• Media Landscape Check-Up: Boston, MA

    Media Landscape Check-Up: Boston, MA

    The COVID-19 pandemic has brought sweeping changes into every facet of life in the Greater Boston area. Businesses are closed, kids are out of school, many are working from home and essential workers at hospitals, grocery stores and emergency services are on the front lines putting themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities afloat.

    While the lives of Boston’s media members have been upended by the coronavirus like everyone else, they are striving to keep citizens informed on how to navigate the pandemic, and what’s to come in the short and long term. COVID-19 has consumed seemingly all headlines – worldwide and here at home – with many reporters from across the region dropping their regular beats to cover the rapidly changing reality. 

    In looking at the Boston media landscape, several coverage themes have emerged across local publications.

    Bay State Businesses

    The most evident impact of the pandemic is felt at local businesses – either forced to close their doors, lay off employees or revamp their entire business model to try and survive. Unfortunately, many companies have been forced to restructure and lay off thousands of employees across the region, dramatically increasing unemployment claims in Massachusetts. As the crisis continues, local businesses continue to be profiled by Boston’s media, spotlighting how they and their workforces are adapting to the new normal.

    Relevant Articles:

    Boston’s Medical Community

    Home to some of the best hospitals in the world, Boston’s healthcare community is facing the unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic head on with the rest of the world. From hospitals shifting patient visits to virtual appointments and finding ways around equipment shortages to businesses altering their operations to support the medical community during this time, we’ve seen no shortage of coverage on how the region’s elite medical workforce is managing the crisis.

    Relevant Articles:

    An Ecosystem of Innovation

    In addition to being a hub for the medical community, Boston is a hub for innovation and home to some of the world’s most revered scientists, innovators, engineers and entrepreneurs. These individuals and their associated companies across Greater Boston are working overtime to develop solutions for the challenges we’re facing, from lack of medical equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) to e-commerce and fulfillment solutions for businesses that have gone digital. 

    Relevant Articles:

    Impact on the Everyday

    Stories of inspiration, strength and heartbreak featuring the pandemic’s impact on everyday life in Greater Boston continue to flood news mediums over the recent weeks. From neighborhoods banding together when forced to stay apart to parents balancing working at home with their newfound homeschooling duties, local media continues to connect Boston’s communities with our most personal stories.

    Relevant Articles:

    The pandemic has forced everyone to reflect on what is most important, as well as which news and services are truly essential. We’re continuing to monitor coverage in the Boston area and beyond in the midst of this crisis, and will report regularly. We’d love to hear from you – what stories are you seeing in the local news? Is there one that needs to be told? Drop us a line and let us know what stories have been impactful for you.

    Kaileigh Higgins

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  • What Really Counts As News?

    What Really Counts As News?

    You know you have to keep the drumbeat going.

    Luckily, you have plenty to talk about. Soon your company will be launching a new flagship product, showing it off at a major tradeshow and conducting a series of introductory webinars. What’s more, you’ve been told the case studies you’ve amassed could make for an excellent whitepaper, and your advice is solicited so often you’re thinking of starting a blog on Medium.

    You are your PR team’s dream, and you know it.

    Naturally you put in an order for no fewer than six press releases for the next three months. And you’re baffled when the PR team says, “Oh, um…No.”

    Why “No”?

    Almost all brand milestones can be leveraged for coverage or content development, but that doesn’t mean they all warrant press releases. “Why the hell not?!” you ask. “These are huge developments for our company!”

    Yes, they are. But yours is not the only company out there making strides, and yours is definitely not the only company your favorite journalists will be hearing about during any single hour.

    Press releases are a valuable method of communicating significant milestones in a clear, organized fashion. But, there are other ways to give your company’s news a chance to shine without forcing it to compete on an uneven playing field.

    Let’s take a look at some of your options:

    Great for press releases.

    These milestones convey prominence, authority and growth. They cement your company’s place in your industry.

    • Major client wins
    • New products
    • New partnerships
    • Major new initiatives or causes
    • Significant hires
    • Awards
    Great for media alerts.

    These milestones aren’t significant enough to knock anyone off the front page, but their urgency still warrants some timely attention from the media.

    • New/re-designed websites
    • Event participation/attendance
    • Webinars or seminars
    • Major product promotions
    • Annual reports
    • eBooks or whitepapers

    Great for proactive pitching or contributed content.

    These milestones are best suited for informing more in-depth coverage, or positioning your company as a formidable competitor.

    • New case studies
    • New comparison data
    • Event-related insights
    • Industry insights/newsjacking
    Great for social sharing and direct customer engagement.

