Lessons learned from the 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Survey, independent research conducted by The Social Craft consulting firm. Covers how bloggers interact with brands and PR firms, email pitches and communication preferences, influence metrics and blogger compensation. This deck was presented at the PRSA Boston Social Media Summit on May 14, 2013 and also appears on the prsaboston Slideshare account.

1. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
6 Lessons Learned from
the 2013 Blogger-Brand
Relationship Survey
Cindy Meltzer @cindymeltz
Charlene DeLoach @CharChronicles
Jodi Grundig @JodiGrundig
Moderator: Julie Dennehy @dennehypr

2. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
About the Survey

3. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
227Bloggers
29 U.S. States

4. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
92% Female
80% Ages 25-44

5. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
84%Blogging 3
years or more
Family/parenting
Food, recipes and/or cooking
Products and reviews

6. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
More than half
Have 10,000+ unique visitors per
month
18%Have 50,000+

7. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
93%
Have done
promotional
work with
brands

8. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
30 questions covered
four main topic areas:
Establishing brand
relationships
Types of work
Compensation
Overall experience

9. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
Lesson 1
Bloggers are business-
savvy, creative content
creators.

10. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
32%
41%
48%
49%
52%
78%
Record family memories
Make money/ get free products
Promote causes/social issues
My blog is my business
Be a thought leader
I love to write
“Why DoYou Blog?”

11. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
Lesson 2
Bloggers are
inundated with
pitches that don’t fit
their blog.

12. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
97%
Get email
pitches daily
40%
Say very few to
none of the pitches
are a good match
for their blog.

13. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
Lesson 3
Bloggers are looking for
long-term marketing
partnerships.

14. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
The best experiences are ones in which the brand/PR
person forms a relationship so we continue to work
together. I would go to the ends of the earth to help
Lands' End and Tide because of the on-going
relationship we've forged.
-Survey respondent

15. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
Lesson 4
Bloggers know what
content resonates with
their readers.

16. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
Work Bloggers Are Asked to Do
vs.WorkThey Feel is Most Successful in Engaging Readers
60%
41%
6%
64% 66%
70%
Product Reviews Giveaways Long term
marketing
partnerships
"Frequently" Asked to Do
"Always" or "Often"
Successful

17. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
Lesson 5
Bloggers want brands
and PR firms to look
beyond the numbers.

18. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
7%
18%
19%
22%
44%
66%
67%
68%
Community involvement
Klout score
YouTube subscribers
Instagram followers
Pinterest followers
Blog traffic stats
Facebook fans
Twitter followers
Blogger Influence Statistics Most Commonly
Requested By Brands
A blogger with a smaller but loyal and
trusting readership often has more
influence than one with tons of page
views. Some brands get this but many do
not.
-Survey respondent

19. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
Lesson 6
Compensation can
vary, but should match
the amount of work
required.
A review that involves money isn't
a review, it's a sponsored post.
-Survey respondent

20. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
What I see brands asking for is
ridiculous to expect: write a
post, include photos, run a
giveaway then mail the product
themselves, share on all social
channels multiple times--it
amounts to hours of the blogger's
time and also multiple "asks" of
their audiences.
-Survey respondent
34%
Say
compensation
“rarely” or
“never” matches
the amount of
work required.

21. Source: 2013 Blogger-Brand Relationship Study; The Social Craft
Q&A