How Journalism Changes Could Backfire

Within the last couple of weeks the Chicago Sun-Times laid off its entire photo staff. A move that made waves for some and was predictable for others. It’s no secret that the face of journalism is changing. We live in an increasingly digital world. The Chicago Sun-Times reportedly made this drastic move to focus on improving reporting capabilities with video and other multimedia elements
http://trib.in/13rbSe4
. Yet while they’re relying on these changes to make them more relevant, other changes are coming to steal their thunder, perhaps before it can even get started.

The Chicago-Sun Times thinks that journalists with iPhones can do better. I agree that it’s important to be able to do a variety of things in a communications job, and that certain types of businesses can get by on this model, but I still have doubts as to whether this can ever fully replace specialization in the newsroom. A parallel can be drawn between the Chicago-Sun Times, who think photographers aren’t important, and certain politicians, who think reporters aren’t important
http://nyti.ms/14qSD7o
. Michelle Bachmann recently announced by online video that she wouldn’t be seeking a fifth Congressional term. Similarly, Anthony Weiner took the same approach a week earlier announcing his mayoral bid. Before either of these two did that, Hilary Clinton made an endorsement of gay marriage via web video. No reporter perspective, no interruptions for questions, no intrusion whatsoever.

These kinds of instances point to reporters’ jobs being in jeopardy still too. Switching to digital formats hasn’t alleviated that, nor have paywalls. In particular, at risk are some of these same journalists that are supposed to help improve digital communications in the newsroom. They are getting snatched up by or voluntarily moving to startup companies in the digital media sphere
http://bit.ly/ZDyjh9
. Twitter plucked Mark Luckie from the Washington Post to become its manager of journalism and news, while people like Anthony De Rosa announce their departure from companies like Reuters to join startups like Circa, a mobile-focused app for breaking news. The interesting thing about this trend, is that the efforts of newsrooms like the Chicago-Sun Times could backfire under these type of threats. Right as they’re moving towards  more digitally sustainable models, the very people they are counting on to help with that transition are leaving or getting snatched up. Also, those that still think that reporters’ jobs are safe find themselves not entirely correct.

There are those that bypass the media to control their message. If that were to become an increasing trend, expanding to companies and others acting alone and not in conjunction with media to spread their message, it could make journalists feel just as irrelevant as news photographers are feeling in the wake of the recent Chicago-Sun Times layoff. As I mentioned there are also those who are digitally savvy reporters, and they’re getting snatched up by digital media startups. This definitely clogs up any plans to use these same reporters to advance the efforts of their current newsrooms. It makes newsrooms look like they’re the ones who are late to the party. As one of the last to embrace digital they face a variety of threats standing in the way of making that happen. How or if they can overcome these threats is anyone’s guess. The times they are a changin’ and newsrooms need to figure out how to keep up before it really becomes too late.

Putting the New in News

When you look at journalism it’s hard to say what will happen to it. There’s always those who think they know and call it one way or the other. In reality there are positives and negatives so I’m going to call it a mixed bag. All anyone seems to know for sure is that a change is needed. With the fluidity of media all forms are always in a state of flux. It’s a necessary part of the cycle. What’s important to know is how to adapt at any stage. Here’s what journalists and newspapers should be doing as these times roll through the presses.

Rick Edmonds cites 2012 as a good year for newspaper stocks, and shares what investors liked about what they saw
http://bit.ly/WH9pad
. I am choosing a few to spotlight as they relate to what newspapers should be pursuing. One of his points is that those with investments in digital companies, or those launching digital/social marketing agencies for local businesses, are seeing great returns. This is a trend that must continue. It’s not enough to be involved with social media, you have to invest and merge with those practices. Even going as far as to launch them for others.  Another point of his is that companies with local TV operations had better than expected revenue and profit gains (especially with political advertising returning this year). My conclusion? If you tie yourself to a local TV station you’re forming a mutually beneficial partnership that can help keep you in the black. Sunday inserts holding up and Sunday circulation stabilizing or growing is another point that stands out to me. Publishers can’t afford to drop Sundays. If anything they should increase their inserts then and take advantage of the opportunity to increase circulation on that day.

