Extensive research delivers list of blogs by moms; company urges PR pros to do their homework and use common sense when approaching bloggers CHICAGO, June 23
CHICAGO, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Cision (http://www.us.cision.com), the
leading provider of media research, distribution, monitoring and analysis
services, continued its expansion into new media, announcing it has compiled
information on hundreds of "mom (or mommy) blogs" -- blogs written by moms for
moms -- for its Cision media database. Blogs authored by mothers are one of
the more influential social media communities, engaging with a market of more
than 30 million women in North America between the ages of 18 and 42 who
directly influence household spending estimated at more than $1 trillion a
year.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070405/NYTH008LOGO )
At the same time, as part of its ongoing effort to help its customers
improve communication with the media, eradicate email PR spamming, and
establish other best practices for the PR industry, Cision released a tip
sheet covering the do's and don'ts of engaging with moms who blog. (A copy of
"Ten Tips on Reaching out to Mom Blogs: How -- and How Not -- to Join the
Online Conversation about Motherhood, Childrearing and 21st-Century Family
Life" can be downloaded at http://us.cision.com/momblog).
In compiling the list for its CisionPoint media database customers, Cision
researchers interviewed numerous mommy bloggers to gain insight into the
information they need, as well as what kinds of pitches they want to hear.
The Cision list includes only those blogs that accept advertising, write about
products and services, or are open to being contacted and provided with
information that would be relevant to their blogs. Cision excluded from the
list blogs that are more personal in nature and not receptive to information
from PR pros.
"Mom blogs comprise one of the most popular blog categories, and they
provide an excellent opportunity to reach mothers, fathers and families," said
Peter Granat, Cision Executive Vice President. "However, PR professionals
must take great care in how they communicate with mothers who blog, or any
bloggers for that matter. Spamming a news release or email to a list of
bloggers will result in nothing but grief for both PR pros and bloggers.
There is a right and wrong way to approach blogs, and it begins with common
sense and relationship development."
Estimates are wide ranging as to how many mom blogs there are. Blogher,
the number-one community for and guide to blogs by women, lists nearly 3,300
self-described mommy blogs on its website
http://www.blogher.com/blogroll/mommy-and-family-blogs. Other estimates range
as high as 15,000. However, only a subset of these are appropriate vehicles
for PR messages. Cision's highly qualified list based on careful research
helps eliminate the guesswork about which are the most important or
influential.
In Cision's research interviews with authors of popular blogs for moms,
some welcomed contact from PR people, while others offered words of caution.
"I'm tapped into PR companies and media outlets," said Whitney Wingerd of
Mommies with Style. "People submit products to us. They'll send us products
either to me or one of my writers and then we'll test it out. And if we like
it, we'll write it up."
However, Elizabeth Thielkeland of Busymom.net warned that poorly prepared
PR people will pay a price: "Don't pretend you've read my site when you
haven't. And reading what I write about is more than taking the first post or
second post and throwing it in the pitch."
Overall, the number of women using the internet has tripled in the last
three years to more than 32 million, according to industry studies. Mommy
blogs cover a wide range of topics, including parenting, child safety, medical
concerns, the environment, financial management, shopping tips, fashion,
education, activities for children, etc. A small sampling of the blogs
included in the Cision database:
-- The Mom Salon Blog - http://www.themomsalon.blogspot.com/
-- Geek Parenting - http://geekparenting.com/
-- Mom2Mom Lounge - http://mom2momlounge.com/blog/
-- Mommies with Style - http://www.mommieswithstyle.com/mtblog/
-- Safe Mama - http://safemama.com/
-- Thrifty Mommy - http://www.thriftymommy.com/
-- Enviromom - http://www.enviromom.com/
-- Cool Mom Picks - http://coolmompicks.com/
-- Silicon Valley Moms Blog - http://svmomblog.typepad.com/
-- Busymom.net - http://www.busymom.net/
The Cision database is updated regularly with new blogs and new
information for existing blogs. The database also includes details on how,
when and why these bloggers should or should not be pitched.
About Cision
Cision (http://www.cision.com) improves client performance through
integrated services and software solutions for reputation and campaign
management, media monitoring and research of media contacts. Cision AB is
quoted on the Nordic exchange and has approximately 17,000 shareholders. The
company has around 2,600 employees and a turnover of SEK 1.9 billion in 2007.
Cision operates in the US, UK, Sweden, Canada, Germany, Norway, Finland,
Denmark, Portugal, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and China, and has
partners in another 125 countries.
SOURCE Cision
