{"id":9777,"date":"2016-12-21T17:09:36","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T17:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mention.com\/blog\/?p=9777"},"modified":"2023-12-18T10:49:08","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T10:49:08","slug":"influencer-relations-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mention.com\/en\/blog\/influencer-relations-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Research-Based Lessons on Media and Influencer Relations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the past, public relations professionals have gotten a bad reputation<\/a> among journalists and even marketers. PR folks have been seen as spin doctors <\/strong>that flood the inboxes of time-starved reporters with irrelevant press releases and overly promotional content that\u2019s of little value to anyone.
The press, meanwhile, has their own set of outdated, preconceived stereotypes that aren\u2019t warranted to represent their profession as a whole either…
While some stereotypes arguably exist for a reason, these biases don\u2019t really apply to either profession, at least not in most of today\u2019s industry.
As an inbound marketing mindset has overtaken outdated outbound tactics<\/strong>, innovative media relations strategies have begun to replace past perceptions of public relations. These innovative strategists have gone on to improve our image – and prove we actually work best collaborating with influencers and the media.
In the field of communications, it\u2019s all about communication; find out what the other half wants, what they don\u2019t want, and how you can both help one another.
We always believe open collaboration yields the best results, so that\u2019s why my team at Fractl went out and asked 1,300 publishers<\/a> how they wanted to be communicated with by media relation professionals.<\/strong> After digging through the depths of several very long Excel spreadsheets, here are three valuable lessons in influencer and media relations, straight from the publishers themselves.
[Tweet “What @FractlAgency learned from talking to 1,300 publishers about getting pitched:”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson 1: do your research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One repetitive theme that dominated the survey was the general consensus among publishers that they absolutely despise PR folks that don\u2019t do their research.<\/strong>\u00a0Nearly 70% of respondents said pitches irrelevant to their beat was one of the most common reasons they declined.
Do you know how to use monitoring to research the publications you pitch? Download our free cheat sheet for using monitoring as a PR pro.<\/a><\/strong><\/em>
So how do you create the perfect pitch list?<\/strong>\u00a0Once you\u2019ve identified the attributes of your ideal audience (i.e. their demographics, location, interests, challenges, etc.) you probably will have a better idea of where they frequent online – and that\u2019s where you want your relevant content.
[Tweet “Publishers’ biggest pitch pet peeve? Not doing your research.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track down influencers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The influencer marketing bandwagon really picked up speed in 2016, and with good reason. Just like a peer recommendation is more valuable than an ad, influencers are essentially the ultimate word of mouth marketing<\/a>. <\/strong>At its best, a trusted key figure with a highly engaged, concentrated audience promotes your brand in their own voice and in ideal cases, they become brand ambassadors.
Influence comes in all forms, so don\u2019t be afraid to venture beyond the big-name celebrities. <\/strong>In fact, some of the most influential figures in many verticals don\u2019t have millions of social followers and instead focus on a tight-knit, loyal community built on the trust and authority of a key leader.
Look to popular journalists, bloggers, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and educators with engaged followings that match your ideal audience persona. Most importantly, focus on building a partnership and rapport<\/strong> with these influencers for future collaborations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analyze ideal publications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Similar to influencers, publications and the media also have established a trustworthy and authoritative image to their audiences. Find out the types of publications relevant to your content and brand<\/strong> they read daily or turn to when they have a question or problem, either through a survey or audience persona profile.
Once you have a list of publications that your audience frequents and is relevant to your content, seek out the best point of contact.
Go through their author archive, social profiles, previous publications– trace any and every digital footprint of a target before even beginning to write your pitch. Try to target to whom the pitch would have the most appeal, don\u2019t blindly pitch <\/strong>the entire editorial contact list at a publication or the editor-in-chief of a major publisher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions to consider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you find the best fit influencers and writers, you\u2019ll want to run through a basic mental checklist before adding them to your list build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n