As for journalists, more of the sources I found focused on what journalists should do if their job options continue to shrink. Yet, Hamilton Nolan wrote about what they can do now
http://gaw.kr/USQoYn
. Become better storytellers. The point being that journalism is not about you. You and your byline are a major sidenote compared to the reason people are reading, to hear the interesting stories others have to tell. Perhaps the best thing journalists can do is focus on telling the interesting stories of the people around them. This may be the best way to reclaim and maintain readers. It’s about the only counterpoint to having the edge on breaking news (which they don’t always have anymore in today’s media landscape). Another thing to focus on is how your skills translate to other jobs. In other words, you have to focus on building those transferable skills so that you are always ready for what comes next. Erik Gunn’s article goes into more detail about why this is so, and I will leave it at that
http://bit.ly/WVrzWo
. Going back to what comes next, already there’s a demand for marketers who think more like journalists. Sam Slaughter discusses how brands are having to become content producers and mimic a newsroom-like format and process to engage and entertain customers
http://bit.ly/UPyd1W
. How can marketers become better storytellers? By employing journalists. Journalists are storytellers and what better way to transfer your skills to an area with a real need for them?

Now I’m not a journalist and I’m not saying marketers shouldn’t learn to become storytellers. Rather a fusion needs to take place and more blending of these two subsets of communication would benefit both sides. Much like media draws upon other media to complement and support it, so should journalism and marketing do the same with each other. The first is a model of what works.  The latter? It’s ripe with possibility.

Journalism CPR

911, what is your emergency? Journalism is dying. Wait, that’s not entirely correct. It’s more like journalism has flatlined. Lately there have been lots of articles out there about how journalism appears to be flailing. There are lots of finger pointers and they are all pointing in different directions. One source says that headlines are boring, another blames journalism curriculum and another counters that by challenging students to broaden their own education. Only a few sources even attempt to pose a resolution and those are centered on mobile. However, it’s going to take more than mobile. In order to revive journalism it’s going to take a combination that targets all of these. With that, I give you my problem/solution guide to reviving journalism.

1) Problem: Boring Headlines: Connor Friedersdorf’s article: “Maybe This Is Why Newspapers Are Failing: Boring Headlines” addresses the problem of, well, boring headlines
http://bit.ly/P7H7TQ
. What’s surprising is he doesn’t focus on the writing as the cause. Instead it’s that there are space constraints, uninteresting stories and restrictions imposed by editors.

Solution: Part of it is the writing, whether anyone admits it or not. I highly doubt editors squash and drain all creative efforts. To address the writing, there are many ways to play around with words, similes, metaphors, alliteration, a reference to a work of popular culture such as a song or a movie, etc. I find it hard to believe there’s no room for that to be incorporated and I feel that, combined with sticking to shorter headlines (i.e. six words or less), would greatly help the cause.

2) Problem: Journalism Education: Some argue that universities are to blame for not keeping up with industry changes. Bill Cotterell is of the opinion that anyone can be taught the basics, like the five W’s, in a short amount of time and the rest is learned through trial and error
http://bit.ly/SSbONI
. According to him, all it takes is someone inquisitive and curious with a broad range of knowledge (by that he means, economics, politics, science, business, history and liberal arts). Oh, and a love of reading.

Solution: While this may be true, it all boils down to being responsible for broadening your own education outside of traditional journalism curriculum, which is what Robert Hernandez advocates in his article
http://bit.ly/PHiMH2
. There’s something to be said in any job for having a range of knowledge and skills, and teaching yourself additional skills is viewed as a plus. Journalism could benefit from more journalists approaching the industry this way.

