Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
About the Author xv
Foreword Brian Solis xvii
Introduction to PR 2.0 1
Are You Ready to Be 2.0 Ready? 2
The Big Bang 4
About This Book 5
The Transition to PR 2.0 11
PR 2.0 Is Here 13
You Can Discover a Better Way 15
Go Ahead, Let the Good Times Roll 17
Your Best and Most Remembered Communications Resources 19
Endnotes 26
Getting Started with 2.0 Research 27
The Best Commitment You'll Ever Make 28
Are You Ready for Research? 30
New Research Methods to Reach the Influencers 32
An Interview with the Cision Experts 33
2.0 Changes for the Better 37
Research with Expert Resources 41
The Internet Meets Your Budgetary Requirements 41
Gurus Need Not Apply Here 42
Find the Right Research Partner 44
What the Experts Have to Say 46
Endnotes 55
Reaching the Wired Media for Better Coverage 57
How Far You Go for the Relationship 58
Give Your Influencers What They Want 59
Help Is on the Way 61
The Human Element Gives You an Edge 62
Resources for Relationships and Better Coverage 63
Better Monitoring for PR 2.0 71
Social Media and What/Who to Monitor 72
Your Advanced Tools for Monitoring 74
Evaluating the Conversations 77
An Expert's Perspective on Blog Monitoring and Measurement 78
A New Direction in PR 85
Interactive Newsrooms: How to Attract the Media 87
You've Got the Basics Covered 87
Newsrooms Serving a Wide Range of Needs 89
Interview with an Expert 90
You Can Manage the Newsroom Yourself 94
The Leaders of Online Newsrooms 95
Online Newsroom Leader #1 95
Online Newsroom Leader #2 97
Online Newsroom Leader #3 98
Endnotes 101
The Social Media News Release: An Overdue Facelift 103
A New Format to Spark Conversations 103
Be Prepared for Social Media 104
Getting Started with Social Media 106
You Don't Have to Be a Web Developer to Create 2.0 Tools 108
When to Rely on the Experts 110
Interview with an Expert 111
Social Media Template: A PR Pro's Opinion 117
Endnotes 120
Social Networking: A Revolution Has Begun 123
The Start of the Revolution 123
Reaching Audiences Through Social Networking 124
The Leaders of Blogging 126
How Does Social Networking Change Your Brand? 128
Identifying Trends in Social Networking 129
Social Networks Go Far Beyond Friendships 130
How to Measure Social Networks-An Expert's Point of View 131
Moving Forward with Social Networking 141
Endnotes 142
RSS Technology: A Really Simple Tool to Broaden Your Reach 143
You Can Cut Through the Clutter 144
Increase Your Marketing Arsenal 145
What It Means to Be in Charge 147
The Pros Take a Stance 148
A Publisher's Point of View 152
Moving Ahead with RSS 159
Video and Audio for Enhanced Web Communications 161
More Than a Fad 161
Web 2.0 Competition Is Heating Up 162
An Expert's Top 10 Reasons to Use Video 163
Lessons from a Thought Leader 167
An Agency's Perspective 174
Using Video/Audio for PR 2.0 Communication Success 182
Endnotes 184
Embracing PR 2.0 185
Social Media: Immerse Yourself and Your Brand 187
Be a Social Media Consumer 187
Rethinking Communication Based on Consumer Behavior 188
Giving Power to the People 191
Get Your Audience in Your Backyard 191
An Expert's Perspective on Social Media Tools 196
Moving Forward Through Understanding and Experience 203
Endnotes 205
The Pro's Use of PR 2.0 207
Social Media for the Start-Up 208
Engaging the Large Corporation 208
The Consultant/Guru's Point of View 211
Best Practices from the Technology Evangelist 213
Q&A with a Social Media Innovator 217
Go Ahead, Get Passionate over Social Media 224
The Mindset of the PR 2.0 Journalist 227
How to Reach PR Greatness 227
Advice from the Influencers 228
Q&A with a Top-Tier Journalist 233
PR 2.0 Means Great PR 240
A PR 2.0 Plan 243
The Best PR 2.0 Planning Approach 243
Creative PR 2.0 Planning and Strategy 244
Adverb Media 244
TOMY International 246
Quality Technology Services 249
ASCO Power Technologies 253
Moving Forward with Your PR 2.0 Planning 256
Endnotes 257
The Future of 2.0 259
The Path to Great PR 261
Your Path to Great Communication 261
You've Come a Long Way 262
PR 2.0 Hot Topics 266
More Expert 2.0 Advice 268
Your Brand and PR 2.0 269
PR Has Changed for the Better 271
Don't Just Go with It-Go for It! 272
Endnotes 274
Index 275
Forewords & Introductions
IntroductionPraise for PR 2.0
"An 'easy read' filled with practical examples of how marketing professionals can leverage these new tools to enhance PR activities. The 'Interviews with the Experts' sections were especially useful in helping to highlight how companies have benefited from PR2.0."
