Digital PR & Content Marketing Lecture for Advanced Digital & Social Media Strategy at UCLAx (MGMTX 466.05)

Creating valuable, shareable content to grow audiences and visibility is a critical strategy in SEO and digital marketing. This lecture outlines various content formats (social posts, videos, articles, podcasts) and highlights the importance of content marketing as a strategic approach for building brand awareness and expertise. The lecture compares different content types (entertainment, commercial, informational) and explains how audiences may evaluate the content in terms of the percieved value. Finally, an overview of outreach to journalists or media destinations is explained, along with suggestions for content workflow to help you easily apply this to your projects. This is a presentation on digital PR & content marketing for the UCLAx course Advanced Digital & Social Media Strategy (MGMTX 466.05)

1. Digital PR
& Content
Advanced Digital Strategy MGMT X 466.05 UCLA

2. Lecturer: Valters Lauzums 2024
Overview & Concepts
Creating unique content that has enough value to be pitched and shared by other
handles is an important part of growing audiences and organic visibility.

3. The shapes and
sizes of content
An idea can be turned into a social post, a video, a website article, all 3
together, or any other format that makes sense, like downloadable
content or a podcast. Knowing where to invest your time will be
determined by your capabilities and resources, and predicting the
outcome of these different choices.

4. Content refers to any information or experiences that are
directed towards an end-user or audience. This can
include written text (articles, blogs, product descriptions),
visual media (videos, images, infographics), or interactive
elements (quizzes, polls) on any digital platform.
Content Marketing
is an Investment
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach
focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant,
and consistent content to attract and retain a
clearly-defined audience. Content marketing aims to
establish expertise, promote brand awareness, and
provide helpful and engaging information.

5. Entertaining Content
Designed to provide amusement and enjoyment, by
capturing attention through its appeal to the unique
personality of the audience. Most frequently, the
purpose of this content is to amuse and create an
emotional connection with the audience.
Commercial Content
Promotes a product, service, or brand. Its primary
goal is to drive consumer behavior towards making a
purchase or endorsing a brand. Effective commercial
content highlights the features and benefits of an
offer in a way that is persuasive for the audience.
Informational Content
Focused on educating and informing the audience
about any range of topics. Informational content
aims to enhance the audience's knowledge and
understanding of subjects through accurate and
clearly presented information.
Content Pillars
Primary Categories

6. Articles & Blog Posts
Long-form articles that provide in-depth analysis or
reporting tend to engage readers longer. How-to
guides, tutorials, and DIY posts are particularly
popular for users looking for practical advice or
learning new skills on various topics.
Audio Content
Audio formats (podcasts) cater to the growing
demand for on-the-go content consumption. They
are excellent for building a personal connection with
the audience through a more intimate audio format
and are effective for in-depth discussions.
Social Media Content
Content such as short videos and interactive posts
on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
sees high levels of engagement. Videos on Twitter are
6 times more likely to be retweeted than photos and
3 times more likely than GIFs. (Twitter)
Content Formats
Professional Techniques
Infographics
Infographics allow complex information to be
condensed into an easy-to-understand visual format
that can quickly communicate key facts and figures.
They are easily integrated into other formats.
Unique Web Content
Unique web content exists outside of a company’s UX
format and provide a focused and unique
presentation on a specific topic/purpose. Ideal for
high-impact campaigns and PR opportunities.
Ebooks & PDFs
Books and PDF reports offer detailed content on
specific topics, providing significant value to the
audience. They are effective for B2B lead generation
as they can be offered in exchange for contact info.

7. Value in the context of content and audiences refers to the
relevance and benefits that the content provides to its viewers
or readers. What is the specific reason that your content is so
good that someone will share it with their own audience?
Content Value
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism reports that 59% of users
rely on content that comes from a well-known media brand.
Content serves multiple roles—from educating and entertaining to
solving problems and building trust. Each dimension of content adds a
layer of value that enhances user engagement and brand loyalty.

8. 92
Content Format
of consumers prefer visual
content over text content
Each format has unique strengths and is suited to specific
contexts and user preferences. Choosing the right content format
is crucial for maximizing engagement, enhancing information
retention, and meeting the strategic platform goals.
%
Over 1 billion hours of videos are
watched on YouTube each day
Content Preferences
Content preferences vary widely among individuals, influenced by
demographic factors, personal interests, and the specific context
in which the content is consumed. These preferences dictate not
only the type of content—such as articles, videos, podcasts, or
infographics—but also its tone, complexity, and format.
Combinations of text, video, audio, and interactive elements
Identify and target audience preferences and context

9. Personalization refers to the tailoring of content and
experiences to individual users based on their preferences,
behaviors, and past interactions. Relevance ensures that
the content is applicable and timely, addressing current
needs or interests of the audience. Together,
personalization and relevance maximize the impact of
content by ensuring it resonates more deeply with each
user, driving higher engagement rates and sharing.
Personalized &
Relevant Content
Content serves multiple roles—from educating and entertaining to
solving problems and building trust. Each dimension of content adds
a layer of value that enhances user engagement and brand loyalty.

