Thou shalt not make enormous list of bloggers and spam them. Make short lists and customize content instead.

Yes, that’s the trick everyone. Take your list of hundreds and boil it down to the top ten most important, then write them individually. You’ll increase your chances of coverage and build a great relationship at the same time. But now, on with the original post.

The original

We get knocked off course sometimes, in the course of our outreach, and it’s good to have a reminder about how best to do things. So, since I don’t harp on this topic enough, here are three reminders to keep in mind next time you speak with bloggers:

1. Never, ever, EVER corrupt your influencers! Don’t bribe them, and don’t pay them to write about you. If your little transaction ever becomes public, here’s what happens:
   • Your influencer’s reputation will be destroyed, making them worthless in supporting your company or client
   • You will be recognized as the cheating scum your customers fear/suspect you may be
   • Other bloggers may shun you and your client/firm, further reducing the pool of influencers you have access to
2. Don’t be an ass. I’ve seen pitches to bloggers, from some PR practitioners, that make me cringe because they are, sometimes, cajoling, demanding, aggressive, rude, etc. Folks, most bloggers aren’t businesspeople and they don’t consider themselves that way. When you approach a blogger it has to be at a one-to-one level — personal, friendly, and not expecting anything. Not even coverage.
3. If you want them to write about you, you have to be ready to offer them something. Newsworthiness probably won’t cut it. And, see point number one, cash isn’t good enough. Sponsoring their site publicly

Yes, Stardock is privately owned. They don’t tell anyone how much money they make or have — they don’t have to. So they created a document that talks about their products. It gives everyone a rundown of what the product does, how well it has done…and what’s wrong with it, what’s being done to fix it or improve upon it, and so on.

Brad Wardell, man of steel
Brad Wardell is Stardock’s founder, president, CEO, caesar, etc. I’ve lusted after his products since I flipped through a magazine dedicated to IBM’s OS/2 operating system and saw his first (or one of his first, I’m not THAT much of a fanboy) product, an application that sexied up IBM’s drab interface. AND I DIDN’T EVEN USE OS/2!

Because of my lust, I’ve followed him and the growth of his company for years. Through his blog, in his interviews, he’s always told it like it is. If I was his PR person I’d simultaneously have fits and drop to the floor in ecstasy. And in this report to his customers, he’s just extending that attitude and personability. It’s gelling with his customers, me among them. Stardock’s games are awfully successful and generating more and more buzz as the years go by. Stardock is very much in touch with what its customers (who, according to the report, are almost all adult males and dedicated to PCs) are looking for.

My takeaway
I’m not too proud to steal a great idea when I see one. You can bet I’m going to be looking for opportunities to use this kind of document with the companies I work with. In the meantime — Brad, if you’re reading this, I salute you.

And thanks to Spencer Scott for posting a link to the document on Twitter.

The first big pain point

“There’s so much out there, I don’t know what to focus on.” No kidding! The only way I can keep up is by constantly reading technology news sites, blogs, message forums, leading Twitter users…and then spending time to think about what I’ve just read.

I can do that because I love this stuff and am glued to my computer. Other people aren’t quite that passionate — they have things like stamp collections, dogs, and children. My suggestion? Read my primer, and then go out there and pick a social media strategist blog to read. Like mine.

Pain point number two

“There’s no single source of information that gives me just the very basics so I can get started.” There is now! Again, snag my primer, above. But I feel your pain. What I recommend is that you find a single source you trust and stick with them — they will eventually cover just about everything you need. No need to try to take it all in at once. You can of course read me, but check out my blogroll, off to the right there — I follow all those folks, and ProBlogger is my favorite source for news.

Ultimately, you can always write to me! I’m happy to help.

And, of course, circulations figures almost across the board are slipping, slipping, and slipping yet again.

So what is a journalist to do? If they are anything like me (I wrote about technology for the likes of CNET and Fortune and so on), they will jump ship and run, run I tell you, to the nearest port. Which, for journalists, has always been public relations.

WELCOME TO THE “DARK SIDE”
Journalists moving into PR is not a new thing. PR, after all, is where the money is, at least once you get past the account coordinator level. But, as of late, that trickle has grown into a tidal wave, with journalists jumping ship either of their own accord or with a mighty push from mother publisher.

