Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, The Social Media Release is not a Meatball Sundae

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you have been presented a case as to whether or not the Social Media Release is nothing more than a Meatball Sundae - a term created by Seth Godin to visualize the mixing of two great ideas into something not so tasty.

It's cute to say the least, but unfortunately, cute doesn't cut it.

Greg Jarboe, the prosecutor in this case, is someone whose work in SEO PR has helped evolve Public Relations into the Internet era, and we applaud his efforts.

Of everyone I expected to not only understand the relevance of the Social Media Release, but also have the vision to see its potential and practical use, Greg Jarboe would be on the top of that list. After all, Mr. Jarboe is one of the early champions for optimizing press releases for search engines (SEO), a practice which even after 10 years in play is still not widely accepted, understood, or utilized - but it should be.

Even though people don't necessarily know about it or understand how it works and why, it doesn't take away from its innovation and benefits.

The same is true for Social Media Releases.

So, I stand before you disappointed to say the least, but also hopeful.

Mr. Jarboe presents his "empirical" evidence that will supposedly prove that SMRs are the unfortunate result of mixing two great ideas, but I will counter that his arguments don't speak for the greater communities of journalists, PR professionals, and most importantly, customers. He merely presents a Meatball Sundae of his own, which combines misinterpreted statements along with the words of people who don't practice PR as their main profession.

The Social Media Release is nimble, scalable, and customizable. It can be written for journalists, bloggers, and/or for customers, and is simply rooted in the social tools and channels that help socialize the content for discovery, interpretation, and sharing. It's something that combines the best of traditional, new and social media and helps package a story in a way that works for different writers and users.

For example, Mr. Jarboe presents Exhibit A, an article that Todd Defren, the originator of the first proposed SMR template, and I wrote (or as he says, confessed) to help people understand what an SMR is, isn't and what it could be. He falsely assumes that we said Social Media Releases are not trackable within blog search engines, such as Technorati or Google Blog Search, even if we embed Technorati tags. Therefore he concludes that if SMRs aren't discoverable within blog search engines, and they don't show up in traditional search engines, then they are useless.

Well if that were true, then there would be no case whatsoever.

Instead Greg probably only skimmed through the article and missed the important context of what Mr. Defren and I were presenting.

The FACT is that SMRs are not discoverable in blog search engines when they are distributed through purported "social" channels using traditional wire services. We were simply calling out that just because you pay monety to distribute a release that looks like the SMR template, it doesn't carry with it the social attributes that would make it discoverable within social channels, communities and networks, and thus, would be no more than a multimedia or new media release instead of an SMR, and probably not as effective as a well-written summary, press release or SEO release.

Traditional wire services still use traditional distribution methods to place press releases on the Web. Depending on key words, they will only show up in Google or Yahoo, and that is the point. Traditional search and Social search are not the same. So why would you place a Social release in a Traditional channel? It's SEO and SMO (Social Media Optimization).

Now, if you were to use a platform that is inherently social, such as a social network, blog, micromedia format, or a wiki, then you would have a much different result. In these cases, SMRs do appear in blog search engines. Just look at the example below of a very basic SMR we recently ran in addition to a traditional press release AND an SEO release. Each version was intended for different groups of people including journalists, bloggers and customers. In this case the SMR is the top search result in Technorati...by tags and by key words.



Mr. Jarboe, your exhibit A, which is supposed to provide empirical evidence, is far from reality.

In the traditional search world, numbers show that over 50% of customers are citing press releases as their number one source for news over traditional journals and news sites. Well, this is a huge boost for SEO press releases as they do appear in traditional search.

But what happens when traditional search gets augmented by blog or social search?

Until they're one in the same, there's still value in cultivating both strategies. And as I showed in the example above, you can push both SEO and SMO strategies to help customers discover information regardless of traditional or search mechanisms.

Oh wait. Yes. This is about bridging information between companies and customers, so therefore news and information isn't solely dependent on journalists and influencers to carry the relevant information forward. Hey, it's not just SMO, that's been the promise of SEO releases all along.

Now onto Mr. Jarboe's Exhibit B (don't worry, I won't respond to every piece of evidence in depth, as they're really is no need to address the points which can't even stand on their own.)

Exhibit B calls upon SEO guru Lee Odden, which refers to a post that claims submitting press releases to social sites such as digg is "social media suicide."

Well here's an interesting thing to think about. What if a Social Media Release didn't look or act like a traditional release? What if you couldn't tell an SMR apart from a story?

Sounds just like an SEO release but for Social Media right?

Exactly.

It's about the story you want to read, just using different channels and tools to intelligently and transparently broadcast it. The Social Media Releases I have experimented with look nothing like the original template, but they help tell a story in a BS-free format without all of the spintastic hype, usual leadership posturing, and self-congratulating comments.

If press releases weren't so powerful, then we wouldn't have that stat of over 50% of IT customers sourcing press releases as their main source of information. Nor would we have two-to three of the top wire distribution services listed as top sources in the Techmeme Top 100 Leaderboard.

