Blogging Stats Preview from Technorati

 
The latest blogging stats, including counts on blog readership and blog traffic, were presented by Technorati CEO Shani Higgins at the PR Summit in San Francisco earlier this month.  This podcast is an exclusive recording of her talk.
 
Much of the data she shared was a preview of the blogging stats to be included this fall in the Technorati 2011 State of the Blogosphere Report.  The blogger statistics revealed in her talk provide critical insight into best practices for blog pitching.
 
Blogging Statistics (Highlights):
 

71% of bloggers only write about brands they think are reputable
Mommy bloggers get 500 pitches a day
Only 20% of bloggers like the pitches they get

Blog accuracy perception continues to rise, the credibility of mainstream news outlines continues to erode, mommy bloggers are the toughest to pitch, more brands are compensating bloggers and brands like Vogue, Samsung and Ebay are all more invested in blogger outreach programs than they were a year ago.
 

 
Show Notes:
 
7:37 Hobbyists account for 65% of bloggers. Professional bloggers are broken down into three groups:
 

Corporate Bloggers
Part-Timer Bloggers
Self-Employed Professional Bloggers

 
For brand marketers, with the most important are Self-Employed Professional Bloggers, since they have more at stake.
 
Business Blogging Statistics: All Bloggers
 

33% have worked within traditional media
27% are still employed by traditional media
3% blog for their traditional media employer
65% say blogs are being taken more seriously

 
8:16 Bloggers are heavy users of social media.
 
Blogging Statistics: How Blogger’s use Facebook and Twitter

87% of all bloggers use Facebook
81% use Facebook to promote their blog
64% use Facebook to interact with readers
45% say Facebook drives more traffic to their blog than it did a year ago
73% of hobbyists and 88% of professional bloggers still use Twitter
More than half of all bloggers link Twitter to their blog
34% of bloggers say Twitter is a more effective traffic source than it was a year ago

 
10:19 Bloggers are Talking about Brands - Nearly half of non-corporate bloggers write about brands. One fourth of bloggers overall post products or brand reviews monthly and one fifth post weekly. 20% of corporate bloggers post daily about products and services.
 
Brand Reputation Matters to Bloggers - Bloggers care deeply about brand reputation so brand acceptance is required if companies want bloggers to write about them.
 
Blogging Statistics: Bloggers and Brands

42% of bloggers say they blog about brands they love (or hate)
34% say they never talk about products or brands on their blogs
Among respondents who say they do blog about brands, 51% they said they rarely review brands, services or products among companies
Among respondents who say they do blog about brands, 48% say they post reviews weekly
33% of hobbyist and more than 50% of the professional bloggers look at reputation when determining what to write about
64% of bloggers say brand representatives treat them less professionally than they’d like

 
13:16 Mommy Bloggers talk about Brands More - Even though women only represent 5% of bloggers, they are the most coveted blogging segment by brands because they blog more about brands.
 
Blogging Statistics: Mommy Bloggers
 

92% use Facebook to promote their blog
75% use Twitter to promote their blog
55% follow brands on social media sites like Facebook
54% have been approached by a brand
Half say a brand’s reputation influences their decision to write about it
72% of mom bloggers are being taken more seriously than they were a year ago

 
15:44 Blog reliability and blog accuracy, as perceived by readers is on the rise.
 
Blogging Statistics: Blog Trustworthiness
 

46% trust traditional media less than they did 5 years ago
35% believe blogs are taken more seriously
19% believe blogs are written better than traditional media sources

 
17:35 Blog pitching success increases dramatically when you know how to identify the most influential bloggers who cover your topic.  Understanding how to research and select bloggers, though is not discussed in this podcast, but can certainly be attained through social media training.  
 
21:02 Bloggers are looking for audience value in a blog pitch. Investing in the quality of the news pitch, customizing high quality of content and offering the blogger recognition never goes out of style.
 
23:44 Latest Blog Trends - The level of professionalism among bloggers is on the rise, as is giving bloggers opportunities to become true brand advocates.  Bloggers are also becoming more savvy about compensation and are well aware of how they are helping brands achieve goals. More brands are compensating bloggers to attend conferences to help these brand ambassadors and enthusiasts amplify the brand message and foster a tighter relationship.
 
25:13 Shani Higgins included a number of interesting Blogger Relations Case Studies, including:

Walmart (@Walmart)and Vogue (@Voguemagazine) brand ambassador blogger outreach programs
Samsung Galaxy S (@SamsungmobileUS) product review blogger outreach program
Ebay Inside Source website (@theinsidesource) online traffic generation blogger outreach program30:30 For bloggers, expanding reach is important. The focus should be on the quality of the writing and integration into social networking...