Is a Social Media Release for you?
What is a Social Media News Release? There are many different avenues to get information to the public that you should be aware of as a PR practitioner. One of these avenues is a social media news release, better known as a “SMNR”. SMNR’s have similarities to the traditional press release but are now being utilized as a more convenient way to relay information. SMNR’s, do however, come with their advantages and disadvantages. In this blog post I hope to provide you with a little more information about exactly what a SMNR is and how it could help your company, how to use it properly and also provide links for further information on SMNR’s. There are some major advantages SMNR’s have over the traditional press release. The first, and most obvious advantage, is that everything is at the finger tips of the journalist. Since SMNR’s are electronic you have the capability of embedding videos to enhance your story, you are able to upload high-resolution images and infographics. That, in itself, is a way for the story to be more appealing to the person that will be reading it. SMNR’s also make the story more interactive and more interesting. Another advantage of an SMNR is that you can embed links that make it more convenient for the journalist to check their facts and easier for them to get further information. According to InfoWorld some companies are using this outlet to position themselves as a “forward thinking” business. While the advantages seem great there are some disadvantages. One huge disadvantage with a SMNR is that people who are not familiar with using computers probably won’t read them and it might not reach a certain audience due to that fact. Another disadvantage is that it will miss the group of people who do not access computers on a regular basis.
When deciding when to use a social media news release the PR practitioner needs to decide what audience they are trying to reach. If say, the group that they wanted to reach where as Apple users then I would say that SMNR’s are the way to go because the audience is obviously tech friendly. The practitioner would also need to decide where to post the SMNR in order to reach the targeted audience.
Below are a few links that will help guide you through making a SMNR:
The Ford Company has implemented that SMNR approach:
Some tips to keep in mind when creating a Social Media News Release :
1. Figure out your target audience
2. Where does this specific audience look on the web.
3. Make sure the format is attractive
4. Make sure that it is simple and to the point
5. Make sure that all your links work properly
6. Like a regular press release, leave out the extra jargon.
7. Find the value in your story and make it evident to your leaders
8. Provide links that lead to further information
Whether or not you decide that a SMNR is good or not for your company, always remember to weigh the pros and cons and make sure to do your research.
The following links contributed to information in my article:
