I see a new round of posts from bloggers complaining about bad pitching
practices by p.r. people. We've seen them before, and the latest come from Greg Verdino and CK, although CK in her follow-up post talks about a positive pitch.
Both are right to be frustrated, from what I can see.
I don't know how long it will take for public relations people to get it. And remember, this comes from a person (me) with more than 30 years in the p.r. agency business.
To a p.r. person, blogs are another form of media. Like each form of media, blogs have their own needs, requirements and etiquette distinct to blogging. Public relations people need to understand this and behave accordingly.
Mass pitches are not well-received by bloggers. (Reporters and editors at mainstream media don't always like them either, if they are poorly targeted.)
Bloggers don't like to be used. Some will talk about a product or service or book or whatever, if they honestly feel it's of interest to their readers. But the decision is theirs, and p.r. people have to learn to accept the word "no."
Bloggers don't like to get pitches or information that is totally irrelevant to what they normally write about. If I write about marketing, media and p.r., don't pitch me about a new camera or a book about pet grooming.
Don't think you can buy bloggers (at least most of them) with freebies. Offer stuff to us, if you want, but don't assume or expect that if we take it we will write wonderful things about your product. If we do, good for you. If not, that's the way it goes.
Too many of my fellow public relations professionals received poor training when they began working in this field. Many weren't told to be aware of and respectful of deadlines, for instance. And not to oversell. Chances are your new gadget is not the best thing to happen since sliced bread, despite what your boss or your client tells you.
A word to my fellow bloggers... There's nothing wrong with p.r. people pitching you and hoping to reach your readers with information about their clients' products. It's marketing and you, as a media outlet that can inform and influence readers, are fair game. It's your choice, totally, as to how you deal with pitches and information you are given.
Be frustrated with those who pitch you poorly, but respect those who manage to do it right. Even if you don't write about their client's sliced bread, please understand what they're doing is part of the bigger marketing game.
Update 7/3/07: Copywriting Maven Roberta Rosenberg has a good post on the subject. It's from a few days ago, but I just noticed it. Click here.