With only 140 characters, how do you entice the media to cover your story?
Think about it… is 140 characters really different than the lead in a press release? Remember, reporters only read the first paragraph and if it strikes their interest, they read the rest. If the first paragraph doesn’t capture their interest, you don’t have a story!
Twitter is one of the most effective social media sites for getting your message out to, not only a mass community, but also to a specific targeted media community. Reporters use the site all the time to look for sources.
Reporter, Marianne Brown of the Connecticut Post said, “Because I was working on an especially tight deadline, I needed sources who would be directly on point very fast. I sent my Tweet out cloaked through Profnet because I needed the sources’ backgrounds as well to establish their credentials so that I wouldn’t waste time answering calls from folks whose info wasn’t directly relevant. I got five responses in the three-hour window I had that were relevant, informative and lead to other sources. Basically, they responded to my Tweet that went out to college and university media folks. I was looking for authorities that researched public shaming and its impact on society. I got academics, sociologists, social psychologists, law professors who study privacy rights, etc. Not every one of them was quoted by name in my column. But their views helped shape my opinions.”
Twitter enables public relations professionals to develop something that is quick while capturing the attention of the reporters creatively to entice them to be interested in your story.
How do you do this?
· Create a Media List: For starters, you need to get a list of reporters and bloggers. Use an application like Twellow to research your list and make sure you are on the right track targeting the right people. Each person on Twellow has a full description of what they write about and their interests.
· Follow Reporters: Make sure to input their information in your Twitter account.
· Listen: Don’t forget to listen to what reporters are saying. It’s very telling especially on Twitter. What do they write about on Twitter? What type of messages are they putting out? They may even be looking for a source and then it’s a win, win for both parties!
· Create a Friendship: Make sure that once you are following reporters, bloggers and producers that they follow you back. You do this by talking with them when you don’t have news. Start a conversation going. Respond to their posts. Get them to talk with you. When they see you offer value, they will follow you.
· Develop Your Message: What do you want to say? Is it newsworthy? Can a reporter develop a story around the tweet? Tweets can only be 140 characters. To shorten up, use word symbols that get your message across. For example for “You” type “U” to shorten the content.
· Use Links: It’s important to provide more information to reporters. Do this by providing a link to your newsroom with the full press release and background information. Making the information easily accessible will help the reporter immensely.
· Follow up: You can follow up on Twitter but you may want to also try email and/or the old fashioned phone. Remember there are lots of messages on Twitter and how will your message stand out?
“I love when PR people pitch me on Twitter,” said Greg Sleter, Senior Managing Editor of HomeWorld Business. “It enables them to get to the point instead of going on and on and on like in a press release. PR people know the story. If I’m interested, send me a link and I’ll visit it..”
So if you’ve never done it, why don’t you give Twitter a try? Rethink your strategy and tweet out your next pitch. If it’s intriguing, you will be pleasantly surprised at the positive responses you will receive!
