1. New Media + Public RelationsHow to utilize new media for clients & PR efforts September 10, 2010 Account assistant new media training Jasculca • Terman & Associates
5. Not everyone relies solely on social media 84% believe social media to be less reliable Most journalists turn to public relations professionals for assistance in their primary research interviews access to sources/experts background information, etc. We have gone from consuming news through traditional media and websites to having the news broadcast to us by our social network of friends. Social news is finding us. 75% of news consumed online is through shared news from social networking or e-mail.
6. Proper Pitching: Things to AVOID “Pimping out” your client news You can tweet about it, but don’t go overboard. i.e. Over-pimped: Instead, make itpersonable Some include “CLIENT” in tweets to disclose that they’re being paid to promote the client (per the FTC) i.e. Well-done: 12pm: @maloriejanasek: “Don’t miss @ILMEC’s upcoming event THIS WKND! Food, fun 4 whole family: http://bit.ly” 1:30pm: @maloriejanasek: “Did u hear about @ILMEC’s family night this Saturday? More info: http://bit.ly” 2:15pm: @maloriejanasek: “COOL EVENT! @ILMEC is hosting a #fun night 4 all! #Food, #family & more! http://bit.ly” @maloriejanasek: “CLIENT/Check out the @ILMEC’s new photo album on Facebook. Great #event photos: http://bit.ly”
7. Proper Pitching: Things to AVOID Straight out traditional pitching It’s impossible to use the same methods that were being used 10 years ago – things have changed! Use new tools to integrate video, photo and other relevant information for your client (i.e. *Pitch Engine – more in a few slides!) Avoid blasting reporters with press releases Reporters already receive A TON of email so they probably will not read yours Avoid sending information to people/reporters you don’t know or haven’t “connected” with yet
8. STEP #1: Research If you have a reporter/journalist you want to pitch, start by learning more about the person. This is extremely important for building relationships Visit his/her media outlet’s website - read the bio Research to figure out their areas of interest Use Google to find out what his/her Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles are Find and closely read their blog – note any common themes or interests that may align with your pitch From your research, you may realize that a reporter isn’t really the right one to pitch your story to! Pitching Properly: What TO Do TIP: Search reporter NAME + SOCIAL PLATFORM (i.e. Facebook, Twitter) for direct results
9. Pitching Properly: What TO Do TIP #2: CONNECT Establish relationships before pitching It is essential to reach out in some way before pitching, weeks in advance Follow on Twitter AND engage – simply following is not enough RT content, send @ messages Become a “fan” of his/her Facebook page Send a brief note on Facebook - not pitching a story, but sharing one of his/her posts that you like and asking to connect. This way, by the time you are ready to pitch the journalist, you’re already on his/her radar
10. Pitching Properly: What TO Do TIP #2: CONNECT – continued Comment on a reporter’s blog posts Give feedback and share your own ideas on what they’ve written Connect with media types on Twitter Enter conversations where you can provide an expert Offer to write a blog post and save the reporter some time
11. Pitching Properly: What TO Do TIP #3: LISTEN Be a good listener and pay attention to what journalists’ need Who is looking for a story or an idea? Connect with them! Journalists would rather be helped out than be pitched. Help A Reporter Out – use HARO An entirely free, online resource that connects sources and reporters Every day, it brings nearly 30,000 reporters and bloggers, over 100,000 news sources and small businesses together to tell their stories, promote their brands
12. Pitching Properly: What TO Do Create a multi-dimensional media plan Don’t make your social media pitch plan the entire plan Use a variety of tools like press releases, article marketing sites, blogs and social networking sites to make a well-rounded plan ENGAGE >> talk with them, don’t talk AT them Soliciting a response requires… RESEARCH + CREATIVITY + STRATEGY
13. Pitching Properly: What TO Do The Twitter pitch Direct Messages (DM) vs. @mentions? It varies – some journos and bloggers prefer DM, others @mentions If the reporter is following you back, go for the DM. It’s private. Since the reporter is following you, he/she is interested in what you have to say. Some reporters only follow PR folks they’ve establish relationships with First, get his/her attention through engagement Then, use @mentions to pitch your message
14. Pitching Properly: What TO Do The Twitter pitch - @mention Assuming you’ve already been interacting with a reporter & you know your pitch is right up their alley… Begin by sending a tweet (not DM) Some journos feel an @mention is more appropriate than a direct message for “first contact” @ebolajourn: I loved your story on ebola. I think I’ve got a good resource for a followup article on ebola in the US. Can I send u info?
