At MAGIC this past summer, we spent a great deal of time, discussing with brands, how they should communicate with bloggers, address them by name, pitch them with relevant content, be respectful of their time – all of this is true, but what about how the blogger interacts with the publicists, the PR agencies and the brand reps – there are lessons to be learned here too.

We’ve all been there, too many emails to handle, a blogging to do list that’s getting out of control, a day job sucking up your creative time, it happens, and sometimes emails go unanswered, sometimes we start to get snippy about what lands in our inbox and sometimes you feel like maybe you’re not handling your business the way you should.

Emails happen. It’s part of being a blogger, you can expect to receive anything from a dozen to hundreds in one day, and managing them can sometimes feel like a daunting task but ignoring them is a pitfall of a bad blogger – one we’re all guilty of at one time or another.

The following are some examples of the types of communications you may receive, what’s appropriate, what’s not appropriate, and ways to respond so we can all avoid the ubiquitous #PRFail.

Press Releases

Press releases are part and parcel of being a blogger and one of the most common methods publicists use to disseminate information to press, bloggers and even independent writers.

What is it and what is it for?

A press release is very simply a release of information for the press. It can be about a brand, a specific project or product, or even an event or person (I’m thinking exclusively fashion & beauty here – they can be about anything). A good press release will tell you the who, what, why when and provide contact information, hopefully imagery or a way to retrieve imagery.

Why did I get it?

Because you’re considered a media outlet – just by existing as a blogger and the sender would like you to know the information included. If the publicist did their job correctly, you will have received it because you were targeted as being a relevant recipient. Press Releases are nearly always sent en masse and rarely, if ever, personalized – but that doesn’t mean you’re on a “mailing list” or you’re being “spammed” – it’s just part of the job.

What do I do with it?

You have options!

- If it’s of interest to you – write about it! This is a great way to build relationships with both brands and PR companies allowing you to perhaps pursue broader and more integrated experiences with them.

- Ignore it or delete it. It’s perfectly acceptable to not respond to a press release, if it’s not of interest to you, and most PR companies will not expect a response unless you require further information.

- If it really isn’t a right fit for you – way off the mark, like diapers and you’re 21 with no plans for kids in the near future, a politely worded email pointing out your actual demographic is completely appropriate.

Event Invitations

What is it and what is it for?

Well. It’s an invitation silly. Perhaps it’s a private preview, a fashion show, a networking event or even a lunch.

Why did I get it?

Because they want to meet you and have you experience their product in some way. There are good events, there are bad events, and in Los Angeles specifically there is at least one every night of the week – and it’s just not possible to attend every event, let alone cover every event.

What do I with it?

Respond. As soon as possible. I know we’re all busy, and we all fall victim to this, but some events have limited guestlists – and it’s so hard for a press person putting together a guest list if everyone leaves it to last minute to RSVP. At times it can be heart attack inducing.

If you can attend, great, let them know. If you can’t, the polite thing to do is to let them know too – a bit harder, but that simple email does a world of good for your future relationships with these brands and these agencies.

If the event is in a completely different city or area or even something you’d never consider covering – a polite response pointing this out is absolutely acceptable.

Pitches

What is it and what is it for?

A pitch usually has a specific subject or campaign material and can be more hyper targeted than a press release and can be personalized – depending on how targeted the campaign is. Examples include contests, giveaways, new collections, new projects and even tailor made themed pitches – especially around the holidays. Often they come hand in hand with a press release, as a more informal way of disseminating information.

Why did I get it?

Again, even when mailed en masse, this isn’t spam and it isn’t a “mailing list” – 9/10 you’ve been targeted to be contacted for a specific reason. It could be they merely want to introduce their product/campaign/project to you – in a less formal manner than a press release. Maybe they specifically want you to work with them on a certain project or encourage coverage on a certain topic.

What do I do with it?

Personally, I suggest responding where possible, it is harder as pitches tend to be fairly frequent, but my rule of thumb is to always try and respond, especially if they’re addressed to you personally. Even if you’re not interested this time around, they might be a good fit in the future and it’s very likely they have other clients or projects that could also be a good fit, so responding, politely, leaves you open to those opportunities.

If it’s a yes, let them know how you think it could work for your site in the context of what they’re pitching. If you have another idea as to how you could work with the product, let them know also whilst bearing in mind they likely have a very set agenda assigned to them by their boss or client, and may not have the flexibility you want for your personal agenda.

Some Final Notes.

