• Media on the Move: Week of June 19

  

  We continue to see major shakeups going on across the media, but specifically among business press. This past week was marked by significant layoffs at both Huffington Post and Time Inc. These announcements come just weeks after IDG reported a total overhaul following its acquisition, and we do not expect the trend to stop here. Keep an eye out for a continually changing media landscape in the weeks to come.

  Notable journalist and media industry moves

  Boston Globe: Curt Woodward takes a new job at the Globe and is no longer covering tech or  venture capital as a reporter. His new role is not yet confirmed.

  Business Insider: Frank Chaparro takes over as the finance reporter.

  BuzzFeed: Zahra Hirji starts as the energy and climate reporter.

  CNBC: Lora Kolodny joins the CNBC digital staff to start reporting on tech and venture capital.

  Fortune: Brian O’Keefe is promoted to deputy editor. Kristen Bellstrom to deputy digital editor. Nick Varchaver shifts from assistant managing editor to investigations editor. Matt Heimer takes over as features editor. Leigh Gallagher moves from managing editor to senior editor-at-large. Anne VanderMey moves from associate editor to senior editor.

  Huffington Post: The HuffPost news room braces for significant layoffs. While it’s unclear how many newsroom jobs might be affected, Verizon, which owns HuffPost’s owner AOL, is preparing to make broader cuts at the company in the wake of Verizon’s acquisition of Yahoo.

  MIT Tech Review: Tom Simonite departs and moves to WIRED to cover AI/machine learning.

  The New York Times: Kevin Roose, formerly the VP of editorial Fusion,  joins the staff as business columnist.

  Time Inc: 300 reporters have been laid off from the company.

  WIRED: Vera Titunik takes over as features editor.

  Matter

  June 19, 2017

  Public Relations

  journalists, Media on the Move, media relations

• Matter Employee Spotlight: Lindsay Southwick, Social Media Strategist

  

  

  As a Social Media Strategist at Matter, Lindsay brings 5+ years of agency experience with B2C and B2B brands on social media. He specializes in overseeing and executing paid social media strategy on behalf of Matter clients and has expertise in platform selection, paid approach, social copywriting, and more. We recently caught up with Lindsay to hear more about his passions, the future of social media, and advice for new PR and social media professionals.

  Name: Lindsay Southwick

  Title: Social Media Strategist

  Years at Matter: 1

  What fuels your passion outside of work?

  I’ve got a ton of different interests. I love to travel – best country I’ve ever visited is New Zealand, although Bermuda runs a close second. I’m big into sports – all the usual Boston rooting interests, plus I’m a huge tennis fan. I love going to shows – STS9, Galactic and Boombox were the last three, and I’m already looking forward to a couple festivals on the way. I’m also very, very interested in politics – not going to get into that here…

  What is your favorite part of working in social?

  Getting to learn more about the industries I work with is a big one for me. That’s one of the things that’s cool about being at an agency, because to be good at your job, you have to know your clients, and when you work with a bunch of clients, you learn a lot more about various fields. I know way, way more about travel, tourism, internet technology, lighting, banking and frozen fruit than I ever would have, to name some examples. Social media is also a very multifaceted role, which is something that I personally enjoy.

  What do you think social will look like in 5 years?

  There’ll be more even more opportunities on even more platforms, both in terms of content and advertising. The advertising world is getting increasingly fragmented, and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. I’m not sure that most businesses will ever have one staff member per social channel, because it doesn’t make sense for many of them, but we’re gradually moving in that direction. Just the number of options alone for advertising and PR (which are becoming the same thing) is going to put a major premium on strategy and how businesses use their resources.

  What is your key piece of advice for PR pros that are new to the business?

  Get as broad a range of experience as you can during your first year or two. That will help you get a sense of what kind of work you do well and what kind of work you like to do. In PR and advertising, there’s project management, copywriting, creative design, paid search, community management, analytics/reporting and that’s just off the top of my head in five seconds. There are a ton of different roles/specialties, and the best way to learn what’ll work best for you is by trying them out.

