Product Description

"There will be two kinds of PR professionals in the future: those who read this book and get with the program, and the unemployed. Your choice." Seth Godin, Author of Tribes "I am thrilled that there is finally a book about the right way to approach PR in today's world, where hyper-connected conversations trump the old school broadcast mentality. Everyone who wants to build a career in PR or marketing should read this book." Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com "Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is a passionate and persuasive case for rewriting the rules of public relations. Authors Solis and Breakenridge expertly combine third-party perspective with case studies and examples to paint a picture of a profession on the brink of reinvention." Paul Gillin, Author, The New Influencers and Secrets of Social Media Marketing "Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is an excellent read. It is the right book at the right time, explaining the reinvention of Public Relations at the hands of Social Media. A must read for those innovative marketers charged with creating differentiation in today's competitive marketplace." Trish Piontek, Director, Retail Marketing, Amerisource Bergen Corporation Breakthrough Web PR 2.0 Strategies and Tactics That Work Forget the pitch: Yesterday's PR techniques just don't work anymore. That's the bad news. Here's the great news: Social Media and Web 2.0 offer you an unprecedented opportunity to make PR succeed more powerfully than ever before. This book shows how to reinvent PR around two-way conversations with traditional and new influencers, bring the "public" back into public relations--and earn a new level of results that just wasn't possible before now. Drawing on their unparalleled experience making Social Media work for business, PR 2.0 blogger Brian Solis and industry leader Deirdre Breakenridge show how to transform the way you think, plan, prioritize, and deliver PR services. You'll learn new ways to build the relationships that matter, and reach a new generation of influencers!leverage platforms ranging from Twitter to Facebook!truly embed yourself in the communities that are shaping the future. Along the way, you'll learn how to stop being a "publicist" or mere "communicator" and become what your clients or company really need: a genuine enthusiast for whom and what you represent. What's wrong with PR--and how to fix it Leverage Social Media and Web 2.0 to reinvent PR, build meaningful and valuable relationships, and supercharge its effectiveness Social Media PR--a complete primer Build blogger relationships, reinvent the press release, and make social networks the hub of your online brands Why it's about sociology and anthropology--not technology Master the art of listening and leverage today's powerful, emerging micromedia Real PR metrics for the Web 2.0 world Measure the results that really matter--and demonstrate your value as never before

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38634 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

From the Back Cover

“There will be two kinds of PR professionals in the future: those who read this book and get with the program, and the unemployed. Your choice.”

Seth Godin, Author of Tribes

 

“I am thrilled that there is finally a book about the right way to approach PR in today’s world, where hyper-connected conversations trump the old school broadcast mentality. Everyone who wants to build a career in PR or marketing should read this book.”

Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com

 

“Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is a passionate and persuasive case for rewriting the rules of public relations. Authors Solis and Breakenridge expertly combine third-party perspective with case studies and examples to paint a picture of a profession on the brink of reinvention.”

Paul Gillin, Author, The New Influencers and Secrets of Social Media Marketing

 

“Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is an excellent read. It is the right book at the right time, explaining the reinvention of Public Relations at the hands of Social Media. A must read for those innovative marketers charged with creating differentiation in today’s competitive marketplace.”

Trish Piontek, Director, Retail Marketing, Amerisource Bergen Corporation

 

Breakthrough Web PR 2.0 Strategies and Tactics That Work

 

Forget the pitch: Yesterday’s PR techniques just don’t work anymore. That’s the bad news. Here’s the great news: Social Media and Web 2.0 offer you an unprecedented opportunity to make PR succeed more powerfully than ever before. This book shows how to reinvent PR around two-way conversations with traditional and new influencers, bring the “public” back into public relations—and earn a new level of results that just wasn’t possible before now.

 

Drawing on their unparalleled experience making Social Media work for business, PR 2.0 blogger Brian Solis and industry leader Deirdre Breakenridge show how to transform the way you think, plan, prioritize, and deliver PR services. You’ll learn new ways to build the relationships that matter, and reach a new generation of influencers…leverage platforms ranging from Twitter to Facebook…truly embed yourself in the communities that are shaping the future.

 

Along the way, you’ll learn how to stop being a “publicist” or mere “communicator” and become what your clients or company really need: a genuine enthusiast for whom and what you represent.

 

What’s wrong with PR—and how to fix it

Leverage Social Media and Web 2.0 to reinvent PR, build meaningful and valuable relationships, and supercharge its effectiveness

 

Social Media PR—a complete primer

Build blogger relationships, reinvent the press release, and make social networks the hub of your online brands

 

Why it’s about sociology and anthropology—not technology

Master the art of listening and leverage today’s powerful, emerging micromedia

 

Real PR metrics for the Web 2.0 world

Measure the results that really matter--and demonstrate your value as never before

 

 

About the Author

Brian Solis is Principal of FutureWorks, an award-winning PR and New Media agency in Silicon Valley. One of the original thought leaders who paved the way for Social Media and PR 2.0, Solis cofounded the Social Media Club and is a founding member of the Media 2.0 Workgroup. He currently blogs about the evolution and future of PR and marketing at PR 2.0 (www.briansolis.com), which is considered one of the most influential marketing blogs in the world.

