a$$hole bosses or clients that push and push us in order to prove our value and earn our paychecks regardless of how much we push back. In many cases, like in everything else, most just grin and bear it. We also have coworkers that are just in this to collect a paycheck. Even though the timer is ticking until they leave the business, their contribution only damages the damaged PR reputation in the meantime.

Many of us are measured in volume, inbound links, traffic, sales, or by the stack of coverage, that all collectively determines our ability to keep our jobs. Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of snake oil salesman in this business, and in every business for that matter, but those who truly want to do things differently choose to separate themselves from the crowd.

There are those that are overly ambitious and just don't know better. Then there are those who are trained by decades of outdated communications philosophies, formulas and bullsh!t metrics that send them out into the real world only to get baptized by fire for every mistake they make - while taking down the brand they represent in the process. And in the realm of Social Media, these lessons are the equivalent of public flogging in the town square, except this time, the world is watching.

There have been many responses to this subject, however, what every single one of them is missing is that sense of internalization that demonstrates that "we" get it. Maybe most don't believe that some of us could get it, but boy, do we get it. Then again, how

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does everyone else know we really get it?

I can guarantee you that I will still get my scheduled call from Bacons aka MediaMap offering to renew my unbelievably expensive subscription to the "industry-leading" media database, that, as they SWEAR, provides me with every opt-in contact who wants to receive information associated with key topics, products and industries.

But, it's the difference between building lists and building relationships.

Could we do our job better?

Hell yes.

Could we take the time to make sure that what we want to share is actually important to you?

Yes. Absolutely.

Should we spend more time reaching out to people individually than blasting matrices comprised of those who are simply grouped by "key words?"

Yeah. I mean, it should be obvious. But most PR people, veterans included, are just groomed to make the numbers. But, yes, yes we really need to adopt and live the "less is more" and "quality versus quantity" mantras we hear all the time. More importantly, we need to also push back and ensure that our clients and bosses understand what the collective group of fed-up journalists and bloggers are saying that they will no longer tolerate the status quo.

It's all about humanizing not just the process of receiving information, but also the process of sending it.

Is PR representative of spam?

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For the most part, yes.

This is business and every cog in the machine has its associated benefits and downsides. For every reporter and blogger that's inundated with lame pitches and unsolicited press releases, I can show you two flacks that are equally spammed with requests for updates and the status of coverage from execs in order to prove their worth. The problem is so much deeper than PR spam. It goes back to the very reason why companies invest in PR in the first place, and in the process, they mostly miss the point of publicity all together. They all believe their news matters to everyone else and that you have nothing better to do than take our release and run with it.

Get me the Wall Street Journal!

Why aren't we in the New York Times?

You do have these relationships right?

But, let's put things in perspective. There's more to the story.

Media is also a business and they are comprised of both editorial and advertising departments. Do you know how many phone calls and emails I get from sales or biz dev people from publications and blogs soliciting advertising "deals" and sponsorship opportunities for conferences? You'd be surprised and I'm not the only one.

In some cases, I'll receive calls only moments after speaking with a reporter saying, "I hear so and so is considering running your company in the story on such and such. I think it would be smart to also take out an ad to strengthen your story and your brand."

I've even had some reporters tell us off the record that they were advised not to cover us until certain contracts were signed.

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Ahh yes, this is all a business. Most editors and reporters however, have the luxury of not seeing this side of things. It's not hypocrisy. In most cases it really is just church and state, but just not equally on both sides of the playing field.

Do any of these sales people take the time to figure out that I'm merely in PR and not in sales?

For the most part, I'd wager that these ad sales people are more aggressive and relentless than PR could ever be.

While reporters complain of those PR people who follow up and ask, "Did you get my email?" There are also sales people who call daily to CONVINCE me that I'm making a terrible mistake by not running ads when my competitors are all participating.

Yes, it's the difference between commission and fixed salary - it's all related to the ability to sell a story vs. tell a story.

Like anything there are lines and they're crossed all the time, across the board.

But for every crappy PR person and ad rep, there are also equally lazy writers.

Trust me when I say though, that there are plenty of reporters and bloggers who can't get the story right, even if they're briefed, which has legitimate business ramifications. There are lazy reporters who simply cut and paste and can't be bothered to do more. There are writers who won't cover a story because someone else did, even though their ad departments can "prove" that their demographics have little crossover with any of their competition. There are those who break embargoes for the sake of getting the extra eyeballs for that particular story. And then there are those who are better than everyone else. These actions too come at a price.

Would publicly outing these people make things better?

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I don't think so. Is PR constantly sending offers for penis enlargement miracles or the ability to meet lonely women in your area tonight?

No.

So, just opt out. It's part of the business.

It's the difference between spam and someone just doing their job - again, even though it's a poor way of doing so.

It's just as easy to reply to someone with either unsubscribe or "f#ck off" as it is to place them on a blog post where they, and their company can be ridiculed.

Block them and publish the companies like Gina Trapani did (whom I also greatly admire.)

We all choose who we ultimately work with and we earn the relationships we deserve. But at the end of the day, the onus is on PR leaders to do something about it - at least from our side any way.

Chris Anderson didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. He only brought a bigger magnifying glass to class in order for us to more effectively see the ills of our business. We still have things we need to change and until we do, these public lists are only going to increase in frequency and volume.

