A long time ago, just after I graduated, I worked for a PR agency. For five years I studied inter-cultural communications, journalism, advertising, photography, PR, copyright and ‘the internet’ (a new module introduced in 1998) and other exciting stuff. At the PR agency I was sat down at a desk and asked to make paper clippings. I left not long after.

So you maybe understand I approached today’s session on search, social media (both of which I love) and PR with a mixture of distrust and curiosity. How would the quick, targeted and transparent world of search & social marry the one of well, paper clippings? Soon all would become clear.

65 Percent of Journalists Use Social Media to Get Story Ideas

Lisa Buyer, President and CEO of the Buyer Group explained social PR is something that now can’t be ignored by the PR profession and that PR pros need to learn the basics about SEO and optimizing social media. Out came the killer statistic that I knew would have my paper clipping past cover its ears in horror: ‘65% of journalists use social media to get story ideas’. ‘The media and customers are search and social savvy’ said Buyer ‘So PR pros need to learn the basics about SEO and optimizing social media as it's becoming the new newsroom’. 

The Social Newsroom Checklist:

This social newsroom should look a bit like this according to Buyer:

• Updated at least once a week
• Make sure it is a hub for all social media networks
• Video
• Images
• RSS feeds by category
• The like button on each press release
• The tweet button
• The Linked in share button

If you have a blog, make sure you promote it in your online newsroom

Video is great to share online and should ideally accompany every press release. Videos should be optimized have a ‘like’ button and link to the next video. There are also ways to make press releases more social friendly:

Social Press Release Checklist:

• Write like a reporter
• Have catchy to the point optimized headlines
• Optimise with keywords
• Links
• Use video and images

Katy Howell, Managing Director of Immediate Future explains just how much PRs could learn from looking at social behavior. 'PRs Learn from your social media what triggers conversation and what language they are using!' When setting up your search campaign, use the words your customers are using, use the right keywords for SEO, highly ‘liked’ content will improve social advocacy and leverage the power of peer feedback, which consumers trust the most.

If public relations becomes this social, I am tempted to press its ‘Like’ button and give it a re-tweet. Despite my paper clipping demons.

Thanks for reading,

Simone 

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