I’ve always considered Wisconsin Mommy a PR friendly blog. I did my best to make it clear that I love to work with brands and (hopefully) made it easy for them to work with me. Since taking a part time position with a locally based, international clothing company, I have learned a LOT. Sitting on the brand side of the computer and doing a fair amount of searching out the right bloggers for a specific campaign and then pitching them has given me a whole new appreciation for how this whole dance works. It’s also given me a LOT of opinions on what bloggers are doing that might be keeping PR from pitching them – without even realizing it. Here are the top five I have come across (so far).
1) You do not have an easy way for me to email you.
This is first for a reason – it’s a BIG one! I work part time and most of my campaigns have hard deadlines I need to honor. If I need to spend more than 2 minutes searching for your email address, I am going to move on. Don’t hide it in your “about me” write up, don’t use a contact form – have a big ole EMAIL ME button or link, please. (About contact forms – I often will be reaching out to multiple blogs with one email and I need to add your email to the list and simply don’t have the time to fill out 50 contact forms.) At the very least, have contact me or email me as a menu heading. I understand that spam is a pain, I do. Feel free to put your email in the name (at) whateverdomain (dot) com format. I’ll figure it out, honest.
2) You have light text on a black background.
Just don’t. It hurts the eyes of most people and rarely looks good. (Yes, a select few can pull it off, but that’s probably not you. Really.) I am also going to expand this to include animated headers that blink, flash, or otherwise trigger my migraines and loud music or video that starts playing as soon as I open your home page. Luckily surfing blogs is part of my job, so I don’t get into trouble when your favorite Kenny Chesney song starts blaring out of my speakers, but some of your readers might be secretly surfing at work. Shhh – don’t rat them out!
3) Your blog is a cluttered mess.
Okay, I know that was kind of harsh – I’m sorry. But if I have to search through distracting backgrounds, haphazardly placed ads, and floating pop-ups to try and find your content, I am probably going to move on pretty quickly (as will many of your potential readers). I would love to attach some screen shots on this one, but I won’t.
4) All of your review posts are copied press releases and you don’t add any of your voice to the reviews.
When a brand offers you a review, it’s because they want you to share their product in a way that they can’t. You have a unique perspective and that’s what brands are looking for. Oh, and please include your own pictures. I know PR always offers “high res photos”, but we love to see you using the products in your real life situations.
5) You are all over Facebook and/or Twitter blasting other companies you have worked with.
I know this one is going to hit a nerve with some people. Yes, most of you are right when you complain about how you have been treated by brands or PR. No, PR should not renege on the promises they make you when you begin working together. However, decide early on if that method of revenge is worth what it may cost you in lost opportunities and then craft a policy for yourself and stick to it. You may feel better, but it rarely results in the targeted PR/brand saying “Gosh, you’re right! Let us give you all the things you are asking for!”.
If you are looking for a way to vent your frustration, try finding a marketing or PR contact at the actual company. You may find that the PR person is making changes without the brand’s knowledge. If that is the case, you may get better resolution with the brand itself, especially if you present it as “I don’t know if you realize this is going on, but I’d hate for your company’s reputation to suffer because of it..” You may get resolution or you may find out that the brand itself is behind the behavior. In that case, make a mental note not to work with that brand again and move on.
Okay, I know a lot of you guys also represent brands and search out blogs to work with. What did I leave off the list? Feel free to leave a comment with your biggest turnoffs when searching for blogs to work with.
Crystal @ Serving Joyfully says
Great post! Thanks for sharing your “insider info.”
Nikki says
You know, sometimes I have to just put my foot in my mouth and not say what I’m thinking in regards to how brands and PR companies treat bloggers and that can be really hard. (And in my experience it’s not been PR companies so much as it’s been a small brand or company that doesn’t have the funds to hire a PR person and so they are doing the outreach themselves).
I love this list, I’m off to make sure the site isn’t an eyesore and keep my foot close to my mouth. 😉
Linda B says
what an interesting post! I have the EMAIL ME button. I just need to keep all of these in mind. Thank you!
