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It’s amazing how uncommon common sense is these days.

Blogger relations should just be about working with people. But most of the time, traditional PR is either missing the point of it in general, or worse, applying the same faceless outreach all in the hopes of beefing up the coverage sections in their reports.

Like the press release, the PR industry has been stuck in a rut for so long that the industry is content with the existing factory-line of building news, writing reports, schmoozing, and simply broadcasting messages to anyone with an inbox.

PR is experiencing some of the greatest innovations and advancements courtesy of Social Media. But instead of embracing a new and improved commitment for creating and sharing news and information with people, we’re using the same old marketing ethics and tactics to spam our recipients.

Blogger relations is so much more than a code of ethics for outreach. At the very minimum, media, analyst, and blogger relations is about people and cultivating meaningful, mutually beneficial, and productive relationships.

It all starts with respect for bloggers, the company you represent, and the people you ultimately want to reach.

What do you stand for? Seriously, how many PR people actually take the time to really “get” what it is they represent and why it matters to the rest of us. And, more importantly, how will it help the people you’re trying to reach.

Next step, listen and read.

What is it about what you represent that will compel someone to share it with their community. Remember, a blogger has a responsibility to their readers in order to maintain credibility, along with the trust of the community. In today’s attention economy, they must actively compete for their precious time, so you can bet that any good blogger is going to be selective.

And, for all of you over-achievers out there, look beyond the a-list. I can’t tell you how many times I hear PR pros purport that blogger relations is all about the “cream of the crop.”

Trust me when I say that the a-list only helps with the credibility of a brand, but does very little for generating new customers or enhancing brand loyalty. The true influencers are the peers of your customers.

The best communications strategies will envelop not only authorities in new and traditional media, but also those voices in the Magic Middle of the attention curve. They help carry information and discussions among your customers directly in a true peer-to-peer approach.

The Magic Middle is defined as the bloggers who have from 20-1000 other people linking to them. It is this group that enables PR people to reach The Long Tail, and it’s effects on the bottom line are measurable.

Yes, of course there’s more to blogger relations than what’s included here. No matter how far out we look and how much time we spend inventing new strategies for reaching bloggers, we usually lose sight of common sense and the basic building blocks for building and nurturing relationships.

Sending a shout out to Depeche Mode with this one, “People are People.”

More here and here.