15. Pitching Properly: What TO Do The Twitter pitch – Direct Message (DM) If a reporter follows you, you have the ability to send private, direct messages. Some prefer DMs over @mentions because he/she knows who they are speaking with regarding a story Remember, not everyone checks DMs as often as others, so it’s important to follow up another way D TribLocalPat: I loved your story on the Oak Park Festival. I think I’ve got a good resource for a followup article on other OP events. Can I send u info?
16. Pitching Properly: What TO Do The Twitter pitch – Direct Message (DM) Use hashtags to stream pitches Create a custom one for your agency, client, etc. - @TJFWingspread Start outreach WEEKS in advance before you want a story from a reporter Participants of TJF Freshwater Summit announce their Call to Action 9/15 in DC – follow us 4 live updates! #wateractionhttp://bit.ly/cGHhk2
17. Pitching Properly: What TO Do The Email pitch Avoid sending a press release Many journalists and bloggers prefer a short pitch so they can decide whether or not they want additional information Don’t send an attachment unless they’ve requested it Send an introductory e-mail, first Some say you should first ask for permission to send a pitch before sending the actual pitch The subject line is crucial – most important aspect Should be straightforward and compelling
18. Pitching Properly: What TO Do The Email pitch – what should it say? Get to the point State your purpose in the first few sentences Highlight key words Add URL links Have a pre-made tweet in your email Keep it short, concise Leave out any unnecessary details Use natural language Keep the tone easy and light
19. Pitching Properly: What TO Do The Email pitch – what should it say? Niche-focused, applicable content Must be relevant to who you are pitching Reporters and bloggers won’t read “general” pitches Personalize each pitch Tell the journo why your pitch is relevant to his/her blog and how it relates to past stories Make reference to a past story or blog post to highlight a connection Your pitch should answer a question or solve a problem that the journo’s audience is concerned with or interested in Don’t use: “I think your audience would love to know that...”
20. Using Twitter as a tool Twitter is great for research Use Twitter lists Discover media outlets, journalists and bloggers Identify other influential audiences in your industry Build your own Twitter lists Create lists of reporters and publications in your industry Lead to discovery Help you keep up with the latest news and trends Learn which stories and issues are of high-interest to journalists In this era, part of the PR pro’s new job is to create, seed and cultivate content about clients in the social streams.
21. Journalists and Media on Twitter BIO: A behind the scenes look at “Anderson Cooper 360°” written by Anderson Cooper and the show’s correspondents and producers. Vs. BIO: Covering all angles. CNN.com is among the world's leaders in online news and information delivery.
23. Building media lists – Twitter Lists Use online resources and lists built by others The Huffington Post Niche-audiences and causes Energy Illinois Politics (2010 election for governor) Local news Chicago Sports Chicago People Chicago News
24. Building media lists – Twitter Lists Mashable Politics & Causes Climate Change (WWF) NYT Environmental Civil & Human Rights Local news Chicago Chicago Tribune staff RedEye staff NBC Chicago staff Sign-in with your Twitter account & follow lists
25. Building media lists – Twitter Lists Your JT supervisor wants you to… Build a media list of local news outlets in Columbus, Ohio. Google – search Columbus Ohio News Visit a news outlet’s website for Twitter link or Google further Check out Twitter page to see lists the news outlet is on Build your Columbus media list from there!
