The Evening Standard has chased this scoop all week. So has PR Week as it seeks to preserve it’s status as bulletin board for all spin doctor type developments. BUT when Boris Johnson’s campaign chose to announce the big name broadcast journalist who Westminster reckoned was to become his new Head of Comms it was the blogosphere, Iain Dale and ConservativeHome in particular, who were given the exclusive that it is to be Guto Harri, formerly of the Beeb.

Makes sense. The Tory party is all about finding influence in society and using it. Iain’s readership is around 100,000 unique users per month but its not how many…..it’s who. Most factions in the Tory family, from Tory boys and blue rinsers right up to Lords and cabinet ministers check out Iain’s mix of gossip and musings at least once a week. Even Michael Ashcroft is a generous friend.

He also has excellent links to the Fourth Estate. He has a weekly column in the Telegraph, a weekly TV show on Telegraph TV, his blog is read daily by most political journalists and his tip-offs regularly become stories in the mainstream press. He’s also regularly wheeled out as a spokesperson for the blogosphere by Newsnight and the Today programme - two outlets that have high quality thresholds.

The interesting thing is, Iain is by no means a 21st Century ipod listening, techie-geek, early adopter. He’s just an old fashioned influence-finder who is using a simple online template to find an audience. 

Brands and public organisations take note - there are many like him.