Whether you have an in-house PR department, hire a public relations freelancer part time to work your campaign, or are trying to launch and implement your campaign on your own, do yourself and your company a favor and do an outside PR assessment on your campaign, objectives, strategy, game plan and implementation. Public Relations is a very refined and subtle process. You can have the right stories, but be implementing them the wrong way, or presenting them to the wrong media contacts. You could have all the elements for a successful campaign in place, but not be utilizing them correctly. There are several aspects to consider and review, including:

1. Are your press releases written in a way that will garner media attention?

2. Are you making follow-up phone calls to the media and if so are those calls being handled correctly?

3. Are you only pitching the obvious media stories? (99% of the time will be the same stories your competitors are pitching)

4. Are you thinking like a journalist and coming up with new feature stories, news business stories, trend stories and timely pitches?

5. Are you presenting yourself as an expert in your field, who can address a number of topics?

6. Are you presenting your company in a way that establishes a strong brand?

7. Are you utilizing your press coverage in your advertising and marketing programs?

8. Are you utilizing your media coverage on your blog (do you have a blog?)

9. Are you combining your traditional media campaign with social media?

These are just some of the aspects you want to consider when reviewing your public relations campaign. You could have all of the right pieces in place, but be implementing them incorrectly, or, the reverse could be the case. Sometimes it just takes some minor tweaking to turn a stalled media relations campaign into a successful one. Without a systematic review, you might never know. You could end up with the most successful media campaign that never worked.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based public relations company that has placed clients in: Time, Newsweek, 60 Minutes, CNN, USA Today, Oprah, The New York Times, Vogue, and other media. Anthony has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, Fox News, and other media outlets.

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Tags: media, relation, campaign, working

Should you handle your own public relations campaign? No, not if you don’t know the process or truly understand the intricacies launching a PR campaign. Can you? Yes, at least to a point.

Effective media placement is a full-time job. It takes skill, know-how, persistence, and contacts. The art of effective PR entails more than writing releases and putting together press kits. If you do it haphazardly or incorrectly, you’re better off not doing it at all. The last thing you want to do is alienate the press, which is usually what happens when well-meaning but inexperienced individuals try their hands at running their own media campaigns.

Media placement is a skill that needs to be learned and understood. None of us would suddenly decide to give open-heart surgery a try, or to overhaul a car transmission – well, at least most of us wouldn’t, but every day people decide that they can handle their own PR without any prior knowledge or training whatsoever. An effective media placement campaign is well strategized and thought out. It is a cumulative process that builds day by day and month by month.

If you are thinking of launching a media campaign for your business or career, you basically have four options: hire a media relations firm, hire someone in-house to do your media relations for you, hire a media relations consultant, or launch your own media relations campaign. If you decide to handle your own media relations, you have a big learning curve ahead of you; you want to learn the hows and whys of putting together a successful campaign. If you are looking to hire a company or consultant to do it for you, you still have homework. You need to learn the right questions to ask in order to hire the right firm. PR is not a one-size-fits all service. But the greatest mistake businesses owners make is thinking PR is a luxury, not a necessity. Those are the businesses owners who generally wonder why their competitors keep being featured in the media.

Anthony Mora began his media career as a journalist and magazine editor. In 1990, Anthony formed Anthony Mora Communications, Inc., a Los Angeles-based public relations company that has placed clients in: Time, Newsweek, 60 Minutes, CNN, USA Today, Oprah, The New York Times, Vogue, and other media. Anthony, who is the author of “Spin to Win,” has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, , The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, Fox News, and other media outlets.

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Tags: public, relation, campaign, pr

A TV-oriented public relations campaign has three primary components, you need to create a compelling visually-oriented story, be able to pitch it effectively and know who to pitch it too. Most people think they know which story or pitch will work for them, but they’re generally wrong. The story about why your product or service is so good usually misses the mark because it’s not a story that meets the media’s needs, or connects with your target audience. You need to think like your customer thinks, more importantly, you need to think like a TV producer. You have to think backwards. What does your local TV news program, the Today Show or Oprah need? Study them. Make notes. Now give them a visually-oriented pitch that fills that need. Think in terms of personal stories, anecdotal stories that others can relate to, and talk in a language that the journalist you’re pitching will understand. When pitching a TV show, think visually, what can you offer that has a visual component. What can you come up with that would give them a compelling TV segment?

For example, we represented an acupuncturist who specialized in acupuncture facelifts. TV producers loved this segment idea. It wasn’t a surgical procedure, so it wasn’t going to be too graphic, they could interview the acupuncturist, the patient, show a bit of the procedure in process and then show some after shots. It was visual, different, and had to do with health and beauty and offered them a good hook. We represented a fitness trainer who stared in a how-to fitness video; the pitch there was summer fitness tips. She could bring a client with her and show different at-home, quick, and easy exercises. This proposed segment reached a large target market, was easy to shoot and offered an interesting visual component.

So to launch an effective TV-oriented PR or media relations campaign, keep your message in mind, but think in terms of meeting the media’s needs. Be concise, be clear, keep it interesting and never ever forget that TV is a visual medium.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Anthony Mora began his media career as a freelance journalist for such publications as Us, Rolling Stone and other local and national publications. He also served as editor-in-chief of two Los Angeles-based entertainment and lifestyle-oriented publications. In 1990, Anthony formed Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. a Los Angeles-based media relations company that specializes in media placement, image development, and media training. AMC Inc. has placed clients in: Time, Newsweek, 60 Minutes, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other local, national, and international media outlets. Anthony has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, Entrepreneur, Fox News, MSNBC, and other media. He has written three books. The most recent, “Spin to Win,” is a step-by-step guide on how to define goals and utilize the power of the media to achieve success in any field.

