Exploring the Impact of AI in PR and Journalism: Insights from our recent roundtable breakfast
On Tuesday we gathered experts to discuss the profound influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on public relations (PR), journalism, and visual communication. Moderated by our own Sam Brown, the event featured insightful discussions and demonstrations on the role of AI in shaping content creation, crisis management, and ethical considerations. Huge thanks to Stuart Bruce from Purposeful Relations, Karyn Fleeting from Reach PLC and AI artist Duncan Thomsen for joining us and sharing their knowledge.
Below we delve into some key highlights from the event, but you can also rewatch the full discussion HERE.
AI in PR and Journalism
The discussion opened with the practical applications of AI in PR and journalism. Karyn highlighted the automation of routine tasks such as research, media monitoring, and audience insights, emphasising the need to balance automation with human expertise. Stuart delved into the role of AI in personalising content and pitching strategies, while exploring the intersection of AI and PR innovation.
Karyn discussed AI’s transformative impact on data-driven reporting and investigative journalism. The conversation also touched on the benefits and challenges of incorporating AI tools into journalistic practices, with a keen focus on maintaining editorial integrity and accuracy. Stuart provided insights into the implications of AI advancements for PR professionals, highlighting the importance of adapting to evolving media landscapes.
AI's Influence on Creative Ideas
Duncan's captivating artwork served as a backdrop to explore AI's influence on creative ideation and visual communication. The panel discussed the potential of AI to contribute to creative processes traditionally driven by human intuition and imagination. The conversation also delved into the implications of AI-generated content for PR and journalism, sparking thought-provoking reflections on consumer perceptions and engagement.
Enhancing Visual Storytelling with AI
The panel examined how AI enhances visual storytelling in PR and news media, with Karyn shedding light on its role in generating compelling images. Stuart explored AI's efficiency in content creation, particularly in generating visually engaging materials. Duncan raised ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI to manipulate and analyse images, prompting discussions on transparency and accountability.
AI in Crisis Management
The serious side of AI deployment was explored, particularly in crisis management scenarios. Stuart elaborated on AI's role in sentiment analysis and real-time monitoring during crises, citing examples of successful AI-driven strategies. The discussion underscored the importance of leveraging AI technologies to detect and respond to emerging news and trends effectively.
Ethical Considerations in AI
Ethical considerations took centre stage, with Karyn sharing insights into Reach's comprehensive AI policy. The panel delved into the ethical implications of bias in AI algorithms for PR and journalism, advocating for transparency and trust-building measures. Discussions also revolved around addressing privacy concerns related to AI data collection and usage, highlighting the need for robust ethical frameworks.
Future of AI in PR and Journalism
As the event drew to a close, the panelists pondered the future of AI-driven PR and journalism. They identified key skills and knowledge areas essential for success in the AI-driven landscape while acknowledging adoption barriers and emerging trends. The conversation concluded with optimistic predictions for the continued evolution of AI in PR, journalism, and visual communications, underlining the transformative potential of responsible AI deployment.
We have more great events in the pipeline - If you’d like to be included on the invite please email victoria.obrien@72point.com.
2018: The PR Trends that you need to monitor
Jack Granard looks ahead to the trends you need to monitor in 2018. See the first of this two-part feature on the digital media predictions of 2017 that you should have followed here.
2017 oversaw the continued evolution of what it is to be a PR professional, as it became more influenced by digital elements, social media and marketing.
Importantly, as content became more visual, it superseded the tried tested methods, such as traditional press releases, whilst also bringing about the rise in the use of video, influencer and infographic content. This article will highlight the upcoming trends that need to be monitored in 2018 and how it can be incorporated by your company.
The Future Role of PR: The Statistics
The advancement of the PR role is indicative of the importance of reacting quickly to the latest PR trends so as not to be left behind.
A 2017 USC Annenberg Global Communications study which interviewed 875 PR executives and 101 marketers from around the world found that digital storytelling is the biggest future PR trend with 88% citing it as important. Moreover, social listening ranked second (82%) followed by social purpose (71%) and Big Data (70%).
