For the final post in my Dad Blog Series, I’ve partnered with our team from Cision Navigator to bring you the list of Top 10 Dad Bloggers according to number of followers on Facebook. The team at the Navigator pulled a list of all our dad bloggers in our CisionPoint Media Intelligence Platform then sorted out the ones with Facebook pages and ranked according to number of followers.
About a month ago, I had the chance to “meet” Josh Becker of DadStreet. While he did not make today’s list, he did rank in the top 5 for the Top 50 Dad Blogs List in my first post in this series. Josh took the time out of his busy schedule to offer advice for future bloggers, to discuss the evolution of the Dad Blog space as well as to answer some of my questions about his blog, DadStreet and some of the other blogs he contributes to. Happy Father’s Day to Josh and to all the rest of the dads out there!
Q. When did you start blogging?
A. I wrote my first blog about 3 years ago. However, it was more for family and friends and I never “promoted” it publically. I got into the world of “Daddy Blogging” in a public way ten months ago when I started www.DadStreet.com.
Q. What was the reason you started blogging? Are you a stay-at home dad or a working dad?
A. I dreamed of having children ever since I was in my twenties. I probably wasn’t your typical guy in that way. It took my wife and I four failed IUI’s, a miscarriage, and four years before going through IVF and having our first miracle baby, Olivia. Jake was born just sixteen months later and my dreams came true. I had always felt strongly about a “Dads” role in parenting and couldn’t find many resources online. Friends and family encouraged me to start a blog and so I did. I was never a writer and to this day don’t claim to be one. However, I’ve found I’m now able to share a passion through this medium and am actually enjoying writing very much.
I work full-time outside of the house but am able to be home with my kids one of my working days.
Q. In your opinion, how has your space (Dad Blogs) changed since your began?
A. I haven’t been in this space very long but just in the short time I think there have been quite a bit of ebbs and flows. Just a month after getting a Twitter account and starting my blog, I co-founded DadsTalking which is a blog and at one time the largest parenting hashtag on Twitter. Back in late summer of 2010, I think the Dad market was booming. However, it felt like there was a lot of competition among some of the larger players and what was once about community was more about jockeying for position. Since then I think we’ve seen the demise and shrinking of some of these sites, but have also seen the uprising of Dads contributing in their own way.
We’re still such a new market segment in many ways that I think many Dads are trying to figure out which street to turn down. I think there is just as much opportunity as when I joined last summer but maybe just a bit of simmering.
Q. How has your blog evolved since its creation?
A. When I first started my blog I used some generic header image I pulled from the web. It took me about 2 months before I actually got a real picture up. My “About Me” page didn’t exist for about 3 months and it was the joke on Twitter for a while! I tried to focus on content rather than how nice my blog looked. I’ve always written about parenting and almost every post mentions my daughter O (Olivia) or Jake. It’s always been about my thoughts and feelings on being a Dad and rarely has been about things outside of parenting. I think it’s going to stay that way and to be honest I’m still trying to figure out what it’s going to look like a year from now. My blog has been and will continue to be an honest and raw, open look into my life as a Dad.
Since starting DadStreet and DadsTalking I also co-created www.LateNightParents.com which is a live web show that’s by parents for parents. This is really fun because we’re using a different medium in the way of a video show and live chat. I’ve also branched out even further by starting a Mom and Dad blog at www.TwoSidesOneStory.com.
Q. Any tips for new bloggers trying to get started?
A. I think you should first ask yourself what you’re trying to get from the blog. Is it a personal blog for family and friends or anyone else that wants to read it? Do you want to give advice? Are you looking to monetize eventually? I think once you answer some of these questions you can create a plan for how you’re going to move forward. Be honest in your writing and don’t be scared to go down the path that’s right for you? If you want a giveaway blog, then start a giveaway blog. If you want to do reviews, than do reviews. I think too many people put pressure on others for how they think their blog should look. What makes blogs so great is that their each individual’s unique interpretation of the world around them and is a creation unique to that person. At the risk of sounding like a Nike ad, “Just Do it”.
Q. How do you feel about pitches for PR Pros? Do you accept them?
A. I highly encourage pitches from PR. I probably receive about a dozen pitches a day. I have 4 sites that I either own or co-own and have flexibility in terms of where I think something would work. I do accept pitches but I am also becoming more selective in terms of what I think will be a good fit.
Partnerships like this are a two-way street and should benefit the blogger as much, if not more, than the company they’re partnering with. I think too many companies look at blogs like a billboard on the side of the highway. Unfortunately, many new bloggers don’t understand that they may be giving away that space they worked so hard to create for nothing more than beans at the end of the day.
Q. What was the best pitch you ever received?
A. Instead of focusing on “the best pitch” I’ll answer this by saying what that best pitch will look like. First, the person reaching out to me will have actually read my blog and not just noticed that I may have a larger influence on Twitter. It should address me by name and not, “Dear Mr. Blogger”. The company will “sell” me on why this would be a good fit for my blog and how it will benefit me as well. The pitch should also have a timeframe and reference an expectation of schedule/dates, etc.
The overall message should be, “this is how we can work together in a way that is mutually beneficial to each other”. I didn’t start a blog and build a following in Social Media to advertise for someone else in exchange for a thank you. While I’m humbled anyone would want work with me and I never think I’m any better than anyone else my blog is still something that is mine. It’s not something I built for others to benefit from exclusive of my own interest, vision, or goals.
Q. Is there a really bad pitch that stands out? (You don’t have to name names :))
A. I think the bad pitches (unfortunately I get them often) are the ones that are blanket emails probably sent out to dozens of others. They’re the ones that don’t validate the work I put into my blog and don’t help me see why this would be in my best interest.
I recently received a request to review a pinball machine. I was informed that I would not actually receive a pinball machine to review but that they would send me pictures. How in the world am I supposed to review something based on its picture? The email should have gone something like this:
Dear Josh,
I’ve read your blog and love what you’ve done with it. It’s clear you’ve invested a lot of time and energy into it and I see that it’s very personal.
We are a for profit company that sells very expensive pinball machines with a high margin. We are not donating any proceeds to any other foundation and all profits will go into our pockets. Would you mind if you “review” a pinball machine without us actually sending you one? Yeah, it’ll be great! You’ll be able to show a picture of a pinball machine, wishing you could actually play with it. Then we’ll get clicks back to our site and hopefully we’ll make millions of dollars.
Doesn’t this sound like a great idea? We thought so and that’s why we’re reaching out to you!
If you’d like for us to ride your back while expanding our business and lining our pockets in exchange for some jpeg files I can send you over email please let me know!
At least that would have been honest!! Sheesh!
Q. What do you wish every PR Pro knew about your blog?
A. If I’m going to seek something from someone I’m going to first learn about them. I’m going to find out what interests them and how they can benefit from our relationship. This isn’t about me getting something for nothing. The last thing I want is for a PR company to think they’ve wasted their money or time with me. Again, this is about mutual interests and mutual benefits.
I wish more PR companies would take the time to build a relationship before trying to reap the rewards from one they never started.
Q. Any final comments?
A. I dreamed of just being able to write about being a Dad. Before O came into our lives we were given less than 10% chance of ever having children even with IVF. I feel so fortunate to not only be able to write about being a Dad but to guest post, do interviews, and be recognized for my passion. I don’t ever take this for granted and am humbled by any outreach I receive.
My end goal is that I become a better person and a better father from all of this. I live by one statement and that is what I try and portray though my writings as well:
I want to BE the kind of Father I want my children to HAVE.