Connecting With Bloggers To Review Your Product

Recently I saw a question posed on the American Marketing Association Internet marketing special interest group about how a marketer would approach a blog to include them in their product review program. Here was my answer:

You certainly could be heading into a minefield. I know, even though I've been a blogger since 2003 we had trouble connecting with other bloggers when I wanted to ask them a question. During a research study in 2005 about corporate blogging, I had a bad reaction to posting a comment on a blog asking someone to take a survey. We did look, and could not find an email for the blogger. If you get into trouble make sure you apologize and be open about what you are doing.

I think the best case study on how to run a product review program involving bloggers is the Nokia N90 blogger relations program in 2005/6. Here are two articles one from Jeremy Pepper, probably one of the best PR bloggers in the United States, and another one from me, I liked the program so much I wrote 5 articles about it in 2005/6.

Blogging Relations Case Study: Nokia Gets It Right

Reviewing the Nokia N90 Blog V

What I thought was interesting about the Nokia case study is that Andy Abramson posted all positive and negative comments about the phone, and his campaign, and he answered any comments in a blog and also on the campaign blog. He may have had one or two critics, but overall the majority of observers thought the program was a success.

If you don't find contact info on the blog, try some of the other social networking sites. Linkedin.com, Facebook etc. If you cannot find an email address that might be telling you something about the blogger, in that they may not want to be contacted.