Social Media Influence on Public Relations

Written by: Tomo Popovic

Social networks have changed the game of Public Relations in many ways. It has been estimated that 81% of PR professionals cannot imagine doing their job without using social media. Furthermore, social media has become the major intermediary between PR pros and target audience. What is more, brand image of any modern company greatly depends on its presence and reputation on social networks. However, three factors we need to consider in any Public Relations effort are the following:

Multi-way communication; Social media and web 2.0 technologies and tools have enabled PR pros to engage in direct dialogue with their audience. This implies constant interaction and information gathering, which further empowers PR pros to target and reach the audience in much more efficient and effective manner. Additionally, as companies interact more with their audience their posts will be seen and shared by more users. What is more, this greatly enhances brand awareness which is the aim of PR.

24/7 Service; The flow of information is constant and extremely rapid through social media. What is more, single information shared on any major social network can greatly affect company in both positive and negative way. However, negative news is always more influencing and interesting to public and therefore should be recognized and managed in a timely manner by PR pros. Furthermore, audience expects companies to provide real-time service through social media which requires constant PR activities on social networks.

Desire for amusing & unique content; Nowadays, consumers receive enormous amount of information on daily basis and therefore only interesting and original content will draw their attention. As a result, PR pros need to focus on sharing content that is straight to the point and newsworthy in order to reach and keep more audience. Therefore, it is required from PR sector to continuously find and share new information that will appeal to the audience and draw their attention.

The Art of Copywriting | Press Release drafting 101

Written by: Christine Saifi
Edited by: Matija Petrović 

The renowned businessman behind Virgin Group, Richard Branson once said "a good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front-page ad". So, if you're looking at getting high media coverage, then writing an effective press release is the key.

Why write a press release?

Press releases are an essential element of any PR strategy. They aim at gaining mindshare in people's minds and raise awareness about the company's activities. Press releases can be written to announce product launches, events, openings, sponsorships or any other newsworthy matters.

Press release drafting is an artful skill which copywriters of a company or a PR agency need to master. Companies need to keep in mind that journalists are constantly being swamped with feature stories, pitches, and press releases, so why should they consider yours?

That said, content creativity is now much more important than ever before and can, in many cases, be a company's competitive advantage. So, making your press release stand out from all the others is crucial.

​Before writing: 
So before you start drafting your press release, ask yourself these four questions:

1.       Is my press release "newsworthy"

2.       Who is my target audience?

3.       What are my key messages?

4.       Will anyone actually be interested in reading the release?

How to write a press release?
Countless articles have been written about the do's and don'ts of press releases. The most utilized writing style is the Inverted Pyramid model which is when the most important information goes at the top of the story, while the least important information goes at the bottom.

The Inverted Pyramid Structure:

 

A few more tips I learnt along the way…

While the format of a press release hasn't changed over time, the content of the release is now expected to present something new, be creative, and appealing. So here are a few things I learnt as an English copywriter at a PR Agency:

1.       Rules are meant to be broken. While the inverted pyramid is the most useful writing style, don't be afraid of breaking the rules a little and explore other more creative styles. You can start your press release with an attention grabbing sentence, quote, or anecdote, and then proceed to the 5Ws.  That said, some news stories can only be written in an inverted pyramid style.

2.       Write eye-catchy headlines. Your headline is what will get the reader to delve more into your press release so make sure to write killer titles.

3.       Always have visuals. We currently live in a visual world and according to PR Newswire, people & journalists are 3.5 times more likely to share and view pictures, videos, and infographs rather than plane text. So never dispatch a press release without supporting visuals.

4.       Be concise. The ideal length of a press release is about three to four paragraphs. Anything longer than that and you can be sure you lost the reader's interest.

5.       Use simple language. You don't want to bother the reader with words they have never heard of, or need a dictionary to understand. Break your long sentences into shorter ones and use simple language.

6.       Add clickable links. Today's readers and especially online ones are curious readers so you need to have a call for action approach and invite them to find out more information about your products or project through clickable links.

7.       Take advantage of Social media. You need to spread your news through as many outlets as possible so share your press release on social media. Some of your followers may not check newspapers but they may check your online pages.

8.       Optimize your press releases.  Take advantage of Web 2.0 and include linked search engine optimization keywords to help increase people finding your news stories.

9.       Choose your quotes carefully. Quotes should be used to provide insights and opinion and sound like a real person is saying them. They definitely shouldn't be used to provide extra information or full of technical language.