Media Relations

Newspaper Girl Janet Thaeler - Meet Utah's New Media

She's concerned about balance in her life, thus she only spends 7-10 hours a day online...not as much on weekends. She always wanted to be a reporter, but then learned how little it paid. She still misses the rush of writing in a noisy newsroom. Blogging is "so solitary," she says.

I went to her site and saw four display ads in the right column. She is making some money at this. I think she is an important facet of emerging new media.

If you'd like to meet Janet, here she is.  Thanks to UtahPulse for picking up the column!

3 Topics: Meet Utah's New Media. What's The Best Measure Of Your Online Presence? And "Engaging The New Influencers."

Plenty to talk about!

1. We've heard, with sadness, about newsroom layoffs.  You may not be aware of the new Utah media outlets that are growing (not shrinking) and actually making money on their content and activities.  In tandem with my associate, Lisa Davis, we are writing a four-part series for utahpulse.com on "Meet Utah's New Media."  It starts in mid-September and I hope you'll join us there for profiles on:

• Newspaper Girl - Janet Meiners Thaeler
• Utah Mama, Today's Mama - Rachael Hersscher
• Utah Stories - Richard Markosian
• Mom It Forward - Jyl Johnson Patee

How influential are they?  How do you approach and interact with Utah's new media?  We'll tell you on www.utahpulse.com.

2. Boss still resisting social media?  Can she/he argue with this?

Edelman has done us all a great favor by gathering 100 professors of communications, journalism, business and public relations from North America and Europe.  All met for an event held in Washington, D.C. Sessions were led by 50 practitioners in charge of digital communications in companies such as:  AstraZeneca, CNN, eBay, Environmental Defense Fund, GE, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Starbucks, UPS, Whirlpool and many others.  The resulting report, "Engaging The New Influencers," is packed with best practices and insights into our future...online. Thanks to Steve Rubel for making me aware of it.

A great menu of topics:

• The State Of Media
• Employee Engagement: Encouraging New Conversations
• Every Organization Is A Media Company
• The New Era In Washington D.C.
• Health: Using New Media In A Regulated Industry
• Insights From The U.S. Administration About Engagement
• Crowdsurfing: Engaging Consumers
• Academia: Keeping Up With The Pace Of Change

3. Measurement, measurement, measurement. 

How can you determine how well you show up online? This short, sweet piece on "The Five Senses Of Online Measurement" makes good sense.  Thanks to the Cision bloggers for sharing it.

My Sudden Career Change And A New Golden Rule

I finally have a new career. 

Same PR business, same clients…but my toolbox is brand new and full of social media strategies.  Even better, my clients are stepping up and are willing to try them. 

I studied Web 2.0 for four years, engaged in a forced reorganization of my brain cells.  I’m so glad it finally paid off.   I’m no longer forced to focus only on news releases, public events, media training, and story pitching.  Now I roll up my sleeves and teach clients how to communicate directly with their customers, via social media.  This is as good as it gets, and it didn’t come easy.

The arguments were fierce.

1. "We’ll lose control of our message."

Did you ever really have control?  Your news releases, news conferences and community events were either read or witnessed by only a handful of people.  The reporter wrote your story. 

Also, if you aren’t currently talking with your customers online, you have already lost control.  Anyone can say anything they want about you and you won’t even know.

2. "Our industry has regulations that limit this kind of communication.  Or…we have a profession that will lose credibility if we blog, twitter, etc."

Top government agencies, publicly traded companies, businesses that normally cloak themselves from the light of day…they’ve gone online.   My friend’s son has a new job…he blogs for an attorney.

3. "We need to be able to measure our communications."

Yes you can!  Social media will overwhelm you with details: Numbers, activity tracking, interest tracking, unique visitors, partial but not final clicks, audience reaction, and regular feedback to help you sharpen your message.  In the past, our measurement depended on traditional media via circulation, subscribers or ratings.  Social media measurement is to business what DNA testing is to the criminal justice system. 

4. "We could hurt our reputation.  Employees could offend our customers with photos and even offensive posts."

Yes and yes. But measure this risk against not using social media.  Your competition is or soon will be.  Meanwhile, you will be perceived as hunkered-down and non-transparent.  Write a social media policy and open your doors to the world.

My new PR mantras:

1. BLOG.  Companies that blog have far better marketing results.  Blogging increases Web traffic by 55 percent and grows inbound links by 97 percent (HubSpot research).

2. Become the news.  Put a newsroom on your Website and link your releases to your blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn pages and others.  Oh yes, you can still send news releases to media but I’m warning you, reporters are overwhelmed.

3. Send your announcements to industry bloggers. Do it delicately and do it right.  Do not nag!

4. Buy a good still-camera, an HD video camera, a professional microphone and MP3 voice recorder.  These are so inexpensive it will make your heart sing.  Become the news reporter at your company and document, document, document.  Then post the visuals and your announcements on all of your social media pages.

