Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

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From the Library of Garrick Lee

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Praise for Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

“Rip up your communications degree. Write off your PR job experience

from the last 30 years. As Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz, ‘Toto, I have

a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.’

But take heart, Tin Man, ‘rehab’ is available—brought to you by Solis and

Breakenridge in this book—to get you back on your feet and re-invent

yourself. The first step toward full recovery begins on page one.”

—Jerry Santos, Senior Vice President,

Corporate Communications, Global Crossing

“What is wrong with PR? Plenty. Every day for the last decade or more

I’ve received more than fifty unsolicited pitches. Less than 1% ever wind

up being articles. That’s wasted effort for the person who wrote the

release, wasted time for the journalist weeding through it all, and wasted

money for the client.

It’s not a new gripe, but until ten years ago it was the only system we had.

Now, social media has turned everything on its head. It’s changed the way

readers consume information, the way reporters find and write about it,

and it’s high time it change the way PR professionals pitch.

Putting the Public Back in Public Relations gets it all—what’s wrong with

the old model and the power of the new one. Brian and Deirdre explain in

clear detail how it’s no longer about pitching, it’s about engaging. They

explain what that means and how to do it right. If everyone read this, my

job as a reporter would be a whole lot easier.”

—Sarah Lacy, journalist and author of Once You’re Lucky,

Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and Rise of Web 2.0

“This book is essential reading for any and all communication profession￾als. Learning how to speak with and not at your audience is the key to suc￾cess in the PR 2.0 world. Brian and Deirdre talk strategy, tactics, and

what works, with detailed case studies that illuminate each point. It’s also

written in a clear style that everyone will be able to understand, from

social media novice to advanced technology user. This is a must read for

any communications professional working today.”

—Jane Quigley, Relationship Director, crayon

From the Library of Garrick Lee

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“PR has changed forever and Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge are at

the forefront of this change. If you think PR is fine and dandy, please buy

this book because without it you will be out of business!”

—Gary Vaynerchuk, Director of Operations, Wine Library

“Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is a passionate and persuasive

case for rewriting the rules of public relations. Authors Solis and Breaken￾ridge expertly combine third-party perspective with case studies and

examples to paint a picture of a profession on the brink of reinvention. In

their view, social media is the public relations profession’s opportunity to

take its place at the forefront of the new age of conversation marketing.

After reading this book, that will likely be your view as well.

—Paul Gillin, Author, The New Influencers and

Secrets of Social Media Marketing

From the Library of Garrick Lee

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Putting the Public

Back in

Public Relations

From the Library of Garrick Lee

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From the Library of Garrick Lee

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Putting the Public

Back in

Public Relations

How Social Media Is Reinventing the

Aging Business of PR

Brian Solis

Deirdre Breakenridge

From the Library of Garrick Lee

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Vice President, Publisher: Tim Moore

Associate Publisher and Director of Marketing: Amy Neidlinger

Acquisitions Editor: Martha Cooley

Editorial Assistant: Pamela Boland

Development Editor: Keith Cline

Operations Manager: Gina Kanouse

Digital Marketing Manager: Julie Phifer

Publicity Manager: Laura Czaja

Assistant Marketing Manager: Megan Colvin

Cover Designer: Chuti Prasertsith

Managing Editor: Kristy Hart

Senior Project Editor: Lori Lyons

Copy Editor: Krista Hansing Editorial Services

Proofreader: Kay Hoskin

Senior Indexer: Cheryl Lenser

Compositor: Nonie Ratcliff

Manufacturing Buyer: Dan Uhrig

© 2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Publishing as FT Press

Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

FT Press offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk

purchases or special sales. For more information, please contact U.S. Corporate and

Government Sales, 1-800-382-3419, [email protected]. For sales outside

the U.S., please contact International Sales at [email protected].

Company and product names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered

trademarks of their respective owners.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any

means, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing February 2009

ISBN-10: 0-137-15069-5

ISBN-13: 978-0-13-715069-4

Pearson Education LTD.

Pearson Education Australia PTY, Limited.

Pearson Education Singapore, Pte. Ltd.

Pearson Education North Asia, Ltd.

Pearson Education Canada, Ltd.

Pearson Educación de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Pearson Education—Japan

Pearson Education Malaysia, Pte. Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Solis, Brian.

Putting the public back in public relations : how social media is reinventing the aging

business of PR / Brian Solis, Deirdre Breakenridge.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 0-13-715069-5 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Public relations. 2. Social media—

Economic aspects. 3. Online social networks. I. Breakenridge, Deirdre. II. Title.

HD59.S65 2009

659.2—dc22

2008041937

From the Library of Garrick Lee

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To my wife Wendy, whose support and love served as my

inspiration. To my mom and dad, for pushing me to never settle

and for helping define who I am today. To my son, Dylan,

thank you for keeping me company all those nights and

weekends while I was writing, writing, writing. To Deirdre,

who made the experience of writing this book one of the

highlights of my life. Finally, to everyone whom I admire

and learn from everyday: Your blogs, books, articles,

speeches, and most important, friendship have helped

me personally and professionally.

