The survey just published by Edelman Public Relations and Technorati ( the blog tracking service), perfectly mirrors our own published last week.  They asked bloggers what they think of  PR companies.  We asked PRs what they think (or know) about bloggers.

This latest survey is significant for more than just its findings.  It shows that business is taking blogs seriously.  If businesses, via their PR proxies, want to woo you, you’ve kind of arrived.  It means that people think that what you write has influence. 

On to the findings. Richard Edelman writes in his blog:

"According to the open-ended questions, bloggers’ biggest frustration is that companies don’t realize how influential blogs are, and that they don’t interact with bloggers. "

Just skipping back to our own survey,  only 14 percent of PRs say that they regularly pitch blogs, although 44 percent agree that "there are already a good number of influentual blogs".    It seems that PRs just don’t know how to reach out to bloggers.  It’s all too new.

Interaction is important.  Looking down the comments left for the Edelman survey, most bloggers are saying, "send me a personal email, not a press release."    The more blog-savvy PRs taking our survey (such as Usher Lieberman) commented that you don’t "pitch" bloggers per say, but you open a dialogue with them.

As Richard Edelman writes, there is a ‘disconnect’ between the way many PRs interact with bloggers, and the more pesonal approach that bloggers expect.  Of course carefully cultivating a ‘conversation’ with bloggers takes time.  Morgan McLintic  of Lewis PR bsaid in our recent podcast, that there is a fear factor because the blogger might turn around and write a post about an inept approach from a PR (they often do).

But on the other side,  bloggers can and do correct mistakes almost as instantly as they make them.    I found this to be true with our own survey.  To tell the truth, some bloggers did make some  errors in writing up our survey,as we all do when we go into print or sit in front of a microphone,  but after a polite email they corrected them.  In one case where a blogger had given us an intelligent, thoughtful write-up, but had made an obvious mistake, I had to leave a public comment because I couldn’t find his contact email. 

It’s clear that many bloggers want to be contacted by business, so here’s some advice.  Make it clear how they can get in touch.  Make it clear what your blog is about.  Have a profile of who you are.   

And however irritating PR people can sometimes be, be polite to them.  In my experience as a journalist, 90 per cent of what they are peddling is rubbish, but that’s not their fault.  Their message is only as good as their client.   But there are also times when you do really need them.   Usually they will let you down when you ask for that all-important interview, but then again that’s not their fault.  They can’t make the client talk to you.  But when they do invite you to a personal meeting with a big cheese, you will forgive them all their sins.  So be nice to them in the meantime.   PRs can be amusing once they get a few drinks inside them - especially if the client isn’t there, but will be picking up the tab the next day.