PR | Media Culpa

Optimizing press release content for social sharing pays off

The concept of social media releases and social media newsrooms is not new. By adding photos, videos and audio and easy sharing functionality, the chances that the content is spread across different social media channels increase. At least, that’s what we have been arguing for several years. Now there is also a study that confirms this notion.

PR Newswire and Crowd Factory looked at tens of thousands of press releases, to analyze where, when and how news releases were shared across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The findings are really interesting and I include the key conclusions from the analysis below:

1. Each press release share generates 2 new views; expands total audience by 70%.

Creating shareable content and enabling sharing capabilities through the relevant channels can dramatically increase the number of views for releases. PR Newswire and Crowd Factory found that each share generates an average of nearly 2 click-backs to the original press release. Additionally, sharing of press releases across social networks increases the total audience, or social reach, for this content by nearly 70 percent.

2. Press releases are shared more on Facebook, but Twitter sharing drives more traffic.

Among the three largest U.S. social networks, Facebook is tops when it comes to sharing of press releases: 48 percent of press release sharing happens on Facebook, 37 percent of sharing happens on Twitter and 15 percent happens on LinkedIn.

But not all shares are created equal: in spite of Facebook’s greater popularity for sharing, each share on Twitter actually drives about 30 percent more press release views than a share on Facebook.

3. Multimedia press releases generate 3.5 times more engagement than text-only releases.

Not surprisingly, multimedia press releases that include photos, videos or audio generate more views, shares and clicks than text-only press releases. Adding a photo to a press release increases engagement by 14 percent; adding a video and a photo actually doubles the engagement rate. Press releases that contain photos, video and audio generate the most engagement, with 3.5 times more engagement than text-only releases.

Media Culpa is one of 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah!

Tired of reading ranking lists with the same old A-list blogs that everyone is already following? Well here’s a fresh take from CommPRO, a service from Marketwire and Sysomos. They have listed what they call “The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs With Chutzpah!” and I am extremely proud to be included among these great blogs.

Here’s what they write about Media Culpa:

I am humbled and honoured to be included. Here is the presentation of the ten blogs:

The New Breed: 10 PR Blogs with Chutzpah

View more presentations from CommPRO.biz

Footnote: Chutzpah – definition here.

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Four Swedish PR agencies on Holmes Report’s Top 250 Global Rankings

The Holmes Report has just published its Top 250 Global Rankings of the world’s leading PR agencies. Edelman moves ut two spots to claim the number one position this year at the expense of Weber Shandwick. Fleishman-Hillard drops one place from second to third this year.

Four Swedish based PR agencies are among the 250 top agencies on the list. KREAB Gavin Anderson drops one spot from 20 to 21, Prime International is ranked 49 (up from 52), Hallvarsson & Halvarsson is at 56 (56) and Diplomat PR at 159 (171).

Norwegian agency Geelmuyden.Kiese drops to 87 (78) and Pohjoisranta in Finland drops to 165 (117).

Full list in pdf.

Top 50 blogs for PR professionals

Bschool.com is an online resource for MBA programs. In a blog post this weekend, the site lists the 50 best blogs for public relations professionals. I’m proud that Media Culpa is included in this distinguished crowd.

Check out the list and you will probably discover several new great blogs to follow.

Image credit: Doktor Spinn.

Top 10 Swedish Public Relations and Communications Blogs

Cision has published a ranking of the top 10 PR and Communications blogs in Sweden and I’m proud to announce that I have two blogs on the list. This blog, Media Culpa, is ranked at #3 and my Swedish language blog Sociala Medier is ranked #10.

Congratulations to Johan Ronnestam who claimed the top spot, and to all the others on the list. Well deserved, all of you.

1. ronnestam.com

2. joinsimon

3. Media Culpa

4. SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT

5. jardenberg unedited

6. FYRA NYANSER AV BRUNT

7. Doktor Spinn

8. bisonblog.se

9. Pers Värld

10. SOCIALA MEDIER

Similar lists from Cision include top PR blogs in Finland, Norway and the UK.

Did Coke not learn anything from the Pepsi “before you score” fiasco?

A year ago, Pepsi launched an iPhone app promoting its AMP energy drink. The app, called “AMP Up Before You Score,” was supposed to help young guys pick up women. Pepsi were immediately criticized for being sexist and politically incorrect, and not long after launch the company backed down and apologized on Twitter.

Maybe I’m just too old, or too sensitive, but there is a risk that Coca-Cola are about to fall in the same trap. The company has a new campaign site out promoting Coke Zero. On the site, which is clearly aimed at men, you can play a game in which you simultaneously date three scantily clad women and for example make them dance on the screen. There’s nothing terribly upsetting about the site, it’s just that it feels so old and tired. Had they come up with a game in which you should try to make half dressed men dance around, it would have been equally stupid, but at least to some extent something new.

“Being the strategic man that you are, you set up 3 dates, with 3 very different women all in the same building. You will have to do your best to keep these women happy with the help of Coca-Cola Zero. Watch out for the ladies man, he will try to steal your girl. Good Luck.”

Then there is the iPhone application The Cleaner which is supposed to help you from getting in trouble in case your girlfriend, your boss or your friends would ever try to take a sneak peek into your cell phone.

Once you open the app, you select who you want to stop snooping, your boss, girlfriend or friends.

Then, when you leave your phone unattended, you launch the app and it displays a fake menu with pre-selected “apps”, which includes fake text messages, a fake agenda and fake photos, all with the purpose of potraying the user as the perfect boyfriend, friend or employee.

Below are some examples of “girlfriend safe” text messages.

And a calendar filled with positive items.

The photo library mainly includes photos of flowers, but you can’t open any of them.

The idea is kind of fun but the execution is rather poor. My four-year old knows how to scroll photos on the iPhone and no-one would really buy that any of this is for real. I know, I know, it’s just for laughs, but somehow I expected a better finish in an app from one of the largest brands in the world.

Poor branding
All in all, I’m not upset, I’m not offended, and I do realize you need to come up with cool and fun ideas to get attention from young consumers. But I think that this is poor branding by Coke Zero. The creative idea could have been executed with a more modern view on gender roles than what this site does.