Attention PR people, here are your lifehacks or PR hacks in order for you to do your job better and stop pissing people off ( and ruining it for the rest of us in the process).

1. Remember this is about people

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2. What do you stand for? Answer that first before you try to convince people that are busier than you why they should take time to stop what they're doing to pay you any attention.

3. It's more than doing your homework. To some doing homework is building lists. Figure out what your are representing and why it matters. How does it compare to other things. What do people need? What are their pains?

4. Practice saying it aloud in one-to-two minutes or less to a friend or in front of a mirror. Seriously. It works. If you don't get it no one else will.

5. Less is more. Find the right people, not just because you read their profile in a database, but because you read their work and understand their perspective.

6. Engage in conversations outside of when you need something.

7. Build relationships not lists.

8. Humanize the process and remember that this is about people

9. Stop whining and making excuses. You are responsible for your actions so arm yourself with what you need to be successful.

10. Isn't weird that it's always 10? Stop sending press releases without summarizing what the news is and why it is IMPORTANT to the individual person you're sending it to.

11. Ah, thank you Spinal Tap. This one goes to 11. Remember the future of PR is on you. If you're not in this to do your job better, then ask yourself why you're here. If you're not actively contributing to things improving then you're part of the problem.

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Making Mistakes in Social Media Marketing

We all make mistakes. It's amazing how much saying sorry helps. But even saying sorry

doesn't fix those affected 100%.

We're all learning together, at least those of us who don't pretend we're already experts.

Making mistakes in Social Media Marketing is a lot like sticking daggers into a wooden

fence. Just because you apologize and pull them out, they still leave the visible scars for

others to see, feel, or point to. Sometimes apologies help people feel better, but they

don't fix perception, which is everything in Social Media. Thinking before engaging is

critical to establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships. This is after all, about

people.

While intent is important, through daily experience, I'm finding that perception is

outweighing intent. Just because you have the right ideas and principles in mind, how

you participate and react says everything. It all begins with intent and the ability to learn

and genuinely offer value along the way.

Otherwise, why are you here?

In Blogger and Media Relations, You Earn the Relationships You Deserve Every now and again a reporter or blogger decides to shake up the PR industry by

showcasing how we FAIL, flop, or simply when we do things wrong. Some do so out of

anger, others are genuine in their desire to help, while some are simply tired and do so

out of spite.

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This time around however, Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWriteWeb has started a

conversation that proactively helps PR and communications professionals learn how to

more effectively work with influential writers for future stories and maybe, just maybe,

forge and cultivate ongoing relationships. In his post, “Five Wrong Ways to Pitch RWW

and One Great Way,” Kirkpatrick gives us a glimpse into his daily routine for receiving

and reporting on news and trends.

Wrong #1 - Email the wrong email address Wrong #2 – Phone Calls Wrong #3 – Twitter, Especially DM Wrong #4 – Facebook Wrong #5 – IM

Great Way #1 – RSS

He summarizes what you should do this way, “PR people, please send us the RSS

feeds of your clients' blogs and news release. The full fire-hose of company news and

updates for us to pick out what's interesting, someplace outside of our email inboxes,

free of dreadful press release rhetoric (skip to the second paragraph where details

usually are, then skip past any executive quotes and hope there are readable details

somewhere) - that sounds like a dream come true. I know that's where I get most of the

stories I write about, not from email pitches. Send both, but company feeds are likely to

be looked at more closely.”

We’ll talk more about whether this is all you need to do to help get your story out there,

but at the very least, what Marshall is shouting, is what he wants and how he wants it. He’s not alone in his requests to receive information in a specific format and process.

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Stowe Boyd, a technology and thought leader who is helping to define the social web,

recently created an account on Twitter specifically for PR pitching.

He shared his rationale in a recent post, “I can't believe what a pain in the ass it still is to

do something as basic as trying to schedule meetings with startups at a conference. But

in order to make things simple for me, I am hereby posting a schedule of the times that I

will make available for meetings with companies at the Web 2.0 Expo, and I am not

going to accept email-based proposals to meet, only Twitpitches. All companies who

would like to have a meeting with me, need to send me a Twittered description of the

product. Yes, please Twitter it to me at www.twitter.com/stoweboyd. Yes, one tweet,

140 characters less the eleven used for ‘@stoweboyd’.”

Adam Ostrow of Mashable, a popular blog covering the world of social networks, also

shared tips for increasing the chances of getting coverage in their post, “12 Things Not

to Do When Pitching a Story to Mashable.”

Here’s your Top 12: 1. Don’t Send an Invite from Your App 2. Don’t Reference Your Media Coverage on Mashable Competitors X, Y, and Z 3. Don’t Private Message on Social Network 4. Don’t Try a Backdoor 5. Don’t Contact Pete 6. Don’t Make Unsolicited Phone Calls 7. Don’t USE ALL CAPS 8. Don’t Misspell Their Names

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9. Don’t Try to Setup a Lunch 10. Include a URL 11. Offer a Preview of Your Private Beta 12. Don’t Pitch Old News

In January 2008, Tom Foremski advised PR to leverage Facebook when running story

ideas by him, “After some thought I decided that I would like my PR pitches through

FaceBook and not through email or phone. I will only look at pitches that come from my

FaceBook "friends." I will give those priority over all other communications channels

except for face-to-face, which trumps all other channels.”

