A Few Questions for the PR Minded

This is not intended to be a rant.  At all.

Merely a question, or a conversation starter.

File this under Improving Blogger and Pr Relations.

Because I think the collective voice of the two sides is tremendously powerful.  But there is still a gap in understanding. (note: this is not a blanket ‘this-applies-to-everyone’ statement)

I have worked with some amazing, fantastic PR individuals and firms.  That goes without saying. And I would love to encourage that Blogger/PR Relationship. And yet, I am perplexed by something.

I receive emails like this a lot:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi Danielle,

Over the past few months, there has been anticipation around the release of XXXXXXXXXX in the U.S.… The wait is over! Your readers will be excited to know that XXXXXXX will be available for pre-sale, starting today at both XXXXX and XXXXX for $XXX.XX

The product will be available in-stores and for online shipment starting March 28. Please keep in mind that quantities are limited and are available while supplies last. Feel free to share the pre-sale information with your readers, or direct them to the below Web sites for more information on how to reserve a unit for themselves.:

(links to sites)

Additionally, your readers will enjoy the new features on XXXXX including:

Best,

XXXXXX

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

I have to confess, I am perplexed.  Here are my questions:

*Is the hope that I will just copy and paste the press release on to my site?

*That I will be so excited about the release that I will tweet the links? (Despite the fact that my family will NEVER be using this product)

*Does this mean that the sender does not know that I am NOT a Deal/Coupon site?

*Does this type of blind email work?

*What would be the most helpful feedback?

I get lots of what I call ‘news-type’ press releases: St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas, 7 year old girl writes book, Ways to Combat H1N1, How to be smart on your taxes, etc.  These make some sense to me - partially because I’ve done a few HARO requests looking for an ‘expert’ on a topic and now I’m on a few email lists. But just a straight, ‘your readers will love this/post it’ seems odd.

If I am misunderstanding, set me straight.

Also…..I don’t know if you got this email - I know some people who did, but really?

Hi,

I’m currently doing web promotion for my client. I was wondering if you’re
willing to do a blog post for them on extraordinarymommy.com. My client is
willing to offer $50 for this blog post. We can also provide the blog post
content according to your guidelines.

If you’re interested, payments are sent via paypal. Or if you have a different
proposal, let me know and let’s see how we could work things out.

Thanks in advance,
Iris

Are there people (Iris could be anyone - I’m not saying she is a PR gal) who believe I am so desperate to make $50 that I am willing to agree to post about an anonymous ‘client’? That I will potentially sacrifice content on my site for someone who clearly knows nothing about me?

I want to be clear about something.  I am NOT questioning sponsored posts.  I have done sponsored posts.  I am not questioning anyone’s desire to make money from their site  - in fact, I hope that you can.  However, I don’t think it would be wise to agree to sponsored content without know what that content is.  And I question this particular approach.

That would be a ‘no, thank you very much‘.

I would also like to address this from a, “what can bloggers do to improve relations’ standpoint.  Post coming soon.

I would love to know your thoughts. Share away.

Edited to add to the conversation 3/9/10:

I wanted to share a comment I received via email from a PR friend of mine here in St. Louis.  Brian works at Blick and Staff Communications. He wrote:

What do you love about the Olympic Games?

Here are my thoughts….share yours!

Living Olympic Core Values - Gold Medalist, Vonetta Flowers

She learned the National Anthem as she pictured herself winning a Gold Medal at the Olympics.

It was during a wonderful conversation the other night with former Olympian, Vonetta Flowers that I began to see the woman behind the record setting Gold Medal for bobsledding. It was so much fun to chat with someone who has accomplished something I have only dreamed of….

9 year old Vonetta Flowers could run faster than most boys she knew.  With a track coach who saw something special as he watched her run, and a mother who believed she could do or be anything she wished, this young girl grew up grasping for gold.

In 2000, after what felt like a lifetime of training and competing in track and field and singing that National Anthem, Vonetta’s husband noticed a flyer advertising tryouts for a newly forming bobsled team, “The only thing I knew about bobsledding was what I had seen in the movie, Cool Runnings.  Trying out was like a joke at first, but God had been preparing me - without the years of track and field training, I wouldn’t have been successful.”

Since I am clearly not a bobsledder, Vonetta was kind enough to explain the traits needed to excel: Bobsledders need speed and power, two things Flowers possessed in excess.  So the ‘push’ was what she had to learn - and after 18 months of training in Germany, she had it mastered.

