Slide from a workshop I co-presented at CAURA Regional Conference 2014 in Vancouver, BC. Marketing & Storytelling to Promote Research, using various examples from my work at the Sauder School of Business.
2. TITLE OF SECTION LORUM IPSUM
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tiscimaximi, quam ad quam, que nus estrupta perum venda quassitaest quaerem porpor si
omnihillab id quas doluptam esci sendis asperum nonsequam que necto tecum entotatum
nistis dolo.
Title of Presentation
Section Running Header
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
Disseminating Research: From journal to media room
1. The hunt for the research
2. Crafting the media release
3. Targeting journalists - at the right time with the right hook
4. Getting the media hit: Preparing for interviews
5. Beyond media relations: Cultivating ongoing interest
(internal communications, online amplification, reporting)
3. The Hunt for Research
Searching and Assessing
TACTICS:
- Regular one-on-one
meetings
- Google Scholar alerts
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
4. The Hunt for Research
Searching and Assessing Newsworthiness
THE MEDIA RELEASE CREATIVE BRIEF
1. Summarize in 2-3 sentences, and in lay terms,
the essence of your research
2. What are your key findings (please bullet)?
3. How does your research affect one or more
of the following:
– companies
– public policy
– investors
– consumers
– other?
4. Why are these effects significant in the short and
long term?
Why now?
5. Is it the first-of-its-kind? How does it challenge a
prevailing viewpoint? How does it unveil new
findings that will affect the marketplace or
everyday life?
6. How does your research relate to current
business phenomena and/or news?
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
5. The Hunt for Research
Searching and Assessing Newsworthiness
WHEN TO STRIKE? IT’S ALL IN THE TIMING
• After accepted for publication and before it’s published online (ideally)
• Coordinating with the journals and other schools (leveraging other efforts for promotion)
• If a big American school or journal with lots of contacts, divide and conquer.
If it’s already in the media it’s old news.
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
6. Outreach & Targeting
What Makes a Good Media Release?
• Short provocative headline
• A lead paragraph the clearly (and cleverly) drives home the main finding of the study
• Use quotes that push the narrative forward
• Content that explains how the results were found – but not too much
• Try to limit to 300 words
• Put additional information in the background
• Image. Video is even better
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
7. Outreach & Targeting
Media Relations Strategy
TARGETING JOURNALISTS
• Online media databases: Cision, Meltwater and Vocus
• Building a roster of go-to journalists
• Embargoed pitching for top tier journalists
• Pulling lists for social media (bloggers, influencers) for extra outreach
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
16. Outreach & Targeting
Media Releases
KINDS OF MEDIA RELEASES
• Studies
• Expert Release targeted toward an upcoming event in the news cycle
• Q&As to showcase deep applied subject area knowledge
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
17. Landing the Media Hit
Preparing for Interviews
• Key messages:
• If there’s three key things you want to make clear, what are they?
• How would you explain this at a cocktail party?
• Mock interviews
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
18. Fuelling Interest In Media Relations
Internal Buy-In
• Annual media training for new faculty initiated by the dean‘s office
• Internal reporting on metrics / celebrating success
• Digital signage
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
19. Content Strategy
The Role of Media Relations
• Media relations as part of an overall content strategy of the school
• Editorial calendar (media relations integrated into content development for online)
• Editorial team – writers, web production, social media
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
20. Content Strategy
Amplification online
• Media releases as additional content
on our site
• building brand, thought
leadership
• Repurposed for eblasts
• Shared to social media
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
21. Content Strategy
Amplification online
REPURPOSE MEDIA HITS FOR MORE EXPOSURE
• Monitor mentions in media through Meltwater alerts
• “Sauder in The News” web story
• Shared to web/social - using #SauderInTheNews,
#SauderExperts + LinkedIn Media Room
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
23. Content Strategy
Brand Journalism
• www.discoverwithsauder.com
• Builds share of voice around key
strengths
• Shows leadership and showcases
strategic areas of strength
• It’s not about the brand, but it places
the brand into a conversation about
the values it lives, through the people
in its community
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
24. Content Strategy
Infographics
• Makes information
immediate and relevant
• Increases sharablity in
social channels
• When shared to social
media, get far more
clicks than links alone.
