The Poles Between PR and Blogging: 7 Tips

In the last few weeks I have been gazumped by PR requests. Email after email vying for space on my blog.

I often find myself in a quandary.

As a blogger, sometimes the information is totally irrelevant. I don't want to know about it. And I fathom a safe guess that my readers don't either. So I politely decline. Or lately, I just ignore (which seems terribly rude, but I have time-VS-email issues people - as I am sure you do too).

I've worked on my blog for over four years. I'm not just going to toss it away to be one big merry commercial. I must maintain its integrity. For my readers - and most of all, for myself.

And on the flip side, I've worked in PR for almost 13 years (my oh my, old old old).

I know what it's like working in-house and agency side. Clients want results. They don't want to hear excuses. They want their brand in bright lights, they want column inches, they want pixels. They want the world.

So I really want to help those who are pitching to me. I do. I want to help them.

But if PR pitches to bloggers continue the way they are now - things are going to roll backwards. Or implode.

The blogger in me questions every pitch sent my way. And I use the word "pitch" incredibly loosely here, because most of the time, all I am receiving is a generic:

"Dear Blogger"

or

"Dear Lexi, [insert gushing paragraph here about how much I love your blog]"

or

"hi PottyMouthMama"

or worse to me still - an embedded email that I can't even view half the time. Or just crap. I mean come now - seriously. Read my blog. I don't want to try your doggone baby purees because - I do not have a baby. And you could lazily scroll through my top posts to discover this for yourself. I'm not asking you to do my family tree and trawl through reams of geneaology. Nope.

Even worse. Inaccurate emails. Emails with titles: Interview Opportunity. And then I scroll through to look for who the interview is with - and there's nothing. Or some dubious subject matter. I could rattle off a heck of a lot. But for everyone's benefit - I won't.

I've just asked to be removed from their mailing list instead.

I know working in PR is busy. You have to measure your success. You must be accountable. And you have clients barking at your heels.  But respect the blogger.

So this is to those working in PR who want to learn about pitching to bloggers. Who really value quality content. Who really value an engaged audience. And who really want to do the right thing by their client.

1. READ READ READ:  Read the blogs you want to pitch to. Would you pitch blindly to someone in 'ye olde media'? If you answered yes, then you need to step away from your emails, and take a good hard look at yourself. I don't mean read four years of PottyMouthMama - but really, just become familiar with what I talk about, who I am, and if you truly think your brand is something that's going to fit in this space. And then you can start to build a relationship. KEY POINT!

2. WHO'S THAT CHICK? Find out my name. It's not rocket science. There's a reason why direct marketing companies pay thousands of dollars to access databases so they can tailor their communications to recipients. My name is not 'Blogger' - thank you Mum and Dad. It's not even PottyMouthMama. It's Lexi.

3. STOP SENDING GENERIC EMAILS: Please. For everyone's sake. You're wasting a lot of emails, as well as your time, my time, and everyone else's time. If you send out generic pitches - look at your ROI. Bet you're not getting much bang for your buck.

Don't do blanket mail outs. Tailor absolutely everything.

In my role as PR Manager, I've chosen to work with a handful of bloggers who I respect, trust and admire. Unfortunately, I don't currently have a budget to pay them. However, I offer them unique angles, I offer them exclusives, sometimes I might send them a gift. But I never ever expect anything in return.

Your client is not a charity - and the blogger owes you nothing.

4. EMAIL BOMBING:  I get a lot of emails every week. I'm not being cocky. A lot of them are spam. *Shudder* And some of them are from PR professionals, forwarding their original email because they haven't heard from me, and they want to check I received their email. And they've done a search and I haven't written anything about their client/product. Why not?

Why not?

Because I don't want to. Because it doesn't fit with my blog.

There should be no sense of entitlement.

Unless I want to. Unless I think my readers want to hear from you. Otherwise, I won't write about it.

5. SPONSORED POSTS: I started writing sponsored posts for shoe money. Clearly I don't buy a lot of shoes because I don't do a lot of sponsored posts. And I will only ever do a sponsored post if I truly believe it's cohesive with my blog.

The struggle with keeping my blog pure - and the need - and sometimes want - to make a little extra pocket money - it's a fine line. But when I do a sponsored post - I try to maintain my voice. I try to keep it relevant.

6. PRODUCT REVIEWS:  If you want me to review your product, well then it's a pretty good idea if you send me a sample. I am on the mailing list of one PR practitioner - and at the end it always says: "if you want samples, let me know". Not once, not twice, but at least four times I have replied saying "yes please send me a sample so I can try it for myself and legitimately write about it". And each time she replies "Sorry all the samples are gone." Well then BOOM! I'll make your emails be gone from my inbox. Simple really.

7. TIMING! Inviting me to an event is nice. It is. And thank you. But give me a bit of notice. Four days notice to drop everything for lunch? Yep. Not coming. I've got a busy life and I can't shuffle things at that late notice either. Same applies for sending me media releases. Don't send them to me on the day whatever you're spruiking happens. I'm a busy woman - as are all bloggers. I'm not usually struggling for content. And I won't drop everything to bang out some paras on your product on the day. Nope.

**BONUS TIP: If you are inviting me to an event, please make sure I live in the city the event is taking place in. Unless you're willing to cover my travel and accommodation costs.

For more on this topic head over to Edenland.


 image - me with Allen's Retro Party Mix teeth. Because I can. It's me in PR mode.

Coffin on Cake Press Launch, October 2011

  On the 19th October, I was lucky enough to be invited to Coffin on Cake PR's press launch at The Vinyl Factory in Soho. Press days are always a great opportunity to see the latest brand showcases and I was excited to get a sneak preview of Coffin on Cake's choice of key-pieces for Spring/Summer 2012!

