Tag: media relations

A Journalist’s View: 3 Questions From A PR Pro

Posted on by Marijane Funess

This week we have a conversation about PR with Lauren Gordon, “Entertain” editor at The Daily Meal. If you aren’t familiar with this heavenly food website, it’s an encyclopedia of culinary content that is beautifully photographed and easily “digestible.” The Philadelphia native graduated from Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater in 2010 with a focus in Magazine

Journalism and began her career as Assistant Editor of Philadelphia RowHome Magazine. Gordon says that writing is her first passion and food is a close second. We recently asked her the following questions:

What is the biggest misconception about food editors? I’d say the biggest misconception is that we are all experts in all areas. I am the Entertain Editor at The Daily Meal, so my focus is mostly on holidays (not PR holidays she adds), entertaining, social and celebrities. I often get pitches for random cookware that doesn’t pertain to a host and some cookbooks that are too niche for my channel’s audience. Generally speaking we all operate under the notion of “if it is about food, we’ll cover it,” but it is best to target the right editors for the right products.

Want to impress? Send us____ Booze! I’m kidding (kinda). While booze never hurts, we really like it when you send us new food to try, especially if it is shareable with the whole office!

Nicest thing a PR pro has done for me. This is a tough one. While the dinners and freebies are nice,  I think the nicest thing that a PR person has done is kept me in mind for a scoop first. If we can be valuable to each other in a way that is ethical and beneficial for our publication and your PR firm, that is a great gift!
Another thing to know about Gordon is that she is very open to creative suggestions for stories, regular guest posts, etc. especially when they show intimate familiarity with the site.

A Journalist’s View: Three Questions From A PR Pro

Posted on by Marijane Funess

Rachel Weingarten is a weekly style columnist for Parade.com and opinion columnist for amNewYork who also freelances for CNN Digital, Esquire.com Fortune, Newsday, USA Today and many others. Rachel is the author of three non-fiction books including Ancient Prayer: Channeling Your Faith 365 Days of the Year.

The most important rule to remember when pitching a freelance writer is…Unlike writers on staff, we tend to have existing ongoing relationships with numerous outlets. Depending on the product, person or project, it’s entirely possible that we can include your client in one or more stories and publications. Once you have an existing relationship with a freelancer, don’t be disappointed if they reject your pitch to one of their outlets; it’s best to be open to different outlets, even they aren’t your initial targets.  For the same reason, always try to offer more than one facet to your pitch. This is a great way to create an ongoing relationship. One more thing, if your contact is a regular contributor or columnist, check to see if they’re still with the publication when you pitch.

As a freelancer, I am typically working on… any number of stories with a workload that might ebb and flow. For instance, I write a weekly column for Parade.com, am an editorial columnist for amNewYork and contribute to lots of other publications as a freelancer. I also take on new assignments regularly. I do copywriting and marketing copy, so in a given week I could be writing a minimum of two articles and thousands of additional words. Or I might be working on my books while keeping up all of the rest. And during all of this, I also might be researching and interviewing sources for upcoming articles. My writing is a business, and as such I create structure and manage many moving parts. But I also have clients and editors that I love working with, so I’ll happily accept extra assignments from them even during the busiest times- I just try to figure out how to manage my deadlines better.

Sometimes I am at the whim of my editors which means… that I might not be able to predict when a story of mine might run. In fact, I usually have no idea whatsoever when my pieces appear. I usually tell publicists that it’s entirely possible that they’ll see a story before I do. It also means that sometimes stories get killed or sections or product recommendations are cut. And while I value my relationships with publicists, I also realize that I have to smile and accept the decisions of my editors.

That’s right, we all have to smile and accept the decisions of editors!

A Journalist’s View: Three Questions From A PR Pro

Posted on by Marijane Funess

Here’s another dispatch from our ongoing conversations with top journalists on best media relations practices.  Today we interviewed Mandi Woodruff, who covers personal finance for Yahoo! Finance, having recently moved from a similar position at Business Insider. Mandi shared her insights on PR professionals and the interview process.

When a PR person asks for interview questions in advance, I…. politely say no. I am fine with telling them broadly what I want to speak about, but sending questions ahead of time is a little bit overkill. If this were a live segment on CNN, then, sure, it’d only be polite to prepare the guest so they have time to think their answers through. I like to keep interviews relaxed. If a question surprises them and they need more time to think on it, I’m always happy to give them a few minutes or even call back later. It all depends on the subject matter, I suppose. I cover personal finance, which isn’t the most scandalous of beats, so, really, anyone who asks for questions ahead of time gets a little bit of an eye roll from me. It’s not that serious.

