Don’t get cold feet: Prepare now for your media interview

Your PR agency called and booked you an interview with BusinessWeek . . .

The marketing manager scheduled you to meet with Network World’s editor-in-chief at the upcoming trade show . . .

You received an invitation to appear on a podcast . . .

Does any of these sound familiar? Does the thought of speaking to a reporter, industry analyst or another external party cause your heart to pound, butterflies in your stomach and palms to sweat? Beat the media fear by preparing now and following these simple do’s and don’ts.

Press Dos:

• Keep your answers focused, short and relevant to the topic under discussion – Know your company’s approved messages
• Follow the Scout motto: Be prepared for the tough questions and know who you are speaking with and what the individual recently wrote
• Stay within your area of competence – Allow your colleagues to speak for themselves, don’t speculate!
• Remember that every word you say could end up in print – There is no off the record, ever
• Get a feeling for where the reporter stands on the topic
• Prepare three main points that you want to emphasize during the interview
• Clarify leading or rambling questions and occasionally ask if the reporter has any questions
• Keep the reporter’s audience in mind
• Remain calm – never argue with the journalist or speak negatively about competitors

Press Don’ts:

• Never take a reporter’s call directly – Check with your internal marketing department, PR agency or executive team before speaking with a member of the media
• Be careful of deliberate provocation by journalists
• Correct misinterpretations firmly and quickly when necessary
• Avoid being too promotional or sales-y during the discussion
• Refrain from answering emails, taking other calls or conducting tasks during the call or meeting – remain focused!
• Unless it is an advertorial, don’t ask to review the article before publication
• Shun the term “No Comment” as it has a negative connotation

 

 

 

 

 

Measuring PR effectiveness

PR measurement is a fascinating topic – even though it is associated with “evil” math calculations. Even though a significant number of PR professionals chose this career because there is no obvious math or science involved, we still need to show our value through some quantifiable number or result.

Recently, I attended a joint event, held by the PubClub and PRSA Boston, featuring guest speakers Katie Delahaye Paine, The Measurement Queen and CEO of Paine Publishing, and Christine Perkett, CEO of SeeDepth, discussing the value of PR measurement. The fireside chat format, hosted and recapped by Bullhorn CRM, covered a broad range of topic around how social media changed PR to the difference between monitoring and measurement.

It reenergized my interest in measurement and how clients may more effectively measure the results of their PR campaigns. And it comes down to simply having a discussion with the firm’s leadership: What is your company’s goal and what do you want to accomplish with PR? Based on an honest dialogue, only then can the PR team fully understand and map strategies and activities to achieve measurable results.

All too often, clients are focused on the incorrect aspects of PR, thinking it can be easily quantified and measured. How many of you have heard some version of these questions?

• So, how many sales leads will PR efforts generate?
• Why should my company care about social media?
• What are you going to do to move the needle?
• When will we start to see results?
• And the age-old favorite: How will you get my company on the front page of the Wall Street Journal?

We need to end these questions and instead advise clients on the proper strategies and measurement tactics. If the client says, “I want to be in every story my competitor is in!” how do measure it?

Monitoring tools can indeed state how many times the company is mentioned in a month, but accurate measurement of share of voice takes it further. How many times was the competitor covered? What was the tone of the article – positive, negative or neutral? Were the company’s key messages included in the article or was is just a reference? A thorough media analysis will provide a better quantitative result of it the client is positively discussed in the market, which in turn should help move the needle. And yes – math and charting of outcomes will be essential when presenting to the client.

Share of voice is just one of the PR measurement method that you can use. How do you measure PR outreach for your clients? What results or rankings resonate best? Share your experience on what did or do not work!

PR jingles for the Christmas season

You can’t run. You can’t hide from the growing avalanche of 2015 trends articles, predictions and year-end wrap-ups. Personally, I am experiencing “death by trend” overload (but that hasn’t stopped from clicking on the headlines). So rather than joining the masses, I elected to take a light-handed approach to a holiday blog.

Whether you are preparing the holiday meal or driving to your final destination, take a minute to sing these amended little ditties regarding Christmas and PR. And feel free to make additional lyrics to other great tunes as well. It is one way to combat bad traffic and obnoxious visitors! Happy Holidays y’all.