  Matter

  June 12, 2017

  Company Culture

  agency life, company culture, spotlight series

• Startup Guide: How to Create Quick, Killer Content

  

  Shrinking newsrooms and the rise of Medium, LinkedIn Pulse, and contributor networks are making content an essential part of a company’s visibility in the media. Backed by an SEO strategy, company blogs, op-eds, landing page content and downloadable assets are now powerful drivers of lead-gen and brand awareness.

  But where does content come from? This is an existential question for all organizations, but especially for early stage startups who may only have a founder or two, an engineering team and a salesperson fully dedicated to growth.

  Creating quick, killer content is not about hiring armies of journalism interns. It’s about using the resources you have in smart ways.

  What should you write about? Who should write it? And how do you speed up the process? Here’s your crash course:

  What Should You Write About?

  Ask yourself this, and you’ll be staring at a blinking cursor for six hours.

  Instead, ask yourself, “What questions do my customers have?” Every business exists to serve customers. Customer feedback guides the products you build, the services you offer and the brand you present to the market. Let customers guide your content, too.

  Next, brainstorm a list of headline ideas. Not 5 or 10, but 100 if you can. Consider the questions customers might have about your product or service, the underlying technology, your company culture, the market you serve and how you stack up against competitors.

  Time to pick your favorites, and there are two rules of thumb. Rule number one, think ‘blue ocean.’ I introduced this concept in my last blog about mission and vision statements as a topic or style, uniquely yours to claim and conquer.

  A great resource on blue ocean strategy is a blog by CoSchedule’s CEO, Garrett Moon. In his words, your customers ask questions, and you should be the best answer on the Internet.

  Rule number two, follow the 80/20 rule: 80 percent objective, thought-leadership content that answers key audience questions, and 20 percent focused on product offerings. Yes, your company is awesome. But yes, resist the urge to write only about how awesome you are.

  Finally, structure your favorite headlines into a content calendar. Plan at least 2-4 weeks ahead, and assign topics to various authors. Speaking of…

  Who Should Write It?

  The answer is everyone. No one person in a startup has the bandwidth to handle content.

  But your founder(s) could write a state-of-the-industry piece. Your engineering team could explore what makes a great developer in the retail tech space. And your sales team could identify frequent phrases or questions from prospects and address them in a Q&A.

  Creating quick, killer content as a startup is about assembling a strikeforce. Members have the opportunity to build not only the company brand, but to leverage content on channels like Medium and Linkedin to build their own personal brands as well.

  How to Speed Up the Process

  Lightning round: here’s how to turn your small, seed stage team into a content generation machine:

  • Create top 10 lists. Frequent customer questions, favorite Netflix shows, most inspiring CEOs and most hated salad places all work great here.
  • Expand on or react to recent news. Keep reactions positive, use proper attribution and don’t be afraid to share your post with the original author.
  • Leverage User Generated Content (UGC). Also lovingly referred to as ‘OPC’: other people’s content. Share content from your executives, employees, board members, investors and other stakeholders. Again, use proper attribution.
  • Repurpose content. Think of each piece of content as a campaign. Your long-form exploration of artificial intelligence could easily become a three-part blog series. Audio from a keynote presentation could find new life as a blog Q&A, a Slideshare deck, social posts, an email newsletter, a downloadable eBook or a webinar.

  And when you’re ready, turn existing content into engaging visuals with these tips from one of Matter’s designers, Matt Brown.

  Imagine the staggering amount of new sales and marketing collateral you’d have.

  Creating quick, killer content as a startup is possible. Let the customer drive your content vision. Innovate and iterate until you’ve created content that is uniquely our own. And give us a call to learn how content makes PR more powerful.