  The showroom was divided into collections and the 'walk-through' tour, given by the Coffin on Cake team, was akin to taking a mini holiday, stopping off at different fashion hot-spots along the way! Check out the faux airport signs, deckchairs, surfboards and wooden beach huts...

  There were some great brands on display, so it is with great pleasure that I bring you the highlights of the Coffin on Cake showcase! 

(Surfdome's impressive brand list!)

  I was introduced to the Surfdome showcase, which presented key lifestyle pieces under the headings of "From Bondi to Brighton" and "From St Tropez to St Ives". Given that Surfdome stocks over 500 brands (see picture above), the collection of bikinis, swim shorts, beachwear, rucksacks, bags, shoes and leisure-wear that was selected by Coffin on Cake was very varied and the key pieces built upon different trends. There were tie-dye bohemian prints, nautical 'French Riviera' designs, summery bright colours, muted 'vintage' floral patterns and edgy tribal prints. After the launch, I went to the Surfdome website to have a look at some of the items stocked and was so impressed with the number of popular brands available and the brilliant 70% off sale on at the moment. Definitely worth a look..I may have made a sneaky purchase too! 

  Popular aussie brand, Ripcurl, had a great array of swimwear pieces on display. Ripcurl combines its classic surf-friendly designs with bold tropical prints, nautical stripes and eye-catching bright colours, so you not only stay comfortable, but also look great!

  One of my absolute favourite parts of the Coffin on Cake showcase, was the bikini beach hut! Inside, were different 3D 'look boards', which were organised by body-shape and featured key characteristics, celebrity body matches and tips for picking suitable swimwear. 

HOURGLASS:

RECTANGLE:

TRIANGLE:

INVERTED TRIANGLE:

  I was really excited to spot that Freya was featured in the 'Busty Bella' category and my eye was immediately drawn to the striking tribal print and fun mix of colours (coral and green shades, set in contrast with black and white). The bikini featured is the 'Marinella' Rainforest band-less triangle bikini, which will be available in back sizes 30-38 and cup sizes from D-FF in this particular style. 

  Finally, I bring you my new-found love, Pull-in:

  Pull-in is a premium French underwear, swimwear and lounge-wear brand that is well-known for its graphic prints and bright colours. I am usually more drawn to underwear and swimwear that is quite glamorous, sophisticated and a bit understated, but I really fell in love with the stunning 'look-at-me' prints of the Pull-in collection. In my next post, I will write about my favourite Pull-in pieces, as there are just too many to put into this blog post!

  I had a fantastic time at the press launch and want to say a big thank you to all of the team at Coffin on Cake, who were extremely friendly, well-organised and put together a brilliant showcase. The goody bag was also totally fab!

Stay tuned for my next post on 'Pull-in'!

Love,

Kitty xo

Tiny Style Tips:: Tiny Legs

It's that time again. Time for Tiny Style Tips.

Want fashion in a snap?

Want customised fashion in a snap?

Want couture colouring-in fashion at next to nix?

Lo and behold - colourful legs. Yes. The girl's got talent. Not content with just a couple of lines, or getting ladders in your stockings? Go for the full-colour-leg-colour-in. That old chestnut.

Who needs tights when you can just colour your legs in?

No more ladders, Tiny presents the full-colour-leg-colour-in.

Highly recommended. Change your colour when your mood changes. Tiny rates them 5 stars.

Top Tip:: Storing Your Little Artworks

My children are prolific artists. We have a wall dedicated to their artwork, which is now spreading to other walls. I rarely ever toss anything out. If I do, I have an acute guilt attack.

Tiny loves to go to bed with a notebook and pen(cil) and draw until she falls asleep. I am not so mad on that. I am not big on the drawing on the bed linen.

Tiny also loves drawing so much, that she's now working with mixed media. This involves textas, biro, yoghurt and our couch. Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin - watch out.

The Doctor came home with this cute collage recently, which has gone straight to the 'gallery' wall. But I'm also about rotating artwork - and I've got a tip for you if you're the same.

I visited the Post Office and bought a few of the postage cylinders, got my kids artwork together and rolled them up. Then I labelled them with their names and the date (I do say Jan-June 2011) and file them away.

Or you could photograph or scan each of the artworks, then you have a digital file of them, and either print them out, and make an album - or have them made into a book of artworks.

But if you are not as nutty as me, you can always embrace recycling.

Tiny Style Tips:: Moody Judy

On the odd (very odd) occasion, Tiny let's me style her outfit. We pretend I'm a fatter, less blonde, less orange version of Rachel Zoe sans cameraman and paparazzi following my every move. But no matter. Off I go.

This was her second outfit for today, Matt having prepped the first, had his selection wee'd on, then stripped immediately and tossed onto the floor. How's that for rejection?

And so it was that today was truly blessed. Tiny let me at her wardrobe, and to put her into some pieces she rarely ever wears. Halleluljah!

Like the little pink cords. Like the little vintage cardi that the Doctor used to wear. Man I love that cardi. My love knows no bounds when it comes to that cardi. I'd wear it if I was Rachel Zoe's size. And the piece de resistance - the scarf. Tres chic.

But what I didn't style was:

- the poses;

- the tantrum that took place at the park, where Tiny lay on the ground screeching for what felt like forever;

- the beserko that happened when Matt tried to put her pyjamas on (on her, not him)

Tiny's Top Style Tips:

- don't be afraid to accessorise - pink does not stink!

- pose with your brother! Don't be shy! And work that leg to make it longer! (and like you've just come back from holidays in Florida)