Life's a Twitch, Part 2 (The Publicists)

How often and in what ways do you interact with members of the press on Twitter?
@cjpr: Occasionally - mainly passing around links to interesting articles. I have never pitched anyone on Twitter. I would say the majority of my interactions are with musicians, other arts professionals, and some people I only know on Twitter. I've also found it very useful for finding out what's going on in my neighborhood - for example, when the Schnitzel Truck is stationed in my 'hood, or when there's a free concert in a gallery nearby.

@CarnegieMatt: I follow some writers just to find out what they're currently into and writing about, sometimes commenting and retweeting if I particularly like a story or tweet that they've written.  

@dotdotdottweet: Just about every day, in all the ways Twitter offers -- direct messages, messages, @ replies, RTs.

@SarahBaird: I log into Tweetdeck in the morning (my NASA Command and Control Center) and leave it open all day while I'm at the office. I have different groups set up for colleagues, press/writers, composers, biz news, pr/new media interest, etc., so I can easily follow different types of conversations. Often I'm just listening, taking the pulse of the day but if I feel moved I'll join in. I post press releases first on Twitter before sending to my e-mail list, so that journalists who follow me get some added value. I also use Twitter to share interesting audio/video links, factoids, and composer news that wouldn't be best served in a press release. Like when I learned that Donald Trump included an entire paragraph about the genius of Steve Reich in his latest book. Perfect for Twitter.

@BklsweetMedia: I might respond to them if I see an interesting tweet but thus far, it's been infrequent.

@glennpetry: Quite a range for this answer.   Sometimes numerous times in a day, sometimes daily and at a minimum numerous times throughout the week on Twitter, both passively (ie, we're reading each other's tweets) and actively (ie, responding to tweets).

@seanmgross: Since in my job I alternate between wearing a marketer and a publicist's hat, I find Twitter--and most social media--is more effective in energizing fans and the "classical music community" than it is the press.  However, there are also members of the press who follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

@PhilipWilder: I have interacted directly with a few members of the press on Twitter. However, most interactions have been a bit passive so far like retweets, etc... It's difficult to quantify the professional advantages to Tweeting, but I can say that I have many new sets of ears all over the world. They respond to things I write, give me tips on cities where I travel, share their opinions about artists I'm about to hear and sometimes ask to meet in person. I've been invited to parties, concerts and even asked to host an online radio show by new Twitter acquaintances too. In a way, it has allowed me to practice public relations in its purest form.

@mlaffs: Twitter has been a great equalizer for me. I interact with members of the press just as I do many of my other contacts and friends. I never sought them out specifically, but I came to value our relationships. I hope the value and advantage that these relationships have brought to my work is reciprocated for the other parties.



Do you feel you've ever gotten a feature or a review for one of your clients or projects exclusively via Twitter?
@cjpr: Possibly once, but it's hard to say. There is an elusive critic whose personal contact information I don't have, who follows me on Twitter. He reviewed a concert I Tweeted about, but it's possible he heard about the concert another way too.

@CarnegieMatt: No. Although it may one day become a tool for such a use, I still feel that communication via e-mail, press release, or phone is the professional standard.

@dotdotdottweet: Very hard to tell -- anyone I'm communicating with on Twitter is probably getting my propaganda through other means as well.  However, immediately after I was on the Bang on a Can Marathon Live Twitter Team, I received inquiries from two new potential clients -- a completely unexpected bonus.

@SarahBaird: I've gotten at least three stories directly from Twitter. A story about Steve Reich/Twitter, a review of a recording, and connection with the writer of a major composer profile in the UK.

@BklsweetMedia: Not yet.

@glennpetry: I couldn't prove that we have gotten a feature or review exclusively via Twitter.

@seanmgross: It's hard to tell if our being on Twitter actually results in more press coverage, but what we do know is that it is certainly effective in getting our information out there virally. Arts organizations often "retweet" our posts when they pertain to artists who are performing on their series, and people occasionally comment on our Tweets and ask us questions about our clients and services.  In summary, I do feel that Twitter has made the world a better place.

@PhilipWilder: Not yet! 

@mlaffs: I secured two online articles through relationships built on Twitter, but the communication was obviously not exclusive to Twitter.
 

How much of any given day do you spend on Twitter?  How much of any given day do you spend writing and sending out press releases?
@cjpr: I enjoy Twitter and Tweet regularly about what I'm working on or what I'm reading, and I like to see what other people are Tweeting about - it's a good way to stay informed. But I don't have enough time to devote to it to get very involved in discussions with individuals on Twitter - going back and forth in conversations. Someone will @cjpr me and sometimes I won't see it for 24 hours - so I feel like my responses are always delayed, and I feel some Twitter guilt. The majority of my day is definitely spent on other forms of communication - such as writing and sending out press releases.

@CarnegieMatt: A few minutes here and there on Twitter. Not too much really.  Of course that will change as more and more writers and musicians start using the medium. As for press releases, I spend too much time writing and editing press releases,  but that time is spent on making them as topical and compelling as possible so when they are read, it leads to interest.

@dotdotdottweet: Twitter: varies, but I try to look in and post a few tweets at least twice a day.  I've installed Tweetdeck, which allows me to post simultaneously to Twitter and Facebook, saving a lot of time and energy.  I definitely recommend it. Press releases: varies quite a bit depending on the time of the season, the kinds of projects I'm working on, my artists' calendars...  But writing and sending certainly take a major share of my time. 

@SarahBaird:  I'd say I might Tweet 0-8 times, depending on the day. My position encompasses advertising, marketing, publications, website, social media, and press for B&H, so I'm not always wearing my PR hat. I probably do an average of three press releases a month and five eNewsletters a year, only focused on the most major news, which is why Twitter is a nice outlet for some of the other news and information that might not otherwise be served.

@BklsweetMedia: Thus far I would say I spend about 45 minutes total on Twitter.  The second question varies greatly but let's say 1 hour/day.

@glennpetry: Time on Twitter does vary widely as well, really depending on the nature of the day and if there are Twitter-able events.   2 minutes to 1/2 hour....perhaps all told in a day.   Writing and sending press releases is considerably more time consuming.    A few hours each day.....typically.   Now if we could keep our news releases down to 140 characters we might be able to save some time there....!

@PhilipWilder: Every day is different. Tweets have gotten more targeted and clever, so it can be easy to follow links and trails for a while each day. But generally, I spend no more than 15 minutes on Twitter every day. Most of my day is spent writing releases and materials about my clients. And many of my tweets are inspired by news releases or general updates about my clients. I also tweet about music and musicians I hear for fun. Glenn Petry at 21C does the sending.

@mlaffs: My job is so varied (marketing, PR, customer service), that it's hard to say. I keep Twitter running throughout the day, and check in on it periodically, like email. There's no way to keep up with everything that's going on, but I like to have a sense of what people are talking about, and try to join in on conversations whenever possible.  I'm leery of just using Twitter to make my pitches or promote my product. I know that my colleagues can be turned off by such an approach. My goal is to offer quality content, engage in conversations, and build relationships, so that when I do pitch something, it's more meaningful. Press releases are somewhat infrequent in my office, compared to my colleagues at bigger organizations. A typical release takes a couple days to draft, edit, and receive approval before going out. Sending the release takes an hour or so (we do it the old way, by BCC'ing everyone on the press list from my email).