In 2002, at the Salt Lake City Winter Games,  Vonetta hit one milestone after another. (Can you believe she told me she doesn’t get nervous??  Just anxious because she had to wait until close to the end of the Olympic Games to compete)  It was her first Olympic Games as a bobsledder and it was the first Olympic Games for the Woman’s bobsledding team at all.  They won Gold - in their inaugural year, giving Flowers yet another distinction - the first African American woman to win gold at a Winter Olympics.

Like me, Vonetta is now a mom - she has 7 year old twins and a 7 month old baby.  But the busy lifestyle at home hasn’t slowed her down a bit.  In fact, she has turned some of her attention to helping women look and feel their best.  She is working on behalf of the Procter and Gamble brands that make her life easier, “My travel and training schedules can make life pretty hectic so I’m glad I can find products like Pantene, Secret and COVERGIRL at the local drugstore wherever I may be.”

She confided to me, “I’m never pampered anymore, so products like these are great.  Secret lasts - I can put it on, even at night and still be fresh in the morning.”

And she is singing the praises of Pantene, “I constantly battle dry hair and need products that are easy and accessible.  Pantene Relaxed & Natural Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner for women of color that helps keep my hair from breaking  during styling and leaves it smooth and moisturized.”

Vonetta credits much of who she is today to her own mother, “She is my best friend.  She has been through it all.  I wouldn’t be here without her.”

Like so many of us, Vonetta recognizes the importance of moms in our lives.  Procter and Gamble is taking an extra special step to honor those special women - the moms who live Olympic Core Values: Excellence, Respect and Friendship.

Head to ThankYouMom.com to nominate a mom you know who is living those Core Values - the winner, and the mom she nominates will win a trip to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London to cheer on Team USA.

If you haven’t seen the P&G Commercials for the ThankYouMom campaign - I will warn you - they might make you cry. ( I did.)

I am extremely proud to be heading to the Olympic Games in just a matter of days to represent Procter and Gamble and to give you an up close look at their Family Home and the many athletes and families they are supporting. The ThankYouMom Campaign is magical.

(Here’s a teaser for you - I chatted with Gold Medal Speedskater (and dad) Chad Hedrick and Skeleton World Cup Champion (and mom) Noelle Pikus-Pace today - those interviews will be up tomorrow)

Joining me on this tremendously exciting experience - three other fantastic bloggers:

Nicole Feliciano of MomTrends is in Vancouver right now.

After me, Isabel Kallman of Alpha Mom, and April Hussar of Betty Confidential will make their way to the Olympic Games.

I hope you will follow along.

Confessions of a Bad Housekeeper

Ok, I’m bringing you all right into my world on this one.

The other day I tweeted this.  I was trying to motivate myself to fight my inner slob. But you?  You all responded in agreement.  Apparently many of you have the same bad housekeeper battle too.

Unfortunately, my inner slob has turned into an outer slob.  Work is piling up, and my house is disintegrating to the point that I no longer recognize it.  Who lives like this?

Clearly, I do.

And my excuse, “it is only because I have kids - their toys and papers are everywhere!” no longer makes sense - even to me.

In an attempt to kick myself into gear, I am going to show you just how bad I am now.

One of three things will happen:

1) You will be mortified and provide me with sage advice that will get me going and help me to stay tidy.

2) You will smile and pat yourself on the back for managing to be even moderately tidier than I am (but still offer wisdom)

3) You will sympathize.  You will tell me you understand the chaos.

Either way I will feel better.  I will smile.

And when I am happy, I am motivated.

Not always to clean - but today??  I will figure it out.

Baby steps, right?

So, here goes:

This is my ‘catch- all’ kitchen counter.  Yes, clearly I am in need of a better filing system.

And this is the area of the house where we come in from the garage - also a dumping ground.

This is my dresser…..I stop here on the way from one place to another to just ’set things down for a second’ (or for days!)

And my closet?  Simply no excuse.  Some of the clothes on the floor are to be donated, some to be put away for warmer weather.

And the bathroom?  Disaster - even IN the drawers.

And finally?  This top shelf in the pantry USED to be organized - until Delaney started Kindergarten and Coop started preschool and they began to come home with a bizillion papers a day.  Feel free to yell ‘Pack Rat!’ at your computer. I deserve it.

Not only is living in chaos driving me C-R-A-Z-Y, I am definitely less efficient.  I spend too much time searching for things I can’t find.  And, I’m afraid I am a far cry from the model my kids need.

P.S. I didn’t show you the laundry room or my office….but simply imagine.

Help?

Talk to me in 140 Characters

This post will be brought to you in true twitter fashion - 140 characters or less.