    Advanced targeting allows you to connect your audiences to the elements of your brand that mean the most to them.

    • Employee highlights
    • Client/customer highlights
    • Brand/team/product images
    • Product promotions
    • Common customer questions
    • Recruiting efforts

    It’s 2017, of course, so that’s hardly the end of it. Your news might be better in a compelling video. Your data could live as an easy-to-grasp infographic. Your annual report could be divided into gifs and blog posts. The possibilities are actually endless, with the right creative team at your side. Just remember to keep your expectations for results in check, no matter what you’re announcing, or how.

    Don’t force yourself into a single communicative box. Recognize that there are different types of news, which can all be designed and re-purposed to meet the needs of different types of audiences. It may seem complicated, but your efforts will produce results that are well-rounded, far-reaching, and key to your company’s growth.

    Vanessa Boynton

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  • The Art of Newsjacking: Four Strategies for PR Success

    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

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  • All the Fake News That’s Fit to Argue About

    All the Fake News That’s Fit to Argue About

    As you might’ve heard, we had an election this past November.

    Perhaps you were living under a rock in a locked container that was hermetically sealed and then buried in the earth’s mantle before going on a top-secret mission to the planet’s core? Yeah, you probably still heard.

    Along with tax returns, email servers and plenty of other subjects, fake news on social media platforms was a much-discussed topic. And like Election Day itself, the implications of fake news on social will reverberate well beyond this election season.

    Here’s a cliff notes version, for those who didn’t follow it closely:

    There was an enormous amount of misinformation on social platforms about politics in the run-up to the election. A lot of us get political information from social platforms, Facebook in particular. Some people who worked for social networks had serious reservations about their role almost immediately. In the months since Tuesday November 8, Facebook has unveiled new ways to fight fake news, while Twitter introduced tools to mute and report hateful conduct, a longstanding issue on the platform.

    /></p> <h2><b>Will social networks sort it out for us?</b></h2> <p><span style=How about it, then? Will social media companies, featuring some of the best and brightest, be able to settle for us what’s fake news and what isn’t?

    In a word… nope! Here’s why they are sure to fail, told through one small example.

    Among a certain group of people, it’s long been fashionable to declare that certain other people don’t pay any federal income tax. If true, that seems kind of unfair, right? Like they’re getting off easy?

    The thing is, they aren’t. The reason that many U.S. workers don’t pay federal income tax is because they don’t make all that much money, and in fact many people who fit that description pay a higher percentage of their income due to local taxes, payroll taxes and the like.

    If the above example seems abstract, here’s why it matters. The phrase in question (50% of the people in this country pay no income tax!) is true, but it can give voters exactly the wrong overarching idea (that others who make less have it easier than them).

    Would the above be an example of “fake news?” That’s hard to say. A more appropriate term is “technically true, but grossly misleading.”

    Most political rhetoric lives in that kind of gray area, because it allows candidates to push their agendas without saying outright falsehoods. This is part of the reason that it has traditionally been tricky to catch a politician lying outright.

    How brands can steer clear

    From their perspective, large brands should steer clear of this entire debate on social, with a few notable exceptions. Political arguments often bring more heat than light, and that’s especially true when they take place online. Except for brands with a very clear identity that matches their customer base (think Ben & Jerry’s), politics is a high-voltage area and should not be entered lightly.

    Most companies with a couple dozen employees or more are probably serving stakeholders of all political ideologies and persuasions. Because of that, even if they think all their customers will agree with a particular statement, putting it out there courts more risk than reward, because in this era, there’s precious little that’s considered consensus across the aisle.

    At the end of the day, social networks can’t fix the problem of fake news, because it’s a lot bigger than them. The fake news fight is one more manifestation of America’s political polarization. And solving that problem is well above even Mark Zuckerberg’s paygrade.

    Matter

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  • How Delta and Lyft Capitalized on Competitor PR Crises

    How Delta and Lyft Capitalized on Competitor PR Crises

    We often counsel our PR clients in times of crisis. With the rate at which news travels, it’s imperative to quickly respond and take control of a negative situation – before it takes control of the narrative. This hyper-aware and “always-on” mindset is not just important for companies reacting to their own bad news, but also for responding to a competitor’s PR nightmare.

    Recently we’ve seen companies like Delta and Lyft reaping the benefits of responding quickly to competitor missteps. What it boils down to is preparation and having a crisis communications plan in place – a key step that United, Uber, and many companies often overlook – or don’t execute well, if there was in fact crisis planning — opening the door for competitors to capitalize on the situation. Let’s take a look at two very different approaches to hijacking competitive news: throwing a cheap shot and taking the high road.