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
25. Amplification Tactics:
Encourage Sharing
CREATE A HOOK
• Ask questions, use numbers to capture attention
• Use catchy words to stand out in a crowded space
• Write concisely, colloquially for social media audiences
• 140 characters maximum for Twitter
• Consider that many users may be on their mobile device
• Source an image for use in social (even if your press release doesn’t have one)
• Images get 4-6 times the click-throughs in social than links alone
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
26. Amplification Tactics:
Encourage Sharing
MAKE IT DISCOVERABLE / INCREASE REACH
• Use existing #hashtags to leverage topical trends and keywords in
social media
• SEO: Use keywords in headlines and copy for boosting organic
search
• Research key influencers using tools & prospecting; @tag them in
your posts
• Post to other pages to alert them of your post for more sharing
potential
• Monitor conversations for more opportunities to deeply engage
around the research
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
29. TITLE OF SECTION LORUM IPSUM
Text et dolorios sa asperum nonsequa
Intro Text lorem ipsum que quo que eicille stiorio nseque re sum voluptas autati dolupta
tiscimaximi, quam ad quam, que nus estrupta perum venda quassitaest quaerem porpor si
omnihillab id quas doluptam esci sendis asperum nonsequam que necto tecum entotatum
nistis dolo.
Title of Presentation
Section Running Header
Now you try it.
Exercise:
1. Split into 6 even groups
2. Write a catchy headline.
3. Craft the lead paragraph -- 50 words max
4. Write 3 tweets using recommended tactics covered:
CREATE A HOOK & MAKE IT DISCOVERABLE
• Ask questions, use numbers to draw attention
• Use catchy terms to stand out in a crowded space
• Write concisely, colloquially for social media
• 140 characters maximum for Twitter
• #hashtags to leverage existing trends in social media
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
30. TITLE OF SECTION LORUM IPSUM
Text et dolorios sa asperum nonsequa
Intro Text lorem ipsum que quo que eicille stiorio nseque re sum voluptas autati dolupta
tiscimaximi, quam ad quam, que nus estrupta perum venda quassitaest quaerem porpor si
omnihillab id quas doluptam esci sendis asperum nonsequam que necto tecum entotatum
nistis dolo.
Title of Presentation
Section Running Header
How we did it
1. http://news.ubc.ca/2014/02/05/want-brand-loyalty-scare-
your-customers/
2. http://news.ubc.ca/2014/04/23/foreign-firms-work-harder-
to-communicate-than-u-s-competitors/
3. http://news.ubc.ca/2014/05/15/nhl-study/
4. http://news.ubc.ca/2014/09/30/gender-equality-olympics/
5. http://news.ubc.ca/2013/02/25/catfight-workplace-
conflicts-between-women-get-bad-rap/
6. http://news.ubc.ca/2013/11/08/slacktivism-liking-on-
facebook-may-mean-less-giving/
MARKETING & STORYTELLING TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
How many of you work in a comms dept?
A comms role outside of a comm dept?
How many of you actively work with comms people?
How many of you use social media as part of your work? Personally?
As soon as any news citation is put online, it goes to Google Scholar:
Handout template.
What is the status of your research (working paper, posted on SSRN, pending publication?) Cite specifics, including journal details.
After accepted for publication (ideally) and before it’s published online
Coordinating with the journals and other schools (leveraging other efforts for promotion)
If a big American school or journal with lots of contacts, divide and conquer.
If it’s already in the media it’s old news.
Cision is best as it better evaluates which journalists are actually active. Cision is best, easiest, produces better quality of lists.
Document who’s written about which research for future pitches (has established that you are a credible source so are more likely to bite)
Pulling lists of bloggers and social media influencers for added push /linking to media release
Cision is best as it better evaluates which journalists are actually active. Cision is best, easiest, produces better quality of lists.
