How to announce you're running for President -- Mindy Finn Profiled in National Journal

Once upon a time, the way to announce a presidential exploratory committee was to draw your family, closest friends, and reporters into a room. Against a backdrop of American flags, you would lay out a new vision for the country. Maybe throw in a balloon drop if you were feeling particularly ambitious, and boom! You would be on your way to running for the highest office in the land.
That is, until this year’s likely GOP candidates decided to throw out the old rulebook.
“Like my Facebook page to get a special message exclusive to my Facebook supporters today at 3 pm,” Tim Pawlenty tweeted on a Friday morning in March, leaving just enough time to get the cable news shows talking. That afternoon, he rolled out a swanky video on his Facebook page, announcing the initial phases of a presidential run. Instead of a balloon drop, Pawlenty showed wholesome images of his hometown of St. Paul, Minn., and deployed crescendoing orchestra music as he made the big reveal. Mitt Romney followed a similar tact, announcing his intentions via a video on his new website.