Confessions of a Journalist: do you think I actually read your press release?

April 19, 2012 by 4 Comments

This post is the first of a new series I am going to write about my experience as a journalist/blogger. I’ve written and continue to contribute to numerous publications – TechCrunch, Business Insider, the Telegraph, the Kernel, Betakit and more – and  I cover primarily tech startups. That said,  these tips are definitely relevant for all industries as journalism is going through a massive evolution with the development of new technology platforms.

Topic 1: The beloved press release.

Now, I picked a bit of a provocative title for this article on purpose. But PR and comms departments, please calm down – I DO read your press releases. Well, that is, if they are good.

What makes a good press release, you ask?

Any PR or comms expert is very familiar with a press release – an official written communication statement that is sent to the media in order to announce or share a piece of information. Most of the time, companies send out press releases to announce “official” news – the launch of a new product, new funding, an acquisition, etc.

Press releases also vary greatly from one industry to another. In tech, press releases tend to be 1-2 pages max, a little more neutral in tone with less visuals and more text. But go look at press releases from more visual industries – like fashion or cosmetics – and you’ll discover a variety of tones, colours, photos and very little text. For example, here’s a very eye-catching press release from bath & body brand Soap and Glory:

If you want to see an example of a more sober press release, take a look at Ebay’s press room. Honestly, neither of these styles is necessarily better than the other – they are actually both relevant for their audience.

Good press releases will of course feature a catchy title (I cannot stress the importance of titles enough as I often receive hundreds of emails a day that look more or less the same) and relevant information for the particular topic. Some journalists will actually publish more or less exactly what you send in the press release. But many journalists will (hopefully) want more; in fact, they’ll want to publish something exclusive that you’re not offering to everyone in your standard communication – so be sure to save some good bits of info for the journalists you really want to develop good relationships with.

News beyond the release.

Even though many traditional PR and comms teams may still hold on tight to their beloved press releases, journalists are actually excited in finding news through other means – and there are tons of terrific social platforms that they turn to in order to do so. Some of these I mentioned in an earlier post about some of the new social platforms companies should really be paying attention to: Pinterest, Quora and Instagram. But naturally, the list is much longer and often includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and more. These different platforms are now considered viable and verified sources for news, so Facebook status updates, Tweets, Quora answers and Foursquare checkins can all be used in lieu of quotes in articles.

For example, here is an article in People Magazine about actress Melissa Joan Hart. Notice that the evidence in the article is a direct link to her Tweet…

Journalists love this type of thing because it looks like they’ve done some good fact-checking and they can use quotes direct from the source. PR and comms teams should think about leveraging different platforms when communicating to journalists and supplementing press releases with Tweets, Quora answers, Foursquare checkins and more. Or, ditch the press release and send this stuff in lieu – in some cases, a very powerful Tweet can be enough for a story…

Oh, careful, everyone can see.

That said, don’t forget that social platforms are public and that everyone can see. Therefore, the information published on these platforms lose their exclusivity if the journalist doesn’t publish quickly and if multiple sources pick up on the info. So be sure to manage what you publish and what you give to journalists – and always include something exclusive if you can.

No, press releases are not dead.

It may be natural to want to draw the conclusion that press releases are losing their relevancy – but they are very clearly NOT dead. They’re simply going through a bit of metamorphosis with the evolution of the social web. But we need to recognize that communication habits are changing as are the ways in which journalists and bloggers receive and relay info as well.

Some quick things to avoid…

In the past, I have seen some companies do all kinds of no-nos with press releases. For example, one company used to send along a press release every month to announce a “new” product feature. It quickly became evident that the features were rather trivial and that this was simply a poor communications tactic. Overtime, I stopped reading the releases.

Another thing to be sure of is that you send the press release in the right language (the language that the journalist will be publishing in) and the right format. If there are elements (photos, videos, links) that the journalist may want to incorporate into their article, be sure to send them as part of the original email (there are now different products that let you build dynamic and multi-media press kits, including Augure). Do not send large attachments as they can get stuck or also annoy the journalist – in fact, the journalist will probably contact you to get the elements they need if they are interested.

Now, if there are other journalists, PR or comm experts out there that would like to share additional tips and tricks, feel free to chime in.

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10 French brands you’ll find on Pinterest

April 11, 2012 by 15 Comments

Typically, French companies are not the first to jump onto a new social media trend or craze. Not that any of these more traditional, historic brands is averse to social media, but they’re definitely not your average early adopters. And with President Sarkozy not setting the best social media example, we were pleasantly surprised to find a few French brands on up-and-coming social marketing platform, Pinterest. Here’s a look at a few we discovered…and a few who are, well, missing in action.

