Unless you're an SEO-type who relishes keyword content in your url, or a PR pro sending your news through a traditional wire service, a shortened url is a quick way to help your readers share your content. If you want your news article, blog post or press release to get viral why not make it easier on the reader by including a "pre-shortened" url?
I've begun to include a shortened url inside each of my blog posts and will continue to use them in my social media releases (SMR). The easiest way to include them in your post is to first, save the post. Then, use a url shortener service to shorten that post's url. You'll then need to go back into the post and add that shortened url. Pretty easy, but considering the amount of time you save your readers, it seems worthwhile doesn't it?
Here are the Top 5 Favorite URL Shorteners (as tallied in a Twitter survey by Brian Solis (http://briansolis.com) ):
When we developed the PitchEngine SMR we wanted to make PR content as sharable as possible. By including a shortened url, in addition to a friendly url (which includes the release headline text), we've made it easier for people to direct-tweet their releases, or copy-and-paste the short links into their own networks and social sharing sites.
So, there you have it, a quick way make it easier for readers to share your blog posts, press releases and news articles via social networking methods.
Unless you're an SEO-type who relishes keyword content in your url, or a PR pro sending your news through a traditional wire service, a shortened url is a quick way to help your readers share your content. If you want your news article, blog post or press release to get viral why not make it easier on the reader by including a "pre-shortened" url?
I've begun to include a shortened url inside each of my blog posts and will continue to use them in my social media releases (SMR). The easiest way to include them in your post is to first, save the post. Then, use a url shortener service to shorten that post's url. You'll then need to go back into the post and add that shortened url. Pretty easy, but considering the amount of time you save your readers, it seems worthwhile doesn't it?
Here are the Top 5 Favorite URL Shorteners (as tallied in a Twitter survey by Brian Solis (http://briansolis.com) ):
When we developed the PitchEngine SMR we wanted to make PR content as sharable as possible. By including a shortened url, in addition to a friendly url (which includes the release headline text), we've made it easier for people to direct-tweet their releases, or copy-and-paste the short links into their own networks and social sharing sites.
So, there you have it, a quick way make it easier for readers to share your blog posts, press releases and news articles via social networking methods.
As I continue develop and build PitchEngine, more and more PR and internet marketing experts reach out to offer insight and sometimes even functionality to our web app. In a few short months I've discovered there is a lot more to media relations than the basics I grew up with. Gone are the days of writing a press release and sending it to the local newspaper or trade pub. These days, it's about more than a catchy headline and good writing. It's about keywords, SEO, digital assets and large scale distribution methods.
Let's face it, there have always been bad PR practices out there, but thanks to this digital era of communications, new methods of PR delivery are making it increasingly tricky for journalists to weed out the good from the bad. As all of us know, these are exciting times for both media and PR pros, but beware of losing sight of your goal to build honest, authentic relationships.
The Sexy and SEO
It seems more and more these days, PR is just about as sensational as the media we're trying to befriend. This article from The New York Times tells how a press release bearing a sexy headline about a toxic shower curtain caught the attention of major news outlets including ABCNews.com, U.S. News & World Report, The Daily News in New York, MSNBC.com and The Los Angeles Times.
PR consultants and press distribution services chimed in with their tips and tricks for using keywords in their PR methodology. The president of PR Newswire, David B. Armon, talked about his company's keyword density tool and elaborates on the statistics of recent PR trigger words.
Another service, HubSpot's Press Release Grader, "evaluates your press release and provides a marketing effectiveness score. This score is based upon basic factors from public relations experts including the language and content of the release, plus advanced factors from Internet marketing experts such as links and search engine optimization characteristics."
The part that gets me is the "basic factors from public relations experts" reference. The grading here doesn't analyze how well written a lead is, or if you've included good quality quotes. Instead, it measures how well your release will do on search engines. Certainly an advantage, but not a true measure of how effective a press release will be.
It seems some PR campaigns have become more about a mathematical equation of keywords and hits-per-click than actually serving the media. It's no wonder 'PR spam' is a term thrown around newsrooms and posted on blogs these days. With distribution services adding "sophistication" to the mix, many PR pros have skipped the basics in favor of an easier "point-and-shoot" method of content delivery.
