As you all know, I have been talking to bloggers, publishers, and public relations agents alike to find out about what really happens in the world of blogging. Recently, I had a chance to chat with the folks at Bold PR in NYC.
BOLD PR is a deliberately small agency that offers a hands-on approach and a very high level of practical experience, know-how, creativity, and established media relationships that afford it the “in” needed to leverage its clients’ messages.With a concentration on beauty, health, and lifestyle brands, BOLD PR specializes in media relations, online outreach, image development, brand messaging and positioning, and building brand name recognition for its clients and their products and services. Here’s what they had to say:
Q. Can you describe the most important aspect of public relations?
Bold PR: Making sure our clients’ messages are being heard, valued, and covered by the media is the most important aspect of public relations, but that goes hand-in-hand with the need to maintain strong media relationships. Editors/writers must know they can rely on us for newsworthy information and angles, and to get them what they need in a timely and respectful manner.
Q. What is the most difficult part of your job?
Bold PR: We are our client’s advocate and voice, but sometimes, no matter how many angles and how many pitches, a particular product may not find the coverage a client thinks it deserves. Balancing the needs and expectations of our clients with those of the media is the most difficult aspect of doing PR. We can lead the horse to water, but we can’t make them think.
Q. How do you choose the bloggers to whom you pitch your clients’ products? In other words, what qualities do you look for in a blog/blogger?
Bold PR: We love bloggers that take a journalistic approach to the product reviews, have a passion for the category and add a unique twist to their content. Honest reviews, good grammar, accuracy and interesting story angles factor into our evaluation, especially if the site is smaller or doesn’t have a measurable viewership. We want our clients to see how important online media has become to the success of their brands and professional-looking sites are the way to do it.
Q. What are the benefits of working with bloggers as opposed to other media outlets? Do you expect different things from bloggers than from magazine editors?
Bold PR: The quality of the coverage can be competitive between top bloggers and magazine editors nowadays, but it’s the immediacy of the online media community that really differentiates them and provides a great benefit for a PR campaign. Magazines are catching up on the turnaround time as they expand their online sites so it will be interesting to see how online media evolves over the next few years.
Q. What happens when a blogger gives one of your clients a negative review? Does this affect your relationship with the blogger?
Bold PR: It definitely happens and we prepare for it by educating our clients about the online community and all the possibilities for coverage. They’re aware that promoting products in a public forum opens them up to both positive and negative feedback, but if they really believe in their products, it shouldn’t be an issue. If there is a negative review, we evaluate what is said and try to work with the blogger to solve any problems they’ve had – it could be as simple as a color or formulation choice. Or the problem could be one of improper positioning, which caused unrealistic expectations and therefore a dissatisfied user. This blogger is representative of the consumer, so there are important lessons to learn in blog feedback, and because of the quick turnaround, a brand and its PR can make changes where necessary.
Q. According to the new FTC ruling, bloggers must disclose whether the company whose products they are reviewing has compensated them in any way. Do you anticipate that this ruling will affect the way PR companies work with new media?
Bold PR: We can’t speak for other PR companies’ practices or how they might be affected by the new FTC ruling, but for us, we don’t compensate bloggers for reviews and believe that if a blogger is financially compensated for coverage they should certainly disclose that fact. In essence, that makes them a paid spokesperson. The “new” media needs to be guided by the same ethics and rules as more traditional media if they want similar credibility.
Stay tuned for more interviews – and as always, feel free to send your questions to productpasha@gmail.com.
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