I am not the PR but yes i want to promote my blog. I just asked Damian if he accept Guest posts and told him about my article. He said the topic is not relevant to his blog and I never disturbed him again.

I write on my friends blog or other established blogs to get some traffic to mine too but I am not a PR .

She may have missed the mark this time, and hopefully has learnt form the experience, but lets face it – there aren’t too many experts in the field as yet, so therefore there aren’t too many good teachers out there either.

We can listen to so called experts like Laurel Papworth who take an overly purist view (read as don’t really understand much about marketing, or much else for that matter) or we can have a go, just like this PR did.

The blogger acted with integrity in turning down the approach, however hanging her out to dry is a bit rough.

Gosh PRs c’mon – we know you probably went to University and had dreams of lobbying governments to change policies or thought you might find yourself at hanging out at the press club with laurie oakes but get real! get with the bloggers – they’re the future of journalism! didn’t you know???

No one’s saying bloggers are the last bastion of trust and righteousness, or calling PR lowly, simply commentating that this particular person didn’t really go about handling this exchange the right way.

For example: if I was a pie maker and wanted to market to Kyle Sandiland’s (lowest common denominator) fans, going around throwing pies in their faces, punching them and telling them I slept with their mothers wouldn’t put them in the wrong but it also wouldn’t imply they were pinnacles of human spirit – all it would prove was that I wasn’t very good at my job…

In my four years of doing online PR I have never once approached a blogger with an article and asked them to host it. That’s not what blogs are about. They are personal about personal experiences.

I would have no problem inviting a blogger, vblogger, website editor etc along to an event so that they could experience something themselves or to talk to them about something unique which they would be more than welcome to write about.

I agree Victoria should have been open with her ‘secret’ from the beginning, but the whole thing just comes off as feeling dirty.

Would love to know what the blog’s focus is and what she was trying to spruik through it.

It doesn’t mean that blog marketing is not possible however, bloggers just need to trust those people wanting to partner their blog. It shows the importance of having a broker like Nuffnang to bridge the relationship gap.

Focus is yet again on PR staffers being let loose in an arena they don’t fully understand (and to be be quite frank, I don’t think anyone on iether side of the fence fully understands all of it).

It’s embarrassing to the PR industry when exchanges like this are made public – the onus is on the industry to get it right.

I bet there are more than a few bloggers out there with similar stories to tell, but to square up the ledger a little, consider this:

Approached again today by a persistent blogger seeking a commission from a client for every click through that lead to sale from a review on the blogger’s site. There would be no disclaimer.

So it works in both directions – we say “no” to as many inappropriate “business cases” on behalf of clients as I’m sure bloggers do from ill-advised PR approaches.

Whilst Victoria’s approach didn’t work with Damian, I’d love to here Victoria’s side of the story about how many took the bait.

1. The PR hasn’t read the blog
2. She’s blantantly trying to use the blog as a vehicle for the clients message and the reason for doing this is the fact that banners don’t work anymore!
3. No effort to build a relationship/ add value
4. No respect for the blogger or the audience

Annoying.

It is just scandalous that anyone could think such at thing.

And anyway, you wouldn’t want to imply something like that with Karalee Evans around as she’ll have you for toast thank you VERY much: http://justanotherprblog.wordp.....-bollocks/