Tag: communications

PR Winners And Losers In The Government Shutdown

Posted on by Dorothy Crenshaw

From a public relations, communications, or any other point of view, it’s hard to find much positive in the Congressional wrangling that devolved into a government shutdown last night. A quick overview of traditional media showed plenty of “he-said, she-said” punditry, message-point-stuffed interviews with elected officials, and a few polls showing that the American people were – wait for it – thoroughly disgusted by the shutdown showdown.

The frenzy took over major social platforms, with Twitter’s trending topics featuring dueling hashtags #HarryReidShutdown and #ShutDownTheGOP. Some PR-savvy Representatives tweeted that, when the shutdown caused government workers to be furloughed, they would forgo their own salaries. It was a nice gimmick;  pity Rep. Sean Duffy, the reality-star-turned-congressman. When aggressively and repeatedly questioned on CNN about whether he’d defer his own pay, Rep. Duffy could only stammer out his talking points.

Winners

Republican governors.  Basically, any member of the GOP who was able to remain above the fray probably comes out ahead here. N. J. Governor Chris Christie’s criticism of both parties made him sound like the only adult in the room full of tantruming toddlers.

Senator Ted Cruz.  This one is arguable, but I’d say that Cruz accomplished what he set out to do. Although he was plenty demonized by Democrats and others for his 21-hour faux filibuster on the Senate floor, it earned him enormous visibility, right down to the Dr. Seuss soundbites. For some, he’s the new face of the party, and a 2016 run seems inevitable.

The Affordable Care Act.  President Obama’s centerpiece legislative achievement has not only survived, it might have even benefited from the brouhaha. In fact, some early technical glitches around the opening of the online health exchanges would probably have received far more attention if they hadn’t been eclipsed by partisan squabbling.

Losers

John Boehner.  As was widely reported, Boehner showed that he has absolutely no control over his own caucus. After all, hammering out a consensus IS the Speaker’s job, so this one looks particularly helpless and hapless.

President Obama. POTUS probably belongs on both lists, since he has communicated with consistency and statesmanship around the budget issues, but I’m placing him here for balance, since entities like Congress, the American people, and all government workers are a bit obvious for analysis. Although the President made a resonant speech Monday in which he outlined the reasons he wouldn’t and shouldn’t negotiate on Obamacare, the brinkmanship pointed out the White House’s failure to fully explain the Affordable Care Act and sell its benefits to the public in the months that preceded the shutdown.

The Tea Party. Though it succeeded in triggering the government shutdown that many members had promised since they were elected in 2010, the party may have overplayed its hand. According to a CNN poll ending September 29, 54% of Americans disapprove of it, and Gallup reports that its strong opponents outnumber strong supporters for the first time. The word “extremist” has crept into the majority of news accounts, and when your most common descriptor is the same one used to describe foreign terrorists, it might mean you have a PR problem.

Know Your PR Jargon

Posted on by lauren

It doesn’t take long in a PR agency to figure out that practitioners can speak in a language all their own. Learning “PR-speak” is necessary to facilitate communication within a team. Industry jargon can be off-putting, but it does add a sense of camaraderie for those “in the know.” Additionally, as any industry evolves, so does the vocabulary. Check out some of these commonly used PR terms and acronyms to keep from getting lost in translation.

The Acronyms. PR people are definitely fond of acronyms, so much so that a conversation between two people in the biz can sound more like a secret code than a business plan.

B2B and B2C, as most people already know, refer to campaigns that target other businesses, or those that reach consumers, respectively.

OTR stands for Off the Record — integral to media relations by (ostensibly) allowing you to control the message when speaking to media.

ROO stands for Return on Objective and represents how your end result compares to your program’s original goals, where ROI, Return on Investment, refers to the value of a program.

SOV stands for Share of Voice, a barometer of visibility often used by brands or companies in competitive industries. SOV can be part of an agency’s KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, as the industry has moved beyond such traditional (but outdated) metrics as CPM (Cost Per Thousand) or AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent.) Phew.

Pitching. Pitching is essential to successful public relations, and, although it’s derived from baseball, it can mean a few things. A new business pitch is where an agency sells ideas to a potential new client, while a media pitch, of course, is persuading a journalist or blogger that they should feature your client’s news. You should also be learning how to pitch yourself to potential employers, i.e. your elevator pitch.

Blast. The act of sending an e-mail to numerous people at one time (and, unfortunately, often misused.)

Crossing the wire. This sounds dangerous, but it means a press release distributed over a newswire service, which helps run news in searchable digital form. It can be a real asset in spreading a story quickly. The term “crossing the wire” comes from a time when news services communicated via electrical telegraphy.

Readers. A “reader” is a 30-to-60-second piece distributed to broadcast contacts that contains the most essential information for their listeners and viewers.