  Matter

  June 7, 2017

  Public Relations

  blogging, content, startup guide

• 4 Ways Video Can Amplify Your Annual Event

  

  It’s that time of year: you’re beginning to plan your company’s high-profile annual event that happens…well…annually. From location logistics to the run-of-show, invitations to the open bar – and even cementing this year’s sure-to-be-inspiring theme – there are many things to plan and consider. But what’s the best way to get the word out about your amazing event? And how do you keep the energy palpable throughout the program? Here are four ways in which video can amplify your annual event.

  1. Make Video Your Voice Early and Often

  Repurposing last year’s content to create a new mission statement hype video tailored to this year’s event is a great way to attract your audience’s attention. Or, simply rebrand last year’s published event recap videos with new event branding and call-to-action. Don’t have content from last year? Use motion graphics to emphasize your messaging for the event. Additionally, getting really short – think 10 seconds or less – is a simple but effective way to to beat the drum in the weeks leading up to the event.

  2. Make a Splash Out the Gate

  Have a keynote speaker? Produce a documentary-style video with him/her a few months in advance, and the use it as pre-roll during the event. This is an exciting way to provide background context as a lead-in to introduce the keynote speaker live at the event. And as a bonus, this video would become a great piece of owned-content that could be used to promote the event in advance and/or to live in perpetuity on your YouTube channel after the event.

  And to build the hype – and keep it – throughout the event, create a sizzle-video that introduces the key players and concepts. Consider using stylized motion graphics to kick-off the whole event and set the tone. Then, create shorter videos with the same aesthetic to segue from one subject matter to the next. This cohesive approach will impress your attendees and keep your event energized.

  3. Build Video Content INTO Your Event

  Video is arguably the best way to set the stage for new speakers, subject matter and talking points. That – and no offense – it also breaks-up the monotony of one person talking after the next. Here are a few videos to consider building into your event program:

  • Success story videos will give your audience key insights from business partners and clients and a behind-the-scenes look into that relationship and results.

  • Video is a great way to honor a person or group; the emotional impact will leave a lasting impression on your attendees.

  • Announcing a new product or service? A video explainer will not only provide the high-level details, but more importantly emphasize the importance and excitement of this new endeavor for your company.

  https://youtu.be/RiU93H8wGG4

  4. Capture Video AT Your Event

  At this point you’ve spent many, many hours planning your event. And all your employees and/or partners are attending. All at the same place. At the same time. You’d really ought to take advantage of that with video.

  The obvious is to record video of the place, people and activities surrounding the event. Man-on-the-street interviews will capture not only the key messaging of the event, but the raw emotion and excitement of the experience through the attendees’ actual voice. Combine that with flashy, fast-paced b-roll, and you have an engaging piece of content for use on social as a recap, and/or as a promotional piece for next year’s annual event (see bullet #1). That, and it’s the perfect evidence to show the internal higher-ups the success of your event planning. Kudos to you!

  Some of our more ambitious clients go a step further and have us edit content on site; either as daily recaps for social engagement, or as the final piece of content built into the program on the last day of the event (see bullet #3). The latter is an amazing way to leave your audience energized and ready to tackle the next year’s business directives.

  Additionally, we encourage our clients to dedicate a space or room to record professional interviews. As the schedule of the event allows, you can take advantage of having the C-Suite, partners/clients, and/or employees all in the same place to capture content that can be used later for thought-leadership, testimonial, or recruiting purposes, respectively. Messaging wise, these interviews can be totally independent from the event, providing longer shelf-life videos for your business.

  In the end, if you produce video content in any/all of these four ways, you’re setting yourself up for success by effectively being able to repeat the cycle next year; having video content produced at this year’s event will better position you for the following year, and so on and so forth. And most importantly, prospective attendees will thank you for it.

  Ready to create great video content for or at your next event? Fill out the form below to schedule a free strategy call with our team.

