PR Opinions of Bloggers

When I am working on an article and need help, I put out a request on HARO. I get responses from some PR professionals that have a personal connection with autism and they are more than happy to help me out. I really appreciate this and am thankful for the assistance that they are able to give me. I also have a lot of dealings with them with obtaining products for reviews and giveaways. The majority of the professionals that I have dealt with have treated me with courtesy and respect. Occassionally, I have had one that was not respectful, not understanding when I have declined an offer because I didn’t think the product was appropriate for my site or that I could not do a review of it with my family. My take on it is that there are good apples and bad apples in every group, PR and Bloggers. I believe that you have to deal with it if you are going to remain in the “game.” I also think it is important that both sides understand the other’s point of view.

Once again, I have sent out a request via HARO asking for PR professionals to give me quotes to use in regards to their opinions of mom bloggers. The response was great. The emails I received were supportive. I did receive one response that was not positive, and that person decided to post a comment directly on my blog. I approved the comment because it was an opinion relevant to the post. (read the comment section of my previous post Blogger Burnout and PR Blackout). Here are the quotes from my email responses. I hope by presenting both sides, more people will have a better understanding of each of our groups.


“In the last 6 months, I've worked with over 100 mom bloggers to try to get the word out about muvee Reveal, an automatic home movie making software. My experience with these mom bloggers has been nothing short of amazing. Not only do they take the time to try out the product they are reviewing, they also look at it from a consumer's point of view as opposed to a tech writer's who is more concerned with the specs than how the product actually affects the person using it. We want to sell our product and the moms are our target audience. Who better to have review it with the honesty that these bloggers have?” - Lindsay Stevens Public Relations Manager (North America) www.muvee.com - create memories from photos and video

AJ Mulcahey kindly answered two questions for me.
From the PR stand point, do you think it is wrong for bloggers to receive free products?

“I personally don't think it's wrong for bloggers to receive free products if the blogger is 1) a target demographic for the product 2) has a solid following of tastemakers and early adapters 3) plan on maintaining a relationship with the PR professional AFTER the reqest is met and 4) maintains the same journalistic integrity mainstream media upholds.

The problem with the recent "blogger buzz" over the last few years is that ANYONE can write a blog and thinks that equates to deserving free stuff. A good PR agency has a firm understanding of the credibility and following for many niche blogging communities, but there are still those bloggers that pop up asking for free swag, when they won't return your email or a phone call in months. Unfotunatly it gives those honest bloggers a bad rap!

The bottom line is: Bloggers who look to be contact by PR professionals should maintain the same journalistic integrity that mainstream media upholds. If they don't want to branch into product reviews and just want to focus on updating folks on their lives and the lives of their families, I think they should nip the PR agency requests in the butt at the get go and let their organic opinions sway the conversation with their readers. If they're interested in receiving free stuff, then they should maintain an open and honest relationshop with their PR contact.”


From the PR stand point, do you expect favorable reviews because you sent a free item to the blogger?

“That really depends on how the product was sent. Was the PR agency doing a selective seeding program (giving bloggers a heads up on the latest sample) or did the blogger specifically ask for a product? If the blogger asked for a product, then yes, we except a review (a neutral review will do or a quick mention is just fine). But if we sent the same sample on to you and 15 other folks, then we do expect some type of reaction from you - a simple email with 'Hey, I really liked your product. It may/may not make sense for my readers now, but please let me know if you think there's out of the ordinary worth mentioning to my readers. "

I think the best thing a blogger can do is be honest with their PR contact. Hey, not everyone will like everything that's sent their way- but I think telling that to a PR professional is better than blowing them off after receiving free swag!” – AJ Mulcahey, AJent Marketing and PR

“I run a PR/marketing firm, but I am also a mom who blogs. I think mom bloggers have huge potential to serve as a conduit for PR firms and companies, but I think there’s no formal organization. I believe mom bloggers deserve to be paid (although I realize that blurs the lines when it comes to being able to believe the review is genuine), because what they do is reach an audience that believes them more than they believe costly advertising.

I have worked with mom bloggers for my clients, including FuzziBunz Cloth Diapers. I have always been impressed with the results.” - Susan Payton, Managing Partner, Egg Marketing & Public Relations www.eggmarketingpr.com , www.sometimesparentingsucks.com

“Tammy, I read your latest blog post. Sounds fair to go dark on the sweepstakes, give-aways and reviews for a week. I can imagine how exhausting it can be reviewing all those products and services (I know, cuz I'm the one pitching all those products and services. haha).