Jeremy Pepper makes some good points in his recent blog post, Slave to Technology, but the underlying message seems to be getting back to basics. Pick up the phone and make a meeting face-to-face whenever possible. Don't take for granted the ability you have to communicate the old fashioned way, in most cases, you will build a better relationships because of it.
Making the Grade
I asked Auburn University's Robert French who runs PR Open Mic for PR students, faculty and practitioners about these new tactics.
"I appreciate new tools that help check for keywords, etc. But, I truly believe that all these SEO efforts using news releases have thrown so much noise into the mix, they've diminished the value of so many online releases," said French.
As Robert goes on to point out, it should be more about fundamentals, "The writing is the key. An SEO tweaked release would make a journalist barf."
PR Services for Media
I tend to see value in the applications and methods that serve media. If an application can make a journalist's job easier or more effective then it's worth looking into.
Sites like Newsvetter, a news vetting and news delivery service that helps weed-out bad or poorly written press releases, is more of a value to journalists than PR pros.
Peter Shankman's HARO is another innovative approach built for media. Journalists pitch PR, not the other way around. It's designed to be a service to media, but in the end offers "approval" for PR pros to pitch them.
And this is also how I've developed and positioned PitchEngine, as a service to media. It gives PR pros an easy method for compiling all of their digital PR assets into one social media release and then sharing it with their contacts in a more organic way - through social networking and direct-delivery methods. We'll soon roll-out the media side of PitchEngine, which will allow journalists and bloggers to search and filter PR content, even approve pitches from outside their news beats or preferred industries.
Bloggers vs. Journalists
As PR pros, we see the differences between meeting the needs of bloggers and meeting the needs of print journalists.
Tech blogger, Robert Scoble says he, "hates getting pitched" and had this to say when I pitched him via social methods, "I gotta give you this much, you beat 99.999999% of other PR people. You pitched me on Twitter. I checked it out."
For journalists, the mere mention of twitter can be daunting, which is why another level of engagement is required. More about this in my previous post PR It Forward.
While not all journalists and bloggers will embrace these new methods instantly, it's apparent - now is the time to gain their trust. Not by spamming your press content over email or through massive PR distribution wires, but by showing them the value of social interaction.
Evaluate all the new tools by how they help media, your client and your brand. Honesty is best policy, and an authentic approach to PR will give you the kind of credibility media new and old will appreciate.
The space between media and public relations is filled with gray, but we're learning very quickly that the more things change, the smaller that space becomes. Already, each of us has experienced profound change in our industry. I say that with confidence knowing that the readers of this blog have taken steps to engage and experiment beyond traditional industry thinking. Those who haven't will find out soon enough.
Journalists
You are seeing (and in some cases feeling) the transitions more rapidly than others. As newspaper revenues dip due to a lack of advertising revenue and readers jump to free online news sources, budgets and people are cut as a result. While some progressive newspapers have chosen to adopt new, more social tactics, others have not, which leaves journalists alone to fend for themselves in the blogosphere - an unknown territory for most just a few years back. How will broadcast journalism adapt to even faster methods of news gathering and reporting? (See Robert Scoble's Twitter and the China Earthquake). As news consumers we've already become our own producers, and that's just the beginning.
Bloggers
You are a unique group. While some of you have been able to capitalize on traditional online advertising, the verdict for sustainability seems to be hanging in the balance. Is it industry or hobby? Or, has it become a necessity of business outreach? It seems the more business-minded a journalist or blogger is these days, the better their chance for survival going forward. Learning how to make a living online is a difficult task and one I'm sure many of you wish you had the answer to. Time will tell on this one, but one thing is for sure - there sure are a lot of us.
PR Pros
For you, major changes are just beginning to unfold. With an ever-diminishing stable of traditional media to pitch, those PR pros among us are forced to change our methods and adapt. While it's fair to say that more traditional media will remain for a few more years, it's also safe to assume the mediascape will look much different five years from now. PR pros will need to reevaluate who their pitching - journalists, bloggers, or maybe even consumers - and how their pitching them. Will brands rely on PR to connect to consumers through social media, or will they utilize a traditional marketing to reach them? Will media become more segmented or more broad with the evolution of online news and other content?
Change
The common bond we all share is change. Whether it's the motto of your party's campaign, or the title of the next generation (after Y or Z, or whatever it is), big change is happening in the broader media industry and that impacts each of you who make it your livelihood. Brian Solis puts it best with the title of his blog post "The Social Revolution is our Industrial Revolution". While our core skills and talents are important, just as Jeremy Pepper points out in his "Slave to Technology" post, we all understand that media is evolving and so are the tools and methods.
