By Chris Lee

The PR industry is learning how to relate to bloggers, according to a new survey out in September, but lessons are still to be learned, according to the study’s author.

One fifth (19 per cent) of bloggers say that a PR had put them under pressure not to write a negative review or amend a review to more favourably reflect their client. Also, a small number (14 per cent) of bloggers report that PRs have asked them not to disclose that a blog was sponsored by a company, which runs contrary to accepted social media ethics.

On the upside, it appears that PR firms are sending out less press releases to bloggers – previous reports have cited this as a key annoyance for bloggers. Added to this, it appears that more PRs are providing bloggers with what they really need. 37 per cent of bloggers said that PRs demonstrated an understanding of their needs as a blogger and work in the right way with them.

PRs are also responding well to calls and emails, keeping promises and supplying products for review, according to the study, although they are less accomplished at reading blog beforehand and providing relevant opportunities.

Common errors

The study’s author, Phil Szomszor, who runs the PR blog The Red Rocket, told NMK that the same old problems keep re-emerging when bloggers were asked to describe their experiences when dealing with PR professionals.

"When engaging with bloggers, a common mistake PRs make is treating them like journalists; for example, by sending them press release - often en masse - or expecting them to show balance in their posts,” he told NMK. “Bloggers vary - some don't cover news at all, others like reviews and some just like to rant. So, the key thing is get to know them, and just give them what they need (in that way, they're the same as journalists!)”

Melanie Seasons, a social media consultant and author of London-focused food blog OmNomLondon, agrees that bloggers are often simply clubbed together with journalists by PRs, and that PRs need to research target bloggers more thoroughly to increase the effectiveness of their pitch.

“It’s very interesting being on both sides of the pitch. As both a blogger and a PR working in social media, it’s quite enlightening to see how other agencies approach bloggers,” she told NMK. “I get about five or six pitches per day from other PRs for my food blog, ranging from the dire to the magnificent. Over the years my complaints remain the same: the majority of PRs still are not researching who they’re pitching to. On my blog, I review restaurants in London, which is clearly stated on my About page along with guidelines on how to pitch me. Still, 90 per cent of pitches that come through are for product launches, food magazines, offers to interview a chef I’ve never heard of or cocktail recipes. The pitches I get that are tailored to me and my blog are the ones that get through, and generally those PRs are ones who are engaging already in social media – perhaps even blogging themselves.”

Szomszor’s latest survey follows on from a previous study looking into how PRs research bloggers.