What whisky bloggers are doing wrong…

(or why Whisky Bloggers are annoying a lot of people right now)

So who was the first whisky blogger?  Was it before or after WordPress made this caper so easy?  Well, it was before.  A long time before.  Back in 1887, in fact.  For that is when an ambitious chap by the name of Alfred Barnard first approached a distillery and cheekily asked for a free sample so he could write about it.  One hundred and thirty years later, and it turns out several thousand wannabes are following suit.

Yes, I’m aware of the irony.  But bear with me…

I don’t have a gripe with whisky blogging per se, and I certainly don’t have a gripe with most whisky bloggers.  I know plenty of them; they’re good people; and I count quite a few of them as good friends. (So, if you’re one of the local bloggers I share a dram with frequently, relax, this ain’t about you!)

Whisky bloggers are like seagulls at the beach.  Ever been down on the sand with some food in your hand with seagulls around?  They’re all over you, screaming for your attention and hanging around you for any possible scrap or titbit you’re prepared to throw them.  I’ve seen bloggers behave the same way when it comes to drinks companies distributing samples or spruiking special product launch events.

On the surface, whisky bloggers should be commended.  After all, we’re mostly all nice people, and we’re all helping – in one form or another – to spread the word about whisky and advance the greater cause.  But, like anything in life…you can do something the right way or you can do something the wrong way.  And, unfortunately, there are plenty in the latter camp who give the rest a bad name, to the point where many folks in the industry view bloggers with either tired resignation or just simple disdain.   Well, except for one sector of the industry: The marketers.

Whisky bloggers have changed not just the marketing landscape, but also the modus operandi of whisky marketing in general.  For the PR agencies, it’s become a strangely symbiotic relationship:  After all, for many bloggers, their content and posts rely entirely on whatever samples or news they can scrounge from the PR agencies or brand distributors.  And, on the PR agency side, you can send a blogger a press release and a sample, and then sit back comfortably whilst said blogger regurgitates the official line and talks up the product to the target consumer demographic.  It’s a far cry from the situation ten or fifteen years ago when a brand would hire a venue; host a big tasting event; invite all the journalists and drinks writers; hope to goodness that the journalists would actually turn up; and then pray to God that they’d subsequently be motivated to write something!!

No, give bloggers their due:  You can invite a blogger to a product launch or tasting, knowing full well that, just like seagulls, they’ll turn up – and probably ask to bring a friend with them, too.  But what’s more interesting (and disappointing, in my opinion) is the fact that the PR firms now seem to focus exclusively on bloggers only, and have turned their backs – either deliberately or through ignorance or laziness – on other key people and entities that can help their cause.

But this particular article had a somewhat provocative title, so let’s cut to the chase:  What is it that whisky bloggers are doing wrong?

1. You’re not part of the industry

It may surprise many bloggers to learn that whisky was being made in Scotland for several hundred years before the internet arrived on the scene.  Yes, there was a perfectly functioning and commercially viable whisky industry in place for centuries before blogging and social media held court.  And that industry was made up of farmers, warehouseman, peat cutters, maltsters, brewers, distillers, distillery managers, blenders, bottlers, and sales reps.  These are the guys that make whisky and are responsible for getting it on the shelves of your local liquor store.  The ramblings of a whisky nerd armed with just a computer and a keyboard are not essential to the industry, and it will disappoint many bloggers to learn that they’re not actually part of the production process.   The self-importance and self-styled authority that many bloggers assign themselves is galling to those who are actually at the coal face.  Some bloggers need to exercise some humility and take a reality check.

2. You came to the event – where’s the write-up?

Putting on a whisky event costs money.  Lots of money.  You have to hire a venue.  Pay the staff.  Provide food catering.  Pay the PR firm. Supply and sacrifice the whisky stock to pour out for the event.  Pay for the literature, handouts, and invariably the giveaways and “free” stuff that all the guests get handed on the way out.  It’s a big ticket item, and the cost per attendee might be anywhere from $50 to $400 per head.  So, if you’ve invited a whisky blogger to attend the event, the unwritten contract is pretty simple:  We’ll give you a free night out with great booze and entertainment, and we’ll make you feel like you’re part of the A-list.  In return, you’ll write about the product and the event.

So it amazes me when I see bloggers not honour their part of the deal.   Someone spent a lot of money so that you could attend the event, and the reason you were asked was so that you’d subsequently promote the product and the brand.  If your post isn’t up within a week or two of the event, then (a) you’re not fulfilling your side of the bargain, and (b) you’re insulting the people who splashed out on you.

