At BritMums we have a wealth of experience in our blogging community. As blogging continues to rise in popularity, mainstream media is taking notice and seeking out the opinion, expertise and talent of bloggers for articles and radio/television shows. Some of our brilliant bloggers have been making regular radio appearances as well as being sought after by television shows like “The Vanessa Show”. Emily Carlisle share her expertise in dealing with this more common occurrence…media opportunities for bloggers.
How to make the most of media opportunities
Okay, so you’re not blogging for fame and fortune, but occasionally an opportunity comes along to be featured in the local paper, maybe even in the national press. You might have been approached via your blog, seen an appeal for case studies on a bulletin board, or perhaps you’ve been diligently cold calling in pursuit of coverage. However you’ve secured the opportunity, once you’ve finished doing a jig of excitement, called your mates and tweeted your news, give a little thought to how you can make the most of it.
Getting paid
If you’re the main story in a feature you might receive a fee – I’ll leave it to one of the many journalist bloggers to explain how that works, but it’s always worth asking. I recently received an appearance fee for a contribution to a radio programme. If you have to travel to an interview venue or photo shoot you should definitely be reimbursed for expenses incurred, so make sure this is agreed in advance.
Raising awareness for a cause
You might be motivated by raising awareness for a subject close to your heart, such as cot death or cancer research. If that’s the case, make sure the interviewer or researcher knows about this before you start. Take along any awareness literature you might have, such as posters or flyers, and explain any personal reason you have for promoting the cause. It sounds obvious, but if you’re likely to get upset make sure you take tissues with you, and don’t be afraid to ask for a break.
Promoting your blog
Regardless of the reason for your appearance on radio or in the local paper, there’s always an opportunity to promote your blog. Newspaper reports generally include what people do for a living; if you’re a stay at home mum blogging, give your occupation as ‘blogger’ and whip out a business card. If you’re providing quotes for an online publication, or the newspaper or radio station you’re dealing with has a website, ask if they’ll add a link to your blog along with the report of the interview. I received 2,000 hits on my blog the day a recent radio interview aired.
Getting votes
Perhaps you’re in line for a MADs award, or your child’s in the running for baby of the year. Practice explaining it in just a few words, until it rolls off your tongue. Include what it would mean to you to win, and tell people exactly what they need to do to support you. Tell the interviewer in advance what you want to do and do remember to actually mention it – I secured an interview for a regional radio station last year and got so carried away by the occasion I clean forgot to ask for votes.
After the event
Once you’ve come back down to earth, make sure you ask the interviewer when the article will be published, or when the news programme will be on. Let readers of your blog know when they can read, watch or listen to it, and provide a link to help them out. If you’ve been on the radio, the producer will often let you have a copy of the programme on CD.
As a personal blogger, appearing in print, radio or on television can be tremendously exciting for you and your family. If you’re able to successfully plug your blog URL, mention a charity or even earn a little cash, these media opportunities can not only be fun and memorable experiences, they can also bring traffic to your blog and raise awareness for your chosen cause.
Emily Carlisle
Emily Carlisle is a freelance writer living in the Cotswolds with her husband and three children. She has been blogging for three years. Despite blogging under a pseudonym Emily has given interviews for local, regional and national newspapers and appeared on BBC Radio Gloucestershire, BBC Radio Oxford and BBC Radio 4. Before going freelance Emily worked in the public sector where she carried out numerous interviews for radio and television.
About Karin Joyce
Karin Joyce is the creator of Embrace Happy, an inspirational and motivational website where the focus is on celebrating the good in our lives every day. The Embrace Happy tagline is: Not every day is good but there is good in every day. Before starting Embrace Happy, Karin was one of the “old school” bloggers from the early days of what was then British Mummy Bloggers with her parenting blog Cafe Bebe. In between school runs, blogging and being a wife to Mark and Mum to Ella (6 1/2) and Sam (3), Karin also works as a freelance social media manager and consultant.
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More Than Just a Mother
Tuesday 10th of May 2011
That's perfect Joanne - very useful information. I agree that the motivation is usually not financial. Sometimes I think we bloggers get a bit over excited by media opportunities and it pays (sometimes literally!) to take stock and work out how it fits in with our own objectives.
Joanne Mallon
Monday 9th of May 2011
Thanks for this post Emily, it's really useful. You mention fees, and as it happens I wrote a post a few years ago about how to negotiate fees for media appearances, hope this is helpful: http://joannemallon.typepad.com/joanne_the_coach/2008/01/media-training.html Generally speaking, the benefits of media opportunities tend not to be monetary, but occasionally there's cash to be made so you might as well have it.