The medium is the message… to a reporter’s heart

It completely stuns me how self-proclaimed public relations gurus can think the medium doesn’t matter; rather, it’s only the pitch. Consider this, though. If you have a 400+ word document pasted in an e-mail line going to a Time Magazine reporter who covers short stints or mentions, do you think he/she will delete a long-winded message without reviewing the content? You bet they will. And you missed out.

Content is important, but format should also be considered in tailoring pitches. TV producers aren’t going to want attachments that lead to visual ads for a product or service. They’re going to want the opportunity for B-roll video, and perhaps then you might get lucky and end up on “the View”.

Another thing—thanks to NPR’s Carol Klinger – the ultimate decision-maker for booking sound bytes on “All Things Considered is (drum roll, please).... great sound content. If this is a surprise to you, then read up on your contacts. Maybe that will explain why you haven’t garnered black-and-white online or off, or even why you’re on someone’s naughty list this Christmas season. Thanks to Chris Anderson at WIRED for being Santa Claus

Opinion Tracking on Twitter

twitrratr is another tool for twitter that grades the perception of a term that on Twitter. Take the example below. I searched for the iPhone:



This could be a very useful tool for companies are marketers, but....it's not entirely accurate. Take a look at the tweets below:



Is that really negative? No. But it is pretty much impossible for the site to be 100% accurate. While I love the idea of it, the site shouldn't be used for any serious analysis.

Are You Choosing Where To Leave Fingerprints?

Classic rock band Yes was planning a 40th anniversary reunion tour this past summer, but when their lead singer was suffering from respiratory problems, they had to cancel. The band decided to recruit a new singer for the tour, turning to YouTube for possible candidates. After Yes saw Benoit David performing in his Yes cover band online, they hired him for the gig. After Boston's lead singer passed away last year, the band also searched YouTube and MySpace, finding Tommy DeCarlo to tour with them for their 2008 shows.

A lot of people have their name out on the internet with no intentional purpose of marketing themselves. Whether its a home video on YouTube, a blog post, or even a cover song on MySpace, these components make up someone's online identity - whether they take control of it or not.

You may be leaving your fingerprints everywhere online, but are you taking control of your personal brand through intentional and crafted actions? Whether you want it to or not, your actions online will not only be around forever, but they will represent you. This isn't a blog about not posting stupid pictures or crass comments on Facebook giving potential employeers reasons not to hire you (these behaviors should be an obvious no-no by now), but its about being proactive and not reactive. Instead of letting your brand or image form outside of your control, we all have a choice to be involved with what is portrayed by being active and purposeful. Sure, you might unintentionally do good things that get you noticed like Yes' new lead singer, but what if we all became more conscience of our fingerprints? Are you planning enough for your future?