Public relations today includes a new set of rules. Earning coverage in print publications, such as industry journals, as well as interviews on TV and radio no longer drive PR efforts. Yes, traditional PR has value, but today’s PR is integrated and online. 

Online PR gives you the opportunity to create connections that are more engaging, more compelling and more powerful than traditional communications.

We’re sharing five ways to create powerful connections through online PR:

1. Connect with Influencers – Having a team of influencers builds the foundation of your online public relations efforts. Influencers are people who appeal to your audiences and issues they care about. Your current and potential supporters follow these influencers online. Your future donors follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. 

Twitter is one of the fastest and easiest ways to connect with influencers. But, it’s smart to have a plan. Check out our Twitter tips blog.

2. Write Guest Content – In addition to posting consistently on your own online media channels, seek out guest posting opportunities on targeted philanthropy channels. Contribute guest content for channels your target audience visits. Check out the Alexa rankings to get an idea of the site traffic. Also, pay attention to the social sharing activity on the posts.

After you identify potential sites for guest posting, take these steps to getting your guest post accepted.

• Participate in the blog community of the site. Comment on the posts. Share the posts on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook.
• Send a personal email to the page owner. Compliment them on a post or article. Share with them insights you learned or conversation developed from sharing the content.
• Pay attention to the site’s topics, tone and format of content. Study the headlines and topics that get the most comments and social sharing.
• After several weeks of commenting and social sharing of the site’s content, and research of the topics, send an email to suggest a guest post topic that would add value for the readers. Keep in mind, these sites are busy. Not all will want or accept guest posts. Have a target list of 5-10 sites.

3. Distribute Online Press Releases – Spread the news of your organization with online press releases. Announce new initiatives, projects and conference participation using low-cost press release distribution services.

4. Create Shareable Content – Create content that people want to read and share. Content that showcases your work and creates an emotional connection with your audience is most likely to be shared. Videos and infographics that expand upon popular blog post topics are another great option.

5. Maximize your connections – Seek out partners to leverage each other’s messaging for greater impact. We strongly believe in developing an aligned outreach strategy. Create a list of potential partners. This is where your relationships with thought leaders and influencers pay off.

Keep your online PR efforts simple and focused. Commit to taking daily action to create connections and move your public relations forward.