(or how to make the social media sizzle)
Professional associations are using the social media – they’re just not using them very well. Let’s look at some fundamental mistakes they’re making and some simple ways in which your association could get noticed more often in the new media.
Can associations get noticed in the social media?
We know if Paris Hilton scratches her backside. Why? Largely thanks to the new media. But can a professional organisation get a hearing in “dumb” social media? True, the American Academy of Actuaries might struggle to compete with “Man Blows Brains Out While Teaching Girlfriend Gun Safety”. But associations can give themselves a much better chance than they are now.
Why the message still matters more than the media
Some associations have embraced the digital revolution with gusto. On the advice of their skateboard-riding social media strategist, they have profiles on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube and they’ve bought up a sizeable archipelago in Second Life. Has it helped their cause? Not a skerrick. Why? Because they’ve been so preoccupied with the media they’ve forgotten about the message. And the message matters even more in social media. Here’s why.
The key difference between traditional and social media
In the old days – i.e. last year – associations sent out press releases and editors turned them into stories. These editors were motivated to do so because it helped them sell more newspapers, increase their ratings, etc.
But in social media, there are no editors. No-one is charged with finding your story. So if your press release doesn’t tell a compelling story, it’s simply not going to get passed along the social networks.
To succeed in social media, you need to be a good storyteller.
How good are associations at telling stories
Run your eye down this press release log of a typical association.
Not much here to quicken the pulse is there? Of course, some stories will be difficult to enliven. e.g. “American Academy of Actuaries appoints Nancy Bennett as Senior Life Fellow”. That’s unlikely to get on Digg’s front page – unless Nancy had a particularly colourful past.
But most association press releases could grab a lot more attention than they do. How? By the application of a little old-fashioned storycraft.
What’s the secret to telling a good story?
We could spend days, weeks and years elaborating on what makes for a good story. And I’d like to, believe me. But there is one fundamental over-riding secret to good storytelling. This is it.
Pose a question your audience wants answered.
The best film-makers understand this. In Jaws, Spielberg invites us find out whether Roy Scheider kills the shark – or dies trying.
In Groundhog Day, you want to find out whether (and how) Bill Murray ever gets out of Punxatawney – and whether he ever beds Andie MacDowell.
More recently, in The Hangover, you want to find out what happened to the groom, Doug – and how that damn tiger ended up in the bathroom.
That’s the secret to telling a good story: Pose a question your audience wants answered.
How to pose a question the audience wants answered
In posing this irresistible question for social media users, associations need to find 2 things:
- Something the audience wants to know
- An enticing way of expressing it.
What does the audience want to know?
In the past, editors dictated what was important. In social media, users decide what matters. So what are people interested in? To find out, take a look at a typical day on Digg.
Lets take each of these top stories in turn and identify what it is about it that has appealed to the average reader.
“10 best things we’ll say to our grandkids”
People love lists (i.e. 10 best things …, 3 ways to … ) and they love their kids – generally more than they care about themselves – which is a lot.
“Man Blows Brains Out While Teaching Girlfriend Gun Safety”
People love wacky stuff, ironic stuff, funny stuff. Plus some people just love gore.
“Immortality only 20 years away says scientist”
People are interested in death, but they express a clear preference for anything that helps them avoid it – as long as it doesn’t involve any effort on their part. Immortality in a gel capsule? I’m there.
“AT&T wants you to pay Extra to fund their own failures”
People like attacking a common enemy (e.g. banks, telcos, governments, paedophiles) and they are very interested in anything that relates to their own hip pocket. And where their hip pocket is concerned, nothing raises alarm bells like a rise in mortgage payments.
“GOPer: If Boys Know Porn Turns Them Gay, They Won’t Buy It”
People are interested in sex (who’d have thought?) and they like controversy. Porn turns boys gay? That’s a novel thesis. Tell me more, professor.
“Russian Billionaire Installs Anti-Photo Shield on Yacht”
People are interested in celebrities and excess.
