How you can use cyberstalking to bolster your media relations
Its creepy manifestations aside, online monitoring can help you understand journalists and their beats, improving your chances of catching their eyes and gaining coverage.
From the pointlessness of discovering what that loser ex-boyfriend is doing these days to the slyness of tracking a competitor’s every move, no one outmaneuvers you in finding information on social media channels.
It’s time to put that evil superpower to good media relations use. We asked a few industry experts to explain how cyberstalking can generate sterling media coverage for your clients:
Step One: Compile, then whittle your media list.
The contact lists you gather from PR software or deductive reasoning provide a good starting point, but they’re not carved in stone. Reporters can be a transient bunch: They change beats or switch to other publications—sometimes both.
When a description from your contact list looks promising, head to Twitter to see whether the tweets back up your hunch.
The best way to discover whether a particular reporter is right for your pitch is to read what they’re writing, says Richard Laermer, founder and CEO of RLM Public Relations in New York.
Think this sounds like advice from Captain Obvious? Not so fast, Grasshopper. How many times have you pulled a media list using PR software and mass emailed everyone on it without giving a second glance to the list’s accuracy?
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today
Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.
