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Home » Musings » Note to PR and Brands : Understand the Blogger and the Blog

Note to PR and Brands : Understand the Blogger and the Blog

January 15, 2011 Paris B 25 Comments

a note to pr and brands

Ladies, this post is going to be a bit of a rant and its about PR and blogging, less so beauty.

I dislike these sorts of departure from our regular beauty news as much as you do, but it is something I’ve got to get out there, thanks to certain events that’s happened over the week. I don’t know if its the gloomy weather we’re having that’s causing it or just an impending full moon, but 3 different demands in one week just got to me.

If you’re here for news about all that’s happy and light and beautiful, wait up. A proper beauty post is scheduled to be published in just a few minutes.

Thank you for your patience 🙂

Paris B

If you’re curious or you are PR or you represent a brand who would like to work with bloggers (my sort of blogging specifically) you can hop along and read after the jump.

If you are in PR or you represent a brand who would like to work with bloggers, in particular beauty bloggers, I have some bits of advice you may want to consider. I do not speak for the majority. I speak only for those who emphasize product reviews on their blogs and I speak based on my experience with PR and people who represent brands and what I’d like them to understand from my perspective.

As PR or the brand wanting to get the word out, what you’re looking for is readership or circulation. The wider, the better, I’m sure. My Women Stuff has a large circulation. I can offer you that, but all I ask in return is for some understanding.

Understanding the Blog

understanding the blog

My Women Stuff is not a magazine. I do not even want to be one. I want to keep this a blog about beauty where I provide real time product reviews about whether a product works for me, my thoughts on colour cosmetics, women issues I come across etc. This is the foundation of My Women Stuff.

I do not regurgitate press releases and deem my job done. I no longer post notices about warehouse sales or sales and short term promotions, unless I think it worthy of a mention. There are enough blogs out there doing that already. I try all products before writing about them, because I want to be able to give my thoughts on it. Readers come looking for a review, not for a press release. This is the basis on which our community was built and I will not change that.

If your emphasis is purely on getting the word out, in the shortest time possible, whether or not its a regurgitation of a press release perhaps My Women Stuff is not for you.

I make time to attend product launches and events but unless the launch or event is extremely special, I don’t write about that either. Readers don’t want to read about some boring event I went to that they did not. As a blog reader myself, I know I don’t. All they (and I) want to know is whether the product is worth trying, so I’d rather focus on the products, which is what the event or product launch is all about. So if your emphasis is on sending out word about an exclusive event that a majority of people were not invited to or could not attend, perhaps My Women Stuff isn’t for you either.

I will not name companies but there are a few companies who treat MWS just as they would print media and get news and testers out 1-2 months ahead of its launch. It gives me time to arrange the schedule for testing and posting, and in return, I try to time my posts just when the product launches for maximum leverage. I appreciate their understanding and coorperation, and I enjoy working with them for this reason, and I give back. Blogging and PR is a 2 way street in my neighbourhood.

Understanding the Blogger

understanding the blogger

Read the blog and the About page

I’m serious. If you want to work with a blogger you have to understand their blog and their emphasis and style. So take some time to read the blog and to read their “About” or “Contact” page to get a better feel for the blogger and their style. Do you like what you see? Might it be a good fit for your company or brand? Is this the blog you are looking for? On my part, I provide pros and cons in my product reviews and if a product does not work for me, I say so. Does that trouble you? Perhaps you only want glowing reviews all the time. Well I’m afraid that’s what paid advertorials are for and I no longer run advertorials on MWS – try sending an Hermes Birkin and we’ll talk 😉 [2016 update: Sponsored advertorials are now accepted on a very selective basis and are clearly disclosed. Reviews on the other hand, are never paid for. There is a delicate balance between the two to understand and are explained in my Media Kit available on request.]

Bloggers have jobs and a life

Please understand that as bloggers, we do not do this full time. Most of us have a full time job, and some are mothers or wives with families and husbands to take care of. I have a full time job that brings in the bacon. This blog, despite what many people think, does not make me enough to live on. If I could eat skincare and use makeup to pay my bills, it might be possible but since its not, I can’t. Understandably therefore, my job must come first. This means sometimes when I’m busy, your product review gets pushed to the back burner because I don’t have time to take photographs or draft a post.