10. Emotional Value
Content that resonates with an audience's feelings,
such as aspirations through stories, shared
experiences, or statements on political issues.
Inspirational Value
Content that motivates or inspires the audience to
take action, change their behavior, or engage with a
community or cause.
Visual Value
Visual content such as photography, graphics, and
animations can captivate the audience's attention
through the aesthetic merit of the content.
Entertainment Value
Content that provides amusement or enjoyment. This
type of content aims to entertain users and may
provide separate benefit types as a supplement.
Practical Value
Content that offers practical advice, tips, and solutions
to problems. For example, how-to guides, tutorials, and
reviews that help perform tasks or make decisions.
Interaction Value
Content that encourage interaction among users by
facilitating a space for discussion and connection
helps build relationships and a sense of community.
Informational Value
Content that educates or informs the audience about
specific topics, helping them gain knowledge or
understanding in varying depth..
Humor Value
Content that brings humor has significant sharing
potential and builds a sense of connection through
laughter around relevant concept.
Curatorial Value
Content that curates or aggregates other content
brings value by saving time and providing a filtered
insight into a topic for other users.
Benefits & Relevance
Categories for Content Value

11. Trust &
Credibility
How will the content audience trust your content? What is the perception
for the context and source of content? This matters more for larger
publications and context where data/research is emphasized.
Building Credibility
Large brands have an advantage in trust through existing
audience awareness. Trust can also be build through visual
presentation and the outward appearance of credibility and
association with other trusted brands. Create the aura of
credibility within your content by citing reliable sources,
providing evidence, and maintaining a consistent, honest
voice in your content and communication.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism reports that 59% of
users rely on content that comes from a well-known media brand.

12. Validation from
Trusted Users
Information and content shared by influencers is
commonly seen as validation. Content that is
shared by individuals or brands which have
existing influence on any given user will carry
significant weight in content perception.

63% of consumers trust influencers' opinions of
products much more than what brands say
about themselves. (Edelman)

13. Lecturer: Valters Lauzums 2024
Content Outreach
PR outreach is a strategic communication process that involves engaging with various
media destinations, influencers, and other stakeholders to promote content.

14. Digital PR
The practice of PR in the digital space is essential for building
relationships with media destinations and key opinion leaders who can
help amplify content to a broader audience. PR is essentially getting your
content shared by other people.

Digital PR generally aims to earn mentions on media and social handles,
frequently to improve organic search engine visibility by earning
high-quality backlinks from website, as well as brand awareness from
social handles with significant followers. Engaging with influencers,
bloggers, and other digital content creators is a crucial part of digital PR,
because these individuals place you in front of a new audience.
63% of PR professionals say that media relations is becoming
harder, mainly due to the shrinking newsrooms and the increase
in PR pitches journalists receive.

15. Determine the primary audience of the media outlets you
are targeting. Look at their readership demographics,
reach, and the general content style. Identify who you are
trying to reach with audience research, and use this to
identify other websites or platforms that might be relevant.
Build a list of journalists, influencers, opinion leaders, and
media outlets from your research.
Identify Audience
and Outlets
Tools like Cision, Muck Rack, and even LinkedIn can help you find
journalists by their beats and submit press releases. Many press
releases have minimal or no impact due to insignificance.
Journalists usually cover specific topics, known as beats. Identify
journalists who cover the beat relevant to your story.

16. Relevance and
trending topics
Finding trending content topics is essential for keeping your content
relevant and engaging. Several tools can help you identify these trends
across various platforms and industries. This allows you to tap into the
“zeitgeist” if your audience, and ensure deeper content relevance.

