Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
Peter Shankman, creator of Help A Reporter Out (HARO), recently sat down with PRWeek to offer his perspective regarding the current status of media relations. His point of view is very relevant as his creation of HARO has been described as “redefining the art of networking.”HARO is a free service that distributes up to five e-mails a day to subscribers, highlighting more than 1,200 media queries each week and providing journalists with more than 100,000 sources overall. HARO has quickly become the most popular service for connecting journalists with PR professionals and resources. And did I mention that Shankman also has a knack for adding humorous anecdotes and sharing paid promotions and advice with his subscribers?
He also goes to extreme lengths to make sure none of his subscribers are “spammed” and enforces the rules to using HARO, suggesting that anyone who joins the list asks themselves a few questions before responding. “Is this response really on target? Is this response really going to help the journalist, or is this just a BS way for me to get my client in front of the reporter?” His unique perspective and dedication to networking makes Shankman an extremely knowledgeable source on the future of media relations.
In his interview with PRWeek about the future of media landscape, Shankman advises PR pros on how to pitch to journalists in this fast-paced, ever changing media world. As the number of journalists decrease at many print publications, it is important to utilize tools like HARO to better connect with the right sources. With little time, the probability of getting a reporter to read a long pitch or idea is unlikely, especially if you do not have an existing relationship. Instead, he says the “answer is two-fold – write really well, and be dead-on topic. There’s no middle ground anymore.” PR professionals can learn from this; present the right information in the right way with the right sources and you will be successful.
As a current subscriber to HARO, it is easy to see how beneficial Shankman’s service is. Instead of trying to network through a one-way channel, HARO facilitates connections between journalists who need sources and PR professionals with ideas to pitch on behalf of their clients and companies. Communiqué PR has used HARO many times, enabling us to reach analysts, journalists and third-party resources on behalf of our clients. For example, while working to secure an article in Desktop Engineering, we needed to connect with an industry analyst who could provide quotes and information regarding research and a breakthrough in flow separation. After posting a HARO inquiry we sparked interest with an analyst from Frost & Sullivan and we were able to secure quotes for the article.
We’d like to hear from you. Have you had success using HARO? Share your story and comment!
At the 2009 Games for Change Festival, New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Nicholas Kristof delivered a surprising keynote address saying that online games can be a powerful reporting platform for educating people about global issues such as the environment, poverty and human rights.
His epiphany came during a chance encounter with online game, “Darfur is Dying“,which was created through a partnership with MTVu, Reebok Human Rights Foundation and the International Crisis Group to educate people about the genocide in the African nation of Darfur. The game is a simulation in which players negotiate forces that threaten their refugee camp to give players a glimpse of what being in Darfur is really like.
Kristof believes games like this can be an effective way to inform and emotionally connect people with some of the most important issues facing our world and empower change. As a journalist, he admits he would love it if people were empowered by reading his Pulitzer prize-winning columns on global issues. However, he recognizes that today’s consumer is often hard-pressed to read an entire newspaper article and believes viral, online games such as Darfur is Dying can be a viable substitute for raising social awareness.
In fact, he plans to create an online game to accompany his upcoming book, “Half the Sky” which examines the oppression of women in third-world countries. He hopes the social networking game will “help convert this awareness into a global movement to turn oppression into opportunity for women and girls throughout the developing world.”
“Darfur is Dying” may be the most visible online game dedicated to social change, but Games for Change is an organization dedicated leveraging the power of video games to “address the most pressing issues of our day, including poverty, human rights, global conflict and climate change.” The organization’s Web site boasts a variety of different games that educate consumers on issues surrounding public policy, economics, public health, global conflict and politics.
It certainly is an interesting time in both PR and journalism as the media landscape continues to shift. While Nicholas Kristof may be an unlikely advocate for alternative reporting platforms, his acknowledgment that new mediums such as online games are viable vehicles for the next-generation of journalism is further evidence that we’re only just beginning to see what that landscape will potentially look like. It’s still too early to tell, but in the meantime PR professionals, journalists and organizations alike will continue to try and understand how to leverage new mediums in meaningful ways.
