Every week, we like to hold mini-training sessions on everything from insider info from local “meet the media” events to the latest features on social media platforms. It’s a great way for our team members to share their expertise with the broader agency and learn valuable tips to help with the daily grind.

Recently, I had the pleasure of leading a session that’s near and dear to my heart – running a PR campaign. Any successful PR effort requires careful planning, flawless execution and a heavy dose of creativity. And while seasoned communicators know this process like the back of their hands, it’s a tall order (and a lot to juggle) for those newer to profession.

So in an effort to break down the process, I came up with ten words to describe the major activities that go into any basic PR campaign:

1. Plan – Before the campaign begins, it’s critical to have a solid media plan in place. What are the goals and expectations of the campaign? Who’s the target audience? What’s the timing? What assets will you need?

2. Assign – In a team setting, it’s absolutely critical to assign responsibilities to individual team members. Who’s going to 1) write the press release and/or the pitch? 2) create the media lists? 3) be the point person for updates to the internal team and/or the client?

3. Research – Are there stats/trends that could make the pitch more compelling? Who are the relevant reporters/pubs and how will you find them? Is there anything, competitively, that you could tie in to the pitch?

4. Build – Create all of the materials that your team will need, including media list(s), a briefing document outline, talking points for spokespeople and more.

5. Write – Now is the time to put your thinking cap on and draft that press release or media alert, customize your pitches, come up with a unique byline abstract—anything you’ll need to make the campaign a success.

6. Distribute – What’s the best approach for your campaign? Will you distribute news via a wire service? Send the news or story idea to select journalists using a media database? Or, do custom emails make the most sense? What type of media follow-up is appropriate?

7. Communicate – With everyone! Share feedback/challenges/opportunities with fellow team members and managers, and always keep your client informed on progress and next steps.

8. Search (for coverage) – While Google Alerts are useful, go the extra mile and check the pub’s website or look at the reporter’s twitter handle (many reporters tweet out their stories). And if you’re expecting something longer-lead, put a reminder in your calendar to check in at a later date.

9. Recap – It’s also important to document everything you’re seeing or hearing from your contacts – coverage, feedback/interest, requests for follow ups and more. Establish a recap frequency with the client, and stick with it.

10. Measure – Whether you have a simple process in place, or need a more detailed analysis, measure, measure measure! Keep track of the number of articles, interviews conducted, share of voice, notable spokesperson quotes—anything that helps move the mark for your client, and raises the bar for your team the next time around.

While this list isn’t exhaustive (and every campaign is different!), I hope this simplifies the process a bit for people that are just dipping their toes into the PR world. Happy pitching!

This week has been difficult for many people on the East Coast due to the Sandy “superstorm.” Homes and business have seen destruction, people’s lives have been uprooted, and emergency workers are working 24/7 to get cities and towns across the coast back to a normal, working state. In the wake of the storm, it’s important that we are understanding of the situation as we go about our daily work. As PR pros, we are constantly in contact with clients, reporters, vendors, and other people in our field, and during this time, we need to remain sensitive in our communications and act accordingly.

Between the storm and the upcoming election on November 6, it’s going to be difficult to find an appropriate place for your brand’s messages in the shuffle of the news cycle. Newsrooms aren’t really concerned with anything but stories directly related to the storm, and that’s especially the case for us NYC-based PR pros. In the midst of a national disaster, do you really think you should be pitching your new makeup line or the “hottest shoe trends for 2013?” Didn’t think so.

That said, we still need to do our jobs, so here are a few things you need to keep in mind while you’re conducting media relations this week:

1. Be realistic.

We know that newspapers, online outlets, and TV/radio stations across the country are focusing on both the storm and the election, and not much else. As you’re working to find that appropriate space for your message, make sure that you’re transparent and set the expectation that coverage may be affected as a result of these events. Educate management. Redefine November goals and metrics. Be transparent about resources. Setting the proper expectation now will allow your team to be successful.

2. Do not try to insert your story into the Sandy coverage…

…Unless it’s absolutely applicable (or helpful).

It’s important to be sensitive about the situation. Trying to insert your story into the storm coverage in a roundabout way is not going to end well; if anything, it’ll land you here. Between now and the election, getting into top business press will be difficult for many. Instead, if applicable to your client, identify top publications in priority verticals that are less likely to cover the storm or the election. You’ll still be getting fantastic coverage for your client without upsetting reporters who are covering the national issues at hand.

3. Use this time to prepare for post-election pitching.

While we’re all in a bit of a standstill with the media, use this time to organize and update your media lists, write a few byline abstracts, and determine a strategy for post-election pitching. You’ll be happy you did once November 7th rolls around.

What is your pitching strategy around the Sandy storm? I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Post your comments below.

Source

Over the last 10 years, the line between journalists and readers has grown significantly shorter. From blogging to commenting to online sharing, the swift rise of the Internet and social media has allowed the consumer to be the producer in a way that was never before possible. The line between editorial and advertising has also always been a sticky area, and as a PR professional I’m trained to view pay-for-play media opportunities with a bit of a wary eye.

