PR Unlocked: How to use Twitter for PR and Media Relations

Freebie module
How to use Twitter to
achieve media coverage
Copyright © Unhooked Communications Ltd

Head to: https://prunlocked.com/free-pr-training-resources/ for the full video

• Why Twitter
• #JournoRequest
• Journalists
• Trending topics
• Content
#JournoRequest Journalists Trending topicsWhy Twitter Content
Twitter for media

Why Twitter?
01

• Twitter is one of the most powerful, free tools you can
use for PR
• There are thousands of journalists on Twitter
• 70% of journalists see Twitter as a valuable social
media tool
• Journalists make up the largest category of
Twitter's verified users (24.6%)
• They actively use the platform to find spokespeople,
case studies and breaking news
• It’s also a great way to build relationships, engage and
pitch
• You can also use the platform to find trending topics
and breaking news stories

Get set up
• If you’ve not already – set up a Twitter account
• Have a clear, concise biography that explains who you are, what you
do. Think about keywords. Link to your business website
• Profile picture and header banner
• Start finding people and influencers to follow.
• Search for specific people you know by name
• Search for keywords (people and content)
• Find and follow journalists and editors to follow. See our ‘top 100
journalists to follow on Twitter’ blog post
ACTION

#JournoRequest
02

• Hashtags are used to tag and categorise content on
Twitter
• Journalists use #journorequest when they’re looking for
information, quotes and case studies
• You need to be able to spot the good opportunities –
and quickly
• You also need to know how to respond to these
requests to maximise your chance of being featured
• Also worth noting #PRrequest

#JournoRequest
• Search for #journorequest on Twitter
• Remember to select ‘latest’ rather than ‘top’
• Are there any that you could respond to?
• Pitch in a comment or quote
• Don’t reply and expect them to contact you
• Email if possible, if not DM or reply to ask for best contact details
• Short, sharp and sweet! Refer to PR Unlocked training for more
advice and guidance about pitching to journalists and real life
examples
• Sign up to the JournoRequests email newsletter from Response Source:
https://www.journorequests.com
ACTION

Journalists
03

• Journalists don’t always use #JournoRequest
• They might send out a request without the
hashtag
• Search to see who is talking about what
• Find people responding to trending topics or
breaking news stories
• Opportunity to start building relationships with
journalists and seeing what they’re interested in
• Some journalists’ DMs are ‘open’, meaning they don’t
have to follow you to send them a DM

Journalists
• Find relevant journalists to follow (check our ‘100 journalists to follow’
blog post)
• Look for specific journalists in your market
• Like, retweet, engage, share, interact – but don’t overdo it!
• See what they’re tweeting and sharing – what are the interested in?
• Pitch with cautionACTION

Trending topics
04

• Twitter is a great tool to see what people are talking
about and breaking news stories
• These could provide news hooks for comments,
interviews and opinions – as well as share any of your
relevant content (e.g. blogs, podcasts, videos)
• Different ways of doing this:
• Location trends
• Moments
• Search keywords (look at ‘top’)
• What are people in your network sharing

Trending topics
• Look at trending topics in your target locations (e.g. UK, Manchester,
Birmingham) – is there anything you could comment on?
• Explore the Moments function on Twitter too
• When you’re scrolling through Twitter, take notice of viral tweets or
content that a lot of people are sharing and commenting on
• Is there something you can add to the conversation and debate?
• Could the viral tweets act as a news hook for your own articles?
ACTION

Content
05

• Journalists use Twitter to find vox pops (voice of the
people) and content
• If there’s a breaking news story (e.g. a natural disaster,
attack), they might look to see who is sharing content
’from the scene’ (e.g. videos, pictures, updates)
• If there’s a trending topic or announcement (e.g. a
Government announcement), they might see who is
responding to the topic or news, what people’s
opinions are
• They may use tweets and content directly, or contact
you for an interview or comment

Content
• If there’s a breaking news story that you have the expertise and
knowledge to comment on, share your thoughts on social media
• Use relevant hashtags, make sure your bio is up to date
• Have an opinion
• If you have any existing blog posts, articles or other content relevant to
the topic, share those on social media
• Think about your hot topics – stay consistent with what you’re an
expert on and what you can comment on
• You could try tweeting journalists directly too
ACTION

• Share any of your successes of using Twitter
to achieve media coverage and help PR on
Twitter using the hashtag #Prunlocked –
we’ll share it too!
• Head to the free Facebook group to ask
questions and keep on top of other news
and updates
• Want more PR training? Find out more
about PR Unlocked training and coaching
and sign up.
Next steps

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PR Unlocked: How to use Twitter for PR and Media Relations

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PR Unlocked: How to use Twitter for PR and Media Relations