I was at a conference last year that had a session on “social media press releases.” In essence this form of release is intended to provide reporters with an interactive and user-friendly way to get information, audio clips, photos and videos about a story in a one stop shopping format. By providing this type of release, as the theory goes, a reporter would have everything at their fingertips to prepare the story without having to play telephone tag with you to get additional details, photos etc. As usually, when you hear these ideas at a conference they seem to fall just below Einstein’s Theory of Relativity as ground breaking, cutting edge genius.
Before the luster of the session wore off, I took the time and effort twice, after a couple of house fires that I felt would had some interest beyond our local community media, to prepare this hi tech form of electronic release. I did all the bells and whistles – the release, tagged photos, video clips, some generic audio responses to anticipated questions, b-roll – all the things I am usually asked to provide as a follow-up to a traditional release.
For whatever reason, my two social media press releases had little traction. Both fires were significant and I did receive many follow-up media requests for additional information and collateral materials, but not a word was spoken of my cutting edge, breakthrough form of revolutionary new age media outreach!
I theorize that most reporters-
1. Did not want to be bothered by opening a number of links and documents to access all the bells and whistles I provided. They read the basic overview release and took it from there.
2. Many of the follow-up calls I received asked for pictures and video that I had already attached in the “social media release.” Reporters on deadline would rather call for exactly what they need instead of mucking through all the attached mega information I provided.
3. Social media release or traditional, I learned that reporters skim and ultimately call to have the opportunity to talk to you one on one about the incident.
4. I wouldn’t go back to typing releases and keeping carbon paper copies before mailing them to the media, but I would look for the happy medium. I think today’s standard formula of e-mailing releases with a few good hi res photos and good PIO accessibility for reporters follow-up does just fine.
Also on The Fire PIO…
- Ambush Journalism – Don’t be caught off guard! – April 1, 2010
- “Off the record” is usually “On the record” – February 8, 2010
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