The Science of PR: Improving Public Relations Services

The Science of PR: Improving Public Relations Services:

The title intrigued me: The Science of Press Releases.

Now, that may not sound too sexy to most folks. But for me, a writer, longtime news hound, Public Relations Specialist and – I must admit – a stats junkie, I just could not stay away.

Certainly, I can justify it as professional development, because I want to make sure that whenever we pitch a press release for a client, we get the maximum exposure for their message. But the statistical part of my brain was definitely intrigued with how scientific you could make a skill many still consider an art.

Dan Zarrella, the social media scientist for our strategic partner HubSpot, did not disappoint. Analyzing reams of data from PRNewswire, a content syndication service, he was able to make some broad brush conclusions about the content and timing of press releases that can make them standout in a sea of competing content.

Some of the more interesting tidbits:

• It’s never too late to catch someones attention. Page views spike between Midnight and 2 a.m., with additional bumps around 10 a.m. and then again after 11 p.m. (As a former over-caffeinated journalist, this does not surprise me, as off-peak hours were always a good time for catching up).
• Short headlines get more page views than long ones. Between 50 and 130 characters works best.
• People want to see what you are talking about. Including photos and/or videos with a press release increase views, but engagement drops precipitously when video is included. People want to see what or who you are talking about, though the video dropoff is unexplained for now.
• Digits are your friends. When numbers are used, such as 7 instead of seven, views and engagement increase. It’s not an item I thought would have been important, but certainly a good tip for future reference.

After going through slide upon slide of data, one thing became pretty clear: social media was driving a lot of the trends related to timing, views and interaction, and has created new opportunities in public relations strategy. In fact, it was a bit of a misnomer to call the session The Science of Press Releases, as the preferred term now is “social media release”.

That’s not to discount the press. They are still the greatest public influencer and we want to make sure we get our client’s message to them. But thanks to social media, they are not the only influencer nor the only public we target anymore. Social media channels allow us to tap into a wider net that spreads the message further and on terms the receiver wants.

With social media playing such an influential role, public relations now complements, and becomes a critical component of, Inbound Marketing. Inbound Marketing is dependent on producing and distributing quality content. Public relations creates content that can be used for Inbound Marketing, while social media delivers the message and helps bring in the visitors that eventually become leads and customers.