Suggested Code of Practice for PR’s
This post is in respone to A Modern Mother’s post on a potential PR blackout.
The debate on reviews, competitions and giveaways on blogs runs and runs. I think that three simple things need to be present for these relationships to flourish.
A Relationship
As bloggers we want to be wined and dined a bit, we want a PR person that knows a bit about our blogs and perhaps the names and ages of our children, they know roughly where we’re located and a few things that we’re passionate about.
There seems to be an emerging trend of ‘blanket’ offers that is being perpetuated at our group hangout British Mummy Bloggers. I don’t think these shout-outs are particularly helpful, some of the problem is that there is too much of the same stuff being talked about in the blogosphere and it’s getting slightly dull. I don’t want to read ten blogs all talking about hand soap.
I’m taking the stance that unless I’m very interested in the offer I will not be responding to blanket offers anymore.
I understand that if PR’s only focus on a few blogs per promotion then I’m gonna miss out on a lot of cool stuff, but you know, I’m cool with that, why not share it around a little and I’ll gladly read about other people’s exciting experiences and enter contests (as long as I don’t have to give feedback, see below).
Something For The Blogger
This may be a hobby for us parent bloggers but if you want us to review a product or run a competition there needs to be something in it for us. As someone said, it may have been Susanna “you don’t work for free so why should we?”
The perks when reviewing Disneyworld are obvious, when you want me to do a shampoo giveaway, not so much. I need a little extra incentive to get involved.
Something For The Reader
Most of us parent bloggers write for ourselves but when we’re running giveaways or competitions or doing reviews we’re trying to give something of value to our readers. If there’s nothing in it for the reader, ie a free product, a chance to win something or valuable information then it’s not going to happen, not over here anyway, and that includes the kind of offer that I seem to be getting a lot of at the moment, which goes something like this.
Hi Littlemummy,
Love your blog. (Don’t they all say that!)
I’m working with X company and they have brought out this super-duoer, amazing, best yet, shampoo.
We’re looking to reach mums and dads through influential bloggers like yourself and hope that you will be able to help us out…
We can provide five bottles of shampoo for you to giveaway but we would like feedback.
Eh, no, so not up for this kind of thing, no relationship (see above), nothing in it for me (see above), and something small for reader, but then the insult of all insults they have to work for it too. Yeah, it’s not gonna happen, and PR companies may be getting away with this kind of tosh at the moment but it won’t last forever.
I’ve had lots of fun over the past few months, I’ve been to Disneyworld and Bunchrew House. I’ve received various things from DVD’s to food samples to children’s clothes, and we’re looking forward to our trip to Butlins in October. All these things are lovely, but if they stop tomorrow then so be it.
Many PR people (not all, there are many good ones out there, and yes Kerry at Digital Outlook you’re right at the top of that list) are going to need to raise their games if they are to succeed in promoting their wares in our corner of the blogosphere.
That’s my tuppence, and from now on I’ll sifting the offers and if any one of the above isn’t met then for me it’s a no go, and as I said if that means no more freebies then so be it, I’m not a performing seal. Here’s a little video of a performing seal to lighten the mood, and cos it’s my blog and I’ll put up whatever I bloody well want.
I've been blogging for four years and write about anything and everything that takes my fancy.
Above is me with my beloved Ernie in Port Aventura and left with our love child in Florida.
Themocracy
Hahaha. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head – it’s your blog – post what you like! The worst one for me was the guy who sent me brio to give away. 1: He wanted me to do the post even when the produce still hadn’t arrived 2: he pestered me to death about it 3: After giving it away (at my own expense!!!) he wanted the winner to do a guest post reviewing the product. Blimey! I was quite glad it didn’t arrive!
That’s an absolute joke, who do they think they are making demands like that.
I enjoy doing reviews, which is a big part of why I do them, but not when I’m being told what to do like some sort of puppet.
All of this when Disney can send you half way round the world with no expectation at all, and we’re all supposed to bend over backwards for a soap sample.
My life isn’t that exciting, but it’s more exciting than that.
I’m totally with you!
