More and more these days’ people are worried about the environment. You will find that many more companies are now launching public relations campaigns in order to show their customers and the rest of the potential customer market that somehow they are changing their ways and going green. This is a great move for companies to show that there is more to worry about than just the bottom line.

If you own a business and you want to let your customers know about your new green strategies, environmental public relations will come in handy. This is more than just regular PR; instead, it is a type of PR that is focused solely and preparing and presenting your company with green initiatives.

There are many companies that believe that green marketing would be a competitive advantage, yet many companies are still avoiding coming up with a green marketing plan that will prepare their customers for the possibility of higher prices in products, inform them of the company’s green initiatives, and provide updates on how these green initiatives are working.

Environmental public relations are something that every company should consider. You will find that with environmental public relations, the company you own can now be well prepared for the possibility of questions about the environment. You will also be able to prepare all of the evidence of your green initiatives. This will come in handy when you are asked about it from the press at any given time. With environmental public relations, you will have a friend in your corner.

Many of the questions that the press will ask to companies that have not already announced that they are going green usually deal with the company’s future plans. Even if green initiatives are years away from being present or implemented in your company, you should still create a plan and get it out to the public before the press comes knocking at your door. What the press wants to know is if you take part in corporate social responsibility. Make sure to them know that you are responsible and have the evidence to back it up.

Your specific environmental PR team will be able to aid you in all of the issues that come along with going green initiatives. Not only will they help you to understand the impact of your choice on the public, they can also find ways to let the customers know that because of these environmentally friendly choices, prices might be going up. It is important to let an expert in environmental PR prepare your company to answer all of the important questions that will not just come from the customers, but the press as well. This preparation will make your company knowledgeable about your projects and have a leg up on most of the competition that have yet to use the services of environmental public relations.

Jordan Mcpelt is a professional author who specializes in Environmental PR and Green PR. For more information on Utah PR please visit this Site

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Your pitch is the most essential part of your communication arsenal. Without it, you are dead in the water; with it, you are alive and well. Case in point: the previous two sentences have either grabbed you or not. You will either read the rest of this article or skip over to the next thing on your mind.

Do not underestimate the power of the pitch and do not under prepare. You will refine and hone the pitch over and over again and each time you will not have prepared enough. I have been “pitching” my businesses for the better part of the last decade. I have worked with great PR and marketing folks refining the pitch and still there are times when I just come off flat. So you have to practice, practice, practice. And, if you’re like me, you don’t need anyone to tell you once you have pitched whether it’s good or not. You just know.

Here are some things to keep in mind when developing your pitch: clarity and conciseness, imagery, and repeatability.

1) Clarity and conciseness. This is the proverbial elevator pitch. I like to think of it as 30 seconds long. It needs to be brief and to the point. I changed the name of my current company because I thought of a tagline that went with the name that accomplished this in three words. Send. Receive. Pay. Don’t try to be clever and don’t try to use big words. If you write it out and the sentence is a run-on or is more than 20 words, it is too long.

2) Imagery. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. So if you don’t have time to say a thousand words, create an image that is way more powerful. Additionally, it is will be quite memorable. To illustrate a scene for an online accounting solution for small businesses, I conjure up the images of invoices everywhere, lost behind desks and even the way things were done when my folks were starting their first business (punch cards). This solution cleans up that mess. Images you conjure up for your business will work and will be remembered.

3) Repeatability. If you don’t say the same thing every time you are at your kids’ soccer game or sitting next to someone on the airplane, then how will your target market remember it? There is a fun game, called “Telephone,” that we used to play as kids. You line up a group of kids and whisper in one ear and then have that repeated to each kid along the chain. Invariably, what you get at the end of the chain is very different than when it started. Don’t forget this when you are developing your pitch. Your message will get repeated many more times than you know and you always want the last person to hear it to be as if you were talking to them.