In terms of skills for future growth, strategic planning with 89% was voted as the most important, followed by written communications (86%), social media (84%), multimedia content development (82%), and verbal communications (80%).
87% of professionals believe the term “public relations” will not describe the work they do in five years, which exemplifies the initial point about being reactive. This is given further strength, where 60% of marketing executives believe PR and marketing will become dramatically more aligned in the near future.
Ultimately, these figures suggest the importance of being a well-rounded PR executive. It is essential to keep on adapting, otherwise the PR professional today could become extinct in as soon as 5 years.
Dark Social Media
Data coverage and tracking in the PR industry has become a fundamental element of presentation and success for clients, in identifying social influence and monitoring performance. However, what is impossible to track is dark social, which is defined as the communication through private messaging platforms, such as, text, email, Whatsapp, Messenger and Skype. The importance of tracking this is accentuated by the likes of Forbes.
Bearing any privacy concerns, the main interests in measuring this is emphasised by the notion that increasingly we are more likely to share a link via dark social than on your Facebook profile. Consequently, PR firms are incapable of measuring this and are left confused as to where the rise in traffic to websites stems from. Significantly, standard web analytics are incapable of measuring this and key insights are lost.
Therefore, to start measuring dark social, one method could be to really emphasise the social sharing buttons on your site, whilst making sure all buttons have trackable links. Alternatively, if your direct track URLs are too long, it will be more unlikely to have been typed in their browser.
Overall, with this being a recent hot point, it is notable to keep your eyes peeled for new developments.
Artificial Intelligence
As stated throughout, data measurement has been very important to the PR role and AI has the potential to extend this further, through being utilised for basic research and media monitoring.
By utilising data scientists to predict future trends and investing in artificial intelligence to also combat this, it could pave the way for workload to be reduced for PR companies and to predict when and what businesses need to change. However, one topic that has been heavily discussed is the usage of intelligent chatbots. These bots powered by artificial intelligence could evolve the way customer communication is utilised and may also be used to create a new fun concept to promote a brand. Further weight is given, as it was highlighted by Business Insider as “the biggest thing since the iPhone.”
Speech Recognition Technology
Whether you have seen the parody videos or you have utilised the technology in Amazon Echo, Apple Siri or Google Home, it is largely agreeable that it has been a strong talking point recently.
Speech recognition built into modern devices is quick, accurate and definitely the future. With the possibility of it being used more frequently it could bring about a process where ads and SEO are not relevant. This has been heavily advocated by Steve Waddington (Social Media Director at Ketchum) who believes it will “create another wave of internet disintermediation.”
With rising incomes and interest in becoming more technological, firms should try to incorporate this technology into their campaigns and find new ways to be different.
Personal Brand Reputation and Social Ethics
Is it obvious? Yes.
Does, more need to be done? Yes.
Social media has brought about exposure in new ways, putting us all under scrutiny. However, this is also a positive thing as it allows the opportunity for engagement with all these individuals through social media to gauge what this company is like. Previously, executives would target features in broadsheet papers but now optimising social networks is essential to harbouring not just brand reputation but a personal relationship with the consumer.
72Point has effectively created a space to combat this and has evolved through its recent brand revamp to better understand our organisation, our consumers and our goals. Now with increasing competition and shorter attention spans, only specialised websites who understand how to communicate effectively with all these new tools can succeed.
The PR industry is only likely to become more ethically focused with the Public Relations Communication Association’s (PRCA) expulsion of Bell Pottinger being a major point in 2017. Therefore, more awareness and positive messaging needs to be shown to restore trust.
Conclusion
This year will involve more competition and more technologies to use than ever before. At 72Point, we attempt to stay one step ahead and monitor these trends carefully. The PR world is a jungle and it has been shown to be ruthless in the past year. Therefore, more personal and genuine campaigns need to be implemented this year before it is too late.
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Start a Conversation this Christmas
Recognising Loneliness as a chronic issue in the UK, the late Jo Cox MP established a cross-party initiative called the Jo Cox Loneliness Commission, of which 15 major charities including Age UK, British Red Cross and The Silver Line UK are taking part. The Commission aimed ‘not simply to highlight the problem, but more importantly to act as a call to action. With the message ‘Start a Conversation’ about loneliness, and with each other. The Commission has got people talking at all levels – whether chatting to a neighbour, visiting an old friend, or just making time for the people they meet. After a year of research and community-building activities it will close on the 15th of December.
