Survey: Bloggers and their relationships with PRs

In what is believed to be the first global survey of its kind, Text 100 has examined the communications/PR preferences of chiefly technology, business and lifestyle bloggers across the globe. The survey indicates a “mainstreaming” of blogging in most markets, with many bloggers reporting increased contact from PR professionals or corporate communicators. It also highlights that some of the worst practices from media relations have been exported to global blogger relations practices. Importantly for companies wanting to engage, the survey indicates there is significant opportunity for deeper relationships with this increasingly influential community.

Contact with PR people

• More than 90% of the 449 bloggers surveyed welcome contact by PR people.
  
• Most reported a high level of regular contact from PR people, with more than 96% of bloggers in the US being contacted once a week or more (versus 36% in APAC and 65% in Europe).
  
• Email is the preferred form of contact, no matter which part of the globe bloggers reside. SMS and IM, universally, are the least preferred forms.
  
• About half of all bloggers in APAC and Europe indicated their preferred form of contact on their blogs and, as a result of this survey, a number were planning to add their preferred form of contact if they weren't already showing this. Some 88% of bloggers in APAC preferred an introduction before receiving information from PR people and corporations, and many of these bloggers also wanted a face-to-face meeting.
  
• Bloggers are united in their desire for distinctive content, particularly about new product developments and reviews, feedback on content posted on their blog, and interviews with key people.

Content from PR people

• Photographs are most frequently used form of supplied content, followed by charts and graphs, and video streaming.
  
• Almost two-thirds of bloggers in APAC and Europe intend to use more elements from SMRs (Social Media Releases) in the coming 12 months.

Blogging habits

• Bloggers in the US spend the most time blogging, with 63% spending nine or more hours a week; while in APAC and Europe that time spent is less (36% and 44%).
  
• Microblogging is used by more than 75% of all bloggers, and those in APAC and Europe believe they are blogging more often because of microblogging.

Continued bad habits from PRs

• PR people continue to blindly send corporate press releases to bloggers.
  
• PR professionals are failing to read the blogs and truly understand their target bloggers' communities.
  
• They seem to expect bloggers to post corporate material, demonstrating a lack of understanding of the medium and the very reason why bloggers blog.
  
• They treat bloggers as they would journalists - not as influencers, which is more appropriate.

Text 100 has analysed the results and suggests five key lessons for PR and communications professionals:
1. Corporations are increasingly recognising the influence of bloggers, the increased contact points to the “mainstreaming” of blogging as a communications channel, and the recognition by corporations that bloggers have increasing influence over their desired audiences.
2. Corporate news releases are out. Bloggers say social media releases will experience far greater usage in the coming months.
3. RSS feeds are a key source of information for bloggers, second only to other bloggers. If companies aren't making their information available via RSS feeds, then they're failing to use one of the bloggers' most-trusted channels. Corporate bloggers and websites are also consistently deemed more credible sources than microblogging newspapers, social bookmarking sites, television and magazines.
4. The majority of bloggers are still part-timers, adjust your strategies accordingly. Outside of the US, the majority of bloggers surveyed blog for less than nine hours per week.
5. Most bloggers will acknowledge when a post is supported by a corporation. More than 80% of bloggers, no matter their region, say they would acknowledge sponsorship of blog posts.

Said Jeremy Woolf, Text 100 Global Social Media head: "This survey will hopefully dispel the myths that have sprung up and also help PR practitioners to work better with bloggers on their clients' behalf. Understanding that each blogger is unique is a good place to start. From there, build a genuine relationship and develop a shared agenda. With a platform of trust - and a commitment to playing an active role in the community - blogs can become a very successful part of a company's communication programme."