by Jules Zunich, CCC Board Member At-Large

As a communications professional, the essence of a successful media
relationship is our ability to create a connection with a specific media
target. Whether it is our superb insights or high level access, our
ability to connect with writers and editors is what our clients depend on.
PR people who are successful at garnering coverage are the ones who can
get through to the press and keep their attention.

Years ago it was getting a reporter to take your call - then came fax,
email and websites. While the masses had more access to journalists,
getting through was essentially a function of staying ahead of the stream
of communication that rushed in every day. With inboxes now overflowing
and conversations happening by the millions every minute via social media
there is a new way to stay ahead: Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin are now
the preferred method of contact for many journalists. Without a strong
knowledge of these tools our ability to successfully pitch stories
decreases.

In February of this year, the new director of BBC Global News mandated
that journalists working under him either "get with the social media
program or get out." He is not alone in the sentiment. Recently, I
attended a Twitter chat with Ryan Osborn, the new Director of Social Media
at NBC News, which took place live via the web from NBC News (@NBCnews)
headquarters. The
take-away for me was that each panelist (Osborn, Alexandra Wallace, SVP,
NBC News, Jen Brown, Senior Producer TODAYShow.com / Msnbc.com, Alana
Russo, Senior Director, MSNBC) all noted more than once that social media
(Twitter and Facebook specifically) was their predominate method for
sourcing stories. Email, fax and phone are dead for these national media
professionals.

Clearly our profession has changed. We might not fully embrace the changes
or be head-over-heels in love with social media, but our partners in this
media relationship - journalists - expect us to communicate on their
terms, which today, means online, via social media. I rarely advocate a
social media only approach to communications strategy, but when pitching
stories to journalists, this is a public relations tactic that you want to
employ early and often.