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Blogging: PR's True Claim to the Internet By Robb Hecht, The PR Machine Don Middleberg coined the term "Online PR" in 2001 and attempted to claim the Internet back then for the PR industry. He pointed out that PR is about a brilliant idea communicated through various forms of media and online was the next form.

Don Middleberg coined the term “online PR” in 2001 and attempted to claim the Internet back then for the PR industry. He pointed out that PR is about a brilliant idea communicated through various forms of media and online was the next form. Thanks to Don, since 2001 we’ve become comfortable with media companies using different reporters and editors for online content. And hence any time we pitched an online media reporter, we were doing “online PR.” We learned that in the world of the Internet that media companies weren’t simply repackaging news for online publishing and we became accustomed to the new pitching approaches to identify and build relationships with both properties for clients.

With differing on and offline personalities and lead times when pitching client stories, PR professional realized there were entirely different content generators to reach, online. Due to the instantaneous nature of the Internet with its global audience, Web news sites weren’t confined to time-to-print and reported news anytime, day or night. Sites like MSNBC.com, CNN.com, News.com and others turned heads by reporting news rapidly. Today it's often the case that the major news players get their scoop from Web news sites. Business Week, for example, releases articles to its website subscribers three days prior to its print publication. And due to the unlimited depth of Internet content capabilities, not bound by print, our PR content generating efforts in the medium can be substantial.

But anyone utilizing the Internet really had to question Don’s PR industry claim to the Internet at that point. It seemed instead that the advertising industry was the one who claimed the Internet through banner ads and email newsletter sponsorships, not PR. But, if Don Middleberg, along with Al and Laura Ries have anything to say about it in 2003, the Internet is a PR tool and the two together can be a phenomenal brand building mechanism.

Blogging is PR’s Claim to the Internet

Blogs (short for "web logs") are online journals, published on the Web by either an individual or by the blogging host or affiliate of an entity that shares a common interest. Most blogs are helmed by a single individual called a blogger. The majority of these self-made Internet pundits are simply Web fans who wanted to bring their own views to the online table. Others are journalists or industry insiders who wanted to create forums for expressing their opinions without editorial constraint. There are a few blogs, however, that are collective endeavors, where a community of vocal individuals participate in providing opinion, commentary and links. Some of these sites have an editor filtering through submissions. A handful also allow members to grade contributions, enabling the community to vote on whether or not a suggestion gets prominent placement or makes it onto the site at all. One of the most well-known in this category and perhaps the news site Slashdot (www.slashdot.org).

Blogging Belongs to PR

Blogs are already a publishing revolution more profound than anything since the printing press and are rapidly becoming authoritative news sources. Already so-called "traditional" media outlets with online properties, such as Fortune, MSNBC, Fox News, Slate, and the San Jose Mercury News have blogs on their websites.

Many journalist that run blogs have small but dedicated followings of opinion leaders and influencers, the key people that PR initiatives are trying to target in maintaining relationships. In so doing bloggers exert an influence rivaling that of traditional news outlets.

Blogging Needs Online PR

Although blogging isn't yet considered journalism but instead "meta-journalism," the best blogs rely on traditional news outlets to provide fodder for their thoughtful discussion and commentary relative to the communities they represent. So in a sense, bloggers look to the same news outlets for blog-fodder that PR professionals pitch in the first place. Publicists have long sought the means for reaching highly targeted audiences in order to drive buzz about their clients. And remember, the Internet is not a mass medium, it's all about niches. Hence, the key to PR professionals now is to segment and target online audiences, communicating with narrowly defined groups more effectively.

Blogging As a Business Tool

These days every client campaign should be targeting blogs because there's no question that blogs are the perfect viral marketing medium and an excellent way to promote a product or message. PR professionals can develop several blogging strategies that will impact the effectiveness of their campaigns. To get into the picture PR professionals can either pitch blogs directly or set up a corporate blog (internally or externally).

Targeting a Blog

Many blogs concentrate on a specific topic. Thus, have your agency make sure your PR Machine is targeting and influencing the correct blogs. Because the nature of the blogging medium allows bloggers to avoid traditional editors and publishers, you must directly target the most influential bloggers and blog posting sites with an interest in your area and integrate your message into those venues.