 

The 12 items clients want for Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas
my client said, “I want:”

Twelve pieces of business and trade press coverage
Eleven analysts clamoring for briefings
Ten crisp new messages on company growth and product development
Nine executives totally media trained
Eight stellar customer references
Seven trade show speaking engagements
Six industry award wins
Five fully developed thought leadership pieces
Four established social media channels
Three designed infographics
Two prime-time TV interviews
and an article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal

(and can you do this all in 90 days?)

---

Deck the PR Halls

Deck the halls with lots of media clips

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

‘Tis the season to be fully covered

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Don we now our thinking caps

Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la.

To craft 2015 plans and outlines

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

 

See the blazing headlines before us

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Strike the harp and join the chorus.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Follow me in merry calling.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

While we tell all the tech trends of 2015

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

 

Forget those 2014 messages.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Hail the new year product developments

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Pitch we joyous, all together.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Gathering of the reporter feedback.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

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Let the PR Flow

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

But inside the computer light is delightful,

And since we’ve got the fluorescent glow,

Let it PR, let it PR, let it PR.

 

It doesn’t show signs of stopping for lunch,

And I brought ideas for thought leadership;

The fingers are strumming the keys,

Let it PR, let it PR, let it PR.

 

When we finally say good night,

How I’ll hate closing down the office;

But if bring my phone with me out the door

All the way home I can post social media content.

 

The day is getting away with us,

And, we still have two more interviews and a status call,

Oh, PR I love you so.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

 

Eight Items PR Professionals are Thankful for ….

Around many of groaning, overfilled Thanksgiving dinner tables filled with goodies from turkey and stuffing to sweet potato casserole and cornbread, we will bow our heads and give thanks to the people and things that make out lives better every day. I know my list will include my family and friends, but when I think about my fulfilling career and the PR profession in general, I will be adding the following items to my Thankful list (in no specific order.)

1. Successful, interesting clients: Without these firms, we would lack the vigor and enthusiasm to continue on every day.
2. Advancements in technology driving new and innovative markets and companies: Need I say more?
3. Press and analyst community: You are the ying to our yang that helps us get those fabulous clients the top piece of coverage for the month!
4. High-speed Internet and computers: Who really can work for any extended period of time without these two items?
5. Mobile technology: We are never unplugged and always available for that critical call – even at 3 a.m. ET!
6. Fellow PR practitioners: My colleagues understand the ups and downs of conference calls, late nights, nail-biting fear of exclusives and meeting monthly goals.
7. Content: Writing interesting articles and advice columns on technology, entrepreneurship and business topics is a welcome part of my daily activities.
8. PR tools and dashboards: Without these time-saving utensils, we would spend hours tracking down contact information, readership stats and social media engagement details.

Are there any PR items you are especially thankful for in 2014?

 

Soft skills, Disney and PR

Our family just returned from the big Orlando, Florida vacation of LEGOLAND, Sea World and the Disney parks. It was a whirlwind seven days of different parks, roller coasters, characters and crowds of people. And visiting other parks outside of the Disney group (Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios) illustrated the difference between the operations and staff. Disney employees were, by far, more helpful and friendlier and showed a positive, good attitude. They have mastered what employers call soft skills.

Soft skills, sometimes referred to as the emotional intelligence quotient, are personality characteristics tied to social graces, interaction with others, friendliness, attitude and enthusiasm. These skills, along with occupational expertise, are what employers look for in candidates. The Disney park staffs embrace these skills as they never fail to smile at each person, treat them with courtesy and appear to enjoy their work. Several operators at the other parks gave the impression of just doing what they had to do, which reflected negatively on our guest experience and overall perception of the park.

Another example might be your shopping experience at two grocery stores. At the first store, the staff was negligent, slow to respond to your request and bagged your groceries in a manner that your cookies and bread were crushed by canned goods. The second store, a further drive from your house, was clean, with friendly, smiling staff that showed a positive attitude and went out of their way to make sure your groceries were bagged properly. Which store would you patronize?

