The Public Relations Blog

Lights, camera… Not so fast! Expensive shoots and long, comprehensive videos aren’t necessary for success.

Using video on social media is nothing new. Before social media, brands were hungry for polished video content. Coordinated video shoots – complete with high-resolution cameras and bright lights – were the norm. Carefully edited videos with sleek transitions, often including full context of a specific subject, led to long (and potentially boring) content. Brand videos swam in a sea of sameness.

With the rise of YouTube and other social media, we began a new era of online videos where simple is better – and anyone with a smartphone can make viral videos. 

Today, TikTok and other video social media platforms are expanding the importance of brevity and simplicity in social media videos. Vertical formats dominate, catering to mobile users. Mobile phone camera quality has improved, making smartphone quality perfect for brand content. 

Budget, engagement, and diversity are crucial, according to the All American Entertainment 2022 Speaking Industry Benchmark Report.

Events and conferences have had some bumpy years with travel restrictions and capacity limits that have shut the industry down completely. As the months of shutdowns and extreme caution passed, waves of COVID-19 cases have resulted in uncertainty from individuals about traveling and gathering in large crowds.

This is one blog post about organic social media content. Read Organic social: Is it worth it in 2020? for more.

Think one-size-fits-all? Think again. 

Any social media manager will praise the benefits of social media monitoring and scheduling tools, like HubSpot. They allow you to monitor multiple streams, coordinate responses with a team, and, perhaps most importantly of all, schedule your social media posts. You can even post to multiple social networks at once. Some platforms encourage you to post your content in multiple places within the same platform (for instance, Facebook newsfeed and Facebook stories). 

Just because you can post one update to multiple places at once, should you? No, and here’s why.

This is one blog post about organic social media content. 4 reasons you should tailor content for different social platforms for more.

4 reasons you should continue to engage on social media

A decade ago, the big question that public relations pros and marketers were asking themselves was: “Does a company or brand need to be on social media?” Since then, we’ve seen social platforms transform how people communicate, consume media, and how they shop. Whether the goal of your social media is to communicate messages or sell products, it’s safe to say that social media is a powerful tool for almost every company.  

As paid social media dominates feeds and becomes a more prominent way of reaching an audience, organic social media seems to increasingly fall to the wayside. So, is it still worth it to do organic social media in 2020? It is, indeed. Here are four reasons why. 

4 items to consider when budgeting for social media

In the early years of social media, part of its allure from a marketing perspective was that it was cost-efficient – and for many, free. Today, as social media infiltrates more of our daily communications and social ad platforms become more sophisticated and drive better results, it's necessary to put some money into your social media strategy. How much your company spends depends on many factors.

To help figure out how much to invest, here are some considerations.

Shared coverage doesn’t have to be bad

So, the journalist you’ve been pitching finally decides to write a piece on your company. Thrilled, you update your team, alert your spokesperson and send the reporter all the necessary photos and information.

Then, at some point during the process, or maybe even once the story runs, you find out that your competitors appear in the piece too – perhaps with more prominence than your company. When this happens, PR pros will certainly be bummed, even bitter, upon learning they’ll share the spotlight with those they compete so hard against.

Don’t see shared coverage as a loss. As long as the coverage for your company is positive, it’s still a win. Here are some tips to consider when you learn your media coverage includes your competitors.

Mapping out your social media strategy for 2018? If you’re ready to step up your game next year, take a look at how some of the biggest brands use social media to increase engagement and improve ROI. Here are companies that are excelling on social media and some takeaways for social media managers.

Whether you’re preparing your team for an influx of media interviews or planning to launch a new marketing and communications campaign, getting everyone in your company on the same message is critical to the success of your efforts. Your company’s representatives are often the biggest influencers for your company and brand, after all. It’s critical to make sure this vital audience is helping – and certainly not hurting – your communication efforts. Here are five tips to help you.

8 items to include in your company’s online newsroom

Seasoned PR pros may remember printing countless press releases, fact sheets and biographies to include in perfectly curated media kits. Media kits of yesterday were helpful leave-behinds, however, today they’re dinosaurs. Digital media kits – or online newsrooms – are an easy way for media to access key information and assets.

Advice for students planning a public relations career

The school year is in full swing, and public relations students are likely juggling multiple class projects and thinking about the thing that’s on most college students’ minds: getting a job after college. Here are six tips to help students secure a great job in PR.