Goodness I am joining this conversation late, but I have a totally different perspective. I sell my handcrafted goods and I also blog a little about my items but mostly about design and the like. So, I am on both sides of the fence. In my case, I get more mommy bloggers asking me to send them my products for free so they can review it and keep it for themselves. I find this quite interesting, especially on sites with very low views. So, perhaps this is not the case with many of the larger blogs receiving items regardless if they requested them or not, just something to put out there. Many of the mom bloggers put the pressure on themselves.

If a PR person who pitches you pressures you, or does anything other than work with you, let them know you’re not comfortable with it. If they don’t, hit “delete.” If they continue, hit “spam.” --That's exactly what I do. I absolutely hate being pressured about what to write and how to write it. Not being able to put in my ideas sort of makes me want to stop writing. But then again, it's always up to me. That's why there's a spam/ignore/delete button. :)

Great post on a topic that is becoming more and more popular. As a pr professional I work really hard to customize my pitches to bloggers and to build a relationship by reading their site for some time before pitching, commenting on their posts, following and responding to them on Twitter, and, only if it's appropriate, sending them an e-mail. If they're physically located in my city, then I try to meet them in person at industry events, etc. Some really get the "relationship" aspect and we are able to have a comfortable and honest dialogue and if I've been mistaken that they might be interested in my pitch, they tell me and we move on. But to be honest, many don't seem too interested in forming any kind of relationship. It's a two-way street right?

I am concerned with the way this blackout is reflecting upon "mommy" bloggers. Do you hear of tech, entertainment and social media bloggers, as an example, staging blackouts? NO. So mom bloggers can't handle the stress and pressure that blogging entails? Trust me far more moms can than not. And if you are so burned out, a week will not help you. Which is another issue I have... why does everyone take this "vacation" at the same time? If everyone at a company took a vacation at the same time it would be a "walk-out" or "strike". Instead of rallying moms to stage a blackout... maybe it would be better to encourage them. Tell them maybe they need a break or give the PR rep another moms name. Teach them how to say "no". It is not PR's fault you strayed away from blogging about what was important to you. So why have the PR in the blackout? Just learn to say "no". And as some others have said, if you don't want to do a review or are too overwhelmed, recommend another mom blogger. Pay it forward... Karma is a wonderful thing. My best to all the moms who are burned out!

Fantastic article! Bravo. I just wrote about the situation here http://www.blogher.com/blogger-pr-blackout and couldn't agree more with your points. Except for one...when you give advice to "mommybloggers" that should apply to all bloggers. Plenty of blogging moms are also professionals who really do understand the PR industry and when and how to say no.