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Tags: pr, relation, successful, campaign

Online News Releases can reach thousands of people you may not be able to reach any other way. Here are 7 reasons you should use this tool.

1. Online press releases are an inexpensive method of marketing your business. There are distribution services that charge from $0 to over one thousand dollars. They are very simple to use, and if you can use a word processor, you can use these distribution services.

2. Online press releases are quick and easy to write. They are generally between 400 and 800 words. There is a very simple 8-step format to follow with the most important piece being the headline.

3. They are an effective method of establishing yourself as an expert by providing information about a specific event, trend, or news item. The contact information you provide in the release, along with links to your site, provide the reader an opportunity to find out more about you.

4. Online press releases allow you to talk directly to your target market. You can develop your press release to appeal specifically to those clients you wish to attract. You have control over what and when you publish.

5. An online press release increases your web presence. You can reach people you may not ordinarily reach. Depending on which distribution service you use, news services such as Google and Yahoo News will pick up your release. The major search engines will also pick up your release. Since online press releases stay on the Internet permanently, you can continue to gain attention over a long period of time as users search using your keywords.

6. There are many newsworthy topics you can write about to get the attention of your target audience. Topics can include announcements about your speaking engagements, workshops you are giving, contributions you are making to non-profits in your community, or a new trend in your industry. There are many topics you can write about; just make sure it’s objective information and not a sales letter.

7. Unlike traditional print press releases, you can track the results of your release with many of the distribution services. You can see how many times your release has been read, printed, or emailed. You can also track the increase in the number of back links to you site.

Plan a release strategy in batches of three every three or four weeks. This will keep you in Google news on a regular basis and keep your name circulating. Given how quick and simple this is – there’s no reason not to!

Nancy D Waring, Internet Communication Strategist and owner of OnPoint Communication Solutions, assists coaches and other service professionals who are not internet experts more effectively manage their online marketing so they can spend more time on their business. For more information about solutions to expand your business using the web, pick up her special report here

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Tags: tool, marketing, public relations, campaign, business

When you think of public relations, do you think of a team of agency people, at their desks, strategizing and making calls on behalf of their clients with a well-thought out pitch and familiar media contacts? That picture is indeed true and plays out at agencies across the country every day. I am from that world and, in fact, still live in that world as the co-owner of a public relations agency.

Do I think that scenario is an effective one? Yes. Do I think it’s necessary for every company to have their own “agency” and “people?” No. For years Microsoft was my client and, certainly, they are an obvious example of a company that needs – and believes heavily – in PR. Microsoft’s work is complex, involves hundreds of departments and thousands of stakeholders.

But, the truth is, not every company needs an agency. What about for a small business, perhaps with no employees, to date, and only one offering or service? This business needs public relations AS MUCH as Microsoft, but for different reasons. For this business, PR can mean breaking out of the clutter of competitors, garnering essential new clients, building a brand and, possibly, even the difference between surviving the next year or not.

I realize, there’s a good chance this same company is not yet at a stage where they can hire an agency. So here’s the answer: do your own. Does this sound crazy? It shouldn’t. If you can talk about your company, you can do your own PR. It’s really that simple…or almost.

Before you can talk about your company to a reporter, you do need to do a few simple things. First, make a list of what makes your company or service special. Second, take that list and turn it into an “elevator pitch,” or something you can communicate to someone in the same time it takes to ride one to two floors with them in an elevator. By the time the doors open, whoever is “riding” with you should know what your company does, what makes it special and why they should care.

Last, pick up the phone and give your elevator pitch to a reporter. Or write it down and email a reporter. One thing to note is that for different reporters, the “why they should care” part may change. For example, if you have a cake decorating bakery, a food reporter may care because you are utilizing unique ingredients in your confections. However, the local news may care because they often look for humorous stories related to “hot news” they are covering and your bakery is offering donkey and elephant cakes in honor of the elections.

If you’re nervous, pitch your friends or colleagues first. And you might want to cut your teeth on smaller local publications to build your confidence before tackling a national outlet. But remember this, the media will be writing about companies – in your industry – probably doing what you’re doing. Hone your elevator pitch and there’s a good chance one of the companies they write about in the near future could be yours.

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Stacey Johnes – EzineArticles Expert Author

Tags: talk, company, pr, marketing, campaign

A recession to me is if my direct competitor goes out of business, a depression of course would be if I was to go out of business before my direct competitor. Often companies make the mistake of cutting cost during economic downtimes and the PR budget is usually the first to go. Some companies should stop to ask themselves does it really make sense to stop communications when times are growing hard! Wow, so many companies elect to go down this road, seemingly thinking they can just pick right back up when things turn around.

Public relations are just that, a relationship that you developed with your public audience. Usually, you have the luxury of targeting specific target audiences through strategic planning and approach from media relationships. However, all of these relationships are built overtime, nurtured, and developed ongoing. In short, you do not stop communicating and talking one day and come back some time later expecting to pick right back up. After all when you leave (stop communicating) the media is always looking for someone to take your spot, the next Big (hot) New (young) company, celebrity, author, or cause to take your place. You can’t think that you are that special, right? Fans, customers, supporters, clients, remain loyal only when they are in a relationship.