1. Marmiton.

French cooking and recipes platform, Marmiton.org, is behind one of my all-time favorite Pinterest accounts. The platform owned by Aufeminin.com (yet to have an account) displays tons of images of delicious treats from around the world, with a majority of the photos linking to the actual recipe on their website. It’s a fantastically visual way to get users excited about their content and expand their reach.

With 182 actual followers, my main criticism for Marmiton at this stage is that there is no way of knowing that they are on Pinterest from their homepage. Wouldn’t it be good to include that somewhere?

2. Allociné.

I’ve always been very pleasantly surprised by film platform Allociné. Their social/innovation efforts have really been a terrific example for numerous French companies to follow. Still, there Pinterest account isn’t as developed as I would have expected. Clearly lots of effort has gone into the boards for cult films like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings but not as much attention is given to indie or even French films. And the “actors” board is completely empty – despite The Artist’s recent Oscar win. Plus, the fact that  there is a board dedicated to attractive men (titled “Ils vous font vibrer”) and not the female equivalent makes me wonder if this board is not run by a lovely lady. But all criticisms aside, it’s a great start and has already accumulated a small following.

3. FNAC.

FNAC, the French equivalent to book and music retailer Borders, has gotten off to a terrific start on Pinterest as well. With fewer boards and pins than both Allociné and Marmiton, FNAC does currently have 2 separate accounts for France and Spain. Just as with Marmiton, all the images link back to the products on their website. However, I have to say that some of the products could be more creatively displayed to attract more social interaction. Take for example the Volume 1 DVD of cult TV series Bref. While the logo is definitely widely-recognized throughout France, Pinterest content that would be more likely to be liked and reposed than the simple DVD case might include actual photos and quotes from the show itself, no?

4. Evian.

Like FNAC, Evian currently has 2 accounts on Pinterest – one for the Netherlands and another in English, which I am guessing is not run out of France. Interestingly enough, Evian’s Pinterest seems to have a less commercial focus (no links back to the company website) and is much more about communicating brand and lifestyle messages, as redistributing content created by their community. Check out this incredible work of art. Still, I would encourage Evian to link to the products that are sold on their site and to also include their skincare products that are probably less well-known.

5. CITROEN.

I’ll be totally honest and say that I never expected to find Cirtoen with such a developed Pinterest account – especially since Renault seems to be straggling along with only 1 account for Renault Switzerland and a whopping 0 pins. But funny enough,  Citroen’s 17 boards dedicated to various models pull content from Citroen’s different international websites and other content sources, like Flickr. But if there is one thing I have to criticize Citroen for, it’s the large amounts of commercial text they are publishing with each pin. And the worst part is, it’s the exact same text for multiple images (see here for an example)…yikes.   What about something a little more subtle that feels less like an advertisement?

6. Lacoste.

If there is one sector that has been really slow to get onto Pinterest, it’s French fashion brands. But it’s not just names like Louis Vuitton that are MIA – it’s also more innovative online companies like Vente-privée. So even if Lacoste isn’t yet rivaling UK designer brand Burberry in terms of its social media presence, I was nonetheless pleased to find that it did have an active Pinterest account. The company appears to be taking somewhat of a similar approach to Citroen, however, placing repetitive text underneath its images. Still, I think in particular the company’s fashion show boards could be a huge hit.

7. Dior.

Again, as Chanel and a number of other high-end designer brands were MIA, I was pleasantly surprised to see Dior. And clearly, they’ve capitalized on fashion shows…

8. L’Occitane.

Just as with fashion, I was a little disappointed with the beauty brands as well. Even Sephora – who is traditionally the example to turn to in the beauty space when it comes to its online presence – still hasn’t officially launched on Pinterest. That said, French brand L’Occitane has a very impressive Pinterest account being run out of NYC. The account takes a lifestyle approach, like Evian’s account, but has also done a great job repining content from Pinterest and linking it to their online store. See here for an example.

9. L’Oréal Paris.

Another example from the beauty and cosmetics space is L’Oréal Paris. There is another L’Oréal Paris account with only 1 board, making it a little difficult to tell which is the official account until you discover that it is actually the Australian account. The company will clearly have to do a better job of separating their international accounts for users and followers. The French account does have one very nice board for the brands ambassadors, all beautiful black and white photos that link back to the company website.

10. Michelin.

Ah, yes, Michelin. While the account is not officially up and running, I’m glad to see that they have the intention to get one going soon. We’ll be sure to keep you tuned once the board goes live.

