I had the opportunity to attend several insightful and thought-provoking panels at the BlogHer ’11 conference this past week. First up: Bad Blogger Pitches (The Other Side of the PR-Blogger Relationship).

While PR pitches gone bad is an oft-covered (and rightly so) topic, I was excited to hear more from the other side of the table, from PR professionals at the receiving end of bad blogger pitches. This session was moderated by ad executive and blogger Liz Gumbinner (@mom101) and featured three panelists (a trio of Stephanies):

To kick things off the Stephanies started by offering insight into some of the bad pitches they’ve received from bloggers, which ranged from kind of bad (clogging up inboxes with attachments), to pretty bad (sharing their full life story, equal to three printed pages) to downright terrible (spelling the client’s name wrong). There were examples of bloggers reaching out without any understanding of the client’s business: “I love brand X, and I would like brand X to sponsor me. Just in general.” And there were examples of bloggers sending last minute pitches without any consideration for the planning process (“Can I come to X event tomorrow?”). Bloggers who assumed they’d have unlimited access to celebrities. And bloggers who said they’d do something and then didn’t.

So, with all these examples of what not to do, what advice did this team of PR professionals have for the blogosphere in order to establish successful relationships?

Put Together a Good Pitch

A good pitch understands the objectives. It shows that you know what the brand is looking for and what their business is about. It tells the person reading it what makes you special, about your background, what companies you’ve worked with and what you’d like to get out of the partnership. A good pitch is well-researched and provides benchmarks and case studies. Have you worked with a similar type of client? Share specifics and highlight compelling results.

A good pitch also demonstrates an understanding of metrics. Do you have a sense of demographics for your blog? Age? Where your readers live? Gender? Can you demonstrate that it’s read by more than just you and your family? Do you know how your readers feel about brands?

Good pitches also showcase your own social behavior. Are you active on Facebook and Twitter? What other channels/platforms do you use to leverage your content and generate additional awareness?

Be Creative

Don’t be afraid to blind pitch at conferences like BlogHer. Take advantage of small talk.

Have your elevator pitch ready. Bring your business card. Tell them why you love the brand or product. Ask if you can follow up after the conference.

Be Mindful of How You Present Yourself in the Space

Because people are paying attention. While blogging is all about self-expression, there is a need to be pragmatic. If your goal is to build yourself as a business and you want to work with big brands, you’ll make choices that guide how you interact in the space. That’s not to say that you have to censor yourself, but you should be mindful that many brands have standards and published guidelines related to ethical behavior in the digital space.

Ask yourself: if somebody sees this content and shares within their organization, would it prohibit them from working with me?

Show Me the Money

Not surprisingly, the conversation of compensation continues to be a hot and heavily debated topic within the PR and blogging communities. Also, not surprisingly, the panelists had different takes on what they believe to be appropriate. In the end, all seemed to agree that it depends on the context in each situation and that FCC guidelines are an important part of the equation.

Five Key Takeaways

So what does this all mean? I’ll boil it down to my five key takeaways from the session:

  1. You’ll know you’re ready to engage with PR professionals when you’ve found your niche, established a community and have a clear understanding of what makes you distinctive.
  2. If you come in and do great work for one brand, you’ve got a friend in PR for life.
  3. The key to a successful working relationship between bloggers and PR professionals? Understanding each other’s jobs and what you can do to make them easier.
  4. Heart and depth of content are most important. Really wonderful writing makes an impact.
  5. The metrics conversation has shifted from just sheer traffic numbers to engagement metrics. Demonstrating successful ROI is less about impressions and more about showing how a campaign or partnership moved the needle and improved a brand’s business.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from this session, which came from Liz Gumbinner in response to a question from the audience about how to pitch a relationship that isn’t about money. To the blogger who said they were interested in being read not making money, Liz said:

If you’re interested in getting your content out there, the world is your oyster.