—Brian

To my daughter Megan who is the true inspiration

behind everything I do.

To my husband, Mark, who supports all of my efforts and gives

me the strength to pursue all of my dreams. To my parents, who

raised me to live, love, and learn with passion and

determination. To Brian, who coined PR 2.0 and made it

possible for PR professionals to challenge our industry and

to succeed. To my partner, Jason, who inspired me

to pursue my aspirations as a writer.

—Deirdre

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ix

Contents

Foreword by Guy Kawasaki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Preface The Socialization of Media and PR 2.0 . . . . . . . .xvii

Introduction Social Media = The Reinvention of

Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Part I The True Value of New PR

Chapter 1 What’s Wrong with PR? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Challenging the Status Quo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

PR for PR People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Company Executives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Chapter 2 PR 2.0 vs. Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Good Old Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Skepticism Creeps In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

How Did We Get Here? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Where Are We Going? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Chapter 3 PR 2.0 in a Web 2.0 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

The New Collaborators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

PR Redux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Communicating With, Not To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Chapter 4 Traditional vs. New Journalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Journalist vs. Blogger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Blogosphere Rising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

And Then Some . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

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x Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

Chapter 5 PR Is about Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

People Need People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

PR 2.0 = New Relationship Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . .69

PR 2.0 All-Stars Collaborate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

Part II Facilitating Conversations: New Tools

and Techniques

Chapter 6 The Language of New PR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

And So It Begins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

In Each Seat, a Different Person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Yeah, but What’s in It for Me? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

Chapter 7 Blogger Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

The New Influencers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Blogging Is Not Just Blah, Blah, Blah . . . . . . . . . . . .95

Not Every Blog Is Created Equal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100

One Hot Topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

In a Nutshell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Chapter 8 Social Media Releases (SMRs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

The Old Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

A New Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Be Part of the (R)evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Traditional Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Customer-Focused News Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

SEO Press Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Social Media Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

The Brand New World of New Releases . . . . . . . . .122

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Contents xi

Chapter 9 Video News Release (VNR) 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

Traditional VNRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

VNRs and Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

Integrate with Other Social Media Strategies . . . . .132

What Does All This Mean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Strategies for Creating Successful

Video Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

Chapter 10 Corporate Blogging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

Capability vs. Competence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

False Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

Leveraging Blogging in B2B and B2C . . . . . . . . . . .145

It’s Not about Selling, It’s about Dialogue . . . . . . .146

Defining the Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Part III Participating in Social Media

Chapter 11 Technology Does Not Override the

Social Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153

Modern Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Don’t Fear Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Social Networks Are Not Legos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

The Proof Is in the Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160

Chapter 12 Social Networks: The Online Hub for

Your Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

The Rise of Social Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Participation and Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167

Facebook Is a Template, Not a News Release . . . . .170

Avoid the Clutter and Build Relationships . . . . . . .174

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xii Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

Chapter 13 Micromedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177

Media Snackers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178

A Closer Look . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179

Micromedia Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

Micromedia-Inspired Macro Influence . . . . . . . . . .182

Lifestreams and Brand Aggregation . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

Micromedia Tools and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

Chapter 14 New “Marketing” Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

Socialize to Survive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

Integrating Social Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191

Part IV PR 2.0: A Promising Future

Chapter 15 Community Managers and Customer

Service 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

Connecting People to the Human Beings

Who Define Corporate Brands and Culture . . . . .200

PR Evolves into a Service Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202

Developing a Complementary Inbound

and Outbound Communications Program . . . . . . .204

A New Role for a New Generation of

Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

Contract Community Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209

The Humanization of Marketing

Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

Chapter 16 Socialization of Communication and Service . . .213

Lobbying for Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215

Social Tools for Social Service and

Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

You Are the Customer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220

Augmenting Message Broadcasting with

Market Value Propositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221

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Contents xiii

Reaching Tastemakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224

Introducing Psychographics to Traditional

Demographic Profiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225

Chapter 17 The Rules for Breaking News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231

Influence: Mainstream and Otherwise . . . . . . . . . .231

Blogs Are on the Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234

The Beta Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237

You’re Invited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

Socializing the News Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241

Beware of Embargoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242

Chapter 18 A New Guide to Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247

New Metrics for PR 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248

Conversation Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249

Measurement Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262

Defining and Measuring Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264

Part V Convergence

Chapter 19 PR 2.0 + PR 1.0 = Putting the Public Back

in Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271

PR and Its Branding Crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273

The Future of PR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275

New PR Requires New Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278

The Conversation Prism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279

Appendix A The SEC and the Importance of Recognizing

Corporate Blogs as Public Disclosure . . . . . . . .283

Appendix B It’s Alive! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299

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