PR Freelancers. Social Media Experts. Social Media Training.
Archive for September, 2010
A third of journalists say PRs don’t get social media – why?
Sep 28th
Do you interact with journalists via social media? I’ve just filed a story which should appear soon in New Media Knowledge which looks closely at a survey, conducted by PR workflow software provider Cision and the University of Sunderland, which found that the majority (74 per cent) UK journalists find social media as an “important tool” for research.
However, many members of the press questioned say that the PR industry by and large has yet to fully grasp how to interact with journalists on social platforms. A third (32 per cent) believed that UK PR professionals on the whole do not understand to interact with the press via social media, while 25 per cent believe they do. There appears to be disagreement over whether or not the PR industry is adept at communicating with journalists via social media channels, but regardless, when 81 per cent of journalists are accessing blogs as part of their story research and 40 per cent source stories via Twitter, it’s a trick that PROs simply cannot afford to miss.
Top tips
Here are a few top tips on interacting with journalists on social media:
* Follow relevant journalists on Twitter and set searches using Tweetdeck on subjects relevant to you or your clients, so you can see in real time what comment or feature opportunities arise
* Use Listorious to identify the key influencers to follow
* Blog well and often. Make sure your key influencers are aware of your blog so they can sign up to your feeds via RSS
*Once you’ve made contact with that journalist or blogger and they’ve responded, make sure you find them on LinkedIn and invite them to connect
My NMK article includes insight from journalists Andrew Lim and Adrian Bridgwater, and PR kahuna Stephen Waddington, so look out for that.
Other key findings:
• The vast majority (88 per cent) of UK journalists use social media more in 2010 as part of their work than they did three years ago
• The press release still has its uses, with a fifth (21 per cent) saying they use releases more now than three years ago, compared to 17.5 per cent who use releases less
• A fifth (20 per cent) of UK journalists access Twitter at least once a day as part of their story sourcing, although rarely to fact check
• 81 per cent of UK journalists access blogs as part of their story research, underlining the importance of blogs as a source for corporate comment
• 41 per cent of UK journalists do not receive “social media releases”
• Personal contacts are still important in PR-journalist relations, with half (50 per cent) of journalists talking to personal contacts daily
For more on the survey, view the executive summary here.
*disclaimer: the author works with Cision on generating PR materials
** original blog appeared on sister site RunMarketing.co.uk
PR needs more journalists
Sep 21st
It’s the eternal debate in our industry and it has surfaced again recently: Do journalists really make the best PR people? My answer – for some core competencies, yes, for others, they face challenges and a steep learning curve. I’m in a fairly strange position here as I started out in (‘fell into’, is probably the right term) PR, left to become a journalist, then went back into PR and now do both (are you still with me?).
It’s the staple diet of journalists in all forms of the trade to moan endlessly that PRs “don’t understand how the media works” and that, despite many online resources and training sessions (run, more often than not, by current and former journalists), nothing seems to change in the way that PRs approach journalists and they still receive poorly targeted pitches and material etc. I think therefore that the influx of journalists into PR can only improve the industry overall.
Culture shock
The PR Week story I cite claims that a great number of journalists are moving to the dark side due to the unstable nature of the publishing industry in recent years. For me, there are several key UPSs that a journalist brings to the PR party:
- Nose for a story
- Writing and editing skills
- Contacts
- Industry knowledge
- Ability to work to tight schedules and deadlines
But there are also a number of areas where journalists need to apply themselves where they won’t have necessarily had experience, namely client and people management, and business acumen. I know from experience that it is particularly difficult as a journalist moving to a PR environment – which often has a certain way of doing things – that being heard and challenging the often rigid status quo of client messaging is tough. You’re used to giving your opinion, now you have to consider others’ opinions above yourself, because big accounts and egos are often at stake.
The difference between when I moved back into PR (2003) and now is that nowadays it’s all about content, and journalists are perfectly placed to create enticing content for the conversation era, as well as help define strategy, so are less likely to have to plough the traditional structure that I once did. Specific roles are being created for them – creative director, media strategist and so forth.
I know a number of people that have jumped ship to PR from journalism, many of whom have flourished, others who have preferred to go back. It’s a big culture shock, but I think every PR agency needs someone who has been on the media side if they want to maximise their potential as an agency and train their executives in particular about media relations.
So, do journalists make better PRs? Yes and no. PR is a team game, which means we can all learn from each other improve our performance for the good of the industry, the agency or the clients we represent.
This is PR Week’s interview on the subject, which makes excellent and insightful viewing.
Chris Measures joins Planet Content
Sep 16th
Virtual tech PR freelance network Planet Content just added a Cambridge office in the form of former Speed Communications joint head of technology, Chris Measures. Chris is an insanely intelligent PR consultant who’s established his own technology PR consultancy, Measures Consulting.
He’s the latest former Rainier PR/Speed consultant to join our happy band, but that’s great as we’ve all worked together before and have faith in each other’s ability to do a cracking job for our clients, which is what you want from a technology PR consultancy.
So, if you’re a tech brand in or around Cambridge and looking for some kick-ass coverage for your company, make sure you drop us a line.
Blogger relations best practice
Sep 8th
Yesterday I was the guys at Rocket PR in London talking about blogging and blogger relations. My key message when approaching bloggers – handle with care. Bloggers are not the same as journalists although the principle remains the same – you need to provide them with something targeted, compelling and relevant if you want your company or client to feature positively in their posts and tweets.
