This image was lost some time after publication.

Monica, Monica. First you rob me of all that I loved about PR — the illusion that you labor over each email you send to make it personal to me, just me. Now you're threatening to kill our relationship entirely by bringing in lawyers. Monica, how am I supposed to write the news without your help? How will I learn of the glories of your clients? But I think we can still make this work, Monica.

Just ask your colleague at MWW, Tom Biro. After we posted your email, he sent out a companywide missive in response, outlining "dos and don'ts" when dealing with bloggers. A tipster leaked it to us. Give it a read, will you? If there was something in there about making ill-advised legal threats, I missed it.

Here's the condensed version of the note from Biro, MWW Group's director of new media strategies:

In light of an unfortunate situation that occurred with a blog pitch gone bad, now is a good time to reiterate some best practice guidelines for engaging with bloggers.

  • Don't pitch, talk: Bloggers are for the most part well-versed in PR spin and hyperbole and react poorly to it. Help the writer do a better job.
  • "A-List" blogs that consistently receive attention. It's a better tactic to find someone smaller interested in the "pitch." A worth story will find its way up.
  • Use links.
  • Be brief.
  • Don't send attachments.
  • Make sure you're not asking for coverage you've already gotten.
  • Make sure you're not asking for coverage someplace that just trashed your client.
  • Rushing through outreach efforts - to traditional media or online media - is no excuse for being sloppy. If something doesn't look right ask for help.

Any chance this helps, Monica? Or are we completely through?