Make sure you’re getting in the news outlets that blogs tend to link to by using blogdex.com and daypop.com to find this information. Blogdex.com provides an incredibly useful ranked listing of the most hyperlinked stories within the blogging community. Daypop.com similarly searches 17,000 news sites, weblogs and RSS feeds for current event and breaking news keywords you enter, so PR professionals can learn where their pitches and content links should be promoted. You’ll also want to use MediaMap which recently announced that it will include blogs in its communications database. There you’ll be able to find contact information and pitching procedure guidlines for major bloggers. All of these tools can make a PR professional blog-savvy in no time.

Pitching a Blog

So, now the question is how to land your clients in the right blog at the right time in order to reap the benefits of their highly receptive and targeted audience. The most important thing a publicist can do before pitching a blogger is to read his or her blog. Unlike beat reporters at typical news outlets, bloggers are extremely eclectic in choice of subject matter and approach. In order to begin a conversation with one it is important that you are familiar with the interests of the blogger. Many bloggers still consider their sites to be personal conversation for their views and perspectives, and are wary of corporate or PR pitches. But many do have open ears to PR people. Keep in mind that it is possible that well-tailored pitches to bloggers might not only generate traffic on their blogs, but develop into placements in other media outlets as well, online and off.

It is crucial not to spam bloggers and to be aware of their likes and dislikes before you drop them a line. In general, when communicating with blogs, make sure to be open and honest about why you are contacting them by disclosing your organizational affiliation. Keep it to the point and always make sure to include a URL link to a published story or item that they might consider featuring. It is not suggested that you ask bloggers to link to your client's site or latest press release. Bloggers are sensitive about becoming marketing tools for other organizations and companies, which is often the reason they began blogging in the first place.

Developing a Corporate Blog (Wiki)

Because weblogs can be effective marketing tools, especially in niche industries where little news is published in the mainstream press, corporate blogs, called Wikis, are the next big step in corporate communications. Wikis can be used in a number of ways to strengthen relationships, share knowledge, increase collaboration, and improve company branding. Foremost, a ‘wiki’ can be used to strategically position management as industry experts and thought leaders.

Wikis also can have an impact on a company’s customer relations initiatives. As blogs have been known to comment on a variety of issues, ranging from the latest e-mail hoax to a blockbuster action film to the newest PDA on the market, another strategy is to have PR professionals integrate with client customer relations managers in order to help them start their own blogs as forums to discuss new product upgrades, take suggestions, explain features and answer questions from the field. This offers a bidirectional forum to customers to get true, personal opinions on products and services. This approach positions the firm as open and friendly (rather than just leaving customers to interact with marketing collateral on the corporate website).

Blogging the competition is another corporate communications strategy whereby a company’s PR professionals, working with IT, set up a blog that does nothing but cover the competition. This method often entails scanning offline stories on to the blog that can effectively be used for blog fodder (moved around the Internet and linked to for discussion). The information provided there, could deliver your competitors’ customer base to you.

Marketing a Corporate Blog & Its Content

Due to all the blogs out there arising in search engine searches, Google now has an entirely separate search tool just for identifying and reaching blogs. It goes with out saying then, that any online marketing strategy should include marketing a corporate blog and press releases through search engine optimization (SEO) and keyword search techniques. Beyond that, make sure to check out PR Leap, a new company which offer search engine optimization for press releases, now called press release optimization (PRO). Which brings us to the email marketing potential for corporate blog content. Articles written by corporate communications professionals for the corporate blog and placed within emailed newsletters can be linked to blogs, extending story life and creating a massive conversation with customers.

Through blogs any online PR efforts resulting in content generation has the potential to be moved around the Internet, reacted to, conversed with and linked to thousands of times...building company brand. If the material is positive for a company, it’s a PR manager’s dream. Don Middleberg also had a dream back in 2001 when he painted a picture of an online future for PR. He was in essence a man ahead of his time and claimed the Internet for PR back then. But the truth is, only recently has the industry taken ownership of the Internet, through blogging. It’s about time the engagement led to marriage...Internet marketing and public relations, your day has come.

Blogging Resources

NatterJackPR.com: - Some daily thoughts and opinions on the Public Relations profession and industry. Hosted by Tom Murphy.

www.Daypop.com: searches 17,000 news sites, weblogs and RSS feeds for current events and breaking news.

Blogdex.com: An incredibly useful ranked listing of the most hyperlinked stories within the blogging community.

Doc Searls, http://doc.weblogs.com: Co-author of Cluetrain Manifesto, well-nown blogger and previous Silicon Valley PR maven.