In keeping with the popular “listicle” trend, this week’s Friday Five offers a variety of lists with helpful material perfectly suited for public relations professionals. With easy readability and sharing, lists have taken the internet by storm and have become a go-to source of information. From defending the value of traditional media to content marketing, the lists featured this week offer insight to the latest trends, important public relations skills and more.
In this week’s PRSA “Friday Five” post – an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary – we look at a list of defenses for traditional media, three social media trends, how to create viral Pinterest content and a glossary of popular Twitter slang. We also look at myths about content marketing success.
Five reasons why traditional media still matters (PRWeek)
In recent years, the fate of traditional media has continuously been debated due to the emergence of online media. Many experts have begun to discredit its strength and ability to reach readers with dwindling newsrooms; however this list provides a strong defense for traditional media’s relevance. Author Lisa Noble describes traditional media as “a highly effective way” for clients to “tell their story” and creates a thorough argument for the outlet.
With a significant rise in media consumption, traditional media is one of the leading ways in which readers receive the news. It also has the ability to have a “targeted reach” and remains a “trusted source for information,” proving its worth among other media sources. For more about the value of traditional media, visit the article.
3 Social Media Trends You Should Know About (Mashable)
This article lists three areas of social media to consider while creating your social media strategy for 2014. They include the social media job scene, new platforms and creative social media moves from 2013 that may turn into big trends in 2014.
One major trend is the anticipation that a variety of social media jobs “are going to explode in 2014,” including SEO Specialist, Social Media Strategist and Online Community Manager. Other trends include MySpace’s expected comeback, the growth of Google+ and increasing popularity of short videos. The final trend is that platforms like Facebook and Pinterest will offer more features. Visit the article for a full explanation of the upcoming trends.
7 proven ways to create viral Pinterest posts (PR Daily)
Pinterest is a unique and useful social media platform because it provides adequate opportunities for posting both visually compelling photos and descriptive text. This list offers a variety of ideas on how to use Pinterest in the best ways possible to create posts with the chance of going viral.
Tips for Pinterest include:
- Write your post as a list
- Use text on your photos or create a title graphic
- Write a post that is timely
The article also recommends to “push the post out via social media, multiple times over an appropriate period.” While this strategy won’t work as well if every post is frequently promoted via social media, paying special attention to an attention grabbing post can lead to a viral post. For the full list and more recommendations, visit the article.
The 2013 Twitter Glossary: Tabs, Hatereads, Doge, and More (New York Magazine)
New York Magazine recently formulated a list of popular phrases used on Twitter throughout last year to create a 2013 Twitter Glossary. The glossary covers everything from unique slang to popular accounts. It serves as a great tool for brands looking to create a human-like image. By using these terms, brands can create better opportunities to interact with followers and can show that they’re following trends and staying current with social media.
Examples of glossary entries include “day-of-the-week jokes,” “canoe” and “close that tab.” For brands aiming to tie humor or sarcasm into their image, the article lists a variety of lingo to be picked up, such as “because [noun/preposition].” The article explains that it’s a “new type of prepositional phrase, because character limits… Basically, because lets you cut to the answer while skipping the explanation — because English.” More internet slang to incorporate into your social media content can be read in the article.
7 myths that undermine content marketing success (PR Daily)
With the anticipation of content marketing playing a large role in public relations in 2014, this list debunks a variety of myths about successful content marketing. “There are barriers to creating and sharing excellent content, including popular myths and misconceptions that should be dispelled,” the article states.
The list highlights common misconceptions about content marketing, including “when it comes to content, more is better” and “quality is secondary, because SEO is everything.” One myth that is pertinent to PR pros is that “content marketing can replace PR.” While content marketing is an important part of communication strategy, the power of earned media is still very important, and therefore should both should work cohesively as part of an overall strategy. Visit the article for the full list of myths.
Faith Goumas is the public relations associate at the Public Relations Society of America.
