If you are in the public relations field, you probably already heard of how invaluable social media can be – especially Twitter. Twitter has been hyped up to professionals be the PR fantasy, able to connect your client to a vast audience with fun videos, GIFS, etc. With all of the excitement and promises of Twitter expanding your client to more audiences and building people’s connections, it seems that maybe some professionals do not know what they’re getting into – so Twitter ends up being their enemy, not their friend. Today I wanted to write about the good, the bad and the ugly that is Twitter for public relations experts.
Twitter can help professionals with announcements, research and networking if used correctly. If your client wants to get the word out about a new product, event, or an award Twitter is a tool to use that can instantly gives updates to your consumers. Also, professionals use Twitter to figure out who are your competitors and what they’re doing in comparison to your tactics. Lastly, Twitter can be used to find and connect with a larger audience then ever thought possible. Use those hashtags to see what other people are tweeting about in relation to your content and try to connect with them if it’ll be useful – no harm, no foul in networking.
On the other hand, Twitter can hurt your client and your reputation in the process. PR experts are always on the hunt for journalists and sometimes Twitter is not the best way to do this. I found on (this website) Jason Feifer, the Senior Editor of Fast Company, gave his solid answer of why public relations professionals should not contact journalists on Twitter:
“No, no, never. I absolutely hate when PR people pitch me on Twitter… These are social places; they’re not appropriate places for pitches,”
Before you go right on ahead and message those journalists about your client’s new event or product, think before you Tweet. I suggest making a gradual connection with journalists on social media platforms. If it seems forced, most likely you’ll ruin your relationship with that journalist.
So, my opinion? Go for it if you know how to use it. Social media can be tricky in the way that it’s instant. You can instantly connect with a larger audience, network with other PR professionals, and figure out what your competitors are doing and understand how you can do it even better! However, if you make a mistake, that could instantly harm your client’s reputation along with yours. As our parents have always warned us – we can use social media, but be cautious!
Morgan's Moment 