I am a blogger and a member of the MomDot community. I am also a contributing author on the site. And I was there when the idea of a PR Blackout was formed.   I liked your article, however, I think you missed the point a bit. We don't hate PR and we are not trying to boycott you altogether., We just want a vacation. We want to be able to have the time to go and interact with our readers. We want to write about our lives, not the box of Little Debbie snack cakes we were sent, or the Label Daddy we just got.   Because once you get into review blogging, it pretty much takes over your life.   Yes, the free products are nice, but sometimes it does not compensate for all the time involved with putting together the review. And if the rep wants a contest associated with the review, we end up making 2 cents an hour. It is us bloggers who have to run the contest, make sure everyone has followed the rules, pick the winner, notify the winner & the rep and then sometimes take flack because the company didn't live up to their end of the bargain.   Or you get the reps who never even thank you for your hard work or tell you that there was not enough revenue garnered from your contest. Then you feel like a complete failure. And you can kiss any future work with that PR rep goodbye.   Then we get the PR pitches to review a website. Unpaid reviews, that is. And when we politely decline, we get innundated with emails asking why we haven't posted, when are we going to post, etc. A few bloggers have even been called at home by the PR reps to ask why they haven't posted!   Is some of this pressure self-imposed? Yes. But not all of it. In order to make any money off your site, you need to sell paid ad space. In order to sell that paid ad space, you must have high stats & page rank. In order to get high traffic, you need exposure to drive readers to your site. Nothing drives traffic to your site better than a good giveaway.   So you work with a PR rep, review a product & hold the corresponding giveaway. You get traffic & maybe a couple of new followers. But your stats still aren't high enough, so you do it all over again. New rep, new product, new contest. And you continue on in this never ending cycle, hoping that one day your stats will be good enough to sell some ad space and start helping out your family's bottom line while doing something you used to love.   It seems that most PR reps want you to have the stats of Dooce or The Pioneer Woman in order to be deemed worthy of getting paid. It does not matter to them that you are an excellent writer and have a small. but loyal, following. If your stats aren't good enough, you aren't good enough.   I got turned down for Juice Box Jungle ads last week for this very reason. It seems that a lot of us got taken in by the MSM stories about Dooce & other Mommy Bloggers who support their families just from the ads on their blogs. I know I did. I ama SAHM and cannot work outside the home at this time (if there were even any jobs to be found, that is). But I can write pretty well. I thought I could parlay that into a small paycheck from my blog, but sadly, unless you are on the A-list, it's impossible.   I have had amazon affiliate ads on my site since November. I haven't made a dime. Google Adsense pays bupkis. But we can't do any pay per post jobs, because that will make Google drop our page rank and if Google drops our page rank, no PR will touch us.   Then we get bashed by other bloggers such as The Queen of Spain for doing reviews in the first place! I think she referred to us as carpet baggers. So we can't win, no matter what we do.   Then there is all this bashing of Trisha. THAT is puzzling to all of us CrackDots. Why does anybody care what we call this or why we are doing it? Why is it so controversial? And why are so many bloggers & PR reps alike saying she is doing this as a stunt & using her loyal readers to get attention for herself? This all came out of a Blog Talk Radio show about bloggy burnout and the pressure we were all feeling. From PR reps, our readers and ourselves. We decided to just take a break and try to see if we could fall in love with blogging again before we just up and shut it all down. That is all this was about. Really. It's not a stunt. It's not a marketing ploy. It's just a group of Moms who have too much on their plates and are trying to please everybody at the same time. Some of us are about to break. A couple already have and shut down their blogs.   I do want to stress, that while you wrote a pretty good article, most of the posts out there regarding this issue did not even bother to do their homework and check their facts before publishing. The C|NET article is full of inaccuracies and yet others are quoting it, calling it fact and using it to bash Trisha and all of us in the MomDot community. It's wrong and it hurts. A lot.   Even some PR have gotten into the mix and bashed Trisha. The best example is a rep who commented on the post at Autism Learning felt and called all mommy bloggers stupid and greedy. This person also accused Trisha of using us to drive traffic to her site.   So, as you can see, we get pressure from all sides. Readers, other bloggers, PR, our families and ourselves. No wonder we want a little break!   You can read my response to all of this controversy here: http://mylastshredsofsanity.blogspot.com/2009/07/pr-blackout-would-you-like-some-cheese.html   And I was pretty PO'd when I wrote it.

Re: PR pressure on Bloggers “Win-Win or No Deal!” This is an eye-opener, David, it never occurred to me that Mom’s blog could be yet another pressure cooker in her life. You’re so right in urging them to be as firm to the PR types as she is to her kids when they try to pr their way to more candy … NO, and “no means NO!” Your image of the dice says it well: quoting, I think, Steven Covey “It’s got to be Win-Win or No Deal.” Of course, a visionary would add the preferred third “Winner” – society as a whole. Have a great “Win-Win-Win” day everyone! Peter Holleley

You are right Dave... coming at it from an advertising perspective vs PR. But the lines are being blurred in a way within this social space... aren't they? Perhaps that's another topic for another day! I ask you to read this and would be interested in your thoughts... the same point... only reversed as it is client directed... or misdirected? ;) http://bit.ly/APU4c @_ian_barnett Good conversation!

I hope we're not on the verge of another PR black listing--this time for PR pros pitching bloggers. To avoid that situation, I would echo many of your same sentiments, Dave. Bloggers should also keep in mind, this is an evolving space. It's new. As PR pros, we're still figuring it out (you even said so yourself, Dave). That's not an excuse, just reality. On the other side of the coin, bloggers are going through the same issues. I should know. Like Dave, I'm a blogger, too. And we'll have to figure out how to work with PR pros, too. The comment that nails it for me, Dave, is your point about helping bloggers and finding a balance. You can help manage that better on the PR side by setting clear expecatations with your clients. Pitching the blogosphere isn't like traditional media. There are no wire services, to to speak. It's a different game. And like you said, you need to find a reason for the blogger to care. Not that much unlike traditional media relations (be a resource for the journalist, offer story ideas, be helpful, etc). I would argue in the blog world, it's more about engaging the blogger along the way. Find opportunities to make them part of the story. And look for ways to make them the hero for their audience. They'll love it. @arikhanson

"Spray and pray" tends to be the "traditional" way of getting the word out, and it takes a while before it's accepted that a more "localized" methodology (i.e. building relationships, getting to know who the right people to talk to are) might be more work, but it also has better short- and long-term results. I think blogger relations is just beginning that shift now. Hence women (and men) still inundated with products to review, or requests to do reviews. From the back end of things, I get an interesting perspective from time to time. We have a lot of conversations with bloggers, those who run blog networks and communities, and those on the agency side who do blogger relations. One of the applications of our data and services is content analysis, which, on the network/community and agency side, can give folks a better overview of who bloggers are, what they write about, who they engage with, and how much engagement they get. All metrics that can help with better targeting in developing blogger relations to facilitate reviews or whatever your goal is. And, at the very least, rendering "spray and pray" unnecessary.

