#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

NEWSWORTHINESS New context & opportunities for PR

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Hello.

Sarah Skerik

VP content marketing

@sarahskerik

linkedin.com/in/sarahskerik

#PRSAicon

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Our agenda

• The media evolution:

changes in information

consumption &

audience behavior

• Imperatives for PR

• Your internal

newsmakers

• New tactics &

approaches

Newsworthiness

Context

Opportunity Attention

Credibility

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

MEDIA EVOLUTION The game has changed. Has your approach evolved?

http://onesecond.designly.com/

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

The new PR reality:

We’re competing for finite

audience attention against an

infinite ocean of content.

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

TV lost out to the web back in 2008…

Source: Dr. Don E. Schulz, Professor Emeritus-in-

Service, IMC at the Medill School, Northwestern

University

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

For news, TV is fast losing ground to digital.

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

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June 2012

TV and Internet Consumption vs. Facebook as Favorite Site

Facebook

Source: Dr. Don E. Schulz, Professor Emeritus-in-

Service, IMC at the Medill School, Northwestern

University

Internet

TV

Facebook is where we spend our time.

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Social popularity drives content visibility in search engines.

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Our behavior has changed as a result...

B2B customers contact a

sales rep only after 70% of

the purchase decision has

been made. – Sirius

Decisions 2012

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

The ‘social message’ containing

friends’ pictures directly increased

turnout by 60,000 votes and

indirectly increased turnout by

280,000 votes because many

social-message recipients shared

the message with their contacts.

Nature, 2012

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Study of consumers: The

traditional linear path to purchase

is giving way to a more winding

journey. The shopper is always

on” as a result of his or her

constant interaction with brands.

-- ARF 2013

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Influence is no longer linear. It’s ongoing.

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

We’re looking for really granular stuff

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And we’re OK with branded content.

Excerpt from Sharethrough infographic

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@sarahskerik @prnewswire

The common element is RELEVANCE.

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#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

SO WHAT DOES THIS

MEAN FOR PR?

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Our brands live in ecosystems & the audiences are

beating hearts.

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Your audience has already busted your siloes

(even if your organization doesn’t know it yet.)

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

New imperatives for PR:

• Adapt to changing media

models to generate (and

measure) PR results.

• Recognize different forms of

earned media, and

• Earn organic attention, outside

of traditional media models,

which requires

• Creating effective messaging

for today’s environment.

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

TELL THE AUDIENCE WHAT THEY WANT

TO HEAR, NOT WHAT THE BRAND

WANTS TO TELL.*

* Or, at least use what the audience is

interested in as the framework for the content

you develop.

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Then Now

Interaction

Viral Content

Influencers

Measurable outcomes

Print media pick-up

PR “stunts”

Media luminaries

Fuzzy measurement

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Interaction is an outcome

• The value is in

amplification.

• Digital activity can be

measured:

• Traffic to a related

microsite)

• Number of times

something was shared

• Search rank

• Conversions!

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Forget viral.

Popular content has a long lifespan.

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Interaction + Relevance = Ongoing Value

Source: Forrester

Pro tip: Measure

ongoing results!

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

NEWSMAKERS Finding the stories & story-tellers

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Mine your organization for interesting

stories, relevant content & news

opportunities.

Ask “What can the brand add to the

conversation?”

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Find your newsmakers*. (Okay, interesting content makers.)

• Illustrate & explain data. Marketing

• Draw back the curtain. Niche experts

• Share their perspective. Front-line

teams

• Prove your worth. Customers

• Inspire your audience. Influencers

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Leverage sponsored/owned content

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@sarahskerik @prnewswire

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Pro tip: These are trackable URLs

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TACTICS

Branded content matters, as long as

it’s relevant and credible.

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Press releases are shared multiple times each minute

on Twitter.

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Employ multimedia elements.

• Visuals have their own

distribution networks

• Visuals draw eyeballs

• Algorithms value

visuals

• People like pictures.

• Better results accrue

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Music

Travelers

Mom

Drive interaction by atomizing content to surface

different angles & appeal to different audiences.

Music

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Market your messaging. Drive discovery

with distribution.

#prsaicon @sarahskerik @prnewswire

Tie outcomes to your organization’s marketing funnel.

(Yes. Your organization has one of these.)

Reads

Clicks

Amplification

# of specific

outcomes

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Use measurable links deliberately

Use keywords, but not for the reason you might think.

200%

increase

in

traffic!

• Keep them short.

Why?

• Our data. (80-130)

• Search engines (65)

• AP system (80)

• Twitter (100)

• Use a subhead to

keep peers happy.

Headline length REALLY matters.

@sarahskerik @prnewswire

Thank you.

Twitter: @sarahskerik

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/sarahskerik

Blog:

http://blog.prnewswire.com/

author/sarahskerik http://bit.ly/16UoCNU