Contemporary Media Relations ‘Taday’s practitioner moves in a fat-paerd,seal-time environment. Now, more than ever, itis vital to fain the attention of journalists between all of the ‘media-ich messiges they rcccive daily. This chapter ‘explores how te break through the clutter and get your message head by todays journalists, bloggers, nd online influencers, KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES: “LUncrstand he dlemnces atween 2d ae dings theo ot ‘vain mada rato a thopusierdstens practioner ora ‘mada retons one sol sehere th ural. arc how hs to ote an ‘Loam re amare pte oma srr ‘ligt pres aso, an nba mea Sarah Atkinson (@Comms_Sarah) Sar tkircon ie von pratt of crmirioatons or Europe, Mise East 8 Aca EMEA) CA Tetnologies. ner ho ovorsoes the erste manager fhe company = ina and extemal comuricatn across the gon, Se lead the aganzatons rate Treo corpora soil wsponstbly prog, wich prance STEM carer cond ay schoo and unveaty ude, partly women end gi Among er rary ds 1268 on modi relations, socal mea, erpiovee communists, ‘emmnkations nd epaae seca reporatly CSA Ushering in a Weve of New(s) Consumers Garett antes te papery gent detvered th moming newspaper before sumup and subscribers eagerly read it page by page, No longer do we ther at fie in the evening to watch the das top ews on o tm on the radio "atch a noteworthy breadat In today’s medin sich envionment, ltude of ‘tes exis for Americans © obtain ther daly news. Online plato play i onal in how we conse nes or68 Part According tothe Pew Research Center, 38 percent of adults often aeuice nem, clin, ether from news webutes/spps (28 percent), on socal media (18 peer) fr both! OF thor surveyed wo thitds (66 perce) get news oa both mobic ag) Uptop /dektop devices, While 13 percent obtain news using a desktop laptop se 5k do to on a mobile device.’ However, of those who receive news on both a, naj prefer mobile 36 percent 43 prcent—ove a desktop computer? Th, populanty of tational media platforms, including television, rao, and png, hs Ben edging downoand over the part decade," Tod, Americans ae integrating ter ology into how they consuine news, using both digital and tational soures ‘Ruch ster pace than fis imagined The methods by which Amescans interact wih news ave also changed. lege ‘cas evens that are happening around us, Atworminate advertisement posted by Ts Guardian’ a British newspaper, ilustrates ast how mach ofan active roe viewen ad peviodicaleeadrs payin responding to news coverage ofa me tay ag cen contribute to the news, The vdeo ad “reimagines the Thece Lite Pigs’ ‘modern news tory, beginning withthe Big Bad WoiP's death ina boiling pot ands SWAT team descending on the home ofthe porcine suspects, Theoughout the vide, reporters follow every twist and tien with lp fom rete acost sil media, The commercial brillant ilstats the itm elatonship consumers have wih tes and with the who tepor the news. Practitioners should aso leen to recognize that anyone can be publisher oe «itor. When blogs intly began popping up on the Internet, they signaled at Stuntal paradigm shift Anyone with acces to the Internet could have & voice and ‘ody, milins of people effectively leverage this platform. Readers reply publ emnments on jour artes, weet views and opinions, and debate ate snot (aad journalists alike) about the coverage, cs nd details of story Social med seat uiize word-of mouth srtepics at broadband speed: with instantaneous ‘Susion Teday’s reporters mus have the capacity o wit, bea on-air personality shoot/edit video while interacting and maintaining an onlin presence. The acy reporter, along with consumer generated news and online influencers has ard the landsape of media reltions, There wae atime when public relations (PR) pra tivones knew-—and Tea rly dnew™the reporter who covered hee bea her lew they could count on a truth-ccking editor and uadertood that an hone, unbiased scory would run Americans coal rely on three eelevon nenwors and hand of dependable, honorable newspapers to delve the top stores” Tova, cot slomerates, Fagmented medi, breaking news in a twenty fs /seven eye, an he ‘ee present online platforms dominate mea cations protocol The practice of PR in other counts changing se wel. Researcher Angens Tu mots that PR in Asa influenced by large corporations nterered in proms thee products or services, However, this andard is beginning to experience i “The key foe PR practioner in Asai to adjust thee approach, Tu proposes tit conpnizaons move beyond meds reltions and look for other way of inven to broaden its influence within speci consumer bse. Todo so succesfll, BOS neses need to leverage their own branded content, satgically corporates onponcats, an sive for shir paty validation, Ta sate: “Is innperuive tht on" increasingly see traditional media relations ax shrinking o increasing 5 he ‘leshane in the room, Rather we se tha ial matter in a media landscape atand "The tha tds Seo, ke wih CChaptor S|» Contenporay Masi Raltons 69 contiaously broadening iself and making its presence felt more than ever befor i dos not equal media dations, Media rlations is bata subset of P= “This unparalled shiftia news reporting, inclading how news i obtained, has had dec impact on mei relations and given set what has come to be known 3 uo press" Traditional media relations and socal pres have become standard js dass for todays PR puctiioner. To penetrate news outs and reach outa as now build lationship wih traditional journalists a5 wel a Slog porters, admistators, citizen journals, nd new inucnce's ‘Community of New Influencers In to's modernized socees, PR practioner ate engaging with a differen ype ofmeda profesional, In adi wo traditional oumalst, practitioners are builing ormidale and fruitfl relationships online athe same tine, Not that long veo PR pros asted journalists fora "desk sde” meeting or networked at an afer hour gat fing: Today, professionals can instanly engage with «wealth of online influencers ‘sng media lke Twiter, Fuebook, inked, and aes powerful logs and forums. Socal nesworkng sites are aay to complement eradtonal eda elation by bing ing the relationship berween PR profesonals tnd thee contacts foie line Influencer Relations R professionals have bee criticized over the year for attempting to apply rad ‘inal media relations acti o online relations. Simply put these faces are diffe. ‘8 A new st of too isrequiedin an online word abo and beyond the previously sscpted conventional tacit and press eases, When we build eaionships onlin, weareopening the dor to bug secesflelitionship inthe socal pss Word Blogger Relations A predominant opinion in th online community is that the blogosphere is fale by feple—pcople who ar part ofthe human nenworkof connections that we make ¢ ‘lar bass. These inva canbe journals analysts, expert, or imply wit {who are passionate aboutsaring thee views. Ad they should be taken seriou. 4s wth pitching tational urna, ix etal to get to Know blogger as wel, Tciseseati wo understand the Bloggers focas and point of view, writing se blog sing experience, audience, and prefered method of contact. These ques ae nt lle che ones that you might already tiie when geting to know a journals. To senda pres release to exeryne inthe newsfoom it inappropriate. The same fle of losis implied in blogge reons: dont spam blogges with leva information| ‘tke nud o do wit ce ates of expertise | 2007, Chris Anderson ctor of Wired Bly Netowk and The Long Tai, wrote bog pose chat sent shock waves throughout the PR profsion so mach so tha it sil esonates today He puslshed hundreds of PR profesional email addresses ‘er one too many “Izy Ack” bombarded his inbox wth ieclevant news. You read bs comety: be pled shir email adres forthe wold vo read. ls pom ame (2 of frustration, Blogges want PR professionals ells sory thats engaging a ‘evant their readers, just ke jurtalsts. Engaging geninly and elective takes ‘vod deal of practic. Electve blogger reltions canbe boiled dowa to two simple ‘ws Rule No.1: Folio listen, nd interact. Role No.2: Re a goo soryelet,