As any savvy PR pro is aware, the state of the media is in constant flux. New media platforms have meant new opportunities for journalists to locate stories and ideas. Social networks have provided robust new ways to connect with influencers. Evolving technology has led to new mediums for breaking through the noise.
With an ever-changing landscape, it can be difficult for PR pros to keep up and know what works best when it comes to media relations.
I recently participated in a webinar, hosted by Vocus, about the state of the media and its implications for PR. The session featured speaker Gini Dietrich, founder and CEO of integrated marketing communication firm Arment Dietrich, who broke down Vocus’s “State of the Media 2014” report to offer useful takeaways for PR pros. The report surveyed a random sampling of 256 journalists to provide a snapshot of the current media outlook.
Here, I thought I’d share a few of the most interesting insights I learned—and what they mean for PR—from Dietrich’s breakdown of the report:
- Media relations has changed a lot. Or has it?
The rise of social media has undoubtedly changed the way we communicate. The media industry is leveraging new mobile and digital platforms that offer tremendous opportunities for connecting in new ways. The global nature of these networks means the chance to reach individuals to whom we previously would not have had access.
At the same time, the same strategies continue to apply when it comes to working with the media. “Nothing has changed from a media relations standpoint,” Dietrich said. “We just have new and interesting tools to do it.” Despite all of the new technologies, at day’s end we’re really still just dealing with human beings.
For PR pros, that means that the most successful pitches still require building solid relationships with journalists—relationships that still take time. Dietrich warns that, while you may already have a great relationship with a journalist on social media, as soon as you pitch a story you take that relationship to a new level. Don’t let the fast pace of social media prevent you from being as engaging, creative and focused on quality interaction as ever.
- Social media: Good for relationship-building, bad for pitching.
Despite journalists’ avid use of social media—only 2 percent reported they don’t use it—a whopping 97 percent still prefer to be pitched via email, according to the report.
Dietrich explained that journalists generally don’t want to be pitched via social media for two reasons. One, they don’t want their competitors knowing what they’re writing about or who their sources are. Putting that information into the public realm gives competitors the chance to scoop stories and sources. Two, it’s not nearly as easy to track information over social media as it is over email. Email offers a quick, searchable and comprehensive archive of conversations.
This doesn’t mean PR pros should avoid social media altogether when it comes to media relations. Journalists do use social media heavily for engagement—that means for locating story ideas and sources and, yes, even networking with PR pros. Dietrich’s advice? Use social media to build a solid relationship, then switch to email to actually pitch the story.
- Your new PR strategy: increasing page views.
One of the greatest reasons journalists use social media is to promote their work. Journalists are always striving to increase page views of their stories—which translates to ad dollars. That means that if you can help increase viewership of their work, they will be much more willing to work with you or include your client in stories. “They might not say it, but they’re definitely thinking it,” Dietrich said.
According to Dietrich, what journalists often want to know is whether you can help them with their reporting in relation to promotion. If they run your article, are people going to click? Do you or your client have engaged followers on social media who would circulate their work? Is your client influential or producing content that would lead readers to their stories?
To translate this into actionable terms: Show journalists exactly how you can help them in your pitches. Explain how you can promote their work through your own or your client’s large or engaged social networks. Make photos, videos, visual information and other multimedia a part of your pitches that will help draw readers to content. Tactics like these result in a win-win for both parties—and give you a much higher chance of placing a story.
For more insights, you can download a copy of the full “State of the Media 2014” report from Vocus here.