Trish Skram’s Blog

The photo above is a snapshot of my “clippings file” in my office. No joke. I still clip.

Public relations and advertising are two very different fields that are many times confused for the same thing, very similar or just as effective as the other. We all know that. I’m not saying advertising is the wrong way to go. I highly suggest ad placement. A well-placed advertisement can bring exposure to a brand, business or event. Absolutely. However, good publicity or media relations campaign is a far more economical way to get a very different type of media exposure. I’m a “PR gal”—which way did you think I’d go? Here’s the thing: An ad is an ad and they work, but publicity is news. And news, in my opinion, is taken more seriously.

Here are seven reasons that publicity can prove to be more effective than an ad.

1. Publicity is free while advertising can be costly
2. A media article often times asserts more credibility than a paid ad
3.  Prestigious magazines, larger newspapers, TV, radio start to cover you over time
4. You’re offered a column in a magazine or paper for your (or company’s) expertise
5. You establish yourself apart from your competitors who don’t get publicity
6. Prospects, target markets and customers recognize your brand (“I saw the article in…”)
7. Most importantly, more people pay attention to your message

That’s my list. What would you add? Write your reasons below.

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If you’re in public relations and/or media relations, you may have already or will at some point in your career organize a press conference when big news strikes. Hopefully it’s good news but sometimes we’re not so fortunate. When you have something to say that is new or needs to be communicated to your community FAST, it can be enhanced visually and through charismatic and knowledgeable spokespersons-that’s why a press conference is a great public relations tool. Let’s face it, there is no real formula to a successful press conference, but there are a few key points to consider that will help.

Last week, myself along with a few key individuals from within my department hosted, a press conference for my company. Learning of the news just 3 days prior to the event, it was a challenge but we managed to pull it off with ample press coverage and little snags along the way. I’m lucky to work with such amazing professionals. If you’re curious on our outcomes for this particular event, click here.

The most important factor to remember for a press conference or event is for the message(s) of your news to coincide with an issue(s) that may be on the media’s radar (timing). So, I’ve provided a list of questions to ask yourself when deeming if your news is worthy enough of a press conference and why?

Q1: Is this ‘really’ news?
Seems like a silly question, I know. But you’d be surprised how many PR people or management teams think certain things are really news, when in fact it is not. Do your research before you do anything! Talk with key individuals within your company and or client contacts. Find out what makes the news unique and how it compares to its direct competition. Does it enhance the industry, community or direct consumers? Think like a reporter, folks! Don’t just appease your clients. Would you tell a friend? If you’re still having a hard time deeming it as newsworthy – talk with someone who’s not in your direct circle of colleagues or friends. Talk to your spouse, far away relative or chat with your friends in the industry. Would they deem it as news?

Q2: Do I have statistical evidence to present to our audience?
Reporters LOVE statistics. And if you don’t provide numbers, they will ask. If your spokespersons aren’t prepared, you have a big issue on your hands because the messages could be skewed. Be sure to use good audiovisual materials to enhance your information. Charts, graphs, pictures, and other visuals should be large enough to be seen from a distance or provided in the press packets or media kits. They should deliver the point you want to make in effective and attractive ways.

Also, don’t hold a press event without materials. Be sure to put together media kits or public relations writing that includes an agenda, background information on the issue being addressed, brief bios of your panelists or speakers and other materials that support your issue.

Q3: Do I have the right venue?
Make sure the venue is appropriate. Is there parking nearby, many entrances, etc? If inside, a small room is better than a large room. Know how the room is set-up (a podium, sound system, good place to hang a banner). If the event is outside, be sure there is space for people to gather, what is the best angle for visuals? Is there room for cameras? How is the lighting? Audio? Don’t make it hard for reporters and journalists.

Q4: What’s the appropriate time to host an event with this kind of news?
Make sure the location you choose will accommodate the media. Research reporter deadlines and circulation. In my experience, a news conference should be held in the morning or early afternoon so the media have time to develop and edit their stories. Monday through Thursday are considered the best but I’ve found that Friday works too. Always allow extra time with your spokespersons for interviews before and after the conference.

Q5: Do I have enough time to pitch? Will it be picked up?
The way you get the word out to your media lists is very important – we all know that. Announce the conference with a news release, but hold the important information for the event. The invite or press release should be released 3 to 5 days before the event to give the media enough time to schedule a reporter to cover it. However, news isn’t always so convenient. You may only have a day or a few hours so be prepared to work fast. If you do have time, follow up with a phone call the day before.

