Final Project: Social Media News Release

In today’s society, when simple text is not enough and videos and status updates are what keeps the world informed on matters of high importance, it is only befitting that the PR industry and journalists as well are keeping up. This is where the Social Media News Release comes into play. Social Media News Releases or SMNRs, use multimedia outlets such as videos, links, and photos, and utilizes them in social media settings as a means of enhancing new releases and makes it easier and more user friendly for web browsers. “ Social media press releases provide links to additional resources that are helpful for story research and they also package information into formats that are easy to use for quotes and citing references/statistics. Images, audio and video also add impact to the release,” (TopRank Blog)

Like with any thing, there are advantages and disadvantages for using SMNRs. Because SMNRs are so interactive and user friendly, I must say the pros outweigh the cons however, issues with multimedia malfunctions can cause frustration and really make the use of SMNRs a bit more tricky. The pros of SMNRs are extensive, unlike its counterpart. SMNRs allow for optimum sharing, conversing, and searching. It also is a great story telling tool because visuals are involved and make the sharing of the news a bit more exciting. SMNRs engage the reader/view and really holds their attention. (wet paint) Sometimes, when news is complicated or there is a lot of information to get across, SMNRs can bypass that issue because the photos or videos can aid in the explanation. Also, because SMNRs are used for social media purposes, the information can be condensed and more concise for easy reading.

There are  two questions PR practitioners should ask in regards to  SMNRs: why and when should they be used. “ Of the many motivating factors for the use of social media press releases, there are two driving forces that stand out: The changing needs of the end consumer and increasing ease of use for the media,” (Toprank Blog). SMNRs really appeal to journalists, bloggers/podcasters, and consumers/readers. (wet paint) Because of this, PR practitioners should use SMNRs often. Now that we have established that, we should move on to when they should be used.  PR practitioners should be considered for any business to be honest. Who wouldn’t want great visuals, helpful links, and engaging videos to go along with the information they are trying to get across?  Social Media users are accustomed to using such things and if a company wants to stay current, they should hop on the SMNR train- and fast.

I’m sure you are asking yourself, ” does SMNRs really give good results. I’ll let some professionals over at RealWire answer that for me. “Like all press releases it is the content of your story that is key and ensuring it is told to the right people, however our coverage analysis suggests that the use of the format can assist in achieving around double the editorial coverage and up to four times as much on blogs. We think this is because it encourages clients to strive for greater creativity in their storytelling. You can find our blog post about the analysis here and reactions on Twitter here.”

Now that you are jumping at the bits to create an SMNR I have some tips for you.

• Make sure your visuals are current and up-to-date. Readers appreciate you keeping up with the times and it holds their attention
• Use quotations, detailed descriptions, and for blog posted SMNRs, some categories and tags. This really makes things easier for the reader and that is important.
• Make sure your links/videos are in working order before you post them. This helps delete the negative connotations associated with SMNRs and again, adds to the ease of SMNRs.
• Use key words or phrases, something that will work well on Social Media sites like Twitter, who only operate on short and concise phrases.

Now that you are well prepared and knowledgeable on SMNRs, you are well on your way to being a more effective and up-to-date PR practitioner.

Additional links to help you understand, create, and sample SMNRs:

ITV2 SMNR example

Belkin SMNR example

PitchEngine

PRXbuilder

Real Wire

Guide to SMNRs

British Boy Band For Christmas!

So, it should be no surprise to anyone who knows me that I have two loves– Glee and England.  This post isn’t dedicated to Glee. Sorry Gleeks, don’t worry there are plenty of them here so calm yourself. This one is dedicated to England. Well the English boy band, The Wanted, to be exact.

I’m in love with them. It is British music at it’s best. Cheesy and fun and so catchy that you can’t help but sing along. Listening to them brings me back to England, driving around my kiddies ( I was Mary Poppins to three children), and singing at the top of my lungs. It makes me a bit teary to even thing about it.

Back on track now, I promise. This year, The Wanted, has decided to do a lovely little marketing/pr strategy if I do say so myself and it is a The Wanted Advent Calendar. You can go to their website online and everyday from now until Christmas you can open up the little numbered windows and inside each one is something special from the band.

It is a nice way to communicate to the fans and is a great way to spread a little Christmas cheer. Watch this video to see this cute little band that I adore so much and hear more about the Advent Calender. Oh, and after, go check out their songs, “All Time Low,” “Heart Vacancy,” and “Lose My Mind.”

Jake and Taylor Swift: Taylor’s Next Biggest hit?

