The practice of public relations, especially media relations, is making a transition from semi-traditional press agentry to the digital age. In working with both PR agencies and clients, it is clear that the recession will further complicate the process of getting attention and visibility for brands.
Here are 11 things to do to help smooth the transition.
Integrate Channels. A publicity campaign is a multi-media event. Be sure that your website, your customer service representatives, your front line customer-facing employees and your printed materials are aligned and on-message. Think about what you are going to say and anticipate how, when and to whom your customers, prospects, investors, employees or competitors might react. Coordinate your announcements with other sales, marketing and out reach activities including e-mail, blogs, circulars, position papers, speeches, appearances and trade shows so that your brand speaks with a single, clear and consistent voice.
Don’t Rely on Releases. The press release is the classic vehicle for communicating with journalists because they mirror the style and content found in the media. Many marketers think that the creation and transmission of a press release constitutes communication and persuasion. Nothing could be further from the truth. Press releases are a dime a dozen. They vary widely in quality and content and are frequently ignored by the intended recipients. As you compose your message consider a broad array of vehicles to transmit information. In many cases a short e-mail or voice mail message with punchy pitch points will work better. In other cases Op-Eds or letters to the editor or comments and feedback to blogs or published pieces are far better vehicles to get your message on the record.
Leverage News Cycles. Each day has a news cycle and on an annual basis there are predictable sand evergreen stories that our 24/7 media cover. You can increase the likelihood of coverage by understanding and tracking these cycles and connecting your news to these patterns.
Do the Math. You have an affirmative burden to link your news to ideas in the media, topics on the national agenda or subjects in widespread conversation. A new announcement without context and missing links to broader themes dies quickly of loneliness. You must also explain clearly and persuasively why your news matters, who it matters to and why anyone should care. Too often things that matter to you have little or no significance to broader audiences. The media serves as a gatekeeper to local, national, professional or global audiences.
Think Like an Editor. News has to be new, different and significant in both absolute and relative terms. Reporters, producers and bloggers covering your industry or business can assess these elements in a nanosecond and grant you a hearing or close you down instantly. In framing any news release, announcement or pitch these elements have to be clear and up front.
Make a Target Press List. Every business, industry and sector is covered by dedicated journalists. In some cases, its a challenge to figure out who naturally covers you because the number of journalists is shrinking and the amount of interconnection and overlap between topics is increasing. Err on the side of adding more names to your list because while the number of writers and reporters is shrinking the number of distribution outlets is increasing. So as you figure out who follows your business, each voice is likely to carry farther.
Then figure out which media your most likely customers and prospects watch, read and follow and make a list of these outlets. Everybody really pays attention to a couple of sources and many of these sources can be predicted based on the age and business tenure of your customer base. Nobody can follow everything so don’t sweat the big picture. Zero-in on what the people you care about most do.
The combination of these lists should be your primary media targets. Call and e-mail these people and keep the list as up-to-date as possible.
Savor Search. Nine in ten journalists search the Web for story ideas, news sources and to check out people and companies they are covering or considering. Being found on Google, Yahoo and other search engines must to be a part of every PR program. This requires an understanding of natural search tactics, demands coordination between online and offline media channels and can be expedited by using the web for press release distribution.
Optimize Keywords. We live on a word filtered, sorted and governed by key words. As you conceptualize your news or information you have think about which terms, phrases, and jargon will be used to quickly communicate meaning. These same words and terms must be used frequently in your documents as keywords which can be searched efficiently in cyberspace.
Act Like a Telemarketer. The disparity between the number of journalists and the huge demand for attention makes most media people hide. They have unlisted phone numbers, send all calls immediately to voicemail, publish e-mail addresses for mailboxes they never look at, don’t respond to e-mail and get really annoyed if you try to pitch them using IM or social media. They appear to be friendly, open and accessible but vigorously screen themselves from unwanted or unsolicited pitches. Reaching working journalists is like telemarketing. You have to be canny, call frequently and be satisfied with a very low response rate.
Be Social. Social networks are becoming American’s preferred platforms for ideas and conversation. You can not afford to ignore these big and growing communities. A PR campaign should create specific messages and tools to leverage the interactivity and viral potential of online communities because they give you an opportunity to marshal and direct brand advocates and evangelists, enlist new customers and prospects to your cause and reach people who may have great interest but little awareness of your brand and its offerings.
Monitor the Conversation. Set Google Alerts to track themes and competitive messages. Become familiar with Digg, Technorati and Twitter which allow you to gauge the frequency and intensity of topics in-motion and concepts in-flux. Register and participate in Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, LinkedIn and any other social network that has relevance to and participation from your employees, customers, competitors or prospects.
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