  
  
  

  Tim Bradley

  June 7, 2017

  Video

  Creative, digital, events, marketing, video

• The Art of Newsjacking: Four Strategies for PR Success

  

  Newsjacking is the art and science of injecting your ideas (or your client’s) into a breaking news story to obtain media coverage and ultimately elevate the brand. Since most clients aren’t wired with a journalist’s brain, it’s our job as PR pros to make those connections and advise clients appropriately. By newsjacking, PR teams can catapult their client into the forefront of trending conversations that are directly related to their core mission.

  When Apple refused to unlock the iPhone of a shooter in the San Bernardino terrorist attack citing privacy implications, the FBI took the technology giant to court, resulting in a media frenzy. With the largest global information privacy organization as a client, our biggest objective is to raise the organization’s profile as the leading voice in the privacy profession, as an essential resource for business and government in the practice of privacy, and as a trusted voice for the media. So, when the Apple vs. FBI story broke, my PR team quickly mobilized flagging stories to our client and advising on ways to leverage the news for their benefit.

  My team effectively used the current news to attract media to attend a candid interview and Q&A with FBI’s general counsel, just one high-profile panel at the client’s upcoming Global Privacy Summit. By staying on top of daily news and tracking trending conversations on Twitter, we effectively attracted key journalists covering the story to the event and secured coverage in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and many more.

  For this art form to work well, however, there’s four simple strategies to follow:

  1. Read

  So much of what we do as public relations professionals is driven by the news, so our knowledge of the daily breaking news is vital to the success of any media relations program. To keep up on the news:

  1.    Set up Google Alerts on key topics related to your client’s area of expertise or thought leadership platform.
  2.    Sign up for e-newsletters from relevant trade organizations, major industry press and blogs.
  3.    Subscribe to curated media platform like theSkimm which provide news in bite size format
  4.    Use social media:
     • Follow journalists on Twitter. This allows you to stay on top of news that’s important to your target media and helps build a relationship with journalists
     • Look for trending hashtags. Both Twitter and Facebook have streams showcasing news stories and topics that are most popular amongst users.
     • Use Twitter lists to organize by client or field, and then browse your list each day to see what’s being discussed in that industry.

  2. Real-time Responses

  Staying informed on trending news stories and topics related to clients’ fields is a non-negotiable as is responding in a timely fashion. In his bestselling book, “Newsjacking: How to Inject your Ideas into a Breaking News Story and Generate Tons of Media Coverage,” author and PR strategist, David Meerman Scott, writes about how to grab the attention of highly engaged audiences by taking advantage of breaking news.

  “Newsjacking is powerful, but only when executed in real-time,” David writes. “It is about taking advantage of opportunities that pop up for a fleeting moment then disappear. In that instant, if you are clever enough to add a new dimension to the story in real-time, the news media will write about you.”

  News hype doesn’t stick around for long – a few hours, maybe days and if we’re lucky, a few weeks. But the earlier you can seize the story, the more likely it will benefit you and your client in a big way. If you wait too long to contribute to the discussion, the more voices you’ll be competing against.

  3. Relevancy Matters

  Make sure the news you’re “jacking” relates directly to a client’s core messages and/or the position of the organizations’ thought leaders.

  When Verizon was in a deal to purchase Yahoo, Matter’s PR team quickly latched on to the patent purchase involved in the deal, offering our client – an intellectual property attorney – as a source for journalist. This ultimately landed us coverage in a key trade publication.

  4. Is it the Right Story?

  Avoid newsjacking negative stories unless your company has a legitimate tie to the news.

  Facebook was in a heap of trouble for broadcasting the murder of a Cleveland man on Easter. Offering a client to speak on privacy implications and the need for regulations related to streaming video on social media – that’s a legitimate news tie that will add value for reporters covering the story.

