Can you land press attention through social media? Turns out, you can. Nowadays, social media, and Twitter in particular, is the primary source through which people identify industry specialists and new contacts. And so, it’s important, now more than ever, to make sure your social media activity speaks to your audience and serves as a testament to you and your offering. The clearer your social media profile is, the more it resonates with potential third-parties looking for news in your niche. But how do you get there?
We asked Robyn Stevens. As a publicist and media relations consultant working with many popular brands across the globe, Robyn was the ideal person to talk to about improving social media presence positively and gain media attraction. Here’s a summary of our chat.
Guest: Robyn Stevens
Topic: Using Twitter to Market Yourself to the Media
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest, Everyone’s welcome to share.
Twitter is such an amazing platform. Not only is it useful for students and social media folks, but it also helps PR professionals. Like our guest pointed out, almost 60 percent of journalists use Twitter to find ideas for their articles and stories, and about half of them use all platforms to verify sources for their articles.
A1 Yes, indeed! Nearly 60 percent of journalists use social media to find story ideas, and about half use social media platforms to search for sources. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/ybApCaDWgf
— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
Gabriela also gave us some great tips on getting media attention. When you follow popular and influential people in the industry, you increase your chances of interacting with them and building relationships. That way, not only do you share your insight and help others, but you also learn a lot from the experience.
A1.
?? ABSOLUTELY ??
You can
intentionally
pursue media attn by:-Following key players
-Building relationships
-Sharing insight
-Offering assistance + infoTips:
?Be consistent
?Be of value
?Be kind
?Be memorable
?Be patient#TwitterSmarter #Marketing #Branding https://t.co/6XFeXFzp8P— Gabriela Cardoza (@CardozaGab) December 12, 2019
Your social media profile is your face online. That’s why it’s important to make sure it reflects what you do and what you have to offer. The more you broadcast yourself in your bio, the impressive it appears to media professionals.
A2 Very important! So make sure the press can figure out who you are straight away when they go to your profile and what you have to offer!! #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/d1LieCH2hg
— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
Follow it up with useful content in your posts. Consistently offer value to your audience and your profile will shine on your behalf. For bonus points, as Madalyn said, audit your profile every few weeks so it remains fresh and updated with the latest you do.
A2: It's super important to have a strong presence on social media. And be sure to take the time to audit your accounts and make sure they look good and clearly state who you are and what you do. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/BhVw0S7hHa
— Madalyn Sklar – Digital Marketing since 1996 (@MadalynSklar) December 12, 2019
If you’re still wondering how important it is for you to have solid social media activity, think about what Sabine said: where do you first look to learn about someone—or something? Online, of course. Media personnel aren’t different. They will look you up online, and do thorough research, before even approaching you in real life.
A2: Social Media and online is the first place for a journalist to check before running a piece. So I’d say it is vitally important #TwitterSmarter
— Sabine Raabe (@sabine_raabe) December 12, 2019
Twitter is an excellent resource to learn the latest events in and around your industry. Aside from events, you also get to hear from your audience about trending stories and what they think of them. For instance, you can run polls to glean opinions about your content and other current activities.
A3 Twitter helps you stay current & on top of trending topics! Twitter also provides you with insight on what others think in your category (finance, millennial, nutrition) so you can offer the press tips from your personal twitter focus group/ #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/0428XtOOX3
— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
If you haven’t used it already, take a look at Twitter’s Advanced Search functionality. As Gen from Social Media Examiner pointed out, you can just search through for old interviews and comments to help prepare for your next interview. In a way, you get to browse through forgotten history to uncover stories etched into social media.
A3. Twitter is a GREAT place to review what a person's latest projects/trips have been, as well as any recent interviews they've had that may hold relevant to your own interview. It's also a great place to find out the fun things about your subject too! ? -Jen #twittersmarter
— Social Media Examiner (@SMExaminer) December 12, 2019
Follow and engage with media outlets earnestly. Ask questions and be a listener. Understand the press and its policies before you start pitching. The more you know beforehand, the more confident you will be and the more credible your offering will sound later.
A4 First, get to truly know the media outlet & what the press outlet is all about. Second, before you contact the outlet — engage with the outlook, retweet, prior to directly pitching them. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/q2QCpMcYHU
— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
However, the most important thing to remember is to avoid being creepy. It’s easy to cross the line from eager learner to a stalker. Like Maddie reminded us, don’t ever take a salesy tone with media professionals. Avoid sending them promotional direct messages. You don’t want to be annoying.
a4. Do NOT inbox your latest product, consulting services, tools, etc.
Do reach out and engage with their tweets#twittersmarter https://t.co/hMPOsVrs0B
— Maddie Clark (@maddieclarksem) December 12, 2019
The best way to establish your credibility is to do what you do best. As our guest emphasized, be yourself and true to your policies. Don’t be afraid to admit it when you can’t make a deadline—it’s better to be honest and upfront than to fall short of a promise and disappoint.
