Ask anyone — PR and social media are similar. Although they function under the same communications umbrella, PR and social media often have different takes on chatting with the masses and are thus split into two separate teams. When these teams ignore the importance of daily conversations, they are effectively not doing with each other what they do best with the world: communicate.
At Comprise, we recognize the benefits of aligning PR and social departments to gain unique opportunities through an unparalleled relationship with reporters and an engaged social community.
Checking social media > checking email
Reporters, like almost everyone else, are on social media. They interact with their online communities by sharing their work, and when they write a piece about your organization, they might share that too. While your PR team will typically receive an email from the reporter covering your news, reporting can be a job done with little appreciation.
Next time you earn a hit, post it on your company’s social media channels and show your gratitude to the reporter in that post. After all, who doesn’t love a good shoutout on social media? When your PR team secures some coverage, this information needs to be relayed promptly to the social team to maximize the effectiveness of a good hit. Make a post announcing the coverage, and — to go that extra step in establishing reporter relationships — thank the reporter for their hard work. Too often, companies treat reporter engagement like a chore when it needs to be treated like what it is: a relationship.
The essential guide to engaging content
The benefits of aligning public relations and social media efforts don’t stop at a strong relationship with reporters and getting extra attention on social media. Content that involves your audience is almost guaranteed to get engagement on social media. Looking at most companies anywhere from the local to the national level, it’s obvious that engagement is a struggle for us all. While some long-established companies, like Nutter Butter, can post seemingly random content and get thousands of likes (I’m still not sure who “Aidan” is), newer companies (and PR agencies like us) can’t do the same. Instead, we must carefully and intentionally build our social profiles with in-house content that appeals to our communities, our clients and our reporters, which is not an easy line to walk. Connecting social and PR efforts provides a solution to the engagement problem that plagues most businesses eager to participate in social media. When your company gets news coverage, tag your client, the reporter and the outlet to maximize engagement.
Communication is key
By engaging with reporters on social media, you strengthen your professional relationships, gain better coverage opportunities and generate organic social engagement relevant to your work. Everyone wins. The key to engaging with reporters on social media is clear and timely communication between PR and social media teams.
Thinking outside of the box while communicating internally, like engaging with reporters on social media, is the best way to excel and stand out in this overly redundant world. That’s how Comprise grew its PR team by 17% and its social team by 225% in 2022. If you are looking for a company that will think differently and #dothehardstuff, let’s talk.
