Getting Granular: The DigitalGrit Blog

Sorry KingPing. Pingoat's stolen the crown for ambitious bloggers.

First there was Ping-O-Matic. Then there was KingPing. Now Pingoat has become the hands-down winner in the war of the pings.

Not only do they offer the MOST pings in the shortest time, but when we (and every other blog) were accidentally blacklisted by the service's spam filter yesterday, Pingoat's "shepherd" Kailash immediately fixed the error. (See the Goatlog for details here and here.)

Beyond that, Kailash actually responded in person to our concerned email. Kudos for a great service with great service!

Sorry KingPing. Pingoat's stolen the crown for ambitious bloggers.

First there was Ping-O-Matic. Then there was KingPing. Now Pingoat has become the hands-down winner in the war of the pings.

Not only do they offer the MOST pings in the shortest time, but when we (and every other blog) were accidentally blacklisted by the service's spam filter yesterday, Pingoat's "shepherd" Kailash immediately fixed the error. (See the Goatlog for details here and here.)

Beyond that, Kailash actually responded in person to our concerned email. Kudos for a great service with great service!

Live from AD:TECH - Blog session and "20 Trade Show Tips"

Steve Curtin's session was today, and so far, I've only found one post about it on the official AD:TECH blog, courtesy of AdRants - and MarketingVox. (Sadly, we're not mentioned, but it sounds like it was a good session. I'll look for more info to post.)

I also found, via the AD:TECH blog (or was it AdRants again?), this hysterical list of 20 Trade Show Tips from GasPedal, host of many a post-show networking dinner. Personally, I love his tip about booth babes. It's comforting to know I'm not as much of a prude as I thought I was. (Or maybe I am, but humor me.) Here's that bit:

4> Booth babes are for idiots

Hey, marketing genius -- did you hire sexy models to stand in your booth? You're a moron. Are you 14 years old? Is it 1970? Half of your potential customers are women. You just guaranteed that they will never respect or buy from your company. 

Visit the blog for the rest of this side-splitting (yet oddly useful) list.

Live from AD:TECH - Blog session and "20 Trade Show Tips"

Steve Curtin's session was today, and so far, I've only found one post about it on the official AD:TECH blog, courtesy of AdRants - and MarketingVox. (Sadly, we're not mentioned, but it sounds like it was a good session. I'll look for more info to post.)

I also found, via the AD:TECH blog (or was it AdRants again?), this hysterical list of 20 Trade Show Tips from GasPedal, host of many a post-show networking dinner. Personally, I love his tip about booth babes. It's comforting to know I'm not as much of a prude as I thought I was. (Or maybe I am, but humor me.) Here's that bit:

4> Booth babes are for idiots

Hey, marketing genius -- did you hire sexy models to stand in your booth? You're a moron. Are you 14 years old? Is it 1970? Half of your potential customers are women. You just guaranteed that they will never respect or buy from your company. 

Visit the blog for the rest of this side-splitting (yet oddly useful) list.

When PR Goes Horribly Wrong - The Snapple that Drenched Manhattan

Poor Snapple.

In a badly-orchestrated, grandiose PR effort yesterday, New York's Union Square was literally flooded with "the best stuff on earth" -- only the really cold, gooey version.

The company had attempted to top the Guiness World Record for the largest popsicle ever (the question WHY? comes to mind) to promote a new icy dessert product, but seems to have "misunderestimated" the sweltering NY weather. The popsicle melted before it could be released from its casing, producing a scene that looked like something out of "Nightmare on Elm Street." (Remember Johnny Depp in the bed-blender?)

In addition to requiring several fire hoses to clean up the sticky mess, apparently one woman tripped, severely spraining her ankle, a bike messenger was injured, and several other minor injuries were reported.

And not only did they not break the record, Guinness was left with a bit of a negative impression: "What was unsettling was that the fluid just kept coming," Stuart Claxton of the Guinness Book of World Records told the Daily News. "It was quite a lot of fluid. On a hot day like this, you have to move fast."

Images are less exciting than the disaster scene descriptions via newspaper and local radio, but the shots of the event team's face pretty much say it all.

Not surprisingly, Snapple does *not* intend to try this stunt again.

In another bad PR move, Snapple has posted NOTHING on their site about the incident, and seems to have removed press releases dated June 17 that announce the event. Parent company Cadbury Schweppes is also mum.

Note to Snapple: Next time, just give out free stuff. People like that wayyy better than being doused with frozen goo.

