Why The Media is not Telling Your Story

I've now been on a Twitter stream for a couple of days and got to read what my peers, colleagues, friends and new acquaintances are thinking about and doing in real time. And to those who say that we're constantly distracted when online, I say bullocks. What is coming through is admittedly raw, yet it is what each person is immersed in and contending with at that moment.

There is value in seeing that, especially if you consider that your customers are on the same boat -- their flight may be late, their day sucked, and now they have only 15 minutes to spend with their kids before bed time. To borrow from an expression RichardatDell used this morning, we're always in beta. That presents tremendous opportunity and a challenge.

What does always in beta mean to brands? How do you modify your PR strategy with always in beta in mind? You learn to tell your story first.

A case in point. A reporter on deadline calls to get a quote from you on a story they're writing. You spend time to get the expert on the phone so they can hear the story first hand. Yet, during the call, the reporter is distracted, not listening, and taking other calls. That is a royal waste of your time. This reason alone should convince you to start a blog or some form of social media outreach today.

Guess what the reporter is going to publish about your company? She will take the path of least resistance and the messaging from the pushiest and most aggressive company, the one that everyone sees as sexy. The one everyone is talking about. And it may not be you. Be there first. Beat the reported to the punch line, write your own story -- and destiny. Do it in a way that is compelling and real to your readers, share the value up front and worry no more about what the media will say -- they will have no chance but to follow.

If the media is not telling your story today, chances are you have not done a good job at telling it yourself. They are too stretched, too much in catch-up mode, too distracted by a thousand thoughts that have nothing to do with you and what you offer. And at the end of the day it's not really their job to publicize you.

Bonus link to a panel discussion on In the media we trust... or should we? Live from women's forum 2007. [tip of the hat to Bruno Giussani] Dina concludes her post:

My take - there are some terrific bloggers with solid journalist backgrounds who have opted out of mainstream media and are preferring to blog and work as freelance journos. And then there are those millions on-the-street ‘reporters’ bringing news and opinions to the world in real time and real voices (without those biases that come from business and ownership issues raised in the panel). One of the things I am learning thru blogging is the whole definition of ‘Who is the Media’, especially for the younger generation growing up with the internet, is undergoing transformation. With repercussions on both traditional journalists and new media users. Interesting times ahead am sure!!

Comments

[Richard Becker]

Bravo. It addresses so many thought streams, it's distracting (joke).

So I'll stick to one point. Somewhere along the way, public relations was confused with media relations. And social media represents an opportunity to move it back where it belongs: communication to many publics. Media relations is still important, but it's amazing how the industry short-changed clients by convincing them that rubbing elbows with print guys somehow is the end all to PR.

Best,
Rich

[Vera]

Excellent post, Valeria.

I don't believe that bloggers are media. We aren't an institution or any other such entity. We're simply people. Individual voices which can, and increasingly do, speak out, and also join together in communities ... like an a cappella choir.

Media has become about entertainment and advertising, and it is also big businesses with partisan agendas. I like to say that we are the press, in the original meaning of that term.

Best,
Vera

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Rich -- really good to see you on Twitter. "it's amazing how the industry short-changed clients by convincing them that rubbing elbows with print guys somehow is the end all to PR" did the advertising side of the house have anything to do with that? I think you're spot on in the comment.

@Vera -- it's amazing how I've been thinking about all these dynamics ever since I started "wasting" time on Twitter. I put that in brackets because there's a laugh that goes with it. Define learning, then let's talk about time and waste ;-)

[Richard Becker]

did the advertising side of the house have anything to do with that?

Yes and no. Advertising, when it is at the lead has a tendency to devalue public relations as the "and they also said" people, burying them with the argument: why gamble when you can buy? (We know why, of course; both are important, at least to integrated communication people).

However, it seems to me that the public relations industry, overall, reacted and focused on the easiest solutions, some going so far as measuring column inches and reporter calls and exposure instead of demonstrating outcomes with the publics they aim to influence by asking: what kind of exposure was it and how close to our message is it and this changes consumer behavior how?

[Stephen Denny]

Valeria: I think there's a "yes, but..." to this argument. Writing your own story is fine, but having someone else tell it usually lends it more credibility. Especially when that other person has authority, either as a brand (WSJ picks up your story) or as a source (WOM).

For passive consumers, you need to get your story out in places where they'll see it -- like the PR story you tell, above. For active ones (and let's hope these continue to increase) who are searching for you, by all means, get your story out personally via social media.

Sounds like "both" is the right approach.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Rich -- very valid point on the PR side of the house scrambling to measure value provided. Outcomes are more difficult to prove, not impossible. I'm liking are you articulated it so simply in both of your comments; we must have somehow forgotten the basics.

@Stephen -- agreed. What I'm saying is that if the reporter is tired, has got something else on his mind, is not getting the point, the rest of the communications program has not been working for you. Great to have you join this conversation!

[Brian Solis]

I love your blog and this is my first time commenting here! :)

I've been on Twitter since the beginning and I have to say that the one interesting thing that was true then as it is now, is that it is where I find out about breaking news. It's almost like the new wire service if you think about it.

I also see reporters and bloggers use twitter to get information fast. So to your point, yes be first with your information! And most importantly, become the expert to seize opportunities as they arise.

Cheers!

[Valeria Maltoni]

Brian:

Thank you for visiting. As I wrote at your blog [newly added to my blog roll under communications -- PR 2.0] your introduction to "Now is Gone" by Geoff Livingston as I'm sure your collaboration on writing/editing, was really good. It pulled me right into what the book was about.

In this day and age of sound bytes, coherent content written in a compelling form is even more valuable to provide the context.

[dina mehta]

Hi Valeria ... first, thanks for linking to my thoughts. In addition to learning how to tell our story well, I do believe that part of the problem is we are so flooded with so much info today, that we are also having to relearn how to listen - and learn. Social technologies that foster microblogging like twitter, bookmarking, aggregating news, and even facebook, help me navigate thru' this more easily. Much has been written about Continuous Partial Attention (Linda Stone - http://continuouspartialattention.jot.com/WikiHome) and Ambient Intimacy (Lisa Reichelt - http://www.disambiguity.com/ambient-intimacy/) that apps like Twitter provide - they give us interesting frameworks for examining our own behaviours.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Dina:

Thank you so much for the links. I will explore as they're both fascinating topics and dynamics. Were it not for the W-List I would have probably not found you. That list was so magic to so many people!