If you have questions like these on your mind. . . .
Where do journalists research stories?
How believable is social media?
When do PR professionals factor in?

Cision’s 2009 Social Media & Online Usage Study with George Washington University offers some valuable insights.

Heidi Sullivan, Vice President of Research for Cision, says “Mainstream media have hit a tipping point in their reliance on social media for their research and reporting…however… it is not replacing editors’ and reporters’ reliance on primary sources, fact-checking and other traditional best practices in journalism.”

Here are a few highlights from the 24 page report.

Where Journalists Research Stories
89% blogs
65% social media sites
52% microblogging sites like Twitter
61% Wikipedia

Real Life Applications
PR Professionals – How can you make the most of the social mediasphere?
Businesses – Start with a blog and then extend your reach to sites that reach journalists and customers.

How Journalists View Social Media Sources
A great majority, 84%, said social media sources are “slightly less” or “much less” reliable than traditional media. Almost half, 49%, said social media suffers from “lack of fact checking, verification and reporting standards.”

Real Life Applications
PR professionals – Be reliable right up front by fact-checking before distributing anything
Businesses – Issue reports and become known as a qualified information resource

Journalists Rely on Public Relations Professionals for Research Assistance
Almost half, 44%, depend on PR pros for “interviews and access to sources and experts,”
with 23% of editors and reporters looking to PR pros for “answers to questions and targeted information”
and 17% turn to PR for “perspective, information in context, and background information.”

Real Life Applications
PR Professionals – Position your firm as the go-to resource for reporters in your niche
Businesses – Choose a PR firm that represents experts like you

What do you think? How will these results change the way you’re telling your stories?

Today’s guest post comes from Ernest Nicastro, a direct marketing consultant, copywriter and lead-generation specialist who heads up Positive Response, an award-winning marketing firm based in Dublin, Ohio. We’re members of the same mastermind group. When I asked if anyone wanted to be a guest author, I was delighted to hear Ernest say “Yes!”

Lincoln, Mark Twain & Lightning: Choice Words On Word Choice
“Eighty-seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation….”
The Gettysburg Address

Chances are your reaction to the above “quote” is something along the lines of, “No, no, no! You’re wrong, wrong, wrong!”

And, of course, you would be right.

Because Lincoln was not only a great leader, he was a great writer. So instead of beginning his Gettysburg Address with a cold, lifeless number, he opens on a prayerful note with a turn of phrase adapted from the 90th Psalm of the King James Bible: “Four score and seven.”

Clearly, Lincoln knew the difference between the almost right word – and, the RIGHT word.

A distinction famously defined by Mark Twain some 25 years later as…”the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” With that thought in mind, I’m going to offer you a few choice words on word choice to help you get more of the right words into your communications. And, make your writing more effective.

Let’s start by looking at a miscue that appeared in the sports section of my local daily, The Columbus Dispatch. A story by AP reporter Tim Reynolds describes Dick Vitale’s reaction to being voted into the Basketball Hall-of-Fame.

Vitale, writes Reynolds, “admitted he ‘cried like a baby’ upon learning he was induced.”

Now maybe Vitale’s use of the word baby clouded the writer’s thinking. Because induced is so NOT the right word choice is it? (And yes, in all fairness maybe it was simply a typo. Either way, the end result is the same.)
Which leads us to today’s big idea:

For more effective word choice think harder about the words you choose.

For example, while it’s obvious that Mr. Reynolds made the wrong choice, what about the people who penned these lines?
• This is literally the equivalent of Microsoft coming to your house and locking a CD in your car CD player.
• More CIOs are disinterested in Linux
• And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead.
• WasteWise has collected the following environmental factoids to help you understand the impacts of waste prevention and recycling. (From the web site of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency)

How many of these writers made the right choice?

Actually, that’s a trick question.

Because in each instance the highlighted word is used incorrectly. Yes, you may have read or heard a word used a certain way – even in a prestigious publication, by a noted expert or on a federal government agency web site or by the leader of the free world. But that doesn’t mean the word was used correctly.

As to why the above words are – in Mark Twain’s manner of speaking, lightning bugs – I’ll go over one of them: factoid.

According to Webster’s a factoid is -
“something fictitious or unsubstantiated that is presented as fact, devised especially to gain publicity and accepted because of constant repetition.”

Therefore WasteWise is actually telling us they have fictitious or unsubstantiated information to help us “understand the impacts of waste prevention and recycling.” The writer could have prevented this mistake with a little more thought and a quick trip to an online dictionary. That’s what I trust you’ll do if it’s unclear to you why the other examples are incorrect.

