Why Targeting Mommy Bloggers is a Broken Outreach Model

W h y Targ e tin g
Mo mmy B log g e r s
i s a Bro ke n
O utre ach M od e l

WHY TARGETING M O M M Y B LOGGERS IS A B ROKEN OUT REACH MODEL

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Introduction......................................................................................3

A brief (very) un-history of the mommy blogger...........................4

The danger of relying on a flawed approach .. ................................7

How brands and agencies miss the boat .. .......................................8

How to target lifestyle bloggers (the right way)........................... 13

Now comes the hard part ..............................................................20

Find the Right Bloggers Faster .................................................... 21

2 www.appinions.com | Copyright © 2012 Appinions


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Introduction
Hail to the mommy blogger, a severely misunderstood persona that still
survives today despite the collective evidence that it’s laughably generalized
and inaccurate.

At the top of this so-called “mommy blogger” empire are women who have
built platforms and communities from the ground up, leveraging their sweat
equity into books, television deals and all-around celebrity status. They are
rightfully respected - recognized, sourced and invited as guest columnists by
premier media outlets like The New York Times, CNN, BBC, The Washington
Post and others.

Yet here we are, feet firmly set in 2012 and ready to go beyond, and we’re
still poorly painting this rather diverse group of influential women as apron-
donning, diaper-toting moms who just “happen to blog” in addition to their
parenting duties.

How in the world did we get here?



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A brief (very) un-history of the mommy blogger
Six or seven years ago when parenting blogs were first seeing signs of their impending explosion, the

early pioneers were women tackling personal topics in narrative and creative fashion.

Sure, these were moms who blogged about parenting (and now an increasing number of dads too -

woot!), but it wasn’t the ONLY topic they blogged about.

More specifically, these were moms who evolved their focus and creative energy along a wide

spectrum of niche lifestyle topics: frugality, food, crafts, lifestyle design, home decor and much, much

more.

And while these “mommy bloggers” did have children to brag about to their steadily expanding

audience, their focus wasn’t only on being a mother, but how these experiences gave context and color

to the topics they were passionate about.

Which is why we find ourselves currently neck deep in a broken outreach model that has brands and their

agencies stumbling over their collective feet (or swallowing them whole in some cases), trying to pitch

and connect with an entire universe of influential bloggers who ought not be defined by this label.



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The Rise of the Mommy Blogger
One of the better examples of this flawed meme rearing its head comes courtesy of an infographic

posted on Mashable in May 2012.

Commissioned by HR Block and citing data from a study by Scarborough Research, the infographic

starts its dive with a rather monolithic definition of the mommy blogger as “women who have at least

one child in their household and have read or contributed to a blog in the past 30 days.”

According to this study:

14% of all American mothers with at least one child in their
household blog about parenting or turn to blogs for advice.

The average mommy blogger is
37 years old.

89% have kids between the age of 2 and 11.

The average mommy blogger household income is
($14,000 higer than the average non-mommy bloggers).
$84,000



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The Rise of the Mommy Blogger (cont.)
From there, we’re treated to a thousand-foot view on the average mommy blogger’s political and

environmental leanings, their eco-friendly purchasing habits and how likely they are to volunteer

compared to the average, non-blogger moms out there.

Sandwiched between these broad brush strokes are 10 featured icons who have dominated top 50 and

top 100 mommy blogger lists for multiple years - from Rebecca Woolf and Jenny Lawson to Heather

B. Armstrong and more.

Rebecca Woolf Jenny Lawson Heather B. Armstrong

While any top 10 list could be a subjective pursuit, this list is a reasonable list; all of these women

are well-respected bloggers and they are recognized for being at the top of their game. However,

any top 10 (or top 50 or top 100) list, plus an aggregation of statistics about such a broad and

diverse community, fails to capture the specifics of the varying niches, topics and talents these

women represent.



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The danger of relying on a flawed approach
Pitching to mommy bloggers is really just pitching to a ghost, a mythical unicorn of blogger

categories that is far too broad, requiring an insane effort to drill down to the appropriate niches that

are actually useful for effective outreach.

It’s this same fatal assumption that has brands
Pitching to mommy bloggers is
and marketers sending poorly-researched
pitching to a ghost, a mythical pitches for blatantly irrelevant products.

unicorn of blogger categories that
And despite the obvious danger of pitching
is far too broad. the wrong blogger with the wrong product

and wrong approach (hello delete button!),
tweet this there is still an insistence on targeting

lifestyle bloggers from a “general parenting”

perspective.



