Midnight Oil Writing

Traditional media relations is dead.  Traditional media relations is really a vanity project.  It’s all about getting that big media hit to frame and put up on the wall (the client’s wall and/or the agency’s wall).  After all, if [insert publication name] wrote about your product, service or company, you must be delivering value.

Today, unless you are a NY Times-worthy company with a NY Times-worthy story, the media is nearly non-existent.  Take the IT trade press – there are fewer publications, with fewer reporters, writing fewer stories.  I question who actually reads those stories anyway.

Over the past two years, I’ve interacted with several companies that are stuck in the old mindset.  One company only “counted” print coverage.  Online stories did not have value to them.  Similarly, another company didn’t want to “waste time” reaching out to bloggers.  So instead money was spent trying to get those rare print articles.  I just hope their target customer happened to read that article.

 What companies need today is Influencer Relations.  Think about how most people begin researching a product, service or company.  They Google it. 

Influencers can be media, analysts or bloggers.  They are vocal and/or prolific writers and are discussing your industry via their companies, Facebook, Twitter and other channels. 

Engage with the new influencers and you’ll see impact.  Spend money on traditional media relations and you’re wasting that money.