As informed as we are, none of us know exactly how it's all going to shake out, but each of us have found the need to seek out and explore this new frontier. There are many uncertainties, but the enthusiasm and inspiration social media provides us far out ways the unknown. You are here because you are inspired. Because you see the opportunity and want to embrace it. That's what makes you a champion of change and it's what will arm you for survival in this social media revolution.
The space between media and public relations is filled with gray, but we're learning very quickly that the more things change, the smaller that space becomes. Already, each of us has experienced profound change in our industry. I say that with confidence knowing that the readers of this blog have taken steps to engage and experiment beyond traditional industry thinking. Those who haven't will find out soon enough.
Journalists
You are seeing (and in some cases feeling) the transitions more rapidly than others. As newspaper revenues dip due to a lack of advertising revenue and readers jump to free online news sources, budgets and people are cut as a result. While some progressive newspapers have chosen to adopt new, more social tactics, others have not, which leaves journalists alone to fend for themselves in the blogosphere - an unknown territory for most just a few years back. How will broadcast journalism adapt to even faster methods of news gathering and reporting? (See Robert Scoble's Twitter and the China Earthquake). As news consumers we've already become our own producers, and that's just the beginning.
Bloggers
You are a unique group. While some of you have been able to capitalize on traditional online advertising, the verdict for sustainability seems to be hanging in the balance. Is it industry or hobby? Or, has it become a necessity of business outreach? It seems the more business-minded a journalist or blogger is these days, the better their chance for survival going forward. Learning how to make a living online is a difficult task and one I'm sure many of you wish you had the answer to. Time will tell on this one, but one thing is for sure - there sure are a lot of us.
PR Pros
For you, major changes are just beginning to unfold. With an ever-diminishing stable of traditional media to pitch, those PR pros among us are forced to change our methods and adapt. While it's fair to say that more traditional media will remain for a few more years, it's also safe to assume the mediascape will look much different five years from now. PR pros will need to reevaluate who their pitching - journalists, bloggers, or maybe even consumers - and how their pitching them. Will brands rely on PR to connect to consumers through social media, or will they utilize a traditional marketing to reach them? Will media become more segmented or more broad with the evolution of online news and other content?
Change
The common bond we all share is change. Whether it's the motto of your party's campaign, or the title of the next generation (after Y or Z, or whatever it is), big change is happening in the broader media industry and that impacts each of you who make it your livelihood. Brian Solis puts it best with the title of his blog post "The Social Revolution is our Industrial Revolution". While our core skills and talents are important, just as Jeremy Pepper points out in his "Slave to Technology" post, we all understand that media is evolving and so are the tools and methods.
As informed as we are, none of us know exactly how it's all going to shake out, but each of us have found the need to seek out and explore this new frontier. There are many uncertainties, but the enthusiasm and inspiration social media provides us far out ways the unknown. You are here because you are inspired. Because you see the opportunity and want to embrace it. That's what makes you a champion of change and it's what will arm you for survival in this social media revolution.
A couple of weeks ago Jason Calacanis announced he was retiring from blogging. This, from a guy who many consider the catalyst to professional blogging. In his follow up email (re-posted here by TechCrunch), Jason details his reasoning and shares some insight into why he prefers the 'more intimate' approach.
As you can imagine, there were plenty of critics who cried, "publicity stunt" and others who felt inspired by his change in direction. I may be naive to the seedy underworld of mega-blogging, but I tend to identify with Jason and see his message as valid. These days it seems it's become more about getting dugg, stumbled, tossing out the link-bait and hoping people will reddit. And as Jason points out, the trolls can ruin an honest post meant for a specific audience with a one-line below-the-belt shot without being held accountable.
Email as the Medium
The thing that really resonated with me wasn't the trouble with blogging, it was the promise for something more genuine. His direct-to-reader delivery via email subscription is nothing new, but the reason may be.
From Jason's email: You and I now have a direct relationship, and I’m cutting the mailing list off today so it stays at ~1,000 folks. I’ll add selectively to the list, but for now I’m more interested in a deep relationship with the few of you have chosen to make a commitment with me. Perhaps some of you will become deep, considered colleagues and friends–something that doesn’t happen for me in the blogosphere any more.