  On the other hand, there’s times when newsjacking can go very gone. When the World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11, Quantum Tech issued a press release two days later with the headline: ‘WTC Collapse Highlights Need for Quantum Tech’s Remote Backup.” It covered how its customer, Morgan Stanley, could function the very next day despite its offices being destroyed in the attack because it used an off-site remote backup facility to store its data. The press release was retracted and the person responsible was subsequently fired.

  It’s important to approach newsjacking ethically and sensitively. Think about the ways you can use real-time engagement authentically to further advance the current dialogue. Any questions about methods you’re currently deploying, feel free to leave them in the comments!

  Emily Quirk

  June 7, 2017

  Public Relations

  clients, Current Events, media relations, news, public relations

• Live Tweeting: What You Need to Know

  

  If you keep up with the Matter Portland office on social media, you may already be aware that we recently attended TechFestNW, an event showcasing the Pacific Northwest as a digital and cultural hub.  As our office lead on social media, I thought the event offered us a great opportunity to engage with the local tech community as well as share our commentary for both our Instagram and Twitter accounts. While we engaged on both platforms throughout the event, we focused more of our attention on Twitter interaction, which would allow us to post more frequently during the event and provide a broader picture of happenings throughout the week. With the help of my colleagues, Nick, Anna and Lydia, on the ground, we live tweeted the two-day event, from key note speakers and award recognition to the afterhours VR-themed parties.

  We're getting ready for a busy day at @tfnw and will be live tweeting the experience. Check back here for updates! #TFNW pic.twitter.com/dlvfYeeKZ4

  — Matter Portland (@MatterPDX) March 23, 2017

  In case you’re looking to do something similar for an upcoming event, we thought it would be helpful to share our experience, as well as the key takeaways for making live tweeting a success:

  Preparation is key

  From having ample battery power to identifying fellow attendees before you get there, the more preparation you do before the actual event is important. The day before the show, I sat down with Nick to discuss which topics were most interesting to us and to our audience, and which speakers we knew we were going to want to engage with. After all, TechFest attracts an amazing crowd, from Nicole Perlroth at the New York Times to Oregon Senator Ron Wyden! We also discussed logistics including who would be handling the actual live tweeting, interactions or monitoring responsibilities.

  Oregon senator, @RonWyden, kicks off day 2 of @tfnw with a discussion on the state of #politics & #security #TFNW pic.twitter.com/e0vuF98ebx

  — Matter Portland (@MatterPDX) March 24, 2017

  It’s a team effort

  Our team decided that it would be best to have just one person actively tweeting while at the event, with the support of a monitor back at the office (in our case, yours truly) and supplemental posts from other team members on their own accounts. My job while monitoring was double checking that all the tweets going out were accurate and tagged the correct handle, while also paying attention to other conversations at that event so we could interact appropriately.

  https://twitter.com/anna_reinhard/status/845384723358609409

  Mistakes happen

  With the number of tweets taking place it is inevitable that the wrong handle is used or a spelling mistake gets through. Take any mistakes in stride and utilize it as a moment to interact with followers. During the event, we tagged a journalist in reference to a speaking panel, but as it turned out, he had been switched out in the last moment. Luckily, one of our followers alerted us to the error. We adjusted the tweet, thanked the follower and it led to a great interaction with the correct journalist on that panel, who appreciated us sharing the event.

  https://twitter.com/CmmrBourque/status/845379230561058816

  Keep the content interesting

  Be sure to include photos as well as your own thoughts about the event throughout the day, in addition to pertinent quotes from speakers. Including diverse content, whether it’s pictures of speakers or other attendees, gives a fuller depiction of the event you’re live tweeting, and makes followers feel more connected to the story you’re telling.

  When #VR is too real @anna_reinhard @DigitalTrends #TechPOP pic.twitter.com/FrHi0zqzWD

  — Matter Portland (@MatterPDX) March 24, 2017

  Identify a goal

  Whether you would like live tweeting to lead to more followers, real-time connections at the event, interactions with other attendees, or interactions through calls to action, it’s important to have that goal in mind throughout the event. We specifically wanted to interact with other attendees who we wouldn’t normally have a reason to engage with, and ultimately hoped to increase our followers. So, we targeted our posts with that objective in mind. Not only did it help with knowing what we wanted to tweet during the event, but it also allowed us to categorize our efforts as a success once we reviewed data the next day.

