How to Engage Local Bloggers to Tell the Story of Scouting

March 28, 2017

For the past several years, BSA Communications has engaged bloggers to help tell Scouting’s stories through the lens of a mom. The experiences detailed in their blog posts have influenced many other moms and put Scouting on their consideration set for their children.

Because bloggers write from personal experience in a conversational tone, readers trust their authentic and relatable opinions. So, it’s important that the BSA and its councils stay top-of-mind for bloggers to encourage membership growth.

What Kind of Bloggers Would Write About Scouting?

We engage two different types of bloggers to help spread the word of BSA’s benefits:

Affiliated bloggers (those whose children already have experience with Scouting and may or may not have previously mentioned Scouting experiences on their blogs)
Non-affiliated bloggers (those who have children in the BSA age-range but are not BSA members)

Moms and dads are great candidates to blog about your council if they…

Have sons and/or daughters in the pre-K and elementary age range
Live in your community
Already share information with other parents via social media about parenting, how to raise good kids, and/or how to ensure a well-rounded experience for their children
Actively share endorsements with their followers via their blogs and other social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
Have an engaged readership, evident in that they consistently receive comments or shares of their blog posts, post at least several times per week and have a large following across their other social platforms

How Your Council Can Engage Bloggers

Typically, a blogger’s contact information is available on their site.
When you reach out, describe why you are interested in communicating and why you thought they would be interested in BSA. Ask about their current experience level and perceptions.
Invite them and their child to experience a BSA adventure. This allows the blogger to get a feel for Scouting and provides an exclusive experience to share with their readers. It’s important to ensure the blogger has a seamless experience by providing an onsite contact person to guide his/her through the adventure and answer questions.
Equip the blogger with BSA’s latest news or info about upcoming local Council events to share as a trusted source for their readers.
Invite the blogger to interview a local parent/Scout to learn more about their experiences and BSA’s benefits.

Additional Tips

When you meet a local blogger, be sure to share 1) key messages about BSA that you want to ensure the blogger will pass on to his/her readers/followers, 2) that you hope she will be interested in writing about BSA on her sites.
Do not call them “mommy” bloggers, as you may sometimes hear. They are bloggers who happen to be moms.
Give them the utmost service — the kind of experience they would want to tell their friends about!
Head into the conversation with a list or calendar of upcoming opportunities at the ready. Like most moms, bloggers are busy, so getting on her calendar as far in advance as possible will ensure she and her family are able to participate.
Keep the lines of communication open — make sure the blogger knows how to reach you (electronically and via phone) in case of any immediate questions or needs.
Last but not least, build a relationship — do not view this as an opportunity to just secure a post about your Council, think of it as a chance to create a new advocate for Scouts everywhere.

If your team needs help identifying or engaging local bloggers, please feel free to reach out to PR@Scouting.org.