#muckedup wrap up: How do journalists want to be pitched on social media?
Welcome to the first official #muckedup chat! Today we’ll be discussing how/if #journalists want to be pitched on social media.#muckedup
— Muck Rack (@muckrack) May 9, 2012
On Wednesday, Muck Rack hosted its very first official #muckedup Twitter chat. It was a huge success — more than 100 journalists and PR pros tuned in and contributed their tweets. We were even the No. 1 trending topic on Muck Rack!
The topic was how journalists want to be pitched on social media and the discussion was fast-paced and informative. Thank you to everyone who participated.
It is our hope that #muckedup will evolve into a chat that bridges the gap between journalists and PR folks. We always want the conversation to be productive, honest and at times, even edgy. If you have any tips for future topics, email them to us at hello@muckrack.com.
You can find a full transcript of the chat here, but read on for the short(er) version!
Elana Zak moderated the discussion from @muckrack. We asked six questions, two coming from the chat’s participants. Here they are with some highlights.
Q1: #journalists, what do you think of pitches over Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media platforms? #muckedup
@muckrack I prefer not to be pitched over social media, esp FB, too hard to keep track of. Emails works great for me #journalists #muckedup
— Andrea Smith (@abcandrea) May 9, 2012
@muckrack if you pitch me on Twitter, my followers (including sources & competition) see it. Why would I tip my hand? #muckedup
— Micheline Maynard (@MickiMaynard) May 9, 2012
@muckrack Q1 I’d rather see social media sites, especially Twitter, used as an introduction with a link to more info #muckedup
— Sarah Millar (@sarah_millar) May 9, 2012
Pitching/selling ideas on social media for my followers to see is awful idea. Selling/pitching shouldn’t be done on SOCIAL media. #muckedup
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) May 9, 2012
Q2: If you do like to be pitched on social media, what is the “right” way to go about doing it? Is there an ideal pitch? #muckedup
@muckrack A2: Don’t pitch a specific story. Give information about who you represent as an introduction via sm.#muckedup
— Ginger Christ (@ChristGinger) May 9, 2012
@muckrack Ideal social media PR pitch: “I will pick up the phone, call you & not use social media to conduct professional work.” #muckedup
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) May 9, 2012
@muckrack A2 Send note via FB saying that I have info I’d like to send&asking for email addy. Low impact, can ignore if they want #Muckedup
— Meghan Butler(@MeghanButler) May 9, 2012
Q3: How do you normally follow up to a pitch you receive via social media? Do you use the same platform or switch to email? #muckedup
A casual follow-up after an email/phone call via @ reply is good. It shows you did enough research to find me on SM. #initiative #muckedup
— Cami Webb (@camimonet) May 9, 2012
@muckrack A3: pitch via email, follow-up via social. Puts a face/online persona to an email addy. Shows them you’re a real person. #muckedup
— Meghan Butler(@MeghanButler) May 9, 2012
@muckrack A3 Depends. If the pitcher has included an email, I’ll email. If not I likely ignore. I’d rather they follow up with me. #muckedup
— Sarah Millar (@sarah_millar) May 9, 2012
Interesting conversation about pitching journalists on social media.Key takeaway so far: DON’T. #muckedup
— Buchanan PR (@BuchananPR) May 9, 2012
Q4: Do you look to PRs bios on Twitter to see if they’d be a good source? How do you feel when they RT you? #muckedup
Always look at the bios/website links. RTs aren’t endorsements, so I feel neutralre: opinion on piece, grateful for exposure. #muckedup
— Victoria Reitano (@giornalista515) May 9, 2012
q4: @muckrack yes! It’s the number one place I look to evaluate someone I’m thinking of contacting, #muckedup
— Natan Edelsburg (@twatan) May 9, 2012
From a PR pro perspective, what can I include in my bio to entice you to respond to my pitches? #muckedup
— Meghan Butler(@MeghanButler) May 9, 2012
@muckrack A4: I check bios to get a sense of personality. I like RTs bc it shows it’s not a one-sided relationship. #muckedup
— Ginger Christ (@ChristGinger) May 9, 2012
Q5: Here’s a question from @CourtSenior: Where do #journalists stand on phone pitches vs email pitches? #muckedup
I prefer email pitches, hands-down. Phone pitches always end up taking more time than I have to spare, 100% of the time. #muckedup
— Brian Moore (@redeyesportsguy) May 9, 2012
The #PR pro challenge—When you pitch over email, pretend you’re on Twitter: keep it to 140 characters. #muckedup @gregory @muckrack
— Whole Enchilada PR (@WholEnchiladaPR) May 9, 2012
@courtsenior @muckrack I almost always prefer email. Here’s why: A written response helps me start writing if I take the story #muckedup
— Nick Toney (@nicktoneytweets) May 9, 2012
#muckedup Phone pitches only work if you already have a relationship with the Journo + u know what they like to cover. Email of not the case
— Daniela’s Lair (@dcap) May 9, 2012
Regardless of how you pitch, PLEASE do your research. I had PR person pitch me, thinking I was based in LA. #muckedUp
— shauna stuart (@ShaunaReporter) May 9, 2012
Looks like the jury is out: #journalists seem to prefer email pitches over phone pitches.#muckedup
— Danny Goodwin Jr. (@Danny_GoodwinJr) May 9, 2012
Q6: Our last question is from @Go2Juliet: Under what circumstance would you want a followup phone call or tweet about an email pitch? #muckedup
@WholEnchiladaPR I try to return all email pitches but when it’s “personalized, well-edited & to the point” how could I not return #muckedup
— Adam Popescu (@adampopescu) May 9, 2012
@muckrack @Go2Juliet Never #muckedup MT @muckrack Under what circumstance would you want a followup phone call or tweet about an email pitch
— Jen Wieczner (@jenwieczner) May 9, 2012
You stole my answer! RT @sarah_millar: @muckrack When I ask for it. #muckedup
— Brian Moore (@redeyesportsguy) May 9, 2012
Were you at the first ever #muckedup chat? What were some of your takeaways? Will you be joining us in the future? Let us know either in the comments section below or on Twitter, @muckrack.
— EZ