Now for a couple of specific word choice tips:

1. Choose small, simple words
The Gettysburg Address is 271 words long. Two hundred and twenty of them, 81%, are just one syllable. My advice? For more effective word choice think like Lincoln. Think small:
Utilize Use
Peruse Read
Ascertain Find out

Now am I advising you to never use big words? No, of course not. But in most cases small words will serve your purposes better.

And here’s why:
“The more simply and plainly an idea is presented, the more understandable it is – and therefore the more credible it will be.” Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear – By Dr. Frank Luntz

My second word choice tip is this:
2. Use mainly nouns and verbs and active-voice words
Strunk and White in their classic book, The Elements of Style, put it this way:
“Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs….It is nouns and verbs that give to good writing its toughness and character.”

As to the active voice, legendary copywriter Herschell Gordon Lewis lays down the law in his “Active/Passive Rule.” “Unless you specifically want to avoid reader involvement in your message, always write in the active voice.”

For instance:
Instead of writing . . . Once the button has been clicked, the order is generated immediately and an e-mail confirmation will be sent automatically to you.
Write. .
When you click the button, we immediately generate your order and automatically send you an e-mail confirmation.

Notice the difference the active voice makes?

Notice also how the active voice makes the writing more “you-centric.” Simply put, active verbs keep your reader involved and improve credibility and response rates.

For example, I seldom use the word “allows” because it’s a passive, “permission granting” type of word. I prefer enables or makes it possible. Unlike “allows,” these words communicate action and empowerment.

For example:
Instead of writing . . . Study Software allows you to learn faster by organizing exam notes as concept maps….
Write . . .
Study Software enables you to learn faster by organizing exam notes as concept maps….

Words are powerful tools.

And regardless of who you are – Bill Gates or Bill Bailey – you have the same access to these powerful tools as anybody else. Words, properly used, can help you grow your business exponentially. Conversely, used without proper thought and skill, words are about as helpful to you as, well, lightning bugs.

So, to greatly improve your odds of catching lightning on a page (or a screen) and gaining your desired response, remember today’s big idea and two tips:
For more effective word choice, think harder about the words you choose.
1. Choose small, simple words, and
2. Choose mainly nouns and verbs and active-voice words.
Keep the above idea and tips in mind when you write and while your words might not make history, they will be duly noted, better remembered – and most importantly, more effective.

Ernest Nicastro, a direct marketing consultant, copywriter and lead-generation specialist, heads up Positive Response, an award-winning marketing firm based in Dublin, Ohio. For more information visit http://www.positiveresponse.com. Contact Ernie directly at ENicastro@positiveresponse.com or by phone at 614.747.2256.

Recommendations for additional reading:
The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words, By Ronald C. White Jr.
Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear, By Dr. Frank Luntz
On the Art of Writing Copy, Third Edition, by Herschell Gordon Lewis
The Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E.B. White

Your Turn: What recommendations do you have for toning writing?

Image: Mark Twain from http://free-stock-photos.com

Peter Shankman visited Chicago this week and I was there! Now this is one guy I’ve always wanted to meet. I’m a fan of HARO [helpoutareporter.com], more stats on that later, and Peter’s brilliance in general.

Although most people associate Peter with HARO, did you know he’s also the author of Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work–And Why Your Company Needs Them, a blogger, a skydiver, an entrepreneur, a marathoner and owner of two fat cats.

Thanks to Catherine Merritt of Morton’s Steakhouse and Allan Schoenberg of CME Group for organizing this event – a 90 minute presentation followed by 30 minutes of dialogue. I took notes and today I’m sharing them with you. Note: this is what I wrote down and may not be completely accurate, especially when quotes come in.

An Afternoon with Peter Shankman in Chicago

wiredprworks: 2010 is the year social media will become ubiquitous @skydiver

wiredprworks: @skydiver live tweeting is a great way to promote your brand

Note: After sending out those two tweets, I switched to taking notes so I could write this post.

We don’t have the right to own social media. If you have to call yourself a key influencer, you’re not.

HARO Help Out a Reporter Statistics
Published three times a day with 30-50 queries per issue.
Approximately 125,000 members
37,000 journalists
93% of journalists return with new queries
target: small businesses – 97.9% of the country
In a few weeks, query emails will be masked and timed. Addresses that email the HARO masked email after the expiration date with a spam pitch will be banned from the HARO database – automatically.

Social Media Rules You Need to Know

1. Transparency
Admit it, right away, when you screw up. Say how you’re going to fix it. Eliminate PR spin. For example, when HARO is late people get a reason and an apology.

2. Relevance
The media landscape is fractured. Peter asked where and how people got their news in the morning. He gets his from podcasts that he listens to while he’s running or working out. To be relevant, be where people are and ask them what they want. For example, Amazon started out as “The Earth’s Biggest Book Store” – the last thing Peter bought from them was a blender, not a book.

3. Brevity
In the 80s, the average attention span was 3 minutes. Today it’s the time it takes to read a text message or about 2.7 seconds. So how does twitter fit it? Putting all of your bets on twitter might not be the wisest move. Until twitter makes $1 one, they are pets.com waiting to happen. Look at myspace.com – it got “Arsenio-ed,” a new verb.

Peter advises trust in the concept of short-message, not so much the brand. Surveys say that 90% of first contacts in the future will come through the written word in the form of a 140-200 character message.

How to make sure you understand brevity: Learn to write.

“Stop hurting America.” Jon Stewart

For example, make your emails easy to read and respond to right away. [test: how much more precise could your emails be? Measure: response time and actions taken.] If you get an email from Peter that says your email was in his spam folder, chances are you don’t know how to write.

Get their interest in short bursts, then write a novel.

4. Top of mind or presence of mind
Peter told the story of Barry Diller, a former president at Paramount, who talked to 10 people every morning. Where did he get the names and numbers? His rolodex . Peter explained what a Rolodex was/is to the under 25 crowd.

How does this idea work for Peter? Every morning while he’s having coffee, he checks into Facebook. His “Rolodex” is the birthday list. Everyone gets either a wish on Facebook, via email or live on a personal call.

Peter says we talk to 3% of our network on a regular basis. “That’s pathetic. Why are we there?” To know what’s going on in your network, you have to stay in touch.

After Peter’s presentation, he took questions from the audience and covered these topics:

The Future of Social Media

Looking out 24 months to October 2011, Peter mused that Facebook and Google will own everything. He asked us to imagine a world where everyone you meet is in your network.

A plasma screen on the wall in your bathroom greets you with your network home page. Updates from people closest to you run in ticker-type fashion on the bottom of the screen.

Right now, Facebook doesn’t completely understand relevancy. Soon, we’re going to live in a world fueled by relevance.

The Future of Public Relations

Your job is now how to get other people to do your PR for you. No longer is it about you telling people how great you are. Now, it’s people telling you how great I am. That’s why great customer service and building trust and relationships is so important. It’s not just about pitching reporters. It’s about crafting the message.

Social Media and Business

For businesses, traditionally information flowed from outside our network in. Now, information is flowing from inside the network out.
To monitor social media use these free tools: filtrbox and peoplebrowsr

Personal Networks Becoming More Influential

When Peter’s Delta flight had to make an emergency landing [the wing fell off], Southwest answered the Peter’s tweets before Delta did. Great customer service always wins, but “if you can’t trust your employees to make decisions, at the end of the day, nobody wins.”

Peter recommends all businesses read Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service by Ken Blanchard, published in 1993.

Twitter Observations
The art of twitter is not in the tweet.
The art of twitter is in the value of the retweet.
The loneliest person on twitter is the person who only talks about himself.

Future of TV Journalism

More than 50% of CNN’s election coverage came from citizen journalists. Citizen journalism is becoming real journalism. By 2015, TV will be more about analyzing and less about reporting.

Peter Shankman Videos

Hope you enjoy this Peter Shankman HARO channel I created on Yubby.

What questions would you ask Peter about HARO, social media, PR, journalism – or anything?

Rather than print out pages of handouts, I’m posting my Digital PR workshop materials here for the world to enjoy.

First, we’ll talk about how to become your own publicist using the PR P-R-I-M-E-R

Next, we’ll go over the Digital PR=Publicity Repositioned presentation.

Then, we’ll cover essential elements of online and social media press releases.

And, we’ll cover some real-life success stories. Have to join us in person to see those, but here are some videos to inspire and inform.

Disclosure: image provided by shutterstock.com

Have you tried do-it-yourself online PR? What lessons would you share?

What do women business owners really want to know about business, technology and communications? Listen in to a podcast and read twitter transcripts captured at a lively evening at the Apple Store.