I'm really glad you've sparked this discussion, Dave. It's important to our industry and to our relationships with both bloggers and MSM. The key, as many have said, is focusing on relationships. I agree and think a good first step is politely asking for permission. We shouldn't be sending anything (including a barrage of information) if a person hasn't told us they want to receive it. A simple call or email inquiry goes a long way. Followed up by an ongoing conversation. It sounds so simple. Why are some PR folks getting it wrong?

Ian - I'm with you and Eden on the disclosure issue. As far as pitching people with products goes, it seems to me that you're coming at this from an advertising standpoint rather than a PR standpoint (which is fine - multiple perspectives are valuable). Oh, and people who ask bloggers to "flog" a product are missing the relationship-building point. Treat people with respect; help them out; offer them a chance to try things out or check out something neat. If they want to write about it, great. If not, you've gained an opportunity to offer something more relevant to what they want next time, and you've preserved (or built the beginnings of) a relationship that can go beyond a single transaction and into the long term. My (additional) two cents.

I agree that bloggers and PR's need to be upfront and transparent about things. I know @ResourcefulMom has a button "Product Provided" that goes into a post when the product was given for review purposes. I've never been paid for a blog post yet, although I've been paid for web content creation plenty of times! *laughing* Transparency is key, I believe. Angela <

@Ian I share your concern about bloggers who don't disclose they are being compensated in some way and/or have received free products. Those in Canada who don't, may want to pay attention to what the FTC is doing in the U.S.

Dave, Great post with some great tips! When I saw the article about a PR blackout I was pretty blown away wondering "has it really come to this?" As a blogger myself and someone who works a great deal with bloggers (Mom bloggers in particular) I feel I have a pretty good pulse on how things are working and I don't think a blackout would solve any issues that may exist. What I think would address these issues are some of the things you've pointed out in your post. Most importantly PR representatives need to ensure that they are building those relationships with bloggers. They need to be doing their homework on each blogger and ensuring the fit is right for the brand. There doesn't need to be huge pressure put on the blogger - if it's the right fit and the partnership works for both brand & blogger then things usually run pretty smoothly. On the flip side, bloggers need to put themselves, their readers and their blog before the needs of the brand. While bloggers want to be "brand friendly", it's in their best interest to only take on relationships that make sense for them and aren't a force fit. Saying "no" to an opportunity to work with a brand should always be an option. I always like to remind bloggers to do what's best for their blog and readers - because that's what got them here in the first place. I think the idea that bloggers are feeling burnt out or exhausted from working with PR is a bit of a stretch (but would love to hear from bloggers who feel differently!). As others have pointed out - it's their blog, they can always say no if it's not working out for them. Kathryn Mom Central Canada www.momcentralconsulting.com

@Erin You make an interesting point about the amount of products your friend was reviewing. I'm not sure if her experience is typical (it's certainly not mine, then again I don't accept everything and I've had my share of food, drink and cosmetics to review) but it's an example of why as someone doing online outreach, it's not all about the numbers. A newer blogger with a smaller following may be more open to receiving products, the turnaround may be quicker and her community may be just as engaged, if not more so.

as a marketer I have aligned myself with mommy bloggers to get the word out. However, never have I asked them to promote a product! Why would I? Does that not contradict the point of blogging... unbiased editorial content? I have partnered with www.yummymummyclub.ca , www.msn.ca and more for some pretty large initiatives where bloggers are writing for us. However, not once have we ever told them what to say or what product to write about. Rather we have found bloggers that fit our clients brands NATURALLY and then simply sponsored their blog. Do they mention products... sure if THEY want to. Asking a blogger to flog a product isn't my thing... but I get it happens. My bigger issue is whether the blogger discloses that they are being compensated for writing about a product. And lets not confuse buying media on a blog with the blogger saying 'I love brandXXX'. You expect that TV or other media personalities are being compensated, Coke on American Idol, but a blogger compensated to write about a product. No. The average person expects that bloggers are just like them, people that have a voice, and not paid personalities. So my bigger question is "what is the best way for a blogger to write about products" vs. the timing question, I agree with everyone else... just say no!

