This week PR Daily posed an important question: Should brands pay for blog mentions?

Before the requisite “this is a complicated issue that will affect different parties differently and we want to avoid making overgeneralizations” statement, we’ll give you the short answer: no.

Don’t get mad before you read the qualifiers: well over 50% of the public turns to editorial sites for info on products, so if a prominent blogger truly enjoys/approves of your client’s product, any related content is PR gold. But you already knew that.

Here’s the rub: As readers and writers of blogs, we can tell you that if you are a blogger who consumers turn to for “unbiased” insights, they will begin to question your credibility the minute they discover that you were paid to promote something even if you’ve made that relationship clear to everyone who visits your site (which you’re legally required to do anyway).

No, bloggers aren’t held to such strict standards of objectivity as traditional journalists. But paid endorsements can never be 100% “sincere,” so their value is limited. The conflict of interest between blogger and patron ensures this fact.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t try to get bloggers to promote your client, but there are some big caveats:

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As PR pros know, there’s always more to learn when it comes to securing successful media placements for clients.

Yet, there are some things that remain crucial to the process — doing the proper research to make sure your pitch is on target with the pub’s mission, for one.

XXL, a pub representing ‘hip-hop on a higher level,’ is open to PR pitches, as long as publicists prove that their client is in tune with the mag’s credo.

“What falls under the [hip-hop] category is a lot broader than it used to be. We created a television section because we needed to, because more rappers were involved in acting and more actors were talking about hip-hop. The same goes for fashion, with rappers becoming so much more fashion-conscious on a whole different level than [Timberland boots] and a hoodie,” said editor-in-chief Vanessa Satten.

Want to make sure you’re talking to the right editor? Read How to Pitch: XXL.

– Sherry Yuan

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ISLANDS started over 30 years ago when David Fritzen, founder of Santa Barbara and ShowBoats, returned from a vacation in Kauai with the idea for a travel publication very different from what he’d seen on magazine racks.

Now the pub maintains a reputation as an intelligent travel magazine, with a 200,000 circulation. Nearly 50 percent of readers go to the Caribbean every year, 40 percent to Hawaii and 20 to 30 percent to the South Pacific — that’s good news for publicists looking to expand their clients’ global presence.

Though if you want to pique editors’ interests, make sure to familiarize yourself with the types of stories the mag covers. “My inbox every morning has probably about 60 press releases, and the majority of them are off-mission for our brand,” said editor Eddy Patricelli.

For pitching etiquette and editors’ contact info, read How To Pitch: ISLANDS.

– Sherry Yuan

The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, register now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses.

Slate writer David Plotz is calling a recent email he received the “most offensive marketing pitch of all time.” After reading it ourselves, we’d be hard pressed to disagree.

On Tuesday morning, Plotz received an email from someone at Rightster, a London-based video distribution company, proposing that the recent beheading of a Brazilian soccer referee could prove to be a “great AD REVENUE generating opportunity.”

The email read as follows (bold/caps were in original email):

Disgusted, Plotz attempted to contact the person responsible for the email, but instead received a response from a Rightster spokesperson, saying: “We regret deeply and are very sorry for the email and the offense it has caused. The individual involved will be disciplined and we will review our policies and procedures to ensure this does not happen again.” Read more

Editors at Lucky magazine’s online counterpart, LuckyMag.com, are open to PR pitches in all sections of the site, which is dedicated to helping readers score their favorite looks from the magazine.

“When Lucky launched, it was sort of revolutionary, because it was the only magazine with every single item available that moment,” said Verena von Pfetten, executive digital editor. “So, that’s even more applicable to our website. Everything we post has a shop-ability factor.”

If your client can bring something original to fashion-savvy readers as they shop the web, there’s a good chance of scoring placement at this online pub. For pitching etiquette and editors’ contact info, read How To Pitch: LuckyMag.com.

– Sherry Yuan

The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, register now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses.

Riding high on the groundswell of pride and honor felt among most members of the black community during President Obama‘s 2008 election, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Donald Graham, chairman of The Washington Post, partnered to launch The Root, an online publication covering the nation’s biggest news stories — with an African-American angle.

“The idea was to bring smart, thoughtful pieces that bring a black perspective to the news of the day and reflect the conversations that black people are having,” explained Lauren Williams,  deputy editor.

The online pub has over 1.5 million unique monthly visitors, a good thing for PR pros who are looking to land coverage for their clients. For pitching etiquette and editors’ contact info, read How To Pitch: The Root.

– Sherry Yuan

The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, register now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses.

Founded in 1985, Delicious Living bills itself as the editorial companion for natural food shoppers, but you won’t find it on most magazine racks. Issues are bought and then distributed, generally free of charge, by participating natural product stores. “The founder [Doug Greene] was a real visionary,” said editor-in-chief Elisa Bosley. “He didn’t think people should have to pay for this. It’s totally educational, and that’s what they’ve stuck with this whole time.”

The mag provides online opportunities for publicist pitches, given that the client has expert knowledge on either a particular health field or product. As always, make sure to do your homework before you pitch — that means familiarizing yourself with the pub and tailoring your idea accordingly.

For pitching etiquette and editors’ contact info, read How To Pitch: Delicious Living.

– Sherry Yuan

The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, register now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses.

Launched in 1951 as the authority on breaking information in the black community, JET has a loyal readership of over 7 million and covers everything from sports and politics to lifestyle and fashion. All sections are open to PR pitches; just make sure you study the pub and are familiar with the tone and the types of stories that the magazine covers.

“It’s a full-service publication. Pitch your clients. Pitch your products. It’s about how you pitch. There’s nothing that we’re not covering right now,” said editor-in-chief Mitzi Miller. Content has always covered an array of topics, but it’s just a matter of making sure you’re pitching to the right person and that the pitch is customized. A blanketed, mass-mailed pitch without a specific feel for the magazine’s audience or style is guaranteed to get ignored.

For more details and a list of editors’ contact info, read How To Pitch: JET.

The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, register  now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses.

Ever since Rachael Ray first hit the culinary scene as Food Network’s pint-sized, quick-cooking aficionado, women have been tuning in by the millions and clamoring to whip up their own 30-minute meals. Now Ray is a certified brand, with a slew of extensions, including cookbooks, a daytime talk show, a line of premium dog food and, of course, her lifestyle magazine, Every Day With Rachael Ray.

The mag accepts publicist pitches, a good thing for PR pros looking to reach its 1.7 million-plus circulation. Just make sure you familiarize yourself with the pub first — everything from products to celebrities featured in the mag must fit a certain mold.

For pitching etiquette and editors’ contact info, read How To Pitch: Every Day With Rachael Ray.
The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, register now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses.

Audubon, one of the oldest continuously published magazines in the country, has been harvesting some of the best earth-minded writing for more than a century. The pub appeals to the well educated, politically active nature lover.

Though the mag is the only pure nature magazine on the market, EIC David Seideman admits that the publication aspires to the reach and commercial success of National Geographic, while still maintaining its commitment to the thought-provoking, long-form type journalism of The Atlantic and The New Yorker.

And, lucky for publicists, editors are more than open to featuring your clients as long as they fit the pub’s nature-loving mission. Get the details on who and what to pitch in How To Pitch: Audubon.

The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, register now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses.