Chapter 6

Online Public Relation

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Content
• Differences between online PR and traditional PR
• Online PR Channel
• Message Design
• Managing a PR Crisis

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Differences btw online PR and traditional
PR

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 the audience is connected to organisations

“ The communication channel was unidirectional. The institutions communicated

and the audiences consumed the information. Even when the communication was
con- sidered a two-way process, the institutions had the resources to send
information to audiences through a very wide pipeline, while the audiences had
only a minuscule pipeline for communicating back to the institutions. ”

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From the audience
 the members of the audience are connected to
each other.

“ Today, a company’s activity can be discussed and debated over the Internet, with
or without the knowledge of that organisation. In the new environment everybody
is a communicator, and the institution is just part of the network ”

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From the audience
 the audience has access to other information

“ It takes a matter of minutes to access multiple sources of information over the

Internet. Any statement made can be dissected, analysed, discussed and
challenged within hours by interested individuals. In the connected world,
information does not exist in a vacuum. ”

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From the audience
 audiences pull information

“ Until recently, television offered only a few channels. People communicated with
one another by post and by phone. In these conditions, it was easy for a public
relations practitioner to make a message stand out. ”

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From the audience
 Less easy to control

“ There are many more places a brand can be discussed online, such as in blogs
and forums, compared to traditional media where there are a smaller number of
media outlets with news filtered through journalists and other editorial staff ”

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From the marketer
 More options to create their own stories

“ Since a company will have its own site, press centre, feeds and blogs, it is possible
to bypass other media owners to some extent. Many companies have now created
a ‘social media newsroom’ "

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From the marketer
 Need for faster response

“It is often said that ‘bad news travels fast’. This has been facilitated online and a
‘blogstorm’ can soon arise where many bloggers are critical of a brand’s action”

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From the marketer
 Easier to monitor

“Since Google and online reputation management tools index many pages, it is
arguably easier to identify when a brand is discussed online”

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From the marketer
Advantages of online public relations
• Reach.
• Cost
• Credibility
• Search engine optimisation
• Brand-enhancement and protection

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Disadvantages of online public relations
it is not a controlled discipline

 Need a place for conversations

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 Listen to
your
customers

Build your Respond to

own voice others

What to
consider

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Message Design

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Messages are written in two parts: primary and secondary. Primary messages are
the leading drivers in the campaign, and secondary messages are more specific
details that fill out the primary messages and make them believable.

Primary messages are the main categories of information for each public
Secondary messages contain the meat, or evidence, that validates the primary
mes- sages

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Formula: Action verb the target public through communications
channel(s) that the objective will satisfy the target public’s self-interests.

Example: Convince the Orange County Commissioners through in-

person meetings with company officials and engineers that approving
the new plant will have a significant positive economic impact on the
community.

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Online PR Channel

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• Optimizing
• Really Simple Syndication Website

• Social Bookmarking
Directory Blogs
• Photo, video sharing
• Mashups Public
• Web widgets Online
Social
News
• Social Media Press Release Release
Networks

Forums

Technical Supports Channels

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 news release sites article syndication sites
 
www.i-newswire.com www.amazines.com
 www.pr.com
www.articlerich.com
 www.pressexposure.com
www.isnare.com
 www.1888pressrelease.com
 www.sanepr.com www.articlesbase.com
 www.pressbuzz.com www.ezinearticles.com
 www.pressbox.com www.goarticles.com
 www.pressreleasepoint.com www.articledashboard.com
 www.amazines.com 20
Managing a PR Crisis

Detecting a crisis
Managing an ongoing crisis

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1. How much negativity is there?

Detecting a crisis

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2. Understanding
negativity

Detecting a crisis

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3. Crisis locations

Detecting a crisis

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1. Change over time

Managing
an ongoing crisis

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2. A clearer picture

Managing
an ongoing crisis

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3. Who are the Influencers?

Managing
an ongoing crisis

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