When I’m interviewing a spokesperson by phone and a PR person is also on the line, I’m…. OK with that. Whatever makes them feel comfortable. I sometimes wonder if the PR rep is even paying attention or just has the phone on mute while they go about their business. But more often than not, the PR rep is really helpful and can take note of things that I ask for (certain stats, documents, etc) and get them to me even while we’re still on the phone. I don’t like it when they butt in too much and try to speak for the person I’m interviewing though. But I will say this — two people, max! One PR rep + one interviewee. I’m rarely OK speaking with two people at once. It gets too confusing trying to figure out who said what.

When a PR person asks to see a story before it goes to print, I…. politely say no. I honestly can’t believe people still ask this (and they do!). The most I can do is offer to paraphrase some of their talking points, but even that is a very, very, (very!) special case.  Some people will go back and forth, obsessing over things like: “Did I really say ‘wanna’? Could we change that to ‘would like to’?” and you can spend all day arguing over what they think they did and didn’t say. It’s a game of telephone I’d rather not start.

On the other hand, if they’re an expert presenting a bunch of stats, I want to be sure I’ve got them right, so I’ll send them a summary for confirmation. Also, if I’m trying to explain a difficult concept, I might send that section to a source or expert who can tell me if I’m heading in the wrong direction (I do this all the time with complicated tax and investing stories.)

Anatomy Of A B2B PR Success

Posted on by Marijane Funess

Sometimes a B2B PR team meets with a client to discuss a product launch and despite client enthusiasm for the project, they have a sinking feeling that there’s not really any “there there.” Other times, a team walks away buoyant with the knowledge they’ve got a hot story.

For client Findaway World, publishers of electronic and audiobooks looking to attract additional publisher and other business partners for its technology, the situation was somewhere in the middle. Not until the team got into the details did we realize that the company’s new  Navy eReader Device, or “NeRD” e-reader developed for use by sailors on U.S. Navy vessels, was a media live wire! Since the story was broken last week, media coverage has been intense, beginning with first-round announcements from WSJ, CNN, NBC, Engadget and dozens of others. Now in the second week of working the story, the team is seeing interest from even bigger press outlets.

Here are the elements that helped create a media juggernaut that hasn’t slowed down yet.

Storytelling works. Sometimes literally.  The U.S. Armed services is inherently interesting, for reasons of patriotism, politics, and technology, and there are plenty of military geeks out there in media-land. The NeRD background also had particular appeal as a feel-good item that has nothing to do with battle or casualty reports. It focused on providing the Navy with secure e-readers and a library of bestselling titles for personnel as a welcome diversion for lengthy stints at sea, invoking fictionalized accounts of long weeks spent in submarines or aboard other vessels that are fascinating to so many.

Go the extra distance. Few stories are just one-day affairs. The team doled out portions of the story ahead of release to certain writers with specific interest, then embargoed to the greater media list. Once the initial flurry of announcement press occurred, they dug deeper into feature reporters who wanted to explore other facets of the story and the company behind the device, Findaway World.

Well-oiled client machine. The agency team and the client worked to make sure the company execs were well-versed in every aspect of the product and the Navy partnership, resulting in better soundbites and more compelling interviews.

Expand the media reach. The team already had some excellent relationships with media covering publishing, business, tech, and e-reader beats; now they’ve built new relationships with journalists covering the armed forces and various other areas as well.

Plan for the next story. The success of the NeRD has spawned fresh story ideas for the team to explore as well as collaborative thinking with the client. Maybe e-readers for space travel?

A Journalist’s View: 3 Questions From A PR Pro

Posted on by Marijane Funess

It’s every intrepid PR practitioner’s dream to get inside the brain of a working journalist and see what makes them tick. In an effort to get there, we are inaugurating a regular feature called “A Journalist’s View: 3 Questions From A PR Pro.” Our first journalist is Lisa Collier Cool, a bestselling author, award-winning health journalist and blogger for Yahoo! Day in Health.

We knew of Lisa’s coverage of the health field and the topic of pain management. We reached out to her on behalf of our client ZetrOZ, a bio-medical device company with a revolutionary new pain treatment via miniaturized, long duration ultrasound. Lisa was intrigued and is now working on a story for Yahoo! Day in Health.

We asked Lisa to finish the following sentences to help our agency, as well as other PR pros, improve their media relations technique.

