I am a firm believer in reading and absorbing research and surveys done nationally for how old and new media interact. There are lessons to be learned from this national research on how we should interact in our own communities.

The merging of old and new media continues to play out in the world of journalism.  No longer do people just read the New York Times or Wall Street Journal for news, but also a growing number of online entities such as HuffingtonPost, Drudge, TechCruch, GigaOm, and even social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. In our own communities this could mean the community paper, Twitter, Facebook and micro news websites.

Earlier this year, Pew Research Center issued a report analyzing this trend and examining how blogs and social media agendas relate and differ from traditional press.  The report, New Media, Old Media, takes into consideration a year’s worth of analysis, making it very in-depth.  It answers the various questions that are increasingly becoming difficult to track, such as “What types of news stories do consumers share and discuss the most? What issues do they have less interest in? What is the interplay of the various new media platforms? And how do their agendas compare with that of the mainstream press?”

Some highlights from the report include:

• News today is increasingly a shared, social experience
• In less than one third of the weeks did the blogosphere and traditional press share the same top story
• The stories and issues that gain traction in social media differ substantially from those that lead in the mainstream press, but they also differ greatly between social media platforms
• Of the three social platforms tracked in the survey – blogs, Twitter and YouTube – they only shared the same top story once
• Bloggers gravitated toward stories that elicited emotion, concerned individual or group rights or triggered ideological passion and unlike other forms of media, don’t favor one partisanship
• Traditional media news agendas are more event-driven and institutional
• While most original reporting still comes from traditional journalists, technology makes it increasingly possible for the actions of citizens to influence a story’s total impact
• 44% of online news users get news at least a few times a week through emails, automatic updates or posts from social networking sites
• In 2009, Twitter’s monthly audience increased by 200%

Share on Facebook

In the first responder world there are two types of press releases, those that must be published and those that need a compelling reason to get print.

In our business if we operate at a significant fire or MVA we stand a 99.9% chance that our information will be picked up by the press. We are talking about hard news .

If we are pitching fire prevention day, our installation dinner or other similar story the chances of getting placement are greatly diminished.

In many instances when we do not receive coverage for non hard news stories I either misread the importance of the story or did not go the extra yard to prepare a compelling pitch. I usually only have myself to blame.

While there’s been much noise about the demise of the press recently, the truth is that there’s more media than ever around. The big difference is that the “press” has changed considerably over the last five years – it’s now gone electronic, has wider distribution than ever, and includes other media outlets like blogs, online news operations, Facebook and Twitter.

Today, the media’s need for information is insatiable, and as a result it’s never been easier for us to achieve non emergency mention in the media.  However, with media proliferation also come higher speed and an avalanche of competition for attention.

But the bottom line is that you can get noticed by the media today if you know how to issue a press release that creates a compelling story.

To that end, here are some general tips I have picked up to address what used to be called “getting ink”.

• The job of the people who receive press releases is to find interesting information that will arrest their readers or viewers for a few moments and draw them into reading on or continuing to view.  They are your first and only target, so provide them with what they need to do their jobs. Don’t make it about you, but about the media outlet’s readers or viewers.

• Get to the point. You’ll have about 3-5 seconds to attract attention before receivers move on to the next release. So make your headline, subhead and lead-sentence show-stoppers that draw them into the next sentence or two and thus gain you a few more seconds. Borrow from blog writing methodology and make strong declarative benefit statements, or problem-solution equations, i.e. “How xxxxx can prevent yyyy,” or “Six ways to do xxxxx”.

• Write press releases like blogs. The Internet has trained everybody to read differently. Provide very useful and also somewhat entertaining information, and use a lot of boldfaced subheads so the media reader can get a sense of the story by skimming. One way to do this is not to write the press release in linear style, but initially concentrate on the story the subheads tell. Then you can infill with regular writing.

• Target, target, target the end media consumer. Most press releases try to speak to “everybody”, which doesn’t work today. The mass has been shattered into thousands of different subject matter shards. You have to hit the right emotional points of ONE group of people you purport to serve. Study your citizens and profile and determine the problem points that will stir up emotions (children’s fire safety for parent publications etc.). The media receiver will also recognize them.

• Tell one story. Most amateur (and some professional) press release writers take a shotgun, or smorgasbord approach, trying to combine several storylines into one press release, i.e. “we’re doing this, AND we’re doing that, and we’re thinking of doing something else too.” First of all, nobody cares what you’re doing. Second, telling two (or three or four) stories muddies up the waters and makes the media person work too hard to find a story.

• Think film and radio. Increasingly, media is visual and aural, as in television, YouTube and rip-and-read radio (that’s online and offline radio people who simply grab a press release, read out the juicy bits, and sometimes make a comment on it).  See how you can make your story more visual with film or audio, and let the media outlet know that. Flip cameras and podcasting equipment make this simple. Increasingly, blogs and online media pick up stories that also have some video attached, because they attract readers (and are tweetable or sharable on sites like Facebook).

