The PR industry never ceases to amaze me. Despite the fact that we stopped honoring most embargoes back in December, 2008 and sent out a very public memo about it, we still get flooded with unsolicited emails and press releases requesting that we publish the information contained in them only after a certain date. When we decided to stop playing the whole embargo game, we fully expected a backlash from the PR industry. And, to be honest, we do sometimes have to hustle a little more to get a story or get bypassed entirely for massive launches that everyone else is covering anyway. But according to a survey of 246 tech PR pros conducted by PRSourceCode, TechCrunch is still the No 1 tech blog they target when trying to get coverage for their clients. Great.
This is a dubious honor to say the least. But I can only conclude from this survey that PR people love our no-embargo policy. So we’ll just have to keep enforcing it (with a few exceptions). In fact, and I do feel bad about this, I am enforcing it right now. I wasn’t supposed to tell you about this top-secret survey until May 20. A very nice PR person, who shall remain nameless, asked me to keep it “mum.” But I can’t do that because our policy is to share interesting news with our readers as soon as possible. Which tech blogs are targeted the most by the PR industry despite some of our best efforts not to be targeted? Here is the list (for some reason they split it up between “tech blogs” and blogs of more traditional mainstream media):
Top 10 Tech Blogs
1. TechCrunch
2. GigaOM
3. Engadget
4. Gizmodo
5. VentureBeat
6. Silicon Valley Insider (sic)
7. MeriTalk
8. ReadWriteWeb
9. Lifehacker
10 Ars Technica
Top 10 Tech Pub Blogs
1. The WSJ’s Business Technology Blogs
2. The NYT’s Bits Blog
3. BusinesWeek’s Blogspotting
4. CNET Blogs
5. ZiffDavis Blogs
6. Wired Blogs
7. CIO Blogs
8. eWEEK Blogs
9. Network World Blogs
10. InformationWeek’s Business Technology Network Blogs
The survey also produced a list of the most influential tech bloggers, according to PR professionals.
1. Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)
2. Om Malik (GigaOm)
3. Robert Scoble (Scobleizer)
4. Walt Mossberg (WSJ/AllThingsD)
5. David Pogue (NYT)
6. Ben Worthen (WSJ Digits blog)
7. Doug Henschen (Intelligent Enterprise Weblog)
8. Saul Hansell (NYT Bits blog)
9. Stacey Higginbotham (GigaOm)
10. Erick Schonfeld (TechCrunch)
I am kind of embarrassed to be on this list (but not as embarrassed as Mike should be—I mean, what a tool). I hope that by publishing it now before the “embargo” I will get kicked off it before it is officially released. Seriously, Engadget’s Joshua Topolsky deserves to be on it way more than me.
What exceptions are there to the policy?
If you have to ask, you’re not on the list
No, there is confusion about this. Generally, we still work closely with startups around their launch so that they don’t get a massive amount of traffic before they are ready for it. But it helps to give us an exclusive. The policy is more for general spray-and-pray releases that go out to 20,000 news outlets.
So, rather than asking you to honor an embargo, thousands of eager PR folks will soon be asking you to PLEASE “grant an exception.”
Congratulations, Erick, you just got even more popular!
Yo TC.. way to go
Also TC on top of GigaOm means power of software over hardware. With available hardware, a software can make marvels, says iPhone.
Don’t throw your arm out while patting yourself on the back. Or do you pat arrington while he pats yours? Wow, I bet scoble wants in on that action.
Funny that I’m still on the list even though I’ve switched a lot of my focus away from blogs and toward Twitter and friendfeed. I guess PR loves the real time web too!
Oh, and Erick, you’re right, Joshua deserves to be on the list more than me too.
You can’t escape them, Scobie. Not even on FriendFeed.
Congrats to Techcrunch and all the other folks on this list.
Please don’t post this comment until 8am on May 6th.
-vij
When cause doesn’t equal effect.
They did the survey before SiliconAngle was born
Well at least they are being honest. Web 2.0 has destroyed much of the value of traditional PR firms … what’s the point of them getting you into some print pub that’s dying or dead …
Don’t you read the Internet? There are no exceptions.
I agree with your point of view Erik, I’m sure waiting to post stories based on embargoes was probably a nightmare to keep straight. Embargoes traditionally have been a way for PR pros to build excitement about the product they are pitching.
BTW, we’re launching new Netbook Cases suited for 8.9″ to 13″ Netbooks. (PR guys are always pitching…)
While most readers saw your memo concerning TC’s policy of no longer honoring embargoes, your “Submit Profile” form still seems confusing:
“Also – WE WILL ABSOLUTELY RESPECT EMBARGOES, so simply comment at the bottom of the form if the information is to be held until a certain date.”
(I added the caps for emphasis)
per our earlier post, we always say we’ll honor an embargo, but we never actually do. It’s complicated, and designed to create chaos in the PR world. Has worked nicely.
OK, Mike, you got style! Keep up the good work!
