Blogging statistics, including counts on blog readership and blog traffic, were presented by Technorati CEO Shani Higgins at the PR Summit in San Francisco.

Much of the data she shared was a preview of the blogging stats to be included this fall in the Technorati State of the Blogosphere Report.

These blogger statistics revealed provide critical insight into best practices for pitching stories ideas to blogs.

Business Blogging Statistics  

71% of bloggers only write about brands they think are reputableMommy bloggers get 500 pitches a dayOnly 20% of bloggers like the pitches they get

Blog accuracy perception continues to rise, the credibility of mainstream news outlines continues to erode, mommy bloggers are the toughest to pitch, more brands are compensating bloggers and brands like Vogue, Samsung and Ebay are all more invested in blogger outreach programs than they were a year ago.

Professional bloggers are broken down into three groups:

Corporate BloggersPart-Timer BloggersSelf-Employed Professional Bloggers

For brand marketers, the most important earned media mentions come from Self-Employed Professional Bloggers, since they have more at stake.

Blog Usage Statistics

33% have worked within traditional media27% are still employed by traditional media3% blog for their traditional media employer65% say blogs are being taken more seriously

  8:16 Bloggers are heavy users of social media.

Statistics on How Blogger's use Social Media

87% of all bloggers use Facebook81% use Facebook to promote their blog64% use Facebook to interact with readers45% say Facebook drives more traffic to their blog than it did a year ago73% of hobbyists and 88% of professional bloggers still use TwitterMore than half of all bloggers link Twitter to their blog34% of bloggers say Twitter is a more effective traffic source than it was a year ago

10:19 Bloggers are Talking about Brands - Nearly half of non-corporate bloggers write about brands. One fourth of bloggers overall post products or brand reviews monthly and one fifth post weekly. 20% of corporate bloggers post daily about products and services.   Brand Reputation Matters to Bloggers - Bloggers care deeply about brand reputation so brand acceptance is required if companies want bloggers to write about them. 

Statistics on Brands that Blog

42% of bloggers say they blog about brands they love (or hate)34% say they never talk about products or brands on their blogsAmong respondents who say they do blog about brands, 51% they said they rarely review brands, services or products among companiesAmong respondents who say they do blog about brands, 48% say they post reviews weekly33% of hobbyist and more than 50% of the professional bloggers look at reputation when determining what to write about64% of bloggers say brand representatives treat them less professionally than they'd like

13:16 Mommy Bloggers talk about Brands More - Even though women only represent 5% of bloggers, they are the most coveted blogging segment by brands because they blog more about brands.

Mommy Bloggers Statistics

92% use Facebook to promote their blog75% use Twitter to promote their blog55% follow brands on social media sites like Facebook54% have been approached by a brandHalf say a brand's reputation influences their decision to write about it72% of mom bloggers are being taken more seriously than they were a year ago

15:44 Blog reliability and blog accuracy,