Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Dear Philippine PR

I have been blogging for 12 years and have been attending events since 2011. I can safely say that I have attended over 100 events and have dealt with different personalities and PR agencies. I have observed, been a victim, survived, and learned a lot from the 6 years I have been in and out of events, brand partnerships, and what not. I feel now that perhaps, this is the right time to voice out concerns.

  1. Please stop with national events day. Yes, bloggers should choose which events to attend but sometimes, 2 or 3 important brands do it all at the same time and on the same day. A good pointer from the tech niche is that they actually give a heads up to one another so they never coincide with each other's events. It benefits both sides of the fence since the blogger can also focus better when there is no need to rush (hello traffic) to the next destination
  2. Please stop sending multiple press releases a day. I understand that you need to meet a certain quota but it can be irritating when we get 3 articles and up some of which would even say "for immediate posting" like we were required to just post it. Instead, why don't you send out products that we can try and experience, then write about on our site. It's personalized and way better than some generic press release. Require the bloggers to sign a contract stating that they will do a full, honest review. If they do not, take them off your list then. 
  3. Please do not invite less than 24 hours before the event. It really does not come off right and it makes it seem like you just need warm bodies and not the actual presence of the person. If you are waiting on an approval, a "Save the date and time" should suffice a week before the event. 
  4. Please do not say "may pa-token/GC ako." Legit bloggers are not after the token or the GC. Yes, we appreciate it but what we would prefer is an event executed within 30minutes of the invite time, a well presented launch or story that will make writing about the brand or product enjoyable, and information readily available. Also, a location that can be accessed easily by commuting because not everyone has a car. 
  5. If you do decide to no longer invite someone without warning, do not reach out months or years later and say "can you please post this press release?" You didn't think I was still good enough to be invited to your events, why should your press release be on my site then? 
  6. Please allocate areas in your events where bloggers and media can take photos in a more orderly manner. When everyone is hellbent on getting the perfect shot and do not care for the other persons within the same event, it can become unpleasant. If there were designated areas, things would be more orderly and everyone can get the shot they need for their own sites. 
  7. Give and take. PR's need bloggers and for some bloggers, they need PR's as well. Respect begets respect and being plastic begets tupperware hoomans. When you form a real relationship with a blogger, it will show on the quality of their write ups and posts for the brand you are handling. 
  8. Learn to SAY NO to gatecrashers. You should protect the brand, the client, and the people who are actually invited from suffering from gate crashers who do not write and are just after the tokens. 
  9. Salutation matters. "Dear blogger" or "Dear Bloggers" shows that you can't even be bothered to personalize your email. If you don't have the time to even edit blogger with my name, why should I bother reading an email that is obviously mass sent? 
  10. Forwarded email showing the trail of the exact same email being sent to other media personnel is a NO NO. 
  11. I know you are all required to be nice and friendly but let's not overdo it. If you really don't like the blogger, be professional and nice but not overly chummy. We can tell when someone is fake. 
  12. Lastly, choose well. Choose the blogger base on what your brand needs and not because you are friends with the blogger or a friend recommended. Please be more choosy. There are bloggers who really deserve the spot but are not given it because they are not friends with the right persons and way too many bloggers being given chances simply because they suck up really well. 
This post is not meant for anyone specific. It is just random things that I have observed in my 6 years of doing events. 

1 comment:

Hi! Let's all try to add more positivity in this world and adhere to the saying, "if you don't have anything nice to say, keep silent."

Showering you with unicorn poop so you'd always stay magical! Heart heart!