20 Social Media Writing Tips to Share News Stories
Posted: 2011/08/14 Filed under: PR and Social Media, Social Media Writing Tips, Tips for PR | Tags: Content Development Tips, PR Tactics and Strategies, Social Media Writing Tips, Tips for Copywriters Leave a comment »High five! The PR client just hogged a feature in the local newspaper. Or, your company’s president was interviewed on morning news. Or, even sweeter, you landed a great story online with the Wall Street Journal.
Then what? You smile to yourself, email everyone, hit up Facebook and Twitter, and sit on PR easy street for the day.
Since the coverage might only go as far as the day of, it’s a good idea to have a writing routine and focus on content to help spread that media hit like a one-week high school rumor (with a bit more maturity and creative copywriting, of course).
Here’s some finer points and writing tips to consider the next time you share media hits with your online communities:
Twitter: Work with the headline and content from the hit and develop 3 – 4 tweets for the next couple of days. You can:
Nice publicity! Now, go write and spread that media hit.
1. Pull a quote.
2. Call out numbers.
3. Make it short and sweet.
4. If you’re truly engaged with your following, ask ‘em to check it out.
5. Find a popular, relevant hashtag (but don’t abuse it).
6. Plug the handle for the media outlet.
7. Tag others included in the article.
For headline writing tips, CopyBlogger’s (8.) “How To Write Headlines That Work” provides some great know-how applicable for tweets. And, you can always refer to a (9.) Thesaurus or pick-up some alternate words and fight off a case of writing blah’s.
Facebook: You’ll get automated content through the link you post; sometimes it’s enough. Other times, it’s not a bad idea to:
10. Double-check the headline and re-write it, if needed.Include it’s name in the headline, if it’s a well known local or national outlet.
11. Work with the content under the headline and write a catchy 1 – 2 sentence overview of the article.
12. Get a good look at the image and scroll through the options for the best, most relevant visual that catches your eye.
13. Make your status update 1 – 2 sentences, tag others included in the article (it will spread the news on their wall) and include a call to action.
For status writing tips, USA Today did a nice overview a couple years back with do’s and dont’s at (14.) “There’s an Art to Writing on Facebook or Twitter – Really.”
Blog: If you have a few media hits to work with:
15. Try a news round-up with a quick lead and links to each of the stories.
16. Be creative with your blog headline, which can also make for a couple nice tweets.
If you only have one hit to work with, and it’s a big one:
17. Give the publicity it’s own blog post with a couple links to the article.
18. Include others noted in the story and share some link juice.
19. Have a nice call-to-action beyond “read me.”
20. And at the end of the year, pick the best media hits and post a top 10-type list.
Of course, you’ll always have go-to channels to spread media hits, like company newsletters and an online press room.
Sometimes, sharing publicity across your social media sites doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. But, if you have active Twitter followers, “like”-happy Facebook fans and some avid blog readers, you can help spread the coverage by focusing on sociable content.
What practices have you used for writing and spreading media coverage?
PR Tips: 4 Ways to Takeover Random Holidays
Posted: 2011/07/30 Filed under: PR Tactics Examples, Publicity Ideas for Business, Tips for PR | Tags: Creative PR Ideas, PR Tactics and Strategies, PR Tactics Examples, Publicity Event Ideas Leave a comment »Hooray, it’s Random Acts of Kindness Day!
Wait … Are you for real? Or, what about National Donut Day, Social Media Day and National Underwear Day (August 5, by the way)?
Happy National Underwear Day! (NOTE: Not mine.)
A couple of years back I came across a PR gem of a site (www.BrownieLocks.com) with thousands of legit and absurd holidays. As luck would have it, I noticed that National Chocolate Milkshake Day fell on September 12.
With a little strategy and creativity, this led to the Radio City Rockettes serving up “Rockette Road” milkshakes and sundaes at Milwaukee’s famous Leon’s Frozen Custard when tickets for their upcoming show went on sale. (Kudos to Joanna Wilbee-Amis of HobNob Communications for the “Rockette Road” cherry on the PR sundae.)
Whether you buy into the authenticity of some of these offbeat holidays or not, they can make for great integrated marketing, PR and social media initiatives. All you need is some creativity and not a lot of random acts when it comes to attaching the day to a brand.
