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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2 2008, 11:15 AM EST | bobdole82 | 1 widget added |
| Mar 5 2008, 9:22 PM EST | davefleet | 2 words added, 1 word deleted |
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A "social media news release" (or "social media release" or "social media press release") takes advantage of the linking,multimedia and social media capabilities of the Web to make releases more reader-friendly and useful.
Although traditional news releases can incorporate links and can include some multimedia elements, a social media news release aims to completely rethink the narrative, text-focused approach to news announcements.
Social media news releases can appeal to any of three constituencies:
- traditional journalists
- bloggers/podcasters
- and consumers/readers
Background
The origins of the social media news release can be traced back to Tom Foremski's 2006 post, Die Press Release, Die Die Die. Foremski called traditional news releases useless and artificial, and challenged the PR industry to rethink its strategies and adapt them to new realities, such as increasing disdain for "marketing clutter" and growing number of non-traditional publishing taking place on blogs and other Web sites.
From Foremski:
Here is my proposal:
Deconstruct the press release into special sections and tag the information so that as a publisher, I can pre-assemble some of the news story and make the information useful.
- Provide a brief description of what the announcement is, but leave the spin to the journalists. The journalists are going to go with their own spin on the story anyway, so why bother? Keep it straightforward rather than spintastic.
- Provide a page of quotes from the CEO or other C-level execs.
- Provide a page of quotes from customers, if applicable.
- Provide a page of quotes from analysts, if applicable.
- Provide financial information in many different formats.
- Provide many links inside the press release copy, and also provide a whole page of relevant links to other news stories or reference sources.
And tag everything so that I can pre-assemble my stories.
In reaction, Todd Defren of SHIFT Communications introduced his "social media press release template" and kicked off a debate that continues to this day.
On March 5, 2008, IABC announced it would take a lead in the push to develop standards around the social media release. Check out the social media release and the traditional release of the announcement.
Reactions to the Social Media News Release
- Press Releases With 'A Song And Dance' - PR Week (requires login, free)
- Social Media News Releases: Do Them or Not? - InfoWorld
- Why You Should Embrace The Social Media News Release - Search Engine Guide
- Press Release: Alive And Well And Kicking - BusinessWired
- Direction of the Social Media Release? - SoSaidThe.Organization
- The "New" News Release - Blog Herald
- Watching the Street Fight And A Case Study On A Press Release + Social Media - Web Strategy by Jeremiah
- Broken Record Time: Bagging on Press Releases - POP! PR Jots
Pros
- Optimised for search
- Optimised for conversation
- Optimised for sharing
- Tells the entire story through multimedia
- Provides context on complicated stories
- Makes a better impression, visually, than a wire release
Cons
We're still looking for input on the disadvantages of social media news releases. What are you waiting for?Case Studies
Do you have a case study of a social media news release that you want to showcase? Add a new page under this one and go to town! Add a link here so people can get to it.Other Examples of Social Media News Releases
A list of companies having experimented with the social media news release (some courtesy of Todd Defren):| |
A list of some U.K. SMNRs distributed by webitpr can be found here.
