The viral world has a lot of contributors under its halo, but none compare to the works of Peter Shankman, one of the countries top 20 Social Media Experts. His gifts to the social universe has blessed such companies as AOL with his instrumental development of the newsroom concept that introduced online news reporting from the 1996 political convention for the first time. “Internet Alley”, as Peter and his team of quick-witted thinkers ingeniously coined was the new law of the land that would have everyone, everywhere clamoring for more and Peter Shankman was at the helm.
Early on Peter recognized the internet was the benefactor that would take news and information to a higher level of exposure, especially those who relied on it the most, journalist and PR firms. Everyone wanted information ASAP and the new trend was to go after specific reporters with specific stories in unique ways that would foster a connectivity of sorts that was unheard of. Favored with the gift of gab and ability to connect people together, Peter started a Facebook group to foster his brilliance of connecting people, but it wouldn’t be long before it outgrew itself and HARO was born. Help A Reporter Out (HARO), now one of the worlds largest repository source for reporters boast over 100 thousand resources and has been used by 40 thousand journalist which equates to about 1200 a week.
So how is this media phenomenon possible? Simple, HARO provides the sources reporters need on a regular basis by sending out several daily messages to connect reporters with news worthy stories and it’s free. Most commercial emails have about a 1% open rate while HARO’s is about 75%. “We sell a small ad at the top of each email but we are currently sold out for the next 4 months”, Peter shared. Surprising to me there aren’t many companies generating revenue using social media right now, but Peter is one of the few. Sure you have droves of people running around giving online seminars but very few are making real money right now on the internet. You would be interested to know, HARO has generated a little over 1 million in revenue in the last 12 months. People recognize the power of the brand, is how Peter would describe all the attention he has been receiving with HARO.
The key to social media success, especially in business according to Peter, is to be straight forward, transparent and listen intently to your target audience. No spam, no waste of time and always be on target. If you’re trying to build a social media network you have to be honest and true. You must immediately provide the information people are looking for anytime they are looking for it that addresses their immediate concerns. That has been Peter’s model and has warranted more than 55 thousand people following him on Twitter. “Too many people say things that they think are interesting to them but they don’t know if it’s important to their audience”, Peter commented, “whatever I talk about on Twitter is something that is relevant to more than just me. The goal is to be re-tweeted, that’s when you know you’re saying something interesting”.
The future of social media stands on the top of a single platform called “Life”. One network, one device, one click. This is where your friends will find you, that’s where you’ll plan your life. To be ahead of the curve, take advantage of new technology tools now. Meet as many people as possible and watch what other people are doing. Follow them and combine what works well for you. Use it as a professional tool, but don’t post things about Farmville or people will un-friend you quickly. It’s great to have fun with it, but as a revenue generating machine, the fun has just begun!
Check out Peter’s book Can We Do That!: Outrageous PR Stunts That Work – And Why Your Company Needs Them
Here are a few of Peter’s favorite websites and apps:
