JMPR Communication

Archive for the ‘Pitching’ Category

Last week I went to see the Counting Crows.  During the first ten to twenty minutes, I took some pictures and sent them to my Twitter stream over UberTwitter. (Because that’s what I do.)  I searched the stream for “countingcrows” and “counting crows” and noted many people were tweeting from the show.  I gave all the fellow fans a shout out.  Then, I put my phone away.

Let’s just say that some people stayed on their phones the whole show- to tweet.

And let’s just say that “these people”  who are arguably 100% addicted to their Twitter account(s), made fun of me two years ago when I suffered from the same disorder. Only then, Twitter was an unknown, and so my addiction was not understood.

Twitter can be addicting: Image by: dewaldp

One of two things is going to happen when you start Tweeting:

1) Oprah Effect: You sign up for Twitter, because you heard so and so has been using/loving it.  (Remember the surge in numbers when Oprah signed up?)  As you begin to participate, you don’t “get” the big deal about Twitter. Your usage disappears over time.

2) Twitter Addiction: You love reading tweets on the stream and you tweet a lot in-kind. You read and post updates constantly.  If your Twitter activity distracts from your day-job, or annoys your family/friends, you have a “Twitter Addiction.”

I always tell my clients:  Twitter is a useful tool if implemented correctly, but it can be very distracting and even “addictive” if not managed properly.

Here are some tips/tricks I employ to manage my own Twitter addiction:

• Schedule Twitter sessions two times a day
  On busy days I sign onto my Twitter account in the morning and in the afternoon/evening for 5-15 minutes to participate in the conversation.  During the day, I work.

  This is a great tip for companies who are just beginning to tweet.  By participating twice a day, you show that you are present for the conversation.  Feel free to send one tweet about your company each day.  But dedicate your morning or evening session to building relationships with others.

• Use Tools to Moniter Your Stream
  Maybe you’re on Twitter all day because you are looking for direct messages, @replies or mentions of your company?  You don’t need to do this all day.  Let cool Twitter applications do that for you.

  TweetDeck: TweetDeck is my favorite Twitter tool.  You can group your followers, so you never miss a Tweet.  You can conduct a search that will then live in its own column.  You can see your @replies and DMs in their own columns, as well.  TweetDeck allows you to keep an eye on your Twitter stream, so you can focus on your work.

  Twitter Search: Twitter Search (which is part of TweetDeck and Twitter Web) is a one stop search spot to see who has been talking about your company.  I utitlize Twitter Search to monitor the conversation for clients.  I also monitor the conversation on TweetDeck. Here’s the current stream discussing Twitter Addiction.

• Go Mobile
  Having Twitter access on your phone is important.  Sometimes you need to reply to a Direct Message or @reply on a timely basis.  And yeah, it’s just cool to be able to tweet from a concert or TweetUp.  I’m on Blackberry, and so I’ve tested TweetCaster, TwitterBerry and UberTwitter. I’m a huge fan of UberTwitter for a few reasons.  The updates don’t overtax my phone, I can see pictures posted without having to click any links, Re-tweeting is really easy, and basically, it’s 10 steps ahead of the other services.  Test the services yourself and settle on the one that works for YOU.
• Utilize Alerts
  Sometimes I’m not at my desk, so I use TweetBeep to send certain alerts directly to my e-mail.  As a Blackberry user, I can see any important tweets in real-time, even if I’m not on Twitter.
  
  
• Just put it down.  Really.
  There is a time and a place for Twitter.  Don’t tweet when you are driving, in a meeting, at dinner, in the movies, and on and on.  And sometimes, it’s just good to cut the cord.  Your messages will be there later.  I promise.

Before you jump into the online conversation: Listen.  Listening IS participating, and a necessary step in building online relationships.

Why should I listen?

Are you listening before participating in social media? Image by: passitonfromthemill

Let’s be honest, bloggers spend a lot of time researching for and writing blog posts.  Many take offense to under-researched comments. (Don’t believe me?  Send one.  You might get a nasty-gram, or worse, blacklisted.) Bloggers most appreciate those who can contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way.

Social media benefit:  The old rules of traditional PR don’t stand in the blogosphere. Old tactics that are no longer appropriate include: pre-written pitches, blasts (targeted or not), picking up the phone (for some), e-mailing (for others.)  When you listening to a blog for a period of time, you familiarize yourself with that bloggers’ personality. Commenting, sharing news, interacting- it can be a bit different from blog to blog, and you want to be educated.

The result? Better relationships, more coverage.

How do I listen to bloggers?

• Research and read a handful of relevant blogs.
  
  • To find these blogs, utilize free tools  including Google blog search, Technorati, and even blogrolls from your favorite industry-blogs.  You can see how well read a blog is by checking it’s Alexa Ranking.
  • Create a tiered matrix, and include “dream blogs,” mid-range blogs and enthusiast blogs. It’s a good idea to read what both relevant professional bloggers and hobby-bloggers are saying about your industry to form a whole picture.
• Sign up for these blogs on your RSS feeder.  I use Bloglines, but may prefer Google Reader.  This will make it simple to read updates on a daily basis, with all of your blogs on one Web- page.
• Read. Really, just read.  Do this for one month.  Do not comment.  Get to know your bloggers, their subject areas and their readers. If you want to comment, don’t yet.
• Check out their Twitter accounts.  Do you want to really get to know a blogger?  Twitter is a great place to do that.  Read what they say in-between posts.  What excites them?  Why do you respect them?
• Sign up for alerts. Your list of relevant bloggers will change, and should change.  One way to find bloggers in your industry that are writing day to day is to sign up for services like Google Alerts and TweetBeep.  Perhaps there are bloggers who aren’t in your industry, but write one relevant post.  Perhaps there are people on Twitter discussing your technology/business who don’t blog who should be on your radar.