 

Deirdre Breakenridge is President and Director of Communications at PFS Marketwyse, a New Jersey-based marketing communications agency. There, she leads a creative team of PR and marketing executives strategizing to gain brand awareness for their clients through creative and strategic PR campaigns. Also adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ, she teaches courses on PR and Interactive Marketing for the university’s Global Business Management program. She has spoken on PR, digital marketing, and brand building for organizations ranging from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to the Strategic Research Institute (SRI). Her books include PR 2.0, The New PR Toolkit, and Cyberbranding: Brand Building in the Digital Economy.

 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction
Social Media = The Reinvention of Public Relations

Public Relations as we know it is quickly changing. Many tried-and-true PR strategies that we know and rely on are becoming ineffective and irrelevant. We can no longer trust them to effectively reach and motivate today’s influencers.

The Web has changed everything. And the Social Web is empowering a new class of authoritative voices that we cannot ignore.

This rising group includes (and is being led by) people just like you. User-generated content (UGC) has flipped traditional PR and media on its head, leaving many communications professionals and journalists dazed and confused. They wonder why everything is changing so suddenly, seemingly overnight. However, these changes do not really represent “new” concepts. The “sudden” shift has actually been more than ten years in the making.

Social Media and Web 2.0 are altering the entire media landscape, placing the power of influence in the hands of regular people with expertise, opinions, and the drive and passion to share those opinions. This people-powered content evolution augments instead of replaces traditional media and expert influence. And in the process, entirely new layers of top-down and bottom-up influence have been created. These layers dramatically expand the number of information channels (one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many).

Traditional influence flowed from a news or information gatherer (for example, a journalist) to his or her audience. Blogs, social networks, online forums, and other forms of Social Media have changed the dynamics of influence. New information is now readily shared among peers. This peer-to-peer sharing—in which you, personally, and as a client representative participate—now affords communications professionals the opportunity to reach beyond their “A-list” media when telling their story. We can now also reach the “magic middle,” that group of ideal customers who directly reach their peers through Social Media channels. As you’ll learn throughout this book, the participant’s story replaces the pushed messages of the past, now tailored for specific audiences; Social Media requires that we “share” stories that benefit all those engaged in the process by first learning what they’re specifically looking for.

Monologue has changed to dialogue, bringing a new era of Public Relations. It’s no longer about traditional media and analysts. PR must now also focus on the very people it wants to reach.

• Everything is changing, and (in our opinion) it’s for the better.
• People are blogging.
• Journalists are becoming bloggers.
• The masses are creating and sharing content via social networks.

Bloggers are gaining recognition as industry authorities, earning the same (and sometimes more) respect and reach as traditional media (and sometimes surpassing it).

PR veterans are suddenly finding themselves searching for guidance and answers as everything they know is changing right before their eyes. A new, hybrid breed of Web-savvy communications professionals is emerging, and companies and agencies are actively seeking these new experts to effectively compete, now and in the future.

These highly sought-after New Media PR practitioners include those who blog, run a podcast or video show, communicate in popular micromedia networks such as Twitter, create profiles across several social networks and actively cultivate their social graph, customize pages with an understanding of “lite” HTML, and participate in the communities that are important to them (whether professionally or personally). Genuine experience is the desired commodity, not just a willingness to venture into new marketing channels just because you have no other choice.

Therefore, it’s time to engage.

Don’t worry, though. It’s not too late to join and help guide the PR renaissance. You’re reading this book, so you already have a head start. The principles driving the New PR movement are not foreign; they’re deeply rooted in customer service, the social sciences, and community participation. When you look at it from the perspective of an ordinary person and not a marketer, you’ll quickly realize that you already have experience as a consumer—one who makes purchases and advises others about their purchases. You have what you need to start the change from within.

We’re writing this book for you.

Social Media will help us put the public back into Public Relations. With that in mind, we encourage you to jump in, but also to understand the dynamics of Social Media, the new world of influence, and the relevant tools necessary for successful participation. Our goal with this book is to make you Social Media literate and to start you down the path of becoming a New Media expert and, more important, a champion for change. We believe that this book will help you excel in your marketing career and give you the capability and confidence to help those around you, including the company you represent.

This book lays out the lessons you need to learn, direct from our experiences over this past decade of continuous evolution. The information (and, we hope, wisdom) included in this book comes from more than just our personal experiences. We have included insight from some of the most visionary, brilliant, and active authorities on the subject of PR and the socialization of media. We believe that these insights will help you understand New PR and encourage you to adapt your own professional practices to our new reality.

