As media/blogger/influencer/gatekeeper lists expand, those of us in PR struggle to find enough time to build meaningful relationships with these individuals. But, those relationships are key to our campaigns’ success. Knowing that it’s a job requirement, how can you more effectively and efficiently build and nurture these relationships?
I recently spent some time brainstorming this very question and came up with a few ideas, which I shared during a virtual workshop, hosted by Thomson Reuters. You can see the slides below, but let me share one of my favorite (and most useful!) recommendations. To borrow a phrase from Sarah Evans, here are some “work hacks” that will insert some efficiency into your relationship building/nurturing process:
First, sign up for a few accounts: Buffer, Feedly, Newsle and IFTTT. Here’s how I use these accounts to support relationship building and content curation/sharing:
- I use Feedly for my RSS reader on my phone. It integrates with Buffer, an app that helps schedule content. So, dump the influencers’ blogs into your reader, skim their content and post through Buffer, remembering to “@”-tag the author on Twitter.
- I follow a similar process with Newsle. When I see an article including one of the people I’m following, I’ll buffer it to be shared on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Or from Newsle, you can send yourself an email as a reminder to follow up later. (Here are a bunch of other ways I recommend PR people use Newsle.)
- Last work-hack: Create “recipes” on If This Than That (aka IFTTT). It’s an awesome little site that automates parts of your online life. For example, you can create a recipe that any article you share through Buffer is automatically added to a Google Spreadsheet, Delicious or other social bookmarking sites for easy reference later. Or, I’m working on a new project and created a recipe last night that any photo I tag on Instagram with a specific tag is re-shared on my Tumblr page. IFTTT can also help you get news first. For example, let’s say you’re following an influencer really closely. You can create a recipe so any time that person posts a new blog post, you automatically receive a text message. Then you can share it first, before most people even know it’s live.
You can see all my slides below, or head over to Thomson Reuters to listen to the full presentation on-demand.