33. Online tools for PR Professionals Addictomatic An 'at-a-glance' dashboard looking at mentions across the major social platforms Blogs, Twitter, Digg, YouTube, Flickr, etc. PR Value:Great way to stay on top of brand / campaign mentions at any point in the day. Tip: Set up several searches, save them in “favorites” and check in 2-3 times a day.
34. Online tools for PR Professionals HootSuite Easiest way to manage multiple social media accounts Add Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Blog, etc. Allows for the scheduling of posts JT New Media team uses! PR Value: Great for managing campaigns on a small / mid-sized scale. Also great for staying current with the latest industry news and developments
35. Online tools for PR Professionals HootSuite Easiest way to manage multiple social media accounts Add Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Blog, etc. Allows for the scheduling of posts JT New Media team uses! PR Value: Great for managing campaigns on a small / mid-sized scale. Also great for staying current with the latest industry news and developments
36. HOW TO: Build a Listening Dashboard Dashboard Tools NetVibes iGoogle Listening Tools Google Alerts Twitter Search socialmention IceRocket
Real-time view into what stories, ideas and content are captivating the journalists they want to pitch. - Journalists – use for research to write articles and blog posts.- 52 percent of reporters now use Twitter as part of their jobs. - 37 percent of journalists are required by their publications to maintain Twitter accounts.- Following journalists will give you insights into what they write about; a sense on what types of information they are looking forImportant to take it a step further Talk with the journalists on Twitter. Retweet their articles and blog posts, ask questions on the content, participate in discussions, make observations or just say hello. This type of engagement strengthens the relationship and shows the journalist that you are interested in the industry and have something of value to add.
Twitter is one of the most commonly used social media platforms for communication professionals. When building and updating lists in twitter it is essential to do the work to find reporters that are useful to you. For this example I: Thought about who I wanted to reach out to follow/add to media list on twitterIn this case I wanted someone who was nation wide and that was at a well-known company.-Anderson Cooper and CNN-In this situation I found it was also important to follow CNN as well. SEARCH.TWITTER.COM OR GOOGLE “ANDERSON COOPER TWITTER”These are good tools to finding the people that you are looking for without having to go through everyone with the same name as what you searched Another tool that is helpful is:Once on twitter, if looking for a popular journalist, I try to make sure it is the VERIFIED ACCOUNT. It is easy to follow journalist and media outlets to: -Receive instant updates through twitter, -Create media list which allows you to group together all useful media to you and also -Send press releases which mal will talk about later in the presentation.
When creating media lists it may help to organize them in a detailed way by niche audiences that you are trying to follow. This allows you to keep up with larger lists in a more organized way. Examples could be:HUFFINGTON POST-421 lists I have created a list on my own twitter called “national media” which I have made private so it is just for my references. To add someone to a media list, you simply go to their twitter page, in this case twitter.com/andersoncooper and click on lists and then mark the lists that apply to that page. This cannot only be a reference tool for you to use but it can also build relationships through media outlets.
-The "Social Media Press Release"Reinvention of traditional press release Still gives all of the high-level contentDistinctive because it incorporates multi-media elementsGives journalist the freedom to “remix” the elements, choose what they want to use in their piece34% of journalists say pitches that incorporate multi-media help them understand a story better.
Pitch Engine is an online service- Used by: in-house PR pros, agency reps other communication professionals, Bloggers and reporters use it to find SMRs relevant to specific topics of interest.- Incorporates these multi-media elements- Also can put links to Twitter, Facebook, company website- Sharable tool bar = easy to pass along across all digital platforms- TWEET (show pitch)Helps you broaden your audience beyond the journalist to reach bloggers, investors, consumers and other influencers on the social web
Hashtag JOURNCHAT- Created and moderated by PR and social media enthusiast Sarah Evans is used to cultivate a weekly conversation on Twitter between journalists, bloggers and public relations folks.- It was created and is moderated weekly by PR and social media enthusiast Sarah EvansDuring the 2 hour long discussion - - Asks questions from @journcha- Respond using the #journchathashtag. This is just one example of the many innovative and creative ways PR folks are using new media to communicate with one another within the industry.