Q6: If I hold a news conference and no one comes, will I lose face with the spokespersons as well as with my media contacts?
It’s simple. Yes, you can! No one like to be embarrassed or lose credibility, which can be lost fast with both your spokesperson and media contacts if you lack attendance. I’ve held a press event with little attendance, yes … and it was because the news was over communicated prior to the event, making it less newsworthy. Be sure to weigh other news as well. What’s happening in your community? The field? Will it outweigh your news? Ask yourself these questions before hosting and organizing. The last thing you want to do is lose your credibility in the midst of poor planning.

Q7: Are my spokespeople interesting to watch on TV or listen to on the radio?
Feature good speakers who are experts or community leaders. Always ask yourself, “Is this person interesting enough to watch on TV or listen to on the radio?” Before the news event, discuss the agenda with your speakers, explain the questions they might anticipate, and practice the answers they should provide. Develop talking points that communicate your key messages. Make sure that each speaker is addressing a different topic and not repeating information given by another speaker. These points may seem basic, as we’ve learned them and lived them day-to-day, but you’d be surprised what we can lose sight of when things get busy.

Q8: Are my spokespeople prepared? For anything and ANY question?
This is challenging and the most difficult part of a news conference. If you don’t prepare your spokespersons with a list of tough or controversial questions, you could be setting your, your client organization up for failure. Go through a mock Q and A. You may have to switch up your spokespersons in the last minute and that’s OK. The last thing you want to do is turn your positive coverage into a negative.

Photo courtesy of http://istockphoto.com

Remember, these are a list of the questions that I used in my experiences. So, what would you add? If you have tips to add that have helped you in your job, please share.

Technorati Tags: how to host a press conference, media relations, public relations, Random "Trish" Thoughts

Let’s face it … as PR/communications professionals; we represent an organization, a client or brand. Even off the clock, we are still representing and often must be mindful of our opinions and personal leisure, right?

Even though I don’t serve as a spokesperson for my organization, when I’m talking with my media contacts or representing my organization at a chamber outing as myself, I AM representing my organization and its mission and vision. I often find myself being labeled as a spokesperson rather than a media/PR specialist, or for that matter, rather than Trish Skram “even off the record.” With that said, it’s hard to voice personal opinions … or is it not?

Lauren Fernandez, marketing coordinator for the National Office of American Mensa and its philanthropic arm, the Mensa Education & Research Foundation, offers the following points in a recent Ragan Communications article, “Should PR pros be allowed to voice their opinions?”

Fernandez says:

When is an opinion OK?

• Around your friends. Your friends know where you work. Keeping your private and professional life separate can help, because you’re able to unwind. It’s not likely that your friend will email your boss saying you disagree with how many trees are being cut down and their nonexistent carbon footprint—but a co-worker might.
• If you disagree and it will affect the outcome of a project. Sometimes you’ll be asked to do something which you don’t agree with, whether it’s how to pitch, what outlets it needs to go to, wording of a press release, etc. If you feel strongly about it and can back it up, a boss should be open to hearing it. I’ve heard more often than not that a boss values what you bring to the table, but you have to be brave enough to do it.

When is an opinion bad?

• If you serve as a spokesperson and disagree with a client’s stance. I know this might seem like a big DUH—but you would be surprised what comes out of people’s mouths when they start going and stop thinking. Have talking points. Practice offbeat questions. Have a friend call you randomly and grill you on your client. All of these practices will help you fine-tune and practice. Plus, seeing your name with ‘spokesperson’ attached to it serves as a reality check, one that shows you serve as the mouthpiece. Remember that.
• If you have too much to drink at the company holiday party. I put this here because I couldn’t think of a second reason not to state your opinion, and I like balance.

I ardently agree. Which brought me to another interesting thought. What about censoring ourselves online (via social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter or Flickr). Should we as PR professionals be mindful of our public profile in regards to politics, religion or other personal activities and options?

Do you believe as communicators, we have to censor ourselves a bit more because of our elevated public profile?

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Technorati Tags: corporate communicators, marketing, media relations, PR, RAgan Communications, tweetup

Do you have all the facts, know what you’re going to say and believe that your message is important, but never get a media placement? Maybe it’s the way you are communicating? Yes, it most certainly is. I’ve listed 4 effective PR pitching tips to improve your communication with the media and efficiently increase media impressions for your company and/or client.

Know the beat

It sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s a mistake a lot of PR peeps make. Make sure you do your research. Familiarize yourself with the publication, and make sure you’re not wasting your time by pitching to the wrong beat reporter. You will lose your credibility fast and let’s be honest, it looks unprofessional. A great way to find the right beat and/or beat reporter is to simply go to the publication Web site. Some news mediums have separate reporter profiles, some do not. I currently use a CisionPoint database (formerly Bacon’s Directory). CisionPoint offers individual reporter profiles, but it is costly. A cheaper method? Try Twitter. Twitter is becoming an excellent tool to find out info about media contacts AND it’s FREE. Twitter is serving as my new relationship-builder and point-of-contact for my national contacts. If you aren’t familiar with Twitter and you’re a PR/communications professional … we need to talk!

