Hello, my name is Dana and I am a Twitter-aholic.  This is a new addiction, since I've only fully embraced Twitter in the past couple of months.  And because I'm the newbie on the playground, I voraciously read every blog post on Twitter etiquette (AKA Twitiquette).  Over the past few weeks, I've read a handful of PR tweeting authorities talking about the dos and don'ts of Twitter for PR pros.  Always included in the don't column is: Don't pitch via Twitter.  Every time I read this, I cringe, my face gets hot and I want to immediately retract any tweet touting a client I have ever posted.

But now I'm starting to get the hang of this Twitter universe.  And, if I follow the cardinal rule of most social media platforms – transparancy – then why wouldn't I pitch via Twitter?  I am a PR professional – pitching is a very important part of what I do in a day.

I purposely have several members of the media following me – in categories within which I represent clients – travel, food, hospitality.  I also accept followers who are intersted in the topics I typically pitch.  So while I do use Twitter as a place for conversation, building relationships and keeping abreast of news – why wouldn't I also pitch on Twitter?

I guess that the most important point to make here is that pitching via Twitter works – at least it works for me.  I don't Direct Message, "so, did you get the tweet I just sent out?" just like I wouldn't call a reporter and say, "so, did you get the press release I just emailed you?"  I follow the same guidelines when tweeting that I would when picking up a phone.  Keep it newsworthy, keep it relevant, keep it concise.  Hopefully, they will keep following.

Posted by Dana Arnold