In through the back door: Using blogs to reach traditional media

April 25, 2008

Copyright © 2008 PRSA. All rights reserved.

The following article appears in the May issue of PR Tactics.

By Josh Hallett

Using blogs to reach traditional media sounds like the meeting of matter with anti-matter. Some say that blogs are the antithesis of media. Recent studies indicate that ever more journalists are looking to blogs for story leads and quotes, among other things. Combine this with the number of journalists who now count a blog as a publishing medium and the line between blogs and journalism is blurring more than ever.

With those blurring lines, the tools and tactics used to reach journalists now include blogs and other forms of social media. Practitioners are learning that often the same core PR strategies used for years apply to social media.

Loosely defined, there are two broad categories — direct and indirect — for using blogs to reach media.  A few assumptions first: 1. You’re familiar with social media and how to interact with people online. 2. You’re using social media monitoring tools to receive notifications of blogs mentioning keywords pertaining to your clients and industry.

Direct
A number of savvy journalists have embraced social media tools for their traditional reporting.

Reporter blogs: Whether willingly or unwillingly, many journalists now blog as part of their publishing duties. In many newspapers, reporters’ blogs supplement their traditional print pieces. One of the first rules of traditional media relations is to read what reporters write to learn about them and their beat.  A reporters’ blogs can often provide additional insight about the stories they’re covering and, in many cases, a bit about their personal lives. With the pressure to publish first (and often) a reporter’s blog may provide advance notice of a bigger story to come. Some may call it crowdsourcing, but reporters are also using their blogs to ask readers about topics.

Following a reporter’s blog closely will allow you to get ahead of stories and, in some cases, anticipate a phone call, knowing the questions that will be asked. Imagine a local reporter blogging about working on a story detailing community involvement from local businesses. You should know the next steps from here.

If you’ve been doing your job you might have an established relationship with the reporter. Combining that relationship with knowing what a reporter is working on allows you to be proactive. Sounds like traditional media relations to me.

Twitter: Increasingly in certain geographic markets (think San Francisco or New York) and in certain industries (Web/tech) journalists are using Twitter. Twitter is often described as a micro-blogging platform or a mash-up of instant messaging, texting and a social network. In simple terms, it’s a location where conversations take place. Many times tech news (and rumors) spread initially via the conversation on Twitter. Smart reporters are tapping into these conversations. Knowing what’s being said about your organizations/clients, your industry and even your competitors is key.

Similar to using their blogs for leads, reporters will ask questions or for suggestions or opinions via Twitter. The Orlando Sentinel’s tech reporter, Etan Horowitz has asked questions in advance of stories. For example, on March 4, when working on a story related to Facebook, he wrote:

“still looking for some local people who have had their boss or co-worker try to ‘friend’ them.”

Just like you would establish a relationship with a reporter in the past, establish one on Twitter. Create a Twitter account and follow key industry players and reporters.

Indirect
As much as PR practitioners work to provide reporters with information and sources for a story, responsible journalists will always look for outside sources and information. Knowing what they’re finding and what sources they’re using can help. The next step is to build relationships with those sources.

Blog search and blogger relations: When you want to look up a topic or a person where do you go? A search engine of course. Think journalists are any different? Reporters use Web and blog searches to find a great deal of information. Sometimes it’s positive; sometimes it’s negative. Use Google to search for “Spirit Airlines” and tell me a reporter wouldn’t click on another link titled “Do Not Fly Spirit Airlines.”

Knowing what results come up for searches related to your organization or clients is essential. Search engines love blogs because they feature rich, relevant content that is updated frequently and is linked to often. Organizations are learning that blogger relations programs can help raise their message in search results.

What is blogger relations? This article is not meant to be a detailed discussion of that topic, but in simple terms, blogger relations is similar to traditional media relations. Find blogs that write about topics related to your organization/clients, build a relationship with them and help provide them with content that is beneficial to their blog. This does not mean blindly pitching via e-mail or sending them your latest press release.

Sure, the blogger you’re working with may have a small initial audience, but over the long term, in-bound search traffic can add up. Then, next time a reporter does a search for your organization they might end up reading blog content that you helped influence.

Hyperlocal: In many communities across the country hyperlocal blogs are springing up. Hyperlocal blogs are usually written by community residents and focus on a small geographic area or topic within a community. One example is Urban Jacksonville. This blog focuses on six neighborhoods in Jacksonville, Fla. One thing many hyperlocal blog authors will tell you is that some of their most loyal readers are the local media. Hyperlocal blogs are becoming tip-sheets for local media. Working with hyperlocal blogs as part of a blogger relations program is an indirect way to provide content to the traditional media.

The term “conversation” is often used in relation to social media. Successful practitioners have long known that building relationships with the traditional media helps get their message out. In the past, much of this relationship building may have occurred via networking in real-world social settings (including a bar or two). The power of the Internet is that conversations can take place online and relationships can be built via social media. If properly used, these virtual relationships can serve the same purpose.

Josh Hallett is a new media strategist with Voce Communications. He provides social media consulting and development work with brands such as Yahoo! and Sony Computer Entertainment America. He blogs at http://hyku.com/blog.

Want to learn more about this topic?
Join Josh Hallett this Tuesday for a PRSA teleseminar, “Using Blogs and Social Media to Reach the Traditional Media.” Learn how blogger relations can help get the word out here.

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