At Oracle, we understand that we need to be continually developing and adapting the way we communicate. As the media landscape evolves, we must do the same so that the work we do remains relevant and effective.
For the past few decades, the media landscape has become increasingly digital; it’s hardly a surprise that by the end of last year nearly 60% of news in the UK was consumed via the internet.[1] We never seem to be without our phones, we browse the news through apps on our commutes, scroll through Instagram and Twitter feeds as we wait in Starbucks, and stream video content on the plane. We comment, like, vote, share, retweet, send… information spreads faster than ever thanks to the rise of the digital world.
In PR, this brings both challenges and exciting opportunities. As the digital media continues to evolve every day, we need to continually develop our tools to appeal to journalists that now value a three-dimensional pitch over plain copy releases tailored to printed press. Our job is certainly made easier by the array of fantastic homes in our clients’ portfolios, but turning facts into dynamic, sellable pitches suitable for a range of online media platforms is a skill that is more important than ever in 2022.
The team recently attended an insightful training session held by Steve Dunne from the PRCA. These sessions form part of the continuous self-improvement for all employees at The Oracle Group. Our commitment to personal development has recently resulted in our being awarded a CMS Gold Accreditation as part of recognising best practice in PR. We take part in regular training as we appreciate that we can never stop learning – continual training for the whole team keeps us up to date on the fast-paced changes of the digital media scene for PRs. In turn, we can continue to provide the very best service to our clients.
Today we’re sharing five take-away pointers from our PRCA training on gaining coverage in a digital world. If you can answer the following questions with a ‘yes’, your content will have better chances of gaining attention amongst the sea of online content that is published online every second!
- Is your content sharable?
When pitching to journalists, it’s important to find an angle that will incite a flurry of clicks on that all-important ‘Share’ button. Ideally, the story should offer multiple reasons for consumers to want to share the content on their own social platforms. Increased ‘shares’ equals increased ‘reach’, meaning the content is viewed by new audiences who would not have otherwise seen it.
- Are you encouraging social engagement?
You don’t want to be posting into an online abyss…so start a conversation! Whether we are running our clients’ social platforms or pitching to journalists for online publications, we always need to look for opportunities that encourage interaction from consumers. Posts that prompt comments gain increased coverage as they play into a popularity metric that favours interaction.
- Have you ensured your pitch is multi-dimensional?
Did you know that the human brain reads images 60,000 times faster than the written word? Including image, video or even sound clips gives your content more dimensions, so more interest as a result. Be screen-savvy, no one wants to be scrolling through swathes of text when browsing their phones on-the-go.
- Are you networking online?
Nurturing online relationships is beneficial for both growing social accounts and PR pitching. Connecting and creating rapport with journalists in the field helps to make your name more memorable, making your pitch more likely to stand out as a result. LinkedIn and Twitter are useful tools for this!
- Have you reached out for digital collaborations with Influencers and Bloggers?
Last but not least, note that certain names within the online world will make people sit up and listen. Working with influencers and bloggers at PR events means you can access their vast pool of followers and gain more social coverage and promotion for your client. With 54% of consumers making a purchase after seeing a product on Instagram, the marketing power of influencers should not be underestimated…[2]
2. https://en-gb.facebook.com/business/news/insights/how-instagram-boosts-brands-and-drives-sales