If You Let PR Take Over Your Blog, It’s No Longer a Blog

Presenting a crappy blog: Central Desktop
Presenting an excellent blog: Central Desktop

But wait, they are one and the same. How is that possible?

Central Desktop, the startup that makes a pretty good SMB-focused (so far) SaaS Collaboration platform announced it’s expansion into the Enterprise market today. I don’t want to analyze the actual business move, Isaac, the Founder & CEO does a pretty good job here – let’s just talk about the announcement.

I almost fell off my chair when I read the Press Release: not because of the content and style (used to it), but where it appeared. This fluffy, pompous, buzzword-stuffed classic Press Release is actually not worse then the typical boilerplate PR stuff: next-generation… in today’s economic climate... embrace the SaaS model: enough for me to tune out, I can’t read through this. Why companies keep on paying for such crap is beyond me - but fine, let’s keep PR to their own channels, dont’ let them hijack your company blog.

Just today I’ve read a good post over @ HubSpot on how Inbound is the new marketing, and Social Media is a key component in it. This PR piece is neither social media nor inbound marketing – it’s a deterrent, if you ask me. smile_sarcastic

The funny thing is, I’ve known Isaac, Central Desktop’s Founder and CEO for years – from the time when they were a bot-strapped, 2-person shop with a good product and a dream, wondering how long they can last on a few pennies. He is articulate, smart, and a good blogger – hack, he even took Google to the task. He certainly does not need such “help” – or is there a law that startups have to turn to this once they get funded?

Just as I got ready with my rant, I read the second post, this time from Isaac again. It’s clear, concise, explains the rationale behind the enterprise move – it’s exactly what it supposed to be. Isaac, I’m glad you claimed your blog back, don’t ever let those PR hacks anywhere close to it again!

Startup Entrepreneurs, remember: your blog has a voice, a personality, but only as long as it really comes from you. Don’t let PR fools hijack it – but if you have the urge to splurge ( smile_tongue ), at least find a PR guru who actually “gets” social media.

Overall, you make a great point. However, I think the title of this piece doesn't effectively summarize your main point which, to me, is that you need to tailor your message to your audience. Dumping a traditional news release in to a blog fails to do that. Tailoring the message is a fundamental skill a good PR person should have. Clearly, the PR person who threw this release up here doesn’t have that skill. But this doesn’t mean that blogs and PR can’t or shouldn’t mix. I would argue (as I think the guru you point out would as well) that PR folks have tremendous potential as company bloggers. They are good at thinking of newsworthy angles, and distilling information. Many are excellent writers. Frankly, a strong argument could be made that anyone who blogs on behalf of a company is actually performing a PR function, whether or not they identify themselves as such or possess the other skills that good PR people are expected to possess. If you get a chance, check out http://blog.stalkmarketproducts.com. There you'll find a blog that is jointly driven by a company founder and a life-long PR person. As that PR person, I’m biased, but I think the blog very effectively conveys the voice and personality of the company in a way that blog enthusiasts can relate to.

Agree, there's good PR and bad PR, and Brian is clearly not the only one who gets it:-) My point is not to throw your blog in the hands of bozos who publish boilerplates. But I agree with you, as a PR person you can still write a good blog - I think the sample you sent me to is a good one - well, as much as I could see in 5 minutes:-) BUT ... BUT ... BUT.. it should be transparent, I really think readers should know what's written by you, what's by the President of the company - i.e. you should display the author's name on every post.

Truth be told - I believe that there still is a place for Press Releases in the industry - as pompous as they are written. Also, truth be told, press releases shouldn't be posted at "the blog." As you've noted, a blog is supposed to be the voice of the writer/company. In fact, the subtitle of our blog IS "The typed voice of our company." The bottom line is that we don't have a designated location to post our press releases and, per your note/blog and at the suggestion of others in my company (including my PR firm) the Press Releases will no longer go on the blog. Thanks for the feedback - I love it.

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If You Let PR Take Over Your Blog, It’s No Longer a Blog

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