Much of my inspiration for doing this comes from what I’ve seen with John Brockman’s Edge.org email newsletter. When it enters my inbox I’m inspired and focused. I print it, and I don’t print anything. The people that surround him are epic, and that’s my inspiration–to be surrounded by exceptional people.
It's not about Blogging, It's about Community
What hasn't been mentioned here is that it's about community. The thing that's been lacking from the mega-blog is niche community. Criticism from like-minded people is, in my opinion, welcomed and validated- it's the disengaged fly-bys that can take the wind out of good conversation.
My blog is intertwined with our network. While not every user is a member of the media or a PR pro, so far, they are all there to be engaged. These are the same people who would indeed subscribe to my posts via email much like those Jason Calacanis has now.
Newspapers Take Note: Community is Key
Stop wasting time worrying about what's happening as more sites try to spam "news" to more people. Stop waiting for the implosion and think about your specific newspaper community. I've blogged about social media opportunities for newspaper before (See: Newspapers Still Missing The Benefits of Social Media) and I will continue to do so in hopes of offering some perspective to a medium I value, and was once a part of.
If the blogger of all bloggers isn't satisfied with the the state of blogging, maybe it's a hint at the direction newspaper and other mainstream media should be looking. It's happening already. See how PitchEngine member, Justin Williams and The News Journal in Wilmington, Deleware have been able to inject online community into real world community and benefit from engaging with readers online and off. See how David Cohn and Spot.us are introducing the concept of Community Funded Reporting.
Like Jason, people will tire of the fast paced, disengaged methods of news delivery happening today. Most people still want to curl up with a book, have cup of coffee over a newspaper or read a magazine on the plane. They especially want to be engaged in what's happening close to home, in their community, whether it's online or offline -posted on a bulletin board in a hallway.
That said, there are methods that seem to be popping up that could also bridge the gap and help "personalize" the experience. I applaud Jason Goldberg's approach with his newest game-changer SocialMedian. Those of you on PitchEngine received special invites early on, but it's certainly worth a return visit if you haven't been there in a while. Socialmedian is a social news network that connects people with personalized news and information.
"Our hunch is that people with common topical interests can help each other filter and discover personally relevant news." It's a great formula and seems to be picking up speed.
Retrospect
Social media shouldn't be about eliminating tradition. In some cases, it's going to happen, but in a survival of the fittest kind of manner. In other cases, like the launch of PitchEngine in a few days, social media may help bring traditional media closer to next generation methods of engagement. Whatever the scenario, the game is changing and it's yet to be determined how it will end up.
Maybe Jason Calacanis can put his emotion into keeping newspaper a "more intimate" thing than a blog post. Or maybe newspaper should look at why it's working. Hmmm...sign up to receive my local news of choice via email or some other easy-method of delivery? Seems pretty simple doesn't it? Generate ad revenue by targeting readers with specialized interests? Could be a no-brainer. Thank you Jason Calacanis for shedding some light on the state of media.
A couple of weeks ago Jason Calacanis announced he was retiring from blogging. This, from a guy who many consider the catalyst to professional blogging. In his follow up email (re-posted here by TechCrunch), Jason details his reasoning and shares some insight into why he prefers the 'more intimate' approach.
As you can imagine, there were plenty of critics who cried, "publicity stunt" and others who felt inspired by his change in direction. I may be naive to the seedy underworld of mega-blogging, but I tend to identify with Jason and see his message as valid. These days it seems it's become more about getting dugg, stumbled, tossing out the link-bait and hoping people will reddit. And as Jason points out, the trolls can ruin an honest post meant for a specific audience with a one-line below-the-belt shot without being held accountable.
Email as the Medium
The thing that really resonated with me wasn't the trouble with blogging, it was the promise for something more genuine. His direct-to-reader delivery via email subscription is nothing new, but the reason may be.
From Jason's email: You and I now have a direct relationship, and I’m cutting the mailing list off today so it stays at ~1,000 folks. I’ll add selectively to the list, but for now I’m more interested in a deep relationship with the few of you have chosen to make a commitment with me. Perhaps some of you will become deep, considered colleagues and friends–something that doesn’t happen for me in the blogosphere any more.
Much of my inspiration for doing this comes from what I’ve seen with John Brockman’s Edge.org email newsletter. When it enters my inbox I’m inspired and focused. I print it, and I don’t print anything. The people that surround him are epic, and that’s my inspiration–to be surrounded by exceptional people.
