Bloggers telling PR how they really feel

Since I wrote the Bloggers and PR Payola post the other day, a variety of bloggers have left comments and stirred up their own debates within their communities. Thanks to the magic of re-tweets, I've been exposed to some bloggers that I wouldn't have otherwise read.  

A few have really stood out for me and I thought you'd get a cold slap of reality by checking out how some of our pitches land with resounding thuds:

Ottawa blogger Julie Harrison had this hilarious exchange about a review for $1.99 product, including this classic line:  

This is a product that retails for $1.99. Why would anyonespend time reviewing a product for $1.99? I just don’t get it. I wouldn’t even bother reading a review for a product that was $1.99 — I’d just buy it and try it out for myself.

The Bloggess has a couple of doozies in this post:  If I get one more press-release about baby wipes I'm going to stab someone in the face.  This response to a pitch cracked me up:

Weird.  My blog is also award-winning, family-friendly and technologically advanced.  I’m including my paypal address as you are welcome to send me free money from your account.  Thanks for your time. ~ Jenny

How do you make sure this doesn't happen to you?  I can't guarantee that it won't, but our team generally follows these rules when we pitch:

• Ensure the pitch is relevant to the blogger
• Keep it short, no attachments, bullets and a link or two
• Give the option to send along additional info
• Give the option to never be pitched again

Good luck!