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How brands and agencies miss the boat
Of all the deadly sins to commit when targeting parenting and lifestyle bloggers (besides calling them

mommy bloggers), these are the main reasons brands and agencies keep falling flat in their outreach

approach:

Relying on broad lists for influencer identification
Taking a general list of “mom bloggers” and using it to blindly pitch family-focused or parenting

products - that’s your first mistake.

The “big list” from Babble.com is a perfect

example of a well-respected, often sourced Taking a general list of “mom
list of influential “mom bloggers” that lacks bloggers” and using it to blindly
strong niche categorization. It becomes a
pitch family-focused or parenting
time consuming exercise of sifting through

“the funniest” and “best design” categories products is a mistake.
that give minimal insight into which bloggers

are relevant to categories that brands can tweet this

identify with.



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Pitching products that aren’t aligned with a blog’s focus (cont.)
There have been countless case studies on brands blindly mass pitching baby formula to bloggers

without babies or pre-packaged snack foods to bloggers who are passionate organic foodies. There

are more extreme examples where blatant lack of research and whole lot of assumption on the part of

the brand or PR company makes for a painful (in some case public) pitch fail.

A recent example of a pitch gone wrong is the infamous “reply all” gaffe where a VP of the PR

firm had a not-so-pleasant exchange with Jenny Lawson, a.k.a. The Bloggess, ended in major

embarrassment for the PR company.

This PR firm was called out publicly on Twitter by Jenny and word spread like wildfire in the media.

But the “reply all” debacle could have easily been avoided had the PR company done a little

homework before sending Jenny a pitch on Kim Kardashian and pantyhose. Jenny is not the type of

blogger who would ever write about Kim Kardashian’s pantyhose….and reading just a few of her posts

would have made that more than clear.



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Pitching products that aren’t aligned with a blog’s focus (cont.)
Annie from the popular PhD in Parenting blog has cataloged a list of irrelevant pitches she’s received

on her blog, including:

• V personality substitute teaching kindergarten class
T

• ideo of executive of a big box store not wearing any pants while talking about a Christmas sale
V

• Announcement of a winner of a stamp contest

• Octomom is going to be on a TV show

One would hope that PR people could be just a bit more targeted in choosing what to pitch to a

progressive, environmentally-conscious, children’s rights advocate who has elementary-school-age children.



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Struggling with promoted or paid content
PR agencies and professionals, who are most often charged with blogger outreach, have traditionally

generated “earned” media through their efforts: they are earning the interest and trust of journalists to

get coverage of their product or service.

By contrast, marketing and advertising professionals are usually developing “paid” media – advertising

or marketing partnerships.

This distinction can lead to an earned vs. paid media debate, which often comes down to a

fundamental disconnect - between agencies and the brands they serve, and the influential bloggers

they target to amplify their promotional efforts.

PR pros put years of hard work into forging relationships with journalists. After years (or decades in

many cases) of pounding the pavement, and hitting phones and email to “earn” media attention, there

is, not surprisingly, a lot of hesitation when it comes to paying lifestyle bloggers (or any blogger) for

their time, energy and attention.

It’s partially because PR pros are still stuck on the notion that bloggers should be approached and

viewed in the same “earned media” light as journalists. But it’s also because PR companies rarely have

an allocated budget for blogger outreach.

This is an especially difficult debate in the lifestyle/parenting blogging niches, where there is an

ongoing discussion between budding and established lifestyle bloggers on how they should be

compensated.



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Struggling with promoted or paid content (cont.)

Bloggers are not paid by their publications
Bloggers are not paid by their
(like journalists); they ARE the publication,

which means they need to generate revenue publications (like journalists); they
to sustain their blog just like any other
are the publication.
publication, whether that’s through paid

advertising or promotional (paid) marketing tweet this
partnerships with brands.

Blogger Robyn Wright from Robyn’s Online World has been the target

of a number of pitches from PR people who seem to get that bloggers

may work full-time on their blog, but who clearly don’t understand that

it means that bloggers often look to get paid for their work with brands.

Beyond the bad pitch elements in a recent series of pitches (“Greetings

Mommy Blogger”), Wright points out the biggest problem with many PR
Robyn Wright pitches: “He then goes into stating that “we realize blogging is a full time

job” but then offers nothing in terms of recognizing that it is a JOB and payment – at least of some

kind – should really be considered.”

Marketing partnerships are likely to be the wave of the future when it comes to blogger compensation.

In fact, many lifestyle bloggers in consumer-focused categories (babies, coupons, food, crafts, etc.)

are focusing energy on short and long-term monetization strategies for their blogs, which leaves

uncompensated PR pitches out of the picture, and marketing partnerships very much in.



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How to target lifestyle bloggers (the right way)
For the purpose of this exercise, we’ll use a made-up company (not an actual brand) to demonstrate

how brands can determine the right lifestyle niche for blogger outreach.

