So last week, I wrote about blogging tips for working with PRs, which was very well received by bloggers. So for today, I decided to write about PR tips for working with bloggers, because lets face it, some of these PRs are completely clueless when it comes to working with bloggers. We need to hold their hands, and I hope they find this post useful.

Provide ALL information in the First/Second Email

I hate it when I receive an email with for a blog request, and I have to keep asking for all the required information to be sent. It is off-putting guys. I like working with PRs that send full or part information out in the first email to see if I am interested, and send the rest of the information, if not already sent, in the second email. It just shows they have their head on their neck, and they know what they are doing. So information like – budget, type of link required, anchor texts if any, deadlines, and so on, I need to know in  the second email, so I know if I am going ahead or not.

I hate having to go back and forth many times, when such information should have been sent in full earlier. It is just a waste of my time and it puts me off working with such PRs in the future.

Do Not Hide the Fact That You Do Have a Budget

I hate it when PRs hide the fact that they do have a budget for a campaign, and try to see if they can get me to work for free. This has happened so many times now and I find it so annoying and dishonest. I know many bloggers fall for this trick because many are uncomfortable talking about money and I really don’t know why.

Well I am VERY comfortable talking about money so I don’t fall for this trick but it still gets to me. Many PRs will approach you with a request, and won’t mention anything about a budget until you do, and then they say yes they have £X budget for this, and I am like, why did you have to wait for me to ask you? Surely, you should have said that in your second email when I asked for all the necessary information to be sent. This puts me off working with such PRs as I find them dishonest, and looking for inexperienced bloggers to rip off.

Pay Us On Time

Pay bloggers when you say you would. If its 24 hours, pay in 24 hours. If its 20 working days, pay in 20 working days. There are so many media agencies and PRs that I have had the pleasure of working with and that do pay when they say they would. Digital agencies like Mediaworks, and Bronco, pay invoices within hours of receiving them, which I find fantastic. I enjoy working with these agencies because I don’t have to continuously chase up payments, but these type of agencies/PRs are few and far in between.

I have discovered from personal experience that those companies/PRs that say they will pay your invoice in 30 days for example, hardly ever pay in 30 days. I usually have to chase the payment up daily and stalk them on social media to get it paid. Unlike those that say they will pay immediately they receive the invoice. I usually never have to chase payments up with those companies as they pay on the same day most times.

I am currently waiting on a couple of invoices to be paid, fingers crossed I will get paid within the agreed timescales.

Editorial Control

I hate it when PRs ask me to send a draft of a post before it goes live, and I always let them that is not going to happen, and they are free to go to the next blogger. I do not allow anyone else have editorial control on my blog. If you need to read a similar blog post, I would happily send you a link from the blog archives but sending a draft before publishing a post doesn’t sit well with me at all.

It makes me fill uneasy to send a draft of anything I write to anybody. No family member or friend read a draft of my book until it was live on Amazon. The only person to read a draft was my proofreader and editor. That is how I like to operate because I trust my instincts and judgement too much to ask for a second opinion when it comes to my work, and having someone else approve my work gets me anxious. Many PRs respect that, and I hope many more start to understand that.

Mutually Beneficial Collaborations

PRs need to understand that for a collaboration to take place, and for both parties to be happy, it has to be mutually beneficial. There has to be something in it for you and me, not just you. So you want me to write about your client, you need to pay my rates, you want me to review your products, I will pick the products I am interested in if possible, and you may need to pay an admin charge if required. You want me to attend an event, it has to be an event that would change my life, event I would enjoy attending, for me to drop everything and come.

The point am making is there has to be something in it for me, there is something in it for you already, if not you won’t be contacting me.

Be Personal

I understand PRs and SEOs are very busy, so some of them send general emails to many bloggers at once. That is completely understandable but I like to read personal emails every now and again. It catches my attention when you address me by my first name, and you metioned something personal about me or Fashion and Style Police, that confirms you have read my blog and done your research. It shows you know what you are doing and I am so quick to respond to such emails.

So there you have it. My tips for PRs, working with bloggers. I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Please leave me a comment adding your tips. I will love to read about your experience working with PRs/SEOs.

Thanks for reading xoxo