EurekAlert
EurekAlert! is a nonprofit news-release distribution platform operated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as a resource for journalists and the public.
Virginia Tech utilizes EurekAlert by uploading our stories to ensure they are easily accessible for journalists. Generally, once a tipsheet or news release is completed, I upload it to EurekAlert as quickly as possible. It has tags in which I can categorize each story. Typically, I worked with research grant stories.
Cision
Cision is one of the leading tools PR and marketing professionals utilize when it comes to media outreach.
I utilized this platform often and in a variety of ways. First, I utilize Cision by finding journalists for our media lists. Media contact lists are a great way to send your stories to journalists who are already covering specific topics. This way, we can get a lot more feedback and collaboration. Then, I can upload stories to Cision to be sent to our media lists. Finally, i use Cision to track our media mentions. By using the "Virginia Tech" tag, I can find every single journalist and story that has mentioned us.
Virginia Tech CMS
Similar to other platforms, Virginia Tech has specific tools for our VTX News website. We are sure to post all of our stories to our website, so journalists can access all of our content at once.
When uploading, I ensure all content is tagged appropriately. We have different categories for each college and the type of story it is. Generally, our research stories get the most attention, but student engagement is also popular.
Newswise
Newswise is a place where journalists can find embargoed research news, expert sources, and feature ideas to help them do their jobs.
Similar to EurekAlert, I use Newswise to upload our press releases, news releases, and media tipsheets. This is just another platform that journalists use to find stories which is why is so important that our content is diversified across a variety of platforms.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform that helps you manage and talk to your clients, customers, and other interested parties.
Although the media relations team has used MailChimp to distribute releases, we primarily use it internally, to track our analytics each week. This was one of my biggest tasks during my internship. Essentially, I would use Cision to find all of our mentions, and then consolidate them all into a weekly email. I organized the MailChimp email by national news, regional news, and the media tipsheet with the most reception. This is a great way for the team to be held accountable and feel proud about all of our hard work.
Brandwatch/Falcon
Falcon users can plan, schedule, edit, and post across multiple networks.
I utilized Falcon to plan out my Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram posts for all of Virginia Tech News and Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. Since I was dealing with various platforms, Falcon was a great way to organize my content. I am able to view an entire month of posts to ensure I am uploading all necessary stories.