First up, when is a blogger truly a “blogger”? Some sites that started out as blogs are so big and professional now that they may as well count as media publications, with the “bloggers” essentially becoming journalists, albeit with more propensity to offer an opinion. Spend time fostering good relations with your target bloggers; it’s all about the long game.
Why target bloggers?
Bloggers are amateurs, coming from the Latin verb amare – to love, so they have far more free reign to write about something that they’re passionate about and are potentially more trusted by the general public as a result. Many blogs have influential followings and high Google PageRank, so a link back from their site from a positive product review or story is an added bonus.
Many bloggers are writing to a small audience, though so focus on a short-list of key influencers.
How to identify bloggers that matter
How do you identify those key bloggers in your sphere? Check out free blog listing sites such Wikio, Technorati or Google Blog Search, then double check their traffic rates on sites such as Compete or Alexa to see how many visitors they’re getting. Paid-for services include CisionPoint, Gorkana or the Social Media Library and will come with most of the information you need already.
Check the site out, look at the about page, follow their Twitter feed, really clue yourself up on them, their likes and pet hates before you pitch to them.
How to approach bloggers
Really target your pitch and then approach your blogger by email or Twitter. A blogger will typically not welcome a phone call. Prepare as you would for a journalist – is there anything they’ve written on recently that you could segue into your pitch? Why would that blogger’s audience be interested? What have you got to offer? Really personalise it – more than you would for a journalist.
You only have one chance to make a good first impression, so make the blogger feel special. Don’t spam them with press releases – you’re likely get blocked; be transparent; don’t try to bribe them; offer to guest blog – some bloggers love free content; if you’re focused on a particular geographical location, why not organise an event just for bloggers?
Whatever you do, don’t get into a spat – especially a public one – with a blogger. They’re a tight-knit group so your brand or agency could suffer as a result. Bloggers can be great advocates for your brand, so have that in mind and at the core of everything you do with blogger relations.
What two years of PR freelancing has taught me
Sep 1st
Today marks the second anniversary of my PR freelance life since leaving Rainier PR (now Speed Communications) and I thought I’d impart some of the knowledge I’ve accrued during that time for those thinking about making the jump or just starting out in PR freelancing.
One thing’s for sure: it’s a rollercoaster ride. For example, two weeks ago I was chasing hard for a significant amount from outstanding invoices and stressed to the hilt, while a few days later I was celebrating two significant new business wins in the space of five minutes (and all the outstanding money was in the bank…).
I heard the term “workstyle” for the first time this weekend – you know, one of those ridiculously zeitgeist pieces where people ditch London agency life to work at 3am from a lighthouse in Shetland with their Cath Kidston-clad brood, because they can. But PR freelancing is a little like that – freedom. You’re always on call but so long as you’re online it doesn’t matter.
What you need
Before we talk about winning new business, here’s what you will need:
- Presence! Invest a few hundred pounds in a professionally-built (WordPress-based) website and blog well and often. Tweet relevant (and fun) stuff regularly, perfect your LinkedIn site, network like a mad thing on- and offline, list on Freelance Alliance. Get your keywords sorted – I’m still top of Google for ‘tech PR freelancer’ for my old site www.cmrlee.com, but keep it live just for search – and it still brings in enquiries
- Kit: Decent laptop, dongle, BlackBerry/iPhone or similar with easily-synced email-on-the-go
- A decent accountant: I started out as a sole trader but found the limited company life is far better, once you get around the logistics
- Self-discipline: I don’t watch much TV so working from home has never been a challenge. If the allures of daytime telly are a serious threat to your productivity, rent some local office space on the cheap
- An even spread: don’t get sucked into being overexposed to any particular client. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but however lucrative in the short-term, once it’s gone it’s gone, so try to limit your exposure
- Teamwork: To cover off skills gaps and help recession-proof yourself, why not team up with other freelancers or small agencies? That’s what I’ve done with the likes of Hatch PR, Cloudnine PR, Rise PR and the wonderful guys at Fire PR
- Educate yourself: I listen to a stack of podcasts to fill in my knowledge gaps. I also set up Run Marketing, the small business DIY PR blog, to in part educate myself
- Mix it up: The demand for “traditional PR” is still strong, although social media knowledge for any PR freelancer is now an absolute must. It also helps you to be more versatile and avoid that over exposure I mentioned above. “Traditional PR” is now about half of what I do, with the rest made up of social media training, blogger relations and journalism
Being a freelancer puts you at an advantage in pitch situations – so long as the account in question is small enough. You can undercut bigger agencies, you will be offering commitment and your reputation rests on how well you do for your client. Agencies will often have bigger clients which will take priority and will often offload inexperienced graduates to represent a company in the eyes of the press. An experience freelancer is a safe pair of hands and I’ve written more about the benefits of using freelancers.
If it’s a big account, however, the chances are you’re on the pitch roster to make up the numbers and have your ideas pinched. You will also get plenty of tyre kickers, so never get too excited about an enquiry until it’s in the bag. That’s just part of the roller-coaster I mentioned earlier.
My personal experience includes renting a villa outside Valencia for eight months, sending work emails from the summit of Ben Macdhui because it was the only place I could find a signal, dictating an urgent client email for my girlfriend to type out from the passenger seat while driving the A303, and working from a tent in Padstow. Have smartphone and dongle, will freelance, but was it worth it? You bet.