WordWrite Senior Account Executive Deanna Ferrari presented this at Podcamp Pittsburgh 4, where she talked about WordWrite's efforts to assist the Twitter chat #journchat in its first-ever live event across different cities.

1. #journchat LIVE
By Deanna Ferrari

2. About me
• 2006 graduate of Slippery Rock University
• Account executive at WordWrite
Communications
• Board member of PRSA Pittsburgh

3. The PR / Journalist Relationship
• PR pros in the audience?
• Journalists in the audience?
• Some PR people have a bad rep
• Print media shrinking / new forms of media
• Good relationships build great stories
• Social media a new way to interact with each
other (i.e. Twitter, HARO, etc.)

4. #journchat
• Monday nights 8-10 p.m.
• Moderated by @journchat
• Several questions followed by one “pitch”
The mission of #journchat has always been to improve the relationships
between public relations professionals, journalists and bloggers.
Together we’ve created a safe environment to explore each industry
and ultimately how social media is influencing all of us.

5. #journchat comes to “life”
• Seven cities in North America:
– Pittsburgh
– Philadelphia
– Chicago
– Minneapolis
– Detroit
– Phoenix
– Toronto

6. Promotion via social media
• Leverage existing relationships to find partners and
location
– Point Park University
– Pittsburgh Business Times
• Utilize WordWrite’s e-mail database to get the word out
via e-mail blast
• Reach out to current Pittsburgh “journchatters”
• SEO-optimized press release
• Facebook (WW fan page, pitched and secured Andrew
Stockey)
• Twitter (the power of the RT, #journchat hashtag)

7. Key items to publicize
• Local media in attendance (WTAE, Post-
Gazette, Business Times)
• First-ever #journchat LIVE
• Enhance PR / Journo / Blogger relationship
• Take the conversation online to one place --
face-to-face
• Discuss relevant / timely topics

21. Post-event
• SEO-optimized press release including who
attended and how many
• Twitter (link to release, talk to people that
were in attendance)
• Facebook (add photos, link to release)
• Continue discussion with those in
attendance and on weekly #journchat
sessions

24. Lessons learned
• Promote further in advance
• Encourage more journalists to attend including more outreach
to bloggers and freelancers
• In promotional materials, give a better explanation of what
event will entail
• Think of questions ahead of time and give to participants
beforehand so they come prepared to discuss the topics
• Have the session earlier in the evening
• Possibly rename the event, but still tie Twitter in and live-
stream it
• Possibly have small groups instead of one big group (depends
on how many people register)
• Make the event Pittsburgh-focused but still timely trends

25. Questions? Additional
comments?
Twitter:
@dferrari / @wordwritepr
Online:
deannaferrari.com / wordwritepr.com