Like it or not, summer is the official season for book reading. And even though I’ve reviewed a couple of books recently, I always have a pile to get through.
The pile’s a bit shorter now thanks to Geoff Livingston’s PR-page-turner: “Welcome to The Fifth Estate.” Geoff was kind enough to get me a review copy as I reviewed his last book, “Now is Gone.” He’s a friend of The Bad Pitch Blog -- even Richard likes him and he's been a guest blogger here in the past.
“Welcome to the Fifth Estate” officially launches today and, as I suggest above, it’s a good read. The book picks up where “Now is Gone” left off – and it provides a more substantive point of view. Geoff walks through many of the shiny new distractions out there and provides a smart, pragmatic view of the changes shaping our professional landscape.
Strategy & Tactics/Theory & Application
Of note is that Geoff provides the bigger picture and a more hands-on view with summaries at the end of each chapter and helpful cases throughout. Some of the cases are from brands we’re tired of hearing about. But all of them are relevant and it was good to see a broader than usual selection of brands, including InvisiblePeople.TV, Network Solutions, Miriam’s Kitchen, Plum Village, Gordon Jewelers, The Republican Party and charity: water all featured. There’s also a chapter on “a common approach to measurement” written by “guest author” Kami Watson Huyse, APR.
Broadcasting To & Engaging With Consumers
Media convergence is top of mind for me right now. And this book has helped me with this focus. Consider the impact of this convergence to media relations – messaging has morphed from a tightly-controlled process to more of an unknown as brands participate and use content to start conversations vs. dominate them.
Geoff reminds us that sometimes participation means knowing when to simply shut up and listen. This is not second nature for most people -- regardless of their profession. But consider the impact on PR professionals and content creation. Media stories were so well-defined in the past that we could easily define content types (news release, photo, video) and take a one-size fits all approach. Now we must create a starting point and adapt.
Content, Consumers & Convergence
The Bad Pitch Blog has been talking about the need for a new approach to media relations, well, since day one. But more recently, we’ve focused on the unique approach needed to blogger outreach when compared to traditional media relations.
Even traditional media relations has become anything but conventional. “Welcome to the Fifth Estate” outlines what organizations need to consider – and reconsider – to engage with the new landscape of paid, owned and earned media.
Print or Digital?
So are you reading any industry-related books right now? Regardless of the format, research shows consumers are reading more than ever. Between that factoid and the season, odds are good you're reading something other than this blog post. Let us know what you like and why in the comments. It'll become a crowd-sourced PR reading list. Or something that sounds a bit less shiny.
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