How to pitch using social media

Whether you are solely a member of Facebook or go on a daily social media 50+ network binge, most people can generally understand the value of having an online profile. The key principle of Social Media is to connect with others (of relevant interest) and to share information not otherwise available through mainstream networks.

On the other side of the coin, however, is the use of social media for businesses and professional reporting. With social media tools, everyone is a reporter - but what about pitching to mainstream media? Since the advent of the Social Media Release (first created Todd Defren at Shift Communications) the evolution of virtual pitching has begun. As the authenticity of online users has increased, so has the number of tools to deliver a message to targeted news sources.

Here is a condensed list of tools I discovered from a Mashable author, Sarah Evans.

1. HARO (Help A Reporter Out) - Founded by Social Media adventurist Peter Shankman, the site has proven to be a highly useful and credible way for reporters and their sources to find each other.

The idea is fairly simple: First, you register as a source or a reporter. As a reporter, you simply submit your query to a distribution list. As a source, you will receive up to three emails a day listing the submitted queries, allowing you to 1) respond to the query directly or 2) refer them to someone who could help. If you are a member of the media, you would be crazy not to give this a shot.

2. Social Media Release Builder - It is difficult enough to learn HTML and XML computer coding, let alone build a SM release from scratch every time one is needed. Don't know what an SM release is? Click here. With a small fee, anyone can build a clean, usable SMR interface.

3. Wikis - If you represent a product or service that frequently appears in press release boilerplates, it's about time you built a wiki page. It's free, fairly simple, and gives reporter an easy resource to learn more about your product or service at any given time.

4. Media People on Twitter - The value of this list is obvious. Currently divided by country. FYI - this list was originally compiled and is maintained on a Wiki page. See the value?

5. Twellow - I recently posted a list of helpful Twitter tools, and this one is certainly one more to be added to the list. If you need find a story idea and people to interview, this is a great place to start. Search Twitter users by category. As opposed to justtweetit.com, Twellow is NOT self-submitted directory, which yields far more comprehensive results.

6. Beat Blogging - Whether you are looking to build a reliable pitch distribution list or learn about new trends from the blogosphere, this should be the first stop.

7. Ning - If I'm not mistaken, this is the same interface used by PROpenMic. The biggest difference between this platform and every other social networking site is that it allows users to create their own community. Fan pages, social networks, etc. are all possible and can be managed virtually for little or no cost.

Think of it as an advanced "Fan Page" on Facebook with a dedicated URL.

Helpful? I hope so. Leave a comment or drop me an email at pauljmatson@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @PaulMatson or twitter.com/paulmatson