Interesting post and discussion in our #SoloPR Facebook group a few weeks ago. Long-time #SoloPR, Alison Kenney, made the following post:

“Another trend on HARO: queries for corporate blogs. I’m seeing more and more article queries that are actually for posts on company blogs. Sometimes it’s hard to tell there’s a company brand behind the blog too.”

That’s actually a fascinating development–on a couple fronts.

Number one: Corporate blogs soliciting other companies and organizations as sources for its posts and stories. Granted, I’m sure these corporate blogs don’t want to feature a competitor, but it’s interesting that they’re asking for outside help. I could easily see this being the case with big companies–as they may view organizations outside their competitive set a bit differently. Or, I could easily see smaller companies going this route, too, given they need the help, resources and people to fill in information gaps in posts.

Number two: My gut tells me most PR folks would probably scoff at this. Why would I let my SME talk to another PR person running a corporate blog when we could be tracking down interviews for Fast Co., USA Today or The Washington Post? I’ll tell you why–because there’s a completely different way to look at this. Think about it from the blog perspective. The company writing the post will most likely be sharing this piece of completed content on social channels at some point. And, if they’re smart, they’re most likely promoting that post to ensure key audiences see and read it. And, if it’s a big company, chances are there could be a LOT of money behind that post. So, bottom line: That post, and your SME, may wind up being seen/read by more people on that blog post than if they were featured in a WaPo story. Believe it–it could and will happen.

I haven’t run into this situation with a client yet, but I can see it coming. And if it does, I think the above conversation is the one to have. It might be a tremendous opportunity! I’d be sure to talk to the PR person behind the blog to ask about intentions of sharing this on social and what/if any money they plan to put behind the post. But, assuming they do that, I don’t see a big downside here.

After all, isn’t this the same as a corporate podcast asking one of your SMEs to participate in its show? I see no difference.

Your thoughts?