So “welcome to the dark side” as one PR person said to me when I made my jump.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
For the journalists who can adapt (“What, you mean PR writes those quotes and not the people being quoted?”), this can be the start of an exciting new career. And for the PR firm, this can be an influx of journalistic research and analytical skills, resourcefulness, an insider knowledge of how a newsroom works, contacts, and perhaps best of all, a clear and succinct writing style.

AND WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
PR firms are growing and fees are going up, up, up. So it looks like PR is will be a friendly haven for journalists for some time.

So welcome to the dark side, one and all. Welcome.

I see you have decided to read me. Wise move, grasshopper.

Okay. For the really time-pressed, here is the one sentence overview: “. . . if you’re going to create the next hot Web 2.0 site and you want it to go viral, you’ll target women.”

Want an explanation? Okay. Here we go.

WOMEN ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF WEB 2.0
Sure, men tend to be the early adopters of new technologies, but social media is about, well, being social. And women are nothing, if not social. So, women rule online far more than men.

We know this by looking at social networks, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Flixster. Not only are women much more active, but older men, above 30 and especially those that are married, aren’t even joining. (What are the guys doing? Can you say World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto, online poker, and so on?)

WHEN THE MEN ARE ON SOCIAL NETWORKS, WHAT ARE THEY DOING?
According to the article, “Sex, of course, has long been one of the strongest drivers of online usage.” So they flock to social networks to fulfill this need. But put a ring on their finger and social networks tend to become a thing of the past.

WHAT’S THE KEY TAKE-AWAY HERE?
That “. . . a dollar spent marketing to acquire a female user goes a lot further than on a male user.” So, hello ladies!

I mean, we are so busy rushing around and doing it that we never stop, take a look at ourselves, and see if we are actually accomplishing anything of value.

Well, those days are about to end. And they are about to end with a book called “Now is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs” by Geoff Livingston and Brian Solis.

“Now is Gone” is loaded, just loaded with case studies, each one a gem of insight into social media and the value therein. Such as, for example, the now classic Budget Car Rental viral marketing campaign. The very first blog-exclusive campaign (it was promoted entirely through bloggers and blog advertising), the campaign delivered one million unique site visitors and more than 10 million page views. If that isn’t impressive enough, think about this. The Budget Car Rental blog had nearly 20 million blog advertising impressions at an average cost of 33 cents each. And it accomplished all this in just four weeks.

Then there is the study on how the White House is using social media to spread the word on their drug policies, how H&R Block is using Twitter, even how Goodwill used social media for some much-needed rebranding.

Fascinating stuff. And fascinating stuff just loaded with tips, ideas, and reasons why your boss should up your budget. Considerably.

I will let you go read the case studies yourself. http://nowisgone.com/case-studies/

But I want to leave you with the seven principles of successful community engagement from “Now is Gone.” Principles you might want to share with the, ahem, more traditional media types in your office.

1. Do not try to control the message: People will talk about your company with or without you.
2. Honesty, ethics and transparencies are musts.
3. Participation within the community is marketing.
4. Communication to audiences is an out-dated 20th Century concept
5. Build value for the community
6. Inspire your community with real, exciting information, not corporate propaganda.
7. Intelligently manage your media forms (RSS, frequency, etc.) to build a stronger and more loyal community.

Now go forth and do that social media thang.

Remember the poetry you wrote at thirteen years old and posted on your very first Website? Remember the rant against your girlfriend you so cleverly turned into a podcast? The lapdance you put on YouTube? The too-drunk-to-stand pictures you placed on Flickr?

No? Well, no worries, a Goggle search will find them. Don’t believe me? Search your partner, your boss, or for the brave at heart, yourself. Then skip to page 23 (if you’ve been busy) or page 123 (if you’ve been very busy). Why look. There’s your glorious opus, your silver-tongued tirade, your gluttonous grin, your, well, you get the picture.

You are there because the Internet has a memory like an elephant. It never forgets. Ever. Which means everything you have ever posted, in any format, at any time, is preserved for all eternity for all future bosses, potential spouses (and spouses-in-law’s), up-coming clients, and anyone else who can spell your name. Preserved forever. Me? I’m embarrassed by my old USENET posts where I show off my Warhammer rules lawyering skills. You’ll NEVER find them, by the way…

So watch what you say on the Internet. Watch what you post. Watch what your spouse posts. Watch what your kids post. And, heaven help us, if you are in PR, watch what your client posts. Even on their own Website.