Robert Scoble, last year, reported that he preferred receiving pitches through his

Facebook Wall, “PR people pay attention. I don’t answer email anymore. Too much of it.

But there’s one thing that gets passed to my Nokia phone: Facebook wall messages.”

Photo Credit: Scott Beale, Laughing Squid

Merlin Mann, who publishes the popular productivity site 43folders, has made it crystal

clear on his stance for PR. Don't contact him any other way except by suggesting links

to him via del.icio.us. Tag = "for:43folders"

Allen Stern, publisher of CenterNetworks, shared his reviews in a recent post, "Your

The Art and Science of Blogger Relations by Brian SolisPage 60

Pitch Title Does Not Matter To Me."

In his post he shares his advice for getting stories not just on his blog, but others as

well, "If you are a PR person, you should must ask every blogger you contact how he or

she would like to be pitched. By spending a few minutes doing this, you have a MUCH

greater chance of being covered by that blog. It's the same as knowing I like milk in my

coffee, Arrington takes it black, Ostrow takes 2 sugars, Om would rather have tea and

Eric only drinks Pepsi. I don't care that much about the subject and if you use the

contact form, the subject is pre-defined. I personally look at every single email we get

(about 300-400 a day) and no matter the subject I still scan the email. The key is to

capture my attention in the first moments of the email, not in the subject."

--

So, what is everyone saying to you?

Do your homework! They’re only helping you.

Listen, I know that it’s a huge amount of work to shift from a blast mentality to a one-on-

one pitch regiment that requires you first to read before you reach out. But, I think your

alternatives may be running dry. Yes, it takes longer. Yes, it requires more work. And,

yes, the results, and your reputation, will benefit from the diligence.

Reporters and bloggers are asking you to work with them. So why wouldn’t you?

I’m pretty sure the only reason you wouldn’t is because you’ve either been instructed

otherwise, or just didn’t know. However, neither are defensible any longer. Either way,

it’s time to change things up. Make the time to invest in relationships with those who can

help you tell your story.

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Telling Your Story

Let’s keep in mind that news is news and stories are stories depending on how and

when you tell them. While RSS and OPML feeds are nice, they don’t help you secure

stories with newsmakers before it’s official news. Once you publish your story on your

blog, it’s OLD NEWS!

Allowing journalists and bloggers adequate time to prepare advance is critical.

Determine those reporters and bloggers who should be part of the initial news

discussions, meaning, don’t hit everyone for the sake of quantity. Just find the people

that would be interested in what you’re working on as determined by their previous work

and coverage.

Writing a press release that doesn’t suck is essential. Really, it just needs the important

elements up front, what it is, why it’s important, where they can get it, and to whom it

matters. Making your release relevant and compelling is much different than injecting

hyperbole and BS quotes that mean very little to those outside of the company.

Summarize the news with a couple of statements and bullets to quickly showcase why

anyone should care. Package the story differently for each person you’re hoping to

reach and make sure it matches their preference for being contacted. If you’re not sure,

it doesn’t hurt to send a note asking for their direction (before you go live).

Take the time to pull relevant screen shots, create user accounts for each person if

necessary, customize video demos and screen casts, and anything else someone may

need to write a story instead of making them spend their limited time doing your work for

you. Yes, it’s time consuming. But this is about relationships and not about broadcasting

spam.

Bloggers, Help Us Help You!

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It’s easy to be sarcastic, snide, or condescending…let’s face it, PR as an industry has

earned this reputation for a reason. However, you help us, and yourself, by spending a

few minutes spelling out explicitly what you’re looking for instead of relying on PR to

ascertain this information subjectively based on your writing patterns (yes, in a perfect

world, we could all do this.)

While many reporters and journalists are sharing their methods of contact, most haven’t.

You can’t complain about PR if you’re not going to provide them with a set of

instructions on how and when to contact you. Bloggers should (or already do) have a

“contact” link and journalists should have readily available online profiles/bios. Add a

small section that spells out what you’re looking for and how to contact you with that

information (packaged however you prefer.) Make it clear and even include it in your

email signature and social network profiles.

If the majority of writers could share this detail, we may start to teach PR how to switch

from a blast mentality to a one-to-one relationship strategy. If PR still doesn’t get it, then

they determine their own fate and unfortunately hurt the companies they represent in

the long run.

This is about relationships and creating a value cycle from PR to bloggers, journalists

and ultimately to the people we want to reach with our news. Relationships are

cultivated and should be mutually beneficial because of the extra time we take to

personalize our contact. Think about it this way, if someone were to ask a reporter or

blogger about you, how would you want them to remember you and what would you

want them to say?”

Perception is everything. Do the legwork and the outreach that contributes to the

reputation you wish to earn and maintain. Anything less, takes away from it.

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Making Mistakes and Amends in Blogger and Media Relations

In the rapidly shifting era of blogger and media relations, we can expect one thing to

occur as we forge ahead, mistakes. It happens to the best and the worst of us.

This isn’t a generic post on how not to make mistakes, or if you do, how to apologize,

per se. This is an example of true transparency and public soul searching that will

hopefully help and inspire PR practitioners, journalists, and bloggers to learn from the

mistakes of others – and hopefully work together when unintentional or harmless

mistakes are made.