3) Problem: Outdated Format: Stephane Pere points out that mobile could lead the way to a rebirth of print media
http://bit.ly/Qp2MLy
. I tend to agree, in that I see all forms of media as interconnecting (like a Venn diagram) where each leads to the other. All forms work together. Pere cites an eMarketer study that shows that last year adults spent more time with mobile than print media.

Solution: More people are starting to look to mobile for news during their down time and there are opportunities to strengthen news brands (broadcast and print) by always linking from one of their sources to another. For example, a newscaster can give its station’s Twitter name and Facebook link out and prompt people to engage them there, and they can post their on air news times on those sites to connect the circle. A newspaper can  include its site address and can offer a mobile version of that address as well in the paper. Ultimately, print will be read whether it’s on mobile or on paper and each source leads the reader from one to the other.

Journalism is a valuable element of society. It serves to connect its readers, viewers and listeners to the world while connecting the world back to them. There are many forms, but print is the original. You know what they say, you can’t beat the original. The problems and solutions I outlined are the real combination that needs to be addressed. You can’t place sole blame on one aspect of the whole and expect to solve the situation. It’s time to take action and work at reviving journalism from all of these angles. All of this finger-pointing? It just gets us nowhere.

Mobility: The New Age of News

In simpler times news came from three sources: print, broadcast and radio. You either read a newspaper or magazine, watched a TV newscast or listened to a news program on the radio. That was it. Now there’s a wide variety of ways to get news and it’s reshaping the news industry as we know it. The umbrella term for all of this? Mobility. As news formats have grown so have the ways it’s consumed. At the onset of digital, convenience and information at your fingertips was the name of the game. As social media came into play, it was that plus social connectivity. Then came mobility, which David Armano says “means information, convenience and social all served up on the go, across a variety of screen sizes and formats”
http://bit.ly/QvvdIh
.

Facebook and Twitter accounts are common for posting up-to-the-minute news, yet news groups are also using crossover mediums to add dimension and reach more news consumers. Sang Ngo refers to this as “recasting the newscast” and discusses how newspapers are launching video news channels
http://bit.ly/OVPyQH
. The New York Times has TimesCast and Business Day Live, Reuters has ReutersTV, The Boston Globe has Boston Sports Live and The Washington Post has Post Sports Live. The Wall Street Journal has WSJ Live, Asia Today and DC Bureau. The Huffington Post has Planet Daily and will launch Huffington Post Live this summer. What’s unique about these? Their focus and their format.

The Times’ TimesCast is a daily webcast of top stories and edited news staffer conversations while Business Live is a morning business newscast. Even though these are traditional video format, The Times is also experimenting with Google+ Hangouts featuring interactive chats with public figures moderated by columnists. ReutersTV is a YouTube channel with news, interviews and commentary in several daily video segments. The Guardian, one not mentioned above, produces original lifestyle content for tablet users. The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ Live is iPad-optimized video, Asia Today is early morning business and finance news for the region and DC Bureau is a weekly politics show. First we had print, broadcast and radio, now we also have tablet, smartphone and Web.

As if that weren’t enough there’s also an app for that. Armano points out that apps like Flipboard and Pulse foretell the coming of news “appregation” or using one app to aggregate (combine) many sources of content
http://bit.ly/QvvdIh
. What do I envision from this? All-inclusive apps from news teams that feature a host of targeted channels accessed from their one main app. This would offer the greatest diversity of content to the widest diversity of people all purchasing the app. All-inclusive apps would be like a YouTube channel for your mobile and should be, if they aren’t already, part of the next platform in news app development. From print, broadcast and radio to tablet, smartphone and Web, there are many ways to get news. Add in Facebook, Twitter, Google+ Hangouts, YouTube and apps in distributing roles and a new news mainframe emerges with room for growth. With so many ways to access and view news content, and the need for news on the go, mobility is a concept that will become a permanent fixture of the way we consume news. The new stage is mobility and mobility is the new age of news.

