pitchengine

Getting Started

October 27th, 2009

The Quick Start Guide to PitchEngine SMRs

Using our social platform is as easy as creating Facebook profile or a blog post (maybe easier)! This isn’t an “easy button” – it’s a tool to enable better collaboration and engagement for your public relations. Discover why more than 13,000 brands have flocked to PitchEngine as their preferred alternative.

1. Create an account.

  • This is free and easy.

2. Build your first Social Media Release (SMR)

  • Take a look at an example SMR.
  • Gather your assets (YouTube videos, images, etc.,)
  • Type your SMR directly into the form field (we suggest your don’t just cut-and-paste
    from a word doc). Be conversational and compose it to share with friends, fans or
    followers on the social web.
  • Include bullets, and fill in the “Twitter Pitch” even if your brand isn’t on Twitter.
    This will enable others to share it easily.
  • Just like composing a Word document, save often and preview your content.

3. Publish and share your SMR

  • Move the toggle switch from “Draft” to “Live” and we’ll time-stamp your SMR
    with the current date automatically. This means your SMR is now published!
    (If you are a subscriber, it will be indexed in search engines like Google, Bing
    and Yahoo!)
  • Take the time to share your SMR with your coveted PR contacts via email, Twitter
    or whatever delivery method they prefer.
  • Share your SMR with social network influencers by clicking on the Twitter,
    Facebook, Digg or other icons embedded on your release.

Quick FAQ:

Can I put it on my website or blog?

For sure! You can grab the RSS feed and embed it on your site with a feed-reader widget, simply add a link to your SMR to your site. If you subscribe for the social newsroom, you’ll get a hub for all your SMRs and other social content including, Twitter streams, Flickr slideshows, YouTube Channels and other Related Links. This enable consumers, media and investors to locate and follow your brand all from one place! Sample Newsroom

How do I track it?

We will show you the number of views each of your SMRs receive. We’re in the process of adding new monitoring and tracking capabilities. For now, we suggest using a free service like Google Alerts or Filtrbox to monitor your brand and keywords. You’ll also be notified of comments or questions that are posted by readers of your SMR via email!

I want my release to be search engine optimized. What should I do?

If you’re a subscriber, we’ll share your content with search engines quickly. If you’re a savvy seo type, you’ll be able to build in the keywords and back links you prefer. However, if you need something more, you can write a traditional Press Release and include a link to your SMR in the text. Then, use a service like PRWeb to gain the SEO juice they offer.

Can I use this in conjunction with a wire service like PR Newswire, Business Wire or Marketwire?

So far, traditional wire services like those listed above have allowed users to include PitchEngine SMR links within their traditional press releases. This way, you can provide all the social rich content of the SMR for the price of a text press release with links. It’s up to you to decide what’s best for your PR goals.

Other services have “social media press release” offerings, what’s the difference?

It is our belief that you can’t make a press release social. This means you can’t simply add a video and a “share this” button and think influencers (friends, fans and followers) will engage with it and re-share it. The viral nature of PitchEngine content is powerful. For example, our traffic comes from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social web sites, in additional to Google, Bing and Yahoo!. When people get concise, sharable content, they’re more likely to check it out. We’ve created the PitchEngine SMR from the ground up with user-driven, crowd-sourced feedback and nothing else. Does it get more social than that?

Who Uses It? | Case Studies | Tutorials

What are the tags for on my SMR?

March 16th, 2009

tags

When entering tags at the end of your release, remember to keep them simple. Examples: “jacket”, “food”, “games,” etc., When people search the database they will be looking for general terms, not proprietary names for materials, etc. Be sure to include your brand’s name and any people quotes in the SMR. These tags also make it easy for bloggers to cut and paste your suggested tags for their published posts.

What is a Twitter Pitch?

March 16th, 2009

twitterpitch

Even if you don’t personally use Twitter, it is important to include a Twitter Pitch. This way, people reading the release can quickly share your SMR via their social network.

The idea behind the “Twitter Pitch” is to be able to deliver your SMR in a super-concise manner. The Twitter Pitch may be repetitive of the headline and subhead, but it should summarize the pitch. We encourage you to summarize your release and deliver it in a conversational manner. How would you tell someone face-to-face about this release in a sentence? What would you say to a friend to summarize what this news is about?

