Overview of Trackur:

With the increased importance of your brand’s online presence, media monitoring tools can help you observe your brand’s reputation, new mentions, PR campaigns, employees and competition, among other things. Trackur, a social media monitoring tool “trusted by 44,000+,” offers a wide variety of features and tools, allowing brands to listen to customers, monitor online reputations and simplify social media monitoring. Trackur currently offers users a 10-day free trial on all plans and has packages ranging in price from $18/month to $377/month depending on the extent of monitoring you would like to do.

Some of the following features may be included in your plan depending on which one you choose.

·      RSS/Email alerts

·      Sentiment Tagging

·      Upload RSS Feeds

·      CSV Export

·      Unlimited Client Logins

·      Trackur Insights

·      Influence Metrics

·      Different Levels of Support

Trackur offers executive insights, allowing users to quickly see the number of new results, velocity change and more. It helps you understand what’s “buzzing about your brand,” with minimal effort, also letting you see WHO is behind the conversation, not just WHAT is being said. All conversations are archived on Trackur, making it possible to view, share and bookmark. These conversations are taken from all sources that are monitored including, news, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and forums.

Lastly, Trackur also has a blog, “Actively Listening” which you can find on their website. This blog houses stories about how you can make your brand adaptable to change, how this adaptability can improve your brand’s reputation, social media trends and many different ways to avoid damaging your brand’s reputation.

Using Trackur for Media Relations:

 Trackur is a great tool for media relations professionals because it not only allows brands to monitor what is being said about them online, but can also be used as a tool to create tailored media lists. Social media is making it easier to expand, update and create lists, especially when you don’t have resources like Gorkana or Cision available to help find the contact information for specific reporters.

When using Trackur, you can plug in keywords and find writers who are covering topics surrounding those keywords. You can then add those writers to your media list of contacts you will then pitch your story to. Trackur is great because it searches blogs, Twitter and social bookmarking sites.

Say your brand sells award-winning pretzels. Social media tracking can help you figure out who is talking about the best pretzels, reviewing pretzels on their blogs or who would find this topic interesting based on their other relevant discussions on social media sites (aka food critics or food fanatics).

Overall, I think Trackur is very useful to those who are new to PR. Most large agencies have the resources available to make detailed media lists with a wider range of readership (such as Cision, Vocus or Gorkana), however this is definitely a great way to get started.

I’m always in search of some factual celebrity news. Around the time the site launched, one of my Twitter followers became the site's intern and told me about it. Gossip Cop is the FBI of celebrity gossip. The site aims to separate facts from nonsense made up by tabloids or inaccurate reporting. Gossip Cop monitors more than 200 websites, television shows, magazines, newspapers, and blogs. When the site reports on a story it ranks it on a scale of one to ten. One being completely fabricated and ten being completely true. The tone of the website is very humorous and sarcastic, especially when the story is false. The site also reports on general celebrity news such as, funny videos, interviews, best celebrity tweets, etc..

Most Wanted Articles on Gossip Cop: 

• “Adele Sex Tape Rumor Slammed”
• “National Enquirer Crosses Line, Shows Pictures of Dead Whitney Houston”
• “MAG: Angelina Jolie Pregnant With Twin Boys, Set to Wed Brad Pitt This Summer”
• “Beyonce & Jay-Z’s Baby Draws Celebrities Out on SNL Sketch (Video)”

Gossip Cop was founded by Michael Lewittes in July 2009. For over 15 years Michael has been working in the entertainment industry in both print and television. His career began as a on-air correspondent for E!‘s The Gossip Show. Michael has served as a gossip columnist for New York Daily News, articles editor at Cosmopolitan Magazine,  weekend features editor at The New York Post and gossip columnist and news director for Us Weekly. He is also a producer at Access Hollywood. 

What does this have to do with Media Relations?

How does celebrity gossip relate to media relations? Well, there a many answers, but the answer I have is three fold. 

1. Reputation- Celebrities and the outlets that report on them have reputations to uphold. When outlets report inaccurate information it is damaging to the outlet and possibly more damaging to the celebrity. 
2. Transparency- In class we talk a lot about transparency and honesty behind all information. This will always be one of the key things in media relations. Outlets that report inaccurate information need to be called out for it and accountable for their actions.
3. News value- Many of the rumors that get addressed on Gossip Cop are reported on national news channels. This proves that like a rumor in high school hallways, celebrity news is relevant and valued by the public. 