Now that you have it, practice! Not once or twice, but hundreds of times. When I launched my most recent business at Demo last fall, I practiced my six-minute pitch more than 100 times in the final three weeks before the show. We did win a Demogod award but I still wished I had practiced more. Once thing to keep in mind when you pitch, is your environment. When you are raising money from VC’s it is different than Angel Investors and it is different than being on stage. Be prepared for interruptions in the form of questions, suggestions or bright lights/flashes going off, if on stage. The more you practice by yourself with friends that play the role, or actual advisors, the better you will be.

Developing that pitch is an art and it is never done.

René is currently CEO and founder of bill.com. He realized the tremendous need to simplify and automate the way businesses manage bills, invoices, payments, contracts and other important financial documents; and the challenge of not having control and intelligence into daily spending and cash flow. bill.com solves accounts payable issues and also puts all valuable financial documents in one place for secure access anywhere/anytime.

Prior to bill.com, René co-founded America’s #1 online payroll service PayCycle, which now employs over 100 people and serves over 50,000 customers. PayCycle has received multiple 5-star awards from PC Magazine and numerous accountant trade publications.

René spent five years at Intuit, creating and managing the company’s bill presentment team and growing its bill payment and credit card businesses 30% in one year. He also launched Intuit’s first connected payroll product, growing the team from two employees to 300 in 18 months.

René received a Masters of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Quantitative Economics from Stanford University.

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Tags: public, relations, marketing, plan, promotion

It is important for an organization to have one or more spokespeople who are experienced and can stay calm when communicating during a crisis. Crisis communication is how people know what is going on and it is very important when it comes to public relations. This is why it is important to have an adequate number of spokespeople for your organization because sometimes it isn’t sufficient enough to have just one person doing the talking. It looks better on the public relations side of things if you have more than one who are both on the same page and can effectively speak to the media and people on a face-to-face basis.

There are several things that must be done in crisis communication. It isn’t just a matter of looking at the situation and coming up with a response within five minutes. To give a proper response, it is important to evaluate the situation and follow a certain set of rules to make sure the public gets the adequate information. These steps are:

- Developing and delivering at least three key points about the situation. These messages must be relayed in such a way that everyone can understand what is being said. Sometimes these messages do not have to be anything extensive, depending on the situation. Such an example is when a company is going through a lawsuit. Most companies do not allow commenting on pending litigation, so the spokesperson may simply say, “no comment.”

- Make sure that all employees are up-to-date on what is going on. This creates consistency and allows for adequate response for various situations that may arise during a crisis. Many times this interaction should take place face-to-face instead of in a memo.

- Make sure you identify who can be trusted with information and who cannot be. These can be considered your unofficial spokespersons if they must be asked questions. These are the people who will adhere to what you tell them to say. In crisis communication, it is important to stay sensitive to various pieces of information that could cause an even bigger issue.

- A rumor-control system should be put in place. This means that the system must be up and running, allowing others to ask questions and get immediate answers before they begin communicating their speculations with others. What starts out as a question soon becomes fact when it is passed from person-to-person. This can cause a situation to become much more difficult. Rumors result in new issues that must be given attention. This can take attention away from the issue at hand.

Just make sure that those on the inside know exactly what is going on because they are just as important as those on the outside wanting to know what the crisis is, how it is going to impact them, and how to rectify the situation. It is even fair to develop key messages for employees, but to have key messages that are used for those on the outside as well. It is important to implement a system and a strategy that will not cause any type of mass panic, depending on the situation. Sometimes those situations are limited to a company and other times they can influence an entire population.

Just be sure to not jump the gun. Instead, develop strategies that will relay the message effectively. Both inside and outside communication go hand-in-hand in order for things to run smoothly. This shows that crisis communication in public relations is very important when ensuring the safety of people, their affairs, and of those directly involved with the situation.

Polaris PR is a Toronto public relations company having extensive experience in all areas of public relations in a variety of industry sectors. Core competencies include media relations, corporate communications, issues management, special event planning and execution, spokesperson training and more.

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Press Releases is one of those things that can take on a life of its own. The right press release can generate tremendous exposure, opportunity and yes…profits. The real trick to writing a press release is to have something newsworthy to write about. This often takes creativity, inspiration, and a bit of innovation. Here are 10 ideas to get the brainstorming wheels spinning.