I went through a stage of responding to them to explain why I wouldn’t be taking them up on their very insulting offer and why I didn’t want to have a review copy of a new tweenager book for girls to get my 6 year old son to read.
I’ve given up now. I just bin them. Honestly it’s like being back on the newsdesk I used to work at when half the PR pitches ended up in the bin.
The frustrating thing is, they have a client who is paying them a lot of money to do that for them.
I’m sorry but ‘bend over backwards for a soap sample’ has thrown up a great mental image. x
Great post.
It’s interesting that the relationship between PRs and bloggers is going to follow the same path as the relationship between PRs and journalists…
By that I mean, most journalists view PR material as spam, and 90% gets binned immediately because it’s irrelevant, badly put together and something the PR has thrown out at everyone in his contact book.
It’s sad that no lessons have been learned, and so many PRs are adopting the same tactics with bloggers. That may well work in the short term, given that some bloggers are entirely new to the world of PR, but as bloggers get savvier (which they are doing, very quickly) I think the bad PRs are going to struggle to get coverage on any credible mummy blogs.
Nice post and I couldn’t agree more. Yes it’s your blog and you can do what you want!
As an avid blog reader I personally can’t stand the recent slew of identical posts with poorly written rave reviews. I am finding myself increasingly disappointed by this phenomenon amongst UK parent bloggers.
I feel there will be a few amongst us who are seeking to profit PRs posing as parent bloggers or folks setting up as PR-blogger experts.
I can only imagine how it will play out but hope that my favourite blogs keep their integrity or it will be a sad day for blogging.
It’s been like this in journalism for many, many years. Newsdesks routinely used to bin most of the press releases sent their way. There are some good PRs around – as you say, the ones intelligent enough to see this is about building relationships. I was approached by some good, professional PRs recently about a Keycamp holiday, for example. But I agree, the nonsense releases are just annoying and I’ve set my Spam filter to delete them. Do they ever generate any publicity, I wonder? Seems like a waste of effort!
I’m one of the bloggers involved in the PR Blackout ’09 and I also write for MomDot.com.
I think this article is something we need to see more of. PR needs to be nicer to us and the general competition between Mommy Bloggers needs to be way less.
The malestrom that we are being hit with right now by bloggers & PR alike is ridiculous and some of it is pointedly cruel. All because we want to go on a vacation and take back the reigns of our blogs.
I really don’t get all the controversy, but people can be downright bitchy sometimes.
Anyway, thank you for a well thought out post.
Hi Shan,
I’m not aware of the full extent of th issue in the US, but there is clearly an issue.
Here in the UK I think it’s important we tread carefully, I’ve been guilty of getting overexcited and accepting any and all offers, I’ll be being a bit more choosy in the future.
Thanks for this post, I found it very interesting to read. I know that I can’t stand to read very commercially orientated blogs or blogs that constantly do reviews or competitions. They really need to have some excellent other content to keep my attention.
I think it is up to the blogger to decide what they want to do. They will have to build their readership, and if they blog too frequently about products that noone is interested in then people won’t return to read them. Eventually it will all come out in the wash, and those bloggers who have something interesting to say will be read and those reviewing products noone wants to read about will not.
I’m shielded a bit from the PR stuff, noone wants to send their stuff over to Bosnia, and I can’t pop over for a trip to a theme park unless they want to pay for me AND the boys to get back to the UK as well. I like the book reviews, but can’t find English language books here so there is something in it for me (and the English language section of the local library which is receiving a very varied collection of books).
What does really surprise me is the vitriol being thrown about in the US Mommy Blogger arena about the PR blackout. The thing about blogging is surely that you can do whatever you want with it? More videos of performing seals please!
Thanks Brit in Bosnia, the US Mommys take their blogging very seriously.
Couldn’t help myself with the seal clip
Interesting post. It seems we are all still finding our way on this side of the pond and hopefully we can learn from the US bloggers’ issues and not come to a point like their current one.
[...] made my points about PR people contacting me with various promotions, and it isn’t the PR people themselves but their approach that has [...]