Hi All! Continuing on from last weeks Straight Talk From PR we are going to talk today about common mistakes and missteps that mom bloggers make in working with PR. Hopefully by hearing from them directly we can all avoid some of these and keep building professional, lasting relationships!What is the biggest mistake mom bloggers make in working with you?
“I would say it’s being difficult to work with. Not answering emails, not meeting deadlines, or just not being nice. As a PR person, I often hear horror stories from my blogger friends about PR folks who are rude and unprofessional. It works both ways though. If I have a bad experience working with you, it’s likely I won’t include you in future outreach even if your numbers are high.”
“What a great question! Usually we only hear about the mistakes PR people make in communicating with bloggers.One of the biggest mistakes is lack of communication. I understand bloggers are really busy (I am really busy too!) and that e-mails can get lost. However, when a blogger requests a product to review, then I send the blogger product, and then I never hear from them again – that is a big no-no. If you don’t like the product, let me know. If you can’t review the product due to time constraints, etc., let me know. All I’m really looking for is communication and feedback.Also I think that bloggers should remember to always act professionally. If you have a conflict or issue with a particular PR person, you should take it up with them on an individual basis”
What turns you off of a mom blog?
It can be a turn off when I get emails from bloggers just to ask for free product or sponsorship without expressing interest in my clients, campaigns or even just me personally. It’s the same feeling I’m sure many bloggers get when PR people blast pitch them without any personalization or knowledge of their content/audience. Plus it’s hard for us because most times we don’t have samples laying around we can give out.It’s much better for the bloggers and for me to email me or tweet me to start a relationship. Even just asking what I’m working on and what’s in the pipeline. Then when I’m working on an outreach plan for a specific program I can say “I should include XX in that school supplies campaign, because she mentioned her kids are getting ready for back to school.”
The only thing that turns me off is a cluttered blog. As an avid blog reader, I dislike going to a blog and not being able to find the actual content amongst all the blog flair. Whether it’s flashy buttons or advertisements, sometimes I find it hard to focus on the actual content of a blog amongst all the flair.
I work on a lot of family friendly campaigns so I tend to pass over bloggers that use foul language excessively or discuss r-rated or politically incorrect topics. It is not that I personally am offended by it but I could never sell that blogger to my clients.
So, there ya have it folks. Some landmines you can now thankfully avoid thanks to our fabulous PR friends.I am curious, though. What about you? What turns you off of a blog??
this was a helpful post, I am just now working on growing my blog, I am hoping to eventually have a few ads or work with PR people.The big turn-offs for blogs, for me, are-music on blogs. (everyone has the stop button in a different place, though most often way at the bottom of the page, I have to scroll way down looking for a way to stop it…often, my kids will have turned up the volume on my computer and I will get a late at night heart attack when the music goes on!) or, it's just annoying while I am trying to read or comment.-blogs that have busy backgrounds that take forever to load. I am left looking at light colored script, trying to read it while it loads. I will often just click away to somewhere else.-blogs that are too cluttered in the margins, have blinking boxes.-partial content. I'm getting used to it, but I prefer to not have to click to read the article.
I agree on the music. I hate when I am not expecting it and it scares me.
Great post again Barb! Thanks for the facts.My recent post Traveling with Kids: Harder Than It Looks! {Guest Post}
I think I agree with the cluttered look. It’s just too overwhelming. I want to be able to go right to what I want to read. I like personality to a blog, but when there is too much stuff, it’s a turn off. Oh, there is one other major annoyance to me. Poor grammar. I am no English major, but I find it difficult to wade trhough endless numbers of typos and misued words, punctuation, etc. I more than likely won’t head back to that sort of blog.My recent post Breathing Life into Your Blog
Thanks for the informative post!
I’ll second the partial/truncated feeds/content. I appreciate why it’s done, but the blogs that routinely do this are not on my priority to get read list.Music.No contact information for the blog owner..-= Yo-yo Mama´s last blog ..Trough =-.
Totally agree with the music, sometimes it can be startling. Blinking text can be distracting and take away from a great post someone has written, just as advertising in the content can take away from a great post. One mistake I made early on was that I didn't anchor my text on links.Thanks for the PR Monday's, Barb, they are SO helpful. I think I'm almost ready to get the nerve up and send a note to some of the reps you recommended in a previous post.My recent post 21st Century Learning
DO! They won't bite, I promise!
