I wasn’t planning to write another blog post about blogger relations so soon and then this showed up in my inbox this morning.
It pretty much sums up why it’s critical for PR people to stay current, build relationships with bloggers and do their research.
What’s wrong?
Lots.
I won’t get into all the details but here’s a taste:
- No relationship. He has no prior relationship with me, nor does he appear to be making an effort to have one.
- Spray and pray. How many other people are included in his list of “undisclosed recipients”?
- Lack of passion. He isn’t telling me why I should be interested in his client’s product but rather that I should read about it then decide if I’m interested in doing a story or review. As their publicist, shouldn’t he be sharing their story and passion for the product in a more interesting way than flipping me a couple press releases?
But the real icing on the cake is laziness and lack of knowledge to counsel his client:
“If you are [interested], please send me all of your social media stats to review and then I will let you know if the company approves your qualifications. Thanks very much”
Ouch!
For the record, I don’t make a habit of outing PR people who send me bad pitches. Heck, I sometimes help PR agencies and other clients with their influencer relations. But I don’t have a lot of patience for people who keep trying to bring an entire industry down.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please share.
