In it’s simplest form, the SMPR (Social Media Press Release) is not unlike the TMPR (Traditional Media Press Release). Basically, you’re communicating details about a particular product, event or program so that content creators (bloggers, journalists) can disseminate that information across their respective media.
TMPRs tend to be long-winded, often-not very creative and many times they contain gratuitous information that’s clearly slanted towards putting the topic in the best light possible. Journalists on the frontlines don’t want to drink the corporate messaging kool-aid and as a result we’ve been seeing gag-reflex columns that contain negativity and skepticism – the exact opposite result hoped for. Good journalists work hard to mine the facts from a typical press release. If they choose to present the product in a positive light, they must not appear to be towing the company line. This is a delicate art that takes experience and focus to balance.
Imagine the blogger’s reaction to this kind of communication. Sometimes considered more credible than their traditional media colleagues, the average blogger is without editorial or advertising pressures and most times they’re not asked to conform to a tone or position in their writing. The overwhelming majority of bloggers aren’t paid to blog so it’s likely they’re not going to take the time to distill facts from a long-form traditional press release. They want that is content from a credible source; content that is easy to read and propagate; content with plenty of photos, videos and other media to back up the facts. Sometimes I wonder if traditional journalists want the same thing.
Enter the SMPR: Just the facts, assets and easy access.
Copy? Clear and concise. Copy and paste. No spin. Limited marketing speak.
Photos? On Flickr of course. Why build a tool when the ultimate one is already there? Conversation and organic growth enabled. Clear creative commons license.
Video? YouTube for the same reasons noted above.
Tags? Make it easy, offer up prefab “copy paste” tags. Unique word combinations in tags can also help with your tracking later.
Links? As many as you can muster
Lists? What blogger doesn’t love a list? Give them a list!
Style? This isn’t 1995, so take a moment to design the page. Have some pride in the content.
To illustrate, check out this SMPR that we at SMG launched for the Ford Motor Company last week in Dearborn, MI to announce the redesign of the Ford Focus.
We can’t take all the credit though. The Ford Focus redesign is a good one – the product lives up to its promise and it easily exceeds expectations in the flesh. “If you’re going to be naked, you better be buff,” proclaimed Tapscott and Ticoll in The Naked Corporation. The Focus is buff so our job was easy.
The notion of “radical trust” reminds us that we can’t ignore the most credible of all reporters… the enthusiasts of your message. Someone who takes the time to write about your product or service without getting paid should be treated like the VIP they really are. Keep it simple, keep it clear and put their needs first… that’s all the spin you need.
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6 Responses to “Social Media Press Release vs. Traditional Media Press Release”
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October 15th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Congrats – very nice job! I’d be interested to see how it pans out. I think the SMPR is a great step in the right direction, but I’m not convinced it’s so much better than the traditional release, to be honest. I’ve seen a lot of people focused on the delivery mechanism rather than the message – and in my experience, reporters don’t care how they get their information, as long as it’s something they care about.
I suppose the danger with any social media marketing tools is to focus on the tool, and not on the job it’s doing.
October 16th, 2007 at 9:41 am
That is a great point Ryan. In the early days of anything (particularly the digital era) we tend to focus on either “how” or “why”. We often overlook “what”. That is the area I am most proud of the work achieved here.
Thanks for the comments!
October 16th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
The Social Media Press Release…
Ford Launches a Social Media Press Release for the 2008 Focus….
October 16th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Who said TMPRs (now that’s a new one) need to be long-winded? I bet we’ll see some SMNRs that could use a good editor. Maybe all releases should use the Twitter rule – 140 characters max.
October 17th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Not a bad suggestion Peter!
He he… I was wondering if I should call it TMPRs or PR(TM)! Maybe SMPR(TM)!?! he he he.
No doubt, the length of these things will need to be watched. If anything, I was hoping to contribute to the notion, what 2 cents i offer… in the hopes that it sticks somehow.
thanks for the comments!
collin
November 15th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Collin I agree with Ryan
but the medium is also part of the message.
the big advantage I see to SMPR is the multimedia and hyper links to additional sources of information.
therefore while the formats will evolve over time – depending on the communication objective –
I believe it gives us the opportunity to create several streams of information that can flow from the central brand message to provide the extra information value users/consumers might be interested in.
Cheers
Miro