Blogs: Next PR Opportunity?

It looks that way as more and more public relations firms see the benefits of getting new products in to the hands of bloggers and await the buzz that begins building through word of mouth.

by Kristina Knight

In the past, PR experts were brought in when new products were ready to launch. Inviting journalists and other influential people to try a new product, endorse it and build the brand from there. Today new products are out long before the actual product launch.

A recent study from Edelman found that word of mouth is the best way to build trust in a brand. Simply throwing up a blog to talk about a new product at the launch date won’t cut it. However, finding out which existing blogs will be the best benefit to the product is nearly impossible. Technorati, the world’s largest blog monitoring firm tracks more than 55 million blogs. Having your own blog, one that is run by employees not necessarily the CEO is your best bet.

Companies need to have a presence in the realm before the launch date. According to Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman, “If you get into the blogs, it goes horizontally. The idea of peer to peer matters tremendously. You've got to get into the blogosphere to get credibility in the blogosphere.”