The New PR: Clean, Green, Smart

[Jason Kintzler]

By now, you should know I'm a big proponent of social media for both PR and journalists alike. On the PR side, this new revolution is about more than just increased efficiency and open dialog, it's also a change in lifestyle for PR pros and an overall greening of the industry.

The Scene
We've all attended a press conference or trade show and seen the heaps of press kits adorning the folding tables in make-shift press rooms. Heavy 200# folders piled high, each filled with numerous printed (traditional) press releases, image CDs and a catalog or two for good measure. Watching writers stroll up and down the rows of press kits, they pick through materials grabbing this and that, rarely collecting each mammoth package of contents.

The Clean
In walks the savvy PR pro armed with nothing more than a handshake and the skills to pay the bills. After sharing their successful pitch (as concisely as a 140 word tweet) they collect the writer's contact information and bid them a friendly, "good luck." Before the writer is out of sight, savvy PR pro has already use their smart phone to email them a link to a powerful social media release full of more meat than the comparable printed press kit the writer passed up anyway.

The Green
"Paperless" PR may not be the answer to the world's environmental problems, but it can certainly make a dent. By eliminating printed press materials you're not only saving the company a healthy chunk of money, you're making it easier on journalists. Take the time to share your social media release or newsroom with your marketing team, client, boss or whoever, to ensure they see the benefits of simplifying the process. If you really think about it, is there even a need to print a press release?

The Smart
Whether you deliver your materials via USB jump drive, through email, or via a compelling Twitter Pitch journalists will appreciate the effort and simplicity. You're making their job easier- cut and paste quotes, high-res images or b-roll, all available with a mouse-click, rather than a phone call and three voicemails. You'll be more efficient in your delivery and more effective with your pitch if all the elements are in place beforehand.

Social Media and PR go hand-in-hand. A big part of this thing we're all so in love with are the new tools that are taking communication and data transfer to a whole new level. Join our growing network at PitchEngine where PR pros and media will continue to share and develop new methods for implementing and utilizing social media to better their industries.

Original post on PitchEngine | The Social Media Revolution

[Jason Kintzler]

Hi Bill, thanks for sharing- that sounds like a progressive conference, hopefully more will follow suit. As for the sign up to comment thing- I chose to go with Ning for their network capabilities and it doesn't give an option to allow people to comment without being a member of a group. Sorry for the hassle, but hopefully you'll gets some use out of the network and want to stay in the loop! Thanks again for taking the time to check us out.

[Bill Kennedy]

[Aside: don't know why your site puts me through so much hassle just to leave a comment on a post.]

I have to agree. As a writer, I prefer links where I can copy and paste. In addition, my desk is a hopeless mess, but my computer desktop is very well organized. I can search for text, but searching for paper is another story entirely. One of the things I appreciated at the last conference I attended was that all of the participant material was available for download. Nobody had to lug around a binder.

[Jason Kintzler]

Good point, packing that stuff around is a nightmare. I'm doing deskside visits next week and it's nice not to worry about lugging paperwork around NYC.

[Nicole Ravlin]

This is a great point!

Never mind the paper, ink and toner used to put together those press kits... the shipping and shlepping of them also has an impact on the environment. From my experience, journalists appreciate the USB "kits" as they do not have to go online to download the information or make numerous calls.

Well done, Jason!