• by Holly Pavlika , Columnist, September 6, 2013

Brands tend to want mom bloggers that have large followings and high Klout scores, but there is so much more to consider. Numbers alone don’t give you the full picture of a blogger’s influence and synergy with a particular brand. I was recently asked to vet a short list of bloggers that a PR firm had put together. The only things on the list were the names, Klout score and numbers of followers. You should never select a blogger on that basis alone.

Who is the blogger?

Do they have a niche? Look to see if the blogger has something unique about her or her site. What does her bio tell you? And what does she look like? Appearance is important, as she will be representing your brand. You can tell a lot about a blogger with a short conversation. Does she have a great attitude? Has she worked with brands before? Experience can be both good and bad, and this is where attitude will come into play. Newer blogger’s often make up for lack of numbers with overwhelming enthusiasm and will over deliver on the hope of more assignments with a brand. Social media is all about relationships. Does she look like she engages frequently?

The blogger’s site

Not only is high-quality content important, but also look at the last time they posted. Do they post regularly? And what is the proportion of sponsored content to regular content? You don’t want to select a blogger whose whole site seems to be sponsored content. It is also important to look and see if the site is SEO optimized, with links to other blogs/sites and proper tags. And does the blogger take great photos or know how to shoot and edit a quality piece of video? Let’s not forget the page views and engagement on the site. 

The blogger’s connections

Has their site been recognized or the blogger? What affiliations do they have…do they look like they have connections?  Check to see if there are badges on their sites. 

What does the blogger’s other owned channels look like?

Do they have a strong Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, Twitter and Facebook following? You may want a mom blogger for an Instagram campaign, but other channels will be important for cross promotion and amplifying messages. Does she drive conversation and engagement on her channels? 

Is she creative?

You’re looking for the blogger to do something engaging on behalf of your brand–to humanize your brand. Is she creative? Can she tell a compelling story? Are her sponsored posts natural, authentic and cleverly relevant? What does her content look like? Do you like the way she writes? And is her content a good fit for your brand? 

Blogger selection is not a matter of just looking at the numbers. It takes work and digging in to who they are and developing relationships with them. And truly digging deeper than the numbers.