So speculation between this pair has been going on for weeks now. Of course, both parties are keeping mum on the subject of a budding romance, but that hasn’t stopped the media and the fans for that matter from trying to catch these two together. Sources have reported that the two have been spotted around NYC and Nashville; grabbing coffee together or going for a good old fashion night out for ice cream. A few fuzzy photos from fans have been captured, but no paparazzi photos were published, that is until now. US Weekly has just released photos of the pair having a lovely stroll through Central Park in New York City. These photos have been held back for a few weeks now and were just released because the settlement of funds was reached. Wanna know how much these photos went for? Take a guess. Okay, I’ll tell you. A whopping $250,000.

What makes this couple so high in demand. Well, duh, it’s because we are all wondering if this is going to be Swift’s newest top selling song. We all know that every relationship Swift has been in has made it into her songs. “Back to December,” is about her relationship with Taylor Lautner, “Dear John,” obviously John Mayer, ” Forever and Always, ” about her and Joe Jonas, and “Better than Revenge, is about the girl that stole the JoBro away, Camilla Belle. All of this is speculation of course, but she makes it pretty obvious, so Jake better do Swifty right, because she might have a new single expressing what went down in their relationship.

Thank Goodness for PRSA

So I am graduating in two weeks. I don’t want to talk about it. It is scary and really stressful. Honestly, I don’t recommend it. Okay, that was a bit of a joke but seriously, with no car, job, funds, or home to my name, I’m feeling the heat. My parents so kindly told me I am not allowed to come home after graduation. Now, I know that sounds harsh but they mean well. They want me to make it in the world and to apply myself. They want me to get out there and try, and if I fail then they’ll be there, but until then, I am basically screwed.

So the job hunt ensued. I can’t tell you how many job applications I have turned in. I wish there was a job that paid me to fill out job applications because I am now highly qualified for it. Job hunting is frustrating, especially in such a competitive field such as journalism and public relations. Getting responses whether it be yes OR no is difficult as well, but I must say that PRSA.org has really been helpful to me.

PRSA.org is a website devoted to PR and they have a section where they post jobs related to the media field. I spent hours on this site and I can honestly say that i applied to every job that I was qualified for. Yes, I went through all 300 and some odd listings in my desired fields and applied.

Here’s hoping I get a job! Thanks PRSA for your help!

Update on Proposal Video

So I called it. Sort of. The proposal video I mentioned a few weeks back is in fact a staged proposal. The proposal was conducted by Thinkmodo, a business specializing in marketing.

“ Thinkmodo founder Michael Krivicka reveals:

“Since viral videos are both art and science, we wanted to merge both elements to introduce predictability to the videos’ success. As part of our ’study’ we staged an elaborate marriage proposal in Central Park and fused tech and romance to see how well each would be received if merged. Would men be drawn by the awesome iPhone app (which unfortunately doesn’t exist) or would women cry and wonder why Frank threw the ring (which was never in the box)? Since our video was covered by outlets like Glamour as well as CNET, we learned that, contrary to conventional wisdom, content can be made to appeal to both sexes without lessening the appeal to each.”“

I knew this video was too good to be true. Here it is again, just in case you missed it.

 

 

 

Source: Perez Hilton: Read More: We Knew It Was A Hoax!! Called It! | PerezHilton.com http://perezhilton.com/2010-12-01-iphone-wedding-proposal-revealed-to-be-hoax#ixzz16zWqaRCp
Celebrity Juice, Not from Concentrate

12 Second SALE!!!

So with Thanksgiving having just past and Black Friday holiday shopping trips clearing money away from your bank account, I’d like to take you back there for a moment. For weeks before the holiday season officially kicked off, advertisements for Black Friday were well underway on TV, Radio, and internet. Even mobile phones were advertising Black Friday sales via apps. Of course, Black Friday is an intense shopping day. Customers line up as early as Thanksgiving night just to get in and get the sales.

 

Black Friday has been known to be hazardous. Stampedes of people rushing through the doors can cause injury and I’m sure there has had to be deaths. But, these advertisements keep popping up, screaming at you to come to their store and get there as soon as possible to get the best deal.

This past Saturday, SNL did a great skit commercial really playing on the Black Friday commercials. Really funny and so on point.

Take a look. You won’t regret it.

Publicity Wedding Or True Love

So Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are a busy making headlines once again. After very public wedding a few years back, the two were shroud in speculation on whether or not it was a Publicity stunt or actually legit. With countless interviews and declarations of love, the media was overtaken by “Speidi.” Fast forward two years and talks of divorce were being whispered. Again, was this a real split and not a publicity stunt was in question. The two held strong, saying that the split wasn’t a joke. However in September 2010, the two put the divorce proceedings on hold, claiming they have worked out their differences.

