CBS exec: 9 ways to pitch via social media

CBS News’ head of social media warns PR pros to shy away from the big-name talent and avoid being a spammer.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

But that doesn’t mean younger viewers aren’t tuning in to clips online, or that younger people aren’t producing the broadcasts that air every night.

“Good journalism is good journalism,” said Matt Polevoy, head of social media at CBS News. “We have definitive proof now that there are young, plugged-in people that are sharing our broadcasts.”

Social media is becoming more and more pivotal for the network, he said, not only in how TV personalities connect with their audience, but in the way news organizations exchange information with sources. At Ragan Communications’ PR and Media Relations Summit in New York, Polevoy offered up nine things PR professionals can do to make sure producers hear their social media messages.

1. Explore.

If you’re reaching out to anchors or big-name reporters with millions or hundreds of thousands of followers, you’re not looking to the right people, Polevoy said.

“Frankly, they’re not that engaged,” he said. “If you look at their Twitter feed, they’re not talking to people.”

Junior staffers—people who maybe wouldn’t have any sway a few years ago—are who you really ought to be talking to.

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.