Susan Getgood of BlogHer
Susan Getgood of BlogHer
Susan Getgood, VP of Sales & Marketing at BlogHer and author of Professional Blogging for Dummies was another speaker at the The Tri-State District of the Public Relations Society of America Innovation Conference which also featured companies such as the NBA and Johnson & Johnson. With most of the audience in attendance being public relations professionals, Susan provided advice on best methods to approaching bloggers and getting coverage for their clients.
Susan stated that even though Facebook and Twitter have grown in size and popularity, content and conversation happens on blogs. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter connect networks of people back to the stories on blogs. Everybody is reading blogs, and blogs are about telling stories. Blogs matter to brands because people buy products from what they read on those blogs.
Some stats:
– Seventy percent of blog readers trust the things they read on the internet more than what they would read on a company website or in a magazine. Users read blogs to learn about new products.
– Eighty-five percent of those readers have bought a product based on a recommendation they read on a blog.
We (as consumers) do not like insurance agencies, but Susan described how Liberty Mutual invited a group of bloggers to attend an event held at Ellis Island. A Senior Vice President from Liberty Mutual gave the bloggers details about the Liberty Mutual Responsibility Project and how he spent time with the bloggers for the entire day getting to know the bloggers.
Susan has an interesting blog called Marketing Roadmaps where she provides tips on the best ways to reach bloggers such as:
– Do your research on each blogger and the specific topics covered.
– Develop a relationship and don’t just send out email pitches.
You should include a Blog with Integrity Badge seal on your blog to avoid any confusion about a blog that may be sponsored content; there needs to be disclosure if someone is compensated. There is nothing wrong with sponsored content as it can be engaging and fun if the stories are good, and readers will spread the good stories.
Some examples of the bad pitches Susan has received can be read here.
Which bloggers and websites does Susan follow? BlogHer, Mom101 and PR Squared.
You can follow Susan on Twitter.
You may also be interested in these posts:
Allison Fine and Beth Kanter The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change
Gary Vaynerchuk and The Thank You Economy
Gary Vaynerchuk and Robert Scoble Discuss Business and Social Media
Ray Jordan on Johnson & Johnson’s Social Media Strategy
JetBlue’s Social Media Strategy with Jenny Dervin
David Meerman Scott, Author of Real-Time Marketing and PR
John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine
The Mike Johnson Blog 
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