Finally had a chance to catch my breath after the most intense PR campaign I’ve ever been part of wrapped up a few weeks ago. From March to July 2010 it was nonstop action, as the stats below indicate.

What I take away from this report of our PR and Social Media Campaign at my current employer is a few things:

• The mainstream media (particularly TV) still has a HUGE reach, and in some ways our story was over-exposed and covered too much. (As a PR guy I never thought I’d hear myself say such a thing!)
• I was shocked a few different times to see the mainstream media almost willingly let itself be manipulated by one side to the detriment of the other. (As a former journalist I never wanted to believe that could ever happen, but as a PR guy I saw it happen a few times during this campaign.)
• People are still talking about how our Facebook page took on a life/culture/conversation of its own (0 to 11,000+ fans in 120 days) and how to harness that audience and energy moving forward.
• It was amazing to me how often the “mainstream” media would poach stories and run “rank and file member response” quotes straight from our MNA Facebook Page and put them on TV or in the newspaper without doing any real fact checking to confirm that person was a MNA Member. I think many mainstream journalists are still trying to figure out how to source stories when quoting Social Media postings, and that some are just plain lazy about it.
• That our most popular YouTube video was the one with the least amount of production and editing.
• That our most effective and well-received YouTube videos member-wise were the personal video updates we shared with nurses.
• That Twitter mostly fell flat (at least in terms of the number of followers) as a tool and that Facebook and YouTube dwarfed it in terms of followers, interest and chatter. By the end I was only using Twitter to spit out automated updates that drove traffic to our Facebook/YouTube/MNA Blog/MNA Web site updates.
• How popular live streaming some of our bigger press conferences became, with thousands of people watching, and how even out of town media would watch the presser online and pull quotes from it.
• That our MNA Blog became at times quite heated with debate among nurses and others. I did very little censorship of the comments and in turn it sparked some very lengthy and lively debates. It was amazing to me as site administrator to see how many people would subscribe via e-mail to a particular Blog post’s comment feed so they could track the back-and-forth.
• It surprised me that the official MNA Web site more or less became a secondary source of information for our nurses, the media and the general public. All of those groups often visited our Social Media pages first, then went to the MNA site for more details.

What do you think? Do any of these numbers or stats surprise you?

You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s like Robert Gibbs took a graduate class in the Tiger Woods School of PR. What is he thinking?

Granted, I don’t think this story will gain much steam, but C-SPAN v. Obama reiterates a disturbing trend in the Obama administration’s PR tactics: You can’t build your entire election on the promise of transparency and then not be transparent.

This is the latest example. Back on the campaign trail, Obama promised he would be so transparent on health care reform that the negotiations would be broadcast live on C-SPAN.

Well, today C-SPAN called him on it. And the video above is how Obama’s chief spokesman, Robert Gibbs, handled the issue in a press briefing today.

I remain shocked at how some of our nation’s most visible figures (Tiger and Obama) can either handcuff or hire such inept PR professionals. Why didn’t Gibbs just answer the questions today?

Why didn’t he just nip the issue in the bud and say, “Look, there’s a reason back room Washington negotiations don’t get broadcast live on national television. We’ve been as transparent as the President promised, and now we’ll get down to the nitty gritty behind closed doors. If we broadcast these tense negotiations out on live national television, you could see people either shrinking away from saying what they really think or showboating to the point of absurdity. This isn’t in the best interest of the American people, plain and simple. And you’ll be able to read every page of the final bill we hammer out before it is signed into law. People put their trust in elected officials to do the jobs they were elected for, and this situation is no different.”

THAT would have been better than what is on display in the clip above.

Barack, if you need me, shoot me an e-mail. I’m here to help buddy.

I heard about this free e-book from David Meerman Scott and gave it a quick look. It’s stocked with great tips from a bunch of PR experts and laid out in a classy, colorful and easy-to-read format.

My top two takeaways from these Recruiting experts:

• The vast majority of them listed “Networking” as their No. 1 Job Search strategy. (LinkedIn, anyone?)
• Almost every single expert in this e-book listed Social Media networks as one of their top recruiting sources.

Friends, you are what you publish/upload/create. That is the name of the game in 2009. Don’t rely on your paper resume to get you there. Instead, share with the entire world your talents and creativity through a Blog, Vlog, YouTube channel, Twitter account, etc.

Right now I’m busy building my new employer’s Social Media presence from the ground up. I’m starting with Twitter. Here’s some off-the-cuff reminders I’m picking up while starting our Twitter account from scratch.

1. Find your audience. I’m using search tools like Twellow and Twitter searches to find the people who are Tweeting about what we’re interested in. I’m also Googling (“Minnesota politicians using Twitter”) and finding somebody else has already done the work to compile these lists.
2. Listen, listen, listen. I’m spending hours reading Tweets and seeing what people in our industry care about, what they are passionately discussing, and figuring out what types of Tweets I can share to engage them.
3. Follow others’ follows. When I find someone with really good content, I take the time to sift through who they are following and then follow many of those folks as well. This is the beauty of Social Media.
4. Customize. We’re working right now on creating a customized Twitter background. To me this is a HUGE deal – custom Twitter backgrounds are the new business cards. They are an introduction to your brand and an eye-catching way of getting people interested in who you are and what you have to say. Talk to this guy if you need help creating one.
5. Tweet sparingly. I’m getting plenty of followers just by following others, so I don’t need to start barfing out a bunch of Tweets unless I have something helpful to say or share.
6. Create lists. My next step is breaking down the folks I’m following into categories – Journalists, Politicians, Political organizations, etc. These Twitter lists reduce the insanity/clutter of trying to keep up with my main feed, and helps me focus on whatever segment of our industry I need to.
7. Tag team effort. I’m quick to look up anyone/everyone who follows me back (particularly journalists since I’m a PR guy) on LinkedIn and send out invites if I think it would benefit me to do so.

FYI, Mashable has created a great and comprehensive guide to all things Twitter that is definitely worth your time whether you’re a brand new Tweep or a longtime veteran of the service.

How about you? What Twitter tips am I leaving out? Feel free to add yours in the comments!

I love this video from TED because it illustrates some key points about how Social Media has changed everything:

1. Don’t be afraid to lose control of your message.
2. Be genuine and authentic.
3. Remember, it’s a level playing field now – anybody can participate. Everyone has an equal opportunity.
4. Cost of entry: Zero! You don’t need a huge budget or piles of money to have success online.
5. When you do get a hit idea on your hand and it goes viral, be ready to monetize!

I’ve sold 10 books this month, and not once have I mentioned any of them in my Blog posts or elsewhere (with the exception of one Tweet that I can remember.)

The point is this: When I got started with Social Media, I read books like Crush It! and read Bloggers like Chris Brogan and David Meerman Scott first. I watched Gary Vaynerchuk’s insanely entertaining and inspiring videos to learn how the Social Media game is played. And these guys taught me this:

1. Thank You Economy. One of Gary Vee’s favorite phrases is the “Thank You” economy. I try to follow this rule by creating really good content and giving it away for free. No strings attached. People say “thank you” by supporting my brand, my “stuff” as it were. Even if that means buying novels I wrote about baseball, golf, time travel or a book of personal essays from my days as a syndicated columnist.
2. Pull, don’t Push. You pull people into your Blog with amazing content, Tweets, comments on others’ Blogs, YouTube videos, etc. Once people land on your Blog and see they really like what you have to say, they tend to support you and your products. I literally bought a book (Socialnomics) based off a cool YouTube video. Author Erik Qualman didn’t say “Buy my book!” anywhere in the video, but the content was so well done I knew I wanted to hear more of what this guy had to say on Social Media. Same with Gary V, Brogan and David Meerman Scott. I’ve bought their books, read their blogs and (perhaps most important) spread the word about them to all my friends and colleagues in PR via Social Media channels and regular conversations.
3. The Brogan Rule. Chris Brogan is great at practicing what he preaches – constantly pointing out cool stuff other people are doing. On the surface, it seems silly for Brogan to be driving eyeballs off his Web site to another blogger (sometimes a competitor!) or Social Media guru, but Chris has it figured out. (A) His content and talent speaks for itself, and he doesn’t need to toot his own horn. Others will do it for him. (B) He’s so passionate and on the ball with Social Media trends and thought leaders that I know as a reader of his I’ll always get the biggest scoops and coolest new ideas – even if they aren’t Chris’ to begin with. That makes me a loyal Brogan follower and brand supporter.
4. Be authentic – or else. We all hate a phony, and heaven knows Social Media (especially the Twitterverse!) is filled with self-promoting loudmouths offering yet another Amazon link to their books disguised as a Tweet or telling everyone how their new moneymaking program will have you earning thousands from your office chair in mere minutes. I think it’s awesome that the more honest and authentic a person is on Social Media, the better he or she seems to do. Not only does it resonate with readers/viewers/followers, but it reveals your true personality and style – which to me is what separating yourself from the rest of the Social Media pack is all about!

The lesson is this: Social Media success is based upon creating and/or pointing out really useful, cool and helpful content, and sharing it in a way that makes it (A) Easy for others to digest and (B) Easy for them to pass it on. How do I know it works? Look at the screen grab above! I haven’t lifted a finger with any direct book marketing this month, and I’ve sold 10 books in 15 days! Sure, I won’t be bumping Stephen King off the bestseller lists anytime soon, but it’s enough in royalties for a nice night out with the family.

How about you? What Blogs do you follow? Have you experienced the “Thank You Economy” or see The Brogan Rule pay dividends with your own brand/product?

But thanks to Twitter, Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt not only follows me, but has even DM’d me! Granted, it’s not like we are close personal friends, but Mike (after one DM I feel like we’re on a first name basis) and I are Tweeps now!

And the way I connected with Him was NOT by sending him self-promoting “Will you publish my Christian novels?” type drivel. Rather, I’ve taken the time to follow his Tweets, and offer @replies and other methods of feedback and/or congratulations related to Thomas Nelson and it’s brand.

By taking an interest in his Tweets and adding useful replies to the ongoing conversation, I’ve become a part (albeit a tiny one) of Mike’s consciousness online.

Literary agents, are you listening? Authors looking for a break, are YOU listening?

Michael Hyatt is. And I think that’s one of the main reasons his company had 8 of the 10 best sellers on a recent book list. Mike is out there listening and interacting with people like me, people who buy his books and are passionate about his industry. And as a result I now feel a personal connection to Thomas Nelson as a consumer. I’m all warm and fuzzy because it’s CEO literally took five seconds to DM me. Wonder what publisher’s books are going to be at the front of my mind next time I go into a Christian bookstore?

See how this works?

The power, influence and ability to connect with anyone – even a big shot CEO at a major publishing house! – is what makes Social Media the most important development since the Internet itself was invented.

And if you have a brand (including yourself!) out there to advocate for, once you start putting in the sweat equity (to quote Gary Vaynerchuk) in the trenches, chances to make career and potentially life changing connections are just out there waiting to happen.

If you’re still relying on AP Style and formal press releases that you send as attachments via e-mail, you’ve lost the reporter before the battle even begun.

Here’s what I’ve learned working both sides of the fence as reporter/PR guy when it comes to successful e-mail pitches:

1. Your subject line speaks volumes. Too long and the reporter is lost. Too short and generic (segment idea) and it might not get opened. Something short and punchy is best. What subject line is going to make the reporter/producer want to open your e-mail?
2. Short and informal pitches work best. Ignore the “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” and other formalities they taught you in J-School. Tell them immediately why what you’re pitching would make for a great story/segment. Reporters don’t have time – so cut to the chase, get your pitch on and let them contact you if they’re interested. After all, they only have to hit “reply” and they’ll find you!
3. Include hyperlinks, and be creative in how you embed them. Do less explaining and more linking. Rather than wasting space with a paragraph about your company and what it does, simply describe that information in one sentence with a link to your company’s Web site and/or “About Us” page.
4. No attachments – ever. Nothing tweaks a reporter like getting a release that either (A) Has an attachment they’re afraid might contain a virus or (B) contains an attachment (usually a JPG) that clogs up their mailbox because it’s so big or (C) contains an attachment that gets the e-mail caught in the company’s spam filters and never arrives.
5. Blanket e-mails are OK – once in a while. I know many PR folks and journalists alike scream “foul!” if they ever get a cold e-mail pitch, but the reality is you can use PR software like VOCUS or Cision to build pretty accurate lists of reporters/producers who will more likely than not be interested in what you have to offer. Once you do that, I don’t have as big a problem blasting out a mass e-mail (via the PR software tools it comes to their inbox like an individual e-mail) to all the reporters on that list. The PR software allows them to unsubscribe, or they can just hit delete and move on once they see the subject line. (Remember point #1)
6. E-mail pitches should do the reporter/producer’s job for him. Before you write the first word of your pitch, think like a reporter/producer. What do they need for a print story (stats, a local angle, trends, how this fits into a bigger issue, etc.)? What do they need for a good TV segment? (Visuals, dynamic interviewee who looks good on camera, etc.) How about radio (a “talker” type story/interview, will lead to callers and interaction, etc.) I guarantee this: The more you can do a media member’s job for him, the more likely he is to give you coverage.

What do you think? Did I leave any tips out? What’s worked best for you in your pitch e-mails?