I have no doubt of your sincere intent in writing this but as a visitor to your blog, the context of this apology is shrouded in mystery. I hear you saying you’re sorry but sorry for what?

You talk about spam, bacn and tofu. I understand those distinctions. But are you saying that you sent spam, bacn or tofu or one of your clients and someone complained in a blog? I’m completely inferring this because this entry lacks any specificity. I can see why you wouldn’t want to name names but it means that anyone who doesn’t know you or your working situation is a little lost.

A vague apology isn’t really an apology at all. One has to state what actions one has hurt which people, acknowledge this injury and promise a remedy or at least empathize. You acknowledge that someone (who?) has been injured in some way (how?) and you are sorry (empathized) but without acknowledging what exactly occurred, one isn’t transparent and it looks like a person is placating someone who is angry.

I think you mean to do more than say “I’m sorry, I was wrong, I’ll try not to do it again” but without saying what “it” is and who was wronged, it seems like a process that is opaque and obscured which is the opposite of transparent.

But it is a start.

The bottom line is that many PR people have a lot to learn with blogger relations. I look at it this way: it took until now for professionals to figure out how to properly pitch traditional journals, so that means that the folks who understand blogger relations are light years ahead! I think our PR instincts tell us the right thing to do, it’s just many don’t know how to put it into action. Thanks for sharing what happened and enlightening us on how to handle this type of situation.

psychically i know what your intentions are, and if they are to give me something, i may exchange my attention for your message

but if i intuit that you are only interested in yourself, and want to get something from me, eff you, and if i meet you at a party, i may pick a fight

in short, i hate ads, pr is nearly as gross. i would say do something useful in the world, but i know you are not capable of it

definitely an old-paradigm profession

Although over 80% of responders classified it as a desired message that they would be glad to receive more of, I would say, based on all responses I received, the message I sent was somewhere between “Bacn” and “Tofu” on the Spam scale.

However, though an additional 9.75% of responses were neutral, the few negative responses were very negative, and also clearly snap judgments (because who’s going to read something when they already believe it to be spam?)

It made me consider that even though over 90% of responses were non-negative, I wouldn’t send out a similar message in the future.

JWebster, Thank you. Yes, you’re right. It’s different for every person, but it’s up to us to not “try” it unnecessarily. Spending more time on this upfront is all it takes, and I support it!

Chris, amen brother. At the end of the day, the onus is on PR to remove the potential for misperception. In this case, I’m also asking the community if they think that “tofu” email deserves the same response as the worst examples of spam. I think we all know that the answer is, “just take the next step and ensure that you’re creating a real relationship,” and perhaps that’s the answer. Maybe it’s black or white. Either way, I stand for building relationships and doing things one-on-one. Less is more.

Shannon, well said. Transparency and authenticity are starting to lose their value and unfortunately have become the latest buzzwords.

Hi Sonia, thank you so much. You’re exactly right!

Xavier, yes, people make mistakes. Acknowledgement and apologies should count for something. However, you earn the relationships, and the reactions, you deserve – especially considering the hostile climate these days.

Neil, it’s great to hear from you! Yes, PR was always supposed to be about relationships, but it really isn’t on a grand scale. It’s about meeting expectations and delivering results. These days, PR is measured by the pound (in large part) and many professionals – outside of my agency – believe that blasting is still an effective mechanism for achieving these goals. The moral of the story is that we have to focus on relationships and not numbers. It’s our job to help level expectations, otherwise we indirectly contribute to the system that is unraveling “relations” from public relations. Great thoughts Neil!

Geoff, rock on man.

Csuspect, lol! I took it on the chin by saying that if any one of my teammates are out there doing things wrong, then it’s on me. So this post is dedicated to 1) painting an accurate and leveling portrait of the landscape and 2) teaching PR people how to do it the right way.

Thanks Linda! I believe sorry isn’t said enough over here. What do you think?

Janie, qualified cold-calls in traditional media is part of the tofu umbrella in new media. You’re right, and that’s part of what I’m talking about. Sometimes, the conversation has to start somewhere! I love the memo analogy!