Reinventing the Article

For many years, the article has existed in the same long format. In the time before digital, stories were printed once and every piece of information had to be present. Today we have the Internet, where a click takes us through a series of pages. We also have social networks and social sharing, where daily happenings and articles we read are shared with our network. Both of these facts are the reasons why the article is due for a makeover. The Internet has made people into instant gratification seekers who quickly skim for the most relevant information. Yet there is still a certain amount of prestige associated with the longform article. There’s room for both, but the focus will be on changing the concept of the article, making it more reader-friendly for everyone. Emma Bazilian’s article focuses on how longform journalism still manages to exist in this shortform era
http://bit.ly/Mw9b7s
. She cites social recommendation as the main reason, along with the prestige a longform hashtag carries on Twitter. There’s still a sophistication attached to reading longform journalism, as it reflects well on the person sharing it. That they read anything like that (or anything that long) is an impressive token. Additionally with tablets, smartphones, and apps like Instapaper and Pocket, users can save articles and read them at a later date. A useful tool in an increasingly time-crunched world. Then there’s web-sharing, which has increased the shelf-life of stories (i.e. 30-year-old article “Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?”). Longform journalism also still thrives because it has a more substantial hook. Yet, one of the very things that drives longform journalism, social sharing, also creates the need for a new model.

Mathew Ingram refers to author and journalism professor Jeff Jarvis, who believes the article should be separated into components for easier digestion
http://bit.ly/LhBJ35
. Jarvis breaks the typical article down into “assets” starting with the news that triggered the article. The story background is another linkable asset as are photos and video. His ideal? Linking a piece to a source of background that’s constantly updated. Jarvis takes this a step further, predicting our news organizations could then take on a specialized asset format. Some would be devoted to news bites (wire services), others would explain more (like The Economist), another would focus on data, and yet another would be devoted to photos and video. By that statement YouTube and Pinterest are already on their way to becoming news services. This same format may even be just what the press release needs. The first paragraph would be the only thing sent out and would act as the news bite. Middle paragraphs and boiler plates could be sent separately, providing more background. These would be followed up by photos and video as requested. An interesting thing to think about indeed. The driving fact behind the need for this change is that people consume media in many ways and find different things interesting. It’s almost like offering readers a buffet and letting them choose the combinations they like best. To look at the concept of a media kit, a similar concept, one might say reinventing the article is like ”reinventing the wheel.” However, media kits have evolved and the model being applied here isn’t quite the same. Reinventing the article in this manner would definitely cause a domino effect, as you can clearly see just by me linking it to reinventing the press release. More than that, it could bring about another revolution in journalism (along the lines of the digital revolution of journalism). Thus, reinventing the article is necessary and could lead to great things. Are you ready for change? Are you ready for the next revolution?

Content is Everything

The saying goes that image is everything. Yet where does that image come from? Strong, informative content. Customers are like sponges, they are looking to soak up as much information as possible in order to make informed decisions. If you want their informed decisions to result in business for you or your client, content is key. First, lets define content marketing. Content marketing is positioning yourself as the source for relevant information about a topic or industry, building trust and credibility that keeps customers returning, putting you at the top of your competition. A recent survey posted on the distributed marketing blog found that the top content marketing tools were e-newsletters, company blogs, PR/articles for trade media, social networks, whitepapers, and e-books
http://bit.ly/zDSKJk
. Within the same survey, 45% of marketers surveyed use content marketing as a lead generation tool while 55% do not. That is up from earlier in the year, where a survey in an article by Nicholas Kinports shows that a third of executives were unsure about content marketing
http://bit.ly/xlP9Bo
. Last time I checked, a third is bigger than a half so this indicates content marketing may be a growing trend. Ann Handley’s article about River Pools and Spas’ Marcus Sheridan showcases what integrating content marketing can do for you and your clients
http://bit.ly/wkiCXU
.

