Bloggers, Brands & Agencies: Tips from a PR Pro Turned Blogger

Carol Cain (@GirlGoneTravel)

Who is this chick and what does she know?

● Born into a hospitality family which motivated the pursuit of a certification in Hotel Management from NYU.

● Degree in Communications, with an MBA in International Relations.

● 10+ years in Public Relations. Worked herself up from receptionist to event and media management, as well as project management positions.

● Award-winning travel blogger with 7 years experience.

Has made some mistakes along the way that she hopes to help you avoid.

The truth about statistics and “celebrity” bloggers

General consensus is that yes, numbers matter, but quality of content and community engagement matter way more.

“When looking for bloggers to work with on our campaigns and to represent us as our ambassadors, there are number of elements I look at.

The numbers - Because that’s what our partners are most impressed by and what will get our partners to hop on board with a project more often than not.

Engagement level - While this is harder to measure and takes more time to sift through, it’s an essential part of the selection process. If no one is responding to posts, then how will these readers ever be engaged enough to become travelers to France?”

- Beth Levin, in charge of influencer marketing & blogger outreach at Atout France USA.

“For our clients most of the time it is QUALITY over QUANTITY. We don’t need 50K-100K followers, but we do need a qualified audience.

Our clients have stakeholders they’re accountable to for all PR or marketing spend, so ROI is always a factor and we can’t take ‘your word for it.’

Bloggers who do consistent polling of their readers, can provide proof points or case studies from past work, often find the best success with our clients."

- Carla Tracy, Vice President, Laura Davidson Public Relations (LDPR)

“Certainly, brands look at a numbers but a wise PR pro knows to look beyond numbers and recognize content, enthusiasm, engagement and communication.

I prefer to work with bloggers who have an active audience and understand the value of their content versus high visits.

A blogger’s audience and fans tend to trust the bloggers opinion and that’s very valuable for a brand. The numbers will come.”

- Ryan Whaley, Founder/Owner, Green Door Mediaworks

The truth behind those press trips

More public relations work goes into promoting the bloggers to the hosts/clients long before the bloggers even get there.

“A misperception we come across is that a comp room at a hotel isn’t ‘costing’ the client anything. When in fact it’s a housekeeping labor cost, and the big one: revenue displacement.

If they can sell the room for $1000/night instead of giving that comp then that’s what it’s costing them less the room turnover cost. This is why clients bristle when they hear an ask for a comp plus a fee.

What is the value-proposition or ROI (return on investment) is what PR folks are asked by our clients. PR professionals and our clients appreciate when travel bloggers display an understanding of this, seasonality (high,low/shoulder season) and more.”

- Carla Tracy, Vice President, Laura Davidson Public Relations (LDPR)

“I like to host bloggers that are just getting started, as long as theyserious about their job. Hosting bloggers that are just starting out is a greatopportunity to not only help them along their path to become a high level blogger, but it also creates a great resource as the digital world changes.”

- Ryan Whaley, Founder/Owner, Green Door Mediaworks

The Value of Your Street Cred

Working well with others is one of the standards increasingly referred to for both invites, callbacks, and partnerships.

“While I’m not always able to get a reference for everyone we work with, we are trying to get much better about vetting our bloggers before committing to taking them on a trip with us.

Those who have shown a commendable professionalism and complete ease to work with are the people we continue to work with – and recommend – over and over again.”

- Beth Levin, in charge of influencer marketing & blogger outreach at Atout France USA.

Thinking Like A PR Pro

The definition of public relations is “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

To remain competitive and marketable (and make a profit), we must always be willing and ready to present the various ways in which we can do this beyond a blog post.

“We are most impressed with a blogger who collaborates with us from the start. Hearing what our client’s objective or challenge is and then suggesting creative solutions that add value, make our ears perk up.”

- Carla Tracy, Vice President, Laura Davidson Public Relations (LDPR)

“We are most impressed with a blogger who collaborates with us from the start. Hearing what our client’s objective or challenge is and then suggesting creative solutions that add value, make our ears perk up.”

- Carla Tracy, Vice President, Laura Davidson Public Relations (LDPR)

If You Remember Nothing Else, Remember This● Always be conscious on where your reputation lies. What people say about

you is becoming more important than who you may think you are.● Sure stats are great, but sometimes it’s the “smaller” bloggers who win the

race.● Pitches for comp’d opportunities are nothing new. Creative and well-

informed proposals are what set you apart.● Never forget that someone went to bat for you before you got that

invitation. Almost always, that person works in public relations.