PR Wishes and Digital Media Dreams:

How to succeed by evolving your communications strategy

Anna Ruth Williams, Founder + CEO @annaruth Blair Broussard, Vice President @blairab

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

What’s your dream headline?

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Overview •  Today’s news media environment

•  Where readers & journalists are (hint: it’s not too different)

•  Press releases that dominate search engines

•  Changing your PR approach

•  Nitty Gritty on social media strategy

•  Developing shareable content

•  Don’t DIY It Alone

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

The New Media Relations

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

News Media is Evolving

•  By 2013, total traffic to the top 25 news sites increased 7.2%

(source: comScore)

•  Journalist layoffs have scaled newsrooms back by 30% - placing added constraints on reporting (source: Pew Research)

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Today’s Media Consumers

•  20% of consumers read news via social media (source: Pew Research)

•  Consumers under the age of 45: –  55% primarily consumer

news via Internet –  28% via TV –  5% via newspaper (source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism)

(source: Reynolds Journalism Institiute)

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Today’s Media Consumers •  23% of consumers under 45

actively engage in aggregating and curating news

•  25% share news via email or social media weekly

•  1 in 5 comment on articles on social media

•  61% of the most active news consumers and commenters are men

(source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism)

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Change Your Strategy

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

•  Distribute releases via a wire service (e.g., PRWeb).

•  Include keywords in the heading and subtitle that are relevant to your business.

•  Keep your headline at ~100 characters.

•  Bring out the underlying value of your announcement with your title.

•  Link to everything! Your website, social media accounts and other pages that boost the “newsworthiness” of your announcement.

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Search-friendly Press Releases

Search-friendly Press Releases •  80% of Internet browsers prefer videos over

images and text in press releases. (source: Real Effect)

•  Including photos in your press release

increases engagement by about 18% and video by 55%.

•  Images expand your audience up to 180%

and a custom mix of photos, videos and multimedia content increases it up to 970%. (source: HubSpot)

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Have a Kick Ass Video and always share it with reporters

Media outlets are looking to engage readers and keep them on their sites for longer periods of time to increase ad revenue. As a result, they’ll often place YOUR video on THEIR site alongside editorial content.

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

SWAG TIME! Want a Water Bottle?

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF JOURNALISTS HAVE TWITTER ACCOUNTS?

The Connected Journalist •  59% of journalists use Twitter, compared to

47% in 2012 (source: Weber Shandwick)

•  92% of journalists are on LinkedIn, making it

the most used social media platform by journalists (source: PRNews)

•  6% of journalists’ first option for researching a

story is to consult a brand’s website (source: Weber Shandwick)

•  On average, journalists visit 2.6 social media

channels for each article they research (source: PRDaily)

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Start with a Media Database •  Your media list should include:

–  Reporter email addresses –  Reporter Twitter handles –  Media outlet Twitter handles –  Reporter LinkedIn URL’s

•  Start your engagement with a personal touch –  Follow target reporters and media outlets on Twitter –  Connect with target journalists on LinkedIn and send a quick,

personal note

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Pitch Reporters on Social Media

As reporters flock to social media for story sources, cut through the inbox clutter - reach out to them on Twitter and LinkedIn! (Hint: A lot of them prefer this method)

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Make PR Reach Further •  Cross-post press releases and media placements on

your social media, blog & website •  Tag outlets/reporters on social media •  Share news stories in your email marketing

•  Ask employees to share news articles to LinkedIn and Twitter networks

•  Hang media placements in your office @ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

The Nitty Gritty on Social Media

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Before You Login… Know Your Channel •  Over 1 billion people

worldwide have a Facebook profile, your brand probably should too…

•  Twitter is a micro-blog GREAT for sharing news!

•  B2B marketing, sales,

recruitment and lead generation – all from your very own LinkedIn profile.

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Before you login… know your channel •  B2C companies are sharing photos

and videos to boost brand awareness and customer engagement on Instagram more than ever.

•  The visual network comprised of mostly women, yet men are jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon, slowly but surely.

•  Google+ Not a very active social network in terms of engagement, but Google is king, and this channel can boost your brand’s SEO.

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Social Strategy Building

So you’re ready to tweet and get your #hashtag on? First…

1.  Set and define goals

2.  Find out what others are saying

3.  Research competitors on social

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Building Your Follower Base

Include social icons EVERYWHERE •  Email Signatures •  Marketing Materials •  Email Blasts / newsletters

Your customers, professional networks, partners and friends are most likely on social media already, so just ASK them to follow your brand.

Use Social Media to Create Credibility Reporters are always seeking valuable interview sources and are increasingly turning to social media to find and vet brands and products.

–  Regularly share thought leadership on your social media channels

–  Accurately depict your products/services on LinkedIn and request recommendations

–  Use search keywords throughout your social media pages and in status updates

–  Demonstrate your marketplace success, happy customers, etc.

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Developing Shareable Content

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Content is King

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Before you begin to draft your posts, create content categories to use as a guide for the type of content on each channel

–  Evolve your messaging as you go, and keep it interesting.

–  Remember to keep the channel in mind when writing content.

Create an Efficient Content Calendar

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Content takes time, and consistency is crucial for getting the most out of your social media strategy.

•  Plan ahead – weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or what ever works best for your internal resources

•  Keep holidays and key industry dates in mind and include in content!

•  Leave room for real-time breaking news and “live” content that is worth sharing.

Is This Working? Having a well-rounded strategy is essential to keeping the process efficient and engaging.

–  What kinds of content are your followers responding to?

–  Are you reaching milestones and meeting objectives?

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

WHEN ARE TWITTER ENGAGEMENT RATES HIGHEST –

WEEKDAYS OR WEEKENDS?

SWAG TIME! Want a Water Bottle?

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Optimal Times To Post

•  Twitter: engagement rates are actually 17% higher on Saturday and Sunday than on weekdays.

•  Facebook: 6 – 8 a.m. during and 2 – 5 p.m. during

weekdays.

•  LinkedIn: People don’t typically use this network during work hours, but rather right before and after work from 7-9 a.m. and 5-6 p.m.

•  Google +: 9 – 11 a.m. is typically the best range, but on Google+, it comes down to your audience. Timing+ is a tool that analyzes your brand’s last 100 posts and helps you identify the times that earned your content the most traffic

Don’t Forget Your Personal Brand Reporters will vet interview sources to determine credibility and subject matter expertise. Ensure your company’s leaders have strong digital visibility.

•  Complete, professional LinkedIn profiles full of industry keywords

•  Active and engaging Twitter accounts

•  Powerful bios available on your website

•  Fresh headshots that are “on brand” and reflect your corporate culture

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Don’t DIY it Alone!

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

annaruthpr.com/startupPR Startup Packages

@ar_ _pr #makenews

•  Affordable •  Media lists of your target

reporters •  Social media strategies •  Press how-to video •  Press release & wire

distribution •  1-on-1 consultation

Startup Packages

@ar_ _pr #makenews

Just for NOEW Participants:

10% off (code: startup10) expires April 7th

The Launch Rocket package provided us with the consultation and tips we needed to engage with reporters on the phone, via email and even through Twitter. The day our press release was distributed, we received 8,000 app downloads within 24 hours - our biggest day yet. The package even helped us land a feature in TechCrunch!

Questions?

@ar_ _ pr #NOEW2014

Contact:

Offices in Atlanta Tech Village and

Launch Pad New Orleans 855.300.8209 | annaruthpr.com

annaruth@annaruthpr.com | blair@annaruthpr.com

linkedin.com/company/arpr facebook.com/annaruthpr

@ar__pr #makenews