Calendar events. Events are a great way to get your business in the headlines. Whether you host a seminar or conference or you are sponsoring a local team events are newsworthy. To emphasize the newsworthiness of the event be sure to point out who it helps or how it solves a problem. For example a seminar on how to sell your home in a down economy benefits the very large For Sale by Owner segment in the United States. Sponsoring a local race to raise money for diabetes benefits those fighting diabetes.

Letter to editors can be a tremendous way to get the ball rolling or get attention for issues that are important to your business and your industry. As a business owner, when you take steps to bring issues to the forefront it demonstrates your passion for your field and your customers. It also demonstrates that you are a take charge, action oriented business. The letter itself can be used to generate a press release stating a businesses involvement or solution to an industry problem.

Problem-solving Tips articles. A press release that demonstrates how to resolve a common problem can be a great way to generate interest in your company’s products or services. For example, a pet store can write a press release about ten tips to house train your new puppy. The release can be made relevant and newsworthy by simply stating a statistic related to house training dogs, like 1 in 10 new puppy owners gives up their puppy due to house training problems. A statistic helps make the content newsworthy while the remainder of the article helps to make the content useful to consumers.

Local human interest story. Human interest stories, as they relate to your business, are a great way to generate publicity and press. Think about how many human interest stories make it to your local news. Both the morning and the evening news often highlight local businesses and how they’re benefiting the community. What is unique about your business, your customers, and your staff?

Query letters help generate press and publicity by getting your prospects, customers, and industry involved in a topic or an issue. Stick with topics that are current and you’re sure to generate some water cooler chatter.

Opinion editorials. Often times stirring the pot can bring about some pretty interesting press. While that old adage all publicity is good publicity may be true, it is important to not offend your core customers. So while generating some controversy is good for publicity careful consideration must be taken before giving an opinion that may offend your most profitable customers.

People advancements are a great way to showcase your company’s expertise. Anytime a staff member has a promotion, won an award, or contributed to the community or industry in some way, it’s time to generate a press release. Showcasing your staff’s expertise is a great way to build credibility for your business.

Small feature stories are another excellent tool to demonstrate the knowledge and expertise your company has to offer. For example, a software developer could write a story showcasing how their software helped a local business owner or non-profit become a leading force in their industry.

New products, services, book. This type of information is generally what stimulates a company to issue a press release however the release of a product or introduction of a new service in and of itself isn’t newsworthy. In order to make sure your press release gets the attention it deserves be sure to tie it to a problem or issue that needs to be resolved and then show how your product or service solves the problem.

Large feature stories. Feature stories, large or small, are designed to take a look at a subject in depth. An example of a large feature story might be how retailers can take advantage of impulse shopping. The article could highlight several retailers and their philosophy or approach to impulse shoppers, how to maximize it, and then highlight a few products that make great impulse shopping items in a gift shop.

Press and publicity is a great way to keep your business fresh in the minds of prospects and to reach new prospects around the world. A little creativity and innovation can go a long way toward generating very profitable press.

Robert Moment is an innovative sought-after small business and marketing coach and author of Invisible Profits:The Power of Exceptional Customer Service. Robert specializes in teaching entrepreneurs and small business owners how to start a business that profits and grow. Visit this site and sign-up for the FREE 7 day e-course Turn Your Passion into Profits: Small Business Startup.

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Tags: pr, publicity, firm, public, relations

If you are going to run a successful business, you must manage your business imagine and reputation through public relations. Instead of winging it, you need a plan.

Although there are many ways to construct a good PR plan for your organization, there are four essential elements that form a basic outline of any strategy. The first is to determine where you are at this time. The second is to define where you want to go in the future. The third suggests the way you can get to where you want to go. The fourth and final step is measuring your results.

It is important to completely understand the public relations image of your organization at the present time. This is always the first step of the public relations plan. It calls for a very detailed and honest assessment of the current perception of the target audience toward the organization. This perception might be negative, or it could be highly positive, but it is important to understand exactly what it is at the current time.