No matter what kind of news is being told media relations is very important. The relationship between the newsmakers and who reports the news is often a strained one. It needs to be nurtured and respected. The celebrity and his/her publicist wants to maximize positive coverage. Gossip Cop is a dream for publicists. It allows the public the know first hand what is true or false about their favorite entertainer. 

Overview of Mr. Media Training

Brad Phillips is president of Phillips Media Relations, a “premier media training, presentation training and crisis communication firm” that has worked with spokespeople representing the US Air Force, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, and the NOAA National Weather Service. Phillips Media Relations differs from other public relations firms in that it is not full-service; rather, Phillips’ primary specialty is media training. His blog, Mr. Media Training, offers some of his best practices free of charge.

Using Mr. Media Training for Media Relations

Media relations claims a significant portion of the public relations profession. Without journalists, PR practitioners would find difficulty in disseminating messages to certain publics; and without PR professionals, journalists would have no access to some of today’s top stories. The downfall of this seemingly effortless and mutually beneficial relationship is that PR practitioners rarely deliver the message. Underneath the media relations umbrella are not only the practices of building and strengthening reporter relationships, but also ensuring that clients have confident and credible spokespeople representing the company and interacting with the media.

Mr. Media Training is updated daily and its posts offer a variety of media training tips including “How to Select a Media Trainer” and “Should You Quit Twitter to Repair a Bruised Image.” The majority of the posts are helpful lists such as “8 Ground Rules for Working with Reporters,” “Five Tips to Help your Next TV Appearance Run Smoothly,” and “Seven Rules to Remember when a Crisis Strikes.” The posts provide general guidelines and the blog allows for subscriptions to its RSS feed and monthly e-news, however it seems it is an intended teaser with  hope that the reader will seek Phillips’ commissioned help through his firm.

While the blog provides some novel insights into the world of media relations, it is poorly organized. There are no categorization links or user-friendly tabs with which to navigate the site. There are “Featured Stories” and “Most Popular” links in a column on the right side of the page but for the most part they seem to be chronological. The blog does have a search bar which is great if the reader knows in which area they most need media training, however, the results simply list each post requiring the user to scroll through all the material.

Check out one of Phillips’ videos on crisis communication, posted on the blog.

Overview of Mediabistro

Mediabistro.com is a website that publishes news items, blogs and job listings for professionals in journalism and other media-related industries. The site was founded in 1993 and has grown into an international resource for media professionals. Essentially, Mediabistro retrieves relevant news information from leading sources and condenses it into various blogs and news feeds. This content is provided via convenient arrays of news dissemination such as Twitter, Facebook, Google +, RSS feeds and newsletters.

AvantGuild, Mediabistro’s premium membership costs $55 per year and provides additional benefits for anyone who works with media content. Some of the benefits include: discounted courses, events, and LexisNexis access. In addition the membership includes specific How to Pitch Guides and tip sheets from the editors of various magazines, such as Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Self, Women’s Health and others. A complete list of benefits can be found at http://www.mediabistro.com/avantguild/benefits.asp.

Click here to download:

Mediabistro graphic.pdf (241 KB)

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Mediabistro graphic.pdf (241 KB)

Using Mediabistro for Media Relations

Upon initial examination, Mediabisto seems to offer an overwhelming amount of information on their home page. Upon closer inspection, the website is organized into essential tools for the media relations specialist.  I recommend subscribing to Morning Media News Feed, PRNewser (your daily PR release) and 10,000 Words (a blog that unites journalism and technology). The Mediabistro TV series contains YouTube videos on topics such as: My First Big Break (media luminaries recalling their early break) and Media Beat (an interview series featuring the biggest names in media and technology), among others.  

With the overwhelming amounts of news items found on the internet, Mediabistro offers the most relevant ones in nice packages delivered daily via your preferred channel. I would recommend subscribing to one of Mediabistro’s RSS feeds, or at the minimum, reading their Twitter feed.

Subscribing to AvantGuild would be a benefit to freelance writers, especially with discounted rates to LexisNexis and pitching guides directed to specific magazines. Finally, Mediabistro is a wonderful source of relevant job posts which are updated daily.

