PR Guru and Spin Sucks author Gini Dietrich will host a webinar on Thursday, February 27 at 2 p.m. ET analyzing the Vocus State of the Media Research 2014 Report. What do these trends mean for your PR strategy?
The State of the Media Report 2014 offers several useful pointers that you can use to guide your public relations effort. Gini will tell you which tactics should evolve and help you:
-Earn more coverage by pitching reporters on platforms they favor.
-Build relationships with influencers on their preferred social networks.
-Develop visual and conversational assets that reporters seek for stories.
Get a head start on the competition for earned media. Register now!
To get you started, we created five tips that you can begin working on today:
Tip 1: Reporters still prefer to be pitched via email (91 percent); however, they are becoming more welcoming of social media pitches. Of the 55 percent of reporters who accept pitches via social media, 37 percent would rather receive a pitch via Facebook, and 30 percent would prefer one via Twitter.
Recommendation: Find out if your reporters accept social media pitches. If they do, cultivate relationships with them there and pitch them tactfully.
Tip 2: Media outlets are cutting photographers and arming their reporters with iPhones instead. That means newspapers need to increasingly rely on third parties for quality photos, video and visual information.
Recommendation: Make photographs, videos and visual information a part of your pitches, and watch success rates increase.
Tip 3: The second most popular use of social media by the media was engagement, with 49 percent of journalists using social media to connect with people. Radio broadcasters in particular like to read and engage with listeners live. In fact, radio broadcasting service Jelli last year found a correlation between social media engagement and ratings.
Recommendation: Offer radio stations and other outlets the opportunity to interview personalities with actively engaged social media followings.
Tip 4: More than 95 percent of journalists don’t believe social is a completely trustworthy source. Only four percent completely trust it.
Recommendation: If you can offer factual information that either corroborates or conflicts with a social media trend, then provide that information to covering reporters. Use research whenever possible.
Tip 5: More and more television viewers are downloading live stream newscasts to their smartphones, which is the same content going out on the air. That means broadcasters are changing formats to serve them on a variety of apps and devices.
Recommendation: One method of getting coverage includes augmenting stories with additional footage, Vine and Instagram video shorts, subject matter experts, YouTube videos, and other value added media.
Want dozens of additional insights for your PR strategy? Get the Vocus State of the Media Research 2014 Report!
Image: Leo Reynolds (Creative Commons)
