I’m not a blogger vs PRs.

Vero wrote a really good piece today about the relationship between bloggers and PRs. It was mainly in regards to technology journalism, but the points are valid across everything and the comments bring up really interesting points from both sides.

I don’t think it comes as a surprise that the PR / blogger relationship can be strained, and the fault lies on both sides.

I have friends in PR, I have friends who blog and I have friends who work in print media. All of us are battling it out for our little piece of the pie, and we all have to remember one thing about each other. It’s my motto for life, which I repeat to myself whenever things don’t work out how I planned.

They’re Just Doing Their Job.

For every PR that sends me info on a security tether after contacting me about a shoe website (this actually happened and she got very hostile when I said it wasn’t relevant) there’s one who couriers over a lipstick last minute so I can fill a gap in my video. For every PR who won’t return my phonecall when I ask for information on a product, there’s another who takes me to Nobu for dinner to talk about their new clients.

Similarly, for every PR who calls me to check what I’m working on so (s)he can send me relevant press releases or samples, there’s one who tells my colleague they won’t send anything to Catwalk Queen (even images) because they’re ‘not doing online’.

[name and shame removed because, ironically, they have now invited me to something. No idea if it was after seeing this - I doubt it - but if it was, thanks for listening!]

By nature, bloggers write opinions, they’re honest and they don’t hold back. The freedom of blogging vs print media is what appealed to me in the first place. I know we’re a bit scary because we won’t pander to people quite so easily. We’re also a bit contradictory. We want to be treated with the same respect as press, but at the same time, we don’t want to be treated like press. We want to be recognised for what we are. A new breed of writers who bring together old skills and new ideas in order to deliver content in a new way.

But those ‘weaknesses’ are also our strengths. If a product is good, blogger buzz can really sell it. Plenty of people have now realised the power of ‘underground’ buzz from new influentials (argh, jargon-speak) and witnessing the PR about turn has been really fantastic for me. All I’ve ever asked is that PRs show some kind of interest in understanding bloggers, and that definitely seems to be the case (as a whole) now. So for those who’re out there flying the flag for good PR practice, thanks. Those who aren’t…go to your clients, tell them about blogs and get them to invest some money in targeting them.

Contrary to popular belief, we’re not just in it for the freebies.