When thinking of the PR pro, many people tend to think of one thing: the press release. (That is all there is to PR, right?) Moreover, traditional use of the press release was to relay and pitch a story to the media (which it is still used for) and only the media. That can be referred to as media relations. While that is an important aspect and role of the PR professional, customer relations is maybe even more important. Many stories and news coverages start from WOM (word of mouth) that a media person hears about or finds interesting. Encourage that WOM, and help it to be positive. Your customers can generate the WOM for free and help to get your company recognized by the media.

The key to remember here is that while in the past, the PR team had a goal to get as many news clippings as possible, the present calls for PR teams who can handle the media and customers. With the ability to reach both (whereas old PR tactics only allowed you to contact the media), why not do both? Unless you are employed for a company stuck using old PR tactics, you ought to be implementing ways to connect and foster relations with both parties. Even if you are employed by a company stuck in the past, make an effort to advocate the use of new PR tactics. (Advocating is, after all, another role of the PR team; your audiences can also include stakeholders in the company.)

Some ways to move your company forward with PR:

• Implement social media. First, see where your customers are participating online, and see if it would make sense for you to go there too.
• Use that social media. Don’t just implement it, but use it to its full potential to really get a good idea of its relevance.
• Connect with your customers. (That means going beyond sending them a newsletter.) Encourage them to connect by making it easy.
• Evaluate your current and future strategies. What are you doing now? What out of those strategies and tactics are working? What are you going to implement now?
• Reevaluate them with time. After implementing future ideas, evaluate them to ensure they are relevant, effective, and most importantly fostering relations with customers and the media.
• Implement new strategies. If you find that some things aren’t working, make a new plan or revamp your current one to get the most reach.

Overall, knowing who to target is one of the best ways to success in a PR campaign, whether it be the media or your customers. As I’ve mentioned before, doing your homework is the surest way to finding that target market. Moreover, know who to hire for your PR needs if you are a company looking to add another team member or even a company looking to do your own PR. Really evaluate your needs to see if an outside PR firm would do the trick or if all you need is to roll up your sleeves; with more and more emphasis online, knowing media contacts isn’t as heavily depended upon for the success of your PR plans. Just remember that it really depends on the company and the objectives; a plan that was a success for one company may be a disaster for another.

What does public relations mean to you?

A good reporter uses perfect grammatically structured sentences and flawless spelling when writing articles. Usually these skills transfer to many other facets of their persona therefore you should not be intimidated by an articulate and well-spoken reporter. It makes sense that they of all people might possess a perfect command of the English language. It goes with the territory. They are used to the fact that most people cannot keep up with their vocabulary. So don’t try to impress them with your speech. Any attempt to fake them out with words is sure to fail. Be yourself. It doesn’t mean they are smarter than you. On the contrary, if they were smarter they would be a freelance writer instead of a periodic journalist or perhaps own their own business like you. It pays better and you don’t have someone else editing your stories or asking you to rewrite something to change the slant or angle.

Most journalists are like artist. They are creative. Creative people don’t like to be put into structures, systems and absolutes. But periodic newspaper writers are forced into this through deadlines and space requirements. Many reporters like the type of work they do, writing, but they absolutely hate the structure. It’s stressful, hard work and not that much fun. A few reporters love the challenge of deadlines. These are the ones to watch out for. With these reporters, you should have your answers to questions pre-thought out. They will surely take most of what you say out of context. They are in a hurry. They are only concerned with finishing the story on time and then writing another. They will interview a few people instead of many to get to the bottom of the issue. They will use your name and insert a quote from you where it fits and when they need it. And then conveniently change, modify and delete parts of what you said or what they wanted to hear to fit nicely into a complete story. If, for some reason, they disagree with what you said or they just don’t like you, it’s all over. So this brings us back to our original thought. Be friendly to reporters. Be honest, truthful and sincere. Help them keep it short and sweet and help them save their valuable time.

When you see these reporters around town or at community events, be sure to acknowledge their presence. Even if you don’t have time to talk, a simple nod or good evening ‘Joe’ and a firm handshake will do.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance here. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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Tags: media relations, public relations tips, dealing with the media and reporters, public relations

On good days, I earn my living speaking to and learning from knowledgeable experts who ask for help in raising the profile of their cause through the media. In the past few years, I’ve worked with billionaire philanthropists, a Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist and a world famous actor. Mostly, though, I work with unknown but equally impressive professionals regarded as experts in their fields.