    Delta Responds to United Airlines Dress Code News

    On Sunday, news spread that United Airlines stopped girls in leggings from boarding a flight, and the Internet went wild. It was first reported by on-board passenger Shannon Watts who took to Twitter to express her dismay about the situation.

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    Unfortunately for United Airlines, most people who got wind of the news likely didn’t read the full story which explained these passengers were flying as United pass riders: employees and family of employees who travel for free. The negative headlines spread like wildfire.

    • “Teenage girls blast ‘sexist’ United Airlines leggings ban” – New York Daily News
    • “United Airlines claims plenty of reasons to refuse a passenger. Wearing leggings shouldn’t be one.” – Boston Globe
    • “Leggings Should Be Worn On Planes, and the Office, and Everywhere Else” ­– Fortune

    While United’s social team quickly responded to the inciting tweet just 10 minutes after it was posted, they didn’t release a public response until nearly 5 hours later. I completely empathize with the PR team here, as those 5 hours were likely spent scrambling to pull together facts/talking points to mollify Ms. Watts’ tweet and following proper escalation protocols.

    By the time United made an official, public-facing statement on their website titled, “To our customers…your leggings are welcome!” it was too late. Their mentions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram already exploded from its average 2,000 daily mentions to 174,000, with nearly 70 percent of them negative.

    Delta Airlines watched United’s rapidly sinking ship and seized the opportunity. The outcome was a snarky tweet, “Flying Delta means comfort. (That means you can wear your leggings.),” which to-date has garnered more than 118,000 likes and 31,000 retweets.

    Delta’s tweet is short, witty and timely, but a real cheap shot toward United.

    In this situation, I picture Delta as Mr. Burns, the evil villain from “The Simpsons” who is obsessed with the desire to increase his own wealth and power. While Delta doesn’t outwardly mention United, the ‘shade’ thrown their way was obvious and likely accompanied with a “MWAHAHAHA” as they hit send on the tweet. Regardless of your ethical viewpoint on this response, Delta responded quickly and strategically which, at the end of the day, may have resulted in some new Delta flyers.

    via GIPHY

    Lyft Poses as the Good Guy While Uber Suffers

    #DeleteUber is the hashtag heard around the Twitter world that showcased a public purging of the Uber app in response to a variety of company scandals. First there were accusations of Uber of trying to profit from a taxi driver protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration ban. Next, a published blog post from a former engineer unveiled the sexual harassment and discrimination she endured while at the company. And the cherry on top was the video of Uber CEO caught on video being a jerk to a driver.

    As Uber’s user count decreased by the thousands, Lyft strategized ways to capitalize on the opportunity, taking the high road with tasteful response tactics. When #DeleteUber was first initiated after the immigration ban, Lyft pledged $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union resulting in a 30 percent increase in riders. Uber, meanwhile, had a 10 percent dip in riders around the same time, according to 1010data.

    Week over Week change in users
    via Washington Post

    Most recently, Lyft announced a new program “Round Up & Donate.” Users can opt-in to automatically round up their fare to the nearest dollar and donate it to charity. In a world where “good is the new cool” and younger generations demand increased social responsibility from brands, this was a smart move. Personally, I feel more inclined to request a ride from Lyft over Uber knowing the brand’s commitment to citizenship.

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    While Lyft executives assure the public they are not changing their marketing and PR strategy in response to Uber’s misfortune, it sure is convenient timing. Who knows, this assurance may even be another tactic to paint Lyft in a positive light. For me, it’s working. Lyft headlines are overwhelmingly positive while Uber’s media perception continues to diminish, despite daily efforts to publicly reevaluate their corporate values. We’ll have to watch closely as the underdog Lyft takes on Uber in a classic tale of “good” vs. “evil.” No matter the outcome, Lyft’s marketing and PR teams deserve a standing ovation for their performance lately.

    PR Lessons Learned

    We can all empathize with the PR teams for United and Uber, and many of us think about how we personally would have responded in those situations. A key takeaway here is that as PR professionals, you must first be in-tune to what is going on internally and externally. You must respond to the crisis or opportunity at hand very quickly. Whether that response is snarky or dignified, the public will take control of your message if you don’t, so preparation is key. At the bare minimum, know who needs to be involved in the decision-making process when crisis ensues because those designees will need to be called on immediately.

    Yes, you’ve got to move fast, but you’ve also got to be thoughtful and deeply consider the long-term impact a response will have on your company. Lyft, for example, aligned their thoughtful responses to the overall brand values, creating a strategy people could easily get behind. This two-steps-ahead thinking is what we call smart PR and what we strive for with our clients daily.

