what does it really mean to have a “pr friendly” blog?
We’ve all seen it, bloggers who splash the phrase “PR Friendly” across their online presence, but when you click on their blog it’s anything but. PR and Marketing folks aren’t your typical blog readers, but you can accommodate them without alienating your loyal readers. Here’s how.
You’ve heard this one drilled in at every conference, but it still bears repeating. If you want to work with brands, brands have to be able to reach you! Put your email somewhere on your blog. Not just a contact form. Put your actual email address somewhere – at the top of your sidebar on the homepage, on your contact page, on your PR Info page – that is easily found by busy PR people.
Your Name
We’ve all seen blogger put pitches that start “Dear Blogger” on blast. No one wants to send those, so please give us another option! If you don’t want to give out your real name, create a nickname. Mrs. M. Rosie. I don’t care what it is, just give people some way of addressing you that isn’t an awkward, “Hey!”
PR Preferences
Neither one of us wants to waste time with pitches that aren’t a good fit, so let me know up front what you’re looking for! Do you only write sponsored posts? Sidebar ads? Product reviews? Do you have minimums? Are you looking for ambassador opportunities? Lay it out for me, the more info the better! Most bloggers put this information on a page linked from their header – call it PR Info, Work With Me, even PR Friendly, just give me a signal that I should click on that tab to learn more about working with you.
About You
This is usually the first place I go when I’m checking out a new blogger. I want to know who you are and who I’ll be working with. Do you have kids? How many? How old are they? Pets? Unique hobbies? What are some of your interests? What do you love? Not only will I get to know you, but it will help me figure out if you would be a good fit for my current project. It will also help me craft a more tailored pitch and let me talk to you as a person, not as an entry in a spreadsheet.
Navigation
I’m not going to critique your blog design bit by bit, but it should be basically functional and easy to navigate. I want to find your contact information, your PR preferences, a little bit about you, and some of your most recent posts. Make that information easy to access with a quick glance – don’t make busy people waste time hunting through cluttered sidebars.