When I speak to them, I’m always listening for “the story.” Some of the time, the story is immediately apparent. But the most gratifying moments come when a story seemingly devoid of news value suddenly leaps out and surprises me.

Two years ago, for example, I was doing media work for a Washington DC-based environmental organization. Scientists from the group would regularly contact me regarding their latest field work, hoping I could convince a reporter to shine a spotlight on their project.

One day I met with a charismatic field biologist to discuss his project while sipping coffee in a depressing restaurant. As he told me about his project, I quietly became more convinced that he didn’t have much of a story. I felt bad, but suspected no reporter would bite.

The West African forest elephant, he told me, was in trouble. The problem was largely one of capacity – no West Africans had been formally trained in protecting the 7,700-pound mammals, which were being killed by the farmers who feared them.

To help correct the problem, he said, they had established a program three years earlier to train six West Africans to conserve the majestic beasts. In a month, they would end their training and begin working to protect the animals full-time.

That’s when the idea hit.

I asked the scientist if we could call the group the first-ever graduating class from “Elephant University.” When he agreed, I knew we were in business.

I drafted an e-mail with a few highlights to a reporter I had recently met from The Wall Street Journal. The story pitch suggested that this story was the perfect fit for the quirky daily front-page “Column Four” feature. The reporter quickly wrote back. He agreed.

Two weeks later, the reporter was off to Accra, Ghana to report the story firsthand. When the story ran on November 27, 2002, the words “Elephant University” – the ones we had happily stumbled upon over coffee – were emblazoned on the front-page.

This story worked because we didn’t pitch it “head on.” Remember – the heart of this story was that West African scientists were receiving training – not exactly front-page material. But by giving the reporter an unusual hook, he was able to convince his editors that the story deserved to be told.

If you’re speaking to an expert to assess a story’s newsworthiness and it doesn’t seem immediately obvious to you, keep talking. If they say something interesting, stop them. Ask them to slow it down and provide more detail. Paraphrase their response into something resembling a headline by asking, “Would it be correct to say it this way?” Finally, look for the nuggets. Ancillary parts of the story often jump out and become your lead.

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

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Tags: writing tips, media relations, PR story, front page

Be familiar with the show or publication. Your pitch should be about how your story will work for them. Don’t do a general pitch (“A story about dog training.”) but suggest the segment the story would be right for, or what makes it right for them.

Don’t take “no” personally. It may be that they have just done a similar story, or they can’t fit it in, or it just isn’t right for them. If you speak with someone, ask if they can suggest another show or publication where the story might work.

If at first you don’t succeed, pitch again. But wait at least a month or two, and come back with a different angle (not exactly the same idea that got turned down).

Many now prefer e-mail pitches to fax. E-mail can be reviewed quickly, and can be easily forwarded to several others in the newsroom. Faxes often pile up unread, but e-mail gets looked at.

Keep your e-mail short and to the point. DON’T send any attachments, as they will be deleted unopened (if they get through at all), but you can include a link to your web site or online media kit.

Online media kits are an effective way for the media to get more information about you. When you send a press release (by mail, fax or e-mail) include a link to your online media kit. The online media kit can include your bio, photos, articles written by or about you, the topics you can comment on, a list of suggested questions (with or without the answers), product fact sheets, and anything else that explains more about you, your products and services, and your topics.

When you e-mail, make your subject line enticing. Using “Hi!” or something else that looks like spam will get it deleted without being read. Start with QUERY: or PITCH: then give a short, punchy headline.

One national TV show producer said that you didn’t need to send tape with your initial (mail) pitch, but another said if you mailed a pitch with no video you wouldn’t be considered. In either case, you will need a video of other TV appearances before you get on a national show, so be on the safe side and send it.

Local media are always looking for local experts to interview on a variety of topics. Send them your bio and credentials and they will keep you on file for the next time they need an expert in your field. Even better, send one or more Rolodex(tm) cards with your topics and contact information.

If your story isn’t right for them at this time, they may save your press release and contact you in the future. Don’t be surprised if you get a phone call weeks or months after you sent your pitch.

Journalists are busy people, and they get hundreds or thousands of press releases and pitches every week. Make your story interesting and make it easy for them to work with you, and you will have an edge.

Copyright Cathy Stucker. Learn more about how you can attract customers and make yourself famous with free publicity here.

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Tags: PR tips, publicity, media relations