Maura Mahoney, Senior Director,
RCN Metro Optical Networks
"P.R. 2.0 is a must-read for any marketing or PR professional. It is filled with expert advice, real-world examples, and practical guidance to help us better understand the new media tools and social networking concepts available and how we can use them for our specific branding needs. This book is excellent for someone who is trying to understand the new web-based media and social networking concepts, as well those who are experienced in applying the new media tools and are curious about what everyone else is doing and what tools are producing the best ROI. This isn't a book filled with simple tips and tricks—it's an essential guidebook for the marketing/PR professional to better understand the new media options and how to apply them effectively to achieve results."
Jenny Fisher, Director Sales and Marketing Operations, Catalent Pharma Solutions
"Wading through the thicket of expanding Internet tools—from MySpace to Facebook, from Twitter to Flickr—is no easy challenge. And once you finally understand these strange new art forms, how the heck do you harness them? Answer: You buy this book. Deirdre Breakenridge knows the Net—how to measure it, monitor it, and use it to maximize public relations performance. Best of all, she explains it in a style that even a Luddite can comprehend."
Fraser P. Seitel, author of The Practice of Public Relations and coauthor of IdeaWise
Foreword: The Road from PR to PR 2.0 to Public Relations
Welcome to what just may be the greatest evolution in the history of PR.
Modern Public Relations was born in the early 1900s, even though history traces the practice back to the 17th century. The term public relations was said to be first documented by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson during his address to Congress in 1807.
It wasn't until World War I that we started to see the industry crystallize and spark the evolution of PR as an official profession.
Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays are credited with creating and defining the art and science of modern-day PR in the early 1900s. That's almost 100 years ago; and yet, in what I believe to be PR's greatest renaissance, many of their early philosophies and contributions can be sourced to further evolve PR today.
Ivy Lee developed the first working press release; you can love him or hate him for it. But, what we can't overlook is that he believed PR was a "two-way street" where communications professionals were responsible for helping companies listen as well as communicate their messages to the people who were important to them.
Edward Bernays, who is often referred to as the father of PR, was most certainly its first theorist. A very interesting bit of history is that Bernays is a nephew of Sigmund Freud. Freud's theories about the irrational, unconscious motives that shape human behavior are the inspiration for how Bernays approached public relations.
What's absolutely astounding to me is that he viewed public relations as an applied social science influenced by psychology, sociology, and other disciplines to scientifically manage and manipulate the thinking and behavior of an irrational and "herdlike" public.
According to Bernays, "Public Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance."
Why is this astounding to me?
Basically, Bernays is the inspiration for the PR 1.0 publicity and spin machine and the architect of how a majority of companies still approach PR today—even though this is all changing right before our eyes. Many of his thoughts, which fueled his books, Crystallizing Public Opinion, Propaganda, and The Engineering of Consent, were on the cusp of predicting what PR currently is facing in the dawn of Social Media. And, Social Media is reintroducing sociology, anthropology, psychology, and other sciences back into marketing.
If we combined the theories and philosophies of Bernays and Lee with the spirit of the new "social web" aka Social Media, we might have a new outlook on this social science that resembles the new driving principles behind PR 2.0.
But what happened to PR?
It no longer triumphs as a darling among the various marketing disciplines, and in many cases, is regarded as a necessary evil these days.
Somewhere along the way, we, as an industry, lost our vision. We got caught up in hype, spin, hyperbole, and buzzwords, and forgot that PR was about Public Relations.
Unfortunately, these days PR is more aligned with theatrics than value. Enter Social Media and the democratization of the Web.
These are indeed exciting times as Social Media is truly the catalyst for reflection and an opportunity to do PR and amplify value and increase effectiveness in the process.
What is Social Media?
Social Media is anything that uses the Internet to facilitate conversations between people. I say people, because it humanizes the process of communications when you think about conversations instead of companies marketing at audiences.
