Six Tips For Bloggers On Working With PR’s
I’m going to start this post but saying I’m not a full-time PR although the job would be amazing, but I have developed PR within my marketing role and brought blogger outreach to my company who previously had no experience in the area. Over the past year to 18 month’s, I’ve worked on an array of campaigns with hundreds of bloggers and it’s really opened my eyes up to how some people in the blogging community handle themselves with PRs. I think we all assume that everyone else acts how we do but sadly that isn’t always the case (although the majority of the people I’ve worked with have been fantastic so thanks to all those people).
Here are some tips from someone in PR to bloggers on how to work together:
Check if you’ve worked with the PR before
I know I always ask for new bloggers for each campaign because I don’t work for an agency dealing with multiple clients, I work with just the one, my employer. So when I ask for new bloggers who I haven’t worked with before it amazes me how many people fill in their details when we’ve already worked together which means I have to spend time checking each and every one. As a blogger I have a list of all sponsored content I have run which means if an opportunity arises with these specifications I can check my list for the PR’s name and know if it’s worth applying or not.
If asked for your DA re-check it so your details are up to date
Most opp’s will ask you what your blog’s DA is and if this is the case make sure the figure you quote is accurate, ideally re-check it then and there as Moz does like to make changes on the fly. So many times I get people filling in forms saying their DA is one thing when it’s a completely different score, sometimes this might be accidental but sometimes I find it’s on purpose and have people say ‘Oh well this is what it was before the drop last month’. While it’s sad when drops happen it’s one of those things and you need to be honest with your stats.
Don’t reply straight away to begin with then take days to reply
I am pretty good with my emails and it’s very rare that during office hours you’ll have to wait more than an hour for a reply (and that’s generally just because of lunch). While some bloggers I know work full-time alongside their blog it can be annoying when you email an opp, they reply within ten minutes, then when you email back you hear nothing for days. When there are deadlines on opportunities I like to know who I’m working with as then I know what budget I’ve used and what I have left. I’ve seen bloggers complain when they don’t get replies from PR’s and they seem to disappear, but the same rules apply the other way around.
Be professional
If a PR wants to work with you then you want the whole process to be professional. I’m pretty relaxed in the way I email but I have had a few too many times when bloggers can get a little fiery. I am always very open with my requirements and if you put Yes you’d offer a follow link in the form you filled in don’t go having a go at me when I ask for one and you argue why you don’t offer them. I understand why bloggers don’t do them but if that’s the case be open about it. At the same time, I’ve had times when I’ll offer a particular amount for a collaboration and the blogger wants a higher figure I can’t stretch to, I understand everyone has different rates but don’t have a go at me if I can’t offer you the amount you like.
Proof-read your post before sending the link to a PR
This one is such a pet hate of mine and something which is so easy to avoid. I understand people want payments to come through quickly but please proofread your post and check formatting/ layout etc before you send me the link. It doesn’t look good if your post is riddled with spelling errors, or there are random page breaks throughout the post.
Please confirm when payment has been made
Again I’m always very open with when payments will be made and any details, and I always ask people to confirm when they’ve received a payment because yeah sometimes errors happen so I like to tick off my list when someone has been paid. It makes me feel better and I know I won’t get someone chasing me weeks later when it’s a bit late. You’d be surprised at how often people don’t bother – more than half the time I don’t get confirmation – and it’s a shame as bloggers complain when PR’s stop replying near the end of the relationship, so it should be applied the other way around surely?!
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27 responses to “Six Tips For Bloggers On Working With PR’s”
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Rhian Westbury
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Some great tips and tricks here for PR and advertising with brands. Great post hun thanks for sharing xx
These are some awesome tips, I try and always get Ash or my Dad even to read through my posts before I set them live as I know my spelling and grammar is bad.
This is an excellent post with some really useful tips. I can understand that PR’s want bloggers for different campaigns and one should read the brief before applying. My only niggle is that on a lot of facebook opportunities it would be nice if PR’s were up front about follow links so that those who don’t offer them don’t bother to fill in the form. It saves both the blogger and the PR’s time.
I totally agree with this, at least within the initial requirement email x
Really interesting to hear it from the other side, I definitely think remaining polite and friendly throughout is key, everything else can then be worked out can’t it?
Some very good info for working with PR’s, proof reading is so important and being professinal is a must
Great tips, it is very important to be polite and courteous as they will remember it and want to work with you again
Some great tips here. Although, it is hard to check if you have worked with someone before. I have done hundreds and hundreds of sponsored posts as a full-time blogger and PRs are always moving around – it is hard to keep track.
Ei think you’ve managed to cover all the key points and I’m always updating my stats and DA every month to ensure I have the right information for PRs. I find if your polite and friendly you can build a great relationship
Great tips its great to read from a PR’s perspective. I always make sure I check my DA before filling in forms and I get my hubby to proofread my posts too.
These are some great tips – it is interesting to hear from someone with experience on both sides.
These are really good tips – I do all these (I try my absolute best to anyway). Thanks for the reminders. Kaz
I do always wonder if PR’s like it when we use them in our emails. I naturally use them in my emails but not drowning the email with them.
I think it’s rubbish that people say they have a different DA, especially that MOZ doesn’t update so often anymore. One thing I would like the PRs to do is to be honest from the first moment if they are looking for a do-follow link. That would save both parties a lot of time.
These are all great tips. Though it’s sad people need to be told how to behave in a professional and polite way really isn’t it!
Great tips! I love learning new information about working with prs and agree with the “Be Professional”, in usual cases things get fiery indeed.
Some really useful tips here thankyou. Good to see from the pr’s perspective.
Really interesting post. I can imagine all these things can be annoying and time consuming.
This is a really handy read, thank you! Always good to keep it in mind 😀
Checking your DA is definitely a must for PRs… But it’s funny… As an SEO, when looking for bloggers to outreach to, I never bother with DA, haha. It holds no meaning on actual SEO! 😀
Great tips! Replying to emails in a timely manner is something I’m trying to work on myself!
Fab tips thank you for this Hun
Love these tips – I often am so forgetful with things like checking my DA and sometimes take my email off my phone so it doesn’t distract me at work. I’ll bare this in mind in future and take a little of my lunch break to answer on your advice 🙂
Some really interesting and useful advice given here, especially helpful to myself looking in how to communicate with companies and branching out more
Professionalism is so important when working with PRs. I’ve seen some people that have been really rude and it just ruins any chance of a relationship!
It’s great to hear what it’s like form the other side of the fence as it were. I try to get back to people as soon as possible but sometimes I find it hard as there is a constant flood of emails coming in and some end up out of sight.
Working with PRs is something I never thought needed to be done as a blogger. These are great tips – sp thanks so much for sharing.