Twitter reported a decline in active monthly users last quarter, and Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal wrote a story for “Twitter Quitters”, arguing why they should give the social network a second chance. It’s a great read for the occasional Twitter user and includes lots of helpful instruction. http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-make-twitter-actually-useful-1458065159
Besides the how-tos, what I found most interesting was her description of how she uses Twitter. She says “It’s time to stop thinking of Twitter as a social network. It’s more of a news network. I spend 75% of my time in the app getting news on everything from politics to technology…”
Journalists make up the largest category of Twitter’s verified users at nearly 25%. They’re the most active, yet they have fewer followers relative to other categories like actors and musicians, according to a report from Triggertrap CEO Haje Jan Kamps. Those of us pitching journalists need to think about how Twitter fits into our relationship building. Tweeting about your content is important—but so is following journalists you want to connect with. Reporters are using Twitter to help build their brand.
When reaching out to journalists be sure to read what they’ve recently written and tweeted. According to Muck Rack CEO Greg Galant, nearly 93% of journalists still want to receive pitches via email, so that may still be your best bet for pitching stories. See our recent blog on Tips for Pitching by Email. If your pitch works and a reporter includes you in their article, be sure to tweet a link to the story and tag him or her in it.
Once you’ve had a successful conversation with a journalist, reach out to then on LinkedIn or follow them on Twitter to stay connected. Maintain the relationship by continuing to interact with reporter’s content, liking and replying to tweets that are relevant to your business.