If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s there…….will someone read your great PR write-up in the newspaper/magazine?
written by Adam Cupples (@ACupples)
I know what you’re thinking, did he just fall off a bull and hit his head? Well, yes I did, but trust me on this… follow me for a minute.
My point (yes, I have one) is that everyone has heard the saying: “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
My question (which will shed some light on my tree-falling intro) is: With declining newspaper/magazine readership , if your news/PR gets published and no one’s there to read it, does it really exist? does it matter? does it make an impact?
I bring this up (ding ding-Tip of the Day) as another reason to have a Social Networking profile(s). Any questions?
Yes, from the gentleman in the front row: Umm, what does that have to do with trees falling in the forest?
Me: Well, nothing really.. I was just trying to make an analogy by using a famous riddle and the sad state of print journalism, and well, paper is made from trees, so that’s something. Really, I’m just trying to get readers’ attention, can’t a blogger catch a break here?
Gentleman in the front row: Okay fine, but what’s your point?
Me: Pretend as if people are NOT going to see your PR if it gets picked up.
Oh good, question from the back row, MOM, how’d you get in my make-believe Q&A dream-blog???!: Can you elaborate sweetie?
Me: I was going to, jeeesh. We all know that people spend lots of time online, emailing friends/coworkers and finding content that interests them. How will people find the content that interests them if they don’t know it exists? People follow you on twitter, or get Linked or are friends with you on Facebook for a reason: they’re interested in your content. What better way to share your accomplishments/PR etc? Get the URL and post it as your status update or blast it out. Trust me, you will be surprised how many people notice it, comment, re-tweet or “like” it.
A popular question: Won’t I come across as bragging or a narcissistic self-horn-tooter?
Me: Well, maybe… it’s all about the intro. Call out a colleague that got a great write-up. If you work in a restaurant that got a great review on yelp, say you’re proud to be a part of it. If you worked your butt off, landed a huge deal, and got some good PR in a trade magazine, toot your own horn! If it becomes a weekly tooting, and you’re being defriended left and right, then reevaluate your posts and lets talk!
