How Chorus helps PR teams manage media
Running a PR function has never been more complex, but a digital asset management solution can take care of so much detail in the background. Chorus automates and controls content so communication teams can get on with the stuff that matters - here's how.
Who would disagree that the media has been transformed beyond recognition by the arrival of digital? Whether in-house or an agency, communications and PR teams face myriad challenges ramped up by lightning-fast technological development.
While new digital platforms offer a greater range of opportunities for outreach, this has also broken down a once-manageable pitching checklist into a seemingly infinite number of possibilities. And paid media - now supercharged from less-than prestigious 'advertorial' into neatly measurable multimedia content - is suddenly alluring in the eyes of budget approvers.
It's no wonder a 2020 JOTW survey of 300 communications professionals found 70 per cent believe media relations functions are becoming harder to run. But if you haven't investigated how a digital asset management (DAM) system could automate countless manual PR jobs, now's a great time to look at how Chorus can help you with content creation, distribution and reporting - no matter where your team are working from.
Create content - smoothly and securely
Created to suit all sorts of teams, each of Chorus's spaces can be configured to support a specific workflow and privacy requirements. So even if you're juggling multiple clients, or working with external partners or suppliers, you can keep work-in-progress photos, video and copy completely under wraps until you're ready to share them with the world.
Until that time comes, shareable file paths whisk collaborators to files and file containers with one click - and full-detail previews, file status dropdowns and customizable labels allow creators and managers give feedback and signoff within the system without anyone's inbox getting clogged up with V1.jpg, V2.jpg, V3.jpg...
Letting deadline-challenged, resource-poor news creators access your content instantly can often give you the jump on competitors
Make your media instantly available
Budgets are shrinking and time is tight for modern and traditional press outlets alike - letting deadline-challenged, resource-poor news creators access your content instantly can often give you the jump on competitors. Chorus allows you to create an externally facing, self-service PR hub, completely ringfenced from your internal production space (where the files actually sit).
You can set up a branded media repository in a matter of clicks - simply curate your material, create a 'published link', and it's ready for everyone to use, be it fully public or email-restricted. If you've got exclusive content in mind for certain contacts, you can proactively approach them with a different selection to the self-service one your general release list gets - whatever you want to do.
We also know how important accuracy is when repping a brand to the world - so each file and file container in Chorus has numerous (optional) fields for captions, notes, keywords and more. Names, places, prices - and other key info that might otherwise prompt follow-up requests - are accessible 24 hours a day to whoever is browsing your media, regardless of location or time zone.
Get full control of your media
Set embargo dates and times for your finished content, and it will automatically go live to your contacts on launch day. For maximum control, you can even add expiry dates. You can link files together, so a press release signposts users to accompanying media - everything they need, in one download and ready to use.
If your images, audio and video features people from whom you need consent, you can upload completed permissions forms and link them to the media file in question. Add an expiry date to the form and hey presto - your use of this data is automatically GDPR compliant.
Setting an expiry date also helps keeps general PR resources such as headshots or logos up to date. You can refresh a year's brand assets in a matter of minutes with Chorus's 'replace file' function, which allows you to upload new files into the previous locations of old ones with the option of retaining the search tags and caption info.
See how they're reacting to your content
Once your media has been shared far and wide, it's time to wait for the press monitoring subscriptions and saved Google searches to kick in - but Chorus can provide far more granular information the minute it's left your hands. If you shared links to your media portal via multiple emails, you can instantly see which ones resulted in downloads and follow up accordingly.
And if video performed better than photography, or if certain images proved the most popular, you have a wealth of information at your fingertips to guide the content creation for your next project. If your marketing, communications or creative teams have any similar chores you think Chorus might be able to automate, just [email protected] and we'll be happy to explore your requirements.
Would you like to experience Chorus for yourself? We're offering a free 30-day trial so you can see its powerful, next-generation features in the best possible context: in action on your own projects.
Author: Edie Mullen
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