Previously,
Part 01 : please don’t equate print publication journalists to online / internet bloggers,
Part 02 : please tell us what you want. In terms of coverage and
Part 03 : going to events / covering them is WORK for a blogger. People get PAID for WORK.
Fourth, yes, you can have the images to use in your marketing brochure for an additional price.
This one is more specific to me because I am a photographer. I shoot and edit for a variety of clients who hire me as their photographer and they get a blog post “free”. Photography is my priority. But even for other bloggers who are not professional photographers, in most cases you can use their low resolution web images WITH their watermarks – with their written permission please – and the use is usually on your own social media channels – so you don’t really need high resolution images anyway. Instead of asking a blogger to “Do send us the images”, if you don’t know how it works, ASK.
It’s the same with content. Bloggers, ideally, create their own content. There are some who literally copy and paste from press releases and I’m sure that works for them but it doesn’t work for me. If I receive a press release from a brand in my inbox, at best I delete it and at worst I mark the email as spam. Remember, NOT TRADITIONAL PRINT MEDIA.
The lovely people who read and view my blog posts are not idiots and I will not churn out a blog post for the sake of fulfilling a certain number of views per month. In any case most press releases in India are full of shit.
A personal note saying, “Hey Naina, my client’s brand did this cool thing and I wanted to share it with you – in case you would like to do a story related to the subject, I’ll be happy to setup a call to discover how we might work together. Thanks!” and then attach the press release to your email and take it forward if they respond – instead of bombarding their email with the same message three times. ( Burberry PR in India, I’m looking at you. ) What’s even better is to suggest what the client might have in mind and then ask if the blogger would like to discuss more ideas.
Bloggers don’t just “blog”, there’s a lot more going on here. Original content creation, images to support the story, real-time reporting ( from an event ), ideas for stories that the client can use with other bloggers and media, etc. We like to be business partners, not fly-by-night operators.
“Have you seen my blog?” I ask on the phone call I received from PR and in response to the half dozen texts I receive from them literally begging me to share their client’s press release. And what do I get in response, “Um. Not really no.”
Where’s the business sense in that? It’s a cold call at best and worst.
Stop emailing those Press Releases!
Please do add your comments / suggestions / ideas in the comments section – if you, as a PR Agency / Prospective client would like some specific questions answered or if you’re a blogger and have something you’d like PR Agencies / Prospective clients to know.
The entire “How To Work With Bloggers” series.
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1 comment
Really like all the 4 posts. Great help. Good luck 🙂
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