Blogging is time consuming

I blog in my spare time and there is a lot involved in running a blog. If I were to copy and paste all the press releases that come my way, I’d be done in 5 minutes. But I’d have no readership.

Text, or rather coherent text is one thing, but the biggest amount of time is spent on photography. On a bad day with no sunlight, we can’t take face shots. Under yellow or fluorescent lighting, product package shots may work, but product swatches fail. Its a very delicate balance we have to strike and that is not even taking into account maintaining our blogs, responding to comments, coding, ensuring everything’s shipshape etc. A post you take 2 minutes to read could have taken 2 weeks to draft. My suggestion is to set up a blog and then see just how easy or difficult it is for you. Can’t judge if you have never tried 🙂

Product testing takes time for bloggers who care

Makeup is probably the easiest and quickest to test and in a limited edition collection, I get word out as quickly as possible. But I get a great many requests to try and post skincare reviews. Happily for brands and PR, Malaysians seem to place a little more emphasis on skincare than makeup. That’s great, but skincare takes time to test – 3-4 weeks at a minimum. I cannot in good conscience try a serum or moisturiser for a week and proceed to write a glowing review. It just can’t happen because I’m a blogger who cares about my blog content and about my readers.

So if you really want me to review a skincare product, please expect a 6-8 week turnaround time. I think it is fair and you will likely not see a post on it for at least 2 months from receipt. If you’d like the post published when the product launches so there is buzz, I will need it ahead of time. Telling me about it when the product is already launched and in the market and then telling me to rush a review while the product is hot isn’t going to cut it I’m afraid. Skincare isn’t limited edition, so it should not matter at what time of the year the review is posted, so long as it is. Perhaps if posted after the buzz of the launch has died down, it will create new buzz or reignite people’s interests. That might be something for PR or brands to think about.

Bloggers are human and are individuals and not your mouthpiece

Sometimes we may be having a rough time. Please understand that your product review isn’t going to be top priority then. If you are too demanding, we may not want to work with you in future. I’m not afraid to do this, because I think its time PR and Brands understand that we are human with a point of view, not your mouthpiece.

We are individuals which means my skin may be different from yours and I am entitled to say a product did not work for me or that it is expensive, or that there’s a similar product in the market. I do try to keep it professional on my part but you should not tell me not to say negative things at all, because I’m not being paid to only say good things. In fact, I’m not being paid at all! By contrast, I know that magazines only give emphasis to brands who advertise with them. No advertising = no writeup. You are getting a much better deal on blogs – free publicity. So don’t push it because I might push back.

2012 Update: No, I will not provide a draft review post pre-publishing. Don’t even ask.

I only have 1 face

This is probably the biggest set back of all. I only have 1 face. Its fine when its makeup. I just remove and start over. But skincare is impossible to try all at one go. So when I can, I recruit readers or friends to try certain products and then share their thoughts. So its not that I don’t want to post about your product. Sometimes, I just can’t because its just not the right product for me. But once I do get feedback, I’ll post.

Bloggers love hearing from PR

Yes we do. Unless we trawl websites or malls hunting down new stuff, its impossible to know what’s out there or what new brands have appeared. This is where the PR and the brands come in. I appreciate information I receive and product testers to try. I’ve personally found many gems thanks to PR. And when I love a product, readers know. When I’m ambivalent, they know too. Readers of MWS are smart ladies! 🙂

All said and done, I love hearing from PR and Brands. I love working with you. But all I ask is for some understanding that you may not always come first, nor always come out on top. You approach bloggers because we get the word out to our technologically savvy peers who research before buying. You want to leverage on that and on our blog readership, large or small.

But if you want to save yourself and me the headache and stress, please read and understand my blog and me and accept that I am human, and I have an opinion and time constraints. I will be as professional as I can and I will get the job done and the word out. That’s my principle so if we’re on the same page, let’s do business.

Thank you.

