I recently spent some time with Stephanie Abrams and Courtney Spritzer, the ladies behind social media consulting agency Socialfly based in New York City. They just published a book called “Like, Love, Follow” that gives great tips on social media strategies for small businesses. We loved all their how-to’s, so definitely check it out!
Social media often goes hand in hand with traditional media relations, so we asked Stephanie to share some tips on the best ways to leverage traditional media outreach using social media. Here are her actionable tips on how to use social media to amplify how you work with traditional media:
Find Contacts on Social MediaĂ‚Â
->Do This: Find the best person to pitch by researching who covers your topic, following them, and liking their content.
With the lines of traditional and social media blurring more and more, thinking outside the box when it comes to tracking down the best person to pitch can be a great idea. If you find the magazine editor you’re pitching on social media, you can follow them and gain valuable insight into what might make a pitch stand out to them. If appropriate, you can even reach out via direct message to establish initial contact.
Be a Tease
->Do This: Once you’ve secured a media placement and know its run date, tease it on your social channels.
Let your fans and followers know to look out for your business, whether it be a magazine issue hitting the newsstands or a TV segment slated to air, get your followers excited with something like, “Find out what we have in store for the holidays! Tune in atĂ‚Â 2 pmĂ‚Â to catch us on The Meredith Vieira Show!”
Broadcast Your Broadcast
->Do This: Let your fans and followers know when and where you’ve been featured by postingĂ‚Â a recap photo or video of the placement.
If you’ve secured a great feature on a blog or onlineĂ‚Â publication, tweet the link encouraging your fans and followers to read it with something like, “Read what Elle.com had to say about usĂ‚Â in ‘Ten Winter Skin Savors’!”
To showcase a print magazine article, post the photo of the magazine cover along with the page featuring you or your product. If it’s a small mention, add a visible arrow and let your followers know where you’re featured by tagging the magazine and letting them know which section they can find you in.
For a TV placement, obtain a link and post a short Instagram video, showing fans and followers a snippet of the segment, while providing a link to the full segment in your Instagram bio. Tweeting and posting video links is also a great way to share your placement.
Amplify Your Placement:Ă‚Â
->Do This: Amplify the reach of your feature by thanking the outlet and the specific journalist who worked on your feature.
Most journalists have their own social media accounts separate from the media outlet where they work. FindĂ‚Â the writer of your story or the TV host of your segment on social media and tag them as well, thanking them for the great featureĂ‚Â with something like, “We’re so excited to have been featured on Good Morning America! Thank you @KathyLee and @Hoda for the amazing time today!” Tagging the outlet and the specific reporterĂ‚Â will increase your chances of a repost or retweet by the outlet, resulting in even more exposure.
Recycle Your Media
->Do This: Recycle the recap post for a #TBT with something like, “#TBT to the time Sabon was featured in #TheBestOf picks! #BestDayEver!”
Even if your feature ran a while back, doesn’t mean it’s not valuable later. Let your fans and followers who might have missed the media placement know that you were featured by reusing it for a #TBT post or incorporate it into your Highlights of the Year (or season) post.
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