I agree on all accounts Jessica. Why is it so hard for some in the “game” to just walk away when it obviously isn't making them happy anymore?

As a new blogger (not necessarily of the Mommy variety although there is a lot of stuff about my kids and their constant antics on the blog) I really appreciate this sort of advice. I'm a consumer just like everyone else but you can bet your ass that I won't be flogging some crappy item just because someone sent it to me for free. I'm really glad I met you at the beginning of my pro blogging career Jessica, you have probably saved me from many months of frustration and irritation.

I wrote a post about the rules of blogging and how to make money because I think that this is kind of funny. My initial draft was nasty. I slammed quite a few bloggers and called them liars. But after thinking about it I decided to take a kinder approach.

Instead of calling them liars I'll say that a huge number are exaggerating about their interaction with PR agencies. I don't believe that they are getting as many pitches as they claim they are. I question their business skills and ethics and I wonder how many of them neglect to mention that they are the source of engagement.

They contacted the agencies and tried to develop a relationship. I suspect that many of these “I hate PR posts” are an attempt to create buzz about themselves, a form of link bait.

Anyhow, I'll stop rolling my eyes now because I am far too busy responding to the 3,987 emails I received today from the kind people who wish to share their fortunes with me or send me pills that will help restore the 98 inches I lost at my bris.

I think she made a mistake when she didnt just respond in kind with her rates. I think totally lost opportunity. I used to get annoyed with the pitches and then I realized I should be capitalizing on all this found money….a paid blogger is a happy blogger!

Great write up jess

I posted on this incident on my blog – but you did a MUCH better job. I hope some of the large companies that use this firm rethink if they want to continue doing business with such an unprofessional PR firm.

I think she made a mistake when she didnt just respond in kind with her rates. I think totally lost opportunity. I used to get annoyed with the pitches and then I realized I should be capitalizing on all this found money….a paid blogger is a happy blogger!

Great write up jess

Awesome perspective. I have come to believe that some PR companies do not respect the bloggers. However, I have had some PR that have built such a great relationship I “could” call them a friend. I had a response to one of my ranting posts that told me to capitalize on the pitches I received. I had not thought about this before. But he had a great point. I now reply with what is said on my pitch me page on the types of pitches I will accept and try to build a different relationship for other opportunities.

I'm Diana from Hormonal Imbalances. Let me say, I didn't dream in a million years the kind of response my post would get from the blogging community – or the horrible reaction that it got from the unnamed PR firm that slandered me in response.

However, your post is honest, fair, and very informative. I learned so much just reading it. I was frustrated when I wrote mine, and the response to the PR firm, and have since felt bad that I wrote to them. I don't feel bad I wrote the post. I should have written the company paying them to pitch me and asked them why they wanted moms to work for free. I also should have waited a few hours before hitting publish and thought it over. ;) Hindsight.

Thank you for taking the time to review this with honesty – even though you didn't agree with me 100%. I appreciate it, because many, many other people didn't bother too. If you get a chance, you should search for the response from the PR president. You might have a whole other post on your hands with that one.

Thanks again. I enjoyed reading this.

I agree with you. Yes, Diana acted on emotion with her response to the pitch, but Kel and Partners should never have called her emotional stability into question on a public forum. That is so unprofessional. I have heard that other bloggers have had problems with the same PR firm acting in a similar way regarding problems they {the blogger} had with them.

I also agree that our time is valuable and we should not work for free. I have to pay for hosting for my site. I need money to do that. These “editorials” are available on the Internet for as long as I have my blog and therefore free advertising for these brands. Try get THAT kind of promotion from traditional media. It doesn’t happen.

I do like to do reviews. I occasionally run contest as well. But free advertising I will not do. However I do have an exception for charities and non-profits. Women need to learn their worth and believe it. It’s the only way not to get taken advantage of by the opportunists.

How I do love a good pot stirring. I, too, am jumping in to defend my PR brethren.

Like my PR counterparts, I do a good amount of blogger pitching—sometimes I hit gold and sometimes I don’t. But, that's pretty much par for the course with pitching traditional media. Truth is, media pitching—regardless of channel—is hit or miss. It’s an art and not a science.

Mommy bloggers have fought hard for the well-deserved respect afforded to traditional journalists. But, there’s a reason you don’t see public call outs with Parenting Magazine or the Today Show, this retaliatory tactic isn’t part of their arsenal and it shouldn’t be for bloggers either.

Do PR folks need to do a better job keeping pace with who you are, how you like to be contacted and possible minefields, sure. But, by sheer volume bloggers outnumber PR folks by a thousand fold (if not more).

And, as Stephanie Smirnov points out, a great number of companies shy from forming partnerships with bloggers “because of precisely this kind of drama.” At the same time, a good number of PR folks are watching and scratching great blogs off their pitch lists because they don’t want to be a future victim to a public lashing.

If you need to vent, do it productively. Tag pitches that land with a flop and wrap them into a post about “To Pitch or Not to Pitch” just blind the identities—public apologies end up just as draining as the floggings.

@mariancutler

There is so much great conversation going on here. Blogging is such a new tool that there are not “industry standards.”

Each blogger has to decide what works best for them and what doesn't. Maybe you don't want to work with brands at all maybe you do. I think taking a look at your individual websites and deciding what you want to gain from it can be extremely helpful. Decide if you want to work with brands. And if so, in what way? All you have to do is communicate what you are willing to do and what costs are associated with that work. Each campaign is different depending on the brand, size of the company, and budget. State what you are looking for and work with brands you care to work with.

I think keeping an open mind and communicating is the best example we can set in this space. Although, that advice applies to life as well :)

I love this post. I am starting a travel site, and my section is writing about wine. I have been asked to review all kinds of things, with the press release attached, and when I tell them…kindly…that I don't review without product, that I can then turn around and give away to my readers, they usually disappear. Why would someone think their product is worthy of a press release without seeing the actual item? It is beyond ridiculous to me, and what I do, is just delete the email. Then when they send me ANOTHER pitch for the same thing later, I remind them that they already pitched me. That usually sends them on their way!