Bereavement is a prevalent cause of isolation that affects everyone, but in particular the older generation. Chronic loneliness can often set in when an individual loses close friends and partners who they have gone through their entire life with, leaving them with no one to spend time with on a daily basis. This leads to a vicious cycle where an individual has next-to-no contact with the outside world, therefore they cannot meet new people and make new friends and feel increasingly isolated from society. Charities such as Sue Ryder launched their #ConnectingThread campaign, which is on online community to provide people going through a difficult time with support – the campaign has provided people with a safe place to find practical advice, and an opportunity to share what they’re going through.
Poor health is another factor which can be experienced at any age and one that limits people’s contact with society. It’s an unfortunate fact that many elderly individuals are more prone to suffering from poor health, making it difficult for them to get around town or even their own home. Half a million people over 60 usually spend their day alone. In July 2015, Co-op and British Red Cross launched an innovative partnership to tackle this. The partnership has raised £6 million to fund new Red Cross services, helping over 12,500 people connect with their local communities by providing up to 12 weeks of practical support, helping finding activities and groups to join.
The Silver Line UK is the only national, free and confidential helpline for older people that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 68% of callers contact The Silver Line because they feel lonely or isolated, 90% live alone, and 54% say they have no one else to speak to. The charity is doing great ground work in providing older people with practical support, or simply giving them someone to have a chat with. Last Christmas, The Silver Line say they were unable to answer 5,000 calls due to huge demand. It costs £5 to answer a call. So this year, we at 72Point have partnered with The Silver Line to help them answer every single one.
We pride ourselves on being conversation starters. This Christmas we will launch our #StartAConversation campaign, urging people to talk about issues of loneliness, and more importantly – talk to each other.
We’ll be launching a new video on Friday the 24th of November to help The Silver Line start conversations that count this Christmas.
Stay tuned.
The art of storytelling
It’s easy to tell a story, watch:
Steve Martin walks into a room. He sits down in front of a vintage typewriter, looks pensively at the clock and begins, slowly to type. As his fingers move from key to key, a single word is stamped onto the page...
You want to know what the word is, don’t you? Is it a happy word? Is it a suicide note? Is that the actual Steve Martin, from Father of the Bride, or just some guy called Steve Martin?
Storytelling gives you the power to change a world – a world of your own creation. If you get the world right, like JK Rowling or JRR Tolkien, you can bring billions of people into it with you, eager to find out what the next word is.
Storytelling doesn’t have to be about creating fantastic universes, either. You could tell a story about the most banal interactions of daily life, and if it resonates with people then it will find an audience.
At 72Point, storytelling is in the essence of everything we do. We’re looking to find stories that will evoke a reaction in as many people as possible, who may then share that story online, in their workplace or at home, starting conversations and debates.
A lot of our work starts with a very small survey – in a meeting or brainstorm, someone will toss out a statement like ‘I realised this morning I’ve been singing Blank Space by Taylor Swift wrong for months’ and that will start a conversation about your hearing going in old age, or the differences between women and men, or how often misheard lyrics replace the real ones in your mind. If it gets us talking, we think it will get the general public talking, and so we’ll then take that idea, create a big survey around it then we’ll have a new story – like the song lyrics that everyone gets wrong.
That story worked because it’s a conversation that millions of people might not think to have, without a little push from us. But once they do, they realise that actually this is a topic that everyone has an opinion on - and if it raises a little awareness of hearing aids, then that’s our work done.
Storytelling isn’t simply about words, either. We’re increasingly using other methods to get across our ideas, from 360-degree videos where online users can explore a new space, to interactive puzzles as well as our in-house-produced video content. We’re covering all the bases when it comes to getting messages and stories into the press.
For crystal-clear visual representation of a story, our talented designers are on hand to create infographics and animations that can bring a static story to life. The best examples of our work are the ones that bring together elements of everything we can do, to deliver a story that everyone can take something from – like this example about debt levels.
