Social and Digital Media · Published April 26, 2013

Founder & Chairman, 5W

Social Media PR Tactics Every PR Firm Must Use

social media pr firm marketing strategy and campaigns

Times are changing and social media is everywhere you look these days. It is extremely crucial for a PR firm to know the newest social media PR tactics to be able to keep up with the growing population of social media users. While the basics of Public Relations have not changed much, the method and approach to how to use social media and PR work has. Particularly in large, tech-savvy cities like San Francisco and New York, PR Firms must keep up with the latest tactical approach to your social media strategy to ensure success of their campaign.

Social Media Public Relations Strategy

One of the things that has changed in Public Relations is the tools and the opportunities available for engaging the audience. It is very important to build a social media following in order to be able to engage the rapid and continuous growing numbers of social media platform users. Any good Ad agency or public relations firm has to know and exploit this new form of advertising. Think of how easy it is for a phrase or line to catch on and spread like wildfire via sites such as Twitter, Facebook or one of the many others out there. Case in point is the accelerated number of views a video that spreads through social networks can easily garnish. A vast number of videos on YouTube have acquired 2 to 9 million views in a matter of weeks or months. These numbers can be tied back and attributed to people "Liking" and sharing them on their favorite social media sites.

Social Media PR Tactics

One of the most important social media Public Relations tactics is to be able to connect with business colleagues, friends and family and use the connection through them as a funnel to the rest of the world. Once you have a large base of followers, friends and associates in your circle, it is very easy to spread your message, marketing scheme or product online and throughout. One of the greatest gifts PR firms have been given by social media is the opportunity to use it as a pulpit to humanize your brand. This allows you to take ‘public’ relations to a human level. Having the foresight to leverage current trends and hot topics in order to create buzz and hooks for your clients can be called a social media strategy template. Furthermore, using the interminable ascent of photographic sites such as Instagram, Pinterest, and Flickr which allows you to promote your client, product or business via a picture is indispensable and rewarding. Being able to use photos of a client to captivate and intrigue prospective customers is by far one of the best things to happen to PR firms and the advertising world altogether. Remember the adage of a picture being worth a thousand words. Much has always been made about the complicity that exists between public relations and advertising. However, new roles and maneuvering have to be made for PR, Advertising and social media. Using social media PR tactics correctly can ascertain success and prosperity for the Public relations firm as well as the marketing agency. However, even more importantly though is the fact that it can mean triumph an profits for the client.

How to Leverage Your Press Release by Using Social Media

Sharing a press release and gaining traction when promoting a new product, service or an entire brand is no longer limited to traditional advertising and marketing methods. Instead of using print and local advertising, leveraging your press release and promoting a new message or brand is now possible with the use of social media. Understanding how to leverage your press release by using social media is a way to gather additional attention while gaining followers and online fans who are interested in the products, services or content you have to offer.

Understand Your Message

Before you begin promoting press releases on social media it is important to understand your message and what you want to say to potential clients and customers. Having a clear message in mind is the best way to focus and prepare to share your press release with social media.

Create an Inviting and Exciting Headline

Create an inviting and interesting headline using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and even Tumblr to help with sharing your press release with as many followers as possible.

Ask for Participation

Within your tagline or the content you post on social media linking to your press release, be sure to ask for comments, opinions and audience participation. The more users who comment on a post you have shared, the more likely it is for the post to be viewed by other fans and followers of your page and brand itself.

Link to Your Official Website

Link to your official website when sharing a press release for your brand with social media. Not only are you more likely to gain more visitors and page views to your site, but it also helps with increasing your website's overall search engine ranking and visibility.

Update Social Media Pages Consistently

Although you are sharing a press release for your brand, updating social media pages consistently otherwise is necessary to gain traction and to keep the interest of users and potential customers who are invested in your business. Understanding how to effectively put social media to use when sharing press releases is one of the best ways to reach an intended audience or demographic, regardless of the industry you are representing or promoting. Sharing press releases properly is not only a way for you to gain more interest in your brand altogether, but it is also a method of building a professional name and image for yourself online.

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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