I toss any PR pitch that….. is irrelevant to my specialty (health), is focused solely on promoting a product, makes grandiose claims with no evidence to support them (such as a study), gets my name wrong (makes me wonder what else the publicist has gotten wrong), is long and rambling, or pitches “news” that has already appeared all over the place. Also, I ask to be taken off PR lists if the publicist has overly aggressive followup (such as making unsolicited phone calls to my home office).

PR pitches that get my attention always…. offer a news hook to show why my readers want to know about this now, clearly explain what’s new and interesting about the story, and grab attention with the header and first paragraph (or else I won’t read the rest).

The percentage of stories I do based on PR pitches is… about 25 percent. Lisa adds that PR pitches which go beyond what the client is currently “plugging” can trigger other story ideas enabling the good PR pro to increase their coverage.

7 PR And Media Relations Rules You Might Want To Break

Posted on by Dorothy Crenshaw

Most disciplines have unwritten rules or principles that professionals live by, and the practice of public relations is no exception.  But none of the PR or media relations “laws” are ironclad. There are times when you just might need to break the rules, or at least shake up PR industry convention when it comes to dealing with the press.  Here’s my list.

Rule #1:  Never say, “No comment.”  Of course, we tell clients never to say this, and the words have become such a cliché that any PR person would cringe to see them in print.  But most know that there are times when the only response to a media inquiry is none at all. For example, pundits always advise “getting out in front of the story” in a crisis situation, but we don’t always have all the facts during the roughly four-hour window available for responding. And when you don’t have the facts, you probably shouldn’t be speaking to the press.

Rule #2:  Don’t bother media unless you have news.  This doesn’t always hold up because someone else’s news can also be your story…if you have a colorful quote or interesting point of view.  In fact, “newsjacking,” which we used to call “newssurfing”—or hijacking a breaking news story or trend with your client’s comment—is a time-honored way to be featured.  Just don’t expect to be the main story.

Rule #3:  To be mediaworthy, your product/service/story must be unique.  Not really, and few are (And that overused and hyberbolic descriptor probably won’t get you far.)  Yet, as we like to say in the biz, one product is just a product, but two is a category.  Your news might meet with a stronger reception and make more of an impact as part of a broader category story or a classic “marketing wars” face-off.

Rule #4:  Cast your net widely when pitching a story.  Not always.  A better way to assess media potential and promote the story to maximum advantage may be to offer first crack, or “exclusive” access, to a single, highly influential outlet and then go wide.  Yes, sometimes you can have it both ways.

Rule #5:  Media training your client or spokesperson will guarantee message delivery. This one’s debatable, but I think media prep is overrated.  It won’t typically transform a reluctant or meandering speaker into a great interview. When it’s overdone, it can result in a flat or overly commercial interaction which can kill the chances for future interviews. There are even times when it’s best to find a third-party expert, or restrict the client to taped and print interviews.

Rule #6:  The PR person stays behind the scenes.  In many situations, it’s tricky for a PR rep to be quoted or to outshine a client, and most traditional agency people are more comfortable behind the scenes.  But there are plenty of communications specialists who take an active role in a client interview, and not just for preparation.  It’s particularly vital for advocacy campaigns where misinformation can abound and opinions and conclusions are hotly debated.

Rule #7:  When in doubt, have a press conference.  This is a bit of a cheat because few PR professionals would agree, but some clients think a new product or service launch deserves a fancy press briefing and that the media will come running.  Chances are they won’t, and it may not serve the client well.  A strategic media approach beats an expensive event nine times out of ten.

An earlier version of this appeared April 2 on MENGBlend.

Top Media Relations Tips for Consumer PR Agencies

Posted on by Jackie Hafner

“Sure, I’d love to interview your client.” And with that simple response, a PR pro’s day is made. Of course, you can’t control the outcome of your pitches, and consumer public relations – like all types of PR – is an art, not a science. So, whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to the trade, there’s always a bit of chance involved. But you can improve the odds. As you look forward to 2014, here are a few simple strategies to enhance your media relations for a consumer PR account, or virtually any other.

Make media follow-up meaningful

Always include some type of value-add in your follow-up notes to media, or don’t bother sending the email at all.  If you’re lucky enough to have a newsworthy development since sending the initial email, use it.  Share a photo (embedded, not attached!) or even consider leaving out a trivial detail in the initial pitch and then sharing it in your second note.