How many times a day do you see the #PRFail outcry on Twitter? So you get a Press Release that’s not to your liking. You want to vent you go to Twitter and you yell #PRFail. Sure, I’ve done it, you’ve done it. It happens, and often there is actually a “fail” involved – not blind copying their email, addressing you “Dear Blogger”, trying to get you to write about “Depends” -  all prime examples.

Every now and then I see a #PRFail and I can’t help but feel bad for the publicist, sometimes it’s an obvious mistake, sometimes it’s just the publicist doing their job. Just because you’re not comfortable with the email, doesn’t make it an auto-fail. Think before you tweet and always be aware of the consequences, the publicist accidentally spelling your name wrong one day, could have an amazing opportunity for you the next.

Same goes for email responses, I’ve had people demand to removed from “mailing lists” (after a single press release) or come back with a catty response, or reply with their “rates” outraged that I would even suggest to them writing about something they weren’t paid to write about (replying with your rates is ok, if done respectfully, but bear in mind it’s likely the wrong department), and then there’s the folks who go straight for the jugular and, without any foreplay, request the freebies.

Learn how to respond respectfully.

I know we as bloggers do like to complain about not being treated fairly or respectfully – but it is a two way street, and I think it’s good to remember that.

Filed under: Education by Kelsi
No Comments

This is the first part in a short series from our President, Kelsi Smith (who, for the record, despises blogging about blogging but is also a hypocrite) on the reality of blogging, dispelling myths and telling it how it is.

photo credit

While the rest of the blogosphere panicked yesterday and turned John Jannuzzi into some sort of ageist misogynist, for his quote regarding longevity in blogging in an AdWeek article, I applauded.

Jannuzzi merely echoed the same sentiment I’ve been feeling of late, the blogging world is in need of a reality check. The fact of the matter is, there are 156 million blogs out there, and whilst I say more the merrier, and mean it whole-heartedly, and, as evidenced by my position as President of this organization, actively encourage and welcome new bloggers to the sphere, it has to be said. The industry cannot support 156 million blogs “quitting their day job”

A quote from this past season’s Mad Men springs to mind “Not every little girl has her dreams come true, the world can’t support that many ballerina’s” and the same is true for blogging. If you want longevity, if you want this is to be your career, you have to treat it like your career and even then, like any career, you might not get to where you want to.

There are four types of bloggers in my mind, the Hobbyist, the Platformer, the Accidental Celebrity and the Business Blogger and not all of them will outlast a bursting of the blogosphere bubble. This is what Jannuzzi was talking about. Rather than pin pointing a specific age where you “expire” the point was to address where your blog will be in 15 years.

The Hobbyist blogger will have the hardest time, and not because their content is bad, and not because they don’t love blogging. The simple truth is, blogging is hard, and if it’s not your business, if it’s not your main passion and if you’re not getting anything out of it, it can be really hard to maintain. More often than not, if the hobby blogger chooses not to expand to a business level (whether that means “quitting your day job” or monetizing) blogging can become a daily chore, and, more often than not the Hobbyist blogger fizzles out after a couple of years.

That’s not to discourage the hobbyist or potential hobbyist. If you still love it, keep slogging or blogging rather, but beware the blogging burn out and be realistic about your expectations when playing at a hobby level.

The Platformer maybe won’t blog forever either, their blog is a stepping stone to another career, be that design, photography, professional journalism or another career. Some may keep blogging concurrently, this is hard work, but if you still love it, and you still get something out of it it’s actually a hard thing to give up, plus, in some cases continuing the blog continues the career.

The Accidental Celebrity refers to the kind of blogger who has made a successful career out of being exceptionally stylish and has curated their personal style into a blog with beautiful pictures. The first wave of these bloggers had absolutely no idea how blogging would explode and what this would mean for them. Hence the “accidental” part.

These girls (and a few guys) of the first wave have made a career for themselves, but, as with any career, there’s always a new, young and fresh thing waiting to take your place (though it should be said, with each wave the celebrity part becomes less and less accidental, and potentially less endearing) so the “Accidental Celebrity” must strategize to stay ahead of the curve and perhaps take a cue from the Platformer, considering other career goals along the way.

One of biggest issues with an Accidental Celebrity blogger is that their blog is based on their identity, making it harder to expand their site. Sure there’s always advertising and sponsored posts but It’s important for this blogger to strategize for the future, and away from their competition, perhaps borrowing elements from the Platformer, or changing tactics to become a Business Blogger (or at least a hybrid) and likely moving away from solely personal style content.