When Sheridan changed his basic interpretation of his company to one that was content marketing specific, everything else changed for the better. Sheridan placed the focus on content, building trust and credibility with his willingness to discuss the good and the bad of his industry in a no-nonsense fashion. According to Handley, there are certain types of content marketing tools that are best for building trust and credibility. Competitive comparisons are her first tool, as customers need to know how you measure up to your competition. This is accomplished by creating a downloadable document, accessible online, that compares features of your product alongside competitors products. Her second tool involves using case studies to overcome objections early in the buying cycle. By addressing concerns upfront you significantly decrease the likelihood of your clients or customers going with someone else. Finally, Handley’s third tool is an FAQ page that addresses common questions as well as customer concerns about your company, client, product or product line. It is far better to address “the elephant in the room” and clarify your point of view than hide in fear of their reaction and skirt the issue. That is perhaps the worst thing you can do. These content marketing tools are important to consider at every stage of lead generation and content development. All parts should reflect a consistent tone and message that shows you know your industry inside and out. There should be no doubt that you know what is best for your customers. Using all of these tools correctly can increase your visibility, trust and credibility, making you a, if not the, go-to source within your industry. Sure, strategy, measurement and analytics are important, but content is the element that puts you a step above your competitors. Content is key. In fact, you might say content is everything.

Trends and Tragedies of 2011

With the end of the year approaching I figure it’s time for an end of the year review of what went right and what went wrong in 2011. In fact, this will be the start of an annual review. Without further ado, here are my top two trends and top two tragedies.

Trends :

2) Groupon Epidemic: Perhaps the most interesting development of the year was the Groupon epidemic, as dozens of other daily deals sites quickly sprang up to compete. LivingSocial, Facebook Deals, Google Offers, and many more. Along with that has been the quest to turn their often one-time customers into repeat customers. My guess is that until there are memberships and membership rewards for sites like these that pattern will continue.

1) Google+: Marking the expansion of social media was the arrival of Google+ September 20th. Google+ went where Facebook had yet to go, the next plateau so to speak. Google+ offered users the ability to create social circles and chose what was shared with each group (or circle). Additionally, Google+ gained attention with its “Hangouts” video chat feature where you can chat with up to ten people at a time and share content while chatting. Meanwhile, MySpace tried to reinvent itself by focusing more on music. Haven’t heard how that worked out, so either MySpace is hanging out under the radar or it died for the second and final time.

Tragedies:

2) Lowe’s: Yes, the recent incident with Lowe’s makes my list for a few reasons. Not only was it the wrong move, it came at the worst possible time when all companies are under the microscope. The holiday season. Lowe’s pulled its advertising from TLC’s American Muslim based on a call to boycott by Florida Family Association. Then they tried to claim it was because the show sparked a lot of controversy and they wanted to opt out of that conversation. Basically it made them look racist. It was poorly timed and badly handled, need I say more?

1) Groupon: In this case a top trend was also a tragedy as demonstrated during this year’s Super Bowl. Something Groupon has in common with Lowe’s is that the Super Bowl is also a poor time to make a poor statement. However, it’s even worse when it’s your public debut as was the case here. Groupon’s first ad spot was a series of commercials that turned tragedies into punch lines to drive deal-seekers to its site. Most notable was the plight of Tibet being turned into an opportunity to try its food. Oppression, destruction of the rainforest and decreasing whale populations are hardly material for a joke, but that’s where Groupon went here. Although it did attempt to make amends, Groupon learned a valuable lesson. Think before you speak or insert foot in mouth here.

Well, there you have it, a few things that made positive and not so positive imprints on the year 2011. A lesson in what to do, and what never to do again. As companies and brands prepare to start the year with a clean slate, well some of them anyways, we look to 2012 and the possibilities it brings for advertising, marketing, social media and journalism. Possibilities for new things, and in some cases rebranding and retribution, but mostly new things. Until next year, this is me, signing off.

 

Avoiding the Naughty List

It’s the holidays, the 4th quarter, the most wonderful (and crucial) time of the year. This is where some companies, journalists and PR teams stand out and others bite the dust…hard. Making a good impression at this time of the year doesn’t just solidify your holiday season status, it affects your year-round status. There’s a lot at stake. It’s time to do more than just survive the holiday season, it’s time to thrive. Here’s how to do it up right without ending up on the naughty list.

