With the media landscape changing as newspapers and magazines continue to struggle, there’s one platform which is unquestionably on the rise – blogs.
From mummy bloggers chronicling the lives of their little ones to foodies reviewing restaurants and everything in between.
Here at Smoking Gun, we know the importance of engaging with bloggers. They are gradually becoming just as important a source for news an information as traditional media. For instance, if a young girl is looking for the latest must-have beauty product, she is now just as likely to turn to a beauty blogger as she is her favourite magazine. Many blogs are even written by journalists turned bloggers!
There are many different ways to engage with bloggers, whether it’s seasonal hooks such as sending products for review in their Christmas gift guides, engaging with them via social media or running specific blogger outreach campaigns, and giveaways.
Bloggers now have an undeniable power, offering credible and honest reviews and insights into their lives as ‘normal’ people. Of course there’s always a risk having someone review a product, it could go either way. However, we think if you believe in the product and are willing to be transparent about it, then it’s important to put it out there for criticism or praise.
It’s definitely worth noting the importance of picking the right bloggers also. There are, shock horror, people out there who are just writing a blog to get free products. Put some thought into the blog’s target audience, statistics and really analyse if they’re actually the best fit for your client. Do they have a social media presence? Have they previously worked with a competing brand which could cause conflict?
I’ll leave you with an example from our client Silentnight. We worked with allergy blogger ‘My Itchy Boy’ to secure a credible review of the bed brand’s Purotex anti-allergy mattress technology. Not only did we receive a great write up about the mattress and help a little boy with a severe allergy condition, we were also able to secure a quote for Silentnight’s ‘Hypoallergenic’ website page.