When Your Audience Doesn’t Know Their Influencers

By: Megan Sweeney, PRSA NCC Secretary

There’s a number that’s been on my mind since the Pew-Knight Initiative released their latest study on media consumption.

It wasn’t that one in five Americans get their news from social media or that not a single news influencer was named by more than 3% of the people.

No, what struck me is the number 45.

Forty-five percent of respondents who said they regularly get their news from news influencers couldn’t name a single one.

Think about it: that means there is a small—but not entirely insignificant—number of Americans who scroll through their social media feeds and digest news from content creators and outlets they can’t name.

As PR professionals, we’ve had a front-row seat to the democratization of news and the rise of influencers. But if your audience can’t name their news sources, how can you know you’re reaching out to the “right” content creators?

1. Dance with the ones who brought you: Start with what—or in this case, who—you know. Identify your top trade reporters, bloggers, and podcasters, ad make sure you follow their latest social media handles. Then, go through their lists and see who they’re following. Like you, it’s their job to know your industry’s influencers.
2. Identify your top social platform(s): Different industries meet on different platforms. As the PR Director at the American Staffing Association, which represents third-party staffing and recruiting firms, I know our industry is primarily on LinkedIn. Work for a publishing company? Your audience and influencers may live on TikTok. While your audiences may be on different platforms, the central conversations happen on one or two main sites. Focus your energy there.
3. Listen: Create a separate account that follows influencers you’ve identified, and take time to sit and actually read/watch/listen to what’s said on your feed. There are a number of fantastic social listening tools out there but reading trends and actually seeing them as your audience does are two separate things.
4. Engage: We’re in the relationship-building business, and that’s especially true when it comes to influencers. Just like when talking to a reporter, send them a note when you like their content or share news when you have it. Don’t be afraid to highlight a post, just like sharing an article from a traditional reporter.

These days, having your story break into For Your Page feeds can be as important as a front-page newspaper placement. As consumers become less conscious of who is providing them with news, it’s up to public relations professionals to identify, vet, and engage with influencers who will help us break into the nonstop stream of information our audiences see daily.