5. Give your online customers something of value:  Research, prizes, product to sample, free Webinars, ebooks, white papers, a sneak peak at your latest whatever.  If you give, you will get back.  Almost sounds like a new Golden Rule, doesn’t it?

Humor...So Hard To Find These Days. Try Some Funny Headlines!

And once again, it is time for my latest installment of funny headlines, collected from readers and published in the Columbia Journalism Review (an excellent publication).  Enjoy your weekend!

It's A Good Day When The News Headlines Are Funny!

Time to laugh a little, hopefully not too much at the expense of others.  Once again, some gems...real headlines featured in the Columbia Journalism Review.  Enjoy!

Call Me Crazy - My Technology Fast

I'm going offline for a staycation.  I'm scared.  Will I be able to do it?  No computer, no email, no cell phone, no social networking.  Why?  I really, really need it.  The next week will be filled with long walks, naps, great homemade meals, and the reading of hard copy newspapers and perhaps a book.

I'll be back, and I'll let you know how it went  :)

May's Installment Of Funny Headlines (Real Ones) !

I maintain, we must laugh..a lot..because times aren't easy.  Here's May's installment of funny headlines with much appreciation and due credit to theColumbia Journalism Review.

Cheaper Than A Therapist, Safer Than A Meltdown - The NY Times Measuring National Emotions

The latest form of forecasting the weather.  No satellite needed, just plenty of moody Americans.

The New York Times wants to know your gut emotions.  You can post your feelings about the economy once each day by going here. 

First, let editors know whether you are "employed" or "unemployed,"  then you can enter your own word to describe your mood, OR pick from their list of 30 words, 20 of which are negative and only 10 are positive or neutral.  I suggest they balance the list.

At any given moment, you can see how the nation is emoting by the largest words on the site.

Ponderings:

1. I can't wait to see how the emotional trends line up with Wall Street spikes and dives.

2. Even better, could the Times predict future populist uprisings? 

3. Might drug makers kick up their anti-depressant advertising during week-long trends of negative confessions? 

4. Will Macys offer more coupons on "confident" days?

5. Will the entertainment industry see national depressive mood trends as a money-making chance to ratchet up comedy programming? 

6. Might we all wonder why we don't feel like the majority of the country, and choose to jump into the emotional herd?

7. Will Washington pay attention?  Will lawmakers take note? 

8. Will the daily hits on the Times' Web site shoot so high they skew the number of actual readers of news?  And will the Times' ad salespeople use that to their advantage?

I went to the site today and declared my mood.  I picked "employed."  Then I clicked on "nervous."  The top emotions on April 1, 2009 at 10:14 a.m. MDT were: Optimistic, anxious, disgusted, hopeful, worried, stressed and resigned.

Kindle Less Expensive Than Printing NY Times?

If the New York Times offered me a free Kindle with my subscription...instead of the hard copy...would I take it up on the offer?

This article attempts to do the math and concludes that printing the New York Times COSTS MORE than a Kindle.  Read it in Business Insider. 

I think I'll take the Kindle!

Thanks to Fern Reiss for passing along this link.

Newspapers On Cliff's Edge - Will They Fly Or Jump?

They felt thin and weak in my hand this morning.  Two extremely lean newspapers, plastic wrapped and waiting on my doorstep.  I've subscribed to the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News for a long time.  We've been so fortunate to have two daily newspapers in the Salt Lake City market.  The bill to "re-up" came just yesterday and without hesitation, my check is in the mail.

But changes are coming.  It can't be denied.  We've heard about the newsroom layoffs, the lack of  print advertisers during a down economy, and the gutting of classifieds' revenue by other online entities who do it for free.

The industry is on the edge of a cliff.  Will it fly or jump?  Most importantly, will it hang onto its sage newsroom management and senior reporters?  Will they be there to mentor the newbies who may not understand how easily their words can ruin reputation or influence government and business for better or worse?

What if...

both papers suddenly announced they were going completely online?  Advertisers who've doubted the effectiveness of online ads would have only one option if they wanted to be in the Deseret News or Tribune....get used to online news.  As more advertisers take the plunge, new forms of measurement will follow to satisfy those who live and die by the numbers.

What if...

Kindle and iPhone offered Tribune and Deseret News subscriptions?  Sure, I can currently subscribe to other larger papers, but I want local news.   I'd be the first to buy in, because I refuse to spend my carefully rationed free time in front of a computer monitor.  Just last week, in five quick minutes, I bought a book from Amazon.com on my computer and it was downloaded wirelessly to my iPhone.  I quite enjoy reading from the device.

And what if...

in their hard copy absence, a group of skilled and fresh-out-of-work reporters could cobble together the financing to create a brand new Salt Lake newspaper...the kind you can still hold in your hand when technology hurts the weary eyes.  That would be a blast.  And I hope it happens.

No news reruns.

The news industry can't fill the online space with re-runs.  This is the information age and those who produce the content will always have a place.  Two tough questions remain:  Is it a welcoming, ethical, respectful place, and does it pay enough to make it worth their lifetime dedication?