Thanks to Theresa Carter, founder of Chicago’s “The Local Tourist” and Blagica Bottigliero [don’t we look like a fun trio?] for letting me speak to the group, “It’s Chic to be Geek,” I got to find out what women want to know about how to market their business online. If you’re in Chicago, you’ll want check out “It’s Chic to be Geek.”

Heidi Miller  generously offered to record my presentation. Read Heidi’s review and highlights of our group discussion about how technology drives business online. I love these types of presentations that begin with a backdrop and then open up to an open forum. Thanks to Heidi for all the coverage, which included a post-talk video interview. 

Check out my Chic to Be Geek photos on flickr, all by Beth Rosen – thanks, Beth!

 Twitter Transcript: Barbara Rozgonyi on writing, business, communications and technology at It’s Chic to Be Geek

Copied directly from twitter search using chic2geek – comments in reverse order. Thanks so much to all of you who tweeted! You added another communications channel to the live event.

heidimiller: Photos and video from #chic2geek up in the Facebook group: http://is.gd/jjcV (expand)

heidimiller: Multitasking: conference call talking over contracts while uploading video from #chic2geek to Facebook.

heidimiller: @blagica Thanks! I’ve actually been abbreviating “chic2BG” in my notes, but #chic2geek is probably more clear. GREAT job organizing!

celikins: @thelocaltourist & @blagica thanks again for another wonderful and educational event #chic2geek

heidimiller: Fantastic event that @blagica and @thelocaltourist put on! Great geek girls, great info. #chic2geek

khw77: @dijana hi it’s Kim who met you on the way out. Congrats on the wedding. #chic2geek

gizmodesign: HA! RT: @bcbeatty @heidimiller: “Twitter is like sex: you don’t know what it’s going to be like until you try it” #chic2geek

bcbeatty: RT @heidimiller: “Twitter is like sex: you don’t know what it’s going to be like until you try it” #chic2geek

heidimiller: Talking about how cool and energetic @chrisbrogan is. #chic2geek

khw77: @heidimiller want to talk to you more about your business #chic2geek

gizmodesign: so sad i had to miss hacked sites require attention [take note all wordpress folks!] #chic2geek

thelocaltourist: Great, @Blagica. Now the windows are all steamed up #chic2geek

MaggieConv: Bummed about missing the #chic2geek event, but rest is much needed.

karitas: barbara rozgonyi did a nice presentation tonite at #chic2geek event

khw77: @windycitysocial hi I’m sitting right behind you and talking about your business with you. #chic2geek

amyseye: eNjoyed Barbara’s presentation at the #chic2geek event. Thanks @blagica for the visual presentations:)

stacyjill: Next event will probably be about Blogging #chic2geek

heidimiller: How do you pitch your release online: Pitch Engine and TwitPitch. #chic2geek

heidimiller: How do you use Facebook for business? A: join a related group and ask the admin how you can help #chic2geek

stacyjill: RT @heidimiller: Can’t keepip with @stacyjill ‘s #chic2geek Tweets.No fair! She’s got a laptop, and I’m just one-thumbed iPhoning! *giggle*

stacyjill: Btw… all of you wedding people in the crowd… get ahold of me please. #chic2geek

stacyjill: Get to know the admin of the event you are attending. (great way to network) #chic2geek

stacyjill: Q from crowd – what is the best way to use Facebook for Business? A. FB is great for events (not so much an expert for Biz) #chic2geek

heidimiller: Can’t keepip with @stacyjill ‘s #chic2geek Tweets. No fair! She’s got a laptop, and I’m just one-thumbed iPhoning!

heidimiller: “You’re not going tone able to predict what will be great content until you ask your readers” @wiredprworks #chic2geek

stacyjill: @mediabistro is a great site #chic2geek

stacyjill: 20somethings.ning.com is on the screen… #chic2geek

heidimiller: Anything Guy Kawasaki writes is good. #chic2geek

heidimiller: Recommending @shel ‘s Blogging for Business #chic2geek

stacyjill: @wiredprworks – surround yourself with great advisors #chic2geek

stacyjill: Shel Holtz books – @shel check out his books #chic2geek

stacyjill: Selling advertising space on your blog is good if you have the traffic #chic2geek

stacyjill: A. Check out Six-Figure Blogger….. #chic2geek

stacyjill: Q. from crowd: Is there a list of the best sites to use for blogging? #chic2geek

stacyjill: comment from crowd – newbie – blogger/typepad are good for people who might be intimidated by wordpress #chic2geek