And let me ask you this. How many times have you made the front page of digg?

Without revealing the secret sauce, or manipulation strategies like our over zealous friend did over at TechCrunch recently, digg and relevant social bookmarking sites have less to do with sources than they do with culture and the network that chooses to push something forward. Trust me when I say, you have to live it to believe it - especially when you want talk about it as if you've contributed to top stories day after day. For everyone else, Odden is right. Individual stories written by key journalists or bloggers can be more effective within social networks if it is carried forward strategically.

Exhibit C - D, whatever. Obviously there will people who don't get it and cry aloud about how change sucks. It's not about the people who decry something new, it's about the people who DO get it and push evolution forward.

Regardless of the very narrow history lesson provided in the prosection's case, the truth is that the majority or press releases are horrible and written for executives instead of press or customers. They're wrought with BS, messages, hyperbole, and Kool Aid.

Setting aside formats and debates over traditional media, SEO and SMO for a minute, the best thing about the SMR template is that it got us talking about how to make things better and how to write more relevant and compelling press releases for the people we want to read it.

Facts are facts. Resources are resources. Providing links to market information, feeds, relevant stories and supporting material, and the ability to save and share information within social networks is beneficial to those who need to write a story based on the information as well customers looking for direction.

Here's the bottom line. Social Media releases aren't supposed to cure the problems that face poorly written press releases, regardless of the technologies that create and broadcast them. Yes that includes Edelman's "story maker upper."

Bullshit in is still bullshit out.

If you are foolish enough to believe that one press release serves all of the people you're trying to reach, then perhaps you need to stand trial before any press release format.

I experiment every week with social tools and social releases in addition to the required and still relevant traditional campaigns that earn our keep. I can tell you that the results are staggering when you personalize information for specific groups of people and use distinct channels to reach each community, whether it's SEO, SMO, traditional or in Long Tail.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, as for the punishment, I propose for those who cast stones without New Media experience, that they are not punished at all.

Yes it true.

I only propose that they stop talking and theorizing and get some real world experience in the realm of Social Media so we can discuss things as experienced, beaten, successful, and most-importantly, proven peers

I know, it's not a punishment if they learn and grow in the process. But, I'm OK with that...learning, listening, sharing, and evolving is the point here.

But, please, stop pretending to know what you're talking about when you haven't even experimented with the very things you bury without experience or intelligence.

Theory doesn't count here. Especially when we're already proving otherwise.

You're opinion will only count when, as they say in anthropology, you've "gone native" and come back to tell the story.

That's right, Social Media isn't SEO or traditional PR.

If you've learned anything about Social Media, then you will understand it's more aligned with sociology and anthropology than socialism.

If you wish to plead a case in front of your peers, then please call forth witnesses who have credible and legitimate experience in the field you're spotlighting. Just because you refer to bloggers or "social" experts doesn't mean they're experienced in PR or Social Media Releases. Not one person you called to testify has ever releases one, so all of their testimony should be stricken from the record.



Court adjourned.
An open invitation for others to response: Todd Defren, Chris Heuer, Shannon Whitley, Shel Holtz

Resources:

Everything you ever wanted to know about Social Media Releases, but were afraid to ask

Connect with me on Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce or Facebook.

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The Pitch is Dead - R.I.P.

Scroll below to read with a white background.

We are gathered here to not mourn the death of "the pitch," but to celebrate its life and how its misuse and oft irrelevance helped us improve the entire communications industry.

R.I.P.

Journalists and bloggers have had it and they're fighting back. Quite honestly, it's been a long time coming and we're bound to see more blacklists and PR people called out for their mistakes.

Hey, it happens to the best, and the worst of us, and it really is up to us to do something about it. From setting, or resetting, client or executive expectations, developing our stories, to engaging bloggers and press, we're the center of the process and we should exert our experience, recommendations, and influence to improve the process. Otherwise, we need to get out of the way.

In the era of Social Media you can expect to be outed as one of the contributors to the dark side of Public Relations if you continue to practice as status quo. But, it's not the end. If it's anything that we're learning these days is that Social Media represents a new hope for those who truly want to evolve, leading a much needed renaissance for the communications industry.

PR today should really stand for Public Relations - oh wait, it already does.

So what happened then?

Why did we forget that people and conversations were supposed to have been part of the process all along?

Honestly, somewhere along the line, PR went behind the scenes focusing on strategy and planning, while pushing junior people into the trenches, lobbing "pitches" at target "audiences" and hoping for big hits.

Our day-to-day outreach nowadays relies on blasting reporters based on lists generated through services such as Cision, formerly MediaMap, among others. It's a game of percentages based on mass emailing pitches using a customizable form letter so that each email would appear to be personalized, and for the most part, it has satisfied PR's quest for coverage until recently.

With a list of 300 targets based on key words, PR could expect to see 10-20 responses, with a decent conversion to coverage. If a reporter didn't want to receive emails in the future, they would reply letting us know with something as simple as "unsubscribe."