I’m surprised that Mashable is not on the list.
lol
Why is that funny? I enjoy reading most of the posts that are Mashable. I understand it’s a different caliber than most blogs and they do a lot of “top 5″ and Twitter talk but it’s still worthy of a spot in my RSS feed.
I’m guessing Mashable isn’t on the list because Arrington embargoed any reviews of it. It’s a far superior site.
I would have liked to have seen Silicon Valley Watcher and Technologizer on the list.
Next year.
dito, really surprise too.
hmm, actually talking about Mashable
twitter success i attribute to tech crunch lol
if they get sold they should give you guys at least two million
HUZZAH!!!!
Never heard of MeriTalk before this list was released.
see the comments below on MeriTalk – it is owned by the company that produced the survey…
Am I missing something or is Number 6 supposed to be “Silicon Alley Insider” and not “Silicon Valley Insider”
Ha! Yes, it is the top tech blog that doesn’t exist!. I added a “(sic)”
Jeez, Alley Insider’s crap. Barely one step above a link farm.
I’m curious as to what you’d do if you got advance word of a new website that had a go-live date a week in the future. Thoughts?
Only one way to find out.
Why is MeriTalk on there? Not trying to be rude, but I’ve never heard of it. Plus according to Compete it barely gets any monthly traffic. Does PRSourceCode own MeriTalk or have some relationship to it? If not, PRSourceCode somehow screwed up. Something is smells fishy here.
Kevin,
It is a very good question — and you hit the nail on the head. Both PRSourceCode and MeriTalk are actually owned by Steve O’Keefe, the owner of O’Keefe and Company. I might note that on the O’Keefe and Company Web site [http://www.okco.com/], there is no mention of his association with any of the other properties, which includes the Government Marketing Forum, the Telework Exchange, PRSourceCode, MeriTalk… In fact, PRSourceCode regularly publishes the list of best IT PR firms — and O’Keefe and Co. always makes the list. [The 2008 list can be found here: http://www.scri...est-IT-PR-firms NOTE that the release never says that there is a connection between the two organizations.] The troublesome part of it is that there is no disclosure anywhere about any of this. It is the opposite of transparency. In fact, on the PRSourceCode site, they don’t even have an “about us” portion of their Web site. With all due respect to the good work done by many good bloggers on this list, the fact that MeriTalk made the list makes the list almost worthless.
Steve — you’re too smart to have to resort to this kind of farces. You have absolutely remarkable ideas. Unfortunately, you end up undercutting those great ideas. And, in the end, it is unnecessary.
just speculating here, but…the only traffic it gets probably comes from O’Keeffe staffers who are required to visit the site to build site stats, which would otherwise be a flatline……..
I think my cats get more visits from the imaginary friends they chase….
You are almost as big a tool as Mike is!
You are still nasty. You are melting away now in the rain.
Meet me at the next CES for a slug.
Round 1…fight!
I have never, ever understood embargo press release mass blasts. Horrible PR.
I will occasionally offer embargos as a courtesy to a small list of beat reporters whom are somewhat likely to cover the news anyways. Helps them with planning and story depth/sourcing, and helps me plan internal resources appropriately. Either way, I’m going to have the information before you do. I’d rather be open and trusting with beat reporters.
I wish I believed in exclusives, but I generally don’t. Except in one case…you dig up the info on your own, then you can have an exclusive. Gladly. I will even try to help to the extent I can (and not lose my job). I appreciate good journalism.
I don’t really believe in exclusives as carrots to cover a story. If you don’t find an announcement newsworthy without an exclusive, why would you cover it with it?
As a side note, I was really hoping TC would use the embargo topic for an April Fools joke. Since you (Arrington) said the policy would stand until you posted a column revoking it, I kinda hoped to see said column appear on April 1, therefore setting off a torrential downpour of embargoed releases. April 2nd would’ve been highly amusing (and a great news day!)
You are right about one other thing…the PR profession needs a shake up. The media has seen their world flip upside down and has been forced to adapt.
We need to do the same. Our job should be helping to facilitate the flow of information through all sorts of communication channels. Be an open, honest and direct company advocate. And don’t just spew “messaging”, but listen to the feedback and pass it back to execs.
Oh hell, I’m probably wasting my breath.
Music industry press agents are pretty much the same way. A top ranking blog can piss all over any exclusive deal they have with another site, but the little guy (blog) gets blacklisted if they burn the wrong bridge.
I’ve been black listed more times than I can count.
Knowing Rafat, perhaps he would be happy to know that PaidContent is not a darling of the PR people
TechCrunch is still number one then, keep up the good work.
I agree that any PR person dumb enough to submit an embargoed release without gaining prior agreement from the journalist/publication deserves what they get. But to say that you’re going to honor embargo and then break it? To say you’re happy to wreak havoc in another industry? It’s just classless and unprofessional. I know honorable publicists and journalists who would are appalled by this kind of behavior. I’m pleased that there is a still place for them at top firms and well-read/well-regarded media outlets and I’m sorry that they aren’t counted among TechCrunch’s staff.
Great list, I actually wanted to submit a genuine story on techcrunch, but with this “NOmbargo” stuff, I guess I have to wait.
