Writing the conversation: How social media is redefining PR’s content creation
The explosion of social media, combined with the decline of traditional media, presents a new challenge for PR writing. How do we shift focus from our message to our audience, while still crafting campaigns that are measurable, goal-driven and compelling? It is as simple — and as difficult — as adopting a different mindset.
The old-school press release
For decades, the triad of print media, journalistic standards and the AP Stylebook-driven press release meant that PR professionals could key in on content.
Because PR writing was aimed primarily at journalists who were in turn reporting to a passive readership, there was little motivation to understand the wants, needs and opinions of the individuals who were using a product or service. “Publics” and “audiences” were addressed, but there wasn’t true familiarity.
As a result, Brain Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge, co-authors of “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,” wrote that the old-fashioned press release didn’t change much for 100 years.
Then Web 2.0 happened. Anyone, from anywhere, could create and distribute content. Now, Facebook users share more than 3.5 billion pieces of content while popular YouTube videos can garner more than100 million views.
Suddenly, the conversation is going on all around you. Your brand is being evangelized, dismissed, measured and documented in real time online. If you haven’t already done so, then it’s time to join the conversation and show your company or client cares — a mission perfectly suited for the PR professional.
As social media adviser Chris Brogan blogged recently on ChrisBrogan.com, “the people who know how to storytell in this new space, and who know how to be a personality while telling these stories, are poised to do interesting things. The medium has changed. The methods have changed. The opportunity has changed.”
Blogger and journalist outreach
Bloggers and journalists are still critical influencers, and most PR practitioners are adept at identifying them, cultivating relationships with them and supplying relevant stories and information.
Twitter lists provide an excellent way to keep tabs to spot blogger relation opportunities, and social media releases provide visual, textual and social content in a useful format. BrianSolis.com features an educational tutorial on social media releases, and PitchEngine.com is a powerful, free social media release creator.
Social network participation
“Go to where the people hang out and write about them on their terms,” digital strategist Steve Farnsworth suggests. A social media-optimized online press room is wonderful for your Web site, but the majority of your customers are somewhere else — Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, forums or blogs.
Locate and listen first, then join the conversation respectfully. Each venue has a culture and an etiquette that must be honored, yet far too many so-called experts still use these channels for boorish one-way broadcasts.
Measurement
Public relations has always been about the blending of art and science — relationships and results, storytelling and statistics. If 2009 was the year that most PR practitioners finally joined the conversation in Web 2.0 venues such as blogs, wikis, Twitter, Facebook and Ning, then 2010 will be the year that social media campaign measurement will be standardized and expected.
“Stop taking orders, and start creating true demand for your insights and the outcomes they drive,” says communications consultant Valeria Maltoni. “That means becoming more adept at tracking and measuring results, and more accountable to the organizations and people you serve.”
It’s a new environment for the PR writer — one that’s richer and more diverse due to the thousands of people that may be converging around your brand.
As Solis and Breakenridge wrote in their book, “You can be more effective and valuable as a genuine enthusiast for who and what you represent . . .The key is to let go and embrace the chaos.”
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