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Gen-Y bloggers are on deck.

July 26th, 2009 | 10 comments | Social Media

If there is one thing I’ve learned regarding blogging and PR and my life as I know it, it’s that I want to build relationships. I don’t want to be slimy (in my work or my personal life). I don’t want to abuse the relationships I already have. I don’t like pitching bloggers because, as a blogger, I don’t want to be pitched, I want relationships. I want someone to read my stuff, express interest, join in on the conversation, and we can go from there. And with bloggers, it is essential, if not required, to have that relationship before you go asking for x, y and z. 

Actually, I don’t think “pitching” and “bloggers” should be used in the same sentence. Bloggers don’t have to write about anything. They pick and choose and find a niche and most of them are writing as a labor of love. So I’m seeking a new word instead of “pitch” when talking about finding bloggers to connect with for various projects. (Have an idea for a phrase? Tell me in the comments section.)

In my favorite panel at BlogHer yesterday, I met moderator/panelist Lucretia Pruitt, director of social media at Collective Bias. We were talking about compensation for bloggers (her thoughts here) and she mentioned that mommy bloggers are the hot crowd now, but that will shift. So, naturally, I asked who’s next?

We’re next. We’re the future. 

The next group of bloggers that will be sought out are those 18-25. And to be completely honest, I’m wondering why companies aren’t all over this demographic already. We’re always wired. We’re always connected. We love to tell our friends about the latest _____ that we bought and we have an incredible sense of brand loyalty. And, with no mortgage, no kids (most of us), and no spouse – we are an age bracket with disposable income.

Yes, mommy bloggers are a larger target audience, as not every Millenial is blogging. 18-25 is seemingly narrow, and most of us probably don’t have a need to review your diapers, baby food, or toys. But, we are always looking for ways to simplify life. If you have a product that can help us do that – we’re all over it. 

So now how does this apply to me, being an aspiring PR pro who started as a blogger? I encourage the industry to expand their reach when seeking out bloggers to build relationships with. Do Gen-Y bloggers have the following that mom bloggers do? Probably not. Yet.

But we have quite a few thought-provoking people in our community; Corvida Raven, Jamie Varon, Elysa Rice, Matt Cheuvront, and Ryan Stephens for example. If you’re thinking about hopping on the Gen-Y blogger bandwagon, Ryan Stephens should be of particular interest to you because his blog is home to the Top 10 Gen-Y blogs every two months, voted on by our community and anyone who has an opinion on Gen-Y bloggers. (Shameless plug, click on Ryan’s link to vote for your favorite for the August ballot.)

And, something else to think about? If you’re forward-thinking, and start to build relationships with the thought-leaders in the Gen-Y (until the next generation comes along) community now, by the time the market is demanding that you call on them, you’ll already have a laundry list of us to go to. 

And, seeing as how I’m a part of this community, I can make your job easier by calling on my friends. The thing about being a Gen-Y blogger is we’re all about community, and the best friends that I’ve made, people I could really call on in a time of need, are ones that I’ve met through Gen-Y blogging.

By being connected to this demographic, who has potential to be the next big thing, I think I just added value to your business. Now there’s another angle to think about. If you’re on the brand side of this, seek out people who are already well-connected in the community that is best-suited for your brand. They will prove to be a very valuable resource.

But in all seriousness, one thing was reinforced in my mind from attending BlogHer this weekend was that it really is all about the relationships. It was an interesting conference for me, since I could technically be on both sides of any of the heated conversations regarding PR and bloggers. 

If you’re a blogger, have you been pitched? What was it for? Do you think that the tonality of our posts will change if our generation starts to come to light as a target audience for major companies? If you’re a PR professional, do you think that Lucretia is correct? Are bloggers 18-25 next? If so, are you working to build those relationships yet?

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  • http://www.genpink.com/ elysa

    As a blogger I actually have no issue with being “pitched” as long as it’s the right target. I’ve been sent books targeted to GenY women (a very good fit) but I’ve also been emailed about baseball (clearly they’ve never read my blog). So I think the thing about Gen Y is our interests are sooo diverse so if you’re looking to branch into our world and build relationships it’s important to know who to go to in our community based on what you’re pitching.

  • http://www.genpink.com elysa

    As a blogger I actually have no issue with being “pitched” as long as it’s the right target. I’ve been sent books targeted to GenY women (a very good fit) but I’ve also been emailed about baseball (clearly they’ve never read my blog). So I think the thing about Gen Y is our interests are sooo diverse so if you’re looking to branch into our world and build relationships it’s important to know who to go to in our community based on what you’re pitching.

  • @michaelpearsun

    Instead of pitch, how about “co-author”? Where both parties feel like they are on ground floor. Maybe this is too pie-in-the-sky, but it sounds good on paper.

  • @michaelpearsun

    Instead of pitch, how about “co-author”? Where both parties feel like they are on ground floor. Maybe this is too pie-in-the-sky, but it sounds good on paper.

  • http://www.prprescriptions.com/ James Walker

    Hey Sydney,

    Interesting one. If Gen Yers aren’t on deck, then people need to wise up, particularly people in the non-profit sector.

    I’m getting a little tired of the Xers and older generations coming up with top ten lists categorizing our likes, dislikes and work styles. I think a lot of them are wrong, but one thing they’ve got right is that the majority of us do care about social causes.

    I blog about PR and Social Media. That’s pretty clear, but I also blog about social initiatives and causes, be it a campaign or a particular interest of mine. I should be non-profit pr pro’s best friend because I’m a PR person who gets it. I know how a campaign works, can share the key messages that “make” the cause and (because I’m a PR guy), I generally want to help you engage others.