17. BuzzSumo
This tool allows you to see what content is most
shared on social media and which topics are
trending within your industry. You can search by
keyword or domain to discover the most popular
content pieces and their engagement levels.
Feedly
An RSS feed aggregator that can help you keep track
of trending topics in your industry by subscribing to
various industry blogs, publications, and YouTube
channels. It’s useful for staying on top of relevant
publications and spotting emerging trends.
Google Trends
A free tool that lets you see the latest trends, data,
and visualizations from Google. Google Trends can
help you find out what searches are popular in your
region or globally and compare the volume of
searches between two or more terms.
Content Tools
Finding Trending Topics
SEM Rush
Semrush offers a tool that generates content ideas
based on relevance, competition, and popularity. It
provides headlines, questions, and related searches
that can help shape your content strategy.
Ahrefs
The content explorer feature within Ahrefs allows
users to search for popular content within their niche.
It's a powerful tool for discovering what gets attention
and how competitors are performing across content.
Reddit
Reddit can be a goldmine for discovering trending
topics and what is currently capturing the interest of
diverse online communities. Subreddits can be
particularly useful for niche topics.

18. Data & Research
Journalists are on the lookout for fresh, compelling data that can
support a narrative or introduce a new perspective. Exclusive research,
surveys, and in-depth analyses provide the factual backbone that many
articles need. When you can offer unique data that provides genuine
insights into industry trends, consumer behavior, or socio-economic
issues, you are very likely to capture a journalist's interest.
Thought Leadership
Journalists often seek authoritative voices that can provide expert
opinions or thoughtful commentary on a variety of topics, although this
has become difficult from increased competition. Well-crafted opinion
pieces or insightful commentary on current issues can attract attention
from journalists who value depth and expertise, but must have a
credibility and a strong pitch/offer for the topic.

19. Solutions to Problems
Content that highlights problems and offers solutions is one of the most
common types of content and tried & tested angle. Journalists
appreciate stories that contribute constructively to discussions by
introducing innovative ideas, products, or methods that address existing
challenges. This type of content can be newsworthy and provide value
to the audience by offering practical insights or other benefits.
Human Interest Stories
Stories that evoke emotion or relate to the human experience are
particularly compelling to journalists. These can range from an inspiring
story of an individual overcoming adversity, to a broader piece about a
community initiative that is making a difference. Human interest stories
connect with readers on a personal level, making them attractive to
journalists who are looking for emotionally salient content.

20. Analysis and Trends
Business services websites thrive by providing their audience with
industry insights and analysis. Companies can leverage their experience,
data, and subject-matter expertise to produce detailed reports and
articles that explore current trends, future predictions, or emerging
technologies within their sector. This is a common technique for various
B2B businesses and appealing for industry-specific publishers.
Regulatory Changes
Especially for industries that are heavily regulated, content that
interprets new laws, regulations, or compliance requirements is very
appealing for industry publications. Companies can analyze how these
changes affect the sector and provide guidance on navigating the new
rules. This type of content is indispensable for industry websites, as it
helps businesses stay informed and compliant.

21. Research what
gets coverage
Experienced PR professionals use their knowledge
of past and current coverage to predict what
content types and topics are likely to gain traction,
while ongoing research into current trends and
audience behaviors provides refinement.

Experience informs intuition and strategy, and
research validates choices and adapts tactics to
maximize potential media pickup.

22. Keep It Brief and Direct: Journalists are busy. Get to the point quickly, ideally in the
first paragraph, and ensure your message is easy to understand.
Use Multimedia: Include high-quality images, videos, or infographics if this will
enhance your story and make it more engaging.
Create a Compelling Subject Line: The subject line of your email can make or break
your pitch. Make sure it’s engaging and gives a clear idea of the content.
The Pitch
Your message should be clear, compelling, and tailored to each recipient.
Timing can also impact the effectiveness of your PR efforts. Following up is
an essential aspect of PR outreach, and the necessity to stay organized
with your outreach efforts.
Always check if the outlet has specific guidelines for submissions. These might
include preferred formats, contact points, or timing for sending pitches.

23. Rather than reaching out cold, it’s often more effective to build a
relationship with journalists and editors before pitching your story. Engage
with their content by commenting on articles, sharing their work, or
participating in discussions they start online. When the time comes to
pitch, a familiar name can make a significant difference.
Connections
Journalists often use platforms like Twitter to share stories they’ve written,
comment on industry trends, and even express personal views on topics.
Following them can provide deeper insights into their preferences and
potentially open up a direct line of communication.
Social Media
Relationships

24. Measuring
Success
Quality is essential, and half-baked efforts are a waste of time. It’s critical to track which
content gets picked up and what does not. By understanding and producing content that is
more likely accepted in outreach, you will dramatically enhance your efficiency in making this
a cost-effective marketing pillar and making this a repeatable process.

25. Thank you
Advanced Digital Strategy MGMT X 466.05 2024