Me and my clients really value the opinions of our stakeholders - whether they come from consumers, consumer press, trade media, or bloggers. The mommy bloggers speak with a kind of authority and authenticity that the traditional press is starting to lose. We rely on the honest feedback mommy bloggers dispel into the blogosphere to reach potential new users and to reinforce the purchasing power of our current users. Keep up the good work and while you're gracious enough to mention our clients products/services from time to time, don't get away from your original mission for your blog – it's what attracted your audience in the first place!” - Kathy Kniss, K2 Public Relations Group, www.K2PRGroup.com

“I personally don’t care if they are a mom blogger or a teenage kid … The main thing is that they respect you, your product and your time. That being said, there are a lot of good mom bloggers (including a former client of ours – travelingmom.com) that have achieved amazing stuff in a fairly short time and act professionally – since many mom bloggers are former (or current) business professionals too.

Not sure if my comments are helpful or if you are looking for something more specific.
One thing that drives me nuts is how different the “mom blogger” market is from the “male blogger” market … it is hard as hell to get guys to write and share stuff but it seems like ever where I go there is another mom blogger 
I have a site called Man Tripping www.mantripping.com that was started as a counterpoint to www.chickvacations.com and all the other women’s travel sites. We get great feedback, but women tend to be much more social than guys and more engaged with CV than MT.” - James Hills, President and Chief Marketing Officer, mhn PR & Internet Marketing, Web: http://www.marketinghelpnet.com, Blog: http://www.growtogether.net

“Over the past two years, I have developed hundreds of amazing relationships with Mom bloggers. I have several clients who make innovative products for the mommy demographic. I think having relationships with this specific group of bloggers is so crucial to any PR campaign, as they give honest opinions and reviews of all products which they choose to test out. I think it is necessary to send them products to review, in order for them to provide a fair and balanced opinion. I don’t think they are looking for free stuff, I just think that a blog is supposed to be honest and if they are not familiar with a specific product, it is only fair that they ask you to send it to them to review. After all, isn’t this what all PR professionals are asking for, their actual opinion of a product. I have never once had a issue with a Mommy blogger, I think they are all wonderful people. I have sent products ranging from $400 to $10 and each and every Mom blogger has treated me with respect. I believe that the bad rap they have received is directly from the PR professionals who have not treated them with the respect they deserve and therefore overlooked the fact that their opinion is just as important as that of the top tier National media. I also enjoy getting to know them on a personal level and I have built hundreds of great relationships even after the product reviews have been posted. We all seem to keep in touch and it feels like I have made a ton of new pen pals (via email of course,) all over the country. We share photos of our families and exciting milestones in our lives. One of my favorite parts of my day is when I get to work with the Mom bloggers. They are a joy to work with and I look forward to following them in the years to come. “ - Elyse Bender-Segall, CEO, PR Revolution, LLC, PRRevolution.com

"We’ve worked with Mommy Bloggers who have helped increase our site traffic substantially. We were once reviewed by a site that quickly became one of our top 5 sources for site traffic and maintained that traffic level for 5 months. We will definitely work with that blog site again and help promote their growth.

We’ve also worked with sites that were still developing and didn’t have the organization to promote companies, products, or events. Since we are a green products company, we want Earth Day to be brimming with campaigns and publicity. Some bloggers aren’t prepared for the volume of inquiries or lack the SEO to get big hits. The best bloggers, from a branding stand point, are the ones with dynamic content that is up-to-the-minute and hitting with the hottest trends in the Work-at-Home crowd.

Bloggers who generate income from advertisers need to be aware that many of the top paying advertisers are interested in their stats. Marketing professionals follow Mom-focused blogs and try to develop relationships with them. We want to know how many hits you’re getting, how your site is being promoted. We’re trying to justify our budgets in an economic crunch. The best bloggers to work with offer 3 things: a large following, a specific or focused following, and for most of that following to be moms. How did our best blogger maintain top 5 status in our referring sites for 5 months? A large focused following of moms." - Danielle Downs, EcoDiscoveries, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, www.ecodiscoveries.com

"Mom bloggers are a great asset for peer to peer knowledge exchange relative to what's happening in the lives of busy moms and their kids, they are helping each other and guiding their kids on making wise decisions whenever possible;) Mom bloggers take valuable time out of their lives to express themselves and share what most of the time is insightful, accurate information. Go moms!" Kristine Zucchetti, CEO of Premise Immersive Marketing www.premisemarketing.com