TOUCHDOWN – TUMBLR EMPLOYEE 'STICKS IT' TO THE MEDIA

One of the biggest social media stories of this past week was blogging platform Tumblr surpassing veteran Wordpress in user numbers, despite having been around for only half the time of its competitor. Tumblr has been praised for allowing users to share pithy content and easily link posts to other social media sites. Its gain on Wordpress is particularly impressive considering social media giants like Facebook are seeing significantly slower adoption rates in Canada and the US, allowing experts to speculate about opportunities for emerging social media tools like Tumblr. Tumblr Director/Media Evangelist, Mark Coatney, created a very ‘sticky’ quote this past week when he interviewed with National Public Radio (NPR) in the US. In describing Tumblr, he said, "It's more almost like an email experience in a way," he said. "You'll dash off an email or do a tweet because it's quick and easy, so it's taking that thinking and applying it to blogging.“ By comparing Tumblr’s blogging platform to email, Coatney created a simple and highly-relatable analogy. The quote showed up in PC World, Mashable, The Atlantic, Media Bistro, Poynter, and a number of other credible social media blogs.  As we often highlight in our Veritas Media Coaching sessions, using a simple, concrete, and unexpected analogy for interviews or news release quotes creates clarity for your audience, paints a picture in their minds, and ultimately will increase your chances for media traction.

Jess Bennett works with the Corporate and Public Affairs practice at Veritas, providing strategic counsel on digital communications strategy and execution. She is immersed in social media from blogging to exploring new trends and platforms.