Boilerplate. “Boilerplate” is actually a printing term that also refers to standard language in legal contracts, but in PR it means a brief summary of a company’s business or history found at the end of a press release. It was also named as one of the most annoying PR terms by InsidePR, but we find it pretty harmless.

Got any other examples of jargon you’ve heard recently? Do you remember the first term that made you scratch your head? Tell us in the comments!

PR Pros Know Your Prose

Posted on by Marijane Funess

I read a tweet recently which featured the phrase “case and point.”  I knew the correct phrase was, of course, “case in point,” but it gave me pause as I thought about other similar examples. The problem with many of these idiomatic phrases is that people have often said or heard the phrases but have seldom, if ever, read or written them.

Hence, the following examples of often misheard/misused phrases that you will want to brush up on for more effective PR writing.

Deep-seeded vs. deep-seated. Even though deep-seeded kind of does make sense, the expression has nothing to do with a feeling being planted deep within one, but instead refers to its being seated firmly within one’s being: “My aversion to anchovies is deep-seated.”

For all intensive purposes vs.  for all intents and purposes.  Intensive purposes? Purposes that are exceptionally concentrated? No, in effect; for all practical purposes. “For all intents and purposes, I do not text and drive.”

Wet vs. whet one’s appetite. While imbibing may have an effect on your appetite, the proper word is whet. It is just such an uncommon word that people seldom see it spelled out. The word literally means to sharpen a knife or to excite or stimulate (someone’s desire, interest, or appetite).

Pore over vs. pour over. If you’re “pouring over” documents be prepared for some messy paperwork! What you should be doing is “poring over” them, or examining them closely.

Home in vs. hone in. Home in means to direct on a target and derives from the 19th-century use of homing pigeons! Used metaphorically, one can home in on something or focus on and make progress toward it. To hone is to sharpen, and it has become an alteration of home in. Although many people regard it as an error, it has become so common that many dictionaries now list it. We can think of honing in as a sharpening of focus or a perfecting of one’s trajectory toward a target. So while it might not make strict logical sense, extending hone this way is not a huge leap.

So, remember the next time you treat something with disdain by saying “I could care less,” no, in fact you could! So use the proper phrase, “I couldn’t care less.”

Any improperly used expressions that irk you? Let us know in the comments.

The Key to Good PR Is Persuasion

Posted on by George Drucker

Make no mistake. . .persuasion is an art form!

As public relations professionals, we understand the vital importance persuasion plays in almost everything we do i.e. dealing with media, influencers, opinion leaders or just about any third-party “endorsers.” It’s THE key factor in our being successful.

That said, there’s another area where we could spend more time and planning to be persuasive. That’s making sure that clients take our best advice and counsel. It’s easy to assume that we’ve been hired for that very reason. But it doesn’t always happen that way; company politics, distractions, and poor relationships can subvert even the best PR counsel. A couple of quick tips on being persuasive:

Always advise from the POV of the client’s best interests. Make the client feel you’re on the same side of the table. Don’t bring your interests or abilities into the mix; at the end of the day, you’ve been retained and are being paid to think about their needs.

Make sure you look at the big picture through their eyes, but retain your objectivity. And let them know you’re doing just that. Part of an agency’s value is the perspective we bring; chances are we’ve been down the same or similar road with other clients; we have our ears to the ground when it comes to influencer and media opinion; and we’re not as swayed by internal politics or history.

Listen first. You can only apply your expertise in meaningful ways and be perceived as a valuable resource when you’ve really heard what the client is saying. It’s much easier to be persuasive when you demonstrate that you’ve paid attention, even to the smallest detail. So, before you opine, listen and ask questions. Then listen some more.

Build a case. When pitching clients, we present and prioritize objectives. When we pitch media or any third-party endorsers, we organize our persuasive messages and key points to put our best foot forward. Do the same in persuading clients to follow your best advice and counsel.

Divining Destination PR

Posted on by Kaitlyn Kotlowski

In travel and tourism PR the goal is to promote the visitor experience offered by your client’s destination. From producing and supporting local events to leveraging influential personalities to tell your story, there are a variety of tactics you can use to get a place or property in front of the right people.

So how do you build visibility? Here are some go-to travel PR tips:

Know your destination inside and out. It’s important to become familiar with everything your spot has to offer.  Visit often and take notes and photos to provide a rich sensory picture for journalists. Pay particular attention to what differentiates it from competitive destinations.

Slice and dice your media. Divide your media contacts into categories, from food and family, to fashion and beauty, to entertainment. Keep each in mind when considering story angles and tailor pitches to the various verticals.

