Posts Tagged ‘media pitching’


How to Become an Influencer: Lessons from the 2010 PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference

Monday, June 7th, 2010

(L to R) BurrellesLuce's Colleen Flood, Paula Whittington, Johna Burke, and Debbie Friez at the 2010 PRSA Counselors Academy“We should all become influencers, and move away from pitching,” said Brian Solis at the PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference in Asheville, NC. He suggested that you can start by writing your press release in 120 characters, so there is room for others to re-tweet it. This was just one of the great insights I picked-up at the conference.

Keeping with this theme, I am offering some of the other best tips (under 120 characters or at least 140) I learned.

Blogging and Social Media

  • Use your #blog to showcase expertise in particular areas so you can win business. (@bgindra)
  • Lesson learned-get the video on 1 take, even if you have to record it several times. It’s easier than editing on computer. (@jaybaer)
  • Google wants to provide multi-media search results, so post some video. (@jaybaer)
  • Digital is not about knowing the answer; it’s finding the answer. (@jaybaer)
  • 4 degrees is the new 6 degrees of separation thanks to #SM. (@Brianna)

Engagement

  • Give people something to talk about to help elevate the brand. (@kalbritton) Example is @lenovo photography contest.
  • Every company has a 1% Group of core active customers…you need to engage them. (@jaybaer)

Green Initiatives

  • The grammar of green: Clear, Credible, Consistent & Compliance.
  • Praise companies for doing what is right with being #green instead of looking at all the bad things they have done.

Messaging

  • The new KISS: Keep it simple & share. (@briansolis)
  • QR (Quick Response) codes are great for sharing information, like at a trade show or games.

Strategy

  • The new CEO = Chief Editorial Officer. (@briansolis)
  • Don’t give community management to an intern.
  • Every company should have a social media crisis plan. (@jaybaer)
  • Set goals and objectives before you start social media monitoring.
  • Interesting way of looking at the #SM conversations – what are people saying about my company & is it in the right context & with the right influencers?

For more great information from this conference, checkout, my BurrellesLuce colleague, Colleen Flood’s latest Fresh Ideas post, “Are You Shifting Marketing and PR Plans Based on Hispanic Demographic Trends?,” as well as the PRSay blog, Jay Baer’s blog and others.

Have you learned some new ideas you can share from a recent industry event? What do you think makes an influencer?

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Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Industry Events, Media Outreach, Media Relations, Public Relations, Social Media | 5 Comments »

How to Leverage YouTube in Your PR Campaign

Monday, May 24th, 2010

At the PRSA International Conference, last fall, I attended the “PR Needs YouTube” panel discussion and subsequently wrote a recap of the session. We were told that in September 2009, Americans conducted 3.5 billion searches on YouTube.  In April 2010, just seven months later, that number is even higher at 3.7 billion searches, according to comScore.

An AdAge article stated that some marketers have just about given up on the traditional path to broadcast media coverage – instead of pitching their stories to reporters, they are directly engaging consumers through original content they and their agencies have created. “And while they haven’t completely abandoned traditional media outlets, big-name marketers such as Procter & Gamble, Best Buy, MasterCard and Coldwell Banker are among those who have taken matters into their own hands by creating content and bringing it straight to consumers.” 

 And, it’s not just broadcast news using video anymore. A large number of traditional print outlets have online affiliate sites that are complementing text with video – even radio stations are getting into the game by incorporating videos into their websites.

If you aren’t already utilizing YouTube in your public relations efforts, it’s definitely time to sit up and take notice! (My colleague Denise Giacin recently discussed a similar topic in her blog post, “YouTube Turns Five … Are You Tuned In?”)

