Are You Using The Internet To Its Full Extent?

Today, the Internet is one of the most helpful tools a publicist can use.  Recently I heard from a few speakers a few websites that seemed like must-knows for a public relations specialist.  While we are all Facebook, Twitter and Instagram experts, here are some other websites that will be helpful to you and your public relations career:

1.  HelpAReporter.com - HelpAReporter.com, or HARO, can offer you that extra story you did not know you could have had.  HARO is a free website that emails you three times a day with publicity alerts from journalists looking for article assistance from publicists. HARO is partnered with some of the top journalists in the country, such as ABC.  Also, it allows you to make connections with even more journalists than before!
2. SeekOrShout.com - SeekOrShout.com helps you create and promote new content.  The ‘seek’ feature lets you search editorial news from all over the web.  After you find what you are seeking, you can ask the SeekOrShout community for its help with your search by requesting an interview, product review or helpful document.  The ‘shout’ option allows you to promote or announce new content.  People who follow you or who follow the topics you tag, will be able to see the post and use it themselves.  This website is a great way to help you with a blog post, find someone to help you promote your new product, and promote your new content.
3. PitchEngine.com – PitchEngine is the sleekest way to release your press releases.  They claim that, “It combines the readability of a magazine with the immersive experience of an app.”  It allows people to interact with your press release and also share it with others.  It automatically formats your press releases for viewing on any smart phone.  PitchEngine also allows you to leverage your release, reach more networks make it more searchable and even tracks your release and lets you see where it is being published.  The basic package of PitchEngine is free, however there are other packages with more features that will cost you a bit more.

Also, do not forget to follow websites that are specialized to the field you are working.  You never know where there is an extra story you can find!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Jackie Grillo.

150 Resources To Make You A Better Writer

It appears that PRowl Public Relations has a guardian angel. We were recently approached by a contributor for Open Education Database with a post they published of 150 resources designed to help you become a stronger writer. Who better to share it with then our readers?

The resources are broken down into categories such as blog, rhetoric, and organization. To check this out for yourself click here or find it in our blog roll year round.

Happy writing!

Facebook and Twitter are NOT Reliable Sources

In highs school you were taught that Research Paper Rule #1 was “credible websites end in .org, .edu, and .net.”  While there can be some debate on that topic seeing as major news sources such as CNN and MSNBC have websites ending in .com, there is still something to be said about which websites are and are not reliable.  In recent years, it seems that people have developed the opinion expressed by the women in this State Farm commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmx4twCK3_I.  I think we can all tell by the end of the clip that the theory “they can’t put anything on the internet that’s not true” isn’t accurate. 

Facebook and Twitter are two of the most widely used unreliable sources.  If other people are saying it, it must be true—right? Wrong.  A great example of this is the post about Starbucks that has been circulating Facebook for the last month or so.  The Facebook post shows an email from a United States Marine detailing an experience with Starbucks in which they were asked to supply coffee to the troops and Starbucks wrote back and said no, we don’t support the war or the troops.  The post then asks people to stop supporting Starbucks.  The post, though untrue, got Facebook users fired up. Read more about this situation here: http://news.starbucks.com/about+starbucks/myths+facts/militarydonations.htm

Another instance where a social media site led us astray was when Joe Paterno was very sick.  A very popular and widely viewed Penn State Twitter account posted about Paterno’s death and everyone started posting RIP Joe Paterno in response.  It wasn’t until Paterno’s own son tweeted that his father was still alive that people stopped believing the tweets.

These situations can cause major PR nightmares.  Starbucks’ PR team had quite the task ahead of them with this rumor.  This would prove particularly hard because many people today don’t do their own research.  In the case of the incorrect tweets about Joe Paterno, it reflects poorly on the Penn State twitter and must’ve been incredibly stressful for his family.

So, the moral of the story is: don’t believe what you see and hear on Facebook and Twitter.   If you do see something on a social networking site please do some research before you repost it and fuel the fire.  Times are changing and social media is playing a bigger and bigger role in our everyday lives, but that doesn’t mean we have to believe everything it tells us.


This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member London Faust

For your PR Toolbox

How will you become a successful PR person? Know your resources! Familiarizing yourself with websites and software relevant to the industry gives you an edge over the less-informed PR pro.

AddThis:

Social media platforms improve PR campaigns by providing a means to reach and engage an interactive audience. But to be effective, PR people are itching to know how to correctly use social media. AddThis, an online bookmarking and sharing service, has analyzed sharing statistics for the past five years. After diving deep into its data pool, the service provides answers to burning questions about the social web. For example, AddThis tells us that we share the most on Wednesdays; social media users are not suffering from the mid-week blues. Awareness of social media trends makes it possible to update and post at optimal times. Is your audience retweeting your tweets, posting a link to your latest blog entry, or missing your posts altogether? PR people get inside the heads of their audience through AddThis.

MyMediaInfo:

Effective media relations requires up-to-date knowledge of press, broadcast, blogs, and the like. However, media contacts can become quickly dated as journalists move between outlets and cover new beats. MyMediaInfo, an in-depth media contacts database, is another time-saver, by targeting relevant outlets and journalists. Subscribers can search by outlet, contact or social media handle while narrowing the search to a designated marketing area or a publication’s focus. A current, relevant media list is a requirement for successful outreach and MyMediaInfo perfects the art.

Snagit:

When it comes to measuring PR impact, collecting press clippings is the easiest way. Although, simple cutting and pasting—whether on Microsoft Word or with scissors and glue—is tedious (and boring!). Screen capture programs like Snagit offer some relief. In just a few clicks, you can snag, edit, and organize screenshots of online media placements. Snagit will scroll an entire website or grab only a small portion of picture and text. The variety of ways in which to capture and edit digital formation using Snagit saves time and prevents stress-management headaches!

What other public relations resources might you suggest looking into? Let us know!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Frank Kunkle.