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Archive for February, 2009

Twitter #journchat: Insight on Pitching and Analysis

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Valerie Simon

I am new to Twitter and on Monday I participated in my first ever #journchat. An interesting mix of journalists and PR professionals provided a lively conversation that spanned a variety of subjects. The two topics I found most compelling related to pitching and analysis. Can Twitter be used to pitch journalists? And regardless of the method, is it possible to successfully pitch in 140 characters? As @CMM_PR pointed out, “The blogosphere is humming with blogs about how PR Flacks are trying to perfect the 140 character pitch. Is it worth the effort?”

@arikhanson seems to think so, “From PR perspective, 140 characters forces us to refine our pitch. Get to the nugget. To the point faster.” In today’s fast-paced environment, brevity is essential. Case in point: @DeRushaJ, a journalist, told the group, “I have to pitch to my newsroom bosses and catch their attention in about 140 char. PR people should pitch me in 80.”

Understanding measurement was also a hot topic of conversation. For the PR folks on the chat, it was apparent that analysis is more important than ever. @bosilytics raised the question, “How difficult do PR folks find it to find the analysis they need. not #’s but insightful data” While @kanter noted that “the most important part of analytics is not the numbers, but how you harvest insight” But how do you define insight?

At BurrellesLuce, our clients have told us that they need a clear picture of their relevant coverage. This includes both customized quantitative and qualitative data, as well as expert analysis of the nature and reach of their coverage. They need measurement metrics, content evaluation, executive reporting and competitive studies. And of course, with time and money tighter than ever before, it is essential that the reports come ready to present to the board, client or prospect.

If you are curious to learn more about smart measurement, I’d like to invite you to join my colleague Johna Burke, VP, BurrellesLuce, who is teaching a free PRSA webinar: How Smart Measurement Can Help You Survive the Media Revolution http://tr.im/gtv5

For those of you on Twitter, I’d recommend that you stop in the next #journchat (every Monday evening at 8pm eastern). It’s a nice opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with a diverse group of PR professionals and journalists. And if you have any other suggestions of similar groups for this Twitter newbie, I’d love to hear from you. Just leave a comment or send me a tweet @ValerieSimon.

Tags: #journchat, 140 characters, @arikhanson, @bosilytics, @CMM_PR, @DeRushaJ, @kanter, @ValerieSimon, Analysis, blogosphere, BurrellesLuce, How Smart Measurement Can Help You Survive the Media Re, Johna Burke, journalists, media measurement, Media Relations, News Coverage, pitching, PR professionals, PRSA, Twitter, webinar
Posted in Media Measurement, Media Outreach, Media Relations, News Coverage, Public Relations, Social Media | No Comments »

Graphic Presentation Tips for Grabbing Your Audience’s Attention

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

I am called-on to do presentations, whether for BurrellesLuce or an outside organization, several times a year. I have no problem talking in front of an audience, or even writing a script. But, the PowerPoint slides are the bane of my existence. Recently, I was fortunate to attend a portion of the Ragan Speechwriter’s Conference for the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-NCC), where Tom Mucciolo, MediaNet, offered pointers on creating great presentation graphics. Here are a few of my favorite tips to help you when you are working on your next PowerPoint presentation:

The handouts should be different from the visual display and should contain 100 percent of the information in narrative form. The talk should consist of 40 percent of the information and the visuals should only have 20% of the information. Stop trying to cram all the information in small type on the screen. You will lose your audience as they are trying to read the very small type.
Use graphics to guide the eye to the portion of the slide you want to highlight.
The headlines should be in a Serif typeface, like Times New Roman, but your body and bullets should be in a Sans Serif typeface, like Arial. When your presentation is going to be used for a webinar, it is easier to read if you use Serif typefaces.
To help make your point, reveal line one on the slide (but never use animation to bring it on the screen) and then grey-out the first line when the next line appears. The audience will still be able to read the previous line, but their attention will be on the information you are currently discussing.
Use geometric shapes to help you make your point.
You should never have to use a laser pointer. If your graphics are emphasizing the important information, the audience will know where to direct their attention. (This point made me sad, because I love using my laser pointer.)
You don’t need your logo on every slide. They are distracting, and should go on the first and last slides only. (I know. My marketing department is going to beg to differ on this one, too.)
You should use dark backgrounds and light font for projected slides. But, for webinars, a light colored or white background is easier to read.

I hope these will help you grab the attention of the audience at your next presentation, and possibly help you win some new business.

What tips can you share to help others with their presentations?

Tags: Arial, BurrellesLuce, company logo, Debbie Friez, graphics, laser pointer, marketing, MediaNet, National Capital Chapter, PowerPoint, presentation tips, presentations, PRSA, Public Relations, Public Relations Society of America, Ragan Speech Writer's Conference, Sans Serif typeface, Serif typeface, slides, Times New Roman
Posted in Career Advice, Media Outreach, Media Relations, News Coverage, Public Relations | No Comments »

Is Your Media Measurement Program What Your Executives Ordered?

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

When I go to a restaurant, I usually order a Diet Pepsi. When it isn’t available, a good server will ask, “We have Diet Coke – is that ok?” A less-interested server will bring me a Diet Coke without saying anything. When this happens, I always let them know I taste the difference. (Granted, to be safe I usually mention it after my meal has arrived at my table.) I don’t do this to be obnoxious, but merely to let them know if a substitution is necessary it should be my choice.

