Digital press office: How to generate interest in media 2.0 and manage public relations thanks to the potential of the web

By Stefano Calicchio

The press office and public relations activities have undergone drastic changes with the advent of the internet. The management of new media today represents a fundamental step for anyone who wants to build their online visibility by learning to communicate with the typical services of web 2.0. In this manual you will discover operational strategies to take up the challenge of new media and set up a communication plan able to make the most of the many opportunities that have emerged in recent years. In particular, you will discover how to exploit the competitive advantage offered by the digital press office, how to organize online communication, how to apply the new rules of public relations on the web. You will also learn how to use new operational tools such as online press releases, article marketing, corporate blogs, digital interviews, online sponsorships and press kits. This will allow you to acquire key information to expand your target audience and to better manage your corporate communication. In simple terms, stop wasting time on ineffective reading or advice and now gain years of experience with reading that gives you all the information you need to achieve your goals.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stefano Calicchio
• Release date: Nov 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9791220229623

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Conclusions

Introduction

Welcome to the first manual dedicated to sharing press office techniques on the web. When we talk about press office, most people imagine in their minds a static, stationary concept, somehow linked to the printed paper and the tradition of paper journalism. All this could have been true until about fifteen years ago: today the internet has profoundly changed the way we communicate, while revolutionizing what were the old professions of communication. In the same way, the world of journalism has also changed profoundly.

If it is true that people and companies in recent years have evolved thanks to digital technologies, becoming fully aware of the potential of the web, then it is equally true that the new context in which we operate cannot be approached with the same tools as always. This manual has been written precisely to make up for a real lack of knowledge of digital tools, those that can be contemplated in press office 2.0.

Imagine the potential of tools that allow you to interact directly with your best customers and allow you to communicate easily with thousands and thousands of people interested in what you do. That give you the privilege of being present in a personal, individual and interactive way. The new digital communicator tools, such as online press releases, blogs and social networks, will make all this and much more possible for you.

But what has just been highlighted is not everything. Your digital print office can do much more for your communication goals. It is a communication activity that you can really get started in person, with virtually no cost at all, simply by taking your time and training on the rules of operation.

A working digital print office can get you a huge audience without a substantial advertising budget. Why is that easy to explain: think of all the word-of-mouth phenomena generated by the web. Many are amazed at videos on youtube or blog posts visited by millions of people, but fewer people know that in many cases these digital phenomena have been conceived in the mind of a press officer or a good web communicator.

In this practical manual I will explain why it is so important to learn the tools of the digital print office and together we will discover how simple and easy it is to put them into practice, but only if we know the right operational strategies. Of course, this doesn't mean that you will get lasting results automatically, without any effort and without the right commitment: every technique on display takes time to be learned and mastered.

The digital print office is an activity that also requires a great deal of empathy with the real needs of the market. In some contexts it may take a few months even to simply study your audience and structure the best digital bridges on which to build a relationship.

With time and the right determination you will finally be able to understand the best operating methods for the particular sector in which you operate. My first advice is therefore to be patient with yourself and persevering at least long enough to begin to see concrete and tangible results.

In the first three chapters of the guide we will focus on understanding the principles and rules that generate highly successful digital communication on the web. Together we will plan a digital communication plan that is gradual and at the same time allows you to achieve your goals.

In the following chapters we will touch the operational tools used by online communicators, discovering their main advantages and observing together the strategies and secrets that can make a difference.

All this will allow you to offer the people who come into contact with you and your organisation what they are really looking for. Not just ads, banners and advertising texts. We aim to provide interactive, empathic and really useful information to your interlocutors, able to build a pragmatic participation experience.

As you witness the inevitable decline of mass advertising, with this guide you will have a unique opportunity to develop new and effective communication tools. Right now a small circle of individuals is emerging who can make a real difference in online communication. If you are reading this guide, there is a high probability that you will soon be among them.

CHAPTER 1: How to use the online press office

What is a press office

We begin our guide by offering a definition of an online print office and explaining the main differences from the traditional one. In this way, you can immediately get a concrete idea of the potential of this important means of communication. The press office is the structure that manages relations with the media, promoting the image of its customers.

This body is often seen in a static and bureaucratic sense, mainly because of the link with traditional journalism. In spite of this, the silent revolution of the web is before everyone's eyes and has profound implications also for those involved in communication with the media.

And it is in the latter sense that the most relevant changes are concentrated; if it is true that until yesterday the media were mainly understood as printed paper (newspapers and magazines), radio and television, today an innovative and prominent voice is added to communicate directly with clients and stakeholders. This is the internet.

A traditional press office was responsible for providing the media with information on its clients' activities, highlighting their qualities and qualities; but also for creating relationships and networks between journalists and the protagonists of the mass media, so as to generate opportunities for visibility. This was achieved through press officers and tools specific to the profession (such as traditional press releases sent by fax to editorial offices or news agencies). Typical press office clients can be companies and professionals (including artists).

The main weak side of this system is that today your client is no longer the reader of a newspaper or the viewer of a TV broadcast (too generalist to be efficient in terms of advertising returns), but the web surfer.

What we are witnessing is a strong change of orientation from traditional communication (think of the old media) to digital communication. More simply: the budgets that were previously allocated to traditional communication, including the classic press office, are no longer justified in terms of turnover and sales.

There may be certain areas (such as politics) where traditional press offices still carry significant weight, but in most cases this is no longer the case. In the course of my studies, I have repeatedly noticed that there are many practical manuals explaining how to run a traditional press office, but there is a lack of an operational manual that can explain the digital implications of this profession.

As in every age of passage, between the fall of a system and the rise of a new one there is a thin line separating the two extremes. The purpose of this guide is to help you understand it and use it to your advantage.

The competitive advantage of an online print office

We have seen in the definition of press office the peculiarities of this communication tool, which can