Unless, that is, they are delinquent in paying their bill.

Here’s a link.

All I can say is: Wow. Great idea. Pitching in the clear is an interesting concept. The catch, of course, is that no PR person in their right mind will share information of value to competitors of their clients…and reporters sometimes don’t want to share what they are writing about.

I totally agree that this will force PR pros to focus on the key details and not the useless buzzwords and crap that litter frequent communications. But again, will the need for secrecy kill MicroPR? And will a critical mass of journalists and bloggers opt into this?

I love the idea, but I think it is ahead of its time. Regardless, in their own words, here’s how it works:

Examples of usage:

Journalists and bloggers can declare that they do or do not want to be pitched via Twitter and other micromedia tools. They can also announce their specific preferences for contact.

Reporters looking for help with on story development can send a tweet, “@micropr Need startup recommendations for story on new micromedia tools. Reply via public tweet to @reportername” (112 characters).

A writer can share relevant beats @micropr beats = #social #micromedia #networks #media #infrastructure #hosting.

They could declare what sorts of microPR they want (or don’t want) to receive, and in what mode — @public messages or direct/private.

Other services could include scheduling calls and or meetings, etc.

Conference and awards organizers can call for speakers or submissions.

Media can also block certain PR people who are doing it wrong.

Whether you’re an account manager who desperately needs to email a large file or a senior partner who doesn’t know how to post to their blog, just face facts: You’re doing a crappy job of taking advantage of all that computing power.

I bring this up because, without fail, I regularly found myself to be the one person in firm after firm that knows technology best. I was the one who knew how to edit a PowerPoint presentation in just such a way as to achieve a desired result. I was the one who knew how to quickly and easily find information on the labyrinthine network storage space, or find a specific email lost in a sea of tens of thousands. I built impressive looking blogs within the space of a couple of hours — complete with digital images I made by hand. And of course I know a lot about all the wonderful social media technology out there, too.

I shudder to think what marketing and public relations professionals could do if they had all this knowledge and experience. Yes, I’m certainly an exception — I was raised by a Commodore 64 (suckah!) and am self-taught until I reach proficient or expert status on anything technology related — but I really shouldn’t be.

The secret to getting to my level
If you cannot muster the enthusiasm for learning about some new piece of software, or how to operate some new gadget, don’t fret — you don’t need that, though it certainly helps.

What you need to do is to take thirty minutes alone in a quiet room away from everything else, and you need to start fiddling. Whenever you don’t understand something, Google it. Look around in the options settings of your application or gadget, see what else the technology is capable of.

There’s no need to overextend yourself — there’s no need to learn how something works in great detail, try to focus on learning only what something is capable of. When the time comes, you’ll know exactly what tool you’ll need for the job and you can learn as you go thanks to the power of Google.

It got me thinking back to many years ago, when I was a freelance journalist. I enjoyed the last, best days of a profession that had a great real of respect for copyright. This was back when writers were able to charge extra for their work appearing online, before everyone had a Web site. But then something happened — publishers became hungry for content. All that copy was going to attract eyeballs, and eyeballs meant advertising dollars. Publishers printed their writer’s work online with impunity, rarely bothering to ask for permission or even to notify the writers.

We’ve all forgotten what copyright was about

And then, as if my day couldn’t get any cheerier, I came across this post from copyright lawyer William Patry. Patry announced that he is ending his blog, partly because “The current state of copyright law is too depressing”. This quote in particular jumped out at me:

Much like the U.S. economy, things are getting worse, not better. Copyright law has abandoned its reason for being: to encourage learning and the creation of new works. Instead, its principal functions now are to preserve existing failed business models, to suppress new business models and technologies, and to obtain, if possible, enormous windfall profits from activity that not only causes no harm, but which is beneficial to copyright owners.”

Thanks, William, for summing this up so beautifully. When I first read up about copyright more than ten years ago, I remember learning that it one of the motivations for it was to help keep things fresh. Without copyright law the world would be flooded with derivative, unoriginal work (just like at all the Winnie the Pooh crap out there) is poison for businesses — people want the fresh and new.

This is an analogy for your life
Sorry state of affairs aside, Patry’s dirge is both a warning and a reminder: Don’t get bogged down trying to preserve something that is failing, don’t stop learning, and don’t be evil. Reminds me of Google, but its a good mantra to keep in mind in your daily life, be you marketer, public relations professional, or otherwise.