Really know your brand

To convince media your client is worth writing about, you must be a true champion of your brand, which means knowing it inside and out. I’m not just talking about looking at the client’s website and press materials, either.  If your client is an ecommerce site, shop on it.  If you represent a destination, take a mini-vacation there.  Separate your PR persona from your “inner consumer” and ask: If this weren’t my client, what would I find cool or compelling about it? In so doing, you’ll unearth interesting facets that might be deserving of media attention.

Take advantage of “quiet periods”

Every client has a quiet period, off-season, etc., and an insightful account leader will anticipate these well in advance and find ways to make news.  This might mean linking to a broad consumer trend, revamping an evergreen angle, or taking advantage of an unsung corporate social responsibility or community relations initiative.   If you can successfully transcend this quiet period you’ll come out way ahead, as this likely will be a quiet period for your competitors as well.

Be your client’s partner

Being honest with your client is essential to a healthy, thriving relationship (or any relationship for that matter) and will always result in better message delivery to media.  This is easy when your client “gets it”, but when they don’t, it’s your job as PR counsel to politely explain and guide.  Work together to ensure a client understands what is media worthy and what isn’t. Show them case studies, results reports, or “best practices” to make sure you’re on the same page before vetting something that your experience tells you not to.  Overpromising is an easy, short-term solution, but if your team can’t deliver, it can damage a relationship in the long-run.  Be honest with your client, and if they value you as a partner, they’ll appreciate your candor and your focus on initiatives that will further their goals.

It really is all about the data

With ever-shrinking media staffs and competition for eyeballs, journalists appreciate as much content as you can provide – data in the form of polls, studies and white papers, expert opinions from multiple sources within the same company with different strengths, even external experts from academia or other arenas to bolster your client’s case. Successful PR pros can package all of these elements to help form a story.

There are ancillary benefits to all of the above – balanced stories, grateful reporters and happy clients!

PR Tips For Talking To Top Tech Bloggers

Posted on by Cliff Maroney

As an account person at a New York PR agency focused on tech accounts, I spend most of my day trying to reach some of the world’s most savvy tech bloggers and influencers. Bloggers are important in nearly every sector, but those who cover technology are particularly crucial to launching a new product or service, or to building a personal brand for a company executive. Some have deep technical subject knowledge, and all offer strong opinions about their category or product area.

These bloggers can also be some of the toughest cookies in our business. Here are a few tech PR tips I’ve picked up along the way that may help you crack the tech media code.

Do think in context

When pitching tech, it’s easy to be overly focused on your client’s announcement. News is always important, but instead of relying on it as your sole pitch, consider offering context. Provide links to pertinent headlines about similar topics and trends, or offer someone from your client’s end to discuss the trend beyond their news. Media are busy, so regardless of whether you are doing a hard B2B PR push, or just trying for some digital brand PR maintenance, keep your pitches to the point, but set the scene for offering insights, trend data, or forecasts.

Don’t get bloated by buzzwords

Nowhere are buzzwords more prevalent than in tech, and often PR people think loading up their pitch with jargon will give it a “hip” edge. It doesn’t; if you don’t believe me, check out this witheringly critical post of a buzzword-filled PR pitch by David Pogue. Instead, craft your pitch in a way that’s catchy and relevant, and get to the point in the first sentence of your verbal or email approach.

Do offer exclusives

Don’t be afraid to offer an “exclusive” – a first crack at a newsworthy story— to get the conversation started in advance of a company announcement. By responsibly teasing exclusives and off-the-record conversations prior to your news, you establish your client as a go-to source for future coverage. In addition, it gives you ample to time to get all the details ironed out prior to the story’s publication date. Skillful use of the media exclusive is also a great way to build relationships among influential bloggers and journalists.

Do keep it honest

Mistakes happen. And while it is frowned upon to continuously reach out in order to micro-manage a reporter’s coverage, following up with corrections is a must. No one likes to learn they got it wrong. Reach out in a friendly way with correct information (e.g. company background, titles, company claims, product information, etc.). Journalists are generally quite receptive and will appreciate the follow-up as they don’t want to spread misinformation. Consider pairing these requests with a “thank you for the great coverage…” in order to leave no question about the friendly nature of your request.

Think about the long term

Be considerate of tech bloggers or any journalists. Send them what they need, when they need it, and if you don’t have the answer they seek, do your best to get back to them with it. The right coverage is about more than just a pitch, and acting in collaboration with your contact is a great way to not only build bridges but also spawn more positive attention.

Creative Updates For Tired PR Tools and Tactics

Posted on by Iman Sandimanie

Want to “break bad” from traditional PR tactics and tropes and get better publicity results? Examine the way you are executing the tried-and-true at your PR agency and be an agent of change!