A company’s outward perception is dependent on employees and their soft skills. If a person looks generally unhappy to be doing a task or just answers the phone in a boring tone, it reflects back on the firm. The importance of soft skills is rising in the workforce, especially in careers where individuals interact with the public. Public relations (PR) is one of these careers.

Answering the phone with a smile on your face is one the many rules that I learned over the years in the PR industry. People can hear that smile on the phone. A positive, enthusiastic attitude can enhance client relations, build relationships with reporters and analysts and impact your co-workers. An individual can be taught how to pitch a reporter, create target lists and complete speaking and award applications. The soft skills and can-do attitude of that individual will further propel his career and success in the PR market.

We can all take a page out of the Disney employee handbook in greeting each day with a friendly smile and a positive attitude. What soft skill do you find most useful in your career?

Educate yourself in PR and beyond

How often do you attend an industry conference or event?

Once or twice a year?

Does it depend on the cost and location of the event?

I’m guessing only a few of you are nodding your heads or raising your hands.

So, why are we limiting ourselves to in-depth education to only a few times year? Like any other industry, public relations (PR) is evolving and we must stay on top of it or we will find ourselves quickly shuffled out the door by our clients. We need to remain ahead of the new generation of PR pros entering the workforce that have social media skills and boundless energy to pitch all day long. We need to get strategic about how to stay abreast of the new trends in our field and beyond, but without breaking the bank.

Yes – of course we can read books, blogs, newspapers, etc. about our industry. In fact, I listed eight PR agency blogs and six industry blogs earlier this year that will inform about PR news. But is there anything you can do beyond reading or finding the funds to make it to that conference? And can you broaden your horizons to gain a fresh viewpoint or find that new passion?

• Take a college course! edX offers you the ability to audit a college course for free. Courses are online so you can do it at your pace in the evenings, during weekends or in those early morning hours. And these courses are not just focused on writing, marketing or PR-related topics. Learn about computer science, physics, entrepreneurship, history, art and more from professors at top colleges and universities.

• Find mini-seminars! Copyblogger, founded by Brian Clark, offers a 20-part Internet marketing course as well as a number of e-books on content marketing and writing. And he just released the new Rainmaker platform that offers seven lessons and three webinars on how to become the content Rainmaker in your organization.

• Attend local lectures and events! Check out the calendar listing at your local university, school or town library. There are numerous free events where authors and experts will present on a variety of subjects or teach a new skill such as knitting, birdhouse building, etc.

What activities are you doing to keep on top of your field and investigate unexplored topics?

 

 

 

Reading list: Top six public relations industry blogs

Each day my inbox is clogged with email blasts and newsletters regarding breaking news for the data center, security and business technology industries. Reading is a required part of any PR practitioner’s life, but, it doesn’t stop there. We also must stay on top of what is happening within our own industry to personally advance our careers. Check out the following blogs, listed in alphabetical order, on how to strengthen social media activities, create compelling story ideas and effectively handle crisis communications.

• ComPRehension: Maintained by the PRSA, this site features guest bloggers providing tips for content creation and social media and discussion of PR strategies.
• O’Dwyer’s: A must-read for any PR pro, this site provides several news articles daily. If you need the top stories at once, there is a “PR Links of the Day” published every afternoon.
• PR Week Blogs: This publication posts blogs daily on various technology and national news as it relates to the PR industry.
• PRNewser: This is Mediabistro’s PR site whose tagline, “Your Daily PR Release,” effectively describes the posts. The blog also features an article every Friday on the “Biggest Stories of the Week.”
• Ragan’s PR Daily: I read these short blogs daily. Most of these entries are written by our fellow PR pros who offer insight on all areas in a short, easy-to-digest format.
• The PRNews Blog: Written by The PR News Group, this weekly blog looks at the PR lessons learned from recent events including the ice bucket challenge, events in Ferguson, Miss. and the ongoing NFL and Ray Rice scandal.

What other PR industry blogs would you add to this list and why do you follow it? Share your feedback!

Time for PR Ho-Ho-holiday planning

It’s early September in the Northeast and most people are thinking of yellow buses, sharpened pencils and fresh, clean notebooks. The winter holidays and New Year still seem to be lights years away. But in the PR world, it is the time to ferret out predictions and trends for the coming year.