In business you often find yourself in three stages of life, you are in a recession or depression, going into a recession or depression, or coming out of a recession or depression. The key is learning how to weather the storm from, of, and during a recession or depression. The most important thing to remember is that attitude often controls the mood to be successful or not. The theory “keep your head up” holds true. Continue to communicate with your target audience, find out what they need and want. Show that you do care by offering solutions that will help the situation. Come up with resources that add-value to what your target audience needs and implement plans of actions.

The battle of a recession is won by preparation, communication, and persistence. Those who survive build sustainability for continued growth. Remember they can’t forget you if you don’t let them and they will if you don’t keep reminding them not to. Best of luck!

Learn how to develop a successful PR Campaign: click here

“CR” Cataunya Ransom is the Co-founder of Mosnar Communications, INC. She developed a niche for Luxury PR & Global Marketing. Guiding clients on how to brand, market, and promote luxury products, events, and services. Highly respected as a luxury public relations expert! “CR” consults clients and speaks to audiences about luxury public relations and global marketing practices. Visit site.

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CR Ransom – EzineArticles Expert Author

Tags: public, relations, objective, campaign, goals

There’s lots and lots of fantastic advice already available on the web describing how to get press coverage. No point in my regurgitating it.

What I would like to do is provide that last piece of the jigsaw that everyone seems to have overlooked. Strange, because it is critical to success.

Why is it overlooked? Because it is so obvious. It used to be known as not seeing the wood for the trees.

The secret is to THINK LIKE AN EDITOR.

PR companies often confuse the issue by being active rather than productive. They measure success in the volume of press releases, rather than placing articles in the right journals.

Successful marketers and copywriters already ‘think like their reader’. It’s second nature. To place PR copy, though, we need to go that extra step and think like an editor.

Picture yourself, a hard pressed, stressed-out editor with tight deadlines. Your email in-basket is full of irrelevant sales puff vying for editorial coverage, when what you need is a story or news. You want a headline that will grab your readers – something that sings out: Now that is interesting.

So, unless you are an IBM, that new appointment to your company board, the fact that you are exhibiting at a trade exhibition, the fact that you have closed another deal, launched a new product, moved offices, simply doesn’t measure up.

You need to make it measure up

Let me give you an example. I am based in the UK and a small company (less than 10 people) in Birmingham specializing in security was moving offices and asked for coverage. To raise profile of the event, they invited the Mayor of Birmingham to cut the tape.

News? No way. Small company moves across town? Mayor opens news offices (on his way to opening a supermarket and visiting a local kindergarten for photo opportunities)?

To get coverage, we dug deeper and constructed a story. As they specialized in security, perhaps the new building was the most secure in the city? In fact, they were able to demonstrate a security device that within seconds could fill a room with ‘smoke’ – disabling an intruder (hey, a potential visual element). A quick phone call to the West Midlands Police provided all the statistics we needed on increased business break-ins over the last year (saving the editor or journalist having to do the research).

Now we really did have a story. It gained huge features in the local press and a significant slot on BBC TV (plus all the inevitable spill-over into international cable TV).

Bottom line: Give editors a really valuable gift. A story. News. Where you have done all the groundwork, supplied the angle and all the backup statistics.

Obvious really.

Len Smith, UK-based copywriter with international clients. Visit my website for lots of hints, tips, advice and more.

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Tags: pr, strategies, plan, marketing, campaign

Just like with everything else launching a PR campaign will require planning. If a strategic plan and approach is not put into place the outcome will almost never be positive. Remember your public relations brand will address everything about how you will deliver your message to the public. It is critical that you do your research and target the right audiences for the most effective outcome.

Before you launch your PR campaign there are several steps you should always take to plan your approach. A successful publicity launch can deliver tons of free publicity and exposure for your product. Giving your brand a strong position in the marketplace.

Other important factors to consider before you start is to address what your budget will be and think in terms of development at least no less than one year. Understand that a good plan can work with almost any budget. The key will be to do your research to find the best possible matches for publicity coverage and finding your right audiences.

Here is How to Organize a Winning PR Plan:

1. Identify Objectives:

Set goals that you would like to achieve and outline what you wish to accomplish from communicating your message to the media.

2. Establish A Position

Address how you will deliver a branding position to your target audience and determine what your characteristics will be.

3. Message Delivery

Outline what the most important elements and points of your message will be and the best sources to deliver your message.

Now that you got the fundamentals down of what you need to get started you are ready to make your plan happen. You have something to offer and you need to find the biggest vehicles to let the world know. Get ready, set, go plan!

Learn how to develop a successful PR campaign.
“CR” Cataunya Ransom is the Co-founder of Mosnar Communications, INC. She developed a niche for Luxury PR & Global Marketing. Guiding clients on how to brand, market, and promote luxury products, events, and services. Highly respected as a luxury public relations expert! “CR” consults clients and speaks to audiences about luxury public relations and global marketing practices.
Visit this web.

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Tags: pr, strategies, plan, marketing, campaign

There’s lots and lots of fantastic advice already available on the web describing how to get press coverage. No point in my regurgitating it.

What I would like to do is provide that last piece of the jigsaw that everyone seems to have overlooked. Strange, because it is critical to success.

Why is it overlooked? Because it is so obvious. It used to be known as not seeing the wood for the trees.

The secret is to THINK LIKE AN EDITOR.

PR companies often confuse the issue by being active rather than productive. They measure success in the volume of press releases, rather than placing articles in the right journals.

Successful marketers and copywriters already ‘think like their reader’. It’s second nature. To place PR copy, though, we need to go that extra step and think like an editor.