Social Media refers back to the "two-way" approach of PR that Ivy Lee discussed in his day. It's about listening and, in turn, engaging people on their level. It forces PR to stop broadcasting and start connecting. Monologue has given way to dialog.
Now, enter PR 2.0.
Just so you understand, it's not a trendy term meant to capitalize on the current trend of "everything 2.0." Honestly, it's already ten years in the making, but Social Media is truly advancing the adoption of a new, more significant role for PR.
Here's how I defined it in the 90s (it's dated, but it is still relevant today):
PR 2.0 was born through the analysis of how the Web and multimedia was redefining PR and marketing communications, while also building the toolkit to reinvent how companies communicate with influencers and directly with people.
It is a chance to not only work with traditional journalists, but also engage directly with a new set of accidental influencers, and, it is also our ability to talk with customers directly (through online forums, groups, communities, BBS, etc.)
No BS. No hype. It's an understanding of markets, the needs of people, and how to reach them at the street level—without insulting everyone along the way. PR will become a hybrid of communications, evangelism, and Web marketing.
PR 2.0 was actually inspired by Web 1.0 and the new channel for the distribution of information it represented. It changed everything. It forced traditional media to evolve. It created an entirely new set of influencers with a completely different mechanism for collecting and sharing information while also reforming the daily routines of how people searched for news.
PR 2.0 is a philosophy and practice to improve the quality of work, change the game, and participate with people in a more informed and intelligent way. It's not about the new Web tools at all. They are merely tools used to facilitate conversations...but everything, especially intent, knowledge, and enthusiasm, are unique to YOU.
You are the key to new PR.
To be direct, the truth is that PR 2.0 is really what PR should have been all along. Now with the democratization of media, people are becoming the new influencers, complementing the existence of experts and traditional journalists, but still regarded as a source and resource for customers equally.
Understanding new PR to reinvent it is the goal of this book. Deirdre Breakenridge has poured her life's experiences and passion into these pages to inspire and empower you with the ability to change, and ultimately, participate in new media. In doing so, you will learn today's communication methods that will help you engage in meaningful conversations and build stronger trusting relationships—both personally and professionally—with customers, influencers, experts, and traditional media alike.
PR 2.0 is about putting the "public" back in Public Relations.
Brian Solis Principal of FutureWorks PR, Blogger at PR 2.0
http://www.briansolis.com
© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
Read an Excerpt
IntroductionPraise for PR 2.0
"An 'easy read' filled with practical examples of how marketing professionals can leverage these new tools to enhance PR activities. The 'Interviews with the Experts' sections were especially useful in helping to highlight how companies have benefited from PR2.0."
Maura Mahoney, Senior Director,
RCN Metro Optical Networks
"P.R. 2.0 is a must-read for any marketing or PR professional. It is filled with expert advice, real-world examples, and practical guidance to help us better understand the new media tools and social networking concepts available and how we can use them for our specific branding needs. This book is excellent for someone who is trying to understand the new web-based media and social networking concepts, as well those who are experienced in applying the new media tools and are curious about what everyone else is doing and what tools are producing the best ROI. This isn't a book filled with simple tips and tricks—it's an essential guidebook for the marketing/PR professional to better understand the new media options and how to apply them effectively to achieve results."
Jenny Fisher, Director Sales and Marketing Operations, Catalent Pharma Solutions
"Wading through the thicket of expanding Internet tools—from MySpace to Facebook, from Twitter to Flickr—is no easy challenge. And once you finally understand these strange new art forms, how the heck do you harness them? Answer: You buy this book. Deirdre Breakenridge knows the Net—how to measure it, monitor it, and use it to maximize public relations performance. Best of all, she explains it in a style that even a Luddite can comprehend."
Fraser P. Seitel, author of The Practice of Public Relations and coauthor of IdeaWise
Foreword: The Road from PR to PR 2.0 to Public Relations
Welcome to what just may be the greatest evolution in the history of PR.
Modern Public Relations was born in the early 1900s, even though history traces the practice back to the 17th century. The term public relations was said to be first documented by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson during his address to Congress in 1807.
It wasn't until World War I that we started to see the industry crystallize and spark the evolution of PR as an official profession.
Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays are credited with creating and defining the art and science of modern-day PR in the early 1900s. That's almost 100 years ago; and yet, in what I believe to be PR's greatest renaissance, many of their early philosophies and contributions can be sourced to further evolve PR today.