Let’s talk about transparency for a moment. You hear that word a lot across the

socialmediasphere – almost to the point where it may be losing its original value and

intent.

Transparency = sharing the bad things as well as the good.

Here’s an example of transparency in action:

I blog passionately and incessantly about how to work with media and bloggers in ways

that foster relationships and humanize the process of storytelling. I also run a public

relations agency. It cuts deep when one of your own makes a mistake.

Yes, I’m one of the louder voices on media and blogger relations, so there’s a sense of

irony here when someone who works with me is the subject of this post. For this to be

verbally called out to me, as if I already didn’t make the connection on my own, well, it

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hurts. But, it’s fair and I’ll take it on the chin.

Nowadays, any mistake made in PR is really an occupational hazard where one wrong

move can cause a domino effect that has the potential to eradicate months or even

years of hard work.

In (their) defense, this person did not blast a generic media list generated through a PR

database, nor did this person send information to someone who doesn’t cover or write

about products in the space. This predicament is representative of something many of

us haven’t really discussed, but it’s worth exploring – as this is likely to occur industry-

wide.

So here’s the question:

Is any form of unsolicited email considered spam even if you’re sharing relevant

information to one person or a group of people? Or, would you consider the sharing of

related content more along the lines of “Bacn,” and if so, would you react differently

knowing that the person reaching out to you at least went through an initial exercise of

connecting the dots?

Let’s take a quick look at the differences of each:

Spam is intrusive, shotgun-style blasting that usually favors quantity versus quality –

meaning, that it doesn’t take into account your interests or preferences.

Bacn (introduced to me by Chris Brogan) stems from the idea that it is better than spam,

but not as good as a personal e-mail. Bacn differs from spam in that the emails are not

unsolicited: the recipient has somehow signed up to receive it. Bacn is also not

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necessarily sent in bulk – Wikipedia.

Tofu (new category – suggested name) is email that is sent individually to people who

are pre-qualified or identified as being related to, or interested in, a particular category

or topic. Or, they have made their email publicly available on their site, thus intentionally

or inadvertently inviting contact. I’m not sure what to call it, but the idea for tofu was

inspired by the fact that we can almost make it taste like something else, but at the end

of the day, it’s still not the real thing.

The difference between Bacn and Tofu is that these emails are somewhat personalized

and related to a particular event or milestone, but are usually unsolicited and sent to

multiple people as an update, a request for meeting, or seek other forms of response. It

isn’t categorized as spam because it is not an automated process and the lists of people

(recipients) are hand-built and individually sent.

There’s a fine line between outreach being categorized as “not unsolicited” and getting

aligned with a particular topic (pitch) based on employment, experience and writing

history. In this case, one more step of due diligence would have brought the thin line

into focus and prevented this issue altogether. That lesson was immediately learned

and heartfelt.

But in this case, and I have to imagine it is not unique, this is email aligned more with

the definition of Bacn and Tofu versus Spam. Now, at the end of the day, the

devastating response and ensuing fallout clearly indicated that the differences didn’t

matter. So in a world where perception is 9/10ths of the law, then “personalized," yet

unsolicited email is still regarded as Spam. Even if thought and research went into the

process, it is still unacceptable – as it should be.

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What do we learn from this?

If you’re following the recipe to success in blogger and media relations, then you can’t

stop short of following the most important steps of doing things the right way. You can

still deviate from the original steps in order to add personal flavor, but cutting corners

only ruins the experience and the taste with which we’re ultimately left.

Truth is, many, if not most, PR people still spam. I have an inbox full of examples of real

PR spam, with only 10%, at best, showing signs of promise, and maybe another 5%,

falling into the Tofu category. The honest answer is that if you’re looking at the process

of shifting from automated outreach to one-on-one pitching, then the road from here to

there may seem endless and improbable. If you start on the path and decide that 1/2

way is sufficient, then you may want to glance ahead and realize that the right way to do

things is just ahead of you. That’s where you need to be.

There are real consequences for not truly engaging with people one-on-one with a real

sense of purpose.

The differences, and the answers, are discoverable by reading the work of bloggers and

reporters before you reach out instead of simply aligning them with particular topics or

industries. This is about building relationships and rising above the fray. If you’re not

interested in the industry, product, or service you represent, or what the most influential

voices have to say about the subject, then do us all a favor and pursue your dreams

elsewhere.

This isn’t about collecting a paycheck. We represent companies as if they’re our own.

We’re entrusted with the responsibility of carrying that brand forward and protecting its

integrity. And, it’s also about your personal brand too. It’s yours to define. Own it. Shape

it. Cultivate it.

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I’d like to think that we’re intelligent people, and I truly don’t believe that the only way to

learn new things is by burning our hands on a hot stove until we finally figure out that

we’re doing it wrong.

We’re all in this together.

When mistakes are made, and no, we’re not perfect, it’s how we address them that

define character – on both sides.

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Sometimes saying sorry is not enough. However, saying sorry should count for a lot,

especially when the intent was genuine. And an apology is the first step in learning a

lesson and mending the relationship. We’re only human, and as long as there are real

people on both sides of the equation, then an opportunity for understanding, empathy,

and advancement should prevail.

