Working in consumer PR can be difficult. Not only are you competing with other brands to get that coveted coverage in glossy mags, but once an editor has your product it may not even make the final cut. A great grassroots approach to brand awareness is by working with bloggers. Most bloggers will take pictures of the product being used with a typically good review. The bloggers we tend to work with are mummy bloggers, which yields amazing results. Targeting a niche audience, a blogger’s review offers an honest opinion while reaching consumers that fall in line with the brand’s desired audience as well as encouraging interaction on social media.

Recently, one of our clients hosted a blogger event and it was very successful. Most mummy bloggers were very excited to attend and not only were they were able to get a sneak peek of the new range of products, but they able to interact with other bloggers and the client themselves- rather than just the PR team. With a tailored hashtag for the event, tweets and Instagram posts were quick to appear giving the client immediate coverage and creating a buzz on social media. Most bloggers walked away with amazing goody bags (which we hoped they’d mention in blogposts) and sure enough blogposts appeared covering the brand’s new range!

While the blogger PR relationship is typically harmonious, there are some things for PRs keep in mind when working on blogger outreach:

·         Follow the golden rule – treat others the way you want to be treated. Most parenting bloggers are lovely people who are looking to work while being home with their children. Taking the time to get to know them pays off in both a professional and personal aspect.

·         PRs approaching a bloggers –PR’s approaching bloggers do not have a budget to pay for reviews. Responding to a pitch with a rate card is not the favoured response.

·         Bloggers are bloggers – most bloggers are neither trained nor qualified in being an authority of baby products or whatever it is you choose to pitch them. PR’s are reaching out because they want honest opinions on the products and want to tap into the bloggers audience.

·         Bloggers and their obligations – PR’s need to keep in mind that a bloggers obligation is to their readers and not the brands they work with. When receiving a blogpost PRs should remember we asked for their opinion and not a cookie cutter review.

·         Industry Courtesy – Always say thank you and use social media to promote one another. PRs should give bloggers deadlines for reviews and bloggers should send links once the post is up.

·         Open lines of communication – Both PRs and bloggers should remember to always respond to emails and keep in contact. You never know when you might need each other!

In short, PRs need bloggers to help spread the word of the brands they represent and bloggers need PRs to supply them with the latest news or products for fresh content, making it a win-win situation for both bloggers and PRs.