Personally, my opinion on telling a story is simple – just keep people reading, one word after the next. If your content is engaging then you’ll do exactly that.
And hey, you made it down this far, didn’t you?
5 Ways to secure backlinks from media publications
Securing ‘follow’ links on media publications is the latest KPI for the PR industry to grapple with.
As if we didn’t already have enough on our plate, right? But don’t despair, link building is a perfectly legitimate process that has been tainted by bad practice, and if you can do it properly, you can justify a whole lot more PR spend.
Media publications have a naturally high domain authority and have therefore become the target of SEO teams looking to piggyback on their search ranking. For Google, news outlets are a dream source of information because, like Wikipedia, they provide fact-checked answers to relevant questions. As the Google bots move from “exogenous”’ to “endogenous” signals, online publications will become even more relevant.
So how can a brand rub shoulders with digital media titles and get some tasty Google juice on the back of it to boost their search engine visibility? Through PR, of course. We’ve drawn up a list of five ways to secure backlinks from media publications to help you adjust to the murky world of SEO KPIs:
1. Citations
Writing brand citations as a domain address can prompt journalists to link it up.
Although a full http:// or even www. can be off-putting, most publications won’t see anything too explicit in a dot com or .co.uk.
Or so Jack Peat of 72point.com believes.
2. Link Targets
To encourage publishers to link out, you need to give them a tangible link target. Rather than simply linking to a brand’s website, we advise that you link to a page on the brand’s website that offers further information or other incentives to link away. This could be a landing page with further information on the story, a white paper with full research results, a graphic, a campaign microsite, a quiz or interactive.
3. Number of Links
We recommend including no more than one link to a brand’s website per piece. If you fill the press release with links it automatically looks spammy and will ultimately lessen the chance of the content being used at all.
4. High-Quality Content
High-quality consumer journalism is of paramount importance. For digital titles, the use of multimedia is equally important and will increase the chances of backlinks been included. Take visual puzzles, for example. Our ‘Where’s Wayney’ puzzle got Ladbrokes a follow link from The Sun amongst others. Infographics are another great example. Our infographic for Intrepid Travel made the MailOnline complete with a follow link.
5. Educate
Finally, it’s important to educate clients on link building best practice and also reassure them that landing links is not the be all and end all. As Google moves to endogenous signals a simple citation will deliver significant Google juice, so rest assured, your content is still hard at work on the search engines!
Does 'pure PR' still exist?
After almost 50 years of operating as the Public Relations Consultants Association, the PRCA has launched an industry-wide consultation into whether it should change its name. They will consider whether to drop the ‘C’, which is deemed too inclusive for an organisation that has members from across the entire breadth of the industry, and also ‘PR’, which is considered to be a redundant term in a sector of wide and varied specialities. Go the ‘A’ Team!
The public consultation raises the question over whether “Pure PR” still exists. According to The 'A Team', public relations is the intersection between people and a brand, and is primarily concerned with “reputation” and “gaining trust and understanding” between an organisation and its various publics - whether that's employees, customers, investors, the local community - or all of those stakeholder groups. PR professionals use a variety of techniques to achieve this, and differ from marketers because they secure ‘earned’ media rather than ‘paid’.
But there are very few PR professionals left operating so rigidly. "As the dividing lines between practices have blurred over the years, many within our industry no longer term themselves as offering pure PR,” the PRCA statement read, “the industry has changed in nature”.
They’re not the only ones to notice. As Fifth Ring’s Katherine Fair says, “it is getting difficult to pinpoint exactly how communications, marketing and public relations differ from each other”, which, according to Ogilvy’s Stuart Smith, means there is a rush to be “THE agency” that can “own the insight, the big creative idea, produce the content and optimise the channel: paid, owned, earned media”. The definition of PR as being focused on getting a good press “is close to being redundant”, Alastair Campbell says. PR is now about marrying several disciplines to achieve numerous objectives.
We have coined this ‘The Content Umbrella’. It’s a simple concept. It denotes the merger of previously detached industries, including, but not limited to PR, digital marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimisation and content marketing, and it is a shift that has been on the cards for some time.As Google demands better quality content, online media consumers get turned off by display and brands look to engage rather than convert an amalgamation of disciplines has occurred leveraged on the basic principles of creating and distributing content.