Ooops, Thought I should leave our url just in case other PR people want to contact us! LOL! http://www.http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/

Thanks Dave for a voice of sanity amidst a growing clamouring of demands on mom bloggers/publishers. I have a stable of amazing writers who blog on my site. As more PR professionals discover their talent and clout,they are trying to get free placement in a less than gracious way. Remember these woman who blog have been working incredibly hard to create their loyal following. They need to be treated with respect and appreciation. Some of the PR companies we work with get that (thanks Harbinger)and ultimately get great stuff from us. Recently one of our bloggers wrote about an event they attended and graciously included a line about the product's benefits. The PR person sent an email asking us to link to their site and include other specifics about the campaign. A thank you would have been a more effective response for building a relationship Erica Ehm Publisher YummyMummyClub.ca

Really interesting post Dave. As someone who used to work at a PR agency and work with mommy/lifestyle bloggers (some of whom I now call friends!) I can definitely see both sides of the issue. I remember going to a popular lifestyle blogger's house for a client initiative and seeing a floor-to-ceiling cabinet, AND a large tupperware container, filled to the brim with beauty products. When I asked about it she told me that was the products they'd received in the last MONTH - and they were somehow supposed to review them all? There was no way it was possible. She acknowledged that they would likely review some products but certainly not all. I understand what bloggers and media outlets go through - that it's annoying to get inundated with irrelevant pitches, and it's impossible to review all the products sent. And I understand that PR people are just doing their jobs, trying to get their clients' products to resonate with these bloggers and then, hopefully, with the public. But any good PR person knows that you're sending a product or a pitch with no guarantees - the blogger doesn't have to review your product or write about your news, even if you have a good relationship with them. I think your advice is smart from both ends - for PR people, be targeted and build up relationships before you send your products. And for bloggers, don't take on projects you know you can't complete, and stay true to the vision of your blog - if that includes reviews of products that you truly find valuable, I don't see the harm.

@Susan - I thought the following paragraphs from your post sum up my thoughts on the original article quite well: "Today, mom blog site Mom Dot proposed that mom blogs should boycott PR and marketing offers for a week in August. The rationale has something to do with marketing firms taking advantage of mom bloggers by sending them free products. I think. Or maybe it was that mom bloggers are burnt out from the burden of doing product reviews. Something like that. I think. Seriously, I am not trying to be mean. I really cannot figure out the reason for the boycott. If product reviews are too much work, don’t do them. Or do fewer. If you aren’t getting joy from something, stop. If the value isn’t there, don’t do it."

Dan, So true re: which pitches you should accept. Why blog or talk about a product/service that doesn't resonate with you? As bloggers, we really need to focus on best practices and what works best for us and our communities. Otherwise, we're playing around with the most important commodity of all: Trust. Once we lose that, we have nothing. (Actually, the same applies to PR too, doesn't it?)

I wouldn't characterize Mom Dot as representative of the parent blogosphere by any stretch. It is but one site among thousands. I have more on this in my post at http://getgood.com/roadmaps/2009/07/14/file-it-under-crazy-s-fan-pages-for-pr-firms-mom-blogs-pr-boycott/

Totally agree, Dave - and I had the same reaction that you did regarding the "massive obligations" statement. Not only are you not obligated to accept every pitch that comes your way - or even every good pitch - but doing so only perpetuates your problem. (I'm not going to directly make a statement on the comparison to the CEO of GM, except to acknowledge that it's fairly out there.) Importantly, as a blogger, you have the ability to set your own timelines, as you point out. So, if you can't meet the obligation that the PR person is looking for from you without massive stress, DON'T TAKE IT ON. If you're inundated with requests, turning down the stressful ones shouldn't affect the bottom line too much. Plus, this forces the PR people to be smarter with their requirements - easing off on the stressors in order to gain their desired target. Sometimes, I think we all just need to take a step back and say "does what we're doing make sense?" Hopefully your post can be a catalyst in that process.

Bravo Dave! As you know, like you I am a blogger (sometimes even dropped into the mommy blog bucket) and working in digital PR. At the end of the day, it all boils down to relationship building regardless of which hat you're wearing in this equation. What I've always enjoyed about having my own blog is the opportunity to be my own boss and setting my own limits. I hope that's one of the things that appeals to my readers too. Thanks for keeping the conversation going in a constructive manner. Cheers, Eden

Goodness I am joining this conversation late, but I have a totally different perspective. I sell my handcrafted goods and I also blog a little about my items but mostly about design and the like. So, I am on both sides of the fence. In my case, I get more mommy bloggers asking me to send them my products for free so they can review it and keep it for themselves.

