Reporters Use Twitter for News and Expect to Use it More in 2021 According to Survey
Not using Twitter to engage with media yet. It’s time to reconsider.
According to 76% of journalists who participated in Muck Rack’s 2021 State of Journalism said Twitter is the most valuable social media platform. That percentage is double the next closest, which is Facebook at 38%, and it’s expected that the value of Twitter will only increase in 2021.
Surprising? It shouldn’t be since Twitter has been around for 15 years, coming out only a few years after Xenophon started. Understanding that public relations is ever evolving, we knew our clients would need to embrace social media in order to share news, but also communicate with customers, partners, and even journalists.
Over the past decade and a half, we’ve encountered clients who were quick to embrace social media platforms, such as Twitter. But we also understand that some can be reluctant to join the platform because they believe it’s not for them personally or it’s not right for their organization.
But the value for using Twitter isn’t necessarily directly for the client, but rather for the people who are interested in them, including reporters.
Twitter is the number two source for reporters to get news and updates according to participants. Overall, 16% of the more than 2,400 reporters who participated in the survey said Twitter is where they go first for news. That’s well ahead of the 7% who said TV/ Cable News and print news, though still far behind the 58% who utilize online news outlets.
Nevertheless, it’s very notable that 37% of journalists said they expect to spend more time on Twitter this year, while 41% plan to use it the same amount. The next closest was LinkedIn with 28% stating they want to use that platform more.
Only 6% of reporters said they don’t use Twitter – the lowest amount of any social media network.
These points alone should encourage any executives who are disinclined to join Twitter, but if that’s not enough, most reporters often check a company’s social media accounts when reporting on a story:
- 13% said they always check;
- 45% said usually;
- 28% said sometimes;
- Only 6% said they never check.
What’s more is that Twitter makes it easy for organizations or PR pros to engage with journalists through Direct Messages (DMs). It’s quicker than email, especially for reporters who have inboxes that fill up with dozens of pitches daily.
Twitter also forces communicators to keep their pitches pithy since it only allows for 280 characters. So, there’s no room for run-on sentences and overly stuffed paragraphs.
Of course, building a strong and lasting relationship with a journalist takes time, but we know for certain that Twitter is an important tool for them and it’s worth getting clients engaged.