When agencies suggest new programs to clients, companies may sometimes stop and ask what the work entails and if it carries any value. Take blogger relations, for instance. Some may wonder why anyone would need to have relationships with bloggers, who bloggers are and if people even read blogs.

To answer some of these questions and others, we put together a quick guide to blogger relations. Check out the info below to get up to speed.

WHO:  Bloggers are influencers that write content online. They can be journalists who write for a publication’s blog, a mom that posts content about her kids and everyday life or even an engineer that writes about his latest high-tech insights. Anybody with a website can be a blogger. There are no restrictions or regulations.

WHAT: Often, blogs have very specific niche topics. Alternatively, a blog can be a larger entity with multiple writers that cover specific topics.

WHERE: Blogs live online. They also typically have strong social media presences. Chances are, if your company is included in a blog, you’ll get an extra set of eyes reading the post because the blogger has posted a link to the content on their social media channels. The stronger the social media following of the blogger – the better the blogger.  

WHY: The “why” is the critical piece of the blogger relations pie. It all boils down to the fact that people actually value the opinion of bloggers – sometimes even more so than traditional media. According to BlogHer, 81 percent of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs. Even more, 61 percent of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog.

In many cases, bloggers are just everyday people, telling about their lives. Many readers feel connected to the writer, as if they’re friends in real life but have never actually met. These connections translate into loyal readers.

HOW: In many ways, blogger relations is similar to media relations. Blogger relations works well when PR people reach out to bloggers on behalf of their clients to tell about the company, a new product, solicit a review, etc. The possibilities of companies working with bloggers are endless.

From there, the goal is to get the blogger to give an unbiased opinion about a topic, company, product, etc. through a written post. Similar to working with the media, PR people cannot control what bloggers write. This aspect creates a more authentic environment for reviews and is probably why so many people trust bloggers.

Of course, there are some caveats. It’s worth noting that some bloggers accept compensation for posts. In these cases they are more likely to say that a post is “sponsored” by a brand, but their opinions are their own.

We’ve had great success getting the word out about our clients through bloggers. Check out our blog that sums up how we worked with ReTrak on a holiday blogger relations campaign for Animalz, the brand’s children’s headphones line. The work resulted in 79 blogger posts, 24 articles, 600,000 impressions and a whooping 1,755 percent increase in sales!

Interested in learning more about blogger relations and how to influence the influencers? Contact us for more information: http://mccom.com/contact/.