I find this quite interesting, especially on sites with very low views. So, perhaps this is not the case with many of the larger blogs receiving items regardless if they requested them or not, just something to put out there. Many of the mom bloggers put the pressure on themselves.

If a PR person who pitches you pressures you, or does anything other than work with you, let them know youu00e2u0080u0099re not comfortable with it. If they donu00e2u0080u0099t, hit u00e2u0080u009cdelete.u00e2u0080u009d If they continue, hit u00e2u0080u009cspam.u00e2u0080u009d

--That's exactly what I do. I absolutely hate being pressured about what to write and how to write it. Not being able to put in my ideas sort of makes me want to stop writing. But then again, it's always up to me. That's why there's a spam/ignore/delete button. :)

Great post on a topic that is becoming more and more popular. As a pr professional I work really hard to customize my pitches to bloggers and to build a relationship by reading their site for some time before pitching, commenting on their posts, following and responding to them on Twitter, and, only if it's appropriate, sending them an e-mail. If they're physically located in my city, then I try to meet them in person at industry events, etc. Some really get the "relationship" aspect and we are able to have a comfortable and honest dialogue and if I've been mistaken that they might be interested in my pitch, they tell me and we move on. But to be honest, many don't seem too interested in forming any kind of relationship. It's a two-way street right?

I am concerned with the way this blackout is reflecting upon "mommy" bloggers. Do you hear of tech, entertainment and social media bloggers, as an example, staging blackouts? NO.

So mom bloggers can't handle the stress and pressure that blogging entails? Trust me far more moms can than not. And if you are so burned out, a week will not help you. Which is another issue I have... why does everyone take this "vacation" at the same time? If everyone at a company took a vacation at the same time it would be a "walk-out" or "strike".

Instead of rallying moms to stage a blackout... maybe it would be better to encourage them. Tell them maybe they need a break or give the PR rep another moms name. Teach them how to say "no".

It is not PR's fault you strayed away from blogging about what was important to you. So why have the PR in the blackout?

Just learn to say "no". And as some others have said, if you don't want to do a review or are too overwhelmed, recommend another mom blogger. Pay it forward... Karma is a wonderful thing.

My best to all the moms who are burned out!

Fantastic article! Bravo. I just wrote about the situation here http://www.blogher.com/blogger-pr-blackout and couldn't agree more with your points.

Except for one...when you give advice to "mommybloggers" that should apply to all bloggers. Plenty of blogging moms are also professionals who really do understand the PR industry and when and how to say no.

I am a blogger and a member of the MomDot community. I am also a contributing author on the site. And I was there when the idea of a PR Blackout was formed.

I liked your article, however, I think you missed the point a bit. We don't hate PR and we are not trying to boycott you altogether., We just want a vacation. We want to be able to have the time to go and interact with our readers. We want to write about our lives, not the box of Little Debbie snack cakes we were sent, or the Label Daddy we just got.

Because once you get into review blogging, it pretty much takes over your life.

Yes, the free products are nice, but sometimes it does not compensate for all the time involved with putting together the review. And if the rep wants a contest associated with the review, we end up making 2 cents an hour. It is us bloggers who have to run the contest, make sure everyone has followed the rules, pick the winner, notify the winner & the rep and then sometimes take flack because the company didn't live up to their end of the bargain.

Or you get the reps who never even thank you for your hard work or tell you that there was not enough revenue garnered from your contest. Then you feel like a complete failure. And you can kiss any future work with that PR rep goodbye.

Then we get the PR pitches to review a website. Unpaid reviews, that is. And when we politely decline, we get innundated with emails asking why we haven't posted, when are we going to post, etc. A few bloggers have even been called at home by the PR reps to ask why they haven't posted!

Is some of this pressure self-imposed? Yes. But not all of it. In order to make any money off your site, you need to sell paid ad space. In order to sell that paid ad space, you must have high stats & page rank. In order to get high traffic, you need exposure to drive readers to your site. Nothing drives traffic to your site better than a good giveaway.

So you work with a PR rep, review a product & hold the corresponding giveaway. You get traffic & maybe a couple of new followers. But your stats still aren't high enough, so you do it all over again. New rep, new product, new contest. And you continue on in this never ending cycle, hoping that one day your stats will be good enough to sell some ad space and start helping out your family's bottom line while doing something you used to love.

It seems that most PR reps want you to have the stats of Dooce or The Pioneer Woman in order to be deemed worthy of getting paid. It does not matter to them that you are an excellent writer and have a small. but loyal, following. If your stats aren't good enough, you aren't good enough.