Social media enables the proliferation of news at the speed of light, which is a great thing. But now, media outlets are recognizing that readers often find their stories through a friend’s tweet or Facebook post, and they are looking for ways to capitalize on the trend.

A few weeks ago, The New York Times Co. announced it was closing the gap between editorial and advertising / journalist and consumer even further by launching Ricochet, a program that the WSJ says “lets marketers pick a select number of stories from Times Co. properties…that are relevant to their social media audiences and create special links for sharing those stories. Anyone clicking on the social media links will see the marketer’s ads next to the stories for a specified period of time.”

This new ad program has raised a few eyebrows, but NYT has assured everyone that they will keep the barrier between editorial and advertising strong by using a few stopgaps.

1. Advertisers have to wait seven days before sharing any stories about themselves.
2. Advertisers won’t be able to share negative stories about their competitors.

The program is aimed at enabling brands to connect better with their consumers, and truthfully users may not notice much of a difference at all.

The question now is, as the media world becomes ever more connected, will programs like Ricochet enhance the experience for everyone, or further blur the roles between reporters, consumers and advertisers? Only time will tell.

When first starting out in PR, pitching stories for clients can be nerve-racking. When my account supervisor gave me my first assignment, I was excited but also nervous. Finally, I was given the chance to contribute to the coverage I monitored for on a daily basis, but I didn’t want to mess up. What if I couldn’t produce any results? What if I said the wrong thing to the reporter? What if I ended up on the Bad Pitch Blog? Sure, if I were pitching a new Apple product launch it would seem like an easier task, but even that’s not a slam-dunk in PR.

Thankfully, I work with a team that helped me learn the ropes of pitching. For the other newbies out there, I’d like to share with you my four biggest tips on pitching journalists:

1. Research. Before you even formulate your pitch, make sure you understand what you’ll be talking about. Also make sure you know the journalist to whom you will be pitching the story. Is this a relevant story to their beat? Doing the appropriate research ahead of time will make your pitching efforts more prolific.
2. There’s a phone at your desk for a reason. Use it. Journalists get so many e-mails that your pitch may get lost in the jumble no matter how compelling it may be. A simple phone call gets you 1-on-1 time with the journalist. They can give you instant feedback, too. Maybe they want more data or an interview or aren’t that interested in writing about the topic. You’ll know right away.
3. Show your worth. If a reporter is interested in more information or an interview with a spokesperson, then it is your job as the PR liaison to make sure that happens. Prove your worth to your client by expediting the process and making sure they are fully briefed before speaking to the reporter. Prove your worth to the reporter as well by making sure they have everything needed to write the story and hopefully develop a  good relationship with them.
4. Remember the immortal words of Chumbawamba. “I get knocked down, but I get up again. You ain’t never gonna keep me down.” Don’t be discouraged just because one reporter told you they aren’t interested in covering your client. Keep trying, and when that placement comes through, make sure you give yourself a little celebration.

• Andy Hoffman – Executive Producer, Fox Business Network
• Mark White – Executive Producer, Bloomberg TV Morning Programming
• Alisa Roth – NY Bureau Chief, American Public Media’s “Marketplace”
• Lisa Murphy – Business Reporter, WNYW-TV
• Gregg Greenberg – Reporter, thestreet.com

Each panelists offered insights into best practices for securing opportunities at each outlet, as well as what to avoid and how to make the most of a relationship with a reporter or booker.  We both felt that the advice provided would be beneficial to any new public relations professional and could help them secure multiple opportunities.  The best practices provided could be applied to a variety of verticals and outlets, not just the few that were represented on the panel.

Here are some of the best practices the panelists recommended every PR professional should follow:

• As always, know the media outlet and reporter before you pitch. Do your homework people!

• Know the outlet’s audience and use the pitch as an opportunity to explain how it relates to them.

• Find out if they accept b-roll. Local news stations have experienced such significant cutbacks that having b-roll footage or all the aspects of the story in one place, close to the station, could make the difference between getting your client on.

• Know how and when the reporter likes to be pitched. This is an oldie, but a goodie.

We’re interested to hear what you think—any interesting insights to share on how to work with the business media?

When I probed him a bit about this, he explained that these pieces hadn’t really moved the needle on his business. Sometimes as PR professionals, we forget that while the Today Show or Wall Street Journal may  be the “holy grail” of coverage traditionally, these outlets may not be the best way to reach our clients’ target audience. May PR professionals operate in a vacuum, rarely considering the marketing, sales and business goals as part of their PR strategy. PR should be yet another tool for growing a business.

Just a reminder that we can always benefit from revisiting the basics.

A fun time was had by all and I am really looking forward to the next speaking engagement with TEBC.

For those interested in learning more about these awesome kids, check out the TEBC blog at http://teenentrepreneurbootcamp.blogspot.com/

An internship in any industry is vital to getting a foot in the door and a leg up on your competition with respect to obtaining a job. It helps determine if this field is the right one for the student or job-seeker, as well as provide the necessary introductory training for the intern to learn the basic skills of said profession.