Back in April, we blogged about Apple’s move to eliminate the “one price fits all” model for its iTunes digital media store, opting to shift to a three-tiered pricing model. While this news was met with some trepidation by media, music labels and consumers, a new article from Billboard‘s Antony Bruno and Glenn Peoples suggests that Apple’s variable pricing approach may just be working.
An analysis of Nielsen SoundScan data conducted by Billboard found that while Apple’s variable pricing model may have caused overall sales volumes to decline, tracks that were priced higher compensated for the decline and actually generated more revenue.
Bruno and Peoples note, “Playing with pricing won’t solve the music industry’s biggest problem: Digital revenue is increasing too slowly to compensate for the decline of CD sales. But variable pricing will help labels bring in more money from online downloads, according to the results so far.”
One of our clients, Digonex (on behalf of which we secured this piece), a provider of real-time, demand-driven automated pricing solutions, knows first-hand the impact that variable pricing can have not only on the digital music industry, but on other industries such as event ticketing and e-commerce. The company’s Digital Online Exchange (DOE) platform is an innovative dynamic pricing solution that systematically changes prices based upon behavioral and econometric principles. In a nutshell, it finds the optimal price for every item in a given product catalog and updates those prices in real-time.
Some industry analysts think it’s still early to tell if these new pricing models will truly impact the digital music industry. Forrester Analyst, Mike McGuire says, “For the first year or so the labels are looking at this to see how the market reacts.” “It’s real-time research, in effect. They need as much data as they can to try to understand where they go from here.”
Clearly, this is an evolving landscape. From a PR perspective, it’s important for organizations in emerging markets to establish thought leadership early on to drive awareness and adoption of products and services. We’ve been working closely with Digonex to build relationships with key media and analysts who are covering this space to build awareness around the company and the category.
Aside of the Billboard/Reuters piece above, in the short time we’ve been working with Digonex we’ve secured key coverage on behalf of the company in Red Herring, Reuters, and Billboard.biz. We’ve also set-up introductory briefings with several key industry analysts to ensure they’re grounded in Digonex’s vision and the benefits dynamic pricing. Laying the groundwork early has helped Digonex gain early awareness in this market and establish itself as a credible thought leader in the category.
It’s unlikely that the founders of Twitter ever imagined their social media site would become the vehicle for a political uprising. Or that it would have the capacity to replace traditional journalism and media resources. But that’s exactly what Twitter has done.
Within the last three weeks, Iranian protestors have used Twitter, YouTube and personal testimonies to provide a window into this theocratic state’s rioting and rebellion. Because the government has banned all major reporting from inside the state, the world has had to depend on 140 character tweets about the current status of Iran.
Crowd sourcing and social media have already changed the face of traditional journalism and are likely to continue to redefine it. Instead of turning on the TV and listening to Bill O’Reilly for breaking news and information on Iran’s protests and riots, political followers have instead looked to unfiltered, firsthand experiences available instantly on Twitter and YouTube.
For example, one of the most powerful stories from Iran’s political uprising is the tragic story of Neda, a young woman who was killed during riots. A video of her death was posted on YouTube and quickly became one of the most popular hashtags on Twitter. Neda’s story and the public’s use of social media is an example of the movement to a more unconventional way of reporting – anyone with a Twitter or blog can be considered a journalist or a legitimate source of information.
So what does this mean for the future of journalism and broadcasting? More personalized reporting may give media the breath of fresh air it needs. CNN, for example, has created iReport which is a Web site for citizen journalism. CNN encourages people to upload photos, videos and information, which are then instantly updated on iReport, with some even making it to their newscasts.
The producers acknowledge that although they cannot confirm authenticity of news being disseminated, special circumstances in Iran have left the network with no choice but to depend on citizen journalists. That may not be a bad idea, as tweets and YouTube videos are offering followers instant updates on Iran, well before major networks break the news. Matthew Weaver, a blogger for The Guardian relies on these untraditional sources because, “when rallies and conflicts occur first the tweets come, then the pictures, then the YouTube videos, then the wires. It’s extraordinary.”