    I hope the tone of our posts don’t change because our audience is still the same, and I feel you when it comes to navigating the blogger/PR pro line in conversations.

    We’ll see how this all turns out.

  • http://www.prprescriptions.com James Walker

    Hey Sydney,

    Interesting one. If Gen Yers aren’t on deck, then people need to wise up, particularly people in the non-profit sector.

    I’m getting a little tired of the Xers and older generations coming up with top ten lists categorizing our likes, dislikes and work styles. I think a lot of them are wrong, but one thing they’ve got right is that the majority of us do care about social causes.

    I blog about PR and Social Media. That’s pretty clear, but I also blog about social initiatives and causes, be it a campaign or a particular interest of mine. I should be non-profit pr pro’s best friend because I’m a PR person who gets it. I know how a campaign works, can share the key messages that “make” the cause and (because I’m a PR guy), I generally want to help you engage others.

    I hope the tone of our posts don’t change because our audience is still the same, and I feel you when it comes to navigating the blogger/PR pro line in conversations.

    We’ll see how this all turns out.

  • http://www.bretthummel.com/ Brett Hummel

    Having worked with a couple of big organizations there is a fear on the part of companies with regards to supporting social media in general and especially blogging. Many in the executive suite worry that their brand could become corrupted or in a worst case scenario their supported bloggers could turn into sociopaths, bringing down their brands. Of course these fears are completely unfounded, but as with any new medium there is incredible resistance among entrenched people to try a new thing.

    I completely agree with you though about corporations needing to target Gen Y bloggers. In this internet age with so many fractured and mini markets, bloggers provide one of the few avenues to reach our generation at a minimal cost. Bloggers could allow marketers to burrow into not only Gen Y as a whole but specific Gen Y categories such as Gen Ys who believe in a certain cause or love a certain sports franchise. A traditional media campaign would never be able to reach these potential customers because their niche is too small for the cost.

  • http://www.bretthummel.com Brett Hummel

    Having worked with a couple of big organizations there is a fear on the part of companies with regards to supporting social media in general and especially blogging. Many in the executive suite worry that their brand could become corrupted or in a worst case scenario their supported bloggers could turn into sociopaths, bringing down their brands. Of course these fears are completely unfounded, but as with any new medium there is incredible resistance among entrenched people to try a new thing.

    I completely agree with you though about corporations needing to target Gen Y bloggers. In this internet age with so many fractured and mini markets, bloggers provide one of the few avenues to reach our generation at a minimal cost. Bloggers could allow marketers to burrow into not only Gen Y as a whole but specific Gen Y categories such as Gen Ys who believe in a certain cause or love a certain sports franchise. A traditional media campaign would never be able to reach these potential customers because their niche is too small for the cost.

  • http://blog.monicaobrien.com/ Monica O’Brien

    Sydney, I just read your post again and wanted to answer some of the questions you posed.

    First, I think you’re completely right about Gen Y being the next influentials, after the mommy bloggers. Companies should be establishing these ties now, because in a few short years Gen Y will *be* the mommy bloggers. Except for Gen Y, I think parenting and housekeeping will be almost equal, so the mommy bloggers would essentially not be limited to moms anymore and would instead be more of a generational thing.

    Your second question about whether bloggers like to be pitched – I’m undecided. I like to know about things, but I hate when people want free publicity on my blog. Which I know is what PR is all about, but still. I guess it makes me feel like all the work I’ve put into gaining an audience for my blog is taken for granted almost, like I should just be giving it away for free.

    I think the difference between pitching traditional media and pitching bloggers is that bloggers aren’t getting paid to write. Traditional media is, so I understand why they are interested, and quite frankly, looking for things to promote. But as a blogger, it makes me uncomfortable to promote too many things that I’m not getting paid for, since I’m already not getting paid. I also feel if I start promoting things for free, I could never put ads on my site or monetize in other ways that require paid sponsorship.

    It’s something for PR professionals to think about. Unless they are promoting something highly targeted to my readers that puts my readers in the know, don’t pitch me on it. It just reeks too much of begging for free advertising.

    Anyway, I loved the post, and thanks for bringing up such an interesting topic.

    – Monica

  • http://blog.monicaobrien.com Monica O’Brien

    Sydney, I just read your post again and wanted to answer some of the questions you posed.

    First, I think you’re completely right about Gen Y being the next influentials, after the mommy bloggers. Companies should be establishing these ties now, because in a few short years Gen Y will *be* the mommy bloggers. Except for Gen Y, I think parenting and housekeeping will be almost equal, so the mommy bloggers would essentially not be limited to moms anymore and would instead be more of a generational thing.

    Your second question about whether bloggers like to be pitched – I’m undecided. I like to know about things, but I hate when people want free publicity on my blog. Which I know is what PR is all about, but still. I guess it makes me feel like all the work I’ve put into gaining an audience for my blog is taken for granted almost, like I should just be giving it away for free.

    I think the difference between pitching traditional media and pitching bloggers is that bloggers aren’t getting paid to write. Traditional media is, so I understand why they are interested, and quite frankly, looking for things to promote. But as a blogger, it makes me uncomfortable to promote too many things that I’m not getting paid for, since I’m already not getting paid. I also feel if I start promoting things for free, I could never put ads on my site or monetize in other ways that require paid sponsorship.

    It’s something for PR professionals to think about. Unless they are promoting something highly targeted to my readers that puts my readers in the know, don’t pitch me on it. It just reeks too much of begging for free advertising.

    Anyway, I loved the post, and thanks for bringing up such an interesting topic.

    – Monica