Highlight events. This is especially important if you’re planning a FAM trip, but even without that perq, let reporters know about the area’s key events as well as off-the-beaten-path, “only-in-your-area” opportunities. It’s especially important to target the calendar listings editors and see if anyone is pulling together any event round-up stories.

Find the fascinating. For most writers, just the announcement of a new chef or a re-designed hotel ballroom isn’t terribly compelling. But, if the chef is also an extreme mountain climber or the hotel ballroom has all been redesigned in 14-carat gold wallpaper – you might have yourself a story!

Create buzz with big announcements. Make sure you know details in advance and develop a strategic announcement / outreach plan. Rebrandings, key anniversaries or new ad campaigns; new hotels and restaurants; positive tourism statistics – all make for a great reason to stay in front of your contacts.

Practically speaking. Make your mailings memorable but don’t send large PDFs and/or JPGs of dozens of high resolution images. Let someone know what is available and fulfill their request when asked.

Any travel PR tips you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments!

Surveys, Petitions And Polls—Oh My!

Posted on by lauren

The results are in: When looking for a unique angle to promote a client, sometimes it helps to ask for the public’s opinion. Including an omnibus-style survey, social media poll, or even a petition with a slight political bent in your campaign can significantly change the story angle, as well as help the news spread like wildfire. However, each platform requires a little technique. Here are some tips for getting the public to work for you:

Try an online survey. Asking provocative questions via online survey is an easy and affordable way to get a quick sample of public opinion. By asking the right questions, you may be able to put a fresh spin on an over-exposed topic. You might only need one strong question to get the compelling results you need to move the media.

Read the fine print. Nothing’s worse than having great survey results that don’t meet an outlet’s criteria for publication. As easy as online surveys are to conduct, often times, the methodology employed by omnibus polling companies isn’t strict enough for consideration by major outlets. Do your due diligence and make sure you’re not limiting your client’s news by using a survey that isn’t up to par.

Set your budget. Petitions and polls are another creative option for your client to engage with the public. Depending on how large you want your soapbox to be, it may pay to spring for a third-party app to use on social media sites. There are apps for all price points and varying degrees of visibility. Care2, a popular petition website, allows for free and paid petitions to help promote your cause. If you have access to a large budget, Wildfire by Google is another company that provides high-quality content for use on Facebook, creating campaigns from start to finish.

Have a preparedness plan. When you open a public forum, especially one like a petition, be sure to have a plan in place if public opinion takes an unexpected turn or if your petition is lacking respondents. These developments can impact the media’s interest in your campaign and having a contingency plan in place can help move attention from negative to positive.

Overall, adding a survey, poll or petition to a campaign is an interesting way to add depth to a PR plan. Not only does it allow the company to hear valuable public opinion about their industry and company specifically, but it allows them to speak to different media audiences. When looking to break from the routine press release, consider adding one of these tools! Have you used something similar recently? Tell us about it in the comments.

Get Your Blog In Shape

Posted on by Marijane Funess

Is your blog flabby? Is its content the equivalent of junk food? As with other spring rituals, getting your content in shape is a worthy exercise. Ask yourself these questions and then choose a shape-up plan that works for your particular blog.

Is it carrying a “spare tire”? You need sharper editing. If you are the sole assignment editor, writer and copy editor, you may have become too close to the content and need some outside eyes to do incisive cutting. It only hurts for a minute, but the rewards for sleek, new posts are worth it.

Are your topics stale or the content equivalent of “empty calories”? Overhaul your Editorial Calendar! Really take some time to look at the next 3-6 months with a keen eye to topicality, seasonality, annual posts worth revisiting and some futurecasting to help you come up with fresh, dynamic themes. Consider assigning guest bloggers to keep things interesting.

Having trouble “fitting in” the time? Get organized and set aside an hour to plan, write and edit each piece. This may mean blocking out writing time on Outlook or having Siri remind you “time to blog” – any way that you do it, make it scheduled and rigorous as you would a physical exercise routine.

Does your blog need a new look? Something as simple as a font change can help liven its look. If you have had the same graphics and colors forever, though, it may take a bigger change to keep your blog fresh and appealing.

Whatever changes you undertake to improve your posts, set some realistic goals and recognize that just like losing weight or saving money, goals take time and hard work. Set some and get to it!

Client-Speak In The PR Agency World

Posted on by Marijane Funess

At the start of a new client/agency relationship there is always a period of ramp-up or onboarding or whatever word you like. Most of this is on-the-fly learning about your client’s systems and processes and establishing good reporting schedules and communications. But one of the most important and often nuanced parts of the process is translating what some clients are really saying.

We find that “clientspeak” tends to fall into three main categories. See if your experience aligns with ours.

