What other conference could you go to where an attendee stands up and says, “Um, I know Nintendo is here, and I’d just like to say, ‘I’d like a Wii?’”
Alicia here, checking in from the fourth annual BlogHer conference in San Francisco. There’s a busy schedule here today, tonight and tomorrow, so stay tuned for notes, photos and more.
Another good year for BlogHer Business. If you haven’t been before and like digital PR, have no clue what digital PR is or your boss told you your company needs to get it, BHB talks to all of those.
I was pleased to see this year deal more with Twitter and mobile. Unlike the summer BlogHer conference (now conferences!), BHB is usually geared toward more “industry folks.” I was glad to see more bloggers this year that served as a great resource for industry folks looking to gain best practice tips from those who have actually been pitched, worked with a corporation on a project, etc. The best example of this had to be the Improving the Pitch session. It was really refreshing to hear PR-ers stand up and say, “Ok, I have no idea how to pitch you. How do I do it?” There was some great honest conversation that took place, and hopefully there will be one less bad pitch floating around the blogosphere!
What I like most about conferences is the Barbie feeling of “We girls can do anything!” after I get back. If you haven’t been to a conference before, BHB or not, you should make sure to attend one this year. It’s a great way to network, see what’s going on in the industry and let your brain think of all that is possible.
Until then, it’s back to Detroit.
Mir from Woulda Coulda Shoulda is part of a panel on improving pitches to bloggers from PR people. She’s telling some great horror stories right now about the pitches she’s received. Some of the things she’s seen in e-mail pitches:
Mir, and the rest of the panel, will make an effort to respond to bad pitches, and they’ve had some interesting results with the conversation that takes place from that.
What to do when the blogger doesn’t list a name on the site. GREAT question. Mir pointed out that her posts always say “posted by Mir,” so that’s one way to go. It is ok to say “Hi,” and then follow it up with a good pitch. Or even address them as a blog name, and then say, “Hey XXX, I know I just addressed you as your blog title, but I can’t find your name and I’ve been looking- write me back and let me know who you are!”
Unlike traditional media placement, the content is the driving force for the blog, and tends to be more important that numbers alone.
If you feel like you don’t know how to pitch a blogger, ask them. Bloggers are more than happy to tell you how it is.
Big theme here- read the blog, know the blogger, do the pitch.
Good morning! I’m back here for Day 2 of BlogHer Business. We’re having some Internet connectivity issues this morning, so hopefully I’ll still be able to update the masses.
Right now we’re in the middle of breakout sessions. The panel is discussing how to find the right digital fix for your digital need.