1) Spell and use holiday references correctly: The Associated Press recently released a holiday style guide of words, phrases and definitions related to the religious and cultural holidays of December and January
http://bit.ly/vBo3AC
. I especially like the last entry: “Xmas: Don’t use this abbreviation for Christmas.” The holidays are about peace on earth and goodwill, and butchering holiday terms goes against both. Furthermore these aren’t just any holidays, they’re sacred holidays, and messing them up is the quickest way to make enemies. Further proof that careful fact checking and spell checking can save a lot of grief.

2) Cater to the Customer: Provide some sort of incentive for shopping at your company’s store. This goes beyond great customer service, which is certainly part of it but not enough in today’s world of daily deals. Today’s customers are looking to be rewarded. A good example of this is Wal-Mart’s Christmas Price Guarantee
http://bit.ly/tnoutq
. Between November 1st and December 25th, if a customer buys an eligible product at Wal-Mart, and then finds the same item advertised for less at another store, Wal-Mart will give the customer a gift card for the difference through December 25th. Wal-Mart’s Christmas Price Guarantee is a reflection of the everyday low prices they are known for, which makes this a great fit for Wal-Mart while bringing in more customers who may not usually shop there. Results? Profits go up, more people become lifelong customers…you see where this is going.

3) Be Like Mike, Not Like Lowe’s: Lowe’s recently has taken a lot of grief over their decision to pull their advertising off of TLC’s “All-American Muslim”
http://apne.ws/sL56qO
. Perhaps if they had other logical reasons for doing so this would not be the huge blowup it has come to be, but they don’t. Basically, they decided to base their decision on the views and urgings of a Florida evangelical group called Florida Family Association. Florida Family Association stated the program was “propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.” They urged advertisers to boycott the show and Lowe’s followed suit. Although Lowe’s later apologized on Facebook, and claimed they pulled out because the show is such a volatile topic, it isn’t enough. A Facebook apology won’t prevent a boycott and their actions speak of discrimination louder than any words they say to claim the contrary. Not a good move during the holiday season, or anytime, and not a good way to handle the situation that results.

Alright, so now we’ve looked at three ways to avoid the naughty list. Although each point seems to point to a specific group of people, each is by no means exclusively limited to a certain group. Journalists, public relations professionals and companies should pay careful attention, at this time of year especially, to their words and actions. Sometimes actions speak louder than words, and other times words speak louder than actions. Regardless, either can land you on the naughty list. Economists are cautiously optimistic about 2012 so it’s more important than ever to end the year and begin the new year on the right foot. Till next time, make the holidays merry and remember, Santa is watching you.

The New Face of Search

Search is changing the way we look up information, find information, and even share information. Recently, Google activated a new algorithm that delivers the latest and most relevant information for news stories, recent events and reviews
http://tcrn.ch/t7u1sd
. The new algorithm is the result of two updates, its “Caffeine” update last year helped Google index content faster and this year’s “Panda” update decreased content farm rankings. Thus, the most recent news results are being featured more prominently, and not as many low quality SEO-optimized ones are taking up space at the top. Search is also becoming more social as Bing has integrated Facebook and Twitter into its results
http://bit.ly/vIW5ue
. Friends’ ‘likes’ show up under search results, you can get friend recommendations while shopping, and Bing will notify friends in the area of your trip’s destination. LinkedIn now has LinkedIn Today, a feature that brings together the most-shared headlines related to multiple industries by members of the network
http://bit.ly/vDzXOO
. LinkedIn Today allows you to see what your connections are reading, tweet trending news, post it to your LinkedIn groups or email it to your connections, and even see the professional backgrounds of those sharing stories. All of these set the bar higher for search, what it can bring to those seeking information as well as the way search is utilized. Aside from its benefit to news, current events and recent reviews, it could even play a part in this upcoming holiday season.

