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Learning to speak a blogger’s language

One of the best ways to get word spread about your product or company is through other people. In the world of the web, the conversation that is spread typically happens through a blog. But it’s much more than simply pitching out your press release to the bloggers themselves. Long gone are the days when people were interested in what companies were saying and were eager to write about the latest products or releases. In today’s world, the bloggers are interested in how it genuinely affects them and the mode has turned to one of pitching to one of conversation.

I recently read Putting the Public Back In Public Relations written by Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge and it had some profound information on how to handle the relations between a business and a blogger. Granted, this book is all about public relations, but for businesses, shouldn’t this be important? After all, businesses should be interested in how the public perceives the company, not the shareholders, banks, investors, etc. Instead of publicity, which to me makes it seem like it’s a celebrity, the term “public relations” conveys a more congenial tone & reflects the business’s intention to serve its citizens.

So what exactly are some tips that businesses can use to reach out to bloggers?

First, learn what blogs exist that relate to your product/brand. Do some searching on sites like Technorati, Google, Delicious, even on Twitter Search and find out whether they are credible enough or not. Are other people citing their articles as evidence of their street cred? Would you be comfortable in their writing style and also do they have a big enough audience? This all falls in line with the next point, which is to read what the blogger is writing.

Perhaps the most crucial of all the tips I could possibly give, if you don’t actually read what the bloggers write, then how can you build a rappor or relationship with the author? Answer: you can’t. Imagine if you happen to be publishing a book or writing your own blog post about a subject you know very well – say it’s automobiles. Then, you get an email from a company out of the blue with a press release for their latest product. If the press release was on gardening tips and trends and they also wanted you to write about it using the info given in the email, you would find that insulting because first of all, that’s not your expertise and you’re not writing about it in the beginning, and second, you have no idea who the person emailing you is so there’s no connection.

What to do next? I’d say let’s look at the posts the author is writing about & since it’s in your industry, you might as well begin the conversation by commenting on some of their blog posts. No, I’m not talking about simiply saying “Hi. Great post.” but something much more interesting. Begin the conversation. C’mon. You are in the industry so you’re telling me that there’s not something you can talk about in a blog post about your industry? Either agree or disagree with something in the post and explain why. If there is a reaction to that blog post, then respond with a reply. Don’t just leave it with one comment and think that it’s enough…because it’s not.

Be authentic & upfront. If you’re going to have a genuine conversation and rapport with bloggers, then don’t lie to them because they’ll definitely find out. And if they find that you’ve been lying to them or have deceived them in some way, you’ll not only hear from them on their blog, but word will quickly spread not only about you, but also your company. Authenticity (yes, that word) is a powerful tool in getting bloggers to pay attention to you. If you’re upfront with them & tell them who you are when commenting or in your correspondence in emails, Twitter, Facebook, etc. then you’ll be better rewarded for it.

Speaking about correspondence, learn how the bloggers prefer to be contacted. I know that one of the most famous technology bloggers, Robert Scoble, prefers a certain method of getting contacted and if you don’t adhere to it, then you only increase the blogger’s ire & distrust as they know you don’t really know anything about them. Pay attention!

Putting the Public Back in Public Relations gives great details on how you should view bloggers. It should be noted that blogger relations will NOT happen overnight. Start now to cultivate these relationships. Another thing to take away is that you always want to be showing bloggers you care and in four distinct ways:

- Know who they are & why what you say is something they need to pay attention to.

- Customize your story to the bloggers. We’re beyond the generic story at this point.

- You’re an expert in the field and bloggers should respect that. You also know key players in the industry.

- Bloggers should view you as a resource NOT as a PR spammer. Learn to give info when asked & just talk.

Brian Solis has also published a free ebook on blogger relations that has much more detailed information than listed here.

As typical with social media and the web, the main point to take away is that you need to listen to the public and also bloggers. Read what is being said and respond accordingly. Do not fear what is being said and through active conversations, you will be able to generate a team of bloggers who will, from time to time (not all the time), be willing to write about your product.

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