The recent iPhone 3G release brought together broadcast media, bloggers, vloggers, and trade publications. Find me a mainstream blog or newspaper that didn’t cover the release. Traditional media and bloggers shared photos and video footage at this launch and many other events.
This means that more and more, traditional media and new media are in sync. Eventually it won’t be a question of how to interact with traditional print media and journalists or bloggers and online publications. It will become a question of best practices across the board for any communications professional.
Tom Foremski of Silicon Valley Watcher shared ten basic new media skills journalists need to know. John Bell shared skills for the public relations practitioner of the future. But what about skills for new media evangelists?
We talk about "getting it" and understanding how cutting edge Web 2.0 technology works. However, I think there are some basic lessons from PR professionals that new media folks should take note of to truly become well rounded communications experts.
Cross your "T"s and dot your "I"s. Strong writing is a key skill for any communicator. New media professionals should not expect anything less. Although blogs are generally more conversational, writing should still be eloquent and clean. Be mindful of grammar, punctuation and style. In fact, read The Elements of Style. It will do wonders for your blog posts.
Media relations=blogger relations. We talk about it over and over, how bloggers should be treated like media professionals and PR people should pitch them as such. Well, how about we take our own medicine and be extra aware when pitching other social media professionals? Make sure that you’re treating them how you want to be treated, considering how they like to be contacted (e-mail, phone, Facebook, Twitter), understanding exactly what they want/need/cover, and for Pete’s sake, avoid sending a form pitch.
Tailor messages to your audience. Just like PR firms have to consider their audience and the right medium for their message, social media pros need to understand where their audience is participating and communicating. Political campaigns that once solely focused on traditional media (print, radio, TV) have had to change their structure to reach out to voters through text messages, IM, Facebook and other non-traditional means. Social media experts should evaluate their campaigns the same way. Not everyone can benefit from engaging on Facebook and Twitter, some valuable communities may be on Ning and Squidoo.
Understand the value of earned media. The structure may be different, but the end result hasn’t changed. Traditional PR is considered earned media through editorial influence. Social media is very often a grassroots effort, based on trusted relationships, word of mouth and reputation. But in the end, blog placements in top ranked blogs (think TechCrunch or Engadget) should be given the same kudos as traditional media superstar hits (think WSJ, NYT). Earning placements in smaller blogs (say with a Technorati Authority of 50-150) also plays a critical role for influence and reputation (the "magic middle"). In the end, it’s all online, and all contributes to Google ranking and reputation.
These are just a few tips that social media experts can takeaway from traditional public relations professionals. These are tips that apply across the board, because the board is increasingly, and will become, the same.
What other PR rules are out there that can translate into value for social media?
Larissa:
Thanks for the link to my post, Writing Well Doesn’t Come Easy. During my time as a business journalist, I became acquainted with just about every PR practitioner at work in our fair city of Ottawa. Once I hopped the fence and had much more of an industry insider’s perspective, I was surprised to learn how many lacked strong writing skills. To me, that’s like trying to work as a taxi driver without knowing the streets of the city you’re in.
Leo – great analogy! Writing skills transcend journalism, PR, and social media. Everyone benefits!
One of the major things social media brings to the table are the tools. By definition, social media is not just about conversation/engagement – it’s about the sharing of assets and materials. Good PR pros deliver media with all the pieces and social media is the same way- supplying your target with video, photos and all the rest is far easier now. The best way to gain the trust of a journalist, in my experience, is to make them happy. Give them everything required to make a decision or write an article and they’ll love it for it- and most likely, go back to the well when they’re in a pinch.