“Pure PR” is a relic of a time gone by. Today, PR professionals must marry several principles that fall under the content umbrella and in doing so re-shape the industry’s outlook. The re-naming of the PRCA is a symbolic move for the industry as a whole; PR is dead, long live PR.
Top tips for achieving video success
Videos entertain, inform and give people access to digestible news on the go. They are also one of the best ways to achieve exposure. In fact, including them in your PR strategy is a no brainer.
There is no greater example of how influential video can be than the rise of the ‘Youtube’ stars. Ordinary, everyday folk turned into celebrities and idols (although I use that term loosely, very loosely) simply as a result of posting a video online. Whether it’s someone giving hair styling tips, baking tutorials or just playing a computer game. The potential influence of video is plain to see.
Dan Patterson of ABC News Radio said that ‘Humans are incredibly visual and powerful, moving images help us find meaning… [And] video helps capture and contextualize the world around us’. It is not surprising therefore that we extended our portfolio of services to include video.
Among our favourite campaigns we have worked on were two social media campaigns for supermarket Asda. One was a video for their Facebook page featuring magician and star of ITV’s Tricked, Ben Hanlin. We filmed Ben at an Asda store in London performing magic tricks for customers, including pulling money from items such as bread, unopened crisp packets and sealed yoghurt pots. The video achieved nearly 1 million views on Asda’s Facebook page.
The other, entitled 'Pimp my BBQ', was a fun, quirky video that unsurprisingly showcased a costumed ‘pimped’ BBQ. The BBQ featured additions such as a selfie stick, iPad stand, neon lights to name but a few. This video had pick-up all across a wide range of sites and proved especially popular with the MailOnline and Lad Bible
We’re lucky to have the services of incredible cameramen, video producers and editors from SWNS behind us to help us make the most of our video content.
If you’re looking to produce a video there are a few things to bear in mind.
1. Audience and Content
Cisco has predicted that video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic by 2017, so to truly have a place in this market we need to know what our audience want.
Not only must the video content we create chime well with the survey stories we produce, but we must keep trying to be as inventive and creative as possible. This comes not only from our own creative process but also from watching the video market and staying relevant and in line with what viewers want.
Videos don’t have to be elaborate. Yes sometimes a brief may call for a big stunt or a big name to appear in it but it doesn’t always have to. Sometimes a simple vox pop style video can be just as effective. After all, the people on the street are the people you are trying to attract so why not make them the centre of attention. Look at your brief and decide who you are trying to reach, how you’re going to do it and what style is going to have the most impact.
Watch our video showreel below to see the variation of video styles we've used for our clients:
2. Platform and Length
Only two years ago videos would be produced that could last over 5 minutes for just one story. We have learnt rapidly that most people’s engagement and time spent on a video last no more than 60 seconds, which is why as a rule at 72Point we produce nothing longer than 1 minute. This allows us to keep costs lower for the client - and crucially - we stay relevant for our publishers and help them engage with their audiences.
Videos will become even shorter as the use of mobile devices to access content continues to rocket. Evidence of this can be seen in the popularity of Vine which is based around 6 second videos, and Instagram which only allows 15 seconds. People now spend more time viewing stories on their mobiles than desktops and with that comes a shift in content presentation. This means a mobile-first approach is crucial for 72Point and its clients in 2016. Once you know who your video is aimed at, what you’re trying to say and how you’re going to share it, then everything else should slot into place. But if not here are some of our top tips for video success:
- Make it clear in your headline what the video is about
- Videos must have rich SEO within the metadata
- Be creative in how you link videos to text stories
- Always always share your video on social media
- Keep them short and snappy
- Don't try to be too clever - it can come across as false
- Make the first 8 seconds as attention-grabbing as possible. That’s all our attention span will take to lose interest.
So much is changing in the world of content and video as it continues to play a huge role in the market place. If we can utilise video and embrace the technology that comes with it, and the interactivity it gives audiences, then we and our clients are set for a bright and fun future.