Take Black Friday for instance. People looking up deals won’t have to type in Black Friday 2011, because Google will already know that’s what is meant. Then they can jump on Bing and see which deals their friends are tuned into, as well as learn about additional ones their friends are going for that may be of interest to them also. This can also turn into the organization of a group shopping trip. Marketers and advertisers can utilize this by posting frequent updates about deals, to make the best use of Google’s algorithm, and stores can keep customers informed as to what deal items are still in stock. A one-click buy button could even be added which takes you right to the checkout page to purchase the item while the deal is in effect. If it could do all this for Black Friday, just think about all of the opportunities during the rest of the Christmas shopping season. It’s a win-win, the customer is informed and can communicate with others all on the same device, and merchandise sells because more people are aware, informed, and enticed. How can you take advantage of this to benefit your holiday season? First, make sure to post frequently so that you keep customers in the loop and your search results at the top. If they see yours first it’s more likely to be the one they choose. Next, be sure that your Twitter and Facebook presence is as frequent as any posts on your website or other websites. A consistent and frequent presence ensures that you and your product are where your customers are searching, and allows for sharing to occur. After that, be vigilant and involved in the conversation. This is the time of year where great customer service matters even more. A great impression now could make you their go-to option the rest of the year too. The new face of search opens up a multitude of opportunities, this is only one of them, and they are ripe for the taking. The only question is, who will use it the best and come out on top? As to that, I say good luck and stay tuned.

Infographics: Stand-Alone or Package Deal?

Everyone wants their press release to stand out and get them published articles, blog mentions, retweets, etc. Some opt for packaging their press release in a different format. However, if writing a haiku, blog, or tweet version of a press release doesn’t fit your style, here’s another take on how to spice up your press release: it’s called an infographic. An infographic is a visual that represents information or data, most often presented as a graph. One of the debates going on with infographics centers around whether they can be used as a press release or whether they should be used in conjunction with a press release. Mickey Kennedy’s article offers five reasons why an infographic should be used as a press release
http://bit.ly/skl9cK
.

1) An infographic clearly explains complex issues: Most people are visual learners, so text and imagery together can better communicate your point while making your story look more interesting.

2) Infographics stand out amidst a sea of traditional press releases: If something stands out, it’s much more likely to catch a reporter’s attention and get you published.

3) People share infographics: Infographics are easy to understand and fun to look at, and that translates into lots of social media traffic.

4) Infographics are a quick read: In a time crunch society, anything that’s convenient goes for reporters. If they can quickly scan and get a clear sense of your story, then it’s more likely you’ll rise to the top of their priority list.

5) Infographics provide details for the story: Infographics contain a range of information, and their format quickly allows reporters to grab any supporting details they need to fill in the gaps of their story.

The reasons for not using an infographic in place of a press release can be found in the comments section of Kennedy’s article. One argument that I agree with is that an infographic works best when a story has lots of complex information. If it doesn’t then there’s no reason to use an infographic because that’s its purpose. The second is that images don’t generate SEO.

Ryan Zuk sites marketing automation company Eloqua as an example, in that their Content Grid v2 infographic brought them 60 articles and blog posts, hundreds of retweets and even inquiry calls from Fortune 500 prospects
http://bit.ly/tyBi62
. Three reasons Zuk sites for why theirs and other infographics spread is that they convince people of your subject matter expertise, generate clicks in the same way as other headlines, and help others understand your message better. Infographics improve search results via inbound links. According to Joe Chernov, Eloqua’s Vice President of Content Marketing, the key is hosting it on an optimized website and having your website link to that unique content (at least as far as Google results go).

In short, when it comes to whether infographics work best alone or with a press release, I would say that it’s situation-dependent. I see instances where each may work better than the other or where both together would be more beneficial. Most would be beneficial together, but to be truly unique a stand-alone is an option as long as the information isn’t too complex. It all comes down to what best communicates your message, and that’s up to you. Regardless, having an infographic in your toolbox is a win-win.