Share on Facebook

I have discussed on the pages of this blog many times the use of social media, specifically Twitter, to keep residents informed of emergencies. It appears more and more municipalities are turning to Twitter to keep citizens informed.

Once again proving its utility for just about any situation, Twitter came to the rescue of Northeasterners plowed under by snow last week.

I looked across the internet for some examples.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, an avid tweeter, has been using the social networking site to find out which of his constituents need help digging out after the big storm (although some of those constituents aren’t grateful for the help).

And The Atlantic reports that Ushahidi, a nonprofit tech company that provides interactive mapping that has been used during relief efforts in Haiti and other international locations, is being deployed in Boston and New York to let people know that there is equipment available to combat the snow.

And, of course, social media is a good place to vent. Matthew Bishop, the New York bureau chief for The Economist took to Twitter about his struggles gathering his luggage after his plane landed, MSNBC.com said. “After 2 hrs in security, only 4 staff with 500+ passengers, luggage is still on the plane! But it’s good to be back!” he wrote.

Share on Facebook

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

What would the holiday be without a good old PIO, PR, social media take on what if the first Christmas happened in the era of Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Wikipedia, Farmville and Google?

Portuguese digital marketing company Excentric produced the clever and touching video above, following Mary and Joseph in their journey to Nazareth (no hotels available). Farm animals are purchased, the Three Kings connect, then check in at The Stable (to #worshipthebaby) and complete the most viral story ever.

Share on Facebook

To many of us integrating social media into our PIO or PAO pr and marketing plan seems to be a daunting task. Some look at it as all encompassing and begin to ignore the traditional and still strong forms of news dissemination such as newspapers and TV. Others see social media as such a big challenge that they push it off and say “I’ll start tomorrow.” But in essence, social media is no more or less an additional tool for the old pr toolbox.

Public relations is one way of getting your message in front of the community, because PR is about building relationships with your residents through the media. With PR, you use newspapers and magazines to reach out to the community.

What social media has done is that it has allowed you to build the relationships directly with members of your community, as well as directly with the media themselves.

For example, large numbers of folks are on Twitter — including reporters in your area. They’re starting to get on social networks like Twitter. Suddenly, a barrier has been removed that was previously there. Journalists, editors and producers are more accessible now through social media.

If you’re on Twitter, check out Media on Twitter. It’s a database with thousands of reporters. You can see at a glance their Twitter names, their title and who they work for. This is a media list, which in the past you had to tediously compile yourself, or would have to pay a lot of money for. Now you can find journalists on Twitter and talk to them directly.

Social media is as simple as getting yourself some PR in the online world. You can create your own content and broadcast it yourself through your website, through your networks, through You Tube and other “channels”. At the end of the day, social media is just another method of communicating. Social media tools facilitate this communication and to be effective in social media you need to be able to communicate your key messages well. Just like in traditional PR.

Share on Facebook

It seems as PIO’s that we are beginning to look at the dawning of an era where one persons negative observation of our departments can be magnified a thousand fold through the use of social media. The power of the pen has become the power of the keyboard and we have to be prepared.

I recently read in Advertising Age about the debacle revolving around the Gap changing its logo. The old logo which many found to be iconic was replaced with a pretty pedestrian looking substitute. The resulting “outrage” of gap fans on social media site quickly had the marketing department at the clothing giant revert to the old mark. This was done without any marketing research to actually find out if the complainers were indeed Gap shoppers to start with or just self appointed arbiters of good graphic taste.

With the TSA scanning more than just your junk, people seem pretty PO’ed by the invasion of personal space and are venting through social media. The concept is nothing new as many individuals air personal and professional (not recommended) grievances via Twitter and Facebook every day. However, these people had an organized campaign behind them and their rants.

Cooperative blogs are becoming more prevalent as people are shedding a bit of their egos and collectively campaigning for or against an issue. Whether it is a political campaign, environmental activism, Reality TV, our own Departments or the TSA, people are working together as a group toward one objective. Some of these campaigns will effect change while others will be the third wheel in a two man race but, either way, their voices will be heard because they are no longer a lone nut preaching on a street corner, they are organized, self supporting, and are loudly rallying to restore sanity and/or fear.

We need to spend time each day reading all materials that may mention our department. This includes blogs, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook postings and forums.

The voice of one can become the voice of thousands with little effort in the web 2.0 environment we function in today.

Share on Facebook

Even after the masses spoke out against Washington’s way of doing business during the last election, politicians and their minions continue to try to spin their talking points to the American people like we just fell off the turnip truck.

It doesn’t make a difference whether it is a democrats or republican, these empty suits continue to use the same old political talking points they used before the election and expect us to fall in line like sheep.

I read an interesting story on the CNN website that took a close look at the actions taken by the White House communications team over the course of an hour one afternoon last week after the Democrats voted against bringing President Obama’s tax bill to the floor.

I would hate to work in an environment where my whole job was based on spin and trying to connive the American public. Wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

Share on Facebook

Last night I crossed the Thin Blue Line by speaking before 150 police officers at a meeting of The New York State Shields. What fascinated me about the evening were the stories behind a number of Hero Awards that were presented and how the fire service achieved a mention in each of them. Not necessarily a thank you, but at least a mention.