Here are 4 ways to use random holidays for PR and social media efforts:
- Creative Publicity Generators – Who didn’t hear about Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme celebrating National Donut Day on June 3? The promotional holiday celebration was everywhere, from Facebook to Huffington Postto conversations at the office.Find a day, week or month that’s relevant and something unique to offer. And, the more creative you can be with the small details, along with some solid visuals, the better. The Rockettes didn’t have to serve up their own milkshakes and sundaes. But that made it even better.
- Timely Story Pitches – A little cookie-cutter of an approach, but it can work if you work it right. For example, if your brand serves fashionable male audiences, maybe you have an expert share manly tips with local TV morning news outlets for Men’s Grooming Day on August 19.
- Create Your Own Day – A couple years ago did anyone ever hear of Small Business Saturday? Hats off to American Express for recognizing small businesses with its brilliant idea.A good approach is coinciding your special day with another day that has a solid foundation in the consumer lexicon. Small Business Saturday is the day after Black Friday. For example, while working with a wireless provider the idea was Mobile Monday (Monday after Thanksgiving). We shared ways to use a smartphone for your on-site shopping needs with a local TV morning news station.
- Get Charitable– If your product or service doesn’t make for the friendliest pitch, explore ways to partner with a local charity. A nonprofit organization gives you an opportunity to be creative, visual and philanthropic. A win-win for everyone involved.Say, for instance, you got a blue-collar company with thousands of employees across a region. Maybe for August you could blowout a clothing drive and in one day deliver 1,000 items to a city’s Goodwill for National Thrift Shop Day on August 17.
The next time you’re working through a PR plan for a client or your organization, or going through a blah spell — do yourself a favor, check out random holidays and get creative. It beats press releases and the same old recycled PR ideas.
Have you taken over a random holiday for PR and social media efforts? Share your experience or ideas in the comments.
Pitching a Reporter: 7 Tips for Email Subject Line Slinging
Posted: 2011/09/15 Filed under: PR Media Relations, Tips for PR | Tags: Content Creation Tips, Content Development Tips, PR Media Relations, PR Tactics and Strategies, PR Writing Tips Leave a comment »Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always been a big fan of calling a reporter first.
Unfortunately, these days, reporters have less time than ever, and chances are they probably prefer an email pitch.
So, it all starts with a solid subject line. Here are 7 tips to help your email pitch get opened:
Keep your email pitch out of the can before it gets opened.
- Plug a Story: Would you be more likely to open an email from someone if it made mention of your recent work? One simple way to catch a reporter’s attention is with an email subject line that plugs a recent story headline they worked on. For example, “News tip per (Insert 2 – 3 words on story subject) story.”
- Word Trending: Get creative and timely to help your pitch scream “open me!” A couple years ago you could have taken a word and added “cession” to the back it. If you’re keeping an eye on the news, you’ll know the newsworthy trends. But, if you want to find some more to work with, check out TrendWatching.com and signup for the free monthly Trend Briefing.
- Drop Beats: If the reporter is always covering a particular column or segment, drop it like it’s hot. Like a local “Money Matters” column in the newspaper, or a national “Tech Tips” segment on TV. Give the following subject line a try: “Money Matters Tip: (Sum up your pitch in 4 – 5 words).”
- Wordplay: Have some fun with a keyword. Use a word that sounds the same as another but is spelled differently (homonyms, like “one” and “won”). Add parentheses to break up one word if it’s relevant. Combine words (like “baby boomer” and “entrepreneur” to make “boomerpreneur”). Scrabble Finder is also a cool tool to play with words.
- Latest Buzzwords: From “blamestorming” to “I-dosing” to “Belieber,” there are always some funny new words to work with. While it’s a great resource for laughs, Urban Dictionary can help you find creative words you probably never heard of. BuzzWhack also has a dictionary of funny buzzwords, like “blahger” and “slaptops”. Or, maybe try creating your own.
- Read Headlines = Write Better Subject Lines: Ever flip through a magazine or newspaper and some crafty headline catches your eye? The more you see and read ‘em, and write headlines, the better your subject line writing will be.
- Stay Fresh: Check-in every now and then with some of the sites listed at 50 Cool Online Tools for Word Nerds. And, if you’re not already getting it, sign-up for Ann Wylie’s Free Writing Tips monthly newsletter.
After the subject line, the rest is up to the strength of the story you’re selling. But, first things first, you gotta get a reporter to open your email pitch.
What practices have you used to write better email subject lines for reporters?
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