Over time, however, PR has slipped into complacency, relying on blasting press releases and generic pitches in order to share news and information, when in fact, a less is more approach could be even more effective.

I'm not calling for the death of the mass email. If you're smart about it, there are ways that it can be used effectively. And, as much as they may hate us, many reporters and bloggers still depend on great PR. They don't however, show up to work hoping to get bombarded with irrelevant pitches and poorly written press releases.

Faceless, disingenuous outreach isn't fooling anyone. So, what does PR do about it?

Some jump on the bandwagon and join outspoken bloggers and reporters in taking down PR, even though many of them are equally guilty of contributing to the problem. Instead of stepping back and thinking about evolution, others whine about how they're too busy to reach out to people individually and blame others for their predicament.

At the end of the day, PR is about people. Yes, it's about Public Relations and not about spam, mass marketing, and impersonal, blind pitches that only dig the entire industry into a deeper hole.

How do we as PR shift from pitching to engaging in conversations?

Let's start by burying the generic "pitch" and everything it represents.

Then let's jump to acceptance.

Chances are you have contributed to PR's bruised and beaten image in some way. The question really is, what can you do better and differently as an individual?

When you approach a campaign from the premise of messages and audience, you're already starting down a path of irrelevance.

As Doc Searls has said, there is no market for messages. Furthermore, there is no audience for your message either.

Pitches and press releases are typically polluted with garbage, unsubstantiated posturing and claims, and self-imposed market leadership. Every company these days seems to be a leader in a growing market with a new paradigm shifting solution that delivers an innovative way to revolutionize customer behavior.

Stop drinking the punch and join the real world. Just because it's news doesn't make it newsworthy.

As a consumer, you don't make decisions based on "messages." You're too smart for that right? You consider information that relates to you as a person and as a customer. So why would you push that crap to your peers?

The notion that one message compels one audience is also antiquated and dangerous. Again, you don't make decisions based on one source.

Figure out why your story is important and to whom it matters. Who are your customers? Where do they go for information?

Answering these questions is easier said than done. At the very least though, trying to answer them will inject a critical step at the beginning of every campaign, now and in the future.

I'm pretty sure your customers are not categorized by any one single demographic. So we need to take a different first step.

Markets are comprised of people, and people are different. While there are mainstream channels that reach them, there are also other more direct avenues of influence and also communities where you can engage your customers in conversations - many of which are thriving courtesy of Social Media and the socialization of information. Research can only help.

There isn't one tool, one release, one story that will motivate your customers to take action. It all starts with becoming the person (and different people) you're trying to reach and then reverse engineering the process.

Listen. Read. Learn.

Stop thinking like a "PR" person and start approaching marketing as an expert and demonstrate why what you represent matters to the people you're trying to reach.

In the process, you'll start to see things differently.

It will change how you approach people. It will change how you write press releases. It will change how you distribute and share information. Most importantly, it will give you the means to engage transparently and genuinely.

It shifts the process from pitching to conversation-based interaction that only cultivates relationships, strengthens customer service, and increases brand resonance and loyalty.

Remember, if you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem.

By changing things at the beginning of the process and improving how you approach the people you want to engage, you'll quickly find that the pitch is indeed dead, and quite honestly, not really missed at all.



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The New Rules of Breaking News, Beware of Embargoes

Part Four of a series discussing blogger relations, "Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People." Scroll to the bottom to read this article with a white background.

The New Rules of Breaking News was written to open your mind and unlock creativity when introducing new products and services. It subscribes to the notion that there isn't one "audience" to any given story or campaign. There are opportunities outside of the usual routine of drafting press releases and blasting news to reporters and bloggers.

Shortly after the last chapter ran, I had not one, but two news announcements where stories either broke ahead of their intended time and voices. In one case, it wasn't even part of the embargo process which was just unbelievable.

To the lead bloggers whom I had brokered these launches, it appeared as if I had mislead them, instead sending the news to others, even though I had assured them that they were given first rights.

In both cases, I took credibility hits and had to do an exhaustive amount of repair work to ensure that these and other relationships weren't damaged because of the mistake, spite, or questionable activity of other ambitious bloggers.

I did take the steps to rectify things, and ultimately the "mistakes" were corrected...but the damage was already done. Any attempts to convey that to those affected may or may not regain trust.

So, rather than just share with you the ways to be successful or constantly focus on the future of PR, it's also important to share the experiences where things don't work out quite like we planned as a way of learning together.



In the realm of technology, this practice is all about who can be positioned as the "lead" story and tools such as Techmeme's Leaderboard, Technorati's Top Blogs, Bloglines Top List, Google Reader stats, and other highly referenced lists, only encourage bloggers to do what they can to increase rankings. After all, these lists influence and determine not only PR campaigns, but also where ad dollars are spent.

But it's not just technology. There are lists that cover every market segment therefore the lessons from this post are helpful to anyone in PR.

