On Friday, Keith was on a Business Wire panel talking with PR pros about social media. Time was spent talking about building relationships with members of the media through Facebook and Twitter. Then someone asked if reporters are still open to getting to know communicators face to face. Coffee at Starbucks, anyone?
Most media probably will say they don’t have time for such things. But businesses looking for publicity should still try to get on a reporter’s schedule despite the odds. And if you get turned down, find a seat at one of these panels including journalists.
For example, after the Business Wire event, a woman trying to make a contact at Keith’s station walked up to him. She introduced herself, pitched an idea and now they’re exchanging emails trying to sketch out a story.
No. It’s not your father’s media anyone. But don’t forget: Email and social media haven’t totally erased making friends face to face.
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There is quite a bit of truth to that. We recently just completed a campaign to gather reviews on a particular website. While we focused on reaching out via social media sites, as well as through an e-mail campaign, 90% of our reviews came from those people that our staff members had made a personal connection with!
I had the pleasure of serving on a panel with Keith on Wednesday night – talking about how the media are using social media. As a PR professional, social media has “introduced” me to a wide variety of media — giving me additional insight beyond what their beat is. Face-to-face is always the goal, but I am happy to make media connections any way I can.