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Blogging & PR FAQs
Why are blogs important to the PR Community?
PR Visionary Phil Gomes, http://www.philgomes.com
- Feedback is immediate and accessible to a wider audience
- Distribution is free and worldwide
- “Influencer” takes on a broader meaning
- Google-enhanced collective memories are longer
- New ramifications for employee behavior
What should PR pros do immediately?
Techdirt Founder Mike Masnick, http://www.techdirt.com
1. Learn everything you can about blogging by visiting the A-list blogs
2. Groom a corporate expert to reach important niche markets or constituencies
- Customers
- Suppliers
- Communities in which you do business
- Media
- Employees
3. In your corporate blog policy, advise bloggers to contact PR if media interest ensues
4. Search for mentions of your company on www.technorati.com (tracks 11 million weblogs and 1.2 billion links), www.pubsub.com and www.feedster.com (search engine for RSS feeds)
How do I integrate blogs into my product launch?
Catherine Kitcho, http://www.pelepubs.com/launchdr
- Before launch: find out if techies have been blogging beta info
- During launch: hone market research by monitoring product blog posts
- After launch: monitor blogger relations (Voce coined term “Digital Advocacy”)
Can I pitch a journalist’s blog?
Dan Gilmore, Grassroots Media, http://bayosphere.com/blog/dangillmor
- Stand-alone journalism: 60 million individuals w. varying degrees of training
- It’s a digital megaphone, a proxy for putting your content on the Web
- Something new is being done TO your company beyond your control
- Embargoes not honored here
- Blogs are in-groups talking to other in-groups, all moving at the speed of light
- Not every posting is “journalism,” but every comment is free speech
How can I launch and maintain a successful blog?
Political Writer Chris Nolan, http://www.chrisnolan.com
- Find your audience (know your reader)
- Find issues with traction
- Write smart content EVERY DAY
- Include plenty of links to other blogs
- SYNDICATE. (It’s what makes blogs go BOOM!)
What if my company gets dinged or gets negative posts on our corporate blog?
Phil Gomes again.
- Post your own comment asking for a cxs; good bloggers fix their mistakes
- Post rules about what comments you will/will not allow on your blog
How can I generate revenue from my blog>
Kara Swisher, tech columnist, WSJ KSwisher@literati.net
- Business model is in its infancy and evolving rapidly
- Sell ad space on your blog or RSS feed
- Persuade readers to pay for premium content (NY Times will soon charge for Op Ed)
- Become a hosting provider (Since technology is free & tool vendors aren’t making much)
- The marketing value is priceless — isn’t that enough?
How will my blog save $ for my company?
Wired Editor Chris Anderson, http://longtail.typepad.com/the_long_tail
- Democratizes the communication process
- Minimizes per-transaction and per-touch costs
- Connects your constituencies and amplifies word of mouth
- Community relations easier than press relations
What are the biggest obstacles to blogging?
Content Creator Mar Junge, http://marspunchline.blogspot.com
- Technobumps — bloggers says it’s easy, but not everyone agrees
- Getting “blogged down” with reading the posts, researching coverage, etc.
- Writing fresh, edgy, personal, relevant content
How do I overcome these obstacles? (Shameless Plugs)
Thanks Business Wire (www.businesswire.com) for putting together a great panel discussion about the effects of blogs on mainstream media featuring the speakers referenced in this handout.
CommPros Group helps clients leverage their marketing investment through marketing operations, a cutting-edge discipline that reinforces marketing strategy with proven processes and metrics. We help small-to-midsize companies achieve measurable, profitable and sustainable outbound marketing by using the best practices employed by Fortune 1000 corporations. Visit www.commprosgroup.com and contact Gary Katz, 408-243-7881, cell 408-421-2421, gary@commprosgroup.com.
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