A Business Blogger is someone who has managed to leverage their content and their platform into a fully formed business, beyond just basic monetizing and brand partnerships. A Business Blogger uses elements of the Platformer and the Accidental Celebrityas well as actual business acumen to develop something that can live long past a personality and sometimes even an individual. Whether this a career that lives offline which is complimented by the blog (much like a progressive Platformer) or building a site that becomes a source for something, be that news or advice or something else that is cyclical and permits growth, it’s a business and is structured as such. This is the sort of blog that can seek investment and even, eventually, be sold.

A Business Blog isn’t the holy grail in blogging by any means and I don’t believe that every single blogger fits into one of these categories, in fact, I think picking from each pool and finding a balance that works for you is important. But knowing each category and knowing the differences between them is equally important and developing a strategy for longevity – if that’s what you want – is paramount.

Know where you’re going, or you’re going to get lost.

Action Items:

Which category do you identify closest with?
What do you want to achieve in the next year with your site?
What’s your end game? (if you have one…and think hard, most of you do)
Where do you see yourself if ten years?
How do you plan on getting there?

Next time: the relationship between the manner in which a blogger conducts themselves and their longevity in the blogosphere.

Filed under: Education, Uncategorized by Kelsi
No Comments

Do you know how I often I hear a blogger proclaim “But I want to make my backgrounds blurry like The Sartorialist!”?, then attempt it in a variety of terrible ways that inevitably leave their pictures and their subjects looking like they’re residing in some weird alien environment.

In all honesty – the blur effect is not that important – if your pictures are well lit and in focus, then it’s all that really matters, but I understand that it’s a popular aesthetic in fashion blogs – one that I like myself.

There are two ways to achieve “the blur” – in camera and in Photoshop, below I will spell out those methods.

In Camera:

I’m sorry to break it to you – but you’re not likely to get a really great background blur, in camera, without an SLR, or at least a camera with a manual aperture.

What’s an aperture? A small hole in your camera that lets the light in, the hole can be made smaller, or larger and determines how much light is let through to create your image. It also determines your depth of field, or focus. This is what determines whether you have a blurry background or an in focus background.

The simplest way to put this method into action is to shoot in “Aperture Priority” mode – on my camera, a Canon, this is marked as Av. Within Av you can move your F-Stop (the aperture function) up and down, whilst retaining your other settings. The lower the aperture, the more blurry your background.

There are other in camera functions to aid in this effect:

• Using a lens with long focal length
• Using the “AF Point Selection” – marking exactly what point in your frame you want the focus to be on
• Setting your camera to AI Servo – which tracks your focus, a great setting for moving subjects – like models at a fashion show!

But what if you don’t have a fancy camera? There are ways and means! I strongly suggest, if you are a blogger, especially a blogger who wants to focus on photography, design and making “fancy spreads” – investing in Photoshop – it’s a great tool.

In Photoshop:

1. Open your image.

With this image, I actually probably wouldn’t bother with this technique – as most of it had already been done in camera, however, for the purpose of this exercise…I shall!

2. Duplicate the layer.

3. Click on the Background Copy Layer.

4. Select the Magnetic Lasso tool and select the outline of your subject.

5. Fine tune your selection.

The first time round you’re going to miss a bit and cut off a bit here and there, especially around the shoes and hair. To fine tune your selection, hit shift to add to the selection and option to take away from the selection.

6. Create a Layer Mask

Staying on the Background Copy Layer – Hit Layer, Layer Mask and Reveal Selection.

7. Create a Gradient.

This is one of the more important stages for a realistic effect, that is often missed. You don’t always need to use it, but in a full length picture such as this, it’s very necessary.

Switch to the background layer (above) and hit Quick Mask Mode (below)

Switch to the Gradient Tool and Create your Gradient guide – you want start a little ways from the bottom and stop just past the middle of the picture. This determines the direction and position of the blur, in a picture like this, the line would be vertical (below)

Switch out of Quick Mask mode back to Standard mode. Your selection will turn into a box – if the box is in the place you want the blur to be move on to the next step – if the box is is in the opposite place (i.e at the bottom of the picture) you’ll need to Inverse it by using the Inverse tool under the select tab.

8. Create Your Blur

Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

Select the radius of your blur – keep it realistic! Hit Ok, and deselect your selection (Select > Deselect or Command “D”) and you are done!

Do you have a blogger question that needs answering? Send your questions to: kelsi@twopointohla.com

Filed under: Education by Scott
No Comments