Make it short and develop “kickers”

Sometimes I’ll send an email to a media contact and say something like, “Hey Susie, I see you’ve been covering a lot of stories on the recession and donation decline. Wondering if you’d be interested in talking to one of our employees who is giving back more—despite trying times. Press release is attached. Call me!” It entices the person to return the message. You’re news release can be long and packed with details, but your initial pitch … no way!

Email, phone or fax?

Just because you prefer email over a phone call doesn’t mean the reporter or editor you are trying to reach does too. Find out how that particular person likes to receive their news and respect those wishes—otherwise you are wasting your time.

Are you truly available?

Is it easy for a reporter to find your contact information? This tip can go a long way (I should probably blog about how to pitch to difference mediums in the future because it’s so important). As mentioned earlier, every reporter, journalist and editor has a different way they like to be pitched to. But make sure it’s really easy for them to find you as well! Few ways to do this: Always have contact info at end of emails, phone calls, social media sites, fax communication AND most IMPORTANTLY, on your company or clients’ corporate Web site.

Side note: I met a truly fantastic, young communications pro at a Ragan Communications Corporate Communicators Conference in Chicago these past few days. I was so excited to know more, mainly because I know her nitch is somewhat untouched in the corporate communications field. I’ll be posting either a guest post or highlight on the information she provided in the upcoming weeks. Even if you’re not in the communications, PR or marketing field, I promise most of you will eat her stuff up! STAY TUNED!

Technorati Tags: beat reporters, easy contact info, effective communications, pitching, PR pros, Random "Trish" Thoughts

As a writer turned media/PR professional, I’ve learned a thing or two about media relations etiquette. If you work in PR or marketing, you’ve definitely seen some struggles in relationship building—we’ve all been there. One of which is your relationships with your business contacts. I always see blog posts and articles on topics like: Top things PR people should know about reporters, journalists and editors. But I wanted to take the opposite approach.

Now don’t get me wrong folks. I’m extremely lucky and honored to have a great network of reporters, editors and journalists that I work with on a daily basis—truly lucky. I definitely do not know everything about the media/public relations profession, nor do I claim to. What I do know, is that we all hope and wish for the best possible outcomes with our jobs, whatever the case may be.

I have access to some of the greatest PR and marketing minds around (my mastermind alliance) mostly through my every day interactions with local and social media networks. So, I put together five things that me and my fellow PR colleagues think the media should know about PR people:

1. Our contacts/clients’ schedules aren’t always at our fingertips. Oh, we wish it were different. We would love to have every physician, director or client’s schedule at our disposal so we could tackle whatever it is that you need, when you need it … but let’s face it, that’s not the way the cookie crumbles. Often the person you want to talk to is also the busiest person on the planet (there are a few). So, we just ask for you to consider those situations if we can’t always make things happen for you.

2. Cancellations hurt us as much as they hurt you. We all hate canceling phone interviews and meetings as much as you do. I know I hate it more than most reporters and editors do because I know it’s hurting my credibility and trust. But do know that we’re also making it harder to get future media for that client and it means we’ll have to do extra work.

3. Story angles aren’t always obvious. You may have a clear idea of the story you want to write, but sometimes we don’t get the picture by the way you explain it (I have to work on this too). So I say this, when we pitch a story angle that seems way past newsworthy, it’s not because we are trying to spam you, but because we are uncertain as to how you’ll use the info or write your story. I understand that not every reporter or editor wants to receive my news. That’s why I give my contacts a chance to “opt out” of my distribution lists.

4. Don’t promise unless you can follow through. One of my PR mentors always used to say, “What a reporter promises me becomes my promise to my clients.” And I never really knew what she meant until I really got my hands dirty in the PR/media relations field. And it is so “on the money”. We know we shouldn’t do this, but in our world of tight deadlines, faster communication and our client’s high expectations, often what you promise to us becomes our promise to the client (in my case administration and the professionals I work for every day in the health care profession). If you decide to not follow through or take a different angle, we’re the ones that look really bad. My advice to journalists: avoid making a promise or always follow though.

5. Better offers are always considered. Reporters know that‘s true more than anything. Admit it, if you found a better resource for your story, you’d jump at the chance. Same for us as well. If a more relevant or prestigious media outlet sways our way in certain situations, we have to take it. We’d be stupid not to. Remember, we’re all professionals trying to do the best job we can for our clients and readers.

PR and marketing professionals: do you have other tips or suggestions? Please comment or send me a tweet! I’d love to hear your feedback.

Trish Skram (TrishSkram) on Twitter

Coming soon…

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