This is a fast paced, digital world we're in. Sometimes when you get caught up in the excitement of social media, new technologies and new methods of communication, it's easy to outpace someone, especially those new PR and media pros discovering all this for the first time on a daily basis.

So, today I'm taking you all back to the basics. For some, it will be a welcome resource. For others, I hope it's a refreshing look at what social media offers media relations and some of the new tools that are out there shaking things up. As the founder of PitchEngine, my views on new PR do indeed involve my new web app, but there are others making a difference, not just in concept, but where the rubber meets the road.

The New Press Release
By now, most of you know the difference between a printed press release and a digital, social media release (SMR). Most of the credit has to go to Todd Defren of Shift Communications and Brian Solis of Future Works. Todd developed the Social Media Press Release Template a few years ago, and Brian was a big proponent, distributing the concept and the gospel throughout PR and social channels.
I believe PitchEngine is the next logical step in real adoption of the SMR. By allowing PR pros to create the releases easily, my hope is that more and more people will embrace the concept. When they build a release on PitchEngine they can include images, video, resource and related links, and social networking links - just as Todd's template suggests. The releases are comment enabled and "living" -meaning they can be edited and updated at anytime. SMRs are an alternative to the printed press kits of old.

Shared Not Sent
Why is PitchEngine a game-changer? Some would argue that the ability to build the releases isn't a big deal, but it's after that process is complete where PitchEngine shines. No other PR tool on the planet is designed to do what PitchEngine does. Until now, digital release builders were designed to accommodate PR wire services. You made it so that you could push the press release out to thousands of journalists with no knowledge of what kind of real engagement the release was getting. Those of you using social media sites realize the power is in engaging and building relationships with your "friends" or contacts. PR has always been about relationships.

To me, an SMR should be shared, not sent. I regularly get questions for PitchEngine users about distribution and I'm happy to answer and explain what we're about. Guess what? 99% of the time, the user "gets it" and is still excited to use the tools. They see their releases tracked and acknowledge that the views they're getting are a result of creative outreach, not PR spam. We make it easy for them to post their SMRs via social sites by integrating a "Quick Pitch" (125 words of pitch text, plus link (pitch.pe)) and allowing the reader to share the SMR directly to Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook or SocialMedian. You can also use bookmarking sites (like other release services do) to save the page link.

As more brands adopt this form of press release distribution, they will begin to see that there is a new audience aside from the traditional media base - consumers, fans and brand champions. By engaging in social media in conjunction with creating and sharing SMRs, PR pros can help foster a brand following for the clients through their efforts. As I've blogged about in the past, the lines between PR, advertising and marketing are getting blurrier everyday. Now is the time to set your firm apart from the pack by understanding and participating.

HARO
A good example of another game-changer is Peter Shankman's, HARO (Help A Reporter Out). What I consider to be reverse-pitching, journalists ask PR pros for help. For example, "...writing a story for NY Times about startups in a down economy. Know of any good case studies?"

Instead of PR being the messenger, it's the journalists that seek out information. It supports the need for a PR person and fosters media understanding at the same time. It's a great example of how paid PR distribution is getting outdone.

MicroPR
Not only does Brian Solis endorse the Social Media Release, he understands and shares the concept of more social PR. His MicroPR concept is similar to Peter Shankman's HARO except it relies on Twitter instead of email to be a more open and concise platform of PR communication. Like PitchEngine, MicroPR is about creating more personalized PR.

"...with micromedia further refining and improving how we communicate with each other, PR is going to learn the hard way, that the days of blasts and untargeted spam pitching will get us nowhere with today’s influencers," explained Solis in a recent post.

Not only does it personalize media relations, it makes it more concise - forcing each of us to refine the message and cut out the marketing speak. That's lead more and more bloggers to brush off email pitches and look to social sites.

As Robert Scoble put it when I told him about PitchEngine, "I gotta give you this much, you beat 99.999999% of other PR people. You pitched me on Twitter," said Scoble in a recent tweet.

PitchFeed
The flip side of building all these SMRs is allowing media to find them, filter them and subscribe to future SMRs. This PitchEngine feed creator is called PitchFeed and it's the first step toward a more personalized, spam-free experience for journalists and bloggers. Media members can search for SMRs by industry, interest or by keywords. They are presented with a PitchFeed (customized RSS feed) of SMR results.

Even bloggers are embracing the PitchEngine concept as an alternative to traditional methods. Chris Brogan was one of the first.

"I’m going to refer EVERYONE who pitches me to the PitchFeed part of PitchEngine," said Brogan.

I applaud anyone who is challenging the not-so-conventional PR methods that have cropped up in the past few years. PR cannot become a systematic function of keywords + distribution numbers = success. Sustainability of good PR will remain to be about relationships, and those are built on trust and ethics, not equations.

Posted on PitchEngine | Where PR Meets Social Media
PitchEngine Link to original post |  The Social Media PR Revolution