Who We Are
•Launched in 2001
•Full Service Interactive Agency
•Banner to the Blog
•Strong focus on analytics and on/offline conversions
Some of our clients have serious issues…global warming, pollution, genetically modified foods, equal pay, labor rights, corporate misconduct, predatory lending, medical malpractice reform, death penalty reform, right to die, gay marriage, abortion, illegal immigration, stem cell research, school choice, foster care reform, child poverty, wilderness protection, energy policy, biotechnology, youth voting, public health, Iraq war, privacy rights, AIDS, social security, animal born disease, civil rights, separation of church and state, community development, affordable housing, youth violence, teen pregnancy, homelessness, microenterprise development, higher education reform, disaster relief, poverty relief, family planning, violence against women, racial profiling, welfare reform, campaign finance reform…
Online news consumption is big and growing
50 Million Americans turn to
the Internet for news on a typical day…a new high water mark for
online news gathering
The Blogosphere is big and growing1 new Blog per second
Technotati tracks 35.3 million Blogs (April 2006)
39% of Internet Users (57 million American Adults) report reading Blogs
Sources: EMarketer, Business of Blogging 2006; Pew Internet & American Life, 2006 Blogging Survey; Technorati 2006
Bloggers are avid consumers of online news…
Bloggers consume more online news than home broadband users, the highest use group to date (80% report getting news from the Internet)
Source: Pew Internet & American Life, 2006 Blogging Survey;
Bloggers don’t consider themselves journalists…
But Blogs follow, report and analyze news…
55% of Bloggers report that they often post on something in the news
Internet News consumption increases during major news events
…And at least some Internet users turn to
Blogs for news
Source: Pew Internet & American Life, Online News, 2006
Blogs act as a watchdog for MSM…
Blogs are sources of news…
Journalists follow Blogs
• 51% of journalists use Blogs regularly• 70% for work-related tasks• 53% to find story ideas• 43% to research and reference facts• 36% to find sources• 33% to uncover breaking news or scandals
Increasingly, Blogs and News are grouped together
Ok, but what does this have to do with News Search Engines?
Blogs appear in the results of some News Search engines…
Blogs are served up alongside MSM in Yahoo News
Blogs especially visible on searches of company name + [negative keyword]…
Bottom Line: Blogs can help you dominate News Search shelf space…
Increased coverage/visibility across search channels…
Follow up coverage by Bloggers leads to ongoing “free” visibility in News Search and in other search channels
Blog Mentions/Months Following Launch Campaign
0
1
2
3
4
5
1 2 3 4 5 6
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept
Glam
Bosh
Luxist
Manelo
FashionTribe
Where are the best opportunities?
Yahoo: Easy; Double Exposure Possible
Forget the top 100Only 15 of top 100;Only 1 of top 10
Focus on Niche News Blogs
Autoblog Manufacturer’s Association Blog
Sites Bloggers Link To: Blue = MSM; Red = Blogs
Don’t assume that overtly political Blogs are excluded…
Don’t assume that low or non-ranking Blogs are excluded…
And not always strictly News Blogs
Yes, but really No…Blogs not included in News Search
Where do I start?
Establish a Blog Outreach Program
• 50% of Bloggers write about companies once per week
• Only 21% report regular contact from companies they write about; most in the form of unsolicited press releases
• 48% say they are NEVER contacted by companies
• Only 2% say they don’t want contact from the companies they write about
Create a target list
Start with Technorati’s Blog Finder and Blog/RSS Search Engines to identify Bloggers interested in your topics/space, esp niche news sites
Use Blogpulse Profiles to identify “neighborhoods” (don’t focus on rank!)
Test your list in Google News
Test in Yahoo to identify double coverage opportunities
Develop relationships Read the Blog; be familiar with content, style (Set up Google
Alerts, RSS searches) Don’t bother the Blogger with irrelevant materials Share everything: the good, the bad, the mistakes RESPOND when contacted Send press releases only when asked** Don’t spam, but use Comments when you have material that
relates to the Blogger’s post Use a news aggregator or feed reader to track what your
target list is talking about (identify opportunities for outreach, comments, etc.)
Be Honest and Transparent
Never EVER offer to pay a Blogger for positive coverage (Pay Per Post will not last…you heard it here first)
Product testing/trial offers fine if transparent and Blogger has no obligation to cover
If you have a reputation as a spammer or a shill marketer it will not go well for you in the Blogosphere
Don’t skip the optimized press release or the wire service!