I got turned down for Juice Box Jungle ads last week for this very reason. It seems that a lot of us got taken in by the MSM stories about Dooce & other Mommy Bloggers who support their families just from the ads on their blogs. I know I did. I ama SAHM and cannot work outside the home at this time (if there were even any jobs to be found, that is). But I can write pretty well. I thought I could parlay that into a small paycheck from my blog, but sadly, unless you are on the A-list, it's impossible.

I have had amazon affiliate ads on my site since November. I haven't made a dime. Google Adsense pays bupkis. But we can't do any pay per post jobs, because that will make Google drop our page rank and if Google drops our page rank, no PR will touch us.

Then we get bashed by other bloggers such as The Queen of Spain for doing reviews in the first place! I think she referred to us as carpet baggers. So we can't win, no matter what we do.

Then there is all this bashing of Trisha. THAT is puzzling to all of us CrackDots. Why does anybody care what we call this or why we are doing it? Why is it so controversial? And why are so many bloggers & PR reps alike saying she is doing this as a stunt & using her loyal readers to get attention for herself? This all came out of a Blog Talk Radio show about bloggy burnout and the pressure we were all feeling. From PR reps, our readers and ourselves. We decided to just take a break and try to see if we could fall in love with blogging again before we just up and shut it all down. That is all this was about. Really. It's not a stunt. It's not a marketing ploy. It's just a group of Moms who have too much on their plates and are trying to please everybody at the same time. Some of us are about to break. A couple already have and shut down their blogs.

I do want to stress, that while you wrote a pretty good article, most of the posts out there regarding this issue did not even bother to do their homework and check their facts before publishing. The C|NET article is full of inaccuracies and yet others are quoting it, calling it fact and using it to bash Trisha and all of us in the MomDot community. It's wrong and it hurts. A lot.

Even some PR have gotten into the mix and bashed Trisha. The best example is a rep who commented on the post at Autism Learning felt and called all mommy bloggers stupid and greedy. This person also accused Trisha of using us to drive traffic to her site.

So, as you can see, we get pressure from all sides. Readers, other bloggers, PR, our families and ourselves. No wonder we want a little break!

You can read my response to all of this controversy here: http://mylastshredsofsanity.blogspot.com/2009/07/pr-blackout-would-you-like-some-cheese.html

And I was pretty PO'd when I wrote it.

Re: PR pressure on Bloggers
u00e2u0080u009cWin-Win or No Deal!u00e2u0080u009d
This is an eye-opener, David, it never occurred to me that Momu00e2u0080u0099s blog could be yet another pressure cooker in her life. Youu00e2u0080u0099re so right in urging them to be as firm to the PR types as she is to her kids when they try to pr their way to more candy u00e2u0080u00a6 NO, and u00e2u0080u009cno means NO!u00e2u0080u009d Your image of the dice says it well: quoting, I think, Steven Covey u00e2u0080u009cItu00e2u0080u0099s got to be Win-Win or No Deal.u00e2u0080u009d
Of course, a visionary would add the preferred third u00e2u0080u009cWinneru00e2u0080u009d u00e2u0080u0093 society as a whole.
Have a great u00e2u0080u009cWin-Win-Winu00e2u0080u009d day everyone!
Peter Holleley

You are right Dave... coming at it from an advertising perspective vs PR. But the lines are being blurred in a way within this social space... aren't they?

Perhaps that's another topic for another day! I ask you to read this and would be interested in your thoughts... the same point... only reversed as it is client directed... or misdirected? ;) http://bit.ly/APU4c

@_ian_barnett

Good conversation!

I hope we're not on the verge of another PR black listing--this time for PR pros pitching bloggers. To avoid that situation, I would echo many of your same sentiments, Dave. Bloggers should also keep in mind, this is an evolving space. It's new. As PR pros, we're still figuring it out (you even said so yourself, Dave). That's not an excuse, just reality. On the other side of the coin, bloggers are going through the same issues. I should know. Like Dave, I'm a blogger, too. And we'll have to figure out how to work with PR pros, too.

The comment that nails it for me, Dave, is your point about helping bloggers and finding a balance. You can help manage that better on the PR side by setting clear expecatations with your clients. Pitching the blogosphere isn't like traditional media. There are no wire services, to to speak. It's a different game. And like you said, you need to find a reason for the blogger to care. Not that much unlike traditional media relations (be a resource for the journalist, offer story ideas, be helpful, etc). I would argue in the blog world, it's more about engaging the blogger along the way. Find opportunities to make them part of the story. And look for ways to make them the hero for their audience. They'll love it.

arikhanson

"Spray and pray" tends to be the "traditional" way of getting the word out, and it takes a while before it's accepted that a more "localized" methodology (i.e. building relationships, getting to know who the right people to talk to are) might be more work, but it also has better short- and long-term results.