As stated earlier, there’s a difference between spam and pre-qualified outreach and it’s

all rooted in genuine (albeit partial) intent. Nothing beats homework and real one-on-one

conversations that show; 1) You know who you’re talking to and why what you

represent matters to them and their readers; 2) You packaged the story specific to their

preferences; 3) You are an expert in the field in which you work and you are

knowledgeable about the playing field and the players who also define the space; and

4) You disdain the taste of spam, bacn, or tofu – in principle anyway.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always learning and observing each and every day.

Today, we learned a lesson the hard way and I’m sharing this experience to help raise

the bar industry-wide.

The tolerance for mistakes is razor thin and the attention span of those we wish to reach

is even thinner. If the pressure is on you to generate results in bulk, then the onus is on

you to also push back and contribute to the resetting of a dying breed of unrealistic

expectations and relationship-damaging pressure.

Gone are the days of the boiler room and the blast mentality associated with faceless

PR. Now more than ever, relationships count for everything and nothing substitutes for

personal experience, wisdom, expertise, and perspective.

The future of PR is personal and conversational. Get used to it.

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PR is Not Dead

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Source

Stop the presses...there's another "PR is Dead" meme that's circulating the blogosphere

again. This time, all that's new is that many bloggers are revealing that they prefer

discovering new and interesting products on their own and breaking the news before

anyone else.

Welcome to the news business.

Any print or broadcast news reporter would say the same thing, and honestly, it's the

competition and desire to break news first that's driven the business for over 100 years.

Did that kill PR?

Nope.

Does that mean that PR didn't play a role in the business of breaking news?

Hardly.

Perhaps the most troubling theme of this discussion however, is a very dangerous

insinuation, disguised as expert advice, that suggests great products and services do

not need PR. Certain bloggers are implying that "if you build it, they will come." While

others imply that if you're great, people will notice what you do.

If you run a company and are considering DIY (do it yourself) PR, understand that it's

not impossible to do so without an agency or consultant, but resting on the expectation

that market leaders and influencers will discover it and create a surging groundswell of

visibility and demand for your product is as likely as winning the lottery.

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Yes it happens. People win lotteries all the time.

But do you, as the leader of the company's brand, responsibly gamble strategic

opportunities to increase visibility and revenue for your business?

Of course not.

Hope and luck are not viable, effective or intelligent strategies for marketing any new

product or service. Even the best products need help rising above parity and cutting

through the noise.

It's proactive versus reactive. And, in a fast-paced world where attention is a precious

and ever-thinning commodity, sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to discover

you or solely relying on experimental grassroots campaigns may cannibalize your

opportunity to generate industry-wide attention, your way.

Let's not forget that some of the very bloggers who are suggesting that great products

or people don't need PR are also among the first to tell you that they will not cover your

news once the first person has already written about it, citing that it's "old news" - even if

it's only a few minutes old.

There are some incredibly adept PR professionals who can help companies do the right

thing, the right way. There are also many more PR people simply working the grind and

dispassionately pumping out garbage and tarnishing the PR industry in the process.

With that said, there are some new, clever, and innovative ways to break news

nowadays and any smart executive would be unwise and practically irresponsible to

issue news without first researching published strategies or consulting experts prior to

releasing potentially momentous information - whether they ultimately do it on their own,

do nothing, or contract a consultant or agency.

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PR after all, is much more than press releases, canned pitches, and email blasts.

Now that doesn't mean that Public Relations isn't broken.

It absolutely is...

Traditional Public Relations is old and most of the principles, methodologies, practices,

and tactics have gone unchanged for decades. But, what has changed is that these

processes are no longer as effective as they once were.

The reality is that the Web (1.0 + 2.0) has forced the transformation of the PR business

from the edge toward the center - albeit slowly. Make no mistake, it's improving.

As I wrote earlier this year in "PR 2.0 = The Evolution of Public Relations, Nothing Less,

Nothing More," the reinvention of public relations was sparked ten years ago and its just

now gaining momentum.

1) PR as an industry is in dire need of evolution in order to not only stay relevant, but

also prove that in the social economy, it can be one of the most effective forms of

marketing that cultivates customers, ambassadors, and enthusiasts.

2) Social Media is not New PR. It is a classification of “socialized” media and it is

inspiring new PR, but they are not one in the same.

3) Darwinism will weed out those who don’t get it as well as those who pretend to get it

(even if they don’t realize they don’t get it).

Those PR professionals that get it, will understand that much in the same way bloggers

have created and earned notoriety and influence, that they too can harness the

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democratized, Social Web to cultivate an influential platform for which to help

businesses generate strategic mindshare and presence. However, it requires an entirely

new approach, mindset, commitment, and re-dedication to improving your craft, and

with it, the rest of the industry will follow in your footsteps.

Welcome to what just may be the greatest evolution in the history of PR.

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Reinventing Crisis Communications for the Social Web

Source

Businesses, individuals, and organizations will, from time to time, make honest mistakes

or in some unfortunate cases, intentionally support unethical decisions to dissuade or

conceal something significant from its public.

Whether it's an oversight or a matter of deception, savvy companies usually employ and

deploy a crises response team to prepare for, manage and attempt to positively spin the

potential backlash from customers, partners, and employees related to almost anything.

Crisis communications is a branch of PR that is designed to protect and defend an

individual, company, or organization, usually from a reactive response, facing a swelling

public challenge to its reputation, brand, and community.

