Journal Review 4: Blogs Becoming a Growing Bazaar for PR

by: Nur Syairah Mohd Akir

They were started a few years ago by political observers who made their running commentaries available online, but have recently emerged as a potent media force for pr execs; blogs. These days, blogs go well beyond the political scene, with diverse sites offering all kind of news by the day, hour and minutes. Indeed, a recent survey by Perseus Development Corp. predicts the top blog-hosting services will be home top to 10 million blog by the ends of 2004.

Pr nowadays used new media as their tools to sells their brand such as blogs, pitching blogs to spread a story or spread awareness of their company. This has been prove by PR manager at security software firm secure computing, David Burt who spends about 5% of his time trying to get bloggers to mention his company. Besides that, other PR execs have been able to make inroads through pitching blogs. In the summer 2003, Brian D. Johnson, PR director for Centerbeam, a network management outsources, has sent a press release to Jeremy Wagstaff, a writer for The Wall Street Journal, who covers technologies in “Loose Wire” column on a journal website, nd also run a daily blog of the same name.

PR practitioner use blog as one of the medium is because blogs offer a new opportunity to craft that kind of pinpoint pitch. It help PR practitioner to understand deeply into journalist awareness. It will give opportunity and obligation to understand how that person operates and how to appeal to them. Moreover as stated by Matthew Bailey, Web marketing director for The Karcher Group. Pr Execs who spend time learning a certain blogger’s style can score more than one shot deal. They can take advantages by becoming a source of information for the blog author, rather than simply asking the author to report on them what they are doing.

In this journal also stated that, to win bloggers heart, do approach them nontraditional way, loose the pitch. Comment on their stories, and give them feedback, and then as they get to know you, and they come to respect the value of your feedback, then you start to become a resources. 

source: Pr News. Potomac: Mar 22, 2004. Vol. 60, Iss. 12; pg.1