The Changing Landscape of Social Media (To pay or not to pay? Is that the right question?)

changing landscape of social media
Jesse Hirsch, Latham Thomas, Nitika Chopra, Cat Clifford and Rachel Hofstetter

After Gretchen Rubin’s keynote speech, there was a panel discussion on “The Changing Landscape of PR, Social Media and Influencers” at Rock the World. The panel was moderated by Rachel Hofstetter and the panelists were Cat Clifford of Entrepreneur.com, Jesse Hirsch of Edible Manhattan, Latham Thomas of Mama Glow and Nitika Chopra, a talk show host. Since I have been a panelist on several similarly themed discussions, I was eager to hear what everyone  would say. It was an interesting conversation. The highlights are below:

Where does content come from and how do creators get paid?

-Cat Clifford covers a variety of stories from pitches, networking and such. For her, there is a definite separation between editorial and advertising. The two departments are literally across the hall. Entrepreneur.com pays her with a regular paycheck that is not linked to the articles that writes.

-Nitika Chopra primarily shares stories based on her personal experiences (conversations with girlfriends and such). She is paid in a variety of ways including sponsorships (live events and social media) and television appearances (her talk show network and brands pay her to be a beauty expert on QVC). She’s all about energy. If she’s doing her best and working hard on something, then she wants to make sure that energy is coming back to her financially. As she said, “I need to eat”.

-Latham Thomas has two primary content streams. In one area, she focuses on personal branding (i.e. Instagram is about discovery – learning about new products and services, travel experiences and such).  On Mama Glow, her maternal lifestyle brand, her team features things that they love and that are in line with their brand DNA. She also does sponsored content posts. Basically, her team writes about what they want editorially but if a brand wants more support and activation then they have to pay. It’s fluid and authentic. She has spent year building up credibility and trust with her audience. There is currency in that.

-Jesse Hirsch celebrates food cooked and created in the borough of Manhattan. Editorially, his magazine and site is pretty traditional and focuses on organic content/things that the writers are excited about. The advertising department does talk to editorial about stories that they would like for them to do with certain brands though. Jesse plays “cop” and ensures that they are transparent with stories involving paid elements because readers need to know that there is a distinction. (He went to traditional journalism school where separation of church and state were drilled into him.) Things are more “slippery” today though because some magazines create sponsored content stories that don’t look purely like editorial ones. It’s a balance.

How should you approach content creators for coverage?

-Nitika Chopra encourages PR to reach out when there is an alignment. For her, it’s about energy.  The trust of her audience is important to her. She takes pitches on a case by case basis and tries to be gracious and loving to each person who reaches out to her. She will give pitches to her editor to see if it’s a fit. Meanwhile, since she hosts events, she will let the person know that materials about event sponsorship opportunities are available if they are interested in receiving them.

-Jesse Hirsch emphasized that it’s about PR understanding the types of stories that publications run. If he rejects a pitch it is simply because it’s not something that his magazine typically runs. PR companies that pitch exciting angles stand out. Sponsored stories come to editorial through their advertising department. (Larger magazines who write sponsored content usually have separate editorial departments that exclusively write the sponsored content.) His magazine is small, so they don’t have that. In order to not confuse the audience, they don’t put names or bylines on sponsored content. Rather, they use indicators like “By the editors” or “Partner tips” at the top of sponsored content. As Jesse said, “It pays the bills.”

-Latham Thomas advised that people understand whom they are are reaching out to and their brand. Let the creator know right away how you envision working together and your budget (if you are reaching out for sponsored content). If the request is time-consuming with no budget attached, then it will probably be a “no”.

How specific should you initially be regarding your content budget?

(Rachel asked the panel if she should mention that she has $100 for sponsored content in her first email or should she keep the amount vague.)

-Latham Thomas noted that transparency is always good. If you explain what your mission is, what is involved and what assets are available along with whether or not you have a budget, it is helpful. (Extra tip from Latham: Have a web link to assets that are available on your website.)

-Nitika Chopra tries to support mom and pop companies like she would want to be supported. However, if a proposal is time-consuming, a budget is needed. People are getting more savvy about reaching out to her. In their first emails, they are asking if they should connect with her agent or they write something like “We have a budget that we would like to discuss with you”.

-Cat Clifford didn’t even know about this concept. She would never able to take payment or she would lose her job. She appreciates pitches that show the person took the time to get to know her/show an awareness of what she likes to cover. She also encourages gentle persistence. Since she gets 300 – 400 emails a day (80% of them are pitches), she is not able to respond to all of them. That is why “checking back in” emails are helpful. As she said, “Keep emailing me.”

How can people figure out how to approach each outlet? How do you know whether their content is paid or unpaid?

-Latham Thomas shared that it depends on what you want to share. When she is sent thoughtful items, it is an organic way to make sure that she falls in love with something and that it gets written about. If something larger than a mention is desired, the business owner should have a map for what that looks like. (i.e. If they don’t have money for a sponsored campaign but would like to work on a co-branded project where sales are divided up, then that is an option. In regards to PR people, it’s about relationships. “Water your garden,” Latham advised.

-Jesse Hirsch  noted that the term “sponsored” is the universal code to indicate paid content relationships. However, advertisers sometimes don’t want the paid nature of the relationship to be so obvious so they are coming up with different terms (i.e. “Partner Tips”).  He encouraged readers to keep their eyes open and be savvy readers in order to determine the difference noting that there is a lot of sponsored content even on big sites like Buzzfeed.

-Nitika Chopra reiterated that relationships are key and encouraged people to come from a place of service. “How can I be of service?”

-Cat Clifford said that she values PR relationships. However, she especially appreciate relationships/direct contact from the actual entrepreneurs and company founders themselves.

Panel Conclusion

Rachel Hofstetter had noted that the relationship between PR, social media and influencers is a constantly changing “gray line” at the beginning of the session. As the panel ended, she emphasized the positive – that all of the content creators want to hear about awesome products and services. It’s about being relevant to the creator’s audience…not just about whether the content is paid or unpaid. 

My Closing Thoughts

I have been blogging for the last decade and the conversation about the changing landscape of social media hasn’t changed that much. That leads me to wonder if either side is really listening. Unfortunately my 2009 “What a Mommy Blogger (Does Not) Want” article is just as relevant today…in 2015!) Despite this, I continue to have primarily great relationships with PR professionals and brand marketers. I think that mutual respect is key. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to get our “jobs” done to the best of our abilities.