Social Media is for Building Relationships, Not ‘Pitching,’ Cision/PR News Survey Reveals
PR Pros Say Email Still Preferred for Press Releases and Story Ideas
CHICAGO, May 30, 2012 – More than 80 percent of PR pros polled in a new survey by Cision and PR News said they use social media primarily to develop relationships with media and influencers, build trust and maintain transparency, share current news, or solicit feedback on products and services. Only 13 percent said they use social media to proactively pitch story ideas to journalists and bloggers. Instead, the survey found that email is still the primary way PR professionals send press releases and story ideas to the news media. More than 90 percent of the nearly 300 respondents indicated they will distribute the same or a greater number of news releases via email in the coming year. The survey also found that more than 85 percent of PR professionals currently prefer one of the three dominant social media networks as their preferred means of connecting with the media: Twitter (34.4 percent), Facebook (29.3 percent) and LinkedIn (23.2 percent). Only 13.1 percent named Google+ (4.8 percent), blogs or other social platforms as their principal vehicle. 
“It’s no surprise Twitter is emerging as the top choice among PR professionals for interacting with the media and influencers,” said Jay Krall, Director of Product Strategy for Cision, the leading provider of PR software, services and tools for the marketing and public relations industry. “Twitter is immediate, intensely personal and enables communicators to easily build relationships and engage in real time with an enormous network of contacts.” The survey also discovered that more than 65 percent of the PR professionals surveyed carve out dedicated time each week to identifying influencers in their markets and social networks, with 12.6 percent spending four or more hours, 30.5 percent 2 to 3 hours, and 23.3 percent at least one hour. Krall said the results document the change under way in the methods professional communicators use to interact with the media, noting that the most effective PR pros today “collaborate and converse” with the media and key market influencers, rather than trying to “pitch” the media on a particular story. Krall noted this shift toward relationship-based engagement was behind Cision’s decision to launch a new social community, Seek or Shout, where journalists, professional communicators, bloggers and other influencers gather to share knowledge and ideas about stories, news and market trends.
“It’s no surprise Twitter is emerging as the top choice among PR professionals for interacting with the media and influencers,” said Jay Krall, Director of Product Strategy for Cision, the leading provider of PR software, services and tools for the marketing and public relations industry. “Twitter is immediate, intensely personal and enables communicators to easily build relationships and engage in real time with an enormous network of contacts.” The survey also discovered that more than 65 percent of the PR professionals surveyed carve out dedicated time each week to identifying influencers in their markets and social networks, with 12.6 percent spending four or more hours, 30.5 percent 2 to 3 hours, and 23.3 percent at least one hour. Krall said the results document the change under way in the methods professional communicators use to interact with the media, noting that the most effective PR pros today “collaborate and converse” with the media and key market influencers, rather than trying to “pitch” the media on a particular story. Krall noted this shift toward relationship-based engagement was behind Cision’s decision to launch a new social community, Seek or Shout, where journalists, professional communicators, bloggers and other influencers gather to share knowledge and ideas about stories, news and market trends. About Cision
Cision is a leading global media intelligence company, serving the complete workflow of today’s communications, social media and content marketing professionals. Offering the industry’s most comprehensive PR and social software, rich analytics and a Global Insights team, Cision enables clients to improve their marketing and strengthen data-driven decision making. Cision also represents the Gorkana Group, PRWeb, Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and iContact brands. Headquartered in Chicago, Cision has over 100,000 customers worldwide and maintains offices in Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Finland and China. For more information, visit www.cision.com or follow @Cision on Twitter.
Cision is a leading global media intelligence company, serving the complete workflow of today’s communications, social media and content marketing professionals. Offering the industry’s most comprehensive PR and social software, rich analytics and a Global Insights team, Cision enables clients to improve their marketing and strengthen data-driven decision making. Cision also represents the Gorkana Group, PRWeb, Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and iContact brands. Headquartered in Chicago, Cision has over 100,000 customers worldwide and maintains offices in Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Finland and China. For more information, visit www.cision.com or follow @Cision on Twitter.