Type-A Mom Conference Power Lunch

Power lunch bought to us by Collective Bias. Featuring Lucretia Pruitt moderating, Angela LoSasso, Stephanie Smirnov, Nancy Martira, David Binkowski, Jessica Smith and Amy Lupold Bair.

Thanks to WorldWinner for sponsoring me at the Type-A Mom Conference!

Having some trouble with the microphones and people being able to hhear on the other side of the room. Speaker introductions. Still no lunch. Questions begin.

Whether PR finds bloggers or vice versa, it’s the relationship that matters. How interactive are you? Are you crossing over traditional media? Who are you? What is your voice? Are you professional? Are you passionate about the brand? (A lot of crossover from the last session.)

Approaching a brand can be scary. PR agencies are there as the intermediary. Good to research the PR firm representing the brand you want to work with. Pitch with purpose. How is your pitch going to move the brand forward? It’s not all about you.

We bloggers don’t know who brands are with what companies. We don’t necessarily know which brands fall under Procter and Gamble, let alone which public relations agency works with them.

“Let’s not all underestimate the relationships you all [bloggers] have with each other,” said Jessica Smith. “We’re all in this together.” Share your blogger relationships with PR folks when a particular campaign isn’t a good match for you.

Amy’s Sitewarming Parties aren’t moderated. Anyone can say anything. There are no guarantees that people aren’t going to trash the brand being sitewarmed. But Amy does work behind the scenes to engage people with negative experiences in a less public manner, often during the problems.

How many people do contracts? Very few companies do contracts for product reviews. Companies only work with bloggers they feel are trustworthy. If money is being exchanged, then there will be a contract. But not for product reviews. It’s always good to have a paper trail, though.

We all monetize in different ways.

Should we have lawyers look at our contracts? Never a bad idea. (I have a lawyer. Timothy Wan. He’s awesome for creative folks with intellectual property law needs in New York state.) Having a lawyer look over your contracts is highly recommended.

Question and answer period. Hard to follow. Interesting… debate about blogger ethics, people who get paid.

Ooh… repercussions of “trashing” people. Particularly brands. It doesn’t sit well with companies when you trash another brand. Bad for your reputation. (Side note. Brands do monitor mentions of their names across the Internet and blogosphere, so when you think they’re not listening, they still hear you.) Some brands do use this as an opportunity to start a conversation and repair a blogger’s negative impression of the company, but if you get a reputation for trashing companies and not giving them an opportunity to respond, other companies probably aren’t going to want to work with you because you make them nervous. (Wal-Mart is the only brand I’m openly vehement about. It’s personal with them.)

(Food is on the table. I’m eating.)

Talking about companies and social media crises that come to the attention of the traditional media. I’m guessing Midol Moms, that sort of thing. Too bad the “United Breaks Guitars” guy didn’t end up on the news like that awful Domino’s Pizza video did.

How do companies integrate social media when their ad agencies advise against it? Companies need data. What companies want is numbers. ROI. Where the eyeballs are.

Moms use social media as often as they use Google. (Yeah, baby!) Marketers love that sort of thing.

Question about paying taxes on review products. Nancy does not know the answer, but she’s going to be working with H&R Block to become the place for bloggers to get tax advice. Someone from an accounting firm stood up to say, yes, we are supposed to pay taxes on this stuff.

PR folks are willing to answer our questions we may have about promoting ourselves and their campaigns.

You don’t need a media kit for newspapers and such. You need a portfolio for PR agencies to see what it is you can do for them. Talk about what gets you excited. Set out the rules of engagement. What makes you different?

Crap. Crisis at home. Need to talk a phone call. I’m about to miss something. Sorry!

Christina Gleason (976 Posts)

That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.