Buzz management: the online evolution of PR.

Post -Public Relations is moving online. A huge number of people now read their news online rather than than in print, and experts expect this number to keep rising. Many people are getting their news from the online news services, such as Yahoo! News, or getting news delivered to their inbox by online versions of newspapers such as news.com.au. Believe it or not, many people primarily get their news from blogs too.

The new ways of people getting their news has fundamentally changed the way we do PR forever. While printed press releases and media kits still have their place, online PR is increasingly important, and the rules are different.

For example, there is a rising practice of sending releases to influential bloggers. But you have to be careful if you want to try this.

Online, PR tactics have to change: bloggers can be more influential than many companies want to acknowledge, and if you send them a release full of spin and marketing speak , you are asking for obscurity or even ridicule. The fact is, in the online world, companies are expected to be transparent. To really engage with bloggers, the best thing you can do is to set up your own blog and join in the conversation in a frank and engaging way.

SEO also needs to be considered a major component of online PR; it is about controlling the message you send out, and ensuring that the first page of search engine results is dominated by your particular message.

1 Response So Far

1. 1

   By Ei Sabai on 17 June, 2008 at 11:17 pm

   Do you think online PR will become big in Australia soon? I feel as though many local companies are still not very aware of the influence of online distribution channels and social media.

   Good blog post, by the way.