Make it Easy to Talk About You

A simple means of stepping into social media (no Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, or any other account needed...). You don’t even have to ask your boss for permission.

Teensy Bit of History

Times were, the press release was king of the public relations arsenal. There were oh, so many versions. Fancy formatting. Debates abound as to the right elements, spacing, formatting, content length... anything that might make it more likely that an editor or reporter would take notice.

All kinds of crazy schwag was delivered with them in hopes of getting reporter attention. Sometimes reporters would pay attention to the piece for this. Others—because of ethics rules at their publications/stations—had to return the schwag because a “gift” might be perceived as tainting their impartiality.

When first entering the U.S. market, The Beatles sent radio stations records of the band members answering questions that arrived on a corresponding release. Radio DJs could then hold an “interview” with the band by queuing the turntable and asking the questions. There’s also the “video” press release where you prepared and delivered (on tape, then DVD) the elements a television reporter would use would use to tell your story.

Though you can find innumerable seminars and consultants who will teach this and more, journalists generally cite an effective release as having three key elements:

1. It’s short, generally one page max.
   
2. It tells the story as directly as possible. This takes writing practice, to eliminate all the extraneous or “fluff” language. Just. The. Facts. Ma’am. We don’t care how “excited” your CEO is about the “breakthrough” product/service. We can judge that for ourselves. (Trick: Write your story out, then cut it down to one page—Times New Roman, 12 pt., 1.5 line height, standard margins—by taking out all the unnecessary words. Edit harshly.)
   
3. It tells them where to go for more information. Generally, they will seek that if they need it.
   
4. The release also needs to be delivered to the correct reporter. The trends/fashion editor is not interested in your reinvention of the staple gun unless it goes well with Louis Vuitton’s spring line.

Many reporters keep a “hall of shame” collection of press releases... the really bad or outlandish. They’re funny. You are being mocked.

PR firms—in a stab at recognition—are touting various versions of a “social media release”. Some of these are ingenious, some are just silly.

But the core of the press release concept translates well to social media: setting your information free in a concise format that makes it easy for an editor/writer/journalist to recognize its worthiness (in THEIR view, not yours), gather any other information, and share it with their audience.

People Are Talking About You

Let’s set aside for a moment the raging debate over what does/doesn’t define a “journalist”. Instead, let’s accept that everyone is talking about you. Take a look.

To keep track, I highly recommend setting up Google Alerts on key phrases about your organization. (To keep from getting flooded with emails, I recommend using some Boolean operators to make sure only the most relevant alerts are sent to you.)

Some are blogging. Some might mention you on their Facebook or MySpace pages. Others are using comment systems... even review pages. Especially twitter. Tweets go out from everywhere. As does a picture posted to Picasa or Flickr.

It’s only going to become more prevalent. A few, yes, will criticize. However, unless you’re screwing up, most of those who will do write about you are likely fans. But pay attention to the critics... some might have a good point and you can adjust your firm’s activities accordingly. Or you can answer them right in their own comments section. “Thank you for the comment. Wanted to let you know we changed that.” or “Thank you, but we wanted to address some misinformation...”

This is scary for some organizations who like the curtain between them and the rest of the world. But, like I said... look who’s already talking.

Truth is, we are ALL the media now. So make it easy for us to get the story right.

Back to the Press Release

I believe the core of the press release... your story told, as concisely as possible (think 200-300 words*), assembled with the least amount of formatting possible (plain text is best), and kept somewhere it’s as easy to deliver it quickly as possible. Truth is, the real work of the press release should be focused on the writing and especially the editing. Short and to-the-point.

Some organizations like to keep “online press rooms” where they link to all their press releases. This makes the information readily available to anyone at any time. That’s good, ‘cause not everyone wants to contact you first. They just want to write... or copy & paste.

But also keep a version handy that you can drop into an email at any moment. This way you can have very rapid response whenever you get a request... a sign of professionalism.

Hazards: We all want to tell every last bit of our stories. This is bad, as your audience has limited capacity to absorb the information. You really have to simplify it... and that 200-300 word limit really forces you to do so. Note: If you are not practiced at writing (be honest), this will take work. Ask: what MUST the reader take away from this piece? (When you’ve told a story well in a concise format, the writer will be more likely to contact you for more information. You proved yourself a good resource.)

Have more to say (or even a story independent of your organizations main story)? Perhaps you have more than one story. Those can be other 200-300-word releases. Collected into an archive, these can do a pretty effective job of telling the larger story of what your organization does.

You also want to make sure that wherever you use one of these “releases”, it includes your contact information: your name/title as contact, phone number, web address, email, and any social media platforms on which your organization can be found (i.e. http://smgestalt.blogspot.com and http://twitter.com/getspine). Remember, you’re making it as easy as possible to for the writers to access the right information... which includes reaching you if they need.

To sum up:

1. Set up a Google Alert on key terms related to your organization.
   
2. Participate where appropriate. Thank commentators. Correct actions if the criticism makes a good point. Correct information where it is appropriate. (I'm trusting you'll keep your cool and refrain from posted arguing... that's bad form.)
   
3. Create very simple press releases to share your story: 200-300 words with key contact information.

You can also find appropriate journalists, bloggers, and other interested parties with whom to share your releases. Ideally, you'll see your own efforts pay off in future Google Alerts.

Really, getting started on using social media can be this easy.

*By comparison, this blog entry is approximately 1,000 words.