Ivy Lee developed the first working press release; you can love him or hate him for it. But, what we can't overlook is that he believed PR was a "two-way street" where communications professionals were responsible for helping companies listen as well as communicate their messages to the people who were important to them.
Edward Bernays, who is often referred to as the father of PR, was most certainly its first theorist. A very interesting bit of history is that Bernays is a nephew of Sigmund Freud. Freud's theories about the irrational, unconscious motives that shape human behavior are the inspiration for how Bernays approached public relations.
What's absolutely astounding to me is that he viewed public relations as an applied social science influenced by psychology, sociology, and other disciplines to scientifically manage and manipulate the thinking and behavior of an irrational and "herdlike" public.
According to Bernays, "Public Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance."
Why is this astounding to me?
Basically, Bernays is the inspiration for the PR 1.0 publicity and spin machine and the architect of how a majority of companies still approach PR today—even though this is all changing right before our eyes. Many of his thoughts, which fueled his books, Crystallizing Public Opinion, Propaganda, and The Engineering of Consent, were on the cusp of predicting what PR currently is facing in the dawn of Social Media. And, Social Media is reintroducing sociology, anthropology, psychology, and other sciences back into marketing.
If we combined the theories and philosophies of Bernays and Lee with the spirit of the new "social web" aka Social Media, we might have a new outlook on this social science that resembles the new driving principles behind PR 2.0.
But what happened to PR?
It no longer triumphs as a darling among the various marketing disciplines, and in many cases, is regarded as a necessary evil these days.
Somewhere along the way, we, as an industry, lost our vision. We got caught up in hype, spin, hyperbole, and buzzwords, and forgot that PR was about Public Relations.
Unfortunately, these days PR is more aligned with theatrics than value. Enter Social Media and the democratization of the Web.
These are indeed exciting times as Social Media is truly the catalyst for reflection and an opportunity to do PR and amplify value and increase effectiveness in the process.
What is Social Media?
Social Media is anything that uses the Internet to facilitate conversations between people. I say people, because it humanizes the process of communications when you think about conversations instead of companies marketing at audiences.
Social Media refers back to the "two-way" approach of PR that Ivy Lee discussed in his day. It's about listening and, in turn, engaging people on their level. It forces PR to stop broadcasting and start connecting. Monologue has given way to dialog.
Now, enter PR 2.0.
Just so you understand, it's not a trendy term meant to capitalize on the current trend of "everything 2.0." Honestly, it's already ten years in the making, but Social Media is truly advancing the adoption of a new, more significant role for PR.
Here's how I defined it in the 90s (it's dated, but it is still relevant today):
PR 2.0 was born through the analysis of how the Web and multimedia was redefining PR and marketing communications, while also building the toolkit to reinvent how companies communicate with influencers and directly with people.
It is a chance to not only work with traditional journalists, but also engage directly with a new set of accidental influencers, and, it is also our ability to talk with customers directly (through online forums, groups, communities, BBS, etc.)
No BS. No hype. It's an understanding of markets, the needs of people, and how to reach them at the street level—without insulting everyone along the way. PR will become a hybrid of communications, evangelism, and Web marketing.
PR 2.0 was actually inspired by Web 1.0 and the new channel for the distribution of information it represented. It changed everything. It forced traditional media to evolve. It created an entirely new set of influencers with a completely different mechanism for collecting and sharing information while also reforming the daily routines of how people searched for news.
PR 2.0 is a philosophy and practice to improve the quality of work, change the game, and participate with people in a more informed and intelligent way. It's not about the new Web tools at all. They are merely tools used to facilitate conversations...but everything, especially intent, knowledge, and enthusiasm, are unique to YOU.
You are the key to new PR.
To be direct, the truth is that PR 2.0 is really what PR should have been all along. Now with the democratization of media, people are becoming the new influencers, complementing the existence of experts and traditional journalists, but still regarded as a source and resource for customers equally.
Understanding new PR to reinvent it is the goal of this book. Deirdre Breakenridge has poured her life's experiences and passion into these pages to inspire and empower you with the ability to change, and ultimately, participate in new media. In doing so, you will learn today's communication methods that will help you engage in meaningful conversations and build stronger trusting relationships—both personally and professionally—with customers, influencers, experts, and traditional media alike.
PR 2.0 is about putting the "public" back in Public Relations.
Brian Solis Principal of FutureWorks PR, Blogger at PR 2.0
http://www.briansolis.com
© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