So, how do you get started?  Here are some tips from Douglas Idugboe at smedio:

  • First (obviously) create the video. Expensive equipment or production studio time is not needed; you can use your own flipcam or other video recorder.
  • Build your own YouTube channel by choosing a name. The name should include your company’s or one that reflects the product/service category you’re associated with. Register it and you’ll receive a URL reading youtube.com/user/[yourfullnamehere]. 
  • Create a profile and upload an avatar or video screenshot that catches peoples’ attention.
  • YouTube has different types of accounts. Idugboe recommends “Guru” to stand above the crowd.
  • You can upload your own images and backgrounds to create a look consistent with your website, blog, business cards, etc.
  • To help build your brand and your online community, check all relevant options under “Modules”
  • If you want viewers to always see the latest and greatest, click “Edit” on the screen’s top right. At “Featured Video” click “Use the Most Recent”

From there you’ll then want to:

  1. Embed your YouTube videos on your website and blog.
  2. Link your channel and videos everywhere possible to maximize visibility (making sure to follow the rules of proper engagement).
  3. Leverage your current network, and let YouTube help grow and expand it.
  4. If applicable, notify local newspapers, TV and any other media outlets via press releases, to alert their audiences to your video.

In addition to cross-marketing to your existing network and the media, you’re probably asking “How do I optimize the video for SEO?”  In the video below, Greg Jarboe provides three tips for video search engine optimization from the International Search Summit in London last week:

Do you have additional tips on using video for PR for the BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas readers? Are you using YouTube or other video sharing sites?  Care to share any examples of successful (or unsuccessful) cases of video used in public relations campaigns?

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Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Industry Events, Online Video, Public Relations, Social Media | 1 Comment »

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

Monday, February 8th, 2010
Flickr Image: David Reece

Flickr Image: David Reece

Now that 2010 is well underway, I thought it would be interesting to go back and read some articles and posts from the past couple years to decipher what’s changed in the realm of media relations. 

I was a little surprised to find that not much has really changed!  (Not entirely surprised as this was what I suspected.)

Your target media now may not be just traditional media but also bloggers, ezine/webzine editors, streaming webcast producers, and freelance writers. However, the qualities or traits that define good media relations have remained essentially the same: Before preparing your press release, do your homework and familiarize yourself with the chosen topics as well as recent writings of your target journalists and bloggers. Then do some additional checking to ensure that your intended audience is also the audience for the media you’re about to pitch. (BurrellesLuce 2009 whitepaper “New Rules for Media Relations”)

In early 2009, Jeremy Porter conducted interviews with PR professionals in an effort to gauge what the biggest challenges were in dealing with the media. The results shared on his Journalistics blog could have been written today!  Some of the challenges included were:

  • Having accurate media contact information – keeping up with ongoing changes
  • Breaking through filters to reach the right contact, at the right time, with just the right information
  • Leveraging new media like Twitter in appropriate ways
  • Having better access to what journalists are writing about and what information they value most
  • Measuring the value of media outreach and placement – beyond impressions, release pickup and ad value
  • Developing more effective processes for media relations – moving away from one-size-fits-all pitching

With the exception of Twitter, this sounds like the same challenges we had 15 years ago when I was working at a St. Louis PR agency.

I’m not oblivious to the fact that public relations and the media are changing in some ways (that may be the topic for a future post), but in many ways it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Am I wrong? What similarities or changes have you seen occurring in the world of public relations and media these past few years?

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Posted in Media Outreach, Media Relations, Public Relations | 2 Comments »

Poll Results: Should PR Interns Pitch the Media?

Friday, October 30th, 2009
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Flickr Image: lakelandlocal

Last week I wrote a post summarizing some recent posts on the topic of PR interns pitching the media, adding my own two cents along the way. I tweeted the link to my post and it sparked a lot of conversation.

 @CMM_PR suggested that an informal web-poll could be an interesting measurement for this question.  I set-up a very basic poll with yes/no answers based on whether you’re a PR pro, student or educator on PollDaddy and tweeted the link.  @prcindy suggested that I add a yes/no for members of the media, which I did immediately. 

Forty-six people registered their opinion in the poll and the breakdown is as follows:

  • 18 Out of 24 PR pros say, “Yes, PR interns should be allowed to pitch the media.” Six say “no.”
  • Of the 18 PR students that replied, 16 said, “yes.” Two said “No, they shouldn’t be allowed to pitch the media.”
  • Only Two PR educators voted, both of whom said “yes.”
  • Two members of the media split their vote with one having indicated “yes” and one “no.”