The #140conf in LA is at the Kodak Theater.  It is 17 different shades of amazing to be in the building where the Academy Awards are held.

When the theater was empty I moved from seat to seat putting my bottom in the spots occupied by movie greats.  Think Jack Nicholson minds?

There are 140 ‘characters’ speaking at the #140conf in 2 days….many for only 5-10 minutes - and if you go long?  Music kicks you off stage.

Easily one of the most intelligent, well spoken women in the universe - @ariannahuff.  Fascinating to listen to her at #140conf

I’m in a special kind of heaven doing interviews ALL DAY for @devriespr. We want u to feel like u’re here. Check it out http://bit.ly/3Tz94y

Is it wrong to be filled with child-like giddiness at the prospect of more interviews tomorrow at #140conf? Want to be on camera? Find me.

I’ll be the girl with the microphone….well, one of them.  I’m the tallish, long-haired one at the @devriespr Buzz Lounge.

How do you use twitter?  How should individuals, brands & PR companies be involved? Have you seen something amazing happen via social media?

That’s it for now - I’ll be back with more updates tomorrow.  Find me and all the latest updates on www.youtube.com/devriespr

I #blamedrewscancer for the lights going out. I’m amazed @ the power of @ohdoctah ’s voice. I ate THE best cupcakes in @devriespr Buzz Lounge

I am living one of my dreams.  I thank social media and @devriespr for making this #140conf-event-video-update process happen.

Today, I had a Mammogram

Here is how I first found something amiss…..

The Irony of Going Pink this October

My grandmother had breast cancer before I was born.  She is still alive today - about to tackle her 97th birthday.

I didn’t hold her hand when she was diagnosed.  I didn’t remind her she was beautiful when she lost her hair, or her breast.  I wasn’t there to talk to her about surviving.

What I do know is she lived through a mastectomy and treatment. And she was embarrassed about her scars.

That is as close as I have ever been to a personal experience with breast cancer.

She did it all without me.  No question, she is a survivor.

So, when my sweet, wonderful friend Rachel of A Southern Fairy Tale asked me to write a guest post for her Blogging for Boobs Campaign (to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer) this month, I didn’t hesitate.  I am proud of my grandmother.  I’m proud she survived and thrived.  She has taught me a lot about strength and character.

So it was with nothing short of bitter irony that I confess my own experience.  I was writing the post for Rachel one Thursday night.  I paused in my writings to tuck my little guy into bed.  He always asks me (or his Daddy) to ‘lay down for jus’ one minnit’.  Who can say ‘no’ to that?

But as I folded myself into his twin bed, I bumped my chest (yes - even the smallest chested woman can get in their own way sometimes) and it HURT.  Not a little, but a lot.

I touched my hand to the pain.  A small lump nearly bit my fingers.  I snatched my hand away as though I had been burned, but instantly went back again - my fingers probing to the left, to the right.  Was I sure I felt something?  Yes. Maybe it wouldn’t be there if I let go and tried again. Wrong.  My right hand went back to my left breast again and again.  It never changed.

I furrowed my brow, thought, “didn’t I hear something about ‘if it hurts, it is just a cyst’ so no big deal?”  I was sure I had but figured the Internet would be a good source.

So I went to Google and typed:

Does Breast Cancer Hurt?

The very first response said something like, “I had heard that painful lumps in the breast were always non-cancerous, so I ignored it.  But I wish I hadn’t.  I had cancer and who knows if things would have been different if I had gone to the Doctor right away.”

I try not to be dramatic about stuff like this, but figured that was simply a sign to get it checked out.

I went to the Doctor that week.

The appointment happened just like I imagined it would, at first.  I brought my kids. (I had no choice)  They were crazy.  My Doctor was fantastic and managed to conceal everything from their curious eyes.

She felt to the right. Nothing.

She felt to the left.  She moved all over.  And finally said, “now where are you feeling the lump?” And I instantly thought, “see, of course I imagined it - it is just like trying to get your car to make that noise in front of the mechanic.”

So, I said, “Right around here, I figured you wouldn’t be able to find it.”

And she said…..

“Well, I actually feel three.”

Well, now, I wasn’t expecting that.

She told me to schedule a mammogram (I’m set for this Wednesday - I hear it is A LOT of fun!) But she did also say she was sure I would be fine.  The lumps are ’small and moveable’.

I trust her. But she did say to get tested.  Soon.

I can’t figure out if I am worried or not.  I keep telling myself not to because - how would that help?

But it is still a strange feeling. An unknown feeling.

And ironic.

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