It's not about Blogging, It's about Community
What hasn't been mentioned here is that it's about community. The thing that's been lacking from the mega-blog is niche community. Criticism from like-minded people is, in my opinion, welcomed and validated- it's the disengaged fly-bys that can take the wind out of good conversation.
My blog is intertwined with our network. While not every user is a member of the media or a PR pro, so far, they are all there to be engaged. These are the same people who would indeed subscribe to my posts via email much like those Jason Calacanis has now.
Newspapers Take Note: Community is Key
Stop wasting time worrying about what's happening as more sites try to spam "news" to more people. Stop waiting for the implosion and think about your specific newspaper community. I've blogged about social media opportunities for newspaper before (See: Newspapers Still Missing The Benefits of Social Media) and I will continue to do so in hopes of offering some perspective to a medium I value, and was once a part of.
If the blogger of all bloggers isn't satisfied with the the state of blogging, maybe it's a hint at the direction newspaper and other mainstream media should be looking. It's happening already. See how PitchEngine member, Justin Williams and The News Journal in Wilmington, Deleware have been able to inject online community into real world community and benefit from engaging with readers online and off. See how David Cohn and Spot.us are introducing the concept of Community Funded Reporting.
Like Jason, people will tire of the fast paced, disengaged methods of news delivery happening today. Most people still want to curl up with a book, have cup of coffee over a newspaper or read a magazine on the plane. They especially want to be engaged in what's happening close to home, in their community, whether it's online or offline -posted on a bulletin board in a hallway.
That said, there are methods that seem to be popping up that could also bridge the gap and help "personalize" the experience. I applaud Jason Goldberg's approach with his newest game-changer SocialMedian. Those of you on PitchEngine received special invites early on, but it's certainly worth a return visit if you haven't been there in a while. Socialmedian is a social news network that connects people with personalized news and information.
"Our hunch is that people with common topical interests can help each other filter and discover personally relevant news." It's a great formula and seems to be picking up speed.
Retrospect
Social media shouldn't be about eliminating tradition. In some cases, it's going to happen, but in a survival of the fittest kind of manner. In other cases, like the launch of PitchEngine in a few days, social media may help bring traditional media closer to next generation methods of engagement. Whatever the scenario, the game is changing and it's yet to be determined how it will end up.
Maybe Jason Calacanis can put his emotion into keeping newspaper a "more intimate" thing than a blog post. Or maybe newspaper should look at why it's working. Hmmm...sign up to receive my local news of choice via email or some other easy-method of delivery? Seems pretty simple doesn't it? Generate ad revenue by targeting readers with specialized interests? Could be a no-brainer. Thank you Jason Calacanis for shedding some light on the state of media.
A couple of weeks ago Jason Calacanis announced he was retiring from blogging. This, from a guy who many consider the catalyst to professional blogging. In his follow up email (re-posted here by TechCrunch), Jason details his reasoning and shares some insight into why he prefers the 'more intimate' approach.
As you can imagine, there were plenty of critics who cried, "publicity stunt" and others who felt inspired by his change in direction. I may be naive to the seedy underworld of mega-blogging, but I tend to identify with Jason and see his message as valid. These days it seems it's become more about getting dugg, stumbled, tossing out the link-bait and hoping people will reddit. And as Jason points out, the trolls can ruin an honest post meant for a specific audience with a one-line below-the-belt shot without being held accountable.
Email as the Medium
The thing that really resonated with me wasn't the trouble with blogging, it was the promise for something more genuine. His direct-to-reader delivery via email subscription is nothing new, but the reason may be.
From Jason's email: You and I now have a direct relationship, and I’m cutting the mailing list off today so it stays at ~1,000 folks. I’ll add selectively to the list, but for now I’m more interested in a deep relationship with the few of you have chosen to make a commitment with me. Perhaps some of you will become deep, considered colleagues and friends–something that doesn’t happen for me in the blogosphere any more.
Much of my inspiration for doing this comes from what I’ve seen with John Brockman’s Edge.org email newsletter. When it enters my inbox I’m inspired and focused. I print it, and I don’t print anything. The people that surround him are epic, and that’s my inspiration–to be surrounded by exceptional people.