Clearly, traditional journalism is changing dramatically with the rise of citizen journalism vis-‡-vis mediums such as Twitter and YouTube. Instead of fighting this trend, media outlets should look for ways to incorporate Twitter into their reporting strategies as a way personalize their stories and connect with their audience while staying current and providing breaking news.
It’s unlikely that the founders of Twitter ever imagined their social media site would become the vehicle for a political uprising. Or that it would have the capacity to replace traditional journalism and media resources. But that’s exactly what Twitter has done.
Within the last three weeks, Iranian protestors have used Twitter, YouTube and personal testimonies to provide a window into this theocratic state’s rioting and rebellion. Because the government has banned all major reporting from inside the state, the world has had to depend on 140 character tweets about the current status of Iran.
Crowd sourcing and social media have already changed the face of traditional journalism and are likely to continue to redefine it. Instead of turning on the TV and listening to Bill O’Reilly for breaking news and information on Iran’s protests and riots, political followers have instead looked to unfiltered, firsthand experiences available instantly on Twitter and YouTube.
For example, one of the most powerful stories from Iran’s political uprising is the tragic story of Neda, a young woman who was killed during riots. A video of her death was posted on YouTube and quickly became one of the most popular hashtags on Twitter. Neda’s story and the public’s use of social media is an example of the movement to a more unconventional way of reporting – anyone with a Twitter or blog can be considered a journalist or a legitimate source of information.
So what does this mean for the future of journalism and broadcasting? More personalized reporting may give media the breath of fresh air it needs. CNN, for example, has created iReport which is a Web site for citizen journalism. CNN encourages people to upload photos, videos and information, which are then instantly updated on iReport, with some even making it to their newscasts.
The producers acknowledge that although they cannot confirm authenticity of news being disseminated, special circumstances in Iran have left the network with no choice but to depend on citizen journalists. That may not be a bad idea, as tweets and YouTube videos are offering followers instant updates on Iran, well before major networks break the news. Matthew Weaver, a blogger for The Guardian relies on these untraditional sources because, “when rallies and conflicts occur first the tweets come, then the pictures, then the YouTube videos, then the wires. It’s extraordinary.”
Clearly, traditional journalism is changing dramatically with the rise of citizen journalism vis-‡-vis mediums such as Twitter and YouTube. Instead of fighting this trend, media outlets should look for ways to incorporate Twitter into their reporting strategies as a way personalize their stories and connect with their audience while staying current and providing breaking news.
Microsoft’s new search engine Bing has been grabbing headlines since its official launch on June 3. Expected to rival search engine giant Google, Bing is gaining popularity and, according to recent comScore Networks data, is boosting Microsoft’s market position.
So what makes Bing the new search engine darling? Is it the friendly user interface or the new Explorer Panel that lets you refine searches? Or is it the Quick Previews feature? Perhaps Bing simply offers a better search engine experience than Google?
According to a study by BlindSearch, a Web site that tests search engines, Google’s search results were favored more among voters. However, similar trials and user feedback show Bing is gaining popularity with Internet users for its friendly user interface and design.
Other users say the two search engines are not that different from each other. For instance, after several days of testing Google and Bing, Rob Pegoraro, columnist with the Washington Post stated, “I started not noticing which site I was typing my query into, since they both seemed to do about as well.”
With all the varying opinions, it’s hard to decipher who is winning the search engine race, Bing or Google? One thing is clear; this debate is dominating the news and continues to be a popular topic with media more than a month after Bing’s release. From a PR perspective, the controversy between the two search engines provides a compelling story for media. Bing is proving itself a worthy contender for reporters to pit against Google – and will no doubt once again prove that that healthy competition between brand-name companies can make great news.
Prominent news outlets, such as CNN, Forbes, Reuters, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, have all covered the news as well as industry publications including CNET, eWeek and ZDNET. PC World wrote a search engine round-up titled, “Bing vs. Google vs. Yahoo: Feature Smackdown,” with a wrestling match play-on-words.
It will be interesting to watch the debate continue as hype surrounding Bing’s release begins to slow down. While the current attention on Bing and Google remains high, the media is already shifting the focus from Bing’s benefits to Google’s reaction to Bing. Examples of this shift can be seen in articles in outlets such as the New York Post, Reuters and Media Post.