3. Abusing samples

It was six or seven years ago when I first had someone come up to me after a tasting I’d just presented and ask me to send him free samples.  In the context of the event, the rarity of the whisky, and the environment at the time, it was a bloody cheeky request, and I never really understood it until a few years later when blogging was more prevalent and the PR agencies had realised they’d struck gold.   But, just like Point 2 above, providing bloggers with samples costs money and, again, it’s a pretty clear contract:  We’ll provide you with the product and you are expected to write about it.  All over the world, there are horror stories of bloggers receiving samples and either not honouring their side of the bargain, or worse still, in the case of some rare and highly desirable bottlings, they’re selling the sample bottles to collectors and profiteering from the scheme. You’ve been privileged to receive a sample, and it came with the expectation that you would taste it and share your thoughts about it.  Don’t abuse that privilege.

4. Originality (or lack thereof)

Every blogger has their own vision or mission statement.  Or, in simple plainspeak:  What their blog will present and aim to achieve. Some whisky blogs exist purely for reviews.  Some for industry news and press releases.  Some exist so that the writer can share their whisky opinions and experiences.  And some exist purely to give the writer a forum to rant about whatever displeases them.  And some are just pure fun, with a mild agenda. (I’m looking at you, Whiskysponge).

The point is, I urge bloggers to find their point of difference and to seek originality.  Don’t just regurgitate a press release, but seek to inject your own viewpoint or opinion.  If you’re invited to attend a product launch or tasting event, then don’t just give a “by the numbers” account of the night, but make it personal and share what you liked or disliked about the event.   Inject your personality and personal stamp on the piece.  We’re tired of reading the exact same verbage quoted verbatim on blogs all flogging the same press release, so be original and inject your own style and thoughts.  You might even find your readership grows as a result!

5. Honesty (and lack thereof)

If your blog features product reviews, then the first rule of reviewing is that you have to be honest.  Just because someone sent you a free sample bottle doesn’t mean you have to write a gushing review or brown nose the PR firm.   Not only will readers see through this, but you’ll quickly lose credibility.  Honesty is important, and if you don’t like a whisky then say as much when reviewing it.   If you’re worried about offending the PR firm or the distillery, then simply refrain from reviewing the whisky.  (But write back to the guys involved and let them know why you’re not publishing anything).

6. Professionalism (and a big lack thereof)

By the very nature of blogging, it’s mostly a personal project on the side for amateurs.  Most bloggers are neither professional writers nor professional journalists and the great shame in this is that they don’t understand or appreciate the etiquette or conventions that go with the territory.  That’s okay if your blog is just a simple outlet for some gentle thoughts on whisky or to showcase your photographs of distilleries around Scotland.  But, as outlined in the first point above, too many bloggers get an inflated notion of their worth and contribution to the industry.   If you want some closer insight into this, track down what respected writers like Dominic Roskrow or Dave Broom have said about blogging.   Honesty and integrity go a long way, and too many bloggers fire off an opinion or a rant that is either ill-informed, ill-researched, or simply naïve.  Do your research; take the time to contact the relevant personnel; run your spellcheck and proof-read your work; and if you can’t be professional, then expect some justified criticism or consequences.  As Dave Broom once said, “Try to be a writer and not a fan with a grudge, sitting at a keyboard”.

(Source: http://www.dramming.com/2011/08/23/whisky-people-13-dave-broom/)

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Blogging is fun and can be a healthy pursuit.  And I won’t deny that it’s gratifying when you publish a post and see a few thousand people from all over the world click and read your thoughts.  If you’re half good at this, it can quickly become apparent that a lot of readers come to respect or depend on your reviews and opinions. The trick is to not abuse that situation or to let it go to your head. And I hope there’s no hypocrisy in anything I’ve written in this particular piece.  For me, personally, I set up Whisky & Wisdom to complement my other writing pursuits and also my work with The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.  After all, there are obviously things I want to write about that can’t get published under an SMWS banner, or don’t fit the profile or brief of the other publications I freelance for.  I also like the power of being my own editor – I’ve written plenty of pieces for hardcopy magazines and publications where large chunks or paragraphs got chopped out of the final edit without my input or knowledge prior to printing, often destroying the context or flow that the piece was built around.   So I’m a writer who blogs, rather than a blogger who writes.

Cheers,
AD

PS…since the above was originally posted in 2015, the digital marketing of whisky has shifted again, with the rise of the “influencer” and PR firms promoting whisky via Instagrammers rather than bloggers.  You might enjoy Whisky & Wisdom’s take on it with this piece, “The changing face of whisky marketing“

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