Sarah says
Thank you for sharing your insight! I will def check my blog to make sure I’ve done what you’re suggesting!
Elizabeth Atwood says
Great tips! I recently heard that you shouldn’t have you email listed because of spam, so I took it off. I’ll make sure to add it back now!
Maureen Fitzgerald says
Elizabeth – if you are concerned about spam, you can always list it as “yourname (at) yourblog (dot) com” At least that way I can still get in touch with you!
Meghan @JaMonkey says
I hate readying blogs on a black background, such a headache!
Jenn says
AMEN! I get so cranky when I want to refer a blogger for an opp and have NO WAY to find an email…
Rosey says
What a great job to have! It’s nice that you’ve taken the time out to share the tips.
Crystal Green says
I just added my email address to my home page! 🙂 Thanks for the input. I definitely want to be able to work with more brands. I love doing product reviews and giveaways. I enjoy earning income with my blog as well.
I just transferred over to WordPress and got my site hosted. So, I’m still in the growing curve with how to work WordPress.
Thank you so much for posting this.
Kate @ Songs Kate Sang says
Great advice! Thank you!
Susan says
I wrote a post titled, “I can’t read the text.” Not only are the issues you write about on text an issue, but there are a couple of others I’d like to add to that list. If the font is too SMALL – I can’t read it and I will move on. If it’s too light in color – I move on – I can’t read it. And those flashing widgets – they can trigger seizures in individuals just as they give you migraines. It amazes me how some bigger companies don’t optimize their sites FOR their website visitors…blows my mind.
Colette S @JamericanSpice says
I absolutely agree with all the animated blinky things going on in a blog. Please don’t! And they take forever to load too!
Tiffany @ The Bizy Mommy says
Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned! Aside from blogs on dark backgrounds, I really can’t do the ones with patterns behind the words! Ugh! I like the email button tip, I have mine in my About Me, oops. I guess I need to fix that ASAP!
Marie says
Great tips! Thanks for sharing some of your insider knowledge – I haven’t got to the point of working with brands, but am aiming for that this year! And I totally agree about the white writing on dark backgrounds….it is awful, especially when you then go to another site that is normal. It just makes my eyes go crossed!!!
Kathleen says
Great post. If a site has white wording on a black background I automatically click away. It hurts my eyes.
anonymous pr girl says
I work full time in digital with some big, big brands.
Nothing annoys me more than when a blogger decides to go rogue and contact the brand directly when they are unhappy. Do NOT do this. Big brands work with multiple vendors, especially in social media, and it confuses them. Trust me, they have no idea. If you have an issue with the PR firm, contact them directly, be courteous, and be nice.
And yes, bloggers who regularly trash brands or are all aout drama regularly get taken off our outreach lists. It simply is not worth it.
Maureen says
Anonymous – I couldn’t disagree more. Obviously, bloggers should contact the PR person first, but when a resolution cannot be reached, they should absolutely contact the brand. A good PR firm would have already given the brand a head’s up that there is a problem, so the brand should not be “confused”. I know the brand I work for would appreciate knowing if a PR firm was not handling an issue as it is the BRAND’s name that gets dragged through the mud.
@PamelaMKramer - A Renaissance Woman says
Great tips! I have to agree with the cluttered mess. It’s tough because even as a reader of blogs I run into the auto play videos and that drives me crazy! The pop up subscribe to my newsletter that comes up every single time I visit the site. There should be a setting. The floating social bars… Whoa! lol
Katie Spencer White says
Thanks for a great post! I am now off to check that my email is *abundantly* obvious, lol! Next question – how to get started with PR companies? I will be back again 😉
Anne says
Thank you for sharing… so nice to hear from that side of it from your “real-life” experience!
Kim @ LiaH says
Thanks so much for this informative information! I had all but the email button in check – and now there’s a nice little graphic right at the top of my home page under Interact that you just cannot miss lol!
Cassi says
I had been debating what to use for a contact me. If it’s better to have the email address rather than the form that’s what I’ll do!