What happened here sends an alarming signal, not just to me, but to the entire blogosphere and PR industry.

Outside of my two recent experiences. There are grumblings about foul play across the board that we should all understand.

The business of news can be ugly. There will always be an underground rivalry between top and up-and-coming writers for authority, links, views, and ultimately ad dollars.



The rumors and stories are thick with rife, including the manipulation of "time stamps," copying and pasting from other blogs and sites without attribution, not disclosing any personal or professional interests associated with the stories they run, and running controversial or early stories with checking facts first.

However, this isn't unlike the business of traditional news media, who have always been notorious for scooping each other.

This is business and business is never clean.

These enlightenments, however, force us to rethink the process of PR launches and news distribution, because at the end of the day, it's our relationships that will carry us forward.

The message to us is, "be careful and do your homework."

We walk a tightrope between client/company expectations and the relationships we maintain with writers and bloggers.



On one hand, those we report to want to see coverage and they want to see it everywhere. Most have no clue what it takes to make that happen, but they don't care either.

On the other hand, relationships are the foundation for all good PR, and risking or compromising them should never factor into the news equation.

In the last post I wrote that bloggers were willing to honor embargoes as a way of participating in the business of news distribution. Many bloggers are trying to run legitimate businesses and having the privilege, and yes it's a privilege, to receive news early is an earned right that offers mutual benefits between the blogger/writer and the company.

As I said, top bloggers are the new "wire" service. Providing them with early access to information allows news to bubble up, gaining credibility and momentum to the point where it attracts attention from traditional journalists. Bloggers have direct relations with people, your peers, and they thrive off of their participation.

There's a difference though between top bloggers and those who aspire to take the lead, and those differences will ultimately determine who you can trust and who you can't.

Maximizing coverage is a risky business. And unfortunately, there are many ways things can quickly go south:

- Not communicating the embargo time clearly, complete with time zones

- Not receiving a documented acknowledgment of the embargo

- Not fully knowing the reputation of the blogger beforehand

- Being careless and trying to go for too much right out of the gate without ensuring everything was set

Unfortunately however, the reality is that some of us will learn these lessons the hard way. And many times, these lessons come at a steep price, with reputation, trust, and relationships as the currency.

The best thing we can do is keep an open dialog with our best contacts. Talk with peers. Share experiences. There's plenty to learn from others to minimize the mistakes and the steep costs associated with them.



In the attempt to earn the respect and trust of bloggers, many PR professionals are subscribing to a "Blogger Relations" code of ethics - although this draft is in dire need of revision (which will be a later post), but it's a start in the right direction. WOMMA also offers 10 principles for ethical contact by marketers.

Perhaps many bloggers need to think about subscribing to a Blogger Code of Ethics. Breaking embargoes, changing time stamps, editing/barring comments, pilfering content, etc., is just not going to fly for the long term. And it's unfortunate effects are that these practices will continue take down people and relationships in the process until we all do something about it. That's the beauty of civil enforcement. Collectively we can dictate the winners and losers.

Tim O'Reilly has an excellent series on drafting a Blogger's Code of Conduct. Forrester's Charlene Li also got the conversation going almost three years ago with a call for Blogging Policies.

We as PR and communications professionals don't need to support those bloggers or writers who don't keep their word.

I know my word is everything to me and I will make decisions that only strengthen relationships and build trust, on both sides of the tightrope.

Most importantly, sometimes less is more. And, expectation setting is everything.

Breaking news with a few trustworthy bloggers and reporters may be more than enough to effectively align PR with business and communications objectives. After the first stories break, follow up with outreach to other primary influencers, but also find something unique for them in a way that helps them find a unique angle for coverage. Some will push back for not being included in the earlier rounds, and it will be up to you to consider opting them in for the future, but do so based on the discussions and trust.

Contrary to popular belief, the business of news isn't formulaic. It's less of a science and more of an art.

Make decisions that benefit your stories without compromising relationships.



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Related Articles:

Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People, Part I

Building a Bridge Between Your Story, Bloggers, and People, Part II

The New Rules for Breaking News, Part III

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Bloggers Versus PR - The Aftermath and What We Learned

Aaron Brazell of Technosailor hosted an incredible and informative roundtable to discuss the state of PR, reporters, and bloggers. The conversation was focused on five questions and included the answers of Doug Haslam, Marshall Kirkpatrick, Cathryn Hrudicka, Marc Orchant, and yours truly.

Following is the complete Q&A with my answers to help make it easier to read. The complete balance of everyone's answers are available at Technosailor. (Also scroll down to the bottom to download this as a Word doc or read it on a white background.)

Question #1 - What do you think the biggest challenge is for the Public Relations industry to fully embrace social media?

What if we asked the question this way, “Should the PR industry participate in Social Media at all?” There are several pundits who have flatly said that “PR is too stupid to participate in Social Media” and therefore shouldn’t have a seat at the new marketing table.

After all, Social Media is about people.

