PR Tools: The Media Alert

ATTENTION! VERY IMPORTANT!

I guess I don’t have to cyber scream it, but it grabbed your attention didn’t it?  Much the same way the the media alert would.

What is a media alert?  A media alert or media advisory, is a tool used by PR professionals to interest media about an announcement or upcoming event.  Media alerts are to-the-point and answer the questions who, what, when, where and why in less than a page.  They are effective because they draw the journalist in without losing them in the extra verbiage that press releases and media kits tend to contain.

Recently, I have noticed that some PR professionals are using Twitter and Facebook statuses to promote their clients.  I understand where this trend is coming from, but I would suggest that these methods and practices are not as effective in securing TV and print coverage as the media alert.  As far as I know, journalists are not going to hop on their Twitter or Facebook accounts to find their next story.  Just look at how little journalists use other social networking sites, such as LinkedIn.  Our trip to the Philadelphia Inquirer a few weeks ago reaffirms my belief that journalists working at traditional media outlets just are not ready to fully embrace the 140 character trends sweeping the industry.  Yes, the journalist enjoys bite-sized information but sometimes 140 characters just isn’t enough and clicking the provided Web link is an extra step not worth taking.  Journalists are busy, and the more work we do in advance the greater the potential for positive results.  We are nothing if not thorough at ELISE.

Five years from now the traditional media alert might be totally extinct, but as for now it still reigns as king with us.

Social Media’s Gray Area…Toeing the Line Between Invasion of Privacy and Just Being Smart About It

In this day and age, it seems like everybody and their mother has a Facebook, and for better or worse, I’m being literal. My mom hasn’t hopped on the bandwagon yet, but the point is, you can’t keep track of everyone who is out there in cyberspace reading your posted information, be it an admissions counselor, ex-boyfriend, or employer. In fact, just this week, Facebook’s user population nearly equaled that of the U.S.

Social media allows you to create an impression on people, and just as with face-to-face interactions, you would like the impression to be a good one. This freedom of expression that the Internet equips us with, through sites like Twitter, Facebook, personal blogs and even professional networking sites such as LinkedIn—while it is certainly liberating, can also be dangerous if you aren’t careful (read: you don’t use common sense). In the last few years, social media has evolved from a largely personal tool for connecting with friends, new and old, to a universe in which it is uncommon for a major public figure, large corporation, or maybe your average socially conscious PR firm not to have a Twitter account. Social media is everywhere, and like Geico’s latest advertising campaign, the little money stack with eyes,  it’s watching you.

With this in mind, a few weeks ago I read an article on the dangers of social media for your career, and it struck a chord with me. We all have moments when we are frustrated with life, but there is something to be said for not airing dirty laundry in public. For instance, if you happen to follow the company Twitter, or are Facebook friends with your co-workers, it’s probably not the best idea to publicly complain about your job. When I see my friends do this, I cringe in discomfort for them. Even law enforcement uses Facebook these days, though they won’t be writing on your wall. Just the other week, an annual party at my alma mater was broken up by the police after they read details of it on a Facebook event page.

While some might consider this an invasion of privacy, if it’s out there, someone will find it. Hear me now, people, and thank me later. Use the old rule of thumb… If you wouldn’t want your mother to see it, read it, or hear about it, then don’t post it, because like I said at the beginning, chances of that are increasing.

Social media is meant to help you, not hurt you. Freedom of expression is one of the many great things about our wonderful country, but a little self-censoring never hurt anyone (and I bet it never lost anyone their job either).

First Dates and Social Media Courtship

A few weeks ago, I was at a friend’s housewarming in Manhattan, and talk turned, as it seems to do these days, to social media.

I don’t remember how the conversation started. Somebody probably asked if we’d seen something somebody else tweeted. At some point, though, the conversation turned to best practices when using social media for work, and a friend in attendance at the party, Alex Cohen (who, I should note, was instrumental in getting ELISE on Twitter) said that deciding what social media channel to use when initiating a professional conversation was kind of like dating.

Readers of this blog will know that I love a good metaphor, so naturally I was attracted to Alex’s comparison and decided that I had to write a blog post about it. And away we go…

Say you’re at a bar with your friends. One of your friends notices that one of his friends is also there and invites him over to your table. Suddenly, West Side Story-style, everything gets quiet and everyone in the room fades into soft focus. It may not be love at first sight, but it’s something. You spend the rest of the evening ignoring your friends and talking to the guy. All too soon, it’s time to go home. You exchange information… and then you wait. Which of you is going to make first contact? Are you going to call? E-mail? Facebook stalk? Follow on Twitter? Post a love song to your MySpace page? The possibilities for getting in touch with a potential paramour these days are endless—it’s just all about the approach.

In the world of PR, it’s not too different—minus the soft focus and softer music, that is. We become acquainted with a reporter or his work, either in person; via opportunities posted to ProfNet or Help a Reporter Out; through Twitter; or by simply doing our homework. If we’ve identified that reporter as somebody we’d like to pitch, we then figure out the best approach. Do we keep it simple and send an e-mail? Kick it old school with a phone call or a fax? Or do we embrace social media and shoot for a LinkedIn invite or post to a reporter’s Facebook fanpage? Is it déclassé to pitch on Twitter for the world to see?

Pitching, like dating, is all about the approach. Does the journalist we want to pitch often tweet out information on what he’s working on and ask for input? Then he probably won’t mind if we @reply him with a 140 character pitch. Is he connected to several other PR pros on LinkedIn? Then he would probably be open to connecting with you, too. Hasn’t updated his Facebook wall in over a month? Then maybe a more traditional method of pitching, like an e-mail or a phone call, might be best.

And just like in dating, if the approach is right and you begin to see more of each other, a beautiful relationship can result.