My blog pet peeves: Too much stuff. Difficult to navigate. Blogs that don't have an obvious follow me button. Blogs that are difficult to read (text blends in with the background). Music that automatically plays and can not be turned off.Those are just the things I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more!My recent post POM Wonderful Vinaigrette
Thanks for this informative post! Some mom blogs can have too many inside jokes going on that the occasional reader might not catch on to. I think my neighborhood blog is sometimes guilty of that but it's something I always try to be aware of.
Yeah, I don't like feeling like I am not part of the "in crowd" when I am reading a blog post
Great post!!!……..I'm surprised at how many blogs I have visited lately do do not have any way to reach them other than via comments – or if they do have their email, I had to dig and search to find it, same with twitter and other ways to communicate with the blogger – I was on a blog just the other day that was mentioning twitter in her post, yet never linked to her twitter page or gave her id, nor could I find it any where on her blog……….Please make yourself accessible!!
LOL! So, I just put my email in the sidebar thanks to your comment. I had it on the about page but now it is very obvious
Thanks for another great post in this series. I'm just soaking it in.I'm very excited to start building relationships and connecting with PR people. I'm taking a bit of a breather from the computer this week, just getting house and school back into focus and enjoying the kids.
Loved this. I have had some problems FINDING contact information other than email – like twitter addresses, etc. on some of the PR folks that contact me. It would be nice to have that on an initial contact email so I can check them out as PEOPLE.I can't even imagine how hard it is to track us (bloggers) down and then when we don't respond nicely…that just isn't nice!
Just stumbled this post – as an avid blogger who works with many sponsors, I totally agree with your main points, especially about beginning a relationship with companies first. I find Twitter is a great way to begin establishing a connection, as I have found many sponsors this way.Great post!My recent post Thank You
Very good as usual Barb! Saw some of your friends at Mom 2.0. we missed you.
Great post, Barb (and friends)!
Awesome! I just stumbled this post!
The things that annoy me these days are:1.) Scrolling marquee! Especially 3 million buttons for every blog you've ever read in a scrolling marquee. They slow load time down, annoy the heck out of you, and look unprofessional. It's like 'hey… so you just learned a new piece of code, huh? yeah. How about no.' If you want to display many buttons without the space just code a SCROLL BAR in the box. Much nicer and easier to click on if one catches your eye. If anybody needs any code, just let me know (ejsmomej at gmail). I am happy to send you a piece of code that doesn't make my head hurt. lol2.)Static Images on the side of a blog. You know when your looking at a blog and no matter which direction you scroll there is that little image that goes with you, blocking what you are trying to look at? they are so annoying!!!3.) Music or ads with sound. No. Just no. Don't do it.4.) Ads that open up HUGE if you roll over them with your mouse.5.) Little Big Man Syndrome… you know those bloggers that think they are god's gift to the interwebs? Ignorant to others and just use people to get ahead. Think their traffic and sponsors are WAY better than yours. Stepping all over people to get 'free stuff' and recognition. Are generally blogging for the wrong reasons (money, fame, free stuff). …yeah I hate those bloggers.i could probably go on. lolMy recent post Wordless Wednesday – Elijah's first police station visit
I think most of the annoyances have been covered…music is definitely one of my least favorite blog effects. As well, I often think that I'd like to email a blogger about specific idea or give a compliment and it's really annoying when you have to hunt for contact information. I don't even bother with blogs that are cluttered…they're time stealers!Thanks for this article and all of the PR info so far. It's really interesting and helpful.My recent post How to Grow a Successful Writer
I think most of the annoyances have been covered…music is definitely one of my least favorite blog effects. As well, I often think that I'd like to email a blogger about specific idea or give a compliment and it's really annoying when you have to hunt for contact information. I don't even bother with blogs that are cluttered…they're time stealers!Thanks for this article and all of the PR info so far. It's really interesting and helpful.My recent post How to Grow a Successful Writer
This was a really informative post to read. The comments were good too. I agree with the please no: pop ups and music. I often find myself coming down with cluttered sidebar syndrome and have to do a little cleaning when I realize it.