Recent Topic  Examples Featured on NYT Media Decoder

·         Whitney Houston’s Death

o   CNN’s Coverage: A blog entry was posted focusing on the ratings CNN received, why it surpassed its competition and the demographics of who watched their program.

o   CBS’ Grammys Coverage: A blog entry was posted focusing on how Whitney Houston’s death sparked an increase in the number of viewers and gave an age analysis of viewership.

·         Coca-Cola’s future advertising plan for the Olympics, which will feature music

How this can be used for Media Relations

A key component of the public relations profession is staying up to date on current newsworthy events.  This component after all, is one of the driving forces behind the profession, to take a topic, and make it newsworthy to gain news coverage.  Staying up to date on current newsworthy events may not be the most difficult task, given today’s countless media channels, (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, News Sources phone apps) however, an understanding of how the news received coverage and why, is an essential concept when dealing with the media.  Media relations is how a PR professional will gain media coverage, and it is important not only to be up to date on the newsworthy events, but have  an understanding of what will work, what kind of topics and trends will go over the best with the media and why.  NYT Media Decoder posts blogs that give insight into how and why a topic became newsworthy in the media industry, while also focusing on the media and communication aspect of traditional news topics.  Media Decoder also blogs about newsworthy changes within popular news outlets, (i.e. new hires for WSJ, ratings, readerships, etc.) which is all useful information when forming strong relationships with a featured media outlet. 

As a PR professional, you need an understanding of what is considered newsworthy, especially in the media industry, since PR professionals use the media to fulfill their role.  NYT Media Decoder blog can serve as a useful tool to gain the knowledge and understanding of relevant media issues.

The book, “Damage Control” by Eric Dezenhall is primarily focused on ways to handle crisis communications in public relations, but he raises a number of good points that can relate to media relations and working with media overall. I highlighted four ideas that I think can be used in the media relations field as well.

A little background about the author: Eric Dezenhall is the CEO of crisis PR firm Dezenhall Resources, Ltd. in Washington, D.C. The public relations practitioner is known for his aggressive crisis communications tactics, so much so that Kevin McCauley, editor of O'Dwyer's PR Report, referred to him as "the pit bull of public relations." Dezenhall has written two books about crisis communications and six novels, and he is a frequent media commentator and speaker.

In the book, Dezenhall gives his perspective on the way PR practitioners should approach crisis communications within their respective firms and client companies. Within the first chapter, Dezenhall says that a central problem with crisis management that has been adopted by many public relations people is “the delusional and self-serving belief that you can spin a public that does not want to be spun.” When most publics think of PR professionals, they think of the “spin artist” and consider PR as untrustworthy. Some PR practitioners can focus so much on the company and what the public should think of the company that they don’t properly address the issue at hand. Trying to spin a situation with a public that can tell the difference will only further tarnish the company’s image in the public’s eyes.

This is something crucial to remember in the field of media relations. Because the media already don’t “trust” PR people, it is important to be as transparent as possible with them. When pitching a story, it should be something that is useful and relevant to the readership, not something that serves the company or is purely promotional for that business.

The author also talked about going on the offense and the defense during a crisis situation. He says, “There is a maxim in politics that if you’re explaining, you’re losing. Companies in trouble need to do the right thing, but sometimes that includes going on the offense, whether that means pushing back at detractors or simply reminding people why you’re worth supporting in the first place.” I think that this is an important statement because while you want to resolve a crisis, in the meantime, you do not want to let critics completely obliterate your brand or your image. This is where media relations people come in. When something bad happens within a company, you want to be transparent about the incident, but that can also be used as an opportunity to highlight some of the good things within the company as well. Also, sometimes when a crisis is happening, it is good to push back a little, like for instance, as Taco Bell did with its “Thank You for Suing Us” media campaign. Doing so can really put people back in your corner and rally your supporters.

Another highlight I pointed out from the book is when he says: “One of the greatest myths of public relations is that you can get hostile audiences to like you. In reality, you can only ‘spin’ a public that wants to be spun—reinforcing existing sentiments and prejudices, rather than reversing fundamental positions.” He’s talking about spin again in terms of crisis, but in relation to media relations, a lot of times, brands and PR practitioners try to reach out to audiences who have no interest in that brand. Sometimes you will get better results by learning new ways to engage your current audience instead of trying to bring in new customers, etc.

