Social Media News Releases
28 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in PRCA 3330
What is it?
A Social Media News Release (SMNR) is the typical and well-known news release revamped for the world of online media. It is easily found, can be forwarded, blogged about, commented on, etc. Essentially, a SMNR is giving a typical news release its very own website and URL address that anyone in the world (with internet access) can access. SMNRs contain links and tags, making them easy to find with a simple search engine inquiry, and they are designed with the online world in mind. SMNRs appeal to the new generation who understands the need for change, but they also appeal to traditional journalists as well as bloggers, online communities, and consumers.
Advantages/Disadvantages
There are several advantages of a SMNR that make them so appealing. For one, like I stated above, they are easily forwarded, commented on, linked, etc. They are distributed and forwarded via twitter, e-mail, facebook, digg, and any other social networking outlet imaginable. This makes it very easy to distribute your news release. Thousands can see it in seconds…something that takes much longer with traditional news releases. They are easily created, accessible to anyone, and make sending and received news releases much easier. But accessibility comes with a cost. Because SMNRs are so easy to make, any one could create one, and send out spam or false news. SMNRs can be taken advantage of and used for nonethical purposes.
Uses
A PR practitioner should consider using a SMNR if they feel like mixing things up a bit or need to provide linkability and easy access. They’re very different from their traditional parent news release form. They meet modern journalists’ needs while providing something a little different to their audiences. SMNRs are great for companies introducing new products or services, announcing big financial or corporate news, and achievements or apologies. SMNRs can be used for a plethora of topics, and are quickly becoming the “it” thing to do.
Templates
The following websites will help you create a Social Media News Release
- http://www.prxbuilder.com/x2/
- http://pressitt.com/
Examples
Here is an example of a SMNR that an organization has created:
- http://pressitt.com/smnr/Wind-Energy-Stock-Clean-Wind-Energy-Tower-Inc.-OTCBB-CWET-Files-Patent-for-Advanced-Construction-Using-Precision-Adjustment-Joining-and-Strengthening-Techniques/5965/
Here is a SMNR that I have made:
I created that SMNR to distribute information on Georgia Southern University’s Panhellenic recruitment process (aka RUSH). It’s specifically about the Zeta Xi chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha in Statesboro, and how female students can sign up for recruitment. The goal of my SMNR is to attract as many girls as possible. Recruitment is only successful if there are many girls participating. The more news coverage and information there is about the process, the more people will hear about it which will boost curiosity and in turn (hopefully) increase registration. My target audience is any Georgia Southern University female undergraduate students that isn’t already a member of a Panhellenic organization.
Tips
Here are a few tips for creating your own SMNR!
- Use one of the websites listed above to create a free account and start the simple and guided process of making a SMNR
- Use a catchy headline. People won’t read your release if the title already sounds dull.
- Be clear and get to the point. No one likes to scroll for pages and pages.
- Provide all necessary information. If your SMNR seems incomplete, it will not get forwarded or bookmarked.
- Lastly, BE CREATIVE! Creativity and clarity are key to attracting readers. The more readers, the higher chance your SMNR has of being forwarded and getting hits!
Information provided by:
Twitter for a Week
25 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in PRCA 3330
I took Mrs. Groover last spring for Intro. to PR and completed the Twitter for a Week extra credit assignment that class offered…So I had a twitter account before this assignment and I was already familiar with twitter and what we had to do. I made a twitter in high school and never used it, but since the spring semester, I’ve been an on-again-off-again tweeter. I definitely knew more about twitter this time around, and how to use it, etc. It was a lot easier this time around since I actually understood the concept of twitter. This assignment kind of made me get back into it. I followed classmates and read PR professionals’ advice about things as well as PR-related articles and other newsworthy stories.
I like that you can follow who you want, so your home page is customized towards you and your interests. Mrs. Groover recommended that we follow PR professionals, and they definitely have some great advice/things to say that I couldn’t get elsewhere.