Paris B

Note: Hey everyone who left a comment, thank you for all your support. I truly appreciate it and its nice to know that what I want my blog to be resonates with you the same way as it does me. Like Kristine says below, all the readers who share their experiences in the comments contribute as much to the development of the site as does the product review itself. It offers a wider perspective and I think that’s what makes our community stronger. Keep up the good work and I’ll see everyone in the comments in coming posts *hugs all round*

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About Paris B

Paris B is a 40-something beauty and skincare enthusiast with a practical and very critical view of beauty products and the world of beauty. Her mission on My Women Stuff is to deliver clear, honest reviews and facilitate discussions about beauty trends and life, tempered with a healthy dose of humour. Let the buyer's remorse be ours not yours! When not testing the newest skincare creams and lotions, or playing with makeup, find her testing her culinary skills in the kitchen at Chez PB. Read more about us here or leave a comment below or connect with us on social media at Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

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25 comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

  1. Natalie says

    January 15, 2011 at 8:51 am

    Thanks for the insight of beauty blogging & PR world. It was an interesting read!
    On a side note – if you need another face to test products, you are welcome to use mine, okay? 😉 Have a great weekend PB!

    Reply
  2. LeGeeque says

    January 15, 2011 at 8:58 am

    Very well-said. Which is why you garner the highest respect from me. I’ve no idea how you do this while staying impartial. Many I know would’ve fallen the impartial bandwagon because of the glitz and glamour of being recognised as having “made it” as THE sought-after blogger. I believe you are, and I’m really thankful that you’ve stayed grounded and true to yourself despite the glitz and glamour. Good that this is off your chest. Now, let the regular transmission of beauty products resume! 😉 *hugs*

    Reply
  3. Hanny says

    January 15, 2011 at 9:08 am

    Thanks for the excellent post. That outta show them PR people how you really work! And for me, I’ve learned how to deal with them in the future!

    Reply
  4. Connie De Alwis says

    January 15, 2011 at 9:23 am

    An empowering piece for the morning!

    Reply
  5. Juan says

    January 15, 2011 at 10:40 am

    well said! this is a very good post.

    Reply
  6. plue says

    January 15, 2011 at 10:46 am

    A serious piece for a saturday! But it’s an excellent read which i enjoyed very much 🙂 it’s always nice to have honest n just reviews without people pushing for it

    Reply
  7. herroyalbleakness says

    January 15, 2011 at 11:08 am

    Amen. I’m glad that MWS is resilient to these types of wooing by so many beauty brands. I’ve skipped a handful of my old-time fave blogs because i am not dense not to know that the new reviews weren’t as honest as before. I hope that the beauty blogging community will stand up for its true roots and not be sucked up in lavish freebies and event passes (well yes, if it’s a Birkin we’re dealing with, that can be an isolated case, LOL, kidding).

    Reply
  8. Pollya says

    January 15, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    Hi Paris,
    I’ve been reading your blog on and off for a while but this is the first time I’m leaving a comment. I’m really glad to see that you are so grounded in your principles which are so sound and show that you are indeed a professional blogger – although this is not your profession like you said – who puts your readers as first priority. Yes, savvy readers do their research and want to know the good AND the bad about products out there, and they will delete a blog off their reading list once they detect that the blog is just “pushing” products because it cannot withstand the pressure that PRs and Brands give them. Please keep up your good work!

    Reply
  9. Sam says

    January 15, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    Hear hear! I agree with everything you’ve said – it’s important to target your product to the blogger. In my case, I don’t read paranormal fiction but I quite often get asked to review that type of genre. Contemporary or historical fiction? I’ll read, but don’t get offers.
    I love that you test the skincare over a period of time – that makes me trust your reviews even more!

    Reply
  10. shannen says

    January 15, 2011 at 2:27 pm

    ah.. that’s why I always check your review before buying something *wink
    oh.. u may “borrow” my face too hehe 🙂

    Reply
  11. lavender says

    January 15, 2011 at 3:18 pm

    Great writeup. I totally agree with everything you said here. What I like best is your suggestion to them to start a blog and maintain it. ha..ha…hope they get the message loud and clear. Bravo Paris! All well said.

    Reply
  12. milktea says

    January 15, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    This post is totally spot on, Paris.