We all learn from one another.

Praise Quotes

“There will be two kinds of PR professionals in the future: those who read this book and get with the program, and the unemployed. Your choice.”

—Seth Godin, Author of Tribes

“I am thrilled that there is finally a book about the right way to approach PR in today’s world, where hyper-connected conversations trump the old school broadcast mentality. Everyone who wants to build a career in PR or marketing should read this book.”

—Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com

“Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is a passionate and persuasive case for rewriting the rules of public relations. Authors Solis and Breakenridge expertly combine third-party perspective with case studies and examples to paint a picture of a profession on the brink of reinvention.”

—Paul Gillin, Author, The New Influencers and Secrets
of Social Media Marketing

“Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is an excellent read. It is the right book at the right time, explaining the reinvention of Public Relations at the hands of Social Media. A must read for those innovative marketers charged with creating differentiation in today’s competitive marketplace.”

—Trish Piontek, Director, Retail Marketing, Amerisource
Bergen Corporation

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

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Customer Reviews

Putting the Public Back in Public Relations
Finally a PR book that doesn't suck! In fact, it's jam-packed with actual, tactical things you can do for your client TODAY, to start mattering in social universe. Too many PR books get bogged down by all theory (fluff) and no substance (meat). While this book does perhaps repeat one too many times the whole "we're no longer talking at people, but rather engaging in a conversation" mantra, it is by far the most useful PR book I've ever read. I won't read any PR book that is more than a year old and w/ a publishing date of March 2009, everything still seems relevant (today, anyway). Great read Brian.

A Must Have, Inspirational Tool
[...]

Brain Solis and Deidre Breakenridge have inked one for the ages with "Putting the Public Back in Public Relations". They've captured some of the most critical blog posts, survey results and insights into PR 2.0. The future of PR is bright, and this book puts the spice back in the craft. A must have, inspirational tool for all communications professionals.

If you're reading this review, you're learning first hand what makes social media so powerful. You've had a conversation with a peer or you've read a few tweets about PR 2.0. Social media is changing the way we approach marketing and advertising, in fact, it has helped the public relations industry get back to playing the lead role in branding.

How is your company viewed by the public? It's not about what you say anymore, it's about what "they" say. Public relations isn't just about journalists and PR pros - it's about consumers, friends, fans and followers. Nice work.

It's About the Relationship
In the nature of full transparency, I have to admit I have been waiting for this book for a long time. When I saw Solis and Breakenridge's take on public relations and social media, I was stoked to say the least.

It's not about technology, it's about relationships and people.

This is the underlying theme throughout the book. Social media is only a tool used to interact with people, i.e., `the people formerly known as your audience'.

The first part of the book is dedicated to the history of public relations and the recent paradigm shift in the industry. Don't skim through this section. It's perfect for anyone new to the realm of social media / public relations or anyone who hasn't participated in the conversation until this point. The authors frequently include direct blog posts which provide the reader with a sense of inclusion. A nice touch.

As soon as the reader is caught up to speed, Solis and Breakenridge jump right into the meat of the subject matter.

The authors cover the change in language that has taken place in the PR industry. This language change represents a more important attitude change in regards to participating with the public. This section also includes a somewhat funny chapter on blogger relations. The methods bloggers went to in an effort to stop PR spammers was pretty brutal, yet somewhat funny (example: Robert Scoble listing the email address of PR spammers on his blog).

The real gem of this section revolves around SMRs or Social Media Releases. These interactive press releases (I can barely call them press releases) are changing the way information is disseminated. A rough template is provided supplying the reader with a spring board for their own release ideas. SMRs are the way of the future.

Next, Social Media tools and technologies are addressed and explained for anyone who is late to the game. Again, don't skip this section as the information provided is solid. The authors take this section to hammer in the concept of Relationships and People over Technology (sociology is greater than technology). After reading this section, the reader is left with a solid idea of what social media should and can be.

Finally, the future of Public Relations is discussed and provides actionable steps to properly implement the idea discussed earlier. This section is key for anyone hoping to adopt a social media strategy in their own business or hoping to 'sell' the idea to the larger corporation they work for.

Overall Thoughts:
This book kept me awake for nights on end. It has that motivational quality to it that just makes you want to do your PR job better. The book will get your head spinning with ideas while making you an effective PR 2.0 participant. Solis and Breakenridge have made this book their platform to change the public relations industry. While PR is the focus of this work, anyone participating in the online conversation should take the time to learn from their experience. The book's themes are presented clearly and effectively. Putting the Public Back in Public Relations brings much to the table: it's full of resources for further study and is worth multiple reads.

I recommend this book to anyone who plans on participating in the online conversation. If you are already active in social media and marketing online, you cannot afford to pass over this book. We all have much to learn. With greater participation and interaction, the PR world is prepped for greatness as long as we all keep in mind;

It's about the people!