It's not about Blogging, It's about Community
What hasn't been mentioned here is that it's about community. The thing that's been lacking from the mega-blog is niche community. Criticism from like-minded people is, in my opinion, welcomed and validated- it's the disengaged fly-bys that can take the wind out of good conversation.
My blog is intertwined with our network. While not every user is a member of the media or a PR pro, so far, they are all there to be engaged. These are the same people who would indeed subscribe to my posts via email much like those Jason Calacanis has now.
Newspapers Take Note: Community is Key
Stop wasting time worrying about what's happening as more sites try to spam "news" to more people. Stop waiting for the implosion and think about your specific newspaper community. I've blogged about social media opportunities for newspaper before (See: Newspapers Still Missing The Benefits of Social Media) and I will continue to do so in hopes of offering some perspective to a medium I value, and was once a part of.
If the blogger of all bloggers isn't satisfied with the the state of blogging, maybe it's a hint at the direction newspaper and other mainstream media should be looking. It's happening already. See how PitchEngine member, Justin Williams and The News Journal in Wilmington, Deleware have been able to inject online community into real world community and benefit from engaging with readers online and off. See how David Cohn and Spot.us are introducing the concept of Community Funded Reporting.
Like Jason, people will tire of the fast paced, disengaged methods of news delivery happening today. Most people still want to curl up with a book, have cup of coffee over a newspaper or read a magazine on the plane. They especially want to be engaged in what's happening close to home, in their community, whether it's online or offline -posted on a bulletin board in a hallway.
That said, there are methods that seem to be popping up that could also bridge the gap and help "personalize" the experience. I applaud Jason Goldberg's approach with his newest game-changer SocialMedian. Those of you on PitchEngine received special invites early on, but it's certainly worth a return visit if you haven't been there in a while. Socialmedian is a social news network that connects people with personalized news and information.
"Our hunch is that people with common topical interests can help each other filter and discover personally relevant news." It's a great formula and seems to be picking up speed.
Retrospect
Social media shouldn't be about eliminating tradition. In some cases, it's going to happen, but in a survival of the fittest kind of manner. In other cases, like the launch of PitchEngine in a few days, social media may help bring traditional media closer to next generation methods of engagement. Whatever the scenario, the game is changing and it's yet to be determined how it will end up.
Maybe Jason Calacanis can put his emotion into keeping newspaper a "more intimate" thing than a blog post. Or maybe newspaper should look at why it's working. Hmmm...sign up to receive my local news of choice via email or some other easy-method of delivery? Seems pretty simple doesn't it? Generate ad revenue by targeting readers with specialized interests? Could be a no-brainer. Thank you Jason Calacanis for shedding some light on the state of media.
I read a tweet from a journalist/blogger yesterday who advised a budding public relations rookie not to pitch. In his words, "Pitch=Spam". Interesting take, right? So, how does this guy get his news anyway? I was quick to chime-in to the newbie and clarify, "progressive journalists understand relationships" and legitimate pitches will be heard.
This type of knee-jerk negativity is often warranted and stems from the onslaught of spammy emails, doggish press releases and weak pitches that a majority of journalists are inundated with. The talented ones know how to handle news gathering- they seek out information from credible sources that they trust. Sometimes that's a good PR contact, sometimes it's even a wire service filtered by topic, although this can often be cluttery as well. Newer services like Newsvetter offer media members peace of mind from pitches. They evaluate news content before it's delivered. From the site: "The best way to build relationships with the news media is to consistently send them high quality information. Newsvetter is designed to help you do this."
As we open up more social media doors with our fellow PR pros and media members, it becomes increasingly apparent that it's going to continue to be about relationships. I don't blame the blogger who offered up his advice, I blame those bad experiences that must have skewed his view of public relations and lessened his reliance on the word of mouth pitch.
Diversify The Pitch
For that self proclaimed newbie, I offer you this bit of advice. Don't abandon the pitch, engage and understand your media contact as frequently as possible and most importantly, learn to be flexible. Today, it takes more than a snappy headline to grab the eyeballs of onlooking journalists. Despite the mathematics offered up by the experts in this recent New York Times article I referenced in last week's post, How Social Media PR Wins Journalists, keywords should not be the primary tactic for catching attention. Instead, diversify your options for delivery and make sure what you're serving up matches what your media is looking for. Don't waste your time throwing blind release out there and hoping for a hit, take the time to know four or five key writers in that space and ensure they get what they need - from digital assets like video and high-res images, to quotes, samples, etc., Try building a Social Media Release and deliver a link with a quick, concise pitch relevant to your audience. And most importantly, be brutally honest. Your media contacts will appreciate (and remember) it and your brand or client will be better served by it.