In the eyes of many PR is associated with used car and snake oil salesmen or far worse, lazy flacks that have no clue what they’re talking about.

Yes, it’s true many PR people simply don’t or won’t ever get it. The other thing is that, as in any industry, there are also opportunists in PR who simply see Social Media as a new golden ticket and in turn, are selling a new portfolio of services without having a clue as to what Social Media really is and how it works.

The challenge for PR in Social Media isn’t any different than the challenge that already exists for them in traditional PR. For far too long PR has taken comfort in blasting information to the masses in the hopes that something would stick. Until recently, the industry really hasn’t seriously considered requiring people to learn about what it is they represent, why it matters and to whom, how it’s different than anything else out there, where customers go for information, and how it benefits the customers they’re ultimately trying to reach.

The lack of presence or the drive to inject these questions into the PR process and also take the time to answer them genuinely, without marketing hype, is perhaps the greatest inhibitor of PR’s legitimate entrance into Social Media.

Question #2 - What does the concept of “brand” mean to you and how do you see the concept of brand protection (or the concept of “open source brand”, so to speak) being transformed in the internet age?

The brand is something altogether different today than it was BSM (before social media). The brand used to be something dictated by corporations and reinforced by marketers and ultimately evangelists.

However, these days, many marketing and business executives foolishly think that they can still solely control the brand and the corporate messages 100% when in fact people are also contributing to brand identity and resonance.

Social Media zealots preach that participation is marketing, and indeed it is, but there are ways to do it right and ways to completely f it up. One thing is for certain is that covering your ears to customer commentary taking place in social networks and the blogosphere and repeating “la la la la la” over and over pretending like it doesn’t exist IS NOT participating.

It the era of social media companies have no choice by to relinquish control, well somewhat, to those who chose to discuss it openly, in public forums that are in large part, actively contributing to the extensive influence enabled by social tools.

That doesn’t mean that companies can’t help chart the course of a brand, businesses just need to take into account that people now have voices and there in lies a new opportunity.

Let’s not forget that a good brand, or a terrible brand for that matter, evokes an emotion bond.

The true “open source brand” will acknowledge and leverage the “voices of the crowds” in order to extend and mold brands for both now and in the future - by connecting with people.

Again, Social Media is about people, not audiences, and therefore, brands affect people and in turn evoke emotional responses. The smart marketers will learn how a brand relates to the various markets they wish to reach, why it’s important, different, and helpful, and connect with people directly to help them. This reinforces the brand and service attributes we ultimately hope to carry forward.

Question 3 - How can bloggers work more effectively with PR people?

Yes it goes both ways...

I think it all starts with couples therapy.

Blogger, “All they do is spam with me this and that! They don’t care about me and my needs!”

PR, “They never listen to me…It’s like whatever I say is ignored no matter how important it is to me. They just don’t care!”

Seriously though, bloggers can benefit from maintaining a strategic and advantageous relationship with the right PR professionals. Love them or hate them, good PR people can still be a helpful part of the news and information process. They can and will work for you.

I think we all learned that running the names of lazy PR flacks in a public forum is definitely one way to send a clear message. Social Media is fueled by people and their peers, so running things in the blogosphere definitely makes things very personal. But there are also other ways to ensure that PR people “think” before approaching bloggers.

One way is to send positive feedback to those that do it right. Send notes to management in regards to those who do it wrong and remind them how to do things correctly. Or, simply block the individual from contacting you again – but in the process let them know why.

We recently had a lazy PR associate who ignored repeated points of advice on how best to reach out to bloggers. Aside from the lip service we got, he continued to do things the spammy way…blasting lists of targets with impersonalized messages with irrelevant news releases. Within one week, this person was called out by two bloggers, one of whom decided to cc: everyone at my agency lambasting his approach and well, basically, calling him stupid. Names are one thing, and probably inappropriate, but the message was loud and clear and this person was now directly humbled among his peers. And, most importantly, it spotlighted a problem that required correction, while also reinforcing the need for other people on our team to remember that this entire process is about people. One news release doesn’t matter to everyone! Subsequently this person is no longer with us.

Yes it takes time for bloggers to respond rather than ignore things, it also takes an extraordinary level of patience and understanding, but it helps PR adapt and learn. Using the example above, one email inspired 15 people to do things better.

Another way bloggers can work better with PR is to clearly say somewhere how they wish to be contacted, what they are looking for, and advice for cutting through the clutter. Submission forms are not helpful.

We should all be in this to learn together. And, for those that don’t want to learn or embrace evolution, then they’ve sealed their own fate.

Evolve or die!

Question 4: Is “outing” a wayward PR agency or individual an effective way of dealing with the problem of misfired pitches?

Quite honestly, I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often as it has been a serious problem for decades.

Chris Anderson’s post sent a jolt that reverberated throughout the entire industry. It was a painful reminder that complacency and spam do not belong in PR.

There are also several blogs dedicated to exposing spectacularly horrible moments in PR as well as exposing bad pitches and the people behind them – and they’re gaining in popularity.

