Blog Elevator Speech

We need to position blogs correctly, now more than ever, as businesses realize their potential.

Nearly two years ago, I crafted a blog elevator speech—the quick pitch on why blogs matter to public relations. It needs updating to better reflect the evolution within the last 20+ months. Assuming a blog fits into the overall strategy, this speech may be helpful…either to manage expectations or to persuade opponents.

Blogs' Importance to Public Relations 2.0

• Engage Customers to create a dialogue, gain their insights and spot issues early on.
• Amplify Messages through highly-networked blogs. Search engines, links, aggregators and RSS make your messages contagious.
• Gather and Distribute News. RSS makes it easier to know the news and distribute our own.

Too simple? Well, the above is already twice as long as it should be. Keep in mind the attention span of the elevator speech audience. Time is short and you need to persuade.

We could also use an elevator speech for Wikis and podcasts. Anyone?

tags: public relations, media relations, PR

Comments

[James Cherkoff]

Here's my pitch - Blogs and related technology allow you to easily create your own media which means you don't have to deal with journalists ever again!

[Jeremy Pepper]

James, don't be too blog-centric! Blogs are direct and open conversations.

I never really liked the elevator pitch - it's too dotcom'esque for me, and was for people that couldn't give me 60 seconds to further explain a concept. And, is it about blogs, or should it be an elevator pitch on RSS itself? RSS content, not just blogs?

[Kevin Dugan]

James - If it weren't for media, who in the heck would we link to?! We need them more than ever.

Jeremy - While the elevator speech grew up in California, it was in Hollywood, well South of silicon valley. I know that does not make the speech any more appealing to you, but the dot com boom cannot claim this one.

[Jeremy Pepper]

LOL - okay, point well taken, and I have to follow it up with a story.

When I was getting ready to move to NY for the PR firm for work, in a meeting my NY/NY living in LA boss decides to school me on subway etiquette. His comment was "don't talk to people on the subway, treat it like you are in the elevator."

My colleague starts cracking up, and says "Jeremy talks to people in elevators all the time."

Hey, they're captive audiences.

[ike]

Blogs are the best of both worlds: a cheap means of getting interactive feedback from your customer base, and a great way re-direct search engines to the messages you want people to hear first.