In public relations, an internship is often the key to a successful career in the field as it encompasses most of the duties a person finds in an entry-level position, and not just administrative tasks. From learning how to use media-centric databases, performing client research, preparing clip reports, coordinating and working special events and helping with social media projects among other tasks, interns really get a taste of the many skills and communication methods that are required to become a solid PR practitioner.

Additionally, a public relations internship can help an applicant determine if he or she wants to work on the agency or in-house side of the industry. As my colleague Regina wrote in an earlier post, positions on either side can be very rewarding depending if you have the right skill set and personality to match the position. An internship is very useful in helping students and job-seekers navigate the waters of in-house and agency life and determine what side is the right fit for them.

Most importantly, public relations internships provide interns with skills that contribute to their overall professional success and not just within the industry. A few examples include:  learning the fine art of networking through helping with and staffing special events; becoming well versed in social media platforms, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, that can help their job prospects; and enhancing their written communication skills through press release, pitch and letter writing.

I know my media relations internship in college certainly paved the way for me to become a strong PR practitioner. Let me know how your internship helped you in the comments section below.

PR Newswire hosted a fascinating seminar in midtown Manhattan this afternoon which I was fortunate to attend. The focus was to give a behind-the-scenes look at Fox Business Network and hear from the people who decide what goes on the air. Moderated by Andrew Meranus, Director of Agency Vertical at PR Newswire, the panel consisted of Andrew Hoffman, Executive Producer at Fox Business; Ray Hennessey, Director of Business News; Cheryl Casone, Business Correspondent and Pippa Bark, Business Producer (Money for Breakfast). The room was filled to capacity and the conversation was lively and informative.

Fox Business went on the air October 15, 2007 after months of anticipation and fanfare. Reaching more than 30 million subscribers, the channel has strived to, as Ray Hennessey noted, “Be the business news channel you watch with the sound on!” The aim was to create a channel that brought Wall Street to Main Street and make the message engaging and understandable for the average listener. The channel has aggressively staked its mark on the media landscape by taking the best talent away from other networks, going after offbeat and non-traditional financial stories and being more open to ideas from outside.

Much of the session covered helpful tips and advice on how to pitch the channel. Key points were:

• Know who you are pitching to. If you are sending an email blast, make sure that you have read what you are sending and it is relevant to that reporter. Useless, generic emails that appear to be part of a blast pitch will not only get deleted, but will cause you to be automatically deleted by the reporter whenever your email appears.

• Pitch stories that can help people make, spend or save money. These are the types of stories that they want and will get the most attention.

• Personalize the story. The producers/bookers/reporters will not consider anyone for an on-camera segment unless they can see or hear the person beforehand. They want to see how the person looks and performs on-camera. Television is a visual medium. If they are an “expert” then they must have appeared somewhere before.

• Make the pitch short and sweet. Two or three sentences that tell the story and the person being pitched, with video or background links are best. Anything longer will get deleted.

• Pitching the website is the same as pitching the channel. There is no difference. An on-camera segment can make the website, and a good web story can lead to an on-camera segment.

• Pitch Fox Business through their bookers and associate producers. This is the most effective way to establish initial relationships within the channel.

• Familiarize yourself with the channel, the shows and style before pitching. Nothing is more annoying than people who pitch to the wrong show and are not familiar with the subjects covered.

Other tidbits given were:

• Read the on-air talents’ blogs. Most of the on-air talent host blogs and they give insight on what is top-of-mind. Referencing a particular post can be a good way to get a dialogue started. Ray says that unlike their competitors, they consider blogs to be news sources and are a source of breaking news. He feels blogs can provide a more honest and un-sanitized viewpoint and they have covered them on the channel.

• Be honest about where your interview guest is appearing. Nothing is worse than booking a guest on Fox Business and then the same person appears on multiple outlets that same day without their knowledge. If your spokesperson will appear on other shows or channels, full disclosure is in order. More often than not, the segment will go on as scheduled. If there is no disclosure, the segment can be cancelled and the guest as well as the PR agency can be permanently blacklisted.

• Statistics and studies are welcome. They are always interested in any studies and statistics that come out. If they can be presented in a visual way then there is a better chance of the story being covered.

Finally, no story is too small or quirky that they wouldn’t be interested in hearing about it. If a company has an innovative solution but is considered a “penny stock” on the stock exchange, they will cover them if they find the story compelling enough. They are about building and maintaining relationships that will help them maintain their competitive edge as well as provide them with a resource pool that is reliable and available when they need it. It is this kind of thinking that not only benefits the PR practitioner but also illustrates a clear understanding and appreciation of the symbiotic relationship between PR and the media.

–Walter Ocner

Although the most popular videos on YouTube sometimes seem to be aimed at entertaining catatonic teens, there are real opportunities for business value in every interaction. Although there is  of discussion in the PR industry around the death of the press release at the hands of search engine optimization/marketing, I don’t buy into that. (However, it may mean the death of AP Style in the press release.)

In 2007 we already saw a few CEOs use YouTube as the platform of choice to issue public apologies, quiet public dissent and launch new products. Could it be that YouTube will be the new format of the press release in 2008?