✅ Media Briefing #25: Notes by Nafisa, comms vaccination guide, my new book, linking out, words matter, coverage metrics, and more…
Must read, best practice, media, data and reports, social media and platforms, and tools
Good morning. My name is Stephen Waddington. This is a weekly summary of news from my blog and topics discussed in a community of practice that I run on Facebook. You’d be welcome to join us. My thanks to all the contributors.
PREZLY OFFER: I’ve teamed up with all-in-one PR software tool Prezly to offer readers 20% off their first 12 months subscription. There’s also a free two-week trial up for grabs.
Must read
🗒️ NOTES BY NAFISA: If you only click on one link this week it should be this one. It’ll take you to Nafisa Ali Shafiq’s blog where she shares a personal story that highlights the issue of privilege and BAME and socio-economic diversity in PR. It's a brave and beautifully written article. Source Nafisa Ali Shafiq.
📰 ARTICLE ENVY: Bloomberg Businessweek has published its annual jealousy list. The magazine’s staff and contributors share the most interesting articles from other publications that they wish they’d written themselves. It’s a lovely way to recognise and celebrate the work of competitors. Spotted Kate Hartley.
Best practice
😷 COMMS VACCINATION GUIDE: A guide published by the Institute for Public Relations shares vaccine comms best practice. It includes theory, practical models, behavioural insight and research-driven recommendations. Spotted Stephen Waddington.
📕 MY NEW BOOK: The fifth edition of Exploring Public Relations and Management Communication edited by Ralph Tench and I brings together a community of 35 thinkers and doers. It’s the definitive textbook on PR blending theory and practice with critical analysis and case studies, campaigns, exercises, and discussion questions. Source Stephen Waddington.
Media
🔠 TEXT-GENERATING AI: A badging system on news articles indicating the degree or role that AI and humans played in creation is among a series of 2021 journalism predictions published by Nieman Labs. Spotted Andrew Smith.
🔗 LINKING OUT: MVF’s Grace Garland criticised journalists in PRWeek for not linking out to original content in editorial. Associate Editor Ian Griggs responded saying that links should be earned. Payment for links is also a common practice. Spotted Andrew Smith.
📑 WORDS MATTER: The words we choose with their context, nuance and intention have never mattered more according to a powerful end-of-year editorial in PRovoke. It suggests seeking help to break down personal bias and creating a personal list of words and phrases to use with caution. Spotted Steve Earl.
Data and reports
❓ GOOGLE DATA: Google’s annual “Year in Search” reports that ‘why?’ was searched more than ever in 2020. Many of the questions were driven by the most dominant stories of the year such as COVID-19 and social unrest around the world. Spotted Andrew Smith.
📊 COVERAGE METRICS: CoverageBook’s Gary Preston has published a useful dataset that benchmarks domain authority and shares for earned media. It is based on anonymous data from CoverageBook customers. Source Gary Preston.
Social media and platforms
🔐 FACEBOOK PRIVACY: Facebook will switch UK users to US privacy terms in the New Year. These are more lenient than those in the EU. It follows the move made by Google earlier in the year. Spotted Andrew Smith.
Tools
💻 LINK NETWORKS: Majestic’s Link Graph is a visual map of the immediate network that links to a website or URL. The graph helps understand the network around a site and check the authenticity of links. Spotted Andrew Smith.
📺 VIDEO POSTS: Biteable is a lovely tool recommended by Sam Evans in her weekly newsletter. It enables you to create short video (MP4) LinkedIn and Twitter posts. Videos are up to 10x engaging than text and are typically pushed harder by algorithms. Spotted Sam Evans.
Thank you
Thanks to everyone who donated to my food bank fundraiser. We raised £7,500 (£8,336.25 with match funding and gift aid) for The Bay Foodbank in Newcastle.
I’m taking a break now for two weeks. The next edition of this newsletter will be on 11 January.
Wishing you a happy and restful festive season and all the best for the New Year. Stay safe and well.