Throughout the course of history, we've learned that all that's required to ignite a

negative firestorm is a spark from a single voice or an organized congregation.

If a conversation takes place on the Web and you're not there to hear or see it, did it

really happen?

More often than not, we miss the very things that provide insight into a future response

simply because we're not conditioned or trained to proactively discover and diffuse

threats or negative experiences.

Our weakness, however, is also our opportunity to manage and also respond to any

potentially damaging or menacing public groundswell.

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Conversations related to your brand, company, executives, products, and competitors

take place each and every day, without our knowledge and perhaps worse, without our

participation.

In the era of the Social Web, a story, and the ensuing public recruitment, rallying, and

support, can rapidly spread unlike any crisis wildfire witnessed or experienced in

previous generations.

Social Media is pervasive. At the very least, it is transforming how we communicate with

each other and also how we discover and share information. As the adoption of Social

Tools and applications progresses from the left to the right of the bell curve, Social

Media will simply coalesce back to "the Web." But, its migration, exploration,

experimentation, and education will only contribute to its significance and resilience and

ultimately change behavior and expand the infrastructure for corporate communications

in the process. Regardless of genre, the sum of all social channels today equate to a

powerful, influential, and revolutionary archetype for exposing and diffusing public

opinion.

Perception is formed through the unique, individually-filtered experiences we each bring

to the table. In that regard, our brand, and more specifically, our actions are open to

public interpretation, support, and dissection. It’s what you say about you, what they

hear, how they share that story, and how you weave that insight into future product and

service iterations, communications, corporate infrastructure, and public conversations.

The tools and platforms available today are sophisticated, evolved, and designed for

social distribution and redistribution. The Social Web forces a new level of

understanding and participation in order for all communications professionals, in

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addition to crises response and reputation management teams, to understand its

dynamics and the prevalence of information, positive, neutral, and especially negative.

To date, crisis communications and reputation management were relegated as a

reactive response, while the groundwork for a potential predicament and the

development of strategic communique is among the best practices for proactive crisis

planning.

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The traditional crisis communications planning and response workflow:

> Crisis Planning

> Negative Groundswell

> Crisis Response

> Public Relations

> Assessment/Monitoring

In the Social Web, I propose that many, if not a majority of potential crises are now

avoidable through proactive listening, engagement, response, conversation,

humbleness, and transparency (repeat).

I'd like to introduce you to an old, but new again, dynamic process to integrate into the

existing corporate communications and marketing workflow. Today's social tools and

communities that can work against us, can also work with us, when proactively

managed and embraced with an open mind, sincere intent, and genuine participation.

> Active

> Listening

> Observation

> Conversation

> Learning

> Planning

> Continued Adaptation and Engagement

The art and science of proactive listening, observation, and participation will not only

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inspire the creation of in touch, relevant, and poignant PR and marketing strategies, but

will also dramatically reduce the potential for reactive response and crisis

communications programs. Crisis communications teams can also partner with those

responsible for monitoring online brand reputations (ORM - online reputation

management) or vice versa, to jointly listen, respond, and incite change from within.

This creates a more effective "public relations" organization.

The point is that this is about proactively diffusing visible, but not yet large-scale

predicaments before they're full-blown public crises. And, also through direct listening,

engagement, and actively addressing concerns both inside and out of the organization,

we're diverting the momentum from tropical storms before they have an opportunity to

form unforeseen and unanticipated hurricanes. It's the ability to avoid a storm without

knowing a storm was brewing by identifying weaknesses and opportunities as they

emerge.

This is community-driven communications in its purest form which begets a community-

focused and customer-centric organization.

Everything starts with openness and the ability to learn and adapt. It's the acceptance

that it doesn't matter if the customer is always right. After all, a happy customer will

share their good fortune with a group of friends and peers, but an unhappy customer will

tell everybody.

Perception is everything.

For communicators, it's our role to actively listen and translate conversations into

actionable next steps. It's not an automated process. It requires dedication and

empowerment. Much of this responsibility is falling upon community managers and the

new role of research librarians who are quickly acclimating to online conversations and

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how and where they apply to the internal decision makers, traffic coordinators, and

metrics analysts. By partnering with these new, socially adept resources, Public

Relations can more accurately and genuinely participate with influencers, whether

they're media, analysts, bloggers, or tastemakers. When we step back and assess our

markets, we just may find that they're collectively one in the same.

What if you don't yet have these roles or resources to help you listen and follow

meaningful conversations? It's not impossible for you to proactively monitor

conversations and the cultures and behavior associated within each digital society in

order to identify and prioritize opportunities for engagement, reform, and evolution.

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Start with using free search blog search tools such as:

- blogsearch.google.com (set up Google Alerts via RSS or email)

- Technorati

- Blogpulse

As we all know, or should know, the social web extends far beyond blogs, relevant

online conversations are pervasive and rampant in social networks and microforums as

well. In that regard, be sure that your initial waves of search include:

- search.twitter.com

- Ning

- Facebook

- Google and Yahoo Groups

- Uservoice

- Getsatisfaction

For those with a moderate budget to evaluate dedicated SRM (social media relationship

management) or ORM tools, consider:

- Trackur

- BuzzGain

- Radian6

- BuzzLogic

- BrandsEye

Search for keywords related to your business, such as the company and product name,

key executives, as well as scouting discussions for the "suck" or "die" factor. This

includes adding a combination of the following criteria in your search process:

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- "product+sucks"

- "company+sucks"

- "die+company"

- "i+hate+company"

As the Web itself grew in pervasiveness, it also paved the way for customers to easily

launch sites to vent publicly. Examples already number in the thousands, with some

capturing significant public attention including starbucked.com, ihatestarbucks.com,

boycottwalmart.org and againstthewal.com.

