Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR »

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.

“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

Foreword by Guy Kawasaki xv

Preface: The Socialization of Media and PR 2.0 xvii

Introduction: Social Media = The Reinvention of Public Relations 1

Part I The True Value of New PR

Chapter 1 What’s Wrong with PR? 7

Chapter 2 PR 2.0 vs. Public Relations 23

Chapter 3 PR 2.0 in a Web 2.0 World 37

Chapter 4 Traditional vs. New Journalism 49

Chapter 5 PR Is about Relationships 67

Part II Facilitating Conversations: New Tools and Techniques

Chapter 6 The Language of New PR 83

Chapter 7 Blogger Relations 93

Chapter 8 Social Media Releases (SMRs) 107

Chapter 9 Video News Release (VNR) 2.0 125

Chapter 10 Corporate Blogging 137

Part III Participating in Social Media

Chapter 11 Technology Does Not Override the Social Sciences 153

Chapter 12 Social Networks: The Online Hub for Your Brand 165

Chapter 13 Micromedia 177

Chapter 14 New “Marketing” Roles 187

Part IV PR 2.0: A Promising Future

Chapter 15 Community Managers and Customer Service 2.0 199

Chapter 16 Socialization of Communication and Service 213

Chapter 17 The Rules for Breaking News 231

Chapter 18 A New Guide to Metrics 247

Part V Convergence

Chapter 19 PR 2.0 + PR 1.0 = Putting the Public Back in Public Relations 271

Appendix A The SEC and the Importance of Recognizing Corporate Blogs as Public Disclosure 283

Appendix B It’s Alive! 291

Index 299