)
Seems a bit of a stretch to attribute your #1 ranking solely to your (non)embargo policy; there are surely far more important things for PRs to consider, like the value of the site to their clients.
Clearly this is good news for you TC guys, but the angle on this story is dubious at best.
Erick Schonfeld quote -
“If you have to ask, you’re not on the list”
What an arrogant remark !!!
Marjorie quote –
“It’s just classless and unprofessional. I know honorable publicists and journalists who would are appalled by this kind of behavior.”
As Marjorie mentioned above, if TC lies to get the story, I agree with her.
I guess the smart PR people will have 2 list.
A premier list for the people that are honorable and will respect the embargo.
Then, a list for everyone else.
Since, Michael A. is a lawyer and understands confidentiality and a need for trust, I would have second thoughts about entrusting TC with advanced information.
TC quote –
“we stopped honoring most embargoes back in December, 2008″
Most ???
You forgot the smiley face in my quote about being on the list. It was a joke. So try to calm down.
And I never lied to get this survey. I simply never agreed to the embargo.
Just a couple of honest questions. If you have a truly interesting news story and you are trying to decide: should I give TechCrunch an exclusive or should I go out to my 100 closest journalist and blogger friends who will definitely cover my news anyway, is it worth giving TC the exclusive?
What kind of traffic does a post on TechCrunch drive to your site? Is it worth it to not go the embargo route and possibly have coverage on TC diminish the chance of being covered by anyone else?
The TechCrunch bump is well-documented. We often overload the servers of both startups and large companies whom we write about, not that that is a good thing, but it gives you a sense of the type of traffic we send to new sites.
Good to know. Thanks, Erick
MeriTalk? According to compete, MeriTalk had 787 unique visitors in March, 2009. What am I missing here?
http://siteanal...m/meritalk.com/
I’m right there with you, something is awry here.
Yes. Meritalk owns PR Sourcecode.
and both are owned by PR fiorm O’Keeffe & company www/okco.com
TC will always be on top of the list…just don’t have them call you until the night before
congrats to all those on the list im not surprised to see TC at the top but am disappointed mashable isn’t up there.
Cause, meet effect. Microsoft is still the most popular OS, ergo people just love DRM.
Those wholesale embargoes are so….1980s. And if someone breaks the story, the hapless PR person gets blamed anyway. Better to offer advances to trusted reporters.
Loved the comment slugfest, especially.
Yeah, god forbid you get an embargo to get more time to write an in-depth story instead of poorly-research opinion pieces. (not you Erick)
I am not surprised at you being on the list at all Eric. For me, having been on both ends of this argument, I really do not see how agreeing to a particular stipulation is such an onerous thing. Certainly, any tips mail I was ever associated with was not like yours, but then, I see my share.
I am a little surprised that you made this statement though;
“But I can only conclude from this survey that PR people love our no-embargo policy.”
Do I need to point out what is wrong with contextually transforming “needing coverage on the Top Tech blog” into “Every PR loves what we did”?
This is tantamount to saying; “We surveyed all the people in hell, and determined not only that the devil is number one, but that all people not already in hell love it”.
TC is the best and most visited tech blog in the world, but do you guys need to go around beating your chests like low class NFL stars?
For me personally, if someone is courteous and asked for a stipulation on anything, I do not see how these things cannot be negotiated rather than playing god like some HS debutant. Maybe I am wrong?
I guess it is a function of me not being famous enough or something? Any way, at least represent a survey or study correctly. Having to go to hell, at the end of the day, sort of negates the possibility of an unbiased opinion about Lucifer. And, just because TC has become WalMart (with the best coverage), does not have anything to do with real preference, it is rather a forced one.
Thanks
Phil
Erick
Congrats for the well deserved #1.
fyi- PR Sourcecode is owned by a DC based ad agency (O’Keeffe & Co) that also owns, #7 MeriTalk. Last year one of PR Sourcecode’s surveys listed O’Keeffe & Co as one of the best ad agencies….
draw whatever conclusion you’d like, but I would run an Alexa report of Meritalk.
Mark Amtower
Embargoes got busted ‘accidentally on purpose’ long before PR 2.0 and I’ve been telling clients and small biz owners for years not to mess with them.
Most journalists and bloggers recognise a really good story when it runs past them, even if the PR person doesn’t personally know every blogger and journalist on the planet (there’s over 200,000 named media contacts on my supplied database in the UK alone before counting in the bloggers). I’m not sure why everyone expects PR people to build relationships with everyone that may be relevant to a client. It would be great if we could, and social media tools certainly brings us closer to that. But we do our best to cover all the angles with some great personal relationships and some targeted mass distributions.
I launched a trade association with a great piece of research and put a statistic into common parlance with major UK-wide national coverage on the basis of one release and, shock, horror, I didn’t personally know every single broadcaster and journalist that covered the story. But I did know some and we had some reputable people behind the statistic.
Until we stop getting results, I suspect PR people will cover both relationship-building and mass distribution (within well-defined subject areas). Both approaches get results and we are often pleasantly surprised.