We are learning to trust traditional media more, while trusting social media less. Less than one in four of Britons trusts news on social media platforms according to the 2018 Trust Barometer by Edelman, a PR firm.
In contrast, trust in news from the traditional media source has risen over the past 12 months with 61% of Britons expressing confidence: https://www.edelman.co.uk/magazine/posts/edelman-trust-barometer-2018/
Does this mean we should focus on older media outlets and ease those plans to increase followership and influence on Linked In or that Instagram launch? No.
We advise clients in media training that the best way to have influence and impact is to be credible and compelling in both traditional and new forms of media.
For a start journalists themselves embrace social media. Journalists produce content and social media offers a boost to distribution. So social media and traditional media are entwined, relying on each other for impact and credibility.
Social media is a great platform to spread positive coverage generated in traditional media. A company can leverage off its own presence but also the presence of reporters.
Journalists were among the earliest adopters of social media. If you are interviewed by a journalist with a social media following of 100,000 the story could be far more impactful than one written by a reporter followed by 10,000.
Of course, at the same time social media will increasingly magnify bad news.
Even if you’re not ready to broadcast yet you can learn a lot by dipping in. The easiest way to find out about what a reporter is thinking about and investigating is to check their Twitter feed.
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