Blogs have already become an integral part of ePR. They are increasingly likely to have greater reach and impact than typical electronic media, so it is worth bearing in mind a few simple rules for working with bloggers.
On the subject of blogs, there are no perfect guidelines, but remembering a few of the points we raise below will certainly prove helpful to any PR specialist (and beyond) in the future. Regardless of whether we are aiming at a substantive, commercial or barter collaboration, and whether the contact with the blogger is at our initiative or vice versa, it is important to obtain the following information:
Blog address
Is the blog hosted on its own domain or on a free platform, e.g. blogspot.com? Admittedly, this does not predetermine the quality of the content on the blog, but in terms of image, publishing on a blog on a unique domain looks better, whereas typical blog addresses may give the impression of being less professional or simply amateurish (lower quality).
Traffic on the blog
A key issue is the scale of traffic to a given blog, this should be the primary determinant of the level of the blog and a means of verifying the price tag quoted by the blogger. Here, it is worth looking primarily at ,,unique users", because the number of ,,sessions" and ,,page views" is not equivalent to the number of blog audience. In addition, it is worth asking about the status of the "rejection rate" - the lower, the better, because it indicates the percentage of users who leave the blog immediately after entering it (e.g. recognizing that they came here by accident or the content is inadequate for what they are looking for).
Sources of blog hits
Continuing the statistical theme, the sources of the statistics presented by the blogger are also an important issue. Do they come from a search engine, from social media or perhaps from external sites? Going into more detail, it may be that a significant proportion of visits to the site are generated artificially.
Content of the blog
The subject matter and content of the blog posts are fundamental. I would already abstract from traffic here, as we may also be dealing with a blog that is just starting out, but which nevertheless fits perfectly with the profile of our services or products. From this angle, it is worth finding out:
Is the blog content unique?
Is blog content valuable?
For example, how much effort a blogger puts into reviewing a product, whether this is preceded by a sound study of, say, the product's composition analysis, etc.? - such material promises the best, even if it is not 100% enthusiastic.
Doesn't the blog pose image risks?
A superficial analysis of a blog should be enough to assess whether, for example, it is not being used to present products en masse, just to get something for free. And what if our product is displayed next to something unfortunate? Do we want to appear next to hundreds of other random products?
The topic can be developed at length. At the end of the day, there is still the question of influence on the part of the blogger, especially when reviewing products (non-commercial). The sensible direction is to prepare your post professionally, i.e. answer any questions about the product and address the tester's concerns in a factual manner, avoiding awkwardly exerting influence on principle: you get something from us, so you have to write positively.
Text author: Kornel