Again, lets fast forward a mere two months and the two are in the media again. This time retracting their statement that the divorce was real because “Montag and Pratt announced that the reason behind the couple’s divorce was to help Montag’s career. Pratt has said, ‘The divorce was real – just the idea behind it was different than most people. Divorcing was the only way to keep Heidi’s career going because everyone hated me so much. Look at Sandra Bullock – her divorce from Jesse James was the best thing to happen to her image.’” (Wikipedia).

Now the two are planning a wedding to renew their vows.

Obviously these two are craving attention. Ever since their time on Laguna Beach and The Hills, you can’t seem to get them out of the spotlight. With Heidi’s surgery scandal and Spencer acting like he is mentally ill, People Magazine and other’s like it, can’t seem to stop covering this fame addicted duo.

Clearly their publicist is working overtime and doing a pretty great job getting them out in the media. Do I recommend going about it the way that they do? Absolutely not. Desperate attempt to get into the media isn’t something that I would advise for my clients. Staging weddings, divorce, scandals, those aren’t things I would want my clients to be known for.

 

How do you feel about this fame hungry pair?

10 Points for Gryffindor

With tomorrow’s midnight opening, Harry Potter fan’s will be rejoicing for the first of the two part installment to be released. For weeks now, fans have been buying advance tickets and already this film is record breaking. Already this film has caused quite a stir for being the only film to be slated to play in 3,700 locations for a midnight showing, a feat that no film has ever achieved. After that, the film will be showing on over 9,000 screens across the country.

Showings everywhere have been sold out for days and because of the demand 3 a.m. showings have been added. The Cobb Theatre in Lakeland Fl has already had to go down that road, as both the midnight and 3 a.m. IMAX showings are already sold out. Don’t worry, I have my ticket.

So far it is reported that the film has already made $25 million in advance sales and shows no sign of stopping. I am curious though, is this record breaking film doing so well because of the Harry Potter series itself, the promotional appearances by the cast, ad campaigns, the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, or because it is the final installment of this series? My guess is that is is a mixture of all, but I have to say that the publicity for this film has been quality. The trailers are phenomenal, appearances by the cast on tv and print publications have been numerous, and the strategic opening of the theme park couldn’t have hurt. What are you thoughts?

Jessica@facebook.com?

Monday it was announced that Facebook was implementing a new messaging service. This service is supposed to combine, email, chat,SMS, and messages into one convenient location.Facebook will provide an @facebook.com address to any user who wants it and will provide seamless messaging.

‘They will receive your message through whatever medium or device is convenient for them, and you can both have a conversation in real time.  You shouldn’t have to remember who prefers IM over email or worry about which technology to use.  Simply choose their name and type a message.” (Facebook blog)Messaging isn’t email. There isn’t any CC or BC lines. Instead this is a way to message and keep up with all contact with each friend. It is more like a running chat and enables you to message faster. “Messages is built for communicating with your friends, so it made sense to organize primarily around people.  All of your messages with someone will be together in one place, whether they are sent over chat, email or SMS. You can see everything you’ve discussed with each friend as a single conversation.” (Facebook Blog).

Even people who aren’t on Facebook will still be able to show up on your Messages Feed. “With new Messages, your Inbox will only contain messages from your friends and their friends. All other messages will go into an Other folder where you can look at them separately. If someone you know isn’t on Facebook, that person’s email will initially go into the Other folder. You can easily move that conversation into the Inbox, and all the future conversations with that friend will show up there.” (Facebook Blog).

This is really a revolutionary idea and will change the face of messaging. It seems really convenient and easy and also allows for all your friends, facebookers and non facebookers alike to be organised into one central hub.

 

For more information and for an informative video visit the Facebook Blog.

 

TOW 13: What Drives Journalists/PR Practitioners Crazy?

Journalists Drive PR Practitioners Crazy When:

1. Keep digging for dirt

• Journalist instead should respect the PR practitioners job and use information provided by the practitioner

2. More informative instead of painting a story

• Instead should do both; paint a story and be informative

3. Ignore press releases

• They are made for a reason and should be used to gather information

4.  Can be aggressive

• Instead, they should be respectful

5. Can have many mistakes grammatical and spelling and not be reprimanded for it.

• Instead, should be more cautious of their writing and make sure it is perfect before printing

PR Practitioners Drive Journalists Crazy When:

6. Fill up inbox with unnecessary emails

• instead should make sure that all emails are important

7. Never reachable

• Make sure that people can always get in touch. News never sleeps

8. Use excessive words/language instead of getting to the facts

• Instead, they should paint a story without going overboard

9.  Call excessively

• Instead, should be respectful of others and their job.

10. Be on time

• Always be respectful of others and their time.