Its strange how there always seems to be this underlying rivalry and sometimes downright hostility when PD and FD are on site at the same scene. Yet by listening to these stories it becomes quickly apparent that during our worst times of crisis as well as theirs one cannot succeed without the other.

I’ll admit it, as a PIO when I write news releases I do sometimes gloss over PD’s involvement in a scene whether it’s securing an act of violence, having Emergency Service work with us on a car extrication, assisting at a working fire with traffic control and safety, working in tandem doing CPR or a host of other tasks that intertwine our two uniformed services. I know PD does the same and it annoys me when they do not mention my Department. But I am equally as guilty and deserve their annoyance at times.

I’m going to commit myself to emphasizing more of PD’s involvement when warranted in releases in the future. Not only will this be important to bring good will between us, but more importantly show the community that the uniformed services they pay taxes for work in unison to provide the best protection possible.

Share on Facebook

I was perusing U.S. News and World Report and found an interesting list that bodes well for us and our profession as public relations and communications specialists.

The magazine has placed PR specialist among the top 50 careers of 2011. The publication says the industry is expected to add 66,000 jobs, or grow by a whopping 24 percent, between 2008 and 2018. Median annual earnings are reported at $51, 960, with the top 10 percent making about $96,000 although in my estimation, on the overall lines I have seen of PIO and PAO salaries the figure skews a little low on the median.

The article also discusses the flexibility of a PR career and PRSA 2010 chair and CEO Gary McCormick gives advice for building a PR career and the impact of social media on assisting the growth of the profession.

Much like the Money/Payscale.com report that placed PR director at number 84 of the top 100 jobs in America, U.S. News says the downside is the stress.

Other jobs on the list  of current top 50 careers are accountant, dental hygienist, multimedia artist, and meteorologist.

Quite an eclectic group!

Share on Facebook

A few days ago I was the guest speaker at the local Rotary. I was giving the Rotarians a general overview of my department and how we provide service to the community. In preparing an outline for my remarks I recalled that a member in the club always throws out a historic trivia challenge during the meetings. His facts are great and always met with amazement and a rumbling across the room of “I didn’t know that!”

Not to be one upped I needed a great wow factor fact about the fire service to win over the hearts and minds.

The trivia King took the microphone and spoke his pearls of wisdom –

“Since we just celebrated Thanksgiving I have a question. When was the holiday not celebrated on the last Thursday of the month?” You could literally hear the head scratching in the room. Knowing he had the luncheon crowd  in the palm of his hand he continued, “President Lincoln in 1863 declared a day of Thanksgiving making it the last Thursday of November, but in 1939, 1940 and 1941 President Roosevelt, seeking to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, proclaimed Thanksgiving the third Thursday in November. Controversy followed, and Congress passed a joint resolution in 1941 decreeing that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of November, where it remains.”

Wow. The crowd applauded in amazement.

Could I possible top this?

I got up to speak after lunch. All I could think about was the point in my remarks where I would attempt to one up the Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler of the obscure.

Towards the ends of my remarks I was ready to fire my big gun.

“I want to now give you a quick overview of the Smithtown Fire Department’s fire prevention program, but first I have my own historic trivia question today.”

“Who said, – an Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure?”

The trivia know it all quickly yelled out Benjamin Franklin. Now I was getting mad. He looked at me like I was some rank amateur asking a weak round 1 trivia question that anyone in the masses could answer.

“True” I said, “but why did he say that?”

The King gave me a stare and squeezed his eyes as if he was trying to get some extra horsepower going in his brain. Smoke was coming out of his ears and I knew he was stalling out.

Giving me no credit, he just uttered the word “why?”

Knowing I had had him on the ropes I taunted him for a moment just looking at him with a smile before I delivered the knockout punch.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, was used by Franklin in a letter he sent to a newspaper. Franklin is considered one of the founding fathers of the fire service and was concerned about fire suppression and prevention. Not only did he start the first organized fire brigade in Philadelphia but was a tremendous advocate of fire safety.”

At this point I could see the King taking notes under his table to covertly use this one in the future and take his own credit for it.

I continued, “For the February 4, 1735 issue of The Pennsylvania Gazette, Franklin sent an anonymous letter to his own newspaper entitled Protection of Towns from Fire. Using the pen name “old citizen” he admonished readers with this statement -

“In the first Place, as an Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure, I would advise ‘em to take care how they suffer living Coals in a full Shovel, to be carried out of one Room into another, or up or down Stairs, unless in a Warming pan shut; for Scraps of Fire may fall into Chinks and make no Appearance until Midnight; when your Stairs being in Flames, you may be forced, (as I once was) to leap out of your Windows, and hazard your Necks to avoid being oven-roasted.”

The crowd loved it!

After the meeting a humbled King came up to me.

“A great trivia fact, but next year I’ll have a better fire related story then you. It’s my challenge.”

I can’t wait!!

Share on Facebook