Participation

The rules of participation have changed.  Once you have familiarized yourself with your industry bloggers, you SHOULD participate.

Never participate if:

• Your objective in participating  is to push information about you/your company.  You should participate to build relationships, period. (Even as a side effect you get to share about your product.)
  • If you are pitching a blogger, the thought process should be:  How can I help this blogger write a great story?  (Not: How can I get this blogger to print my story?)
• You plan on asking for a favor on first contact.
  • This includes Direct Messages on Twitter. (Hey!  Thanks for the follow.  Go to http://www.mywebsite and sign up for our great product! )
• You’re in it for the in-link.
  • Only post meaningful comments on blog posts that further the conversation.  The best comments spark additional discussion, and as a great side-effect, draw the blogger’s attention toward your comment.

Definitely participate if:

You want to build relationships.

• If you are participating because you want to learn from others, share your best practices, discuss trends and add to your industry one thought at a time- participate.  Otherwise, maybe social media isn’t for you.

What are your listening best practices?

The problem:

Honestly, NO ONE in the world could be a more HORRID PR practitioner than Lois Whitman-Hess.   You didn’t hear about her?  Click here, or here.  This is a woman who thinks that just because a reporter is attending a tradeshow, they HAVE to meet with her client.  This is a woman who CALLS 45 reporters at the Wall Street Journal in ONE day.  This is a woman who spams journalists like it’s cool.  This is the kind of PR practitioner that makes bloggers think “PR” is a bad word.

WE GET IT.  There are some REALLY HORRIBLE public relations practitioners out there.

The solution:

Bloggers- I want to ask you a HUGE favor for 2009. HUGE.  I want to see one of you- one of you with the respect of the entire PR industry start a new blog or weekly column.  It will be called: The PHENOMENAL PITCH BLOG or something similar.  In this blog/column, you will call out the most outstanding PR pitches you have heard and call out the individuals who pitched.  This will be the anti-blacklist.  (The White-list.  Generic.  You get the idea.)

The philosophy:

I don’t think people learn from rants.  (Ironic since I am writing one.)  I think people learn best from shining examples of good.  In 2008, we’ve suffered through the economy, and if there is one thing that social media has taught me, it’s that (most of the time) positivity rises to the top while negativity sinks, ignored.   Maybe if we have a list of GREAT PR folks, people will strive to MAKE the list.  Let’s give PR people something to strive toward, not a list of avoid.

What now?

I’m one person.  A PR person, a blogger.  If you agree, if you want to see the PHENOMENAL PITCH BLOG come to life… forward this blog.  Who will do it for us?  For the WHOLE public relations industry?

I would be forever grateful.

Day after day I am seeing tweets on my Twitter account from journalists that say things like:

• PR Pro Tip: Do NOT pitch me on Facebook, or;
• Pitching me on Facebook is an invasion of my privacy, don’t do it!

Is Facebook Private?
I am not surprised that many journalists aren’t appreciating this. I am surprised that PR professionals are slipping business pitches into a space that IMHO is “invite only” and private.

From my perspective, Facebook is a semi-private domain on the Internet. I decide who my friends are and I also decide how I utilize the tool once I’m in. Many people use Facebook as a social service, planting gardens and posting pictures to share with their friends. In my case, I utilize Facebook to catch up with old friends, share my thoughts on issues that are important to me via FriendFeed/Twitter, post my resume, share my blog, etc. For me, my Facebooking is a combination of social and business usage, and as a result, I don’t want everyone to have access.

Measuring Interest
At this point, any of the PR pros who have sent a Facebook pitch are probably thinking: Yeah, but I can send a pitch to a reporter without being their friend via the “Message Me” function. Yes, on Facebook you can pitch Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal. But do you think he’ll appreciate it?

I went on Twitter to find out. Walt Mossberg has 902 followers. He is following zero people. NONE. I don’t think it’s a leap to guess that he likes sharing what he has written with the world, but might not be as interested to hear what PR pros have to say via a social media tool.

Even with bloggers, it’s much the same. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, for example has 25,000+ followers but only follows 480+ people.

How to Achieve Results
I understand, it’s hard to get your message out to these very influential folks. So what are PR pros to do? Follow the rules. Of each individual journalist, and pay attention to follow out what those rules are. Paying attention will lead to results.

You Decide
But nothing is definitive. I believe as much as some journalists dislike Facebook pitches, there MUST be some out there that love them, right? I have created two new groups on Facebook to find out.

Dude, don’t pitch me on Facebook!

Dude, I love being pitched on Facebook!

Journalists, bloggers, writers of all kind, please help us PR pros out! Please click on one of the pages and register. What do you think? Should Facebook pitches stay, or go away?