Why so early you might ask?

Editors are already thinking ahead to December, January and beyond as many work 2-3 months in advance of when an article will appear. Now is the time to get in touch with these reporters and help shape the 2014 year-end wrap-ups and look ahead articles.

Look back at what was predicted last year by your client and within their industry. Did it come to fruition? If not, will it remain a trend in the coming year or did the market take a drastic turn in the other direction? How did Heartbleed change the security industry? Was this the year of BYOD and virtualized desktops? Will financial institutions use public cloud services? What will be next in the virtualized, cloud-based data center world?

After you do your research on the year’s trends and predictions, schedule a brainstorming session with your client and get his thoughts on what is coming next. These open conversations can happen over the course of a few weeks, but it will provide your team with fresh ideas and the data needed to flush out pitching concepts and content creation in the months ahead.

Don’t wait until November to get think about 2015. Make sure you prepare now for the best present under the tree in December.

Top eight public relations agency blogs

Image courtesy of Carolyn Coles

Reading is a required part of every PR professional’s daily tasks. Perusal of business magazines, daily newspapers and top stories related to specific clients and their industries is essential. Additionally, PR practitioners must gather insight into how best hone their craft and provide top-notch customer service. There are a number of excellent blogs, so the list below is only a small sampling of those sites written by PR agencies on the front lines. What other agency blogs would you add to this list and why do you follow it? Share your feedback!

In alphabetical order by agency, a handful of the top PR organization blogs are listed below with some insight into specific or recurring blog themes:

• PR Fish Bowl/Crenshaw Communications: The “Journalist’s View” series features a reporter answering three burning questions from a PR professional.
• Edelman Conversations: Edelman executives and staff blog on a wide variety of topics related to current news, communication trends and international viewpoints.
• The Flack/Flatiron Communications: This blog offers a different view of the industry looking at the role PR plays in politics and various markets.
• HMA PR: The“#MediaMonday” series features journalist interviews offering a behind-the-scenes look into those reporting on the news.
• Inklings/Inkhouse: Located in my backyard of Boston, this agency blog educates on local events, social media and related news items.
• Lewis 360/Lewis PR: The contributors touch upon international PR topics and the blog features a weekly series, “Links of the Week,” offering resources on a specific topic such as visuals, creativity and social media.
• Metis Communications: Another Boston-based agency offers a weekly roundup of PR, media and business news as well as the series “Startup Saturdays.”
• Shift Communications: A third Boston PR agency on this list leads the conversation on social media and offers series on the “State of Social,” blogging and interviews with other practitioners.

Creating and marketing ideal content

Content is an essential part of any PR and marketing program whether it is the creation of thought leadership pieces on important industry topics to customer case studies illustrating the benefits of a certain technology. It must educate customers, attract new partners and customers and demonstrate the knowledge base of a company’s executive team.

In “101 Content Marketing Tips,” Byron White, founder of ideaLunch and WriterAccess, outlines how and why content must connect and interact with the intended audience. His tips assist beginner and advanced marketers on creating, optimizing and testing content strategies.

Creating quality content

In creating content, White recommends creating quality, educational content that will earn the reader’s trust. There are a number of content assets that may be created to build this trust and reach specific audiences including partners, customers and the media. He also provides insight into how to work with freelancers and finding the right writer for your organization.

Optimizing content for success

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important part in the creation of content. A company wants its content to be found, read and shared within its industry. As White points out, a firm must provide fresh content for search engines to index. White also provides several tips on how to strategically use links within the content for greater optimization.

Testing must not be forgotten

Once you create a website and fabulous content, the key is not just to launch it and hope for the best. White states marketers have a fleeting opportunity to grab that passing reader, so make sure the messages are clear and don’t be afraid to use images. He also suggests testing your landing pages to determine what design works best and how to improve conversion rates.

An easy to read with understandable and actionable tips, marketers would benefit most from reading these “101 Content Marketing Tips.”

Share your favorite marketing or PR resource book with us! What is on your reading list?