Confessions Of A Blog Whore

When I used the phrase blog whore the other day, Taylor, our search analyst, and I both turned so red that I said, “Just go home so I don’t have to be any more embarrassed than I already am.” (And ironically, LunaMetrics has been getting ready to work with Prolasta, so we have no end of opportunities to be embarrassed.)

So the blog whore problem is about people who write and say, “Please feature my product in your blog.” “Please mention my survey in your blog.” Please, please, please. On the one hand, I’m flattered, on the other, I feel like … well, you get it by now. (And I don’t even get to make money at it…)

Now, whomever you are, reading this, don’t think I am talking about you. I know you take it personally, but I get email a couple times a week asking me to write about something. Don’t you want to rate my product? Don’t you want to publish my new study? (At least all those investment bankers who call to talk about web analytics don’t ask me to blog about them.)

Let me point to Eric Mattson as a shining example of how to market to bloggers. When he wanted me (and everyone else who participated in his first research study on Thinking Like a Blogger) to blog about it, he didn’t write me and say, “Here’s the study you participated in, please write about it.” Instead, he made me feel really special. I can’t find his original email, but it said something like, “I’ve just finished this study in conjunction with the University of MA, and normally the download costs money, but since you participated, here is a complimentary copy.” And I thought, wow, this would be cool to blog about. He might have had that in mind all along, but he didn’t make me feel … well you get it.

So if you want someone to blog about your report/survey/article/whatever, woo them. Take the indirect route, which always works well in matters of the heart. Make that blogger feel special and loved, like s/he’s getting a scoop.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Robbin Steif