ABC123 Organics is a natural food company specializing in organic products for infants, and toddlers.

Their product is especially appealing to a customer base that is increasingly eco-conscious, preferring to

buy foods that are minimally processed and made in the U.S.

To build brand recognition and expand their market presence, ABC123 has committed a small, but

flexible, budget to their PR company for building relationships with influential parenting or “mom

bloggers,” hoping to connect with their core audience - eco and nutrition conscious mothers.

The challenge for ABC123 Organics is to identify relevant, influential lifestyle bloggers who have

established thought leadership around specific topics that align with the company’s core products -

NOT just general parenting or “mommy bloggers.”



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Building the List
Building an effective, relevant outreach list is
Building an effective, relevant a process, not a plug-and-play or list dump

outreach list is a process, not a type of approach. For ABC123 Organics to

build a foundation for their outreach strategy,
plug-and-play or list dump type
they need to first identify relevant topical
of approach. influencers - in this case, bloggers who are

directly impacting conversations (action, not
tweet this talk) in this brand’s market and industry.

The evidence of impact comes through measurement of thoughts, comments and sentiment around

the content that these influential bloggers produce. To accomplish this, a bloggers entire digital

footprint needs to be accounted for, not just top-level metrics such as site traffic or the size of the

influencer’s audience on social networks.

To build their list, ABC123 Organics should first determine a core set of topics that are highly relevant

to their brand, and then segment their engagement list based on the influencers that blog around

these core topics.



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Building the List (cont.)
Some examples of core topics for ABC123 Organics might be:

1. Organic baby foods produced in the U.S.

2. Organic baby food recipes

3. Nutritional tips for moms with infants and toddlers

4. Product reviews for organic foods/products

5. Cost savings for organic foods/products

An initial blogger outreach list for ABC123 Organics might focus on the following types of influencers:

1. Bloggers who currently have infants/toddlers of their own

2. Bloggers who write about health and nutrition

3. Bloggers who write about sustainable or eco-friendly products

4. Bloggers who write about organic foods for infants/toddlers - products

5. Bloggers who write about organic foods for infants/toddlers - homemade



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The Research and Pitch
Research is the foundation of a solid blogger pitch. It’s the “listen and learn before you speak.” It’s

where the hard work and commitment to doing the homework comes to play.

For ABC123 Organics to launch a successful outreach strategy, they need to first study and learn

about the lifestyle blogger’s background, interests and audience.

Assuming that the outreach list has been refined and vetted for maximum relevancy (not purchased or

a list gone cold), here are few best practices to effectively pitch an influential lifestyle blogger:

1. Get into sandbox and start playing. Interact with the blogger’s audience on their turf. This means a deep
dive into the blogger’s content and social feeds, bio, comment streams, etc. so that you can start adding
value to the conversation BEFORE the pitch.
2. Always address the blogger by name, not “dear mommy blogger” or “dear [blogname]” or other generic
salutations.
3. Send at least one short introductory communication or comment before the pitch. Thank the
blogger for their contribution to the conversation on relevant topics (mention specific posts and why they
resonated).
4. Never mass-pitch bloggers. Personalize each communication to the specific blogger (they can smell a
templated pitch from a mile away) with talking points that show there has been a concerted effort to listen
and research.
5. e respectful, professional and confident (not arrogant). First impressions matter, so instead of
B
attempting to get in good by emulating the blogger’s “casual” voice, pitch with the best foot forward.
6. itch a story, not a product. Ask - How does this product or solution directly benefit the blogger’s core
P
audience?

Remember: To understand where a blogger’s passion might align with a brand’s core products is to
recognize whether a potential relationship is the right fit for both parties.

As Gini Dietrich says - “If you build a relationship with a blogger or a journalist and you pitch them

what you already know they write about, you will hit a homerun every time.”



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The Payment
Once you have gotten a blogger’s attention, don’t assume your job ends there. While some bloggers

may respond to a pitch and deliver an “earned” product review or story for you, many lifestyle and

parenting bloggers will not. As discussed above, these bloggers are developing ways to monetize

their blogs, which will often necessitate the development of a paid marketing partnership between the

brand and the blogger.

Note that in all of the examples below

we are careful not to mention a product
A review discussing the pros
or service review as a paid marketing

partnership. Although paid reviews do and cons of a product or service
happen (frequently) in the blogosphere, it is should always be earned (unpaid)
our belief that such reviews are tantamount
blogger media.
to “payola” and inherently unethical. A

review discussing the pros and cons of a
tweet this
product or service should always be earned

(unpaid) blogger media.