Fairwinds recently released a study that documents the power of Internet gripe sites.

The Wall Street Journal explored the topic with an in-depth article, "How to Handle

'IHateYourCompany.com,'" which explored what some companies are doing, or not

doing, to protect their brands online.

In its study, FairWinds researched the Web to identify gripe sites specifically containing

"sucks.com." The study uncovered over 20,000 domains with only 2,000 ending in the

phrase "stinks.com." Of the major consumer-facing companies surveyed, only 35% own

the domain name for their brand followed by the word "sucks."

But domain names are only one of the many opportunities for customers to share their

discontent, and in the new era of the two-way web, communications, customer service,

and brand and reputation management teams must all work together together to

actively survey the landscape to detect and diagnose negative experiences.

The Social Media and conversation landscape is a diverse universe. In order to identify

a potentially dangerous asteroid on a glancing or full-blown collision course with your

brand, you'll also need a powerful telescope, or, a "Conversation Prism."

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The Conversation Prism was designed to provide a snapshot view of dialogue within

mainstream and vertical social networks and communities that may be consequential to

your brand. Every network provides a search box to unearth threads of discussions tied

to connected keywords and inherent developments, negative or positive, that may affect

the company brand and reputation.

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Conversations and developing crises are probable across a multitude of online

channels, including:

- Blogs and Comments

- Microcommunities aka Microforums

- Social Networks

- Lifestreams

- Customer Networks

- Groups

The ensuing conversations tied to your brand can quickly and easily amass, across

multiple networks simultaneously. Don’t let those conversations fall upon deaf ears.

For the first time, we have the ability to identify and address potential crises as they

surface. And not only do we have the ability to engage with people to address their

grievances or discontent, we can also learn from each engagement and feed the

corresponding lessons, experiences, and criticisms back into the sales, service, and

product development departments to change everything for the better.

It's the difference between simply placating customers and improving our business and

products to satisfy many others who would have been potentially exposed to a potential

deficiency.

Customers are among the new influencers and have the tools and platforms readily

available to them in order to share their experiences and potentially incite the masses.

It's not just about the gripes we've identified, it's about the dialogue and actively and

publicly addressing each issue to minimize the unforeseen eruptions from those who

have yet to publish or rally others against us.

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While our control has been crowd-sourced, perception management and crisis

communications are ours to lead. Perception is reality and it's our responsibility to invest

in the relationships and the correlated activities that will help us cultivate and manage

an industry leading, market relevant, and in-tune brand.

Listen, learn, and adapt. In the Social Web, and in the real world of business,

companies will earn the relationships, and the crowd-sourced brand, they deserve.

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Leading Blog Kills The Embargo, But PR Holds the Smoking Gun

Credit

In what is sure to come as an absolute surprise to the tech PR industry, TechCrunch

proclaimed that it will no longer honor embargoes, unless they're granted exclusivity.

The move was triggered by a growing pattern of underhanded and also irresponsible

behavior in the backchannels of PR and blogger relations.

We are all guilty.

The problems are two-fold:

a) Unethical or opportunistic bloggers or reporters looking for an edge will break a story

ahead of the agreed-upon embargo, even if only by one minute, in order to appear as if

they got the scoop.

b) PR, continuing to use a broadcast methodology to pitch and place news, freely and

foolishly wield embargoes as if they're simply "scheduled" times for a press release to

cross a wire.

According to Michael Arrington, "The reason this is becoming a larger problem is

because there is no downside to breaking embargoes. The PR firm gets upset but they

don’t stop working with the offending publication or writer. You get a slap on the wrist,

and you break another embargo later that day. Our new policy is to break every

embargo. We’ll happily agree to whatever you ask of us, and then we’ll just do whatever

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we feel like right after that. We may break an embargo by one minute or three days.

We’ll choose at random. There will be exceptions. We will honor embargoes from

trusted companies and PR firms who give us the news exclusively."

In the comments section of the TechCrunch post, Richard MacManus, Editor-In-Chief of

another popular tech blog, ReadWriteWeb, commented on a particular portion of the

new policy, which sparked an open dialogue between MacManus and Arrington.

MacManus, “There will be exceptions. We will honor embargoes from trusted

companies and PR firms who give us the news exclusively. Nice."

Arrington, "Actually Richard, you guys (ReadWriteWeb) and others like GigaOm are the

good guys. I have no[t] problem working with you."

MacManus, "And ditto, I have no problem working with you or other blogs. But seriously

I don’t think asking PR firms and startups to give you exclusives is the way to go. That’s

asking them to choose which blog they want to get on, and of course they will opt for the

biggest one. It’s unfair to put that choice onto PR firms and startups too. It basically

means that startups probably won’t be covered by other top blogs if they give an

exclusive to someone else. Maybe that’s something they’re ok with, but I think it’s

unnecessary as all the best blogs have a unique take on the good stories. So I take

your point that breaking embargoes is ruining it for everyone, but exclusives isn’t the

answer imho."