The game of PR has largely been enjoyed the comfort of existing behind-the-scenes and this exposure and public ridicule is forcing PR out of its comfort zone, which at the end of the day will only make PR stronger and more effective.

Now whether or not running the names and email addresses on the Web was a good thing, however, is complicated to assess as there are many factors and ramifications for doing so.

On one hand, it scared the sh!t out of everyone and brought much needed attention to the need to improve things in PR.

On the other hand, it starts to raise privacy issues and taboos that can lead down a scary path affecting everyone involved in the business of public relations and media publishing. And, all of these conversations at the moment are only addressing the symptoms of much bigger problems that face PR, including unrealistic metrics and a complete misunderstanding of how PR really works by clients and corporate execs.

Exposing names and contact information is a steep penalty to pay and quite honestly, it’s somewhat irresponsible. There are other ways to get the same result and impact without forcing individuals to publicly pay the price for the ills of entire industry. Note, my only reservation here is names versus contact information. Running names is a leap, but I can support it. Running contact information crosses the line.

I think that “some” lazy flacks have learned their lesson and many more have been alerted to the fact that they are the epitome of what’s wrong with PR.

Very few PR “Pros” are out there building relationships with the public or people. Most don’t bother to spend the time to really learn about what they represent, why it matters, and how it’s different than everything else out there. And, without that understanding how can anyone realistically believe that influential reporters and bloggers are going to pay attention to their generic pitch?

Question 5: What advice would you give to your own industry in engaging the other side?

Chris Anderson summarized it best, “I only want two kinds of email: those from people I know, and those from people who have taken the time to find out what I’m interested in and composed a note meant to appeal to that.”

What’s it going to take for PR to reflect that sentiment and honest plea for relevance? It should be common sense. But it’s not. Common sense is all too uncommon in almost everything we do these days.

So to help PR “pros” stop pissing-off bloggers and reporters and start building meaningful relationships with them, here is a list of things to live by:

Remember this is about people

1. What do you stand for? Answer that first before you try to convince people that are busier than you why they should take time to stop what they’re doing to pay you any attention.
2. It’s more than doing your homework. To some doing homework is building lists. Figure out what you are representing and why it matters. How does it compare to other things. What do people need? What are their pains?
3. Practice saying it aloud in one-to-two minutes or less to a friend or in front of a mirror. Seriously. It works. If you don’t get it no one else will.
4. Less is more. Find the right people, not just because you read their profile in a database, but because you read their work and understand their perspective.
5. Engage in conversations outside of when you need something.
6. Build relationships not lists.
7. Humanize the process and remember that this is about people
8. Stop whining and making excuses. You are responsible for your actions so arm yourself with what you need to be successful.
9. Stop sending press releases without summarizing what the news is and why it is IMPORTANT to the individual person you’re sending it to.
10. Remember the reputation and the future of PR is on you. If you’re not in this to do your job better, then ask yourself why you’re here. If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem.

Resources:

Chris Anderson's post about blocking lazy flacks

My open letter to Chris Anderson

Intro to Blogger Relations - 101



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The Art of Letting Go: Now Is Gone Podcast Series #3

On the heels of the official book release, Geoff Livingston and I continue our podcast series discussing the seven principles of community engagement uncovered in Now is Gone.

• Message control is the antithesis of social media, which enables people to communicate
• The video “The Break-Up” serves as the ideal example of this culture clash (just replace the word "Advertising" on his shirt with "Public Relations" and play along
  
• Companies will lose their customer relationships if they don’t learn how to speak with them
• Marketing departments have a really hard time letting go of message control as an ethos
• Newer cultures have an easier time adopting versus more established companies and marketing departments who “mastermind messages”
• Jennifer McClure’s work with New Communications Review does a great job providing actual data showing the benefits of participating in conversations versus message control
• Doc Searls, “There’s no market for messages” and Phil Gomes extrapolation on no market.

Click here to listen.

Click here to download.

Now is Gone is currently available on Amazon and Bartleby Press (autographed edition).

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#1: Audiences versus Communities.

#2: Participation is Marketing

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Now is Gone, Now Available

Wow. It's real. Now is Gone is now officially available.

The book that Geoff Livingston and I worked on together is finally out there and I am humbled.

It’s currently available on Amazon and Bartleby Press (autographed edition).

For those on the West Coast, we'll be hosting a launch party in early December and for those on the East Coast, we'll see you in either December or January.

Thank you Geoff for this opportunity and thank you to everyone out there who inspired and supported (and supports) us.

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Blogworld Expo: Building Relationships with Bloggers

Building relationships with bloggers has been the hot topic of the last year, with an emphasis on the last couple of weeks - courtesy of Mr. Chris Anderson (btw, thank you Chris for sparking some of the most important and invigorating discussions to take place in PR in quite some time).

I was invited to join Marc Harty of PR Traffic to speak about how and why to build relationships with bloggers at Blogworld Expo in Las Vegas.



