Don’t Forget to Get Social

By Len Gutman on January 22nd, 2008 In Social Media

Nicholas Scibetta of Ketchum’s Global Media Network had a nice post on Bulldog Reporter today about the need for communicators to adapt to the new way journalists screen out messages from PR practitioners. Scibetta says:

“The continuous creation of new technologies and media channels is speeding up the pace of news gathering and dissemination, while at the same time presenting multiple challenges for communicators in their attempts to reach their target audiences.”

He then offers “three basic things communicators should consider and strategically evaluate before implementing a communications program.” These are search engine optimization (SEO), really simple syndication (RSS) and monitoring.

Good start Nick, but I think we need to add social media to the mix, and maybe even to the top of the pile. Yes, many journalists are turning a blind eye to email pitches and are complaining about PR spam…but what these journalists seem to be forgetting is that they need us as well. If they ignore us, they’ll have to actually leave their offices to go out and look for stories. God forbid.

ForeplayJournalists who still understand the symbiotic relationship between hacks and flacks may not be checking their email, but more and more they are on Facebook and Linkedin and other social media sites. There they build relationships with lots of people, including PR pros who help them do their jobs. The difference is that we now have to provide a little foreplay before going all the way.

Don’t Forget to Get Social

Comments

Suzanne McCormick Says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:33 pm

Another way journalists can remain in the office but still gather stories is to let the public know their next assignment and requirements. I alerted a client about such a request and earlier this month she was featured on the front page of The Arizona Republic and its online edition.

The reporter had published a “Tell Us” request in the newspaper’s feature section. I advised my client, who was just opening a new business, on what to highlight in an email to the reporter. Subsequently, my client was interviewed and told to expect a story in the feature section.

Much to our surprise and delight, my client’s picture actually appeared above-the-fold on the front page of the paper as part of a package profiling local residents making changes in their lives. The stories were inside the “A” section and she was profiled individually.

Also the day of publication, Tim of “Tim & Willy” called the small-business owner and she was then interviewed live on that show.

This great coverage resulted from neither pitching nor a press release from me. We just took the direct route and simply responded to the reporter’s needs. Be alert for such opportunities because you never know where it will lead.

Quotes from the week of 26 January, 2008 « Says:
January 26th, 2008 at 8:29 am

[...] Len Gutman, at ValleyPRBlog, on the need for symbiotic relationships between hacks and flacks via social media. [...]

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