Visit our video page to find out more about our video offering.Written by our video team: Issy Potts and Jessica Macdonald.
How to give your story a real Christmas presence
Mention the word “Christmas” in a 72Point brainstorm session and listen for the audible whoosh of air as every single creative in the room visibly slumps into their chair and lets out a heavy sigh.
We’re in the middle of November, and while we’re not Christmas scrooges (far from it, some of us have already completed our Christmas shopping while others are signing off their emails with Mrs Santa), we have already had more than 20 briefs from PR’s wanting to capitalise on the biggest event in the calendar.
So why such a negative reaction from the team you may ask? Everyone loves Christmas, so it must have great talk value?
Well yes, everyone loves Christmas, but that doesn’t make it news.
The 25th December might be a big deal for PR’s and businesses who will benefit from the event, but for the press it really is just another day in the year.
And if the media aren’t bothered by Christmas, they’re not going to dedicate pages and pages to survey-led stories about opening presents, gobbling turkey and overspending – not unless the stories are REALLY good.
So what are our tips to achieving the most for your brand, in the lead up to Christmas Day?
Don’t send the story out in the lead up to Christmas Day
Okay so this might be an impossibility, but what we’re trying to say is that the competition for coverage at this time in the year is HUGE. So if you do need coverage in December, make sure you’re doing something that will beat all the competition.
Consider Christmas Day
Do you have to send your story out before the big day? If you want coverage in December, but don’t necessarily have a brand which needs coverage to generate sales, you might want to consider lining up a story to go out ON Christmas Day. This is a fantastic ‘open goal’ opportunity for coverage, as news desks are receptive to any light list-based material. Alternatively ‘quick win’ stories are perfect for issue on Christmas Day, so if you’re an internet business capable of monitoring sales quickly contact us. We can very quickly pull together a sales-based story to show how many people are buying holidays / gym memberships / divorces on 25th December.
Don’t send out the same old story
We all know news is on a loop and Christmas is an example of just that. Every year we see the same survey stories make – ‘XX per cent of Brits received unwanted presents’, ‘the average Christmas looks like XXX’, ‘British households look set to spend £XXX on Christmas’ – but they don’t make BIG. If you want more than a ‘nib’ or a ‘stick’, do something different.
If budget allows, make a video
So we know we can’t compete with the John Lewis Christmas advert, which has already had almost 12 million views online, but if you’ve got a little more money to spend, a video is a great way to secure coverage online and has great longevity for the brand. Stories which are cross-platform definitely have the best chance of making, and news sites are crying out for videos to support any content they publish. However make sure the idea has been well thought through - last year TGI Friday had the brilliant idea of sending drones around their restaurants with mistletoe and a ‘kisscam’ but the stunt backfired spectacularly when the drone hit a diner in the face, and the brand received more coverage for the epic fail than the original idea.
DON’T talk about Christmas
The best way to get a survey story into the press in December is to make sure you don’t mention the C-word. So if you’re thinking of a survey led story, think about the USP’s of the brand, and most importantly, why is it so cool the other 364 days of the year? This should be the focus for any story you put out.
Try not to over-brand
Actually this is the advice which we give at all times of the year, but it’s all the more important at Christmas. A great example of a story which cleverly weaves in the key messages about the brand, without being too Christmassy or ‘pluggy’ is our Competitive Mums story we ran for the launch of Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s my Donkey? which subtly makes reference to Christmas nativities without over mentioning.
Think outside the box
Sorry, it’s a cliché, we hate it, but there it is. When generating ideas for Christmas try to step away from the event itself, try to think of something which is funny; if you can imagine talking to your friends about the subject matter for hours and hours, chances are you’re onto something.
Go Negative
A no-no for every PR, and a big fat thumbs up for 72Point, and more importantly for the papers. Want to run a story about how families interact at Christmas? We guarantee you’ll have more luck trying to land a story which looks at the arguments families have on Christmas Day, or the things that went wrong with the dinner, than a story about how well everyone got on and what we love about Christmas.
Consider all avenues
A survey is a fantastic way to achieve national press coverage, but a video or infographic could be the clincher when it comes to online coverage, you might even decide that at this time of year you pay for some native advertising to guarantee you that all important ‘show’.