The room was filled with bloggers, entrepreneurs, PR people, corporate executives, and journalists, all looking to engage. I have to say that this was a pleasant surprise as it was one of the last sessions of the entire event.



The agenda for the hour was basic, but the ensuing discussions were deep and immersive.

Remember, the point here is that while many of this seems like common sense, but it actually requires a completely different mindset for creating blogger campaigns and measuring their success.

Conversations are taking place right now about your company and your competitors. What are you going to do about it?

Blogger relations and participation are critical to the future of your business.

1. Define Blogger Relations

- Blogger relations is about people, many of whom might be customers and peers. It is not to be underestimated.

2. The Art of Relationships

- Be knowledgeable, transparent, honest, and trustworthy. Add value or don't bother.

- You don't have the "right" to pitch bloggers, so really think about it before you approach anyone.

- Conversation seems to be the "it" word, but it all comes down to respect, articulation, and relevance. Personality helps.

- No one likes to sold "to" or marketed "at" - each person needs to hear things differently, so think about that.

- There is no market for messages.

- You are empowered and expected, as a PR person, to know what you're talking about, it's benefits, and why it matters to the markets you're trying to reach. Become an expert.

- Less is more. This isn't about numbers, this is about doing PR in the Long Tail so that you can develop more meaningful relationships that have a more significant impact on the brand, business, and customers service. Quality vs. Quantity.

- Stop thinking about PR in terms of pitches and audience. The pitch is dead. The audience is dead.

- It's all about trust and respect

- Determine their preferred method of contact - note it might not be email, but rather various social tools.

NOTE TO BLOGGERS: Please help PR help you. Create a page or update your "about" section with tips and recommendations for developing relationships with PR people.

3. Promote and Reach Bloggers Through Social Media

- Submit their posts/articles to social networks and news aggregators such as digg and reddit.

- Link to them.

- Comment before reaching out with meaningful content - participation is marketing.

- Leverage personal networks.

4. Utilize Social Tools

- There are alternative contact channels to email and forms (No spam or invasive tactics allowed)

- Social networks such as Facebook, Yahoo Mash, LinkedIn, Plaxo Pulse.

- Micromedia such as Twitter, jaiku, Tumblr, Utterz, Pownce.

5. Be Creative

- The traditional press release has no business in blogger relations. You're going to have to put things together as building blocks in order to help someone tell a story.

- Video, create short video demos, intros, events, greetings, or skits, that are specific to markets you're trying to reach.

- Podcasts, invite them to co-host a podcast or to be a guest on something like BlogTalkradio. Or create pre-recorded interviews or discussions that matter to bloggers. Think about creating custom content for different people. One shoe doesn't fit all just like one message or one tool doesn't matter to everyone.

- Social bookmarks, Bookmark content that matters to bloggers through services such as StumbleUpon, ma.gnolia, and delicious. Also, create purpose built pages dedicated to providing unbiased market background and perspective to help bloggers gain expertise and context through one link.

- Tagging, Tag items within social networks for specific people.

6. Find the People Who Can Help You

- Google Alerts allow you to be notified if anyone is talking about your company, competition, you, or other important topics.

- Blogpulse reveals blogs and bloggers that have strong authority around relevant memes.

- Technorati allows you to discover blogs that cover certain key words.

7. The Art of Listening

- Read.

- Explore their blogroll.

- Use an RSS aggregator or feed reader to simplify the process of reading the important blogs and their coverage.

- Read the comments (and participate). Sometimes the greatest insight is unveiled outside of the post.

8. The “C”s of Blogger Relations

- Concept: what's the compelling plan.
- Context: why is it relevant to them.
- Consumption: create a package that makes it easy for bloggers to write their story.
- Credibility: what makes you credible? Become the expert.
- Community: join it, participate without expectations.
- Conversation: you are not invited to the conversation as a marketer. This is about people, so be articulate, responsive, honest, smart, and resourceful.

9. Expand the scope

- Don't get caught up in the A-list.

- Blogger relations can be based on news and also stories.

- Focus on the magic middle, bloggers with 20-1000 blogs that link back to them.

10. Read the Social Media Manifesto




Download the Word doc here.

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Lisa Barone liveblogged the session. Click here to read her summary

Special thanks to Barbara Rozgonyi for taking these pictures. And, also thank you to Marc for a great session.

It was also very nice to meet Britta Meyer of eurekster, Steven Van Yoder of Yedda, Lior Haner, Sean Jackson of LeadMaverick, Michael Brito of Yahoo, Paul Ruppert of Global Point View, Clinton Schaff of M80, Chuck Hester of iContact, Jim Turner of One by One Media, Don Crowther of Breakthrough, Ajay Jain of TechGazing, Todd Earwood of Jotzel Media, and Paul Borgese of AP.

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Blog This - November 10, 2007

Does What Happens in the Facebook Stay in the Facebook?
A very interesting video that should remind us that what we share on the Web and in social networks (in this case Facebook) is discoverable and usable by people you don't know and could come back in ways you would never expect. I touched upon this a bit in "Beware of What You Share in the World of Social Media."