The second part of the public relations plan is to define where you want to go. It calls for the establishment of a PR goal for the organization. Of course, this goal is dependent on the perception determined in part one. If the organizations image is bad, the goal is to make it good. If the image is good already, the goal is to make it even better. Even if the image is perceived to be as good as it could possibly be, the goal would be to maintain it.

The third part is the most detailed. Up to this point the plan has been like tracing two points on a map. The first is where you are and the second is where you want to go. Now, you must determine the methods that can be used to make the journey from one point to the next. In many ways, this is the most critical part of the plan. It requires that methods and policies must be instituted that will serve to accomplish the goals.

The final part of the plan is the one that is most often overlooked. This is a very critical step in the process. You must have a way of measuring the success of the steps taken in part three to reach the desired goal. These measurements must be unbiased and accurate. It is not enough to guess at this stage. Surveys are one example of the kind of measuring tools that can be utilized. The plan identifies where you are, where you want to go, how you will get there, and then finishes by determining if you have made it.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about public relations for PublicRelationsTools.com.

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Tags: pr, public, relations, counselors, company

You’ve sent the press releases and after what seems like an eternity of waiting, you finally get the call! The call that says, “Hey, we loved the press release and think there is a story to be written!”
What do you do now?

Don’t panic. Take a deep breath, say a silent prayer of thanks, and ask the reporter how you can help him or her.
Don’t forget to jot down the name of the reporter.
If you were in so much shock, that you didn’t get the name, simply say, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.” The reporter will repeat his or her name.
Then say, “How may I help you?”

The reporter will mention your press release and an angle that he or she wants to use to write a story about you or your business. If you disagree with the angle, don’t be afraid to say so and definitely do not be afraid to decline the interview. However, if the angle is complimentary to your business, you most definitely want to take the reporter up on the offer! (It is very important to know why the reporter called and how he or she is going to use your quotes in relation to the article being written.)

Answer each question after you have given a moment to collect your thoughts.
Do not ramble on and on. Get directly to the point, as reporters are busy people with deadlines to keep. Keeping on topic shows the reporter that you are appreciative of the call and understand his or her time is valuable.

If you encounter dead silence after you have finished your statement, do not continue to ramble on. Wait for the reporter to ask another question.
Always stay on the positive side.
Never let a reporter goat you into speaking negative of anyone, whether it be your business, your clients, your customers, your competition, or life in general.
Be friendly, personable, and confident.
Don’t be afraid to laugh during the interview should the occasion call for it.
Have sources readily available.
As soon as you send out a press release, think of customers, clients, or others that are targeted towards the angle you took in your press release. Call them up and ask if you could use them as a source or reference should an interviewer request this information.
Then keep a handy list next to your phone, that includes…

• The Name of your source
• Source’s Business
• Phone Number
• Website Address
• Email Address

Statistics…
If your press release makes note of statistics, research material, or other data, have that information readily available, so that you can refer to it during the interview. As the questions pop up, should the occasion call, do not be afraid to say, “I happen to have an article or back up material on this very subject. Would you like me to email or fax it to you?”

Do you know facts off the top of your head?
Cite them during the interview, when appropriate. Don’t know any facts off the top of your head? Keep a note card next to the phone, with possible facts that the reporter may be able to use during an interview, based on the press release you sent out.
Do you have an anecdote to share?
Have you noticed how articles share stories to make a point? Do you have a compelling anecdote that will keep the reporter intrigued enough to use?
Never say anything that you want to be “off the record.”
If you don’t want the reporter to make use of your quote, don’t say anything. If a reporter requests that you answer something “off the record,” decline. Assume that anything you say will be used in that article.

If you do not have an answer to a question asked, don’t lie and don’t make up an answer. Definitely do not use hypothetical statements. Simply state, “I’m sorry. I honestly do not have an answer for that.” Or “You know, I don’t know. But I can find out and get back to you later today.” Or “I don’t have the answer to that, but it brings up a good point about… (then use this opportunity to bring up a point you did want to make).
If you find that you answered a question and you made absolutely no sense, or it came out sounding wrong. Simply say, “I’m sorry, I didn’t answer that very well. Let me see if I can give you a more clear