“Iowa Gay Marriage Poll: 92% Not Effecting (sic) their lives”
People are interested in sex (still) and they LOVE polls and surveys. In fact, surveys show that 93% of people can’t resist reading an article that features a poll. I just made that up. But you get the idea.
“12 Things you may not know about Judaism”
Clearly, if you are of the Jewish persuasion, you would probably find this fascinating but the average person will probably take a peak because they just can’t resist a list.
“Rhode Island GOP assemblyman quits party following embarrassment”
People love scandal. Obviously they prefer sexual scandal but any scandal will do.
“Why Women Should Ditch Stilettos”
This wasn’t in Digg’s Top Stories on the day I looked but it was on the following day and it covers off 2 other subjects that people love to read about: healthy and beauty. How can I lose weight, get firmer breasts, a smaller butt, a fuller head of hair and rid myself of cellulite – without removing my hand from the remote control.
Ten universal subjects of interest
In summary, what did we learn about what people are interested in? Well, fundamentally, they’re interested in “me”. WIIFM – What’s in it for me? If it affects my life in any material way, I want to know about it. So I’m interested in:
- My health
- My wealth
- My looks
- My success
- My kids
But there are some other things that don’t directly relate to me – but I’m still endlessly fascinated by them anyway.
- Sex
- Celebrity
- Scandal
- Controversy
- Common enemy (i.e. banks, etc)
There are no real surprises there, are there? This is what people are interested in. What you need to do is work out is what your association is doing that relates to or can leverage any of these hot buttons. We’ll give you give you some examples later.
Have bait? Need hook.
You now have something that is of interest to your audience. Now you need to express it in a way that makes it more likely they’ll want to find an answer to it. You need a good headline. But you don’t need to be the most gifted copywriter in the world.
10 headlines to help associations write hotter press releases
Simply use some time-honoured headline templates. Here are 10 that have proven to be winners time after time.
1. Lists
e.g. 5 ways to lower your tax
2. Polls/Surveys
e.g. 1 in 3 children not fathered by “Dad”
3. Why
e.g. Why “safe drinking” is no longer safe
4. Pose a controversal question
e.g. Should the age of consent be 14?
5. The secret of ...
e.g. The 7 secrets of a successful marriage
6. How
How did Paris Hilton become Paris Hilton?
7. Here’s a quick way to …
e.g. Here’s a quick way to lose 5kg
8. What everybody ought to know about ...
e.g. What every parent should know about teen sex
9. Do you make these mistakes when you …
e.g. Do you make these mistakes in job interviews
10. Do you have the early signs of …
e.g. The 3 early signs of Alzheimer’s
Reworking some association press releases
Doubt you can add some spice to your boring material? Then see how I’ve transformed some sample press releases from a range of American associations.
Example 1:
Existing headline:
“ASCEville: Where Civil Engineering meets ‘Awesome!’”
What’s wrong with it?
This is a press release announcing that the American Society of Civil Engineers has created a website designed to get kids interested in their profession. That’s a worthy idea, and the website isn’t bad but unfortunately because the press release isn’t very enticing, who will ever go visit it?
The problem they’ve made – and it’s a common one – is thinking from the perspective of the association rather than from the point of view of the reader – which is really kids, or, more likely, the parents of kids.
Why call it ASCEville? Why would a kid want to visit ASCEville? This demonstrates another common mistake that associations make. They want their name on everything. Right up front. Why? No-one cares. Tell a good story and the brand recognition will follow.
Have they posed a question the audience wants answered? No, they haven’t. “What’s ASCEville?”, is one question I might have had, but you’ve answered it for me. “Where Civil Engineering meet awesome”. OK, well, if I’m a kid, or the parent of a kid, am I going to click on this? No, I’m not. No bait. No hook.
How does Civil Engineering relate to the 10 universal subjects? Well, it does. But you’ve failed to identify how for me.