He touches on this again when he points out: “The phrase ‘preach to the choir’ has a negative connotation … In a crisis management or marketplace assault, nothing could be further from the truth. Some of the most successful communications defenses involve rallying one’s base, even if it means provoking one’s adversaries.” Again, he mentions that keeping the communications focused on your core public could be more beneficial than trying to appease everyone. I think that in crisis communication, this is probably one of the most important ideas. Sometimes companies want to be everything to everybody but keeping a targeted public and audience is sometimes the best way to gain success. I understand why trying to reach out to everyone would seem like the optimal avenue, but Dezenhall’s point is that reaching those who are already supportive is actually quite valuable.

inVocus (http://www.vocus.com/invocus/) chronicles major changes and trends in North American media. The free site is billed as “Your Media News Center,” highlighting that it includes multiple updates and tools in one place. inVocus is run by Vocus, the parent company of PRWeb and Help a Reporter Out. Media relations professionals can trust the information on the site—all news and data are researched and produced by the Vocus Media Research Group. The site is notable because it offers content on these main topics:

•  Journalist Spotlights - Tidbits focus on specific journalists and their specialties, such as their beats or their background in a certain industry. The listings are divided by media type into magazines, newspapers, online, radio and TV.

•  Media Blog - Posts run the gamut from general industry highlights and news (“Will higher prices at New York Times hurt business?”) to specific media relations advice (“Pitching for Valentine’s Day”).

• Media Moves - News blurbs highlight journalists’ recent employment changes, divided by industry type into magazines, newspapers, online, radio and TV.

• Pitch an Event -  Mock pitches give background details and a story hook centered on a theme (e.g., Music in Our Schools Month) and then include possible media contacts for businesses looking to pitch a related story.

• Social Media Shorts - Q&A interviews between inVocus staff and media professionals showcase how others in the industry harness social media.

In addition to these sections, inVocus includes some fun features and practical tools. The homepage has a column labeled “History Today” that reflects a different media or web fact each day. The site also offers an option to follow inVocus on Twitter or to stay updated via an RSS feed or eNewsletter.

Using inVocus for Media Relations

inVocus offers a wide array of news topics and useful tools, making it a one-stop shop for media relations professionals who want to stay on top of changes in the industry. The Media Moves and Journalist Spotlight sections can be especially helpful in finding professionals to target for pitches. Anytime people are featured in those sections, inVocus provides their recent contact information. This way media relations professionals do not have to scour the Internet to learn more about a potential new addition to their media lists.

The site also scores points for its Pitch an Event section, which could be seen as the opposite of Bad Pitch Blog. Here, posts written by inVocus staffers identify important trends and break them down by aspects needed to create a well-crafted pitch (background, story pitch, story hook, etc.). The posts also include resources so media relations professionals can easily get help when pitching their own stories on the same theme. For example, a post previewing Read Across America Day lists contact information for the Children’s Book Council and advises, “An educator who focuses on reading and encouraging students to read would make an excellent resource.” Reading this section could also inspire anyone who was in a rut for pitching ideas.

inVocus does have some limitations. Although there are numerous posts, and the site is updated often, overall it is quite text heavy. There are not many photos or multimedia links, such as slideshows or videos, to break up the blocks of text. However, the site does not sell itself as flashy or interactive. Instead, it provides well-written and well-researched media updates and gives how-tos and media relations best practices. People who want to see more video clips or interactive posts should look at the blog on the main Vocus site, http://www.vocus.com/blog/. Given what it offers, inVocus succeeds in providing a bevy of content in a pleasing format that is easy for PR and media relations professionals to digest.

(download)

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Overview_of_inVocus.zip (434 KB)

•  Online survey in 25 countries 
• 30,000+ respondents
•  Ages 18+
• College-educated
• In top 25% of household income per age group in each country
• Report significant media consumption and engagement in business news and public policy

Steve Lombardo, the CEO of StrategyOne – Edelman’s Independent Research Firm, explains how the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer was designed in the following video:

• People want more regulation of business despite business having a better standing than government
• CEO and government officials are the least credible sources while regular employees and “people like me” are amongst the most credible
• Traditional media and online search engines are the most trusted sources of information
• Social media saw the biggest increase in trust amongst media sources
• Audiences need to hear information multiple times from various sources in order to believe it
• Japan experienced a significant drop in trust