I received this and thought you’d find it interesting if you’re into blogging and PR: Pead PR’s Deborah Pead commenting on the latest IPREX Blogbarometer international survey which reports bloggers globally welcome more contact by PR agencies.
Pead PR has an active blogger engagement programme, Ms Pead says. “Our blogger databases could expand on a weekly basis, there’s so many new bloggers introducing themselves to us. It’s certainly moved fast in the past few years.”
Authentic relationships
Ms Pead says it’s important for marketers to have a clear vision for any relationship with bloggers.
“After the first initial checking out terms of engagement, we ensure we have a really good understanding and a mutually beneficial relationship with a group of top class and respected bloggers.
“We don’t pay for reviews. We would rather have a long term, authentic relationship with a smaller group of bloggers who have a genuine passion for the brand.
“We can build a lot of value in to the relationship with the smaller group and we are working on collaborative projects with many of them. Blogging is here to stay. It’s a terrific way to find out more on a topic from someone who has genuine knowledge, passion, interest and first-hand experience,” she says.
Where they source their content
A majority of 84 percent of bloggers stated they find material for their blogs based on their own experiences and thoughts. While 73 percent of respondents said they have been approached for PR or marketing reasons – 27 percent are contacted weekly and 19 percent are contacted daily – only 28 percent of surveyed bloggers indicated they find their subject matter through press releases and product samples.
Dealing with PR agencies
However, more than half of bloggers (52 percent) view engagement with public relations agencies positively and would welcome more frequent contact. A minority of seven percent expressed reservations about being contacted by a company, and only two percent of bloggers are against being contacted altogether.
Blogging is dominated by women
The survey found that blogging is dominated by women. Overall, 72 percent of the surveyed bloggers around the world are women. In Estonia, women bloggers make up 91 percent of all bloggers. In both the Netherlands and Ireland, women bloggers comprise 83 percent of all bloggers. Gender dominance is reversed only in Germany and Slovenia as 60 percent of German respondents and 51 percent of Slovenian respondents are men.
It’s (mostly!) a young person’s world
Additionally, two-thirds of bloggers – both male and female – are younger than age 35. Bloggers age 18 to 25 are the most dominant age group, followed by bloggers age 31 to 35. Conversely, bloggers over age 60 are rarities.
Experience Counts
Regarding experience, the Blogbarometer found 41 percent of respondents have been blogging for more than five years. Only eight percent of respondents are newcomers (blogging for less than a year). Nearly half (48 percent) of bloggers reported that they earn money from their blogs, and another 30 percent said they wished to earn money from this endeavor.
To see the Global Report of the 2015 IPREX Blogbarometer, please visit http://www.blog-barometer.com/
Thanks to Deborah Pead at Pead PR for this info.
21st February 2016
Intro photo by Megan Robinson
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