“The press release is dead, long live the press release?” Lively debate on the state of the news release continues. Some say in the world of the 24/7 news cycle fueled by social media, it’s a relic, outdated by the time a journalist sees it. Others believe it’s still the best way to provide press with  facts and approved quotes. While most PR pros and companies aren’t quite ready to abandon the press release, some companies have reinvented it for the social media savvy and come up with exciting ways to get the who, what, when, where, why about their clients out in the media.

Recently, Amazon‘s PR team announced a new product rollout in a series of 14 tweets. Amazon kept its tweeted release together by using a branded hash tag and having each tweet focus on a different element of the new product. A traditional press release still appeared on BusinessWire and the Amazon website, but we commend the creative PR tactic that tweaked the traditional tool.

“Pulled a list from (fill in with name of online database)”  As great as these services are, they were never intended to be the sole resource for a media list. Rife with errors, misspellings and people who left long ago, they are only the beginning of your list. If you want to assemble a strategic list of contacts who will open your email and consider your pitch, try these simple tips:

Google your topic and see which media have covered it in the past.
Stalk media and bloggers on Twitter and other social sites. It’s a good way to determine their personal and professional interests. The Crenshaw Team recently unearthed a slew of pet-lovers among the press for outreach on behalf of a client event and clinched a couple of great stories.
Follow journalist posts on social media channels for other reasons. It’s useful for learning about their pitch pet peeves like how they prefer to be addressed or stories that have captured their interest in the past.

“I left three messages for the producer.”  We’re all busy, and it’s often easier to communicate online. Many reporters feel the same and say so in their online profiles or voicemail greetings. So, instead of being classified as clueless, pitch cleverly. This often means nailing a catchy subject line to start and following up with something meaningful, not the dreaded, “checking in to see what you thought about xyz pitch.” 

“But emails go into a black hole.” Try a new tool. Email today is very sophisticated, and there are apps like ToutApp that can tell you if a journalist has opened it or clicked on links involved. It’s similar to how a newsletter service works, but you can use it with individual emails that aren’t in the newsletter template.

Often, a story needs feedback from media so it can be changed to suite their needs. You want to build a relationship with media contacts, not just “pitch” all the time.  Visit Muck Rack, which allows PR pros to connect with journalists and send pitches. Try communicating about anything other than your client as a way to start a relationship. Get on their radar by giving them a shout on Facebook or Twitter…a simple, “great read!” goes a long way.

Perfecting The PR Pitch

Posted on by Kaitlyn Kotlowski

For PR pros, one of the most important parts of the job is to tell our clients’ stories in a concise and engaging way. If this can be done effectively, and with long-term strategy in mind, we’re setting a solid foundation for success.

The role of a great pitch letter in storytelling should not be underestimated. Here are some do’s and don’ts for your next round of media outreach.

Personalize It. Yes, you should obviously refer to the person by name (i.e. Hi Julia, as opposed to Hi Reporter), but go a step beyond that! Mention something that lets the reporter know you’ve really done your research and have a good understanding of his or her audience. Consider referencing a relevant previous story or even a recent tweet.

Include Timely Tie-ins. Without a topical reference, your client’s story may be considered “evergreen,” and the person you’re pitching may just hold on to it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not ideal. In your pitch note, let the journalist know why it’s essential to have a conversation with your client now. For example, if your client’s product is a must-have for football season or if your client has time-sensitive advice for business owners, let the journalist know why there is a sense of immediacy around the conversation.

Don’t Fear Rejection. Journalists and bloggers are going to say no and pass on the opportunity to cover even the most compelling client story. Many just won’t respond to you at all. And that’s OK. Sometimes it’s helpful to take a step back, review your outreach strategy, tweak your pitch and start again.

Judge a Book by its Cover (Note)? Don’t underestimate the power of a good subject line! It’s what people see first (and sometimes it’s the only thing they see). What’s written in your subject line is just as important, if not more important, than what’s in the pitch note itself.
Recently, when reaching out on behalf of a client who was interested in offering expert tips for students regarding their finances, a colleague had a lot of luck with the subject line: “More Beer Money for Incoming Freshman? Assess Your Assets as the Semester Starts!” – this intriguing line resulted in interview requests by humorously piquing journalists’ interest right off the bat.

Be Visual. If relevant to your pitch note, include low-res images and/or a link to a video. These days media is very visual, so let reporters know you have images/video to accompany a story. Video and images are helpful for the journalist and also your client – typically, more pictures + video = bigger story!

What are some of your pitch perfect PR tips?