A few weeks ago, I shared how I started my career in PR and where it got me. (If you haven't read it, check it out and come back.)
In my early days, I used to do a lot of traditional media relations as in pitching journalists and national media. Shortly after that, came the influencers - the bloggers and the YouTubers. Instagram wasn't big at that time.
I wouldn't say that the influencers changed the game on how to do proper media relations. Regardless whether you're pitching journalists or bloggers, YouTubers and Instagrammers, the principles are the same if you want to do it right.
But the very key principle is to treat them like human beings who have their own goals, needs, ways they like to communicate and make decisions.
You need to be a bit like an anthropologist if you want to succeed when working with influencers.
But let me tell you about a typical scenario that I used to encounter almost every week when I started working in PR and had to deal with influencers.