momofteenstwit2: What if there was only one Doctor in the world?. There is room for you too in business.. #chic2geek @wiredprworks speaking

stacyjill: Comment from crowd- when you go to websites and check domains, buy it immediately so nobody else buys it up! #chic2geek

stacyjill: You may want to have a guest author #chic2geek

heidimiller: #chic2geek question: how do you let people know to come to your blog? A from @wiredprworks: SM press release, postcards, email

stacyjill: A. You may want at least 3 posts, etc #chic2geek

stacyjill: Q. How much content do you want on your blog before you send it out #chic2geek

stacyjill: A. Press Release – let people know your blog is up. Place your blog URL on every biz card you have. Create a postcard #chic2geek

stacyjill: Q. How is there a way to build up your followers – How do you let people know? #chic2geek

stacyjill: @blagica – there will be a sep. blogging event in the future #chic2geek

stacyjill: @blagica is picking out funny domain names online #chic2geek

8 days ago from TweetDeck · Reply · View Tweet · Thread Show ConversationHide

heidimiller: “Twitter is like sex: you don’t know what it’s going to be like until you try it”

joipodgorny: @blagica you keep going to every site I think would be a good background site #chic2geek

stacyjill: Some people say Twitter is like Sex – you won’t know until you try it @wiredprworks ( that should be a tagline…LOL) #chic2geek

heidimiller: What question would you like to ask @wiredprworks on getting new media to work for you/writing for social media? #chic2geek

stacyjill: Figure out who your audiences are #chic2geek

stacyjill: Q. How do you start a blog? A. Make the decision… read blogs… what do you like that people are talking about? #chic2geek

thelocaltourist: http://twitpic.com/1fwep – At #chic2geek, @wiredprworks presenting

stacyjill: Btw – @leahjones is curious if we are going anywhere afterwards??? Ladies?? #chic2geek

stacyjill: Opening up to questions #chic2geek

heidimiller: Strategizing content plans for Facebook, Twitter, blogging: decide who your audience is and what they need #chic2geek

tokissthecook: @Blagica Hello Ladies!! So sorry I’m still at the office but have fun!! #chic2geek

stacyjill: What are your audiences? What are your goals? #chic2geek

stacyjill: Windycitysocial.com is asking the question – #chic2geek

blagica: http://twitpic.com/1fwc1 – @wiredprworks at the #chic2geek event

heidimiller: @wiredprworks on 17 Ways to Enliven Your Message question: how can a blog drive traffic to the website?#chic2geek

stacyjill: Quick Q Does a blog talk away traffic from a website (can you put your blog within your website) – Yes, talk to your web designer #chic2geek

stacyjill: @wiredprworks – check out her blog post today called Wired Writing – 17 Ways to Enliven Your Message #chic2geek

stacyjill: @blagica is running through great twitter accounts on the screen… @comcast cares, @barackobama, @zappos #chic2geek

heidimiller: @blagica is blazing across the Twitterverse at #chic2geek

stacyjill: People like twitter because it is faster than google (in terms of info) (The Octo-Mommy, the Hudson River plane) #chic2geek

momofteenstwit2: @@Blagica thanks for a great event..love when the girls hang out #chic2geek in Chicago..go girls

stacyjill: Twitter is a great place to show people what you are working on. #chic2geek

stacyjill: Watch out – she is pimping out the single ladies @blagica #chic2geek

blagica: YO SAY hello to the LOVELY ladies at the #chic2geek event at the Apple Store…boys plenty of ladies in the house:) single, too,

stacyjill: Question – @blagica is tweeting! #chic2geek

stacyjill: @wiredprworks -businesses communicate with customers (email, PR, advertisements, telemarketing, twitter, facebook) #chic2geek

heidimiller: From @wiredprworks: Think of yourself as a content producer and a storyteller #chic2geek

stacyjill: Check out @wiredprworks blog for a creative work plan and how to liven your writing #chic2geek

stacyjill: If you take away one thing tonight,… How to become a content producer #chic2geek

stacyjill: @leahjones just got a shoutout at the event by @wiredprworks #chic2geek

stacyjill: @wiredprworks Back when she started a computer cost $2800… Ouch #chic2geek

stacyjill: @Blagica is introducing @wiredprworks #chic2geek

stacyjill: Ok – Heidi has a hashtag.. woo hoo #chic2geek

heidimiller: Wiring @wiredprworks for an impromptu Podcast of her #chic2geek talk

heidimiller: @wiredprworks is about to speak on business communications. Any questions for her? #chic2geek