    Matter

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  • Leaders Matter: Announcing an Agency President

    Leaders Matter: Announcing an Agency President

    Today, Mandy Mladenoff was promoted to President here at Matter. In her new position, Mandy will guide our agency’s strategy while managing our dynamite people, and she will be even more active in planning for our future growth. She will provide teams with direction, clients with counsel, and lead our offices with the smart, savvy and engaging professional demeanor that has been a constant throughout her career.

    The decision to announce Mandy as the agency’s first president was not taken lightly. I’ve spent countless hours with Mandy in the trenches, and time and again she’s proven she’s made of the stuff of leaders. But she’s also a spectacular advocate for our staff’s success, pushing them when necessary and yet unequivocally supporting and encouraging their professional development. Most true leaders I know are quick to praise others and reluctant to draw attention to their own achievements. She chooses not to bark orders, but rather shows you how it’s done and encourages you to be the best you can be. She’d rather shine the spotlight on a talented junior staffer than take credit for the amazing work she does here every day. That’s just one of the many reasons why she’s so well-liked and well-respected across our agency. She inspires people to be their best, me included.

    If your own career includes a chapter working with or for Mandy, then you already know what caliber of professional walked into our office six years ago. She came to Matter from SHIFT Communications in San Francisco where she spent years leading teams and helping to put that business on the map. She joined us as a General Manager, spread her wings, and has delivered results without interruption ever since. While a new title is noteworthy, it’s a modest recognition for a job incredibly well done since her start.

    We’re planning for our future by moving and shaking, so stay tuned for more news in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, please join me in tipping a hat to our agency’s new President, the most capable, credible and experienced communications professional who deserves a tremendous round of applause. I couldn’t be any happier – nor proud – to have such a well-rounded professional in this position at such an exciting time in our agency’s history.

    Scott Signore

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  • 4 Reasons Why Digital Video Will Win The Decade

    4 Reasons Why Digital Video Will Win The Decade

    Last week at CES 2016 in Las Vegas, Robert Kyncl, Chief Business Officer at YouTube, presented the keynote on why digital video will win the decade – and video and content marketers should take note.

    But before diving in, let’s refer back to 2012 when Kyncl made some bold predictions. He said that by 2020, “90% of all internet traffic was going to be video traffic,” and “75% of all video people watched in the US was going to be transmitted through the internet.” Fast forward to the CES 2016 Keynote, Kyncl justified his predictions by educating the crowd:

    • “Cisco predicts that video will actually reach around 90% of global internet traffic by 2019 – so a full year ahead of schedule.”
    • “By 2020…digital video will only reach about 60% of the total pie, not 75, as predicted.”

    However, Kyncl is standing by his latter prediction because he doesn’t think digital video will grow linearly – currently at 25% a year – but exponentially. “So, this being Vegas, I’m doubling down. I believe digital video will overtake TV to become the single largest way people spend free time before the end of the decade,” states Kyncl.

    Per Kyncl, here are four reasons why digital video will win the decade:

    1. It’s inherently mobile

    Bigger, brighter and sharper screens, longer battery life, stronger and faster data speeds, and better sound quality are all trends producing devices constantly improving on the mobile video viewing experience. “And app makers and publishers, from Snapchat to The New York Times, are all investing in making video a core part of their experiences, accelerating mobile video consumption,” adds Kyncl. “And on YouTube, the average time people spend watching video on their mobile device is forty minutes, a gain of 50% year-on-year.”

    2. It’s endlessly diverse

    With digital video, not only can audiences share and search, but choose to consume at their leisure. The mobility is “successfully changing the way we consume video into the way we consume books – you can find one on whatever interests you and consume it whenever and wherever you want,” explains Kyncl. “That openness has led to incredible content diversity. Not only do we have videos on every topic imaginable, entirely new genres of video have been born on YouTube.”

    3. It’s never been more important to music

    Aside from sleeping and working, watching video is the #1 way people spend their time. What’s #2? Listening to music – at just over four hours a day. “And YouTube is a major source of that music,” Kyncl reports, “More than half of all teenagers use [YouTube] as their main way to find and listen to new artists, in large part because we have the biggest and best music library available. If an artist has a live performance, a remix, an acoustic version or an out of print track, chances are you can find it on YouTube. But the best thing about music on YouTube is that music videos can become massive phenomena, whether they’re from established or emerging artists.”

    4. It’s immersive in a way TV can never be

    CES 2016 product and technology trends in Virtual Reality and 360 video are at the forefront of this statement, and leading content creators around the world are using this technology to tell richer, immersive, and interactive stories.