In more positive Snapple news, the company has sealed a deal with NYC to be the exclusive provider of certain beverages to muncipal vending machines for 5 years. They're also opening the Snapple Theatre Complex in NYC, date TBA.

When PR Goes Horribly Wrong - The Snapple that Drenched Manhattan

Poor Snapple.

In a badly-orchestrated, grandiose PR effort yesterday, New York's Union Square was literally flooded with "the best stuff on earth" -- only the really cold, gooey version.

The company had attempted to top the Guiness World Record for the largest popsicle ever (the question WHY? comes to mind) to promote a new icy dessert product, but seems to have "misunderestimated" the sweltering NY weather. The popsicle melted before it could be released from its casing, producing a scene that looked like something out of "Nightmare on Elm Street." (Remember Johnny Depp in the bed-blender?)

In addition to requiring several fire hoses to clean up the sticky mess, apparently one woman tripped, severely spraining her ankle, a bike messenger was injured, and several other minor injuries were reported.

And not only did they not break the record, Guinness was left with a bit of a negative impression: "What was unsettling was that the fluid just kept coming," Stuart Claxton of the Guinness Book of World Records told the Daily News. "It was quite a lot of fluid. On a hot day like this, you have to move fast."

Images are less exciting than the disaster scene descriptions via newspaper and local radio, but the shots of the event team's face pretty much say it all.

Not surprisingly, Snapple does *not* intend to try this stunt again.

In another bad PR move, Snapple has posted NOTHING on their site about the incident, and seems to have removed press releases dated June 17 that announce the event. Parent company Cadbury Schweppes is also mum.

Note to Snapple: Next time, just give out free stuff. People like that wayyy better than being doused with frozen goo.

In more positive Snapple news, the company has sealed a deal with NYC to be the exclusive provider of certain beverages to muncipal vending machines for 5 years. They're also opening the Snapple Theatre Complex in NYC, date TBA.

Blog Public Relations 101

There is a lot of buzz around Blogs lately. Initially, it was about how to commercialize Blogs and now it’s about how to communicate your message to Blogs through Public Relations tactics. I thought it would be helpful to share my five-step process on how to begin a Blog Outreach program. I hope these basic guidelines help you cultivate the right relationships within the Blogosphere.

1) Put a communications plan and timeline together: What is your objective? Why do you think Blogs are a target media outlet? What types of Blog publications are relevant to your business?

Note: Cultivating relationships with Blogs takes time. Incorporate this into your plan and timeline. Never pitch or use angles you would use for typical Public Relations, think of Blog Outreach as anti-Public Relations. Remember, Blogs are not about you or your company it is about the Blog editor and their audience. The best approach is to identify the human side of your business, develop that story so that it is not commercial but personal. Weave that messaging strategy into your plan and remind yourself that that Blog Outreach is not like picking up the phone and calling a Wall Street Journal editor.

2) Identify top-tier Blogs: Go straight to the sources. If you are a Public Relations person then you know that getting coverage in Reuters and Associated Press automatically gives you coverage in numerous publications. Similarly, a well-positioned Blog will syndicate to hundreds of other Blogs. You can use Blogdex (http://www.blogdex.com/) to determine the potential. And, of course, there are other ways.

3) Draft the story: Know the Blog you are about to correspond with, research his or her posts find out what matters to him/her then write an email that has a personal touch and resonates with the Blog editor. Ensure, of course, that your message is short, concise and consistent because, after all, PR is also about managing your company’s message. Never ever blast a boilerplate email "pitch" to a Blog.

4) Measure and adjust: Make sure your client or you have the ability to single out your Blogs to determine how much traffic they are sending and whether they convert for you. A conversion can be any action you want a visitor to take on yours or your client's website.

5) Expect the worst: You will get indifference. Don’t take it personally, and don’t persist…well known Blogs do not need to respond to you. Why? They have enough content to talk about. Also, you may get flamed publicly for poor communications tactics.

I realize this is very high-level, but it should provide a good foundation for a Blog Outreach program. Ultimately, it is about the story you are trying to tell to the Blogs and how well they know you that will make it a successful program. Remember, Blogs are a type of publication just like Newspapers, Magazine and online media are. They each require a different mode of communication, a more personal touch.

Note: There is a major Search Engine Optimization tie-in with Blogs. If I get enough interest or comments, I may share with you all how you can integrate your Blog outreach with your Search Engine Optimization efforts.

