14 DAY TRIAL // It's a well-known fact that Microsoft is trying to establish a good collaboration with bloggers and media across the United States in particular, and the world in general, and the recent press events organized by the company are living proof.
At the May 20 event, where Microsoft presented the new Surface Pro 3 tablet in front of select journalists who were there on invitation, the company gave away new devices to each participant “in order to try it out and discover how great it actually is.”
Now, it appears that Microsoft has moved further with its attempts to get closer to the media with a new secret campaign that involves inviting bloggers to write about Internet Explorer for money.
Today, Uncrunched.com has published a message received from an agency that contacted the senior editor on behalf of Microsoft, inviting him to write about Internet Explorer in exchange for undisclosed compensation.
“I work as a social strategist on behalf of Microsoft, and I wanted to invite you to collaborate on a sponsored post opportunity for Internet Explorer. We love your aesthetic and blogging system, and think you'd be the perfect partner to spread the word on the new Internet Explorer browsing experience!” the message reads.
“In this program, we are looking to spread the word about the new Internet Explorer web experience in a cool, visual way, which is where you come in. Internet Explorer has teamed up with many partners in gaming, entertainment, and more, and we'd love to see you talk your opinions on these collaborations.”
While Microsoft doesn't clearly state that bloggers would have to praise Internet Explorer if they agree to participate to this program, it's pretty obvious that this is the entire idea behind the new campaign.
The compensation is of course playing a key role in this, but the company hasn't disclosed too many specifics about this aspect.
“If you accept our invitation to work on this program, we would like for you to write a blog post by July 10th, in addition to sharing links to the new Internet Explorer across your social channels. Compensation for this post is available, and there will also be ample opportunities for fun prizes and rewards throughout the duration of the program,” the message continues.
A link attached to the email leads to a website that provides more information on the entire campaign, such as requirements and due date. As far as compensation is concerned, Microsoft wants bloggers to tell the company how much they charge for a sponsored post and only then discuss money.