Comments on: Pandora’s Inbox: One Blogger’s Favorite E-mails from Would-Be Advertisers

By: 10 Non-Fatalistic, Real-Life Tips for Freelance Writers « Alaina Mabaso's Blog

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 03:19:42 +0000

[...] Pandora’s Inbox: One Blogger’s Favorite E-Mails from Would-Be Advertisers [...]

By: Alaina Mabaso

Alaina Mabaso — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:27:29 +0000

What a unique blog you must have. Thanks for stopping by.

By: misssmithofthedead

misssmithofthedead — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 20:33:14 +0000

I recently started receiving emails like this and I really appreciate your take on it. One was telling me they could write content “tailored to my blog” (but featuring their client’s links), which isn’t actually possible if you aren’t me (my blog is about books I’ve read paired with pictures of my guinea pigs). I hope to someday receive one from a magician. That adds some spark to what I assumed was a letter from a desperate querying prostitute.

By: Alaina Mabaso

Alaina Mabaso — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:27:36 +0000

Sounds like you know a thing or two about PR, Megan. Who would’ve thought.

Thanks for weighing in!

By: Megan Wendell

Megan Wendell — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:14:23 +0000

This doesn’t make any sense to me. The reason someone would (or should) want to get their message or content on a blog is because of the specific audience that blogger has cultivated. How did they cultivate that audience? Most likely through a focused message and a certain standard of quality. So if a blogger has established a reputation, then starts posting random articles that are irrelevant and/or low-quality, what’s going to happen? The blog starts losing readers, therefore making that paid-for content less and less valuable. It’s the same reason my company is selective about the clients with whom we work. Reputation and standards of quality matter.

Or, you could just start an off-shoot blog and post nothing but “sponsored” content and watch the cash roll in.

By: Alaina Mabaso

Alaina Mabaso — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:59:13 +0000

I actually do amuse myself sometimes by replying – things like “I don’t think ‘tailor-made’ means what you think it does…” Then I decided it was worth a whole blog post. Thanks for reading!

By: Mary Elizabeth Newsom

Mary Elizabeth Newsom — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:40:53 +0000

I think you should auto-reply these astute PR people with this blog post. Every time.

By: Alaina Mabaso

Alaina Mabaso — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:56:40 +0000

May you always continue your proper motherly duty, both online and off. Thanks for reading, MOM!

By: MOM

MOM — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:35:12 +0000

There used to be a time when getting email was exciting – not anymore – I enjoyed the whole blog except the “unnecessary IMHO” expletive.

By: Alaina Mabaso

Alaina Mabaso — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 11:28:31 +0000

Hi Glenn,

I can’t say I think of myself as an orchid, and I never had trouble finding a date, but I have been told in the past that my outspoken opinions make me a bit more high-maintenance (or maybe just scarier) than the other girls. Thanks for reading my blog – I’m glad you enjoy it, and I welcome your comments anytime. I am interested in the implied difference between “the truth” and, as you say, my truth. We probably all have “our” truths.