    “Already on Android and soon in iOS, you’ll be able to watch any video on YouTube in VR…making VR truly democratic and primed to grow exponentially,” concludes Kyncl.

    These four reasons and trends all point to digital video’s success during the decade.

    To watch Robert Kyncl’s Keynote in its entirety with compelling cameos from Scooter Braun, founder of SB Projects, Nick Woodman, CEO of GoPro, and Chris Milk, CEO of Vrse, carve out an hour for the video below:

    Fill out the form below to schedule a free strategy call with our team.



    Tim Bradley

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  • PR Pros: How To Get Your Morning News Fix

    As any PR pro knows, staying plugged in to the news is a must. Everything from world headlines to national stories, tech trends, pop culture, and whatever’s trending day-to-day on social media – staying ‘in the know’ helps us be creative and gives us an edge when pitching fresh, new angles to reporters.

    That’s great, but who has the time, patience and attention span to absorb everything going on in the world in, I don’t know, the three-and-a-half minutes it takes to gulp down your morning Starbucks? Thanks to Twitter, smart headlines paired with a click-if-you-want-to-but-you-really-don’t-have-to-because-we-just-gave-you-the-gist link have made skimming an acceptable way to digest current events. But in the world of public relations, you probably want just a little bit more context, wit, and pizazz…

    That’s why this PR girl gets her morning news fix from TheSkimm, a daily enewsletter with 500,000 subscribers and counting. Hitting all the top headlines of the day, TheSkimm shares only the need-to-know details and players with an edgy, sarcastic twist. And, as a testament to the founders’ punchy, concise writing, there’s no obligatory ‘read more’ link after each story – what you see is what you get (and in this case, all you need to stay on top of things).

    I know, I know, you already have a million-and-one outlets you monitor daily – who has time for another? Any smart and savvy PR pro worth her salt – that’s who! Need another reason? I’ll give you 3:

    • The news today (especially abroad) is pretty rough. TheSkimm makes it bearable.
    • When everyone’s talking Fantasy Football, or something else that makes your eyes glaze over, rely on TheSkimm for the basics that will help you impress that client going on about his bracket.
    • TheSkimm was made for email (and boasts a 45% open rate!) but rocks social media, too. Follow them for the news and be inspired by their solid social strategy.

    So, how do you stay on top of the news?

     

    Matter

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  • The World According to Reddit

    Even if you’ve never been to Reddit.com, you’re definitely familiar with many of the stories on the wildly popular site that dubs itself “The front page of the Internet.”

    That’s because every news organization/blog you’re familiar with scans Reddit for interesting stories cultivated by the company’s highly engaged (read: addicted) user base.

    Reddit’s front page aggregates stories and pictures from some of the more interesting “sub reddits” and displays for users an eclectic mix of news, memes, pictures and discussions. Each user can customize the topics (sub reddits) to be displayed on their respective front page for a personalized experience.

    And because most of the content is submitted by users (and voted “up” or “down” by them), news organizations have a clear picture of which pieces of original content resonate with people.

    Hence, Reddit both produces and vets potential stories, making short work of the reporting process for bloggers and reporters. If it’s on the front page of Reddit (meaning it got enough “upvotes” to get there), the audience has spoken.

    So, what does Reddit have to do with public relations?

    Sites like Reddit, Tumblr, Storify and many others are fueled by user-generated-content (pictures, videos, memes, blog posts, etc.). In the old days, many reporters relied almost exclusively on PR people pitching them with story ideas, and though that’s still definitely happening, today there are many other sources of information from which to choose stories.

    That means PR pitches need to add more value than ever. It means clients need to understand that visual content is critical in order to compete with the spate of user-generated sites that produce quality material every day, hour, minute, second.

    As Reddit demonstrates brilliantly, quality content is key, and has the power to reach and entertain/inform an enormously large audience if it “catches fire.”

    And that’s what Reddit has done – it’s caught fire with users and captured the attention of the media as a very legitimate, fresh, contemporary form of news gathering.  You see Reddit’s stories everyday across the international media landscape. Thus, it’s not an exaggeration to say the company, which is still struggling to make a profit, is a driving force behind the news.

    Matter

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  • Great Places to Work Matter

    Matter Communications was named among the Boston Business Journal’s 2012 “Best Places to Work.” That’s a big deal to us, because our employees nominated the company, and it was their surveys that won us the honor. We all work hard and also take the time to make our work environment supportive, creative and fun! There was plenty to see at the BBJ’s breakfast honoring all the winners: (more…)

    Tim Bradley

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