Kim Moldofsky of Hormone Colored Days An Interview

Kim is an amazing blogger, social media strategist and connector. By reading her blogs, you’ll learn about marketing to mom bloggers and pitching to companies. She just recently spoke at Blissdom10 and seems to be always on the go.

Tell me about your Blog –

I’ve been blogging at Hormone-colored Days since 2005. The two most popular topics I address are marketing to mombloggers and parenting gifted children. Both us these topics draw in readers and meaty comments, as well as search traffic. I also contribute to Chicago Moms Blog and I
write a food blog, ScrambledCAKE.  I’m also the founder of MomImpact,  a business that connects brands and bloggers for product reviews and real-life events.

What was your first blog?

Hormone-colored Days.

What is the biggest tip you would give to product reviewers?

Be honest. Product reviewers need to present a balanced review in their own unique voice. Brands that want to form partnerships with bloggers value that voice. The brands also value constructive criticism, though they will not appreciate all-out product bashing.

Bloggers should limit themselves to products that resonate (or have the potential to resonate) with them. It’s fun to get free stuff, but it’s easy to get to a point where a blogger realizes she has a room full of items that she feels pressured to write about and winds up churning out a series of
half-hearted, shallow reviews. That takes the fun out of it for the blogger, not to mention a lot of the value out of it on the brand end. Bloggers should think carefully about their time constraints and accept review product accordingly.

Are you contacted by advertisers or do you contact them or both?

I don’t advertise on my blogs, but I am contacted by PR folks and marketers on a regular basis. I may reach out to ask for a review of a product that speaks to my niche, like a book about raising gifted children, but the longer I blog, the less often I reach out. I must be on a lot of lists at
this point many of which are clearly generic mommyblogger marketing lists, because I quite often get offered things like baby blankets and BPA-free bottles despite the fact that my youngest child is 9 years old!

What is your favorite product that you have reviewed?

I’ve been very pleased with every product I’ve been sent by Lands End, which includes backpacks, jackets and even a pillow and mattress topper. They make high quality items that stand up to heavy daily use.

What do marketers or PR people do that you wish they wouldn’t/ do that you like?

I write about marketing outreach gone wrong on Hormone-colored Days and MomImpact. For example, in one recent post I wrote about getting invited to really great blogger event and being asked weeks afterward about my blog stats. I think that is lazy outreach. There are tools out there for brands to vet bloggers; they should be doing it prior to reaching out bloggers, not after.

I also don’t like generic outreach in which it’s assumed that I have babies around because I’m on the “mom list.” The good PR people take time to look over a blog before reaching out to the blogger.

MomImpact exists to help companies reach out to the right moms with right message. In addition to coaching brands on the best outreach practices in the mompsace, I help arrange blog product tours and brand-sponsored events.

What do bloggers do that you wish they wouldn’t/do that you like?

I love when bloggers share their unique points of view. I like blogs that provide a balance between personal stories and product reviews.

I don’t like when bloggers complain about generic outreach they receive and then do the same thing back to brands. If a blogger is going to approach a brand for sponsorship or for a product review opportunity, she should be able to explain why she is a good fit for the brand and what she has to offer in terms of promotion (like Alexa rank, Google PageRank, monthly traffic, etc.).

What advertiser would you like to work with given a chance?

On the consulting side, I work with ConAgra Foods and Steaz with a couple of more clients in the works. I’m happy to say, I’m so busy with consulting work right now that I have little time left for product reviews. I enjoy the deeper consulting relationships that allow me to partner with brands.

What is one thing about you that not many people know?

I’m only five feet tall. When I meet my internet friends in real life, many are shocked to see I am short.

What’s your favorite book?

It’s been years since I read it, but Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

What is on your iPod?

I have a lot of music by the Decemberists which is both depressing and somehow intriguing, Annie Lennox, whose voice is beautiful, and I almost
always have a song or two from Poi Dog Pondering. I also have an assortment of rock and pop.

What are your contact details ?

Kim Moldofsky info (at) momimpact (dot) com
www.momimpact.com, which is a division of my company, Positive Impact, Inc.
http://hormoncoloreddays.blogspot.com
http://scrambledcake.blogspot.com

What events do you attend?

I attended BlogHer 07, 08 and 09. I spoke at Blogalicious09, a blog conference for women of color. I also spoke at Blissdom10 and I’m planning
to attend the Mom2.0 Summit in 2010. Other than local social media/marketing events, I’m not sure where I’m headed just yet, but I’m hoping for more speaking opportunities focused on marketing and mombloggers.

Who would you recommend, and why?

I work hard to support my fellow mombloggers, especially the women who have joined MomImpact. Fact is there are many amazing bloggers with a wide range of blogging niches. I hesitate to make lists like this because I can’t include them all. I’d say watch me on Twitter to see who I’m talking to and retweeting.

What is one thing people can do for you?

Check out MomImpact and sign up if they are looking for new opportunities. Though I’ve been doing blogger outreach for years, the MomImpact site is new, so I really appreciate people spreading the word and helping grow the community.