Media Skills 2014!Week 9: Online Media Relations !

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Dr Kane Hopkins

The ultimate aim

• Provide EVERYTHING they could possibly want on YOUR site, so they don’t need to search elsewhere

• Include links from your site to other coverage available online

• Other coverage has the advantage of seeming more independent/credible

• You can respond to contextualise• Include links to general data sources on industry and other

stats• Give useful data

The media landscape is changing...

(Coates et al., 2010)

Who uses the Internet?

• More than 2,802,478,934 individuals are connected worldwide (29% of population)

• But… that is only 39.0% of the world’s population

The Internet in New Zealand?

• NZ - 4,401,916 population (2014)• 3,810,144 Internet users

• 86.6% of population• 2,291,240 Facebook users

• 52.1% of population• 21.42 Mbps Broadband download speed on August, 2014!

internetworldstats.com

Stats (from Middleberg & Ross, 2001).

• 98% of journalists spend 15 hrs a week (minimum) online• 92% of journalists use online data in stories• 81% search online daily• 47% would consider reporting a story that they saw on the

Internet, if they could obtain an independent source

Does it matter?

• Journalists who can’t find what they want endure a frustrating experience

• Research shows that this frustration then transfers to their opinion of your company (Nielsen & Coyne, 2001)

• That then translates to a higher likelihood of negative coverage or no coverage at all• “better not to write it than get it wrong”• “makes me think they are incompetent”

• Bottom line: if they don’t feel valued by you, they won’t value you in return (social exchange theory)

Top 5 reasons journos go to corporate websites

1. Find a PR contact (name & ph no)2. Check basic facts

• Spelling of exec’s name, age, headquarters location, etc.3. Find out company’s angle on current events4. Check financial info5. Download images to use in stories

Twitter

A media friendly website

• Media releases (by date and topic)• Executive bios• Useable photos• Activity calendars• Copies of speeches• Downloadable logos• Lists of upcoming events• Past media coverage• Contact info• Discussion papers or backgrounders

Online news rooms

• Now an essential PR tool; increasingly offer broadcast quality digital video/audio.

• Require a united approach by all sectors within an organisation.

• Should reflect journalists’ needs (e.g. good archives, easy navigation).

• Should only contain what can be maintained. Add news and keep calendars and contacts up-to-date.

• Avoid recycling stories

Organising the online newsroom

• Keep open access; encourage media to register for email alerts, online conferences, etc.

• PR should have overall responsibility for newsroom, with support from IT.

• Consolidate all contact information on specific, well signposted page – and update regularly!

And journalists do use the web to find story material…Some stats:• 92% of reporters go online to gather information for stories (Vocus,

2010, p. 3)• A decade ago, most of those journalists (77%) couldn’t find the

information they were looking for, most of the time (Bransford, 2001)

• Although not re-surveyed, this may have improved as more companies get media savvy, but this means even more of an imperative not to be left behind…

• 80% of US PR practitioners plan to focus on social media in 2010 (Vocus, 2010, p. 2)

The Internet sets offline media agendas

Blogger relations

• Cultivation: Get to know bloggers• Collaboration: working together to develop mutually

beneficial relationships• Content: help the blogger out• Community: Most bloggers answer to their community: not

editors or publishers• Communication: Be specific in your communication.

Bloggers are pressed for time