And lastly, phone us if you’d like a helping hand
You might get some advice you don’t want to hear, you might need to re-think your ideas, but you WILL have a better chance of achieving all you want for Christmas.
The changing media landscape
Digital media has radically altered the way we consume and interact with news. For more than 50 years, newspapers and TV have dominated news coverage almost everywhere until the internet created the low cost opportunity to go global.
Digital natives rushed to change the news, while publishers and broadcasters started to build online audiences producing video-rich news channels that are accessible across the world at the touch of a button. Let’s refer to this as “News 3.0” – the age in which companies as diverse as Bloomberg, ESPN, CNN, Daily Mail, Huffington Post , BuzzFeed and the like joined the worldwide fight for online viewers, readers and listeners.
Multi-channel, multi platform news that is distributed socially is a way of saying to the consumer “you are in control: you decide if our content is entertaining and relevant and we’ll supply it when and where you want it”. However this fusion of traditional and new media is a big challenge for many; most of all for the daily newspaper which faces the need to make a real strategic leap for survival. How can they compete in a socially enabled environment? Especially one where such a wealth of content is so readily available that we no longer have to go out of our way to access it? Where do they start?
Let’s refer to this as “News 3.0” – the age in which companies as diverse as Bloomberg, ESPN, CNN, Daily Mail, Huffington Post , BuzzFeed and the like joined the worldwide fight for online viewers, readers and listeners.
Start at the beginning. Content. Digital content is not about the traditional attention grabbing font-size and designs but reflecting the needs of online consumers. Mediocrity and repetition don’t pay anymore. Investigative, newspaper-centric journalism is what papers do best therefore they should seek to maximise the impact of genuinely exclusive coverage, while also providing links to alternative sources and ‘aggregated’ content. The value in creating the ‘best’ or ‘exclusive’ coverage is that competitors will end up linking back to you.
On the other hand, news sites should remember what so many readers have always liked about newspapers: the happy chance of coming across something they weren’t looking for and didn’t expect to find. Crowdtap research found individuals aged 18 to 36 spend an average of 17.8 hours a day with different types of media, with the notion of “multi-channel” (merging digital, print and broadcast channels) media consumption commonplace therefore audiences have to be cultivated and ‘trained’ to become habitual users and will seek out news. This also means that element of surprise has been removed; the joy of coming across something they did not expect to find is reduced by the fact that they are actively searching for it and that their news feeds are tailored to things they want.
Video will likely become an online battle ground as audiences become more and more accustomed to consuming news through TV and digital. A key shift of resources for newspapers will be building up substantial video content to compete with TV news. Take for example the deal made between the NY Times and the US broadcaster PBS to share video journalism.
Digital media is not restricted to news sites and video. News mediums cannot afford to forget about the possibilities that social media can bring. All news organisations have to have an imprint on social media due to it being where so many of their audience regularly engage. It is a key source of content, distribution and competition. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Snapchat increasingly see themselves as platforms for news and information. Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2014 found Facebook to be the most important network for news with some 42% of respondents saying they select the media they consume online from their Facebook news feed. Almost a quarter said they have friends or follow people who they regard as authorities for news and almost 1 in 5 said they trust their friends to source news. The pull of Facebook as an access point for news has been further strengthened by addition of their ‘read-in’ feature which allows people to read news without navigating away from their social feeds. The concept of contributing content to ‘public spaces’ over which they have no control represents a challenge for newspaper-centric companies. They must collaborate with social media but should consider reserving their exclusive “branded” content for their own platforms.
It is already clear that most news providers will simply not be able to depend on readership revenues. News is something that most readers now do not expect not to pay for. This is reflected by the recent decision from NME to become a free publication following their significant drop in paid over the past few years. The decision was made to hopefully push circulation from 15,000 to 300,000, a risk which seems to be paying off.
Crowdtap research found individuals aged 18 to 36 spend an average of 17.8 hours a day with different types of media, with the notion of “multi-channel” (merging digital, print and broadcast channels) media consumption commonplace...