Let’s see if we can come up with something that might work a little better.
Suggested alternative headline:
“The designer of the next Empire State Building – could it be your child?”
Why is this an improvement?
It’s identified something that matters to me – my kids. The site is for kids – tell me that in the headline. So there’s the bait.
But just as important is the expression. I don’t know what civil engineers do. (Actually, I do. I used to be one. But most people will have no idea.) So there’s no point saying “Civil Engineering” – you need to find common ground. Something that your audience knows that will help bridge the divide. The Empire State Building, on the other hand, is something that everyone knows. Who can we thank for that thing not falling over? A civil engineer. There’s your hook.
Example 2:
Existing headline:
“MBA: Don’t Include Cram Down in Regulatory Reform”
What’s wrong with it?
Does it pose a question that the audience wants answered? Well, you might want to know what Cram Down is but it certainly hasn’t hit any of the universal hot buttons we’ve talked about. It doesn’t pose a question; it issues a blunt order. Arrogance – a not uncommon trait of the professional assocation. We think it so it must be so. But why should the public give a damn what you think? That’s the job of the association – to discover a reason why we should agree with what you deem to be self-evident.
Cram Down is a bill that means that if you declare bankruptcy, the administrator can lower the principal and/or interest rate on your home loan. For people in distress, this is a good thing. But for people who loan the money – like the members of the Mortgage Bankers Association, it’s a bad thing. But not just for them. Obviously, if they lose money on those defaulting loans, their cost of borrowing goes up – and who pays for that? People who have loans that don’t declare bankruptcy. Which is most of us.
So, I’d have gone with something like this:
“Why Cram Down Bill could add $100 a month to your mortgage”
Why is this an improvement?
It hits one of the hot buttons. My hip pocket. And, as I said, we’re particularly sensitive about our mortgage payments. So that’s a very reliable way to get attention. It’s inviting me to discover why I should be against the Cram Down Bill. And that’s the message the MBA wants out there. It wants people against the Cram Down Bill. With a revised headline, they might achieve their goal.
Example 3:
Existing headline:
“Ethical implications of Web 2.0 to be explored at ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago”
What’s wrong with it?
What question is being posed that the audience wants answered? What are the ethical implications of Web 2.0? How does that tap into one of my hot buttons? The only people likely to read this are people who are already going to the conference. So what purpose has been served by the communication?
Suggested headline:
“How would Perry Mason have dealt with Facebook?”
Why is it an improvement?
People don’t like lawyers but they do like TV lawyers. And they might not know what Web 2.0 is but they do know Facebook. It just takes something that appears like it has no relevance and puts it in terms that everyone can understand. It also juxtaposes two contradictory elements – Perry Mason and Facebook. Those sorts of mismatches tend to work very well.
How to pimp your association’s press releases
Want to get your association’s news read in more places? Then you need to start pimping those press releases. Let’s run through those steps again.
Step 1: Choose a subject they care about
- My health
- My wealth
- My looks
- My success
- My kids
- Sex
- Celebrity
- Scandal
- Controversy
- Common enemy (i.e. banks, etc)
Step 2. Write a hot headline – using templates
Choose from the list of 10 I’ve supplied, or going hunting on the net for others.
Step 3. Write a compelling intro paragraph
The headline is important – but it doesn’t need to do all the work. A strong intro sentence or paragraph can really help convert interest into a “sale”.
Step 4. Find an appropriate image
Most associations fail to include an image with their articles – but bloggers and social media types know it really helps sell a story.
Step 5. Broadcast in traditional & social media
Don’t just send your article out to the traditional media outlets. Get busy on the social media sites, broadcasting your story to all and sundry.
You might not get the attention Paris does. But your association is lot more interesting than you’re letting on. Get to it!
This is a summary of a presentation given by The Web Copywriter on behalf of issociate on Sept 29, 2009. Here are upcoming issociate Web (+Wine) Appreciation Seminars.
|