1
With that in mind, there are a number of forms a paid marketing partnership could take, including:

A single post, usually defined as a “sponsored post,” on the blog.

Sponsored posts are often written on a topic adjacent to the product or service being

offered, or a post illustrating how to utilize the product or service. For example, for our

organic infants and toddlers food company above, a blogger might write about how hard

it is to feed her kids on a road trip. She may or may not mention the organic food item;

however, the post will be labeled as “sponsored by ABC 123 Organics.”



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2
The Payment (cont.)
A series of posts on the blog.

For ABC 123 Organics, this could be a series of recipes developed specifically for

them, using their products. Or a series of lifestyle posts about the bloggers’ family,

loosely related to organic/eco-friendly topics. Any of these posts would also be labeled

3
“sponsored by ABC 123 Organics.”

A blog post on the brand’s site by the blogger.

Using bloggers to create content for the brand’s properties (site or blog) is a great way

to build a marketing partnership. The blogger is then usually expected to link back to the

post on the brand’s site from their Twitter or Facebook accounts and/or their blog. The

partnership should be disclosed in all forms of links (in Twitter, the designation [spon] or

4
[client] will work; on the blog the designation would be the same as the sponsored post

above).

Another form of media created by the blogger on behalf of the brand.

This could take the form of a video, or slide presentation, or even a podcast or audio

file. Again, content would typically be adjacent to the product or service, or about a use

for the product or service. An ABC 123 Organics video created by a blogger might be a

step-by-step recipe. That video could potentially then live on both the blogger’s site and

YouTube account as well as the brand’s site and YouTube account. All instances of the

media display would carry a disclosure notice about the brand-blogger relationship.



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5
The Payment (cont.)
A deeper marketing partnership, sometimes called a “blog ambassador” or

“brand ambassador” program.

A creative marketing or PR person will work with the blogger to define a more complex

relationship which might often carry over months or even years. Such a partnership

would allow the blogger to become more intimately familiar with the brand’s products and

the brand to garner ongoing support from the blogger for their entire product line. An

ambassadorship may include the blogger becoming involved in brand events, becoming

a “spokesblogger” for the company, and creating content for both their own blog and the

company site. Ambassadors might display a badge or button on their site indicating their

relationship with the company, and they will of course disclose that relationship in every

post they write.

Of course, many other forms of partnership could be developed depending on brand goals and

blogger interest – think creatively, and with an eye towards a win-win scenario for the brand and

blogger.

The Disclosure
Every point above has noted that disclosure must be made about the brand-blogger relationship

where compensation changes hands. Since an FTC ruling in 2009, bloggers have been required to

disclose any free products or payments they receive for reviews or brand relationships. This is an

important point for brands and agencies to understand, as you should expect bloggers in a marketing

partnership to state that they have a paid relationship with your brand.



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Now comes the hard part
Blogger outreach is no different than any Bloggers, even women bloggers,
other marketing or communications pursuit: are not a monolithic whole - they’re
it’s really about your brand and your voice.
an extremely diverse group.
The bottom line in blogger outreach is

making that voice accessible and engaging

for bloggers. tweet this

Be as specific as you can about your goals, your target audience, and the ways you connect to bloggers.

Also: Don’t assume anything about bloggers, and don’t hesitate to ask them what they’re looking for

in brand partnerships. Ask other questions about the size of their audience, who they think they can

reach most effectively, what channels besides their blog (Twitter, Facebook, their book club) they can

bring into the mix when evangelizing your brand. Ask for examples of other brand partnerships they’ve

participated in and learn from them.

Make your brand’s relationships with bloggers mutually beneficial for both sides and you will

undoubtedly see success.



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Find the Right Bloggers Faster - Brought to you by Appinions
Now that you know that a more targeted approach will greatly enhance your outreach efforts, you

need a tool that will help you find the right bloggers to engage. Because manually searching for

relevant bloggers can be a time-consuming activity, we created a platform to make this process

simpler and faster.

Appinions is an opinion-powered influence marketing platform designed to give brands and agencies

the unmatched ability to identify, analyze, monitor and engage key influencers. Built on more than

10 years of Cornell University research, Appinions helps you discover your key influencers based on

contextual evidence of impact – not just social mentions.

And, because Appinions searches more than 5 million sources - including blogs, social networks,

forums, and newspaper and magazine articles - you’ll get a more accurate and complete picture of the

true influencers that matter most to your brand.

Quit wasting your time chasing social media influencers from generalized lists based on who has the

largest audience. Instead, Appinions can help you uncover relevant influencers who have the ability to

activate their engaged communities on the topics that matter most to them.

What are you waiting for? Contact us for a free 14-day trial to put the power of Appinions to work for you.

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Online: www.appinions.com

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