    To PR and Brands: you guys are just doing your job, ya? Well, so is Paris. In the office, you treat your colleagues and peers that you work with, with respect. It’s the same out here.

    I ‘d rather get honest and insightful reviews than the same stuff I read in magazines repeated wholesale.

    Reply
  13. Kristine Tang says

    January 15, 2011 at 5:10 pm

    Well said indeed! I’ve been turning to your site a lot for product reviews before deciding whether or not I should spend the money on some products or not. Whilst I understand that what works for one person may not necessarily work on another, its still comforting to know what others who have used the product, think about it. Of course the comments from your readers help in that too, apart from your own review.

    Loving your site. Keep up the great work. Have a lovely weekend Paris B!

    Reply
  14. Esther says

    January 15, 2011 at 5:26 pm

    Hey, Paris! I mostly lurk your blog, but couldn’t resist posting today – very well-written piece! I generally give more credence to your reviews mostly because I know they won’t be biased, and this only confirms it. Many kudos to you, and may you keep it up!

    Reply
  15. rinnah says

    January 15, 2011 at 7:06 pm

    Love love love this piece! Gonna use it as my reference material for dealing with PR in the future. 😛

    Reply
  16. Cynthia says

    January 15, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    This is awesomely written Paris!! *Claps claps*
    Those PR company ought to read ur post!!

    Reply
  17. Kahani says

    January 16, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    Hear hear! Well said, Paris!

    I’ve been tempted a time or two to write something similar but have held off because So Loverly is getting a tad ranty on the topic. Also your rant is far more genteel than mine might have been. =P

    Reply
  18. Jess says

    January 16, 2011 at 11:59 pm

    This is one of your best post and I do agree with what you said here. Being a blogger and having a full time job is not easy and we do hope to get a bit more understanding from the PR . And until they become a blogger, they wont know how stressful is it !

    Hope the PR hear and take into heart what you said !

    Reply
  19. Tine says

    January 17, 2011 at 5:11 am

    This is a great writeup. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some really good PRs and a few snarky ones. If our blogs are mainly about press releases, then who the heck would read it?

    Something that PRs should take note of.

    Reply
  20. yw says

    January 17, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    Hi Paris B! Insightful, balanced post and I’m sure you’ve gotten your fair share of good and bad experiences with PR and brands.

    I was a reader of MWS before I got into PR. As a reader, I love reading your blog because I know you really do try out all the products you write about and MWS has been such an invaluable source of info before I go out and actually spend the moolah.

    As PR, our role as middleman sometimes isn’t easy too. When brands rely on PR to get the word out there, the pressure is on us cos essentially, they’re bringing us our bacon 🙂 A colleague of mine recently was given 2 weeks to throw together a product launch on a weekday, and told to make sure this or that blogger attended for maximum exposure.

    At the end of the day, it’s all about managing client expectations in this world where brands are gradually learning that bloggers are not media institutions but real live people. So here’s to greater understanding all around 😉

    Reply
    • ParisB says

      January 17, 2011 at 11:00 pm

      Thank you for the viewpoint from the other part of the fence. Blogging is so new I think many brands have not yet realised how hard it is for bloggers who aren’t professional bloggers to get the news out just when they want it. Its quicker if a blogger has less material, but if we already have a lot of material, scheduling is important to us. Very popular bloggers maybe paid to attend an event and for their followup post. Most of us aren’t, which is where the “problem” comes in.

      As I have said, I don’t speak for other bloggers in any field. Many are happy to post out new news all the time. I try to but my primary focus is on product reviews which clients or PR may not understand takes time. Hence lead time is important to me.

      Ultimately, what I’ve learnt is that clients, PR and bloggers who understand each other go further in a relationship than those who don’t and push back and forth. Perhaps you’re right. Everyone just needs to pay a little more attention and understand each other 🙂

      Reply
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Welcome to My Women Stuff, a beauty blog based in Malaysia, written by veteran blogger, Paris B. What you can expect is honesty, critical views & a healthy dose of shared life lessons sprinkled amongst beauty product reviews. What you shouldn't expect is a page filled with unnecessary narcissistic photos. MWS is a blog for those who love to read, because we love to write! Read More about MWS and Paris B

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