Picture yourself, a hard pressed, stressed-out editor with tight deadlines. Your email in-basket is full of irrelevant sales puff vying for editorial coverage, when what you need is a story or news. You want a headline that will grab your readers – something that sings out: Now that is interesting.

So, unless you are an IBM, that new appointment to your company board, the fact that you are exhibiting at a trade exhibition, the fact that you have closed another deal, launched a new product, moved offices, simply doesn’t measure up.

You need to make it measure up

Let me give you an example. I am based in the UK and a small company (less than 10 people) in Birmingham specializing in security was moving offices and asked for coverage. To raise profile of the event, they invited the Mayor of Birmingham to cut the tape.

News? No way. Small company moves across town? Mayor opens news offices (on his way to opening a supermarket and visiting a local kindergarten for photo opportunities)?

To get coverage, we dug deeper and constructed a story. As they specialized in security, perhaps the new building was the most secure in the city? In fact, they were able to demonstrate a security device that within seconds could fill a room with ‘smoke’ – disabling an intruder (hey, a potential visual element). A quick phone call to the West Midlands Police provided all the statistics we needed on increased business break-ins over the last year (saving the editor or journalist having to do the research).

Now we really did have a story. It gained huge features in the local press and a significant slot on BBC TV (plus all the inevitable spill-over into international cable TV).

Bottom line: Give editors a really valuable gift. A story. News. Where you have done all the groundwork, supplied the angle and all the backup statistics.

Obvious really.

Len Smith, UK-based copywriter with international clients. Visit my website for lots of hints, tips, advice and more.

Article Source.

Tags: pr, strategies, plan, marketing, campaign

The euro is making headlines and sending a serious publicity message of value with awareness. Euro coins and banknotes came on the seen in January of 2002 and is now the currency of choice for 315 million Europeans residing in the euro area. Presently there are 13 European Union countries using euros consisting of Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia and Finland. Gaining popularity and selected to be the upcoming currency in January of 2008 for Cyprus and Malta.

The euro currency opens the door for online businesses to generate revenue and capture new audiences. The declining U.S. economy has resulted in many business industries seeking other revenue sources and streams of income.

Today the euro is estimated to equal 1.4745 U.S. dollars and by passing the U.S. dollar in value has captured the attention of the world. This success should prompt every online business to implement and target euro currency when launching PR campaigns.

How-to Target The Euro In PR campaigns:

1. Global PR Campaigns – Release media and press releases over Internet wires to capture global audiences.

2. Global Publicity – Promote story ideas by pitching to euro media publications; utilize the Internet as a primary research guide and email as a contact source.

3. Global Payments – Make sure that your online payment processor is setup to accept payments in euros. To ensure proper payment you should distinguish the value between the euro and the dollar when accepting the payment.

4. Global Targeting – Promote that euro currency is accepted.

5. Global Marketing – Launch online marketing campaigns and promotions.

6. Global Branding – Promote product and services features and benefits online.

It is essential that every company should start positioning their brand for global recognition and branding. The Internet has made it possible and cost-effective for virtually almost any business to establish a global brand. The euro currency is the ultimate target to add revenue generation for companies seeking to capitalize from global commerce.

“CR” Cataunya Ransom is the Co-founder of Mosnar Communications, INC. She developed a niche for Luxury PR & Global Marketing. Guiding clients on how to brand, market, and promote luxury products, events, and services. Highly respected as a luxury public relations expert! “CR” consults clients and speaks to audiences about luxury public relations and global marketing practices. Visit this site.

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CR Ransom – EzineArticles Expert Author

Tags: strategy, pr, campaign, business, marketing

A targeted media relations campaign can put a small business in the national spotlight. Here’s how.

Begin with an analysis of the client’s objectives in terms of publicity, marketing, forming new business partnerships, potential acquisition, and investment in the company. Once the objectives are clearly defined, develop a strategic game plan and the tactics you will use to implement that plan. Your plan should include:

* Aggressive and targeted media relations campaign.
* Publicity through news releases and press conferences announcing milestone achievements.
* Nominating the client for awards.
* Implementing a Web 2.0 strategy to boost the company’s visibility online.

Accomplishing this requires developing a good working relationship with the news media, particularly the trade press. You need to establish trust and reliability; i.e., tone down the hyperbole and deliver on your promises. Once you have achieved legitimacy with the trade media, strive to land profiles about the company itself or its key personnel.

You also need to track your results, producing hard data whenever possible, so you can evaluate the success of the program and demonstrate to the client that he got a worthwhile return on his PR investment.

Results Highlight Success

Here’s a case study that demonstrates how this approach works in the real world: M Ship Co., a San Diego-based maritime design and technology firm, had patented technology with an outsized impact on the performance of commercial, military and recreational boats and ships. However, despite its influence on ship design, the company had an undersized reputation, receiving almost no recognition for its revolutionary technology.

The goal of the public relations program was to gain traction with important target audiences through the news media. The program began with an analysis of the client’s objectives, which included landing further military and civilian contracts, possible acquisition by a large defense industry firm, partnerships with top-tier boat builders, or an infusion of private equity.

Then we developed and implemented a strategy and specific tactics:

* Map out media milestones and secure coverage around the launch and testing of the company’s new vessel.
* Build buzz with local and trade media, then leverage that coverage with bigger media targets.
* Increase the quantity of media coverage and ensure the company is credited as the inventor of the technology.
* Shift media attention beyond the technology to the company and its potential.
* Place the “business story” to reach potential investors, partners or acquirers.
* Pursue industry and media awards.
* Implement a Web 2.0 strategy.
* Complete a “score sheet” of metrics verifying the success of the program.

