A vampire marketing strategy is when traditional marketing and PR professionals find a credible, reputable publication with an engaged readership and suck the life out of it by negatively influencing or altering the editorial content.

Here’s how it works: Say you have an e-newsletter with 1,000 subscribers. You built that list up by offering relevant and useful content. You start to sell advertising. Your advertiser suggests that you run a press release on their product. You convince yourself that it’s useful content and run the press release. Five hundred of your subscribers are thrilled about what they read in the press release. They call the advertiser up and buy their product. Your advertiser is thrilled and buys more advertising.

On the other hand, five hundred of your subscribers said, ‘what is this shit?’ and cancel their subscription.

The next week, another advertiser says, run this press release, please. You run the press release, and 250 of your 500 subscribers are thrilled to read about this new product that solves all their problems. They call the advertiser up and buy the product. The advertiser is thrilled and buys more advertising.

On the other hand, 250 of your subscribers said, ‘I cared about that first press release, but this one is shit” and cancel their subscription. Now you have one-quarter of the audience you used to.

You try to sell more advertising, but your advertisers don’t like your numbers. They say they’ll advertise, but only if you discount the rate card, now that your circulation is so low.

A year later, your revenue and circulation are down. You have to let go of a writer, but you still need content. You start running more press releases. The reputation and credibility of your publication diminishes. Advertisers start jumping ship.

Do you see where this is going? I’m exaggerating somewhat to make a point, but this cycle happens time and again, even if it takes years or decades to drain a healthy publication. Advertisers and marketers are not generally concerned with the long-term health of your publication, which depends on quality content. They are more than happy to trade your long-term success for their short-term gain. It’s a devil’s deal. If you’re a publisher, don’t take it.