Document who’s written about which research for future pitches (has established that you are a credible source so are more likely to bite)
Pulling lists of bloggers and social media influencers for added push /linking to media release
Repurposed in summertime around birth of royal baby, in July. Will and Kate.
Reboosed in summertime around birth of future king.
Pop culture
Studies
Expert Release targeted toward an upcoming event in the news cycle
Q&As to showcase deep applied subject area knowledge
Key messages and Q&As
How would you explain this at a cocktail party
If there’s three key things you want to make clear, what are they?
Mock interviews
Annual media training for new faculty initiated by the dean‘s office
Internal reporting on metrics / celebrating success
Digital signage
Media relations as part of an overall content strategy of the school
Editorial calendar (media relations integrated into content development for online)
Editorial team – writers, web production, social media
Media releases as additional content on our site – building brand, for thought leadership in owned web properties
Shareable online (social media, eblasts)
Media hits are also shared online / social media (LinkedIn Media Room; “Sauder in The News“ web stories, shared to to social media)
Media hits repurposed online / social to boost exposure.
Monitor mentions in media through Meltwater alerts
“Sauder in The News” web story created
Shared to web/social
#SauderInTheNews , #SauderExperts = we use these consistently to build credibility around having experts at the school who can speak on a variety of subjects (when a user clicks, they will be directed to a feed filled with previous media hits we’ve tagged with this hashtag to prove this)
LinkedIn Media Room – journalists are invited to follow for latest news/press releases
Results: wall street journal retweet; jennifer berdahl retweet to her network, and media room post with the #Sauder360 newsletter got a CTR of 3.7% - compared to (clickthrough rates of about 0.14 on display ads for example, or newsletter open rates of 2%)
Builds share of voice around key strengths
Shows leadership and showcase strategic areas of strength
It’s not about the brand, but it places the brand into a conversation about the values it lives through the people in its community
Makes information immediate and relevant
Increases sharablity in social channels
Shared to web/social
#SauderInTheNews , #SauderExperts
LinkedIn Media Room
CREATE A HOOK
Ask questions, use numbers to capture attention
Use catchy words to stand out in a crowded space
Write concisely, colloquially for social media audiences
140 characters maximum for Twitter
Consider that many may be on their mobile device
Source an image for use in social (even if your press release doesn’t have one)
Images get 4-6 times the click-throughs in social than links alone
MAKE IT DISCOVERABLE / INCREASE REACH
Use existing #hashtags to leverage topical trends and keywords in social media
SEO: Use keywords in headlines and copy for boosting organic search
Research key influencers using tools & prospecting; @tag them in your posts
Post to other pages to alert them of your post for more sharing potential
Monitor conversations for more opportunities to deeply engage around the research
CREATE A HOOK
Ask questions, use numbers to capture attention
Use catchy words to stand out in a crowded space
Write concisely, colloquially for social media audiences
140 characters maximum for Twitter
Consider that many may be on their mobile device
Source an image for use in social (even if your press release doesn’t have one)
Images get 4-6 times the click-throughs in social than links alone
MAKE IT DISCOVERABLE / INCREASE REACH
Use existing #hashtags to leverage topical trends and keywords in social media
SEO: Use keywords in headlines and copy for boosting organic search
Research key influencers using tools & prospecting; @tag them in your posts
Post to other pages to alert them of your post for more sharing potential
Monitor conversations for more opportunities to deeply engage around the research
HEFORSHE campaign led by UN / Emma Watson – trending for people to post pics doing this
Infographic created to accompany research on correlation between gender equality and number of olympic medals
Leveraging known hashtag, tagging professors ; timeliness for black friday
Internal champions – professors RT mentions
Ask Q/ Mentioning other brands for added reach and to get people’s attention, catchy words/keywords. Concise but eloquent still (no weird abbreviations)
numbers. Get attention. Leave some mystery to make them want to click.
Interesting images alongside catchy words “mcjobs” – vintage, from movie “Clerks”