PR people are sitting up and taking notice because of us

Apparently PR folks are shocked to find out that we're onto them. Some important conversations are being had all over the blogosphere and, dare I say, within the PR companies themselves.

(By the way: Welcome to my blog, PR people!)

If you are a blogger that get PR pitches (or even if you don't...yet) please consider what these people are asking you to do. They are asking you to market their clients' products (albeit they are taking a risk by contacting you) for free. Whether you choose to do it is your decision and your decision alone, but just remember (I'll repeat The MommyBlogger Mantra now): Know your worth.

No one put it better than Mom-101 in response to 1) a bad pitch 2) a PR person brazenly asking her for a discount:

I am pleased you would like to advertise on Mom101. I am not pleased that you are asking for a discount considering it's what, 30 bucks for a week? It would cost more to buy a set of magic markers and make posters.

If you want your brand to have real estate on my blog and reach thousands of women, you are welcome to pay the full price. It is not my job to take a hit on the price if your creative is not compelling, creative, or clear enough to encourage people to click through. As someone with "a lot of experience with blogAds" surely you know that the prices are often paltry and out of step with other advertising programs. Asking mom bloggers - many of whom do this as their only source of income - to cut their rates is unconscionable

I got the same pitch, BTW, and I copied and pasted the above into my response with a note that said, "Yes, we mommybloggers do talk to each other and we're sick of being taken for a ride."

The issue of PR people not pitching to people of color—or worse, only pitching to them if they happen to have the stats to warrant it—is the one issue raised at BlogHer that I can't shake. I can't stop thinking about it, but what I know is this: We need more PR people like David Wescott in the world.  He has some very insightful posts up on his blog right now...and if you care to go through his archives, be sure to set aside about 348 hours reading and thinking time.

Mocha Momma—who got everything rolling in the first place, I'm just assisting—keeps on keepin' on.

Mom-101 is looking out for her peeps (aka you). If you like what she said above, keep reading.

Marriage-101 lays out some groundrules for PR people that should be tacked up above the urinals and in the bathroom stalls of every PR agency in America.

Thank you also to PR person/mom/blogger Susan Etlinger for her commentary.

And everyone (especially PR people) needs to read Lisa Stone's response to the whole deal.

Did you blog this issue?  Want to help foment change? Let me know and I will link you here.  Together, we can force these PR folks to listen to us. My brain didn't stop functioning the moment I had kids.

We have the power, they know it, let's use it.

Comments

[David Wescott]

Wow, Stefania. Thank you very much for your leadership and your sincerity, and your very kind words.

Mommy-bloggers are indeed an economic and political force and those who ignore them do so at their own peril. Because you're going to be exercising that power more every day.

[Marriage-101]

You are absolutely right! We are taking notice. We NEED to take notice. Our jobs and our credibility are on the line. Thank you for calling attention to all of these problems with PR and their blogger relations practices. It hurts to hear it, and I'm embarassed for those in my industry who have made these mistakes, but it will help us - and you - to know this, address it, and prevent it from happening in the future. Oh and ditto on what David said.

[Mocha]

Let's just combine those two key points you made for the maligned: know your worth as a writer and as a person of color. You have it. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Quickly, I'm falling in love with you, Stefania. Can I bake you some brownies and sit down with a cuppa with you? We'd go for hours and hours I think...

[Mom101]

Rock on, Stefania!

To be clear, I have zero issues whatsoever with ads on blogs or advertorial, or blogging for a roll of paper towels. I just want people to understand what the value is to marketers. Maybe what you get in return is traffic, community, or just a really damn funny post - and then that's fine.

Value isn't always about dollars.

[Dawn]

I'm a new mommyblogger. I don't have any ads on my mommy blog site, because I was just into writing it for kicks, but have started another site in the hopes of making a little money from ads. It currently looks like I'm a complete ho for Google ads - because I don't know another way to get started. Are there good resources For the newbies like me to check into to learn a better way? Reading what's been written since BlogHer is striking a chord with me, but right now I haven't been in this long enough to know where to learn from....

[KG]

Go, Stefania! I will be following this issue very closely...

While I'm not a "mommy blogger" in blog content, I am a blogger AND a mama. Moms everywhere need to feel the power they have to change their lives, their family's lives and their community for the BETTER. Moms have always been a powerful force, and I'm beginning to see that blogging is helping so many of us realize it.

I have a feeling that the rest of 2007 (and 2008 with the U.S. presidential elections) are going to be some very empowering and impactful times for mommy bloggers (and us moms who blog on other topics). We have community, we have connection --- let's keep this momentum going! It's so inspiring to see this.

BTW, I read the live blog posts of BlogHer and the Elizabeth Edwards talk posted on SVMoms --- great, valuable content!

[Susan Getgood]

Here's the problem -- the main people that are sitting up and taking notice are David and me, at least so far. And we already got it. He's been doing outreach programs with moms, as have I. And I actually am one too.

The problem (and not not just for mom bloggers) is that PR agencies typically put jr people on blog outreach AND they don't bother to do the research. Hence the dear "insert name here", I love your blog, here's our press release crap so many bloggers get.

The issue is how to change that. I have some ideas. Are you up for some brainstorming on this?

[Amanda]

The first time I got a PR pitch, I was actually happy. But then I realized how much I hate reading product endorsements on OTHER people's blogs. My standard response now is, "I'd be more than happy to review your product. My fee is $100."

I never hear back from them again...

[slackermommy]

Rock on! I must admit as a white woman and a mommy blogger that I'm quite naive. I had no idea that women of color were not being pitched to. It saddens me that in this day and age that this sort of thing is still going on. With all of us united I would expect to see some changes very soon. Bravo to you and Mocha Momma for starting the movement.

[Her Bad Mother]

BRAVO! BRAVO!

You rock for keeping this discussion going. Truly. But you rock anyway, so there's no surprise there.

[Mike Driehorst]

It is too bad, as Susan Getgood noted above, that PR agencies treat blogs as traditional media. That's wrong. Research and getting to know the bloggers a PR pro contacts is vital.

For any "pitch," however, the best ones benefit both the pitcher and the pitchee.

PR pros are seeking to get the most exposure for their products (for example). So, they'll target blogs with readership that fits his/her client's needs.

And, like with traditional media, no blogger should blog about a product unless he/she thinks it'd be of value to readers.

Both should benefit.

I wouldn't pay a reporter to run a story, and wouldn't pay any blogger to blog about a client product. That's advertising.

And, any blogger who takes $$ and blogs about a product without trying that product or legitimately researching it is doing his/her readers a grave disservice, and possibly harming his/her reputation.
-- Mike
(who blogs personally at theparentsblog.blogspot.com)

[dana]

I'm so lucky to have been in that panel with you all. I am still an "unknown" or less trafficked blogger and so I rarely get PR pitches. The few I do get are to review websites (for free) or read books and review (and I get to keep the book).

But no one wants to buy ads on my blog, or wants to send me products to try/test.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong, or maybe I'm just not a great blogger. And that kind of hurts, because I think I am.

I dunno. But I'm so honored to read what you write. You and Mocha and Liz are amazing leaders and we're grateful to have you in our corners. I'll continue to fight!

[Tere]

I'm with you, Stefania. I (a Hispanic mami blogger) have been writing about this, too:

http://blogrhet.blogspot.com/2007/07/am-i-in-or-am-i-out.html

http://blogrhet.blogspot.com/2007/08/race-ethnicity-it-matters.html

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