How to Deal with Negative Blog Posts
Glen Allsopp / 
17 Comments / 
February 19th, 2008 / 
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As part of our small series looking at 8 Types of Reputation Management Issues, we are looking at how you can go about dealing with each issue in the best possible manner for your brand.
Today we are looking at how you can deal with negative blog posts; you may be interested in the first post which looks at how to deal with negative search engine results. Now it’s estimated that there are 1.6 million new blog posts made everyday, it’s also a simple fact that people can write about whatever they want, whenever they want and very easily. Blogging is the revolution in the new media of the web and if people want to talk…they will.
Examples
Just so we are all clear on what negative blog posts entail, here’s a few examples I’ve found from around the web.
1. Apple
Big name corporations can certainly be affected in terms of sales and branding when big name bloggers such as Techcrunch here talk down your product. Duncan came up with a pretty interesting title for a whole post related to the high cost of the Macbook Air:
2. Wikia Search
Instead of looking at an offline property, let’s look at something that is solely online. Wikia search, the open source search engine from the creator of wikipedia launched recently to a lot of insulting reviews including this one over at Mashable which has over 150,000 feed subscribers.
It’s going to be difficult to be relevant to every single type of blog post here but if there’s something you aren’t sure of or would like more details on a certain situation just leave a post in the comments.
How to Deal with Negative Blog Posts
1. Know they are out there and keep tracking
If you aren’t monitoring feeds for reputation management then you should be, especially where your company or products are concerned. Part of being able to respond to negative blog posts is obviously knowing about them in the first place so keep track on all links back to your articles, all mentions of your name or the name of your brand.
The quickest way to do this would to be using Google Alerts or subscribing to feeds on Google Blogsearch.
2. Respond directly in the blog comments
Most blogs have the comment feature enabled so be thankful you get a chance to ‘make your case’. Do not use this section to insult the blogger or simply say they are talking sh*t because that will only make you look worse and might mean more negative blog posts are on their way. Instead try and help the person in any way (if they are having a problem with a product / service) or at least try to deal with their issue the way you would if it was sent directly to you.
Doing it in an open manner shows you care about what it is you are doing and are willing to stand behind what it is you are doing / offering. If you have made a mistake, admit it and make clear the steps you are taking to rectify the situation.
3. Add a response to your help area / support center
If you are a large corporation or just a company that spends a lot of time dealing on the support side of things then you may well see a lot of people using blogs to talk about their issues. If an issue is something you haven’t seen before, add it to the support center or help areas of your website and let the blogger know about it either by linking to it or emailing it to them.
This is generally a good business practice anyway, whether it’s someone who has blogged negatively or contacted you directly about an issue they have, it will save future issues and might prevent future negative blog posts being created.
4. Blog back and be transparent
If you don’t have your own company blog (why not?) then this isn’t really relevant for you. Some companies just aren’t willing to take the risk and blogging about others complaining or insulting them though (brings more attention to the issue) but surprisingly brings them more respect and more trust from product / service users.
The web is now a two-way conversation so why not let the whole world know your thoughts. Sometimes it’s a lot easier than going to multiple blogs to share your feelings if a lot of people have discussed the same issue and gives people a place to linkback to for help / support / answers.
5. Thank the blogger
Before you think I’m crazy and close this page, keep reading. The main positive about being professional and open (yes, even when someone has insulted “yo momma”) is that there’s always the chance they can go on to write something positive about you just as easily as it was for them to write something negative.
Jumping into legal threats or anything of that nature can just help make things a million times worse. Being professional about the situation, getting in touch with the blogger to let them know you are working on what they are talking about, solutions for what they are talking about or even just thanking them for having an opinion can really come back to your benefit.
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Having set up multiple Google Alerts for things I am managing has really saved me a lot of time, and kept me on top of my game. Although sometimes I like to double check.
Great tips, Glen. A lot of companies want stuff “removed” but in many cases this is impossible, so this is a great way to handle critical blog posts.
I especially agree with your last paragraph. Making legal threats is often a death wish for your reputation management campaign. Legal threats are an absolute last resort, after everything tactful has been tried, and you had better actually have a lawyer advise you that your case is solid and the chances of success are high.
Sometimes I find that ignoring negative posts has a better return.
Working on alternate results is positive action. Reaction often encourages the blogger to further promote their page and also opens the doors for viral activity.
I am not disagreeing with your post at all but, with larger brand clients, I generally recommend that giving attention to a negative blog post, particularly through direct contact, is as likely to fan the flames as quench them.
I think that’s the key, Glen. The important thing is to realize that an online attack is potentially much more damaging than one in the old traditional media. Whereas ignoring it was very often the right big corporate response before the Internet, it’s not black and white now. You should estimate how things might develop either way, by responding or by not responding. Both routes have pluses and minuses. By assessing the risks of each approach, you will be better equipped to make your choice work well.
As a blogger who often reviews services, I can say that I really appreciate when they take the time to find my posts and respond to them. If I’m wrong about something negative I’ve written, which has happened before a few times, I’m happy to stand corrected. Then again, if there is a problem that needs to be addressed, be sure to find it and fix it to make the most people happy.
Getting a courteous, professional response is much more likely to sell me on a product than simply ignoring the dissenting opinion, even if you can’t do anything about the problem.
Good advice, Glen. I think it is easiest to try to deflect a negative post by being polite and shifting the emphasis. Confronting the person only escalates the problem into something bigger than it is. You really have to respond, though.
Glen,
I’m doing a presentation on how to utilize social media, particularly blogging. Who within a company should be responding to negative blogs? Should it be the public relations department?
No!
If you do not have a dedicated blogger then leave the negative post alone.
Don’t feed the flames, just go out and make your positive messages good enough that the negative drops to the obscurity of the second, third or thirtieth page.