If Web2.0 is all about mash-up of different Internet languages, PR2.0 would probably be a similar rojak*.
(*Rojak is a "fruit and vegetable salad dish" found in Singapore. The word when used as a slang in the form of a verb means to mix.)
So how is PR1.0 different from PR2.0?
During my early years writing for some technology magazines, I attended countless press events, received many pitches and emailed terabytes of press releases.
Throughout my conversations with the PR folks, I also heard of the different strategies and media angles clients have to agree, it should also attract the journalist to the story.
Now that I am on the other side of the fence, some say the dark side, I am doing the same thing.
In my one of my recent media angle proposal for a B2B client, I suggested a few media angles that might interest the journalists from different publications.
Strangely enough, none of of the angles were product or solution hard sell. There were more looking at positioning the client as a thought leader. Guess B2B allows you to do that more than consumer products.
When it came to the area of blogging, besides suggesting an editorial outline, I also added a few simple SEO tricks to make the blog more "Googlable".
My colleagues found it quite strange though that when I visit the client's blog, the first thing I did was to hit the Page Source button.
Besides looking at areas to increase the blog findability, I even proposed ways to market the blog, just like what a publisher would do for the print magazine.
You could say it is a two prong approach; Make the easy for Internet readers to search for the blog, at the same time, go out and pull readers to it.
Guess it is also good to have that experience walking the halls with publishers during those coffee breaks.
I see this as me mashing-up different scale sets to help the client achieve their goals in getting that awareness of their brand out there, definitely PR2.0.
I also had the opportunity to do some bloggers relations, which many deem as part of PR2.0.
What made this unique was that it was my first time handing bloggers from a PR side and it was probably the first time the agency had an event with bloggers in it.
There were a few things notable about bloggers relations and media relations at events.
For starters, you need to let your spokesperson be aware that he or she needs to take the initiative to engage the bloggers at the event. Ask them questions, get them to respond and use that respond as part of the key conversation point. See the bloggers as future consumers and take their criticism in stride. Maybe your spokesperson could have listen to a thing or two that they could work on improving.
PR folks at events should also actively engage bloggers at event too. Maybe this is something I can get my team to start doing.
The next advice is to take photographs of the event and bloggers, and offer them to use the photographs as content for the blog.
Strange, but most bloggers are not camera shy and tend to be happy when their photos are taken at the event.
Upload the photos onto Facebook and tagged the bloggers. It provides them an opportunity to share the photos with their friends too.
This is totally different from PR1.0 as you don't see the PR folks actively taking photos.
The media too tend to shy away from the camera, something I learn during my days at MediaConnect Asia where I wrote about the IT media scene in Singapore and the region.
Finally, PR2.0 consultants must understand that links are the new currency for the bloggers. One more inbound link to their site might play a small role in pushing up their Google Pagerank, but hey, every drop of water makes the ocean.
Help the bloggers to market their post if possible. It is as easy as cutting and pasting. If your PR agency has a Facebook group, post their link in it.
So here are the bloggers who posted about my first blogger event from the PR side. Thank you for letting me learn from you.
Launch of Carte Niore coffee event
Facebook Album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39279&l=87a7c&id=627237473
Chilicraps "sipping coffee at old school".
Min-tea asks "French Coffee Anyone?"
Meet Rinaz "the accidental coffee genius"
eastcoastlife at Carte Noire Launch and her love for coffee art!
(*Rojak is a "fruit and vegetable salad dish" found in Singapore. The word when used as a slang in the form of a verb means to mix.)
So how is PR1.0 different from PR2.0?
During my early years writing for some technology magazines, I attended countless press events, received many pitches and emailed terabytes of press releases.
Throughout my conversations with the PR folks, I also heard of the different strategies and media angles clients have to agree, it should also attract the journalist to the story.
Now that I am on the other side of the fence, some say the dark side, I am doing the same thing.
In my one of my recent media angle proposal for a B2B client, I suggested a few media angles that might interest the journalists from different publications.
Strangely enough, none of of the angles were product or solution hard sell. There were more looking at positioning the client as a thought leader. Guess B2B allows you to do that more than consumer products.
When it came to the area of blogging, besides suggesting an editorial outline, I also added a few simple SEO tricks to make the blog more "Googlable".
My colleagues found it quite strange though that when I visit the client's blog, the first thing I did was to hit the Page Source button.
Besides looking at areas to increase the blog findability, I even proposed ways to market the blog, just like what a publisher would do for the print magazine.
You could say it is a two prong approach; Make the easy for Internet readers to search for the blog, at the same time, go out and pull readers to it.
Guess it is also good to have that experience walking the halls with publishers during those coffee breaks.
I see this as me mashing-up different scale sets to help the client achieve their goals in getting that awareness of their brand out there, definitely PR2.0.
I also had the opportunity to do some bloggers relations, which many deem as part of PR2.0.
What made this unique was that it was my first time handing bloggers from a PR side and it was probably the first time the agency had an event with bloggers in it.
There were a few things notable about bloggers relations and media relations at events.
For starters, you need to let your spokesperson be aware that he or she needs to take the initiative to engage the bloggers at the event. Ask them questions, get them to respond and use that respond as part of the key conversation point. See the bloggers as future consumers and take their criticism in stride. Maybe your spokesperson could have listen to a thing or two that they could work on improving.
PR folks at events should also actively engage bloggers at event too. Maybe this is something I can get my team to start doing.
The next advice is to take photographs of the event and bloggers, and offer them to use the photographs as content for the blog.
Strange, but most bloggers are not camera shy and tend to be happy when their photos are taken at the event.
Upload the photos onto Facebook and tagged the bloggers. It provides them an opportunity to share the photos with their friends too.
This is totally different from PR1.0 as you don't see the PR folks actively taking photos.
The media too tend to shy away from the camera, something I learn during my days at MediaConnect Asia where I wrote about the IT media scene in Singapore and the region.
Finally, PR2.0 consultants must understand that links are the new currency for the bloggers. One more inbound link to their site might play a small role in pushing up their Google Pagerank, but hey, every drop of water makes the ocean.
Help the bloggers to market their post if possible. It is as easy as cutting and pasting. If your PR agency has a Facebook group, post their link in it.
So here are the bloggers who posted about my first blogger event from the PR side. Thank you for letting me learn from you.
Launch of Carte Niore coffee event
Facebook Album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39279&l=87a7c&id=627237473
Chilicraps "sipping coffee at old school".
Min-tea asks "French Coffee Anyone?"
Meet Rinaz "the accidental coffee genius"
eastcoastlife at Carte Noire Launch and her love for coffee art!
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