Roll Reversal: When The Brand Gets Spam
The flip side though will come soon enough (listen up Anti-Spam Bloggers). As an in-house marketer I know the real "spam" comes from those same publications, websites and yes, blogs. If bloggers expect to make a living, they will need to listen to the brands that are pitching them, just as the brands are expected to listen to their Ad Sales Rep "pitch" them on why they should spend money on their website. You see, traditional journalists haven't vocalized their issues with PR spam, because they've been smart enough to know where the bread comes from. Many bloggers who are blacklisting PR people and shunning pitches have never had to deal with these issues. Truth is, in my experience the dirtiest tricks come from Ad reps, not PR reps.
So the moral is, don't quit your pitchin'. Keep in mind there's always going to be a few snake oil salesman out there pitching their wares like third-hand used cars. For the rest of us, this is the time to change our approach and look for more innovative ways to serve journalists and bloggers both. To the anti-pitch bloggers and journalists, be warned! One of these days we might not be pitching you -we'll be pitching consumers directly instead.
I read a tweet from a journalist/blogger yesterday who advised a budding public relations rookie not to pitch. In his words, "Pitch=Spam". Interesting take, right? So, how does this guy get his news anyway? I was quick to chime-in to the newbie and clarify, "progressive journalists understand relationships" and legitimate pitches will be heard.
This type of knee-jerk negativity is often warranted and stems from the onslaught of spammy emails, doggish press releases and weak pitches that a majority of journalists are inundated with. The talented ones know how to handle news gathering- they seek out information from credible sources that they trust. Sometimes that's a good PR contact, sometimes it's even a wire service filtered by topic, although this can often be cluttery as well. Newer services like Newsvetter offer media members peace of mind from pitches. They evaluate news content before it's delivered. From the site: "The best way to build relationships with the news media is to consistently send them high quality information. Newsvetter is designed to help you do this."
As we open up more social media doors with our fellow PR pros and media members, it becomes increasingly apparent that it's going to continue to be about relationships. I don't blame the blogger who offered up his advice, I blame those bad experiences that must have skewed his view of public relations and lessened his reliance on the word of mouth pitch.
Diversify The Pitch
For that self proclaimed newbie, I offer you this bit of advice. Don't abandon the pitch, engage and understand your media contact as frequently as possible and most importantly, learn to be flexible. Today, it takes more than a snappy headline to grab the eyeballs of onlooking journalists. Despite the mathematics offered up by the experts in this recent New York Times article I referenced in last week's post, How Social Media PR Wins Journalists, keywords should not be the primary tactic for catching attention. Instead, diversify your options for delivery and make sure what you're serving up matches what your media is looking for. Don't waste your time throwing blind release out there and hoping for a hit, take the time to know four or five key writers in that space and ensure they get what they need - from digital assets like video and high-res images, to quotes, samples, etc., Try building a Social Media Release and deliver a link with a quick, concise pitch relevant to your audience. And most importantly, be brutally honest. Your media contacts will appreciate (and remember) it and your brand or client will be better served by it.
Roll Reversal: When The Brand Gets Spam
The flip side though will come soon enough (listen up Anti-Spam Bloggers). As an in-house marketer I know the real "spam" comes from those same publications, websites and yes, blogs. If bloggers expect to make a living, they will need to listen to the brands that are pitching them, just as the brands are expected to listen to their Ad Sales Rep "pitch" them on why they should spend money on their website. You see, traditional journalists haven't vocalized their issues with PR spam, because they've been smart enough to know where the bread comes from. Many bloggers who are blacklisting PR people and shunning pitches have never had to deal with these issues. Truth is, in my experience the dirtiest tricks come from Ad reps, not PR reps.
So the moral is, don't quit your pitchin'. Keep in mind there's always going to be a few snake oil salesman out there pitching their wares like third-hand used cars. For the rest of us, this is the time to change our approach and look for more innovative ways to serve journalists and bloggers both. To the anti-pitch bloggers and journalists, be warned! One of these days we might not be pitching you -we'll be pitching consumers directly instead.