I think blogger relations is just beginning that shift now. Hence women (and men) still inundated with products to review, or requests to do reviews.

From the back end of things, I get an interesting perspective from time to time. We have a lot of conversations with bloggers, those who run blog networks and communities, and those on the agency side who do blogger relations.

One of the applications of our data and services is content analysis, which, on the network/community and agency side, can give folks a better overview of who bloggers are, what they write about, who they engage with, and how much engagement they get. All metrics that can help with better targeting in developing blogger relations to facilitate reviews or whatever your goal is. And, at the very least, rendering "spray and pray" unnecessary.

I'm really glad you've sparked this discussion, Dave. It's important to our industry and to our relationships with both bloggers and MSM.

The key, as many have said, is focusing on relationships. I agree and think a good first step is politely asking for permission. We shouldn't be sending anything (including a barrage of information) if a person hasn't told us they want to receive it. A simple call or email inquiry goes a long way. Followed up by an ongoing conversation.

It sounds so simple. Why are some PR folks getting it wrong?

Ian - I'm with you and Eden on the disclosure issue. As far as pitching people with products goes, it seems to me that you're coming at this from an advertising standpoint rather than a PR standpoint (which is fine - multiple perspectives are valuable).

Oh, and people who ask bloggers to "flog" a product are missing the relationship-building point. Treat people with respect; help them out; offer them a chance to try things out or check out something neat. If they want to write about it, great. If not, you've gained an opportunity to offer something more relevant to what they want next time, and you've preserved (or built the beginnings of) a relationship that can go beyond a single transaction and into the long term.

My (additional) two cents.

I agree that bloggers and PR's need to be upfront and transparent about things. I know @ResourcefulMom has a button "Product Provided" that goes into a post when the product was given for review purposes. I've never been paid for a blog post yet, although I've been paid for web content creation plenty of times! *laughing*

Transparency is key, I believe.

Angela <

@Ian I share your concern about bloggers who don't disclose they are being compensated in some way and/or have received free products. Those in Canada who don't, may want to pay attention to what the FTC is doing in the U.S.

Dave,
Great post with some great tips!

When I saw the article about a PR blackout I was pretty blown away wondering "has it really come to this?"
As a blogger myself and someone who works a great deal with bloggers (Mom bloggers in particular) I feel I have a pretty good pulse on how things are working and I don't think a blackout would solve any issues that may exist.
What I think would address these issues are some of the things you've pointed out in your post. Most importantly PR representatives need to ensure that they are building those relationships with bloggers. They need to be doing their homework on each blogger and ensuring the fit is right for the brand. There doesn't need to be huge pressure put on the blogger - if it's the right fit and the partnership works for both brand & blogger then things usually run pretty smoothly.
On the flip side, bloggers need to put themselves, their readers and their blog before the needs of the brand. While bloggers want to be "brand friendly", it's in their best interest to only take on relationships that make sense for them and aren't a force fit. Saying "no" to an opportunity to work with a brand should always be an option. I always like to remind bloggers to do what's best for their blog and readers - because that's what got them here in the first place.
I think the idea that bloggers are feeling burnt out or exhausted from working with PR is a bit of a stretch (but would love to hear from bloggers who feel differently!). As others have pointed out - it's their blog, they can always say no if it's not working out for them.

Kathryn
Mom Central Canada
www.momcentralconsulting.com

@Erin You make an interesting point about the amount of products your friend was reviewing. I'm not sure if her experience is typical (it's certainly not mine, then again I don't accept everything and I've had my share of food, drink and cosmetics to review) but it's an example of why as someone doing online outreach, it's not all about the numbers. A newer blogger with a smaller following may be more open to receiving products, the turnaround may be quicker and her community may be just as engaged, if not more so.

as a marketer I have aligned myself with mommy bloggers to get the word out. However, never have I asked them to promote a product! Why would I? Does that not contradict the point of blogging... unbiased editorial content? I have partnered with www.yummymummyclub.ca , www.msn.ca and more for some pretty large initiatives where bloggers are writing for us. However, not once have we ever told them what to say or what product to write about. Rather we have found bloggers that fit our clients brands NATURALLY and then simply sponsored their blog. Do they mention products... sure if THEY want to. Asking a blogger to flog a product isn't my thing... but I get it happens. My bigger issue is whether the blogger discloses that they are being compensated for writing about a product. And lets not confuse buying media on a blog with the blogger saying 'I love brandXXX'. You expect that TV or other media personalities are being compensated, Coke on American Idol, but a blogger compensated to write about a product. No. The average person expects that bloggers are just like them, people that have a voice, and not paid personalities. So my bigger question is "what is the best way for a blogger to write about products" vs. the timing question, I agree with everyone else... just say no!