At this point, arguing over whether the response and the new policy is right or wrong, is

moot and useless when compared to the potentially grim future facing PR.

Is the act of breaking embargoes as retaliation to deserving or undeserving companies

the answer?

The Art and Science of Blogger Relations by Brian SolisPage 89

No.

But the resolution with TechCrunch and other bloggers and media in every industry

rests among those who practice PR, whether they're PR or marketing professionals or

the founders of companies who choose to employ DIY PR.

TechCrunch's response is not isolated, nor is it relegated to the technology sector. I

would bet that every blogger and reporter shares this sentiment daily, with some already

publishing similar "no embargo" policies.

But, are you really surprised that it has come to this?

We can't blame TechCrunch however, we have to hold up the mirror and take a deep,

honest, and introspective look at our role in this debacle, as well as the overall branding

crisis that shrouds the PR industry.

The truth is that embargoes are special. They are not supposed to be used as a "PR

trick" for locking-in stories with anyone and everyone. Ideally, they're strategically

reserved for important stories and they're only effective when used in a "less is more"

approach. Embargoes ARE NOT dead, however, they need to be practiced with great

focus and respect. I guarantee you greater results and stronger relationships if you work

with a smaller group of trusted and relevant contacts rather than embargo spamming

everyone from the A-list to the C-list in your wish list.

Yes, there's pressure to send your news to everyone.

Yes, we're judged by quantity, not quality.

The Art and Science of Blogger Relations by Brian SolisPage 90

Yes, it's not fair

So what are you going to do about it?

Start by pushing back. But, do so armed with the tangible reality that there are

consequences for not learning or emboding a "less is more" approach.

Print this post, the original TC post, and the following articles and share them with

decision makers (this is just a short representation of the thousands of recent and

readily available articles screaming for PR to change):

Michael Arrington

Chris Anderson

Gina Trapani

Duncan Riley

Steve Rubel

Robert Scoble

RWW - Why and How Embargoes Work

The Poster Child for Everything Wrong in PR

Next, contact a few key individuals and work with them, one on one, to develop an

important story under embargo. Remember, less is more and ALWAYS ask first before

arbitrarily sending embargoed information. Monitor the results using site traffic,

registrations, sales, referrals, linkbacks, conversations, and host of "old but new" tools

for measuring PR success.

PLEASE READ: PR doesn't stop after the news breaks. Tomorrow's PR is powered by

a medley of informed, humanized, and participatory engagement strategies that help

stories flourish, not just from a top-down, one-to-many "influencer" campaign, but also

through direct, peer-to-peer and many-to-many conversations that connect with, and

The Art and Science of Blogger Relations by Brian SolisPage 91

inspire, your communities. The people who identify with your story, recognize relevance

and feel that they're "heard," will enlist as loyal, surrogate storytellers, who will

organically extend your reach and create opportunities for new relationships. In the

process, you will learn that people, whether they're reporters, analysts, bloggers,

customers, or peers, will redefine your interpretation and practice of PR from "media

and blogger relations" to true "Public" Relations.

The Social Web is serving as an unprecedented platform and repository for the

dissection and bashing of individual PR people, companies, and agencies. Its influence

is only gaining force. Time is running out for those who choose to operate within the

confines of an aging and broken model of Public Relations.

We, as an industry, must immediately embody the transparency and focus required to

engage and cultivate meaningful and rewarding relationships with the very people who

can help us connect our stories to those they'll benefit.

This isn't email marketing. It's not a numbers game. There are real people on the other

side of our "pitch." This process must become humanized once again.

These are the new rules of engagement

This is the new art and science of breaking news.

Welcome to the new era of PR.

The Art and Science of Blogger Relations by Brian SolisPage 92

Brian Solis is globally recognized for his views and insights on the convergence of PR, Traditional Media and Social Media. He actively contributes his thoughts and experiences through speaking appearances, books, articles and essays as a way of helping the marketing industry understand and embrace the new dynamics fueling new communications, marketing, and content creation.

Solis is Principal of FutureWorks, an award-winning PR agency in Silicon Valley. Solis blogs at PR2.0, bub.blicio.us, TechCrunch, and BrandWeek. Solis is co-founder of the Social Media Club and is an original member of the Media 2.0 Workgroup.

Solis has been actively writing about new PR since the mid 90s to discuss how the Web was redefining the communications industry – he coined PR 2.0 along the way. Solis is considered an expert in traditional PR, media relations, and Social Media. He has dedicated his free time to helping PR professionals adapt to the new fusion of PR, Web marketing, and community relations. PR 2.0 has earned a position of authority in the Technorati blog directory and currently resides in the top 1.5% of indexed blogs. BrianSolis.com is also ranked among the most influential blogs in the Ad Age Power 150 listing of leading marketing bloggers.

Working with Geoff Livingston, Solis was co-author of “Now is Gone,” a new book that helps businesses learn how to engage in Social Media. He has also written several ebooks on the subjects of Social Media, New PR, and Blogger Relations.

His next book, co-author Deirdre Breakenridge, “Putting the Public back in Public Relations,” will be released by FT press in March 2009.

Connect with Solis on:Twitter, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Plaxo, Plurk, Identi.ca, BackType, Jaiku, Social Median, or Facebook

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