In the blogging world, one of the big complaints many of us have is that PR people pitch us all the time without reading our blogs. They pitch us with products we just have no need for (like pacifiers for parents whose kids are in college.
I recently blogged on here (like last week did this) about my upcoming surgery. I will be having an ablation. That means my childbearing years are over. (For those who don't know, an ablation will burn out the lining of my uterus). I am okay with this. However, if I wasn't, I recently received a pitch that could have really upset me.
What was the pitch? I am not going to call out the company but it was for a kit that would help one to conceive. Included in it are pregnancy tests and ovulation tests.
If I didn't know how this world worked, I would have thought it a tad insensitive. Instead, I laughed to myself and decided I needed to write a post about why it is soooo important to know the blogger you are pitching! I realize that PR people aren't going to use something like MyLife.com to figure out what is going on in my life, but I do expect a little research on their part!
Feel free to leave your bad pitch stories below!
Oh wow. That is horrible. I'm so sorry. I actually received a pitch for a pet product within weeks of our dog's passing. 🙁
I laughed to myself when I got it but it just goes to show that PR people really need to do their research first!
Last week I got pitched for a review for a bunch of baby products. I wrote back and informed them a) my kids are 17, 17 and 19 and b) I had a hysterectomy in February and if they looked at my blog before pitching me they would have known at least one of those facts.Ugh!
Baby products? Wow. It is just annoying when people don't develop a relationship with us and know when products like that are such a bad fit!
So true! So true and Soooo true!
It's horrible! At this point, I pretty much take it for granted that I'm on many lists that are not good fits for me and those lead to inappropriate pitches. For higher level outreach, programs that involve a longer commitment or paid ambassadorships usually, the companies typically look a bit closer. But even in those cases, a blogger outreach list may be finalized a week or two prior to outreach, so even then there can be tacky mishaps.
Good luck with your surgery!
my situation is similar but different: i clearly have listed on any pages with my contact info that i am not currently accepting review requests. yet they pitch me anyway.
I got the same pitch and laughed, then deleted it. I'm past the age where I'd even consider having children, plus I can't.
Geez, that's pretty lame. I'm with you, if I didn't know how the Internet marketing world worked, it would have come across as being horrible rude and insensitive. Oh, wait. It *is* rude and insensitive. Anyway, at least you have a sense of humor about it. =) Hope your surgery goes well and that you have a quick recovery.