Twitter is definitely a valuable tool for public relations people because its a great networking tool and allows people to branch out and try to make contact with others that they’d normally never have the chance to. It’s different from facebook in the way that I can follow someone and read their posts even though I’d never “friend” them on facebook. (Peter Shankman, for example) Twitter also offers free advice and tips to people learning (like me) as well as free publicity for corporations. It makes it easy to “follow” the latest news with a company, or just find out what’s going on.
I will continue using twitter after this assignment. After the last assignment, I definitely didn’t abandon twitter completely, but I have not been on it and reading/tweeting as much as I could have to be a more active twitter member. I kind of forgot how cool and interesting it was. It’s like a personalized news page just for me, and I find some of the most unique/random things on my home page. Maybe now I will use it more regularly!
My twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RachelLeaFloyd
Comments
19 Jul 2011 1 Comment
in PRCA 3330
http://ggonzalez33.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/topic-of-the-week-71811/#comment-15
http://kaylamcglashan.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/my-favorite-movie/#comment-58
My Favorite Movies :)
19 Jul 2011 4 Comments
in PRCA 3330
Top 10 Movies.
- The Atonement
- Inside Man
- Harry Potter I-VIII
- The Notebook
- The Blindside
- Step Brothers
- Inception
- Grease
- Avatar
- Twilight Series
Comments
14 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in PRCA 3330
http://carriepulliam.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-like-________/#comment-83
http://ggonzalez33.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/topic-of-the-week-71111/#comment-11
Role Models
14 Jul 2011 10 Comments
in PRCA 3330
Growing up I had role models, but the older I got, the more I realized some of the people I looked up to the most led extremely disappointing lifestyles, and I idolized them for all of the wrong reasons. When you’re younger, you place people on a pedestal and are totally blind to any of their faults or wrongdoings. Granted, I was a child, so the “important” things weren’t always so obvious, and sometimes you respected adults for the wrong reasons.
Google defines a role model as “A person looked to by others as an example to be imitated.” …There aren’t many of those. And recently, I’ve become very disappointed with the people I looked up to the most. So rather than have a real-person role model that I look up to and try to imitate, I have more of an “idea” as a role model. All of the qualities and characteristics that I would expect from a role model, are the same qualities I aim to achieve. So I kind of have this picture painted of the person I want to be one day. I’m only human, so I know I can never be perfect, but I want to inspire someone with my personality, drive, and ambition. Then maybe I can be a role model to someone someday
Comments
08 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in PRCA 3330
http://kaylamcglashan.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/the-media-is-wrong/#comment-50
http://mvand88.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/topic-of-the-week-july-5th/#comment-3
–it says awaiting moderation
Media Pressure
05 Jul 2011 7 Comments
in PRCA 3330
The media plays a large role in the lives of most women, and even some men too. People look to the media for new and upcoming trends, what’s acceptable and what’s not, and how they should feel.
100 years ago, I’m sure little girls didn’t look in mirrors wishing they were thinner, or taller, or more developed, etc. But now with the media constantly publishing images of perfect women with flawless bodies, it’s hard to not at least compare yourself a little.
Of course we shouldn’t let that affect us, but we do, and who can help it? When I see magazine covers with women in bikinis exclaiming, “I had a baby less than TWO months ago and have already lost 40 lbs!” etc, even I’m like, “woah…” …And I’m not even a very self-conscious person.
The media’s job is to sell stories, and that’s what they do. It’s not realistic to compare ourselves to picture of perfection that the media paints for us. People judge themselves off of something that is not even achievable for most, and it often becomes an obsession.
From a public relations standpoint, many groups have launched campaigns to encourage girls to be happy with their own body, and I feel that’s a great start. Dove started the “Campaign for Real Beauty” which shows real women who “love the skin they’re in.”
Strategies such as these are a great start to maybe reversing this “image of perfection” that the media has put into our heads over the years.
image: http://mammon.typepad.com/root_of_all_evil/2009/11/how-they-sold-the-dove-campaign-for-real-beauty.html