The Twitter Pitch is also the default text when you click on the twitter icon to share the release.  You can edit the actual text you tweet to serve your audience best from the Twitter box. There is simply no simpler, or more effective way to share PR via Twitter.

How do I sell a newsroom to my client?

March 16th, 2009

Here are a few things that may help you pitch your clients on the benefits of a PitchEngine subscription!

With a subscription to PitchEngine:

newsroom
* Each Social Media Release you (or your client) create for a brand will be archived for as long as they are subscribed.

* No more uploading press content to your client’s website and/or repeating the process on your own firm’s website. Build an SMR using PitchEngine and process of updating is automated.

* Customizable Social Media Newsrooms to serve as a one-stop communications hub for influencers and customers. They enable brands to integrate their social feeds from Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and PitchEngine into one place making it easy for consumers, journalists and bloggers to find them through the social web.

* Link your brand’s website directly to your Customized Newsroom or place it in a frame on your existing corporate news page.You can even add a simple RSS feed of your SMRs to your newsroom !

* Save money and time updating your Press Pages on your corporate website. PitchEngine is perfect for startups with small budgets for PR!

* Want to see an example of a Newsroom? Check out the Hardee’s Social Media Newsroom here. You will have the option to pick the font color of your choice for headlines and more!

* Not only are you archiving your SMRs, but you also give media quick access to download high-res images, video and audio clips and more!

* A subscription is just $550/year (or $50/mo.)

* Have questions? Email support at pitchengine dot com or tweet us!

Why Do I Need PitchEngine?

March 16th, 2009

Some Q & A about PitchEngine:

Q: I run a small PR firm, Why should I use PitchEngine?

A: Create a Social Media Release for your client to deliver complete PR contents to your media contacts. Cut down on the back-and-forth with journalists and give them images, logos and other related content in one concise package. Not only that, but a PitchEngine SMR offers the perfect avenue to extend your release to the social media sites and networks. It’s about sharing with your brand’s influencers which include consumers, bloggers and journalists.

Q: I’m a huge PR firm representing 60 brands, why should I use Pitchengine?

A: Each brand is different, but having a consistent method of including and delivering PR content will set you apart from your competitors. Journalists and bloggers will know that they can depend on your firm for complete press content delivered via one concise link or tweet, etc. It’s also the best way to begin to encourage and engage your
brands in social media. Share you PR contents over social sites like Facebook, FriendFeed or Twitter.

You’ll have a live streaming RSS feed of all your releases that can be shared among clients or directly to your media contacts. We all have our Top 10 list, but PitchEngine allows your press release and materials to resonate to other lesser known journalists and bloggers completely.

Q: I’m a startup, why should I use PitchEngine?

A: Can’t afford a full on PR campaign? Don’t have time to build and manage an online press room or distribute press releases? With PitchEngine you can build and maintain a Newsroom that makes it easy to share digital assets like video, images, and other PR content. Instead of spending money sending out one release at a time – spend your time and money utilizing social media methods of media relations.

Q: I’m a journalist, why should I use PitchEngine?

A: As a former journalist I can relate. Getting incomplete PR information is frustrating. You have to get in touch with the PR person, or someone from the company to acquire high-resolution (printable) images, related links to consumer pricing, background information, etc.

With PitchEngine, PR pros share brand content via a digital, social media press release which allows them to include all of those necessary assets in just one simple link. It’s like getting a mini-website full of content specific to the brand, product or event.

Besides the convenience, PitchEngine offers journalists and bloggers the ability to personalize the PR content being delivered to them. You can search and filter the PitchFeed (RSS feed of releases) by category, interest or keywords. You can save your search and place the RSS feed wherever you choose – even have your own page with your personalized PitchFeed!

Q: I’m one of the largest brands in the country, why PitchEngine?

A: Good question. Delivering every piece of the PR puzzle isn’t always easy. Spamming press releases all over the net doesn’t help your cause in the long run either. With PitchEngine – your PR efforts are more focused and the message consistent for everyone who receives it. Typically, USA Today might receive the “full court press” of PR content because they’re big, but why not deliver that amount of content to everyone who could have an impact on your brand? You can’t possibly send printed press kits to every media outlet, regardless of your company’s size. With PitchEngine, media big and small can have the same amount of access to your brand’s press materials.

More Questions? Ask them.

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