  Thanks, @tfnw for an incredible two days of #VR, #AI & startups. We're already counting down the days until next year! #TFNW pic.twitter.com/AJSrv8h58k

  — Matter Portland (@MatterPDX) March 25, 2017

  Now with our first experience securely under our belt, the Portland team will definitely be live-tweeting additional events we attend. Be sure to follow our Twitter as we live-tweet even more! And even though you obviously can’t live tweet on Instagram, we love our followers there, too!

  Cait Buckley

  June 6, 2017

  Press Releases

  events, social media, Twitter

• Which Social Media Platforms are Right for Your Brand?

  

  In the ever-changing world of social media, it can be difficult to determine which platforms make sense for your business to be active on. You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about Snapchat recently – does that mean your brand should establish an account there? Not so fast. Before you move forward, it’s time to do some thinking.

  It’s also OK to be selective. Brands have limited resources, and it’s better to do social well on two or three key platforms then stretch yourself thin and try to take on too much content writing at once.

  Before checking out our insights below, consider your marketing goals, and pain points that you’re looking to solve by using social media. Is customer service an issue for your brand, and it would help to address comments quickly via social? Are you interested in paid social efforts to secure quality lead-gen or drive traffic online? Maybe you’re struggling with brand awareness and might want to consider a social media influencer program? Keep those thoughts in mind as we dive in.

  Facebook

  Is Facebook Right for My Brand?

  When push comes to shove, Facebook is the “must-have” social media platform for brands. Facebook has the most users total (231 million monthly active users in the United States and Canada) and much higher daily use (1.23 billion total daily active users on average for December 2016). People check Facebook more frequently than other social platforms, and its user base is also the most broadly representative of the population as a whole, so it can be impactful regardless of the industry or vertical.

• From lead-gen to encouraging online engagement, paid social targeting is arguably the most advanced on Facebook. It’s also the most cost effective.
• Facebook is constantly innovating, to bring marketers the best tools possible. AdWeek has noted that Facebook rolls out new targeting methods and ad formats faster than any other platform. Using trendy Facebook tools like Facebook Live enables brands to connect with users in new and exciting ways.

Twitter

Is Twitter Right for My Brand?

If your business struggles to address customer service complaints, Twitter is the place to be. It is arguably the best platform for customer service, as it moves in real time. And good social customer service is good for business overall – Twitter has shared research that demonstrates that after customers receive a positive response on the site, 77% of users feel more positively towards that business.

Instagram

Is Instagram Right for My Brand?

Instagram is the ideal platform for targeting a younger audience. While this is starting to change as older users also embrace the platform, currently the most active Instagram user is between the ages of 18-29.

LinkedIn

Is LinkedIn Right for My Brand?

467 million users, LinkedIn remains the world’s largest professional network.

SnapChat

Is Snapchat Right for My Brand?

Snapchat is more relevant for B2C brands, who are able to share lots of newsworthy, sharable content.

Pinterest

Is Pinterest Right for My Brand?

Pinterest is a little bit of an oddball as it’s more of a personal tool than a social one. Consumers use Pinterest to set up boards of beautiful images related to their hobbies or passions – from cooking, to fashion to DIY tips. It’s helpful to think of it as an image repository or gallery for your brand.

If your brand is considering getting active on social media, and wondering which platforms to use – or if you’re considering launching a new presence – now is definitely the time. Today, social media usage is at an all-time high – seven-in-ten Americans use social media, according to the Pew Research Center. While different platforms serve different purposes, social in general is a highly effective, cost-efficient way to get more eyes on your company’s products and services.