Blog Public Relations 101

There is a lot of buzz around Blogs lately. Initially, it was about how to commercialize Blogs and now it’s about how to communicate your message to Blogs through Public Relations tactics. I thought it would be helpful to share my five-step process on how to begin a Blog Outreach program. I hope these basic guidelines help you cultivate the right relationships within the Blogosphere.

1) Put a communications plan and timeline together: What is your objective? Why do you think Blogs are a target media outlet? What types of Blog publications are relevant to your business?

Note: Cultivating relationships with Blogs takes time. Incorporate this into your plan and timeline. Never pitch or use angles you would use for typical Public Relations, think of Blog Outreach as anti-Public Relations. Remember, Blogs are not about you or your company it is about the Blog editor and their audience. The best approach is to identify the human side of your business, develop that story so that it is not commercial but personal. Weave that messaging strategy into your plan and remind yourself that that Blog Outreach is not like picking up the phone and calling a Wall Street Journal editor.

2) Identify top-tier Blogs: Go straight to the sources. If you are a Public Relations person then you know that getting coverage in Reuters and Associated Press automatically gives you coverage in numerous publications. Similarly, a well-positioned Blog will syndicate to hundreds of other Blogs. You can use Blogdex (http://www.blogdex.com/) to determine the potential. And, of course, there are other ways.

3) Draft the story: Know the Blog you are about to correspond with, research his or her posts find out what matters to him/her then write an email that has a personal touch and resonates with the Blog editor. Ensure, of course, that your message is short, concise and consistent because, after all, PR is also about managing your company’s message. Never ever blast a boilerplate email "pitch" to a Blog.

4) Measure and adjust: Make sure your client or you have the ability to single out your Blogs to determine how much traffic they are sending and whether they convert for you. A conversion can be any action you want a visitor to take on yours or your client's website.

5) Expect the worst: You will get indifference. Don’t take it personally, and don’t persist…well known Blogs do not need to respond to you. Why? They have enough content to talk about. Also, you may get flamed publicly for poor communications tactics.

I realize this is very high-level, but it should provide a good foundation for a Blog Outreach program. Ultimately, it is about the story you are trying to tell to the Blogs and how well they know you that will make it a successful program. Remember, Blogs are a type of publication just like Newspapers, Magazine and online media are. They each require a different mode of communication, a more personal touch.

Note: There is a major Search Engine Optimization tie-in with Blogs. If I get enough interest or comments, I may share with you all how you can integrate your Blog outreach with your Search Engine Optimization efforts.

Web PR: Lesko's blog team at work

There's been a lot of talk lately about "leveraging" blogs for public relations -- a risky business unless you're already an active participant in the so-called blogosphere.

But it can work, if you're careful -- and upfront about your intentions.

I  just received an email from someone I can only assume works for the man in the dollar-sign suit, Matthew Lesko. I'll reprint it here:

Hey, have you seen yet that your favorite blogger, Matthew Lesko, is running a blog contest?

$500 for the winner. Submissions are put in comments. Pretty cool, actually.

http://www.leskoblog.com/2005/03/its_time_for.html

Keep up the great blogging!

Rick

Clever. Rick obviously checked ML's trackbacks and saw that we linked to him. Then he emailed us the above link, hoping we'd include it in our blog (as we have).

I would have been happier if Rick had admitted upfront that he worked with Lesko -- in which case I would have just printed the link, instead of expounding upon and reprinting his email.

But it is a good example of what's becoming an effective new trend in online PR!

Web PR: Lesko's blog team at work

There's been a lot of talk lately about "leveraging" blogs for public relations -- a risky business unless you're already an active participant in the so-called blogosphere.

But it can work, if you're careful -- and upfront about your intentions.

I  just received an email from someone I can only assume works for the man in the dollar-sign suit, Matthew Lesko. I'll reprint it here:

Hey, have you seen yet that your favorite blogger, Matthew Lesko, is running a blog contest?

$500 for the winner. Submissions are put in comments. Pretty cool, actually.

http://www.leskoblog.com/2005/03/its_time_for.html

Keep up the great blogging!

Rick

Clever. Rick obviously checked ML's trackbacks and saw that we linked to him. Then he emailed us the above link, hoping we'd include it in our blog (as we have).

I would have been happier if Rick had admitted upfront that he worked with Lesko -- in which case I would have just printed the link, instead of expounding upon and reprinting his email.

But it is a good example of what's becoming an effective new trend in online PR!