In the wake (okay, let’s be honest – in the midst) of the exceptional chaos that came from the absolutely idiocy showcased by an unnamed (at least, on here) PR agency via The Bloggess, I wanted to share a step-by-step strategy to help fix errors of this magnitude.

1. Apologize – privately. Don’t try to make excuses, and don’t make your apology public. Be sincere, humble and – above all – gracious.

2. Apologize publicly – after getting approval from the slighted party/parties. If they don’t want you saying anything, don’t. If there’s an opportunity for you to do this with kindness and tact, all the better. Don’t make it about the money or the fanfare. As always, do it for the right reasons.

3. Accept the blame – and admit that you’re flawed. We’re human and we make mistakes – that doesn’t mean that you aren’t an idiot sometimes. Don’t pass the buck – even if the actual “crime” was committed by one of your employees, it is your name that is being dragged through the mud. Wipe it off your face and be comfortable enough with telling the world that this is unacceptable, you won’t tolerate it and you’re better than that – flaws and all.

4. Put your money where your mouth is. Depending on the severity of the blunder, you need to back up your talk with a little action. Ask the offended parties which charity they’d personally wish you would donate to – and donate. Make the number count – don’t go bankrupt, but make sure you’re not pandering and playing the pity party – YOU were wrong. Make it better.

But of all these tips, the best way to deal with a PR blunder gone viral? DON’T MAKE THE BLUNDER.

-
Jaime Palmucci
Debutante Media 

I received a very classless email this morning from a brand who wanted to write a “quality” guest post for my beauty review blog. I shared the tale with another blogger friend of mine, who responded with the best – and most accurate – response. EVER.

Enjoy.

Hello “Person who has no name/Blogger:”

I am contacting you on behalf of some Spammy Company about opportunities about placing text links on your site for free.

Because we are a Spamtastic Company, we would be able to provide you with a load of spammy content all over your site. If you would enjoy compromising the quality of content on your site by allowing us to do this, let us know how many text links we can provide you.

We know you’ll email us right away because this is an opportunity that will benefit us so much.

Do you feel differently about the text link “guest post” inquiries?

–
Jaime Palmucci
debutantemedia.com 

My biggest advice for bloggers and brands working together is this: have a goal. It’s so frustrating to me when I approach a brand to do a campaign, with a full fledged media kit, proposal, and vision only to get a response back that the company isn’t sure what to do with it.  I’ve done all the work!  Help a sister out!  It’s completely true on the blogger end as well; bloggers need to have a goal in mind when approaching a brand.  How will your proposal help promote the agenda of the brand?  Are your goals in synch?  How do you plan to do it?  

Everyone needs to go into a brand/blogger relationship with open eyes, and clear goals.  It’s crazy making when goals are off and communication about deliverables is mixed. 

-
Allison
PetitElefant.com 

For those of you who don’t know, there’s a not-so-secret secret that I am in this month’s Glamour magazine. Not a big deal- okay, it was super cool! – but it is was it is.

And yet now, the problem then tends to be that it was about what I do. As a Social Media Specialist – which isn’t the problem. No, the real problem is that it has brought on about 30 versions of what you’re about to see below (and yes, this is VERBATIM from one of the emails I received):

Hi Jaime-I hope you don’t mind this, but I just saw your piece in Glamour magazine about your salary/career. Would you consider telling me exactly how to land a job like yours? I always see these jobs and never know how people got them! Thank you SO much!

You know, hey. It’s great that these people are interested. I love it – I really do.

But people: THINK before you email. After all, are you going to your doctor’s office and asking “Hey, I know you went to med school, did a residency and have 10 black market kidneys worth of student loan debt. But would you mind telling me EXACTLY how to land a job like yours? I don’t want to actually do the work.”

It’s just rude. So, from now on, this is how I’m going to respond.

Hey [RANDOM PERSON I DON'T KNOW],

Do you want to know how to land a job just like mine? That’s awesome – I’m going to make sure to cannibalize my own network and contacts to help you right now! Here are my tips:

- Work so much that you have to pull an all-nighter a week.
– So much that you don’t have a social life.
– SO MUCH that your boyfriend gets angry about it.

You network your you-know-what off. Do some free work to get your name out there. Intern for people like me. Be willing to embarrass yourself. Get out on a ledge and know that someone might just come up behind you and push you off. And while you’re at it, base a little bit too much of your self-worth on how well you do your job.

But mostly, you need to work until you fall asleep at the computer and wake to find yourself so awkwardly positioned (still with your laptop on your lap, mind you.) that you wish you could take a picture with that phone they cannot seem to pry out of your fingers.

So, do you really want to do what I do? Because if you’re taking the easy route from the start, you’re not going to get there.

Love,
Jaime Palmucci

PS: Yes, this is how I look on one of my three days off during the year. I think it’s sexy.