trendSpotting Report
Christine Antles

The press release has been around for a little more than 100 years and the social media release recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. So what exactly is a social media release?

While there are lots of styles and applications swirling around in PR circles, the social media release (SMR) is the calculated marriage of the traditional press release and Web tools. I admit this is a broad definition—but that is because the SMR is a broad concept.

In a tech-heavy era where news stories can be “Digged;” video clips can be viewed with a click; IM’s are a proper if not ubiquitous form of professional communication; and blogs are linked to business cards (and vice versa), it should be of little surprise that the release is due for a makeover.

By creating the chance to share news in a concise and interactive manner, SMRs let audiences read and share the news that is relevant to them, in the medium that is most desirable. While there is arguably no “correct” or “incorrect” way to lay it out, a well constructed SMR incorporates bulleted facts and quotes, related links, interviews, video clips, images, blog links, bookmarks, and tags. Effectually, SMRs encourage readers to interact with PR pros, one another, and the public.

Let’s say you are announcing a product or service that’s delivered online. You could craft a standard press release that gives a two-page overview, but leaves journalists without a clear sense of what the product looks like or what a range of experts have said about it. Or you could produce an SMR that gives the reader a conceptual and visual sense of your product with bulleted facts, images, Web resources, and a series of quotes.

Inevitably, a journalist will decide to cover a story and engage in some investigation. Just ponder: All that time a journalist spends seeking information could be time spent talking with you and your client!

Does that mean the social media approach is good for every type of announcement or client? Not really. For some news and a variety of audiences, a SMR would—ironically—add an undue layer of complexity. For some types of news, the ages old release does the job best—and will continue to do so forever.

The SMR gives PR pros another arrow for the tactical quiver. As we select, we efficiently package our message for each influencer type with quotes, facts, and multimedia. But beware the temptation to replace other forms of interactive corporate communication with the SMR, or defeat its purpose entirely by blasting out a “one size fits all” SMR. These doodads will generate momentum only when used cooperatively with blog posts from the company itself, traditional releases, and well-nurtured media relationships.

And just like any bright and shiny new object, those SMRs can distract from the overall picture when used indiscriminately or without caution.

Christine Antles is a former RLMer, a PR pro living in Washington State who knows how to really reach media. We miss her.