The results exceeded our expectations, and we were able to prove this to the client by quantifying the successes:

* Expanded coverage in trade and local media.
* Nationally, stories appeared in Popular Science, Forbes, Time, Maxim and on the Discovery Channel.
* Articles shifted focus from the technology to the company itself, with a profile of the company founder appearing on the front page of the hometown newspaper’s business section.
* The company won Time magazine’s Coolest Inventions for 2006 award, as well as CONNECT’s Most Innovative Product, resulting in widespread media coverage.
* The story was a top pick on Digg.com, achieving an estimated 5 million viewings.
* Military personnel published an article about the company’s new vessel in Wikipedia.
* Media coverage increased 100% in frequency and 19% for story length; articles with photos increased 73%.
* Coverage in general readership and business publications spiked 50%.
* The company was mentioned within the top three paragraphs in 39% of all stories after initiating the media relations campaign, compared to 20% previously.
* Because of the broad media coverage, the ship builder was contacted by a major defense industry contractor about acquisition, as well as by shipbuilders from the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia about partnerships. A boat builder contracted with the company to build a line of boats based on the company’s revolutionary hull design.
* The company was approached by several venture capital firms and is currently in discussions with several groups about private equity investment.

These documented results and metrics confirmed the success of the strategic media relations program. You can achieve similar results by following these proven guidelines.

Jon Schmid is a founding partner of San Diego-based Cook & Schmid Public Relations. His prior experience includes more than a decade of work as a professional journalist at a number of publications, including the Chicago Sun-Times, one of the nation’s largest metropolitan daily newspapers. As a journalist, Jon was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

In 2007, Cook & Schmid received the Silver Anvil Award, the public relations industry’s highest honor, for its work promoting the San Diego Rescue Mission. The firm also received a national Bronze Anvil Award of Merit in the category of Business to Business Media Relations for the M Ship Co. project described above.

Cook & Schmid – visit this site
M Ship Co. – visit this site

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Tags: media, relations, campaign, public, marketing

We cannot really speak about “traditional” public relations any longer. PR has extended its area of interest to the online world since a long time already. As a matter of fact, although not “another” discipline, online PR is a “new branch” of the old PR, a discipline that takes the principles and values of its ancestor to better represent the interest of the clients and the public.

Useless to repeat over and over again stories about the magical powers of the Internet, how this might be the magic wand that transforms a little firm into a Global player. If a business owner is not aware of that fact, he or she should probably find a better occupation, for there’s no place on the Web for obtuse thinking. Period.

Now, what a business owner might not know is strictly related to how online public relations works and how this discipline can boost credibility for a business, with a strength that often shakes the offline media to the ground.

Reaching the public has never been easier, and yet trickier. It takes a minute to join a newsgroup or a forum, less then a minute to post a smart comment to a blogger’s entry and some funds to start a PPC campaign or to initiate other paid advertising strategies. You need some money for a good press release as well, a reliable distribution service (always recommended the professionals from PRWeb) and a lucky star to watch upon your news and make the journalists pick your story out of the other few thousands that are released at the same time all over the Web!

It takes a skilled PR expert to know how to “talk” to the people. While you don’t see their faces you should understand that they are there, in front of their monitors, reading your texts, paying attention to your podcasts and ready to react to your message, if and when you have something to say. You should understand that the Web is alive, it’s growing, it’s transforming, it might even change its shape, like a chameleon, it might lift you up or take you down, in a matter of days.

If you don’t have “what it takes”, if you don’t know “how to”, the Web is still there to help you out. You can ask for advice, type into that Google search box your query and thousands of answers will reveal themselves at a click of the mouse. Which one is the right one? Which one to trust?

This is the magic of the Web: it offers so many answers, possibilities and choices. Understand that the moment you go online, yes, you go Global, but you are just a drop in the ocean. When you try to make a living online, when you try to sell your products, you’ll come up as an answer to a search query as well. Are you the right one? Can you be trusted?

This is what online public relations can do for you: it can make you the right one. It can make you the one people trust.

For more related articles visit Mihaela Lica’s SEO and PR Blog or her official website.

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Tags: online, public relations, campaign, advertising, strategies

Every company whether large or small should develop a press kit for distribution to media outlets and other news sources. The digital age is here and the greater number of sources that will publish your press releases online the greater your web presence will be in the future, as search engines index these sites and picks up the content. Your press release should contain keywords that you use to promote your product or service to your customers and words that will help you rise to the top of the search engines. Your pr program is another channel for branding your company as well.

Some basic information about your company, products, or services should be contained in your press kit. A press kit allows for easy distribution of company news to media outlets and other news sources. The following is a list of items you should have in your media kit.

Press Kit:

• Catalogs or Brochures

• Management Biographies

• Photos of your products or service

• Testimonials

• Company logos

• News Worthy Press Releases

• Photos of key employees

• Terms & Conditions for proper use of your company logo and/or trademarks

Another good way to build pr for your company is to have a press area on your website. This area should contain press releases from your company so the search engines can index the pages. Content is king! This will help in bringing your website up in the search engine rankings to help bolster favorable public perception about your company. Also, include ways for the media outlets to download copies of your latest press releases and company news (i.e. RSS, simple syndication Feed is Good) A digital press kit is fast and easy. You may want to require a non-formal registration so you can keep track of who is publishing your material. A few simple of tips for creating your press release can increase the publics’ perception about your company.

