Media snacking habits can increase your influence

You’ve probably noticed your daily newspaper has slimmed right down, and in some cases it’s disappeared entirely.  Magazines are closing or moving online. TV is recorded for future viewing and the family does not congregate in front of the 6PM news in case they miss something. Brands no longer depend on media outlets to filter what you should and should not be reading, viewing or listening to.

But just because people don’t watch a single news channel does not mean mainstream media have lost their power to influence. The difference is that your influencers are now everyday people who snack on TV, radio, print and online sources and feed them into their social networks.

For PR and marketing communicators, this massive change in news consumption has created a fast-paced and anarchic environment. So how do you make sure you succeed in building influential brands? You need to focus on strategic content marketing activities that adapt to the medium and to the reader.   

It starts with the creation of your own media network using online newsroom software to set up your press releases, executive profiles, media lists and social networks. The online newsroom is your media control panel, where you create and develop two-way channels to engage journalists, followers and influencers.

The result of your newsroom activity will be multiple, dynamic information sources in wire services, news aggregation websites, and newspapers (online and offline), magazines, TV, radio and blogs. All this news content from a wide variety of sources powers up your search engine presence – so when people seek, they find you and your brands. Your newsroom software takes care of dozens of tasks, and as a bonus you can measure and monitor the results. Here are some action points to increase the value of your online newsroom and every press release, keeping your circles of influence rolling along.

• Invite media, board members, investors and other stakeholders to subscribe to your newsroom feed.
• Share in Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook for your team and stakeholders.
• Select media lists, social media and scheduling for your press releases, video, advertisements and announcements.