The Jargoneer
This client is so taken with marketing lingo that even the simplest conversations are replete with corporate buzzwords. And jargon never dies; expressions that were popular a while ago – “out of the box,” anyone? – have been replaced by some other trendy words that often merely bog down the process as everyone scrambles to one-up the other in usage. (My personal pet peeve is “low-hanging fruit.”)

The Secret Handshake
The client with the secret handshake is similar to the jargoneer since each sometime speaks in their own code. The Secret Handshaker, however, has an entire lexicon used solely by them (and their frustrated agency partners who need to adapt.) Often this is company-specific; for example, we used to work with a client whose core technologies had names like LCD, LED, and OLED; product divisions like MFP and SIICA, and corporate divisions known as SEC, CEG, SMCA, and ISG, so meetings would sometimes take place entirely in acronyms!

Mr./Ms. Malaprop
Some people are in love with certain words, however ill-considered their usage might be. In some cases creative terms are born. For example, a former client coined “youthanism” for “euphemism.” These folks cannot be faulted for being in love with the English language, but we can always anonymously gift them with “vocabology”, an app that helps build your vocabulary.

Whatever “clientspeak” examples you may encounter, here are a few rules of thumb to gain clarity.

  • Be an attentive listener. Let your client speak as much as he/she wants. You may find you understand more than you think.
  • Ask good questions. If you ask the first time an acronym is mentioned it will prevent future misunderstanding.
  • Take notes. Typing or writing often helps messages sink in.
  • Put it in a follow-up memo. This way you can confirm that you got it right!

Any examples of “clientspeak” you’d like to share – we’re all ears!

It’s Award Season – Even In PR

Posted on by Cliff Maroney

by guest blogger George Drucker

We’re getting into awards season. . . in film, television, even public relations. It reminds me of a learning from years ago that has affected my modus operandi for business development and client relations ever since.

Winning awards for creativity is great for the ego. But it’s not necessarily what clients want. At least, it’s not everything.

I will never forget my shock and surprise when Tom Harris – of Golin/Harris fame – published the first of his client surveys of perceptions, wants, needs, and  interests in hiring and retaining outside public relations firms.

Through the years, I had the good fortune to win several PR Awards for creative programs and implementation, from PRSA Silver Anvil to CIPRAs, Golden Apples, Golden Trumpets and everything in between. I thought creativity ruled, that original thinking, tactical implementation and creative results were what impressed and motivated clients to hire and retain their agencies.

It came as an eye-opener to me that, according to Tom’s first study, the #1 priority for clients is actually SERVICE. No matter how you sliced and diced the data, responsiveness and service level were the most important factors in prospect and ongoing client decision making. Out of Tom’s “Top 10 Needs” for clients, creativity ranked #9. It was a factor–but not a vitally important one.

His ongoing surveys through the years have borne this out, and it certainly changed my perspective. Creative product is very important, but not at the expense of client service.

Whether you’re an agency working with corporate communications or marketing departments, or an internal PR function whose “clients” are inside the company, keep in mind that returning phone calls promptly, anticipating client needs, and essentially crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s might be among the most important things you do.

When you can combine that service ethic and flawless execution with inventive thinking and a creative package, you’re running on all cylinders. But start with the basics, and show your clients where your values lie.

Why Boring Isn’t Always Bad

Posted on by lauren

It’s probably fair to say that in today’s plugged-in, social world, our boredom threshold is very low. I know even waiting at Starbucks for a few minutes can induce severe ennui. There are some current theories though, that suggest a little boredom is good for everyone. Here is why.

First, the researchers had to come up with the most succinct definition of boredom: [the experience of] “wanting to, but being unable to engage in satisfying activity.” Thankfully this differs from apathy, where the subject has no urge to do anything, or depression, in which people see their inability to engage as a problem with themselves, not their surroundings.

Glad we cleared that up! Now here is the interesting part about how to harness boredom for something good.

It has been said that “boredom is the brain’s way to tell you you should be doing something else.” Therefore, if you can’t seem to get a “boring” report written without glancing at your iPhone or Facebook every five minutes – take five minutes to do just that and then go back to the task at hand. Better still, the experts say, clear your head entirely, or “reboot” before revisiting the situation.

If you are bored with one “to-do” on your list and can creatively steer that energy to something you enjoy more, do that! Then clear the decks again and go back to “eat that frog” the Mark Twainism co-opted by business folk and interpreted as that most onerous job one has each day.

Finally, researchers also suggest that boredom can serve as a great portal to creativity. Try this: the next time you find yourself less than stimulated by what you are doing – see where your mind-wandering takes you, but capture it (take notes, send yourself a text) whatever you need to do to see if you did in fact hatch a big idea while head-nodding at your desk.

If you were not too bored by this post, let us know some of the ways you prevent (or use boredom.)