Tips:

• Always make sure whatever you are writing about in news worthy

• Maximize your product or service keywords through-out the press release

• Always include some response generating mechanism (i.e. special phone number, website landing page, email address, or contact person).

• When writing try to create a picture in your customers’ mind of what it is you are offering.

• Make every press release very exciting.

A good pr program will help your company gain valuable customers’ and gain favorable public perception about your company. 80% of all internet users’ research companies, services, and products on the web before they commit to making a purchase (Source: Marketingsherpa.com) and now is a good time as any to build your public relations programs to bolster your company into favorable standing with the general public.
Ron Johnson, Contact Info.

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Tags: public relations, campaign, company, website, online

It’s a brand new year. You’ve got a fresh slate to turn your business into a publicity machine that generates favorable headlines that shine a light on your winning ways. In doing so, you can get known, build buzz, earn credibility, and generate a path of qualified leads to your door. What growing business doesn’t want more of all of that?

If you are a newbie to public relations and need to jump-start your PR know-how, I invite you to subscribe to some excellent and FREE ezines that will deliver useful, powerful, and proven ideas to your email box on a regular basis.

Ezine is short for “electronic magazine.” Ezines offer news your readers (clients, prospects and referral sources) can use to run better businesses or live better lives as a result of your expertise. They can be as simple as a free email tip sent to a list of people who have given you permission to market to them online (absolutely no spamming!) or as elaborate as a longer electronic newsletter. Ezines are powerful because they keep you in front of your audience 26 times a year if you send them biweekly, and 52 times a year if you send them weekly. That means you have 52 chances to connect with your readers with quality tips, information, and resources, while using 20% of the content to sell your products and services.

Here are two of my favorite ezines. Make a habit of reading them regularly. You’ll learn a lot and be inspired and equipped to get into action with new ideas and resources to catapult your growing business to a higher level of awareness and success.

www.publicityhound.com

www.prsecrets.com

The beauty of ezines is that you get to learn from the masters of their craft, and you get to know the authors and their unique perspectives over time. When you need to turn to an expert to solve a problem or pain you are experiencing with your own business, these are the experts who you will call first. It will be as though you’ve been working with them and getting to know them for months just because you have invited their ezines into your own inbox.

Speaking of which, do you write an ezine of your own? If not, give that consideration. Mine is among the most powerful tools in my lead generation toolbox. If you need help identifying a supplier, consider www.constantcontact.com and www.aweber.com. Both come highly recommended by ezine publishers from coast to coast and around the world who reach audiences large and small.

These ezine authors have become my colleagues and co-collaborators. In preparing this column, I asked The Publicity Hound Joan Stewart and Media Coach and Marketing Strategist Susan Harrow of PR Secrets to share their best tips to help business owners jump-start their 2007 publicity results. Here is what they had to say:

Joan Stewart:

Many businesses, from one-person shops to big corporations, should start blogging. The search engines love blogs, and blogs pull in traffic like a magnet and draw visitors to your Website. If you don’t know what blogs are or how to start one, do a search on Google and get as smart as you can as fast as you can, or your competitors will leave you in the dust.

Start building valuable relationships with media people, and identify at least one media contact at each media out where you want coverage. Ask “How can I help you?” Listen. Then do what they say.

Don’t limit your publicity activities only to traditional media. Bloggers, podcasters and other “new media” are in a position to spread the word about you much quicker than traditional media can, and to a wider audience.

Susan Harrow:

Your headline dictates whether a reporter will read your release. The press releases that make the media call are those that incorporate a strong story idea about a topic that includes, but is not directly about them. One of my copywriters came up with this headline: While most kindergarteners are picking their noses and feeding their broccoli to the dog, six-year-old Jace Richards was publishing his first book.

Do you notice how specific that is? Most publicists and people doing their own PR make the mistake of creating a headline that’s big and broad. Wrong. Make it small and specific. The narrower your topic, the more arresting it will be.

If you are among the many who want to get on Oprah, visit her Website to get a sneak peek at what Oprah producers are looking for. Tie your story, service, product or cause directly into what they need and you’ve got a chance of getting on the show. Submit your 2000 character (about 350 words) idea through her Website. Producers are standing by. One client of mine got called back within an hour.

When you submit an idea to Oprah, never pitch yourself, your product, service or cause. Pitch a topic that will resonate with her audience. Map out who the guests will be, how you imagine the segment to unfold and what visuals you plan to use. The producers need to SEE your idea in order to understand if it’s right for them or not. Make sure to include your credentials–why you and only you would be the best guest for the topic you’re pitching.

As for my own best advice to you, here it is. Brainstorm your own top ten list of media outlets that would offer the most credible and far-reaching platform from which to highlight what is special about your expertise and your growing business. Pay attention to these media outlets throughout the year. Ask each for their editorial calendar, and identify how your own story fits into their editorial plans. Then, get into action to suggest winning story ideas that will serve their audiences and bring attention to your own company’s winning ways.

One year from now, with your diligence and follow-up, you might find that you’ve earned quality media placements in many of your top ten media outlets. Then, you’ll be convinced beyond measure that public relations really does pack a powerful punch to help you get known, build media buzz, earn credibility, and generate a path of quality leads to your door. With these benefits well within reach, you’ll wonder why you didn’t begin your public relations effort sooner.

Nancy S. Juetten owns Nancy S. Juetten Marketing Inc. — a public relations agency that helps winning companies get known, build media buzz, enhance credibility, and generate quality leads via public relations consulting and Media-Savvy-to-Go do-it-yourself publicity tools. Visit this site to learn more, sign-up for the free monthly Media-Savvy-to-Go ezine, and receive your “Become a Published Author Fast” special bonus report as your gift. This is the fourth in a series of Media-Savvy-to-Go columns prepared for the Snohomish County Business Journal.

