The PR/Blogger Relationship – Part 1

When I entered the world of online/interactive journalism (the word blogger still hadn’t reached popular status and – at the time – referred to personal, online diaries), my first gig was for a film Web site. At the time, online media was considered to be at the bottom of the PR totem pole. Because of the nature of the stories I wrote (film reviews and celebrity interviews), my success as a blogger was entirely dependent on my ability to gain access to the world of the film junket – and become a “junketeer.”

How did that work? Almost each weekend, a group of largely the same reporters/broadcasters/critics converged on a hotel in either LA or New York. The hotels varied, but the story was essentially the same. Press screenings for the new films took place on Fridays, celebrity interviews took place on Saturdays or Sundays, and red carpet premieres often took place on that Sunday evening. And at each door was a PR pro with a list. If you are on the list, you’re in. If you’re not, you’re sunk.

My first red carpet was for the film Minority Report – and I had the chance to interview and photograph everyone from Steven Spielberg to Tom Cruise (when he first got his famous braces) and Collin Farrell (who’d just shaved his head for his role in DareDevil). I was absolutely hooked. OK, and a little surprised by how short Tom Cruise really was (I’m 5’9″ – to be fair).

I have an aggressive personality and I was onto what I thought was a dream career. Still in college, I started finding ways to support my new gig (read: syndicating my stories/interviews, which I submitted free to the Web site for which I worked), and establishing that most important relationship – with the PR pros who stood as the gate keepers between me and the celebrities that I wanted to interview. Again – as an online reporter – I was at the bottom rung of the PR list. Sure, the site for which I worked boasted more than 500,000 monthly uniques, and it was part of the UGO.com entertainment ring (which at the time reached 1 in 10 males on the Internet). But I still had to take a back seat to the broadcast and print reporters, and I had to beg, fight and bargain for every seat at these events. In the end – it was a numbers game to start, and a relationship game to maintain my seat.

PR pros – in that industry or any industry – have a job to do. They have to maximize exposure for their client or product, while minimizing the cost to do so. They also know that not every product/client is going to be a blockbuster film or hot seller, so they do balance some give and take with their bottom line numbers regulations. If you’re a newbie blogger with 5,000 monthly uniques, you’re probably not going to get a seat to interview Johnny Depp for his new Pirates film. However, you may be able to convince that PR person to let you sit in on a junket for a new Indie flick that has open seats. Provide consistent, timely coverage for those smaller events, and eventually you’ll be invited to sit in on the next Blockbuster summer flick. Likewise – if you are just getting started, don’t expect to be sent review samples for the hot new electronic gadget with a $200 ticket price. But, if you start small, you’ll eventually have the sample sent to you without requesting it.

Why?

1. Coverage – especially hot, insider coverage – will drive visitors to your site. You’ll boost your monthly uniques, and eventually hit that threshold of bottom line numbers that will earn you access to the big events, or to review the hot products.

2. Other PR pros scan for competitor coverage. If PR pro A sees that you’ve been working with PR pro B, they’ll add you to their own lists.

3. Perhaps most importantly – you’ll develop a relationship with the PR pro that establishes you as a reliable contact. If you post right away, provide timely feedback (send them links when your stories go live, ladies! You have no idea how far that goes!), and show them that you’re helping them with THEIR goals, you’ll break down walls and become part of the “insider club.”