APPENDIX A - HOW THE WEB HAS CHANGED THE RULES

Old Rules	New Rules
Only way to get ink or airtime was through traditional media	Direct communication with buyers
The only way to communicate with journalists was through press releases	Journalists can/do pick up stories from blogs
The only people meant to read press releases were journalists	Press releases should be distributed so that buyers can find them on news search engines and vertical content sites
Press releases were only written to report a significant piece of news	Write stories on expert ideas and stories of interest
Jargon was used because journalists understood it	Think/speak like consumers do; write content that is replete with the keyword-rich language used by your buyers
Audiences were reliant on traditional media for information	For more than just a mainstream media audience
Clip books were used to keep track of a companies’ mentions in the media and indicate success	Not about clip books. It’s about reaching ‘buyers’ (donators, members, etc.) and tracking this by monitoring blogs
PR, marketing and advertising were run by separate people/firms	Lines between PR and marketing are blurred
Spin	Becoming part of the conversation
Propaganda	Participation (include offers that compel consumers to respond to your release; include links that lead to website)
One-way interruption/communication	Delivering content instantaneously and via a two-way conversation
TV/Print	Web
Winning creative awards	Winning business
Public relations was more media relations	Emphasis on the PUBLIC and RELATIONSHIPS
“On-message”	Many messages
Messages about selling the product  (product-focused one-way spin)	Educate and inform
Appeal to the masses	Write to niche targets
Push	Pull