You may have noticed the signs before now, perhaps your pitches haven’t resulted in stories, your online press releases have languished in the digital atmosphere or that journalist you thought dug you really doesn’t.

If any of those things are happening to you, we’re here to provide a painless intervention that can put your PR and social media back on the right track.

Ready?

1. We’ve noticed that your story ideas are falling flat on editor’s ears.  We all know that successful pitches are crucial for PR and social media success so here’s what’s happening.

You’ve forgotten that the journalists covering the industries you’re working with actually have specific needs when it comes to stories.  Here are some of them:

• Story ideas that fit the beat they cover
• Additional resources when they need help from you (some which might not be about your client)
• Correct contact information
• A timely response to their inquiries
• Understanding of their deadlines and copy limitations

Despite the way it feels sometimes, journalists need you as much as you need them.  Forge a symbiotic relationship.

2. You seem to have a habit of jumping the gun.  The game of PR and social media isn’t one for slow minded or slow acting individuals.  A 24-7 news cycle and the pace of the digital marketplace make it essential to perform quickly.

And yet….sometimes it’s best to take a breath and survey the landscape before sending out your troops – by troops we mean your hastily written press release, blog post or tweet.

Before you respond to viral situations or crisis circumstances, allow yourself and your team a window of time to plan before launching your response.

3. It’s apparent that your social media content isn’t compelling audiences.  We know it isn’t easy coming up with PR and social media content continually but the fact is, it’s part of your job so try these things to re-energize your messages:

• Be sure your content fits the audiences you’re trying to reach
• Keep your content brief to fit into busy Internet user lifestyles
• Use content curation to keep your information fresh and relevant
• Ask audiences about what interests them

And remember this key fact — at the end of the day, the best content in the world is lifeless if it doesn’t compel audiences to act.

4. Your language has gotten a bit offensive.  Now, we’re not saying that you are using swarthy terms that offend audiences with their inappropriateness.

We are pointing out that when you write PR and social media content for clients in highly specialized industries that carry their own jargon, you seem to fall into their speech patterns.

While that may be okay when you’re communicating with your clients, it isn’t ideal when communicating with journalists and others in your online audience who might like highly complicated terms translated into words they actually understand.

The good news about an intervention such as this is that you’ll see immediate results when you admit that you might have a problem and you accept help.  The other bright spot is that you’re not alone, these PR and social media blunders happen daily.

Now that you’ve gone beyond intervention basics, check out our blog post, Boost Your (Press Release) Body:  Press Release Services Tips.

Filed under: Public Relations, Social Media by Stacey Acevero