We just hired a new PR agency. They're smart people who have worked with great companies and are communication pros. But they wont blog.
Before we hired them, I told them I thought it would be cool if they blogged about their experiences working on our business. They told me it was a bad idea. I told them I wouldn't stop asking.
And I haven't stopped. It's not that their reasons for not blogging aren't good. They're reasonable concerns. If I understand them correctly:
- They don't want to say anything that could damage relationships with the press or with clients
- They believe an PR Agency should be invisible
- They're not clear who the target reader would be
I want them to blog because they have a lot of interesting insight to share. My sense is that their real challenge is not too different than most companies-it's how to open up. It won't be in oversharing or damaging relationships, they're too smart for that. It starts with a commitment and a first post. Perhaps they don't see the benefit or don't want to take the time. That's understandable, too. But I know many other PR professionals would want to know what they had to say. So would folks interested in Jive.
Just last week they were sharing things they've learned working with us. How different it is interacting and participating with an open and transparent company. The positives and negatives of collaborating with us within Clearspace. Conversationally, they've shared ideas they've had and things they've learned. These are all great things for their blog.
This isn't a sticking point between us by any means. It's completely their choice and they should decide for the right reasons. I don't blame or fault them. It's simply a wish. We'll see if they come around.
I asked some folks on Twitter and Seesmic what they thought about the idea and some of their thinking is included in this post. Obviously, all those people are early adopters, so it made a lot of sense to them. So, what do you guys think?