 Obviously, this isn’t a scientific study but it does show most agree that PR interns should be educated, prepared, coached and allowed to pitch.

Some follow-up comments/quotes:

I asked Heather Huhman, journalist/career expert to students and young professionals and founder of Come Recommended, for her thoughts on the subject. She replied, “If interns aren’t going to pitch the media during their internship, then what skills are they leaving with, exactly? They can learn the principles of pitching in the classroom. I completely agree with Abby Gutowski—it’s up to the supervisor to manage the situation properly.”

My BurrellesLuce colleague Valerie Simon, and #PRStudChat host, offered “An internship is an excellent opportunity to get some firsthand experience in the pitching process. Interns can gain valuable experience doing the necessary research, writing the draft of a pitch, and assisting with the necessary follow-up.”

And, finally, Chris Sleight, editor at KHL Group Publishing in the UK, replied on the poll page with, “Yes, as long as they’re trained and well-briefed. This includes knowing the client’s business well enough to be able to answer simple follow-up questions on the spot. Amazing how many agencies throw their students/interns to the lions without any of the tools they need to do the job. Not only is it unfair on the individual, it means the pitch fails and the agency comes across as a bunch of unprofessional idiots. So short-sighted!”

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Posted in Career Advice, Media Outreach, Media Relations, Public Relations | 9 Comments »

Do Your Homework: Blogger Pitching Basic Essentials – Part 2 of 2

Friday, October 2nd, 2009
When pitching a blogger, remember they most likely don’t have an editor and can write what they want at anytime!

Image: PurpleMattFish

My last post was “Do Your Homework: Media Pitching Basic Essentials – Part 1 of 2.”  In part two we’ll look at pitching bloggers who aren’t members of the media. After all, pitching bloggers is not necessarily the same as pitching a journalist who happens to blog too. The Bad Pitch Blog recently stated “At the risk of oversimplifying…the difference between journalists and bloggers is paid vs. passion.” Remember, a blogger most likely does not have an editor and can write what they want at any time!

 Here are my three basic essentials for blogger relations:

  • Research the blog/blogger. As with pitching journalists, the first step is research. This entails not just using a search engine or service to find the blogger, but it means reading what they’ve written – not just the last post. Shannon Nelson hit the nail-on-the-head when she wrote, “PR has to invest the time to peel back the layers and research who [the bloggers] are, what [the bloggers] talk about and who [the bloggers’] audience is before sending a pitch—or take the chance of their pitch hitting the spam folder (or worse, appearing as a slam on their blog).”  To expand on that thought Frank Krolicki wrote recently, “Most bloggers are immersed in their topic of interest almost all day, every day, and are much more open to dealing with someone who shares their passion than someone who’s simply looking to get quick publicity for a client,” which leads to my next point.
  • Develop a relationship. You can do this by starting a dialogue with the blogger.  Connect with them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or any other social media sites where they hang out. Contribute to the conversation by commenting on their blog or post.  Always be respectful, but not stuffy, and don’t be overly familiar too soon. (Kind of sounds like dating, huh?)  Consider asking permission of the blogger before adding them to a pitch list.
  • Have a plan/call to action. Allow me to reiterate the last point in the previous paragraph: Consider asking permission before adding a blogger to a pitch list.  Better yet, don’t add them to a pitch list at all. Rather make the pitch one-on-one as part of your natural conversation. When you get to the pitching stage in your relationship, be sure to articulate exactly what you are looking for – set a common level of expectations to avoid any misinterpretations.

 Finally, it wouldn’t hurt to review Todd Defren’s Blogger Relations Case Study; however, before you go, please tell the readers of BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas what points you would add to the blogger pitching essentials list?

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Posted in Media Outreach, Media Relations, Public Relations, Social Media | 5 Comments »

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