Most news will be funded by a combination of advertising and e-commerce therefore newspapers will need to abandon their traditional sense of ‘control’ and seek partnerships, collaborations and alliances in order to compete in the digital marketplace. Alternatively, as BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti recently suggested, perhaps the natural answer is for the printed newspaper to charge a higher price so that (perhaps) it can be viable just with its most loyal and committed readers.
Personally, I enjoy having a paper under my arm. I love the act of turning a page and the satisfaction of finishing a worn and well-loved book, so I will continue to read the Metro, occasionally buy a paper and always pick a paperback over a kindle. Surely I cannot be alone in this! So maybe this means that print will always have a place. After all you cannot fold the corner of your kindle for later. Let's hope that the feeling i get from holding that newspaper under my arm will be shared by the generations of kids who have grown up with technology available to them since birth. It’s this generation that hold the future of print media in their hands.I'm sure their love of "retro" mediums can nurture the print industry back to full health.
A holistic approach to blogger outreach
What is ‘blogger outreach’ and how do I do it?
That was the prominent undertone from a series of creative workshop sessions we recently hosted in the trendy Ace Hotel in Shoreditch. The proliferation of alternative media platforms has rendered the PR industry perplexed, and the knee-jerk reaction has been to throw money at it. But a holistic approach to blogger outreach is possible, and it is a far more attractive proposition for both brands and bloggers alike.
Marketing Land defines blogger outreach, or influencer marketing, as the process of leveraging influencers with an established and substantial following in exchange for “free access to the product or service” or a fee for publishing content. But the notion that bloggers are simply ‘reviewers with reach’ is misguided, and PR professionals are missing a trick if they define them as such.
Successful bloggers are able to reach large networks of people because they produce great content that resonates with a target audience. Talya’s blog Motherhood: The Real Deal, is a good example. The hilarious account of the “general WTF-ness” that comes with being a mother embodies the spirit of being a blogger by connecting to her audience with good content that is relevant. We landed this release not because we paid, but because we have established a relationship centred around those principles.
As a PR firm working from inside the media – the so-called Trojan horse effect – we are able to land branded content across the board because we take a media-first approach to outreach. At a blogger level, that is about supplying good content, engaging with blogger communities and using our media-base to collaborate with bloggers to ensure the content cycle is rewarding for all parties involved.
Here’s a short guide to our blogger outreach programme.
Content generation
Bloggers, like any other publishing genre, are in the business of providing engaging content to readers. Where they differ is that they have free reign over how they produce that content. Unlike mainstream media outlets there is no protocol when it comes to blogging, which breaks the mould of the holistic model applied by PR companies when outreaching to the media. Press releases are outmoded, spokespeople are redundant and branded messages can be off-putting, but that doesn’t mean that content is unwanted.
At 72Point, we take a hands-off approach to content distribution. Our own digital media hub is tailored exclusively to online publications, providing all the necessary materials in a simple-to-use format. We encourage collaborators to get creative with the content we provide them, or even engage with it. Like this.
Building communities
Communities are a focal part of the blogger ecosystem. Social media communities exist across all genres, many of which are active with meetups and conferences regularly taking place across the country. In order to have a feel for the pulse of the community, it is really important to engage with these networks.
The digital hub has a large community of more than 500 bloggers which we endeavour to engage with on a regular basis. Our Ambassador Programme gives us access to key influencers who work within blogger communities, and we regular discuss topics such as content generation and co-creation in our forum, as well as outreaching over social media.
Co-creation
We strongly believe that bloggers should be a part of the creative process, and we endeavour to involve bloggers in the work we do wherever we can. Our ambassadors have worked with us on several releases which have subsequently given them great exposure in the national press. Here’s a couple of examples:
Plus Size Bloggers Speak Out About Body Shaming
Demand for Ethically Sourced Clothes Increasing
The blogging community has been somewhat neglected by the PR industry thus far, and it is to our detriment. Alternative media outlets offer a lot of promise and arguably as much or more ROI in terms of engagement and social interaction than national press. But involving them in the outreach process should be less about throwing freebies their way and more about involving them in the creative process. It’s undoubtedly a long-term endeavour, but ultimately for a very worthy cause.