A5 Be YOU and don't try being an expert in all fields. Also, don't over promise. If you can't make the press deadline be honest & tell the reporter rather than drop the ball with the media. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/MjpMPiiO3r
— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
As Christine put it, be aware of the audience. Even though you’re often pitching to a media agency or outlet, you’re eventually offering your message or content to their audience. Therefore, you have to know whom they cater and how. This knowledge will help build a stronger relationship with the media agency you’re pitching to.
A5: A good, solid track record of providing valuable information with a focus on truth and accuracy rather than self-promotion. Remember that your responsibility isn't to you, or even to them – it's to their readers. Respect that. #TwitterSmarter
— ♥️christine gritmon♥️ (@cgritmon) December 12, 2019
When you make conscious efforts to understand and learn about a specific media outlet instead of just spamming them with random, irrelevant messages, the media outlet will start trusting you more. As our guest observed, having that trust is essential when you’re looking to work with a brand.
A5 Also, remember it's important to build trust with brands (especially for spokespeople) if they are looking to working with brands for satellite media tours and paid social media posts. #twittersmarter https://t.co/MjpMPiiO3r
— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
As Masooma said, you should only think about pitching to a press person once you’ve already established a relationship with them.
A6. Pitch only if you've developed your relationship with them and showed them how you can offer value or what you can do. Cold pitching is a no-no.#twittersmarter
— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) December 12, 2019
Don’t be a stranger pitching high-scale stories.
However, as our guest said, it’s still safe to reach out to a writer or the editor of a media outlet, if you’ve been interacting with them for a while and know who they are and what they do. That’ll help them connect with you more easily.
A6 Yes, try to get know the producer, editor or writer. Its more likely they will reach out if they feel you really know them and the media outlet. #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/4wKFwpokGY
— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
There’re many ways to creatively promote your media coverage on social media. Being featured in the press is a moment of pride, and so feel free to share photographs of behind-the-scenes activities and greenroom scenes. Of course, you should first obtain permission from other people present in your photos and videos.
Also, consider doing a live relay on Facebook or YouTube, if you use those channels. Speak to the hosts and share video clips or quotations. And don’t forget to tag the media outlet and the people you worked with—all of that will give you extremely good exposure on social media.
A7 When you're at a TV show, take photos in the greenroom & give love to the other guests. Ask if you can do a facebook Live – possibly with the hosts after the show.
Be sure to post the TV segment & tag the producer and hosts #twittersmarter https://t.co/es8r0kuKnt— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
Jack suggested compiling all press clippings and sharing them on Instagram or Facebook as a story, or a regular post.
A7: Gather your press clippings! When my analysis of an influencer got picked up by a bunch of business outlets (and Cosmo?), I put together an IG carousel: https://t.co/lVmdzNEJQV #TwitterSmarter
— Jack Appleby (@JuiceboxCA) December 12, 2019
Here’re a few more ideas from our chat participants:
Be relevant, said our guest. And if you’ve been following all her other suggestions about engaging with the media outlet first, listening to their audience, and understanding their purposes, being relevant won’t be too hard.
A8 Just make sure that your idea is the type of story they write or produce. This should be no problem since you’ve researched them & paid attention to their tweets while you were developing a relationship with them. #twittersmarter https://t.co/cZ4XTefE2e
— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
Another crucial element is to obey timelines. If you want a media outlet to work with you, you have to be reliable and consistent.
A8 Be helpful, be a reliable resource and DON'T miss deadlines. The media is always looking for a great backstory. Clever, creative content is BEST. #twittersmarter https://t.co/cZ4XTefE2e
— Robyn Stevens (@robynstevensPR) December 12, 2019
Jennifer put it well: if they ask you to spend time doing sometime, make sure you get it done on time, every time. It doesn’t look good on you to fall behind.
A8: When you are asked to be on tv news/morning shows, in print or online media MEET THEIR DEADLINES! If they need you to do fill out a preshow doc. DO IT! If they need to speak with you before their print deadline. MAKE THE TIME! #TwitterSmarter
— Jennifer Navarrete (@epodcaster) December 12, 2019
Here are a few more ideas to focus on, as shared by our community members:
Here’s a great point from Darcy to close this summary: Don’t go into a conversation with expectations. Be helpful—offer what you have to offer and let the media do their job.
A8: Don't have any expectations. Be respectful and helpful. Journalists aren't there to do you a favor. They're there to report the news. If you have something they need, they'll use it. As a former reporter, I remember those days of people trying to "persuade." #TwitterSmarter
— Darcy De Leon ??? Blog Editor (@darcydeleon) December 12, 2019
Well, that’s all from me for this week. As always, there’s only so much I can cover in a blog post. That’s why our #TwitterSmarter team member, Joana has put to together this Twitter Moment featuring more insights from our chat with Robyn. Check it out.
Have some time to spare on Thursday? Join us for the next #TwitterSmarter chat at 1pm ET.
About me, Narmadhaa:
I’m a writer of all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.
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