On-demand Webinar: http://promotions.prnewswire.com/LP_Newsworthiness_OnDemandWebinar_20140123_DK.html Presenter: Sarah Skerik Vice President, Content Marketing PR Newswire

1. Newsworthiness:
New context & opportunity
for PR
Sarah Skerik

2. Hello.
Sarah Skerik
Vice president, content
marketing
@sarahskerik
linkedin.com/in/sarahskerik
#prnewswire

3. Our agenda
• The media evolution:
changes in
information
consumption &
audience behavior
• Imperatives for PR
• Your internal
newsmakers
• New tactics &
approaches
Newsworthiness
Credibility
Attention
Context
Opportunity

4. MEDIA EVOLUTION
The game has changed. Has your approach evolved?

5. Domo.com

7. The new PR reality:
We’re competing for finite
audience attention against an
infinite ocean of content.

8. Our behavior has changed as a result...
B2B customers contact a
sales rep only after 70% of
the purchase decision has
been made. – Sirius
Decisions 2012

9. Study of consumers: The
traditional linear path to purchase
is giving way to a more winding
journey. The shopper is always
on” as a result of his or her
constant interaction with brands.
-- ARF 2013

10. 86% of IT buyers use social media during their decision
process.
89% of IT
buyers prefer
educational
content to
promotional
content in their
favored social
media channels
Source: IDG &
@chaoticflow

11. The buying journey is not linear.
Source: Forrester

12. We’re looking for really granular stuff

14. Social popularity drives content visibility in search engines.

15. SO WHAT DOES THIS
MEAN FOR PR?

16. Our brands live in ecosystems & the audiences are
beating hearts.

17. Your audience has already busted your silos
(even if your organization doesn’t know it yet.)

18. New imperatives for PR:
– Adapt to changing media
models to generate (and
measure) PR results.
– Recognize different forms of
earned media, and
– Earn organic attention,
outside of traditional media
models, which requires
– Creating effective
messaging for today’s
environment.

19. TELL THE AUDIENCE WHAT THEY
WANT TO HEAR, NOT WHAT THE
BRAND WANTS TO TELL.*
* Or, at least use what the audience is
interested in as the framework for the content
you develop.

20. Then
Now
Fuzzy
measurement
Measurable
outcomes
Media
luminaries
Influencers
PR “stunts”
Viral Content
Print media
pick-up
Interaction

21. Audience interaction gives media earned
credibility
Earned Media
(Journalists,
Bloggers, Social?)
Owned Media
(Your web site, email
pitches, blog, & other
channels)
Press
Release
Paid Media
(Press releases,
advertising)
EVOLVED
When people interact
with your content

22. Forget viral.
Popular content has a long lifespan.

24. Interaction is worth measuring
• The value is in
amplification.
• Digital activity can be
measured:
– Traffic to a related
microsite)
– Number of times
something was shared
– Search rank
– Conversions!

25. NEWSMAKERS
Finding the stories & story-tellers

26. Mine your organization for interesting stories,
relevant content & news opportunities.
Ask “What can the brand add to the
conversation?”

27. Find your newsmakers*.
(Okay, interesting content makers.)
Marketing
Niche experts
Front-line
teams
• Illustrate & explain data.
• Draw back the curtain.
• Share their perspective.
Customers
• Prove your worth.
Influencers
• Inspire your audience.

28. Leverage sponsored/owned content

30. Capitalize on interest created by breaking news
(or extend a newsjack) with detailed expert
commentary.

33. The news releases SecureState has
issued to promote their blog are the
second-largest source of referrer
contacts for the company.

38. Pro tip: These are trackable URLs

39. TACTICS
Branded content matters, as long as
it’s relevant and credible.

41. Press releases are shared multiple times each
minute on Twitter.

43. Employ multimedia elements.
• Visuals have their
own distribution
networks
• Visuals draw eyeballs
• Algorithms value
visuals
• People like pictures.
• Better results accrue

45. Drive interaction by atomizing content to surface
different angles & appeal to different audiences.
Entertainment
Music
Mom
Travelers

46. Market your messaging. Drive discovery
with distribution.

47. Use measurable links deliberately

48. Align content and calls to action to your organization’s
marketing funnel.
(Yes. Your organization has one of these.)
Reads
Clicks
# of specific
outcomes
Amplification

49. Use keywords, but not for the reason you might think.
200%
i nc r
e a s e
i n
t r a f
f i c !

50. Headline length really matters.
• Keep them short. Why?
– Our data. (80-130)
– Search engines (65)
– AP system (80)
– Twitter (100)
• Use a subhead to keep
peers happy.

51. Thank you.
Twitter: @sarahskerik
LinkedIn:
http://linkedin.com/in/sarahskerik
Blog:
http://blog.prnewswire.com/
author/sarahskerik
Promotions.prnewswire.com/NewsworthinessEbook