Relax, this isn’t a post about my preference for Pepsi products or a rant demanding that Diet Mountain Dew be more readily available, which is another passion as many of you know.

This is my point: When an executive or client asks for PR “measurement” they usually receive quantitative analysis. Understandably, this often leaves them unsatisfied. While it’s true quantitative results can be quickly produced and placed into charts and graphs, in most cases these metrics alone don’t truly quench their thirst for PR Measurement. A holistic approach including key quantitative metrics combined with qualitative analysis is the better way to complement your hard work of effectively getting your story out.

When you are the strategic leader, be it of PR or Communications, remember a measurement tactic is like providing something to drink. Instead, look deeper to figure out what’s causing the thirst in the first place and then provide a solution that satisfies your executive’s thirst for PR effectiveness.

While space limitations and competitive contracts don’t allow most restaurants to provide a comprehensive beverage experience, the PRSA National Capital Chapter is offering a holistic PR Measurement panel on Wednesday, February 25, 2009. I will be there, representing BurrellesLuce as one of the guest panelists for “Using Strategic Media Measurement to Showcase Your Success.” If you are in the Washington DC area and want an informative professional development opportunity, I look forward to meeting you there. We might even share a Diet Pepsi.

Tags: BurrellesLuce, Diet Coke, Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Johna Burke, media measurement, Pepsi, PRSA National Capital Chapter, Public Relations, qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis, thirst, Using Strategic Media Measurement to Show Case Your Suc
Posted in Media Measurement, Public Relations | No Comments »

Measuring Integrity in Media-Journalism

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Steve Shannon
An interesting story I read about Dubai on nytimes.com last week intersected with a presentation that was given at the Institute for Public Relations Summit on Measurement this past fall in Portsmouth, NH.

While my travel schedule prohibited my attendance of the Summit’s last presentation, it did have an interesting title that made me wish I could have heard it: “The Significance of the Role of Journalism Integrity in Measurement.” The presentation was delivered by Mazen Nahawi, President of Media Watch Middle East, a media monitoring firm headquartered in Dubai.

In the New York Times piece, about the falling economy of Dubai, the real state of the country’s economy, and the rumors that surround it, it was stated that “Instead of moving toward greater transparency, the emirates seem to be moving in the other direction. A new draft media law would make it a crime to damage the country’s reputation or economy, punishable by fines of up to 1 million dirhams (about $272,000). Some say it is already having a chilling effect on reporting about the crisis.”

Now I can see where Nahawi had the genesis of his presentation. While we here in the States, with our robust First Amendment, would never see such a law proposed, much less enacted, Nahawi’s suggestion that we begin to score for “integrity” still takes on importance as the U.S. media begins to pull itself together, not only in terms of an evolving business landscape, but also of building and keeping “trust” as indicated by the Edelman Trust barometer as detailed by Richard Edelman on his 6AM blog (disclosure: BurrellesLuce client).

With trust, or integrity, in a particular media source being defined more and more by the individual consumer/reader/viewer, and not mass distribution or mass audience, the challenges ahead for public relations will also include analyzing the credibility of sources more often than before, and likely will be somewhat unique to the client or organization rather than the trust or integrity conferred upon mainstream media of the past. What do you think?

Tags: 6AM blog, BurrellesLuce, Dubai, Edelman Trust barometer, First Amendment, Institute for Public Relations Summit on Measurement, journalism, Mazen Nawahi, media measurement, Media Watch Middle East, New York Times, Public Relations, Richard Edelman, Role of Journalism, Steve Shannon, transparency
Posted in Media Industry, Media Measurement, News Coverage, Public Relations | No Comments »

Red State vs. Blue State: The Great Twitter Divide

Friday, February 20th, 2009

Gail Nelson
As Kevin Dugan says in his recent post, microblogging site Twitter inspires a lot of passion. Twitter addicts are pitted against Twitter haters. And some people just don’t know what to make of Twitter.

Also this week, the social media haves and have-nots battled it out in the PR and marketing blogs. Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester weighed in on a discussion originating at Cece’s blog as to whether a PR firm requires a high-profile, branded social media presence to legitimately advise its client. As of this morning, these two posts have attracted 90 comments.

From those who attend and ask questions at our webinars and download BurellesLuce newsletters and white papers, we know that many PR pros are still in the early stages of social media engagement. My reaction to these heated discussions is that one-size-fit-all thinking – nobody should Twitter, everyone must have a big social media footprint – is very similar to Red State/Blue State thinking. Polarization doesn’t serve our country well all the time, and it’s probably not the best course for PR professionals. Experimentation with new channels is a good thing, but I think PR pros shine when they root their plans – whether for their clients and their own firms — in audience research and good communication strategy. What is your experience?

Tags: BurrellesLuce, Cece's blog, communication strategy, debate, Forrester, Gail Nelson, Jeremiah Owyang, Kevin Dugan, marketing, microblogging, polorization, Public Relations, red state vs blue state, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Public Relations, Social Media | 2 Comments »

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Archive for February, 2009

Graphic Presentation Tips for Grabbing Your Audience’s Attention

Is Your Media Measurement Program What Your Executives Ordered?

Measuring Integrity in Media-Journalism

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