While some are clearly ahead of others, it’s nice to see French companies jumping on board and not shying away from the occasion to be an early adopter.

Did I forget anyone?

There are definitely more French brands than just these 10 on Pinterest. In fact, La Redoute also recently got a lot of attention for their creative use of leveraging Pinterest to see their most popular products. If you are a French brand with a Pinterest account we should be looking at, feel free to let us know!

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3 new social platforms your company should be paying attention to

February 21, 2012 by 4 Comments

Back in 2004 when Facebook first launched, there was no reason for companies to pay any attention. The platform was only open to a select number of American university students and nobody really thought of “poking” as having any real business value. It couldn’t be much better than a big, college chat room…could it?

By the time YouTube and Twitter launched within the next few years, Facebook was already well on its way to becoming the dominant social platform and businesses were beginning to tune in. The company had launched interest “like” pages in 2007 and redesigned them for business purposes in 2009. Nobody dared to question the business value of Facebook as it launched its famous “Like” button on April 22, 2010.

But while businesses undoubtedly grasp the value of Facebook, there is still a lot of reticence to join other social platforms – potentially because none have become as powerful as Facebook with its 800 million users. Even platforms like Twitter – which has managed to topple governments around the world – still struggles to convince companies of its business value.

Still, just because a social platform doesn’t have 800 million users doesn’t mean that it can’t dramatically change the way you do business. Innovative cross-platform social strategies can often result in an increase in user acquisition and retention. So here are 3 new platforms you should be paying attention to, if you haven’t already.

1. Quora

Founded in 2009 by a handful of former Facebook founders, Quora is the social web’s answer to Yahoo Answers. This social Q&A site may not seem that different from the rest – but the company’s original user acquisition strategy encouraged well-known professionals to use the platform as early adopters. Therefore, you can find questions and answer by people like Sun Microsystems co-founder and former CEO Vinod Khosla, amongst others.

But what does this mean for business? This platform can do everything from help you recruit talent to help you establish relationships with potential clients – primarily by demonstrating your expertise. It’s a little less fun than poking and retweeting, but then again, it’s far more professional. By clearly demonstrating your expertise in relevant topics, your answers will begin to make their way to the forefront. This, in turn, should help you (and your business) gain exposure. Don’t believe me? Just read how HelpJuice leveraged Quora for customer acquisition.

It can also be used as a more indirect customer service channel. If you notice that a particular question that is related to your business or sector is accumulating a lot of followers, then it’s probably worth paying attention to. Mashable’s Heather Whaling notes the example of Instagram’s CEO Kevin Systrom, who leveraged the platform do openly answer questions about his company.

To find out more on how building a Quora presence can be beneficial to your business (and how to do it!), check out this article from Inc. Magazine.

2. Instagram

The company crowned as Apple’s best mobile app in 2011 is far more than your average photo sharing app. Tons of brands – from Starbucks to Burberry to MTV – have discovered the beauty of this app, which focuses on providing good quality photo content rather than pushing products and services down people’s throats.

As with many social platforms, experts encourage Instagram users to post consistently, frequently and to engage followers and users. But what makes Instagram different from the other social platforms is the visual element. This means companies can present content in a fun and creative way – and chances are it will look amazing, too. Even if your product is not visual, chances are you can come up with a related theme that will make having an Instagram account worthwhile.

Instagram itself published some resources for brands to see how they could leverage the platform – including my favorite idea: flash mobs! But if you’re curious for more info on why companies like General Electric (check out some of their featured photos here) and Puma are flocking to Instagram and what kind of content they’re creating, read this.

3. Pinterest

The latest social platform to take over digital headlines is Pinterest. This virtual pinboard platform allows people to organize and share their interests from all over the web in a visual way.  And once again, companies haven’t failed to notice the business potential in Pinterest either.

Companies like Birchbox, Whole Foods and Scholastic have developed beautiful display boards that help to visually communicate their domain of expertise. As one article put it, Pinterest is “visual story telling for brands” that helps to create brand awareness. Brands can use it to communicate about their domain of expertise as well as their company culture, corporate social responsibility and more. In addition, “pinning” good content from the right location can help you drive traffic to your site or other social media properties. Check out this article for a few tips on how to use Pinterest for business – and if you’re still not convinced, check out this fabulous presentation by Nurun’s Gregory Pouy.

Obviously there are tons of other noteworthy social platforms out there too. But these are 3 that are really beginning to make their way to the top. In the next few weeks, we’ll be including more in-depth analysis and tips on how to properly leverage these platforms – and a few others.

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