The social channel that drives media coverage
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Promoting your Media Pitches on Twitter is an opportunity that PR Professionals cannot afford to ignore, as it’s the most popular source of stories for journalists.
77% of journalists use Twitter to keep up with the latest news. If you're not using Twitter to expand the reach of your media pitch, you're missing out; however, getting discovered on Twitter is challenging, so here are a few things you need to know and can do to improve your success.
Reach to your existing followers
Firstly, the Twitter algorithm works differently from other social channels. The good news is that (unlike other media) your post can be seen by all your followers. Other channels deliver your messages to as few as 3% of your followers.
Direct exposure for your Media Pitches
Lookatmedia™
Twitter provides opportunities to increase the media’s awareness of your breaking or other stories. Twitter’s algorithm is better suited to how journalists work and seek information, making it the best social channel to amplify your PR messages.
Direct exposure for your Media Pitches
Lookatmedia™
Twitter provides opportunities to increase the media’s awareness of your breaking or other stories. Twitter’s algorithm is better suited to how journalists work and seek information, making it the best social channel to amplify your PR messages.
Life of the average Tweet
The average lifespan of a Tweet is about 18 minutes. After that time, it becomes much less visible to viewers. While this may seem a problem, to those wanting to improve the reach of the media pitch, it's a gift. The 18-minute timeline is designed to give the latest content a greater chance to be viewed by a larger audience. As a PR professional, this 18-minute window allows you to post the same message repeatedly on the same day, reaching new audiences with each post. It will also allow you to test different message ideas and posting times to see what works best.
Round and round we go
Getty Images/iStockphoto
The key to successfully amplifying your Media Pitch on Twitter is repletion. ‘Best practice’ is to post the same message five or more times on the same day. It’s like an athlete riding around a velodrome; each lap allows you to improve on the last.
Round and round we go
Getty Images/iStockphoto
The key to successfully amplifying your Media Pitch on Twitter is repletion. ‘Best practice’ is to post the same message five or more times on the same day. It’s like an athlete riding around a velodrome; each lap allows you to improve on the last.
The role of hashtags
Hashtags are essential for Twitter content; in fact, they were invented by Twitter users. In the early days of Twitter, users wanted a way of grouping together content of a similar theme, so they started using a # at the start of a theme to make it easier to search. Today hashtags are essential research tools used by journalists and media. If you want your media pitch to be discoverable on Twitter, you must add hashtags. The best hashtag results come from hashtag research tools (through resources like Hashtagify) or an online newsroom solution with a hashtag database. You can also look for trending hashtags right now on your Twitter feed.
Harmonising
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Twitter users developed hashtags to ensure everyone was ‘singing from the same song sheet’. For PR Professionals, hashtags prove an opportunity to direct your Media Pitch towards specific Journalists and beats.
Harmonising
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Twitter users developed hashtags to ensure everyone was ‘singing from the same song sheet’. For PR Professionals, hashtags prove an opportunity to direct your Media Pitch towards specific Journalists and beats.
Following the protocols of Hashtags on Twitter
How often have to see a Twitter post where almost every word or phrase is infected with a #? Treating hashtags in this way indicates the creator needs to understand how the Twitter algorithm works. The optimum number of hashtags in a post is two. More hashtags in a post and the Twitter algorithm will start to see the post as spammy.
The second most common mistake with hashtags is people using them on non-trending words or phrases. People mistakenly think the # imbues every word or phrase with magical powers. It does not. If you want hashtags to boost the profile of your media pitch, focus only on trending or long-established hashtags. You can have your own branded hashtags; however, if you want them to be effective, you need to be consistent with them over the long term.
Expanding the power and reach of your media pitch
Is there a benefit from having an online newsroom like Lookatmedia™ that allows sharing your stories and images on social channels like Twitter and LinkedIn? Yes. This combination of technologies and channels creates new opportunities to increase the reach and success of your media pitches. It also helps your team understand which media pitches and approaches work best.
Solutions like Lookatmedia™ allow you to monitor how many journalists and media representatives discover your stories through social media, then track their engagement levels and 'intent'. Social media can amplify the 'force multiplier' effect that online newsrooms like Lookatmedia™ can deliver for your media pitches, extending their life and success beyond the next media cycle.