Ooops, Thought I should leave our url just in case other PR people want to contact us! LOL!

http://www.http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/

Thanks Dave for a voice of sanity amidst a growing clamouring of demands on mom bloggers/publishers. I have a stable of amazing writers who blog on my site. As more PR professionals discover their talent and clout,they are trying to get free placement in a less than gracious way. Remember these woman who blog have been working incredibly hard to create their loyal following. They need to be treated with respect and appreciation. Some of the PR companies we work with get that (thanks Harbinger)and ultimately get great stuff from us.

Recently one of our bloggers wrote about an event they attended and graciously included a line about the product's benefits. The PR person sent an email asking us to link to their site and include other specifics about the campaign. A thank you would have been a more effective response for building a relationship

Erica Ehm
Publisher YummyMummyClub.ca

Really interesting post Dave. As someone who used to work at a PR agency and work with mommy/lifestyle bloggers (some of whom I now call friends!) I can definitely see both sides of the issue. I remember going to a popular lifestyle blogger's house for a client initiative and seeing a floor-to-ceiling cabinet, AND a large tupperware container, filled to the brim with beauty products. When I asked about it she told me that was the products they'd received in the last MONTH - and they were somehow supposed to review them all? There was no way it was possible. She acknowledged that they would likely review some products but certainly not all.
I understand what bloggers and media outlets go through - that it's annoying to get inundated with irrelevant pitches, and it's impossible to review all the products sent. And I understand that PR people are just doing their jobs, trying to get their clients' products to resonate with these bloggers and then, hopefully, with the public. But any good PR person knows that you're sending a product or a pitch with no guarantees - the blogger doesn't have to review your product or write about your news, even if you have a good relationship with them.
I think your advice is smart from both ends - for PR people, be targeted and build up relationships before you send your products. And for bloggers, don't take on projects you know you can't complete, and stay true to the vision of your blog - if that includes reviews of products that you truly find valuable, I don't see the harm.

@Susan - I thought the following paragraphs from your post sum up my thoughts on the original article quite well:
"Today, mom blog site Mom Dot proposed that mom blogs should boycott PR and marketing offers for a week in August. The rationale has something to do with marketing firms taking advantage of mom bloggers by sending them free products. I think. Or maybe it was that mom bloggers are burnt out from the burden of doing product reviews. Something like that. I think.

Seriously, I am not trying to be mean. I really cannot figure out the reason for the boycott. If product reviews are too much work, donu00e2u0080u0099t do them. Or do fewer. If you arenu00e2u0080u0099t getting joy from something, stop. If the value isnu00e2u0080u0099t there, donu00e2u0080u0099t do it."

Dan, So true re: which pitches you should accept. Why blog or talk about a product/service that doesn't resonate with you?

As bloggers, we really need to focus on best practices and what works best for us and our communities. Otherwise, we're playing around with the most important commodity of all: Trust. Once we lose that, we have nothing. (Actually, the same applies to PR too, doesn't it?)

I wouldn't characterize Mom Dot as representative of the parent blogosphere by any stretch. It is but one site among thousands.

I have more on this in my post at http://getgood.com/roadmaps/2009/07/14/file-it-under-crazy-s-fan-pages-for-pr-firms-mom-blogs-pr-boycott/

Totally agree, Dave - and I had the same reaction that you did regarding the "massive obligations" statement. Not only are you not obligated to accept every pitch that comes your way - or even every good pitch - but doing so only perpetuates your problem. (I'm not going to directly make a statement on the comparison to the CEO of GM, except to acknowledge that it's fairly out there.) Importantly, as a blogger, you have the ability to set your own timelines, as you point out. So, if you can't meet the obligation that the PR person is looking for from you without massive stress, DON'T TAKE IT ON. If you're inundated with requests, turning down the stressful ones shouldn't affect the bottom line too much. Plus, this forces the PR people to be smarter with their requirements - easing off on the stressors in order to gain their desired target.

Sometimes, I think we all just need to take a step back and say "does what we're doing make sense?" Hopefully your post can be a catalyst in that process.

Bravo Dave!

As you know, like you I am a blogger (sometimes even dropped into the mommy blog bucket) and working in digital PR.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to relationship building regardless of which hat you're wearing in this equation.

What I've always enjoyed about having my own blog is the opportunity to be my own boss and setting my own limits. I hope that's one of the things that appeals to my readers too.

Thanks for keeping the conversation going in a constructive manner.

Cheers,
Eden