Explaining what the “Social Graph” is to your Executives
I guess we're stuck with the term Social Graph. Jeremiah Owyang does a great job of summarizing what it is and why it's important to business.

I can define it for you in ten words.

Social Graph = Your relationships and the relationships of others within Social Networks.

Or, better yet, I can define it in two words.

Social Graph = Social Networks.

Liz Strauss
I had the opportunity to finally meet Liz Strauss of Successful (and Outstanding) Blog (gers) during Blogworld Expo. My brief meeting with her was one of the highlights of the show.

Robyn Tippins
I also finally met Robyn at Blogworld Expo. Community Manager at MyBlogLog, Robyn also helps bloggers and webmasters increase their income via Adsense, Affiliate Advertising and General Blogging Help.

Virgin America Gets it Right, Opens an Ultra Lounge in the Clouds
I wrote about my recent experience flying Virgin America over at bub.blicio.us.

Brian Solis at Blogworld Expo

Jim Kukral interview at Blogworld Expo in Las Vegas

Getting Social

Marcom Professional Features Brian Solis as part of its Social Media roundup

'08 Countdown #2: The End of 'Free'

Chris Shipley predicts the end of Web 2.0 in 2008

A Social Media Discussion Lifestreamed

SomewhatFrank's Frank Gruber wore a camera on his head, Justin.tv style and captured his discussion with other smart folks about Social Media

What real journalists really want from public relations

Michael Tangeman has an excellent post on how PR enhance their working relationship with journalists.

Managing a Corporate Blog, Like HP's

Tac Anderson, HP's Director of Social Media for the LaserJet Division, revealed HP's internal blogging workflow and best practices.

Dear Chris Anderson, an Open Letter to Make Things Right

My open letter to Chris Anderson to make sure PR "gets" it.

Chris Anderson hates receiving spam, benefits from sending it

Valleywag's highlights contradiction between PR and publishing

New Media Douchebags

Hilarious video that stereo types the new media aka social media professionals out there!

ROI on Community Building

Connie Bensen on her role in community building at ACDSee and the associated expectations of management.

Be Like the Internet

Chris Webb's long, but incredible presentation on how to embrace and participate in Social Media - The key is to let go and embrace the chaos.

Is Media Relations Dead on the Web?

Ugh. An incredibly narrow "us vs. them" view of Social Media and Media Relations. This is the kind of post that shows you why PR isn't always invited to the marketing table. This has NOTHING to do w/media relations. It should be in addition to any good PR program...

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PR Roundtable Discussion: Advice on Media and Blogger Relations

Aaron Brazell, Director of Technology at b5media has lined up a handful of well-respected voices on both sides of the PR game to host a “roundtable” discussion on Social Media. It's a five part series with the third post running today at Technosailor.

The roundtable includes Doug Haslam, Marshall Kirkpatrick, Cathryn Hrudicka, Marc Orchant, and yours truly. Click here to read more about the participants.

Question 5: What advice would you give to your own industry in engaging the other side?

Brian Solis: Chris Anderson summarized it best, “I only want two kinds of email: those from people I know, and those from people who have taken the time to find out what I’m interested in and composed a note meant to appeal to that.”

What’s it going to take for PR to reflect that sentiment and honest plea for relevance? It should be common sense. But it’s not. Common sense is all too uncommon in almost everything we do these days.

So to help PR “pros” stop pissing-off bloggers and reporters and start building meaningful relationships with them, here is a list of things to live by:

Remember this is about people

1. What do you stand for? Answer that first before you try to convince people that are busier than you why they should take time to stop what they’re doing to pay you any attention.
2. It’s more than doing your homework. To some doing homework is building lists. Figure out what your are representing and why it matters. How does it compare to other things. What do people need? What are their pains?
3. Practice saying it aloud in one-to-two minutes or less to a friend or in front of a mirror. Seriously. It works. If you don’t get it no one else will.
4. Less is more. Find the right people, not just because you read their profile in a database, but because you read their work and understand their perspective.
5. Engage in conversations outside of when you need something.
6. Build relationships not lists.
7. Humanize the process and remember that this is about people
8. Stop whining and making excuses. You are responsible for your actions so arm yourself with what you need to be successful.
9. Stop sending press releases without summarizing what the news is and why it is IMPORTANT to the individual person you’re sending it to.
10. Remember the reputation and the future of PR is on you. If you’re not in this to do your job better, then ask yourself why you’re here. If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem.

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The Series:

Question #1 - What do you think the biggest challenge is for the Public Relations industry to fully embrace social media?

Question #2 - What does the concept of “brand” mean to you and how do you see the concept of brand protection (or the concept of “open source brand”, so to speak) being transformed in the internet age?

Question #3 - How can bloggers work more effectively with PR people?

Question #4 - Is “outing” a wayward PR agency or individual an effective way of dealing with the problem of misfired pitches?

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