Sam, brilliant!

Jeremy, the spirit of the post says exactly what you’re saying. However, not everyone here is as experienced as you, so the longer version of the story helps people understand why this is wrong and how to do things the right way – whether they work with me or not. Thanks for keeping it real…time to ball up!

When I had people working for me, I vetted everything to make sure I didn’t get my fingers slammed in the door. Right now, I’m vetting my agency’s lists for the same reason: because I have to answer to the VP and CEO, not the firm.

Someone from your firm was emailing a reporter/blogger to her personal email address. And, possibly, more than once.

That’s the story – someone messed up, but the buck stops with you. Short post, easy post.

Or, as my best friend says: ball up.

Beyond that, whether it’s spam, bancn, or tofu, the problem resides in that it’s currently all foodstuffs from Phillip Morris, a company that makes crap. PR Agencies need to reinvent themselves into something beyond invisible broadcast-only connectors now that people are making their own connections. They have a VERY important part to play in the new generation of social relations. If a new level of credibility isn’t earned agencies will get increasingly marginalized.

If you think about the way we, as PR practitioners, pitch traditional media, it’s often cold-calling even if you’ve identified those who might be interested in your topic. If you’ve never spoken to or e-mailed someone before then the first time you contact them — that’s a cold call. It doesn’t mean they haven’t been qualified though. It also doesn’t mean that they won’t be interested in your pitch, just because you don’t know them yet. Isn’t that how you build a relationship? Make friends? You start with a first step, first contact, first hello.

As someone who has been both the pitchee and the pitcher, I can say that the difference to me is that, after years of doing this, traditional media know what PR is doing. They expect it. Since not all bloggers have a traditional media (or PR)background, they don’t expect it, know what’s happening, or know how to handle it. And that’s why we keep having this conversation.

Because a huge new group of potential media outlets (bloggers)didn’t get the memo — and PR people, whether they’ve qualified the lead or not — continue to inundate them with unsolicited e-mail.

Maybe someone should warn neophyte bloggers that this is going to happen, and provide a list of tips on how to handle it. First, and foremost, don’t let it ruin your day. You can’t control ants at the picnic — it’s going to happen. So just deal with it.

Maybe some of the traditional media out there have some great tips for bloggers on how to handle it, politely and quickly. I like Shannon Nelson’s idea of encouraging bloggers to include a page about what you do and don’t want to receive. Could that page include a separate e-mail for introductions or pitches?

Another important point — for PR and bloggers — is not to burn bridges. A pitch may seem way off base, but if the source may have relevant info about your topic, then the next pitch may be a home run for you. Unless the PR person is too embarrased or hurt to ever write you again. Then they might go to your competition instead.

I’m sure your readers can provide many more ideas. How ’bout it?

I worked in Japan for many years. In speaking Japanese, some version of “I’m sorry” is used continuously in conversation. That is one extreme but I find today that I cannot help but apologize and make amends when appropriate.

Second, you tease us with this “I’m going to take it on the Chin” but don’t tell us what exactly the SNAFU was? Well…. What was it?

I for one have forsaken the press releases and mass/target email campaigns entirely. It’s less work and so much more effective when people come to you via social media sources.

Devil’s Advocate: I also think reporters and bloggers who accept pitches can be absolute tyrannical idiots with this stuff. There’s a two way street, but because we are PR, we will always get t the short end of the stick. Sometimes I weigh the source, too.

Communications appease anger. You Brian surely communicate extensively. I think we are all appeased.

Any successful blogger quickly learns that “me-ness” doesn’t scale. (Although Brogan’s giving it his best, god bless him.) When relationships are key, what does a blogger do with thousands of emails, each crying out for a little piece of a relationship? And if you’ve got a message you think would resonate with that blogger’s community, how do you make that connection?

None of it is easy or formulaic, and we damned sure don’t have the best practices nailed down. But thinking about it, talking about it, approaching it with intelligence and consideration, makes such a difference.

This is a great post, Brian, I hope it gets a lot of eyes. Whether or not you have imperfect people in your organization (how dare you!), you are an important part of making this particular conversation work better.