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Tags: pr, campaign, online, ezine, business

When you are your own boss you know it’s hard to be off duty. New ideas and thoughts pop into your mind at the most inconvenient of times. This is something we should always remember as you are always an ambassador for your business.

1. Whenever you meet new people, spend your time listening to them. People will more readily talk about themselves. Remember that everyone you meet is a potential customer, lead to a potential customer, or recommend you to a potential customer.

2. Always ask new contacts for their business card, it’s so much better than offering them to take yours, and only offer your card if invited to do so. Human nature dictates that’s they will happily give you their card, however they might lose yours or only accept it to be polite. Remember your business cards cost YOU money, whereas theirs cost you nothing.

3. Make sure you enter their email address as a friend in your spam filter so you don’t block their return email.

4. Look at their website. Having made the new contact, reinforce it, with a brief “nice to meet you” email, and refer to some point that they raised in the conversation or some point of interest on their website.

5. Make sure you enter their details into your contact manager, such as Outlook, whilst their details are fresh in your mind, recording any other personal information, such as birthdays.

6. Having exchanged emails, quickly follow on with a phone call, (This is Jack Sparrow , from The Black Pearl etc, ie full name and importantly your business name) confirming they had received your email. Check back to your only prior conversation. Remember they will probably have a spam filter too. Let them know if your email to them bounced back as they could also be losing valuable leads? Your goal is to cement yourself in their memory

7. Leave things for two weeks or so then if you have a free product such as a newsletter or a useful resource on your website or even a blog which they may be interested in, or contributing to, send them a link.

8. Never be afraid of asking people for advice or a contribution. How you use it is up to you, and it flatters them in being asked.

9. Categorise your contacts in a useable fashion, to which way your business might target them. It could be by demographics, or by number of dependants, or on turnover/income.

10. Forward on any contacts that you may already have could prove beneficial, or ones who they would enjoy meeting.

Your goal is to make yourself invaluable and unforgettable. The art of PR is to follow up both immediately and continually in order to cement a lasting business relationships.

Editor of Castril Web Solutions Newsletter providing useful IT news and resources to rural developing areas of Andaulcia, Spain

The Art Of Successful PR

Author: Rachel Titheridge
visit her site

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Tags: pr, success, business, campaign, publicity

This is a business case for something we all do every day. Editing. Everyone edits. Everyone. All the time.

Editing is a second look. Editing is as simple as reading email before you send it, to make sure that you included everything you want to say, and as complex as overhauling a book manuscript.

If you don’t consider email vital communication, and you’re not writing a novel, do you need to think about editing? If you use written communication in any aspect of your business, yes. You do.

As I wrote in my April 2005 Onwords column, Written communication is often the first impression you make on potential customers, business partners or employers. Misspelled words, grammatical errors and sloppy writing tell your reader that you either don’t know better or don’t care enough about them to communicate properly. Certainly not the message you want to send to your customers or associates.

Two types of editing are copy editing and content editing. Copy editing is proofreading – a check for spelling, grammar and typographical errors. It’s making sure you spell a customer’s name correctly in your business letter. It’s checking punctuation in your instructional design manuals. Copy editing ensures that your press releases and newsletters go to print with commas in the right places, proper capitalization, and no misuse of their, there or they’re.

Content editing combines copy editing with an in-depth assessment of content and writing style. Content editing ensures that all cited facts are validated (fact-checking) and properly referenced, and that quotes are accurate and correctly assigned.

Content editing involves reworking the writing style with an eye toward precision, economy and flow. It ensures that your sales letters and promotional materials are easy to read, vibrant and compelling to your audience.

We all conduct more business in writing and less in face to face meetings than we did even one year ago. Professional editing makes your writing as powerful as you need it to be.

Sally Bacchetta – Freelance Writer/Sales Trainer

Sally Bacchetta is an award-winning sales trainer and freelance writer. She has published articles on a variety of topics, including selling skills, motivation, pharmaceutical sales, parenting and RFID.

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Tags: public, relations, agencies, campaign, software

Before meeting my soon-to-be-wife for the first time, I “Googled” her. Google, with its amazing alacrity, turned up several documents in less than a second.

It turned up a paper she had written for a medical journal. It displayed her dissertation. Iteven showed me an article she had written for her college newspaper.

A lot of our personal information is on the web. It’s a legitimate concern.

So it was understandable when a CEO became irate when a snarky website published all of his personal information it could find – including home address and financial worth – just by going to Google. Sure, it was publicly available information, the CEO acknowledged, but that story was just beyond the pale.

The CEO was so furious, in fact, he ordered his staff not to grant interviews to the news organization, CNet, for an entire year. His choice to “blackball” a website with more than 23 million visitors per month for a full year was a serious one, but one he believed was the right thing to do.

Only one problem. The CEO in question is Eric Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt is the CEO of Google.

In the days following Google’s decision, dozens of news organizations – including National Public Radio, the International Herald Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, and the Associated Press – covered it. Many of those stories lambasted Google’s decision. One story was simply called, “Google Goes Berserk.”

Besides being a stunningly tone-deaf decision on Google’s part (the kind people should lose their jobs over), there is at least one big lesson to be learned here.

Sometimes, it’s better to just be quiet.

Had Google chosen to say nothing after the original CNet story came out, it wouldn’t have become an internationally covered story. It wouldn’t have made it to the coffee shops of California, the bistros of Buenos Aires, or the patisseries of Paris.

Google took a relatively small story and, through awful crisis management, turned it into a much larger one. Even worse, it gave endless ammunition to Google’s critics who have long feared the implications of so much readily accessible information on the web.

Finally, they did at least two other things wrong. We left a message for Google asking for their side of the story. To its credit, one of its representatives, David Crane, did call back within a few hours but said that they have not or will not respond to such queries “on-the-record.” That means its enemies continue to get all the ink as Google does nothing. Companies in crisis mode need to say something, even if that means a terse two sentence statement sent via e-mail.

The other thing Mr. Crane did wrong was offer to make comments to me in an “off-the-record” capacity. I’m not a reporter, and was careful about identifying myself honestly. I had no obligation to honor his terms, and could have been the first “reporter” to finally get Google on-the-record.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information and to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training e-tips, visit this site

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Writing a press (or media) release is quite an art (and a science) but don’t let that scare you. Here are 10 tips to point you in the right direction…

(1) Make sure the information is newsworthy.

(2) Tell the audience that the information is intended for them and why they should continue to read it.

(3) Start with a brief description of the news, then distinguish who announced it, and not the other way around.

(4) Ask yourself, “How are people going to relate to this and will they be able to connect?”

(5) Make sure the first 10 words of your release are effective, as they are the most important.

(6) Avoid excessive use of adjectives and fancy language.

(7) Deal with the facts.

(8) Provide as much Contact information as possible: Individual to Contact, address, phone, fax, email, Web site address.

(9) Make sure you wait until you have something with enough substance to issue a release.

(10) Make it as easy as possible for media representatives to do their jobs.

Remember this, a news or media release is not meant to be a blatant self promotional vehicle – it’s meant to make the journalist’s job easier for them and be interesting reading for their readership. Keep this in mind and you’ll have a fair chance of coverage.

Author: James is a freelance writer and consultant, meet him here.

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Tags: public, relations, strategies, campaign, management

A Press Release is a captive story that can be about a person, a business or organizational group that is submitted to the media. The distribution of a release can be targeted to media outlets in newspapers, TV, radio stations, magazines and global newswire networks. Like with any other form of marketing, a well-submitted press release will give added publicity and creditability to an individual or a business.

Journalists look for newsworthy stories that they can use in their publications. Newsworthy simply means a story on current issues or events that have an appealing interest in today’s news.

Some examples of this can be:

* Stories that cover the launching of a new business.

* Solution and problem solving reports that deals with the current market trend.

* New products or services that impact today’s business.

* Research and findings on the latest business trends.

* Partnerships with other businesses.

* Sponsorships that you are affiliated with and contributed to.

* Achievements/awards that you have received recognition for.

Press releases are not to be confused as an advertisement to sell your products or services. An advertisement is to get your customers attention, whereas with a press release you want to capture the attention of the journalist.

The idea is to write a press release that generates a current interest to the media. If a journalist finds your story newsworthy, they are sure to feature your story.

The best way to start out is by researching some of the media websites first. One of the media websites that is worth checking out is Prweb.com. Their site is easy to navigate through and provide some very useful information on submitting a release. The idea is to visit a few of the media sites to understand their guidelines before you submit. It would also be beneficial to view several of the press releases on their site to get a better perception on writing your own. You will find that most press releases are between 400 and 500 words.

Once you have the concept, organize and put together all the information you will be using on a piece of paper. Make sure you are using current information with topics that have new and compelling interest (journalist are not interested in old news).

Make sure to illustrate your release with only solid facts. Emphasize on the benefits and key points in your story line.

If applicable, give examples, quotes, and testimonials. Do not use any bold statements, hype or sales pitches.

Proof read your release several times. Correct any grammar mistakes or misspellings.

How To Submit A Press Release:

Obviously your first step would be contacting the media. This can be through local media groups within your area, or through the Internet for worldwide distribution.

Submitting a press release is done by mail, fax or email. You can simply check with the editors to see what their requirements are for submitting your release.

Use journalist that are targeted to your business market. You can accomplish this by researching some of the past stories published by the editor.

Note; if you find editors that accept a release through email, it’s important to put your release into the body of your email and not as an attachment.

When submitting a press release, the way you format your release can play a crucial role on whether a journalist picks up your story.

An example of a format that is commonly used, would be as follows:

1.) Type in “For Immediate Release” or you can specify the date you want it released for a different time period.

2.) Create a headline that would attract an interest.

3.) Add your contact information here. Your name, company, phone number and your URL.

4.) City, State and Date followed with your opening paragraph answering all the questions to who, what, where, why and when.

5.) Your next paragraph should cover the details of your story, which should highlight your first paragraph. If applicable, include quotes or endorsements from other business associates that have used your products or services. This will build creditability to your story (be sure to get approval prior to adding this).

6.) Followed by a short summary highlighting your key points to your story.

7.) A short company profile about your business.

8.) At the bottom, put in three (3) ### signs or “End” to indicate the end of your press release.

Final Note:

Be sure to add your contact information including your telephone number with your release. If an editor finds your story newsworthy, he may contact you for an interview or possibly just to attain more information on a follow-up story.

To look for newswire networks where you can submit a press release, go to this link for our complete list.

John Kovacs is the CEO and founder of “A Home Business Opportunity”. His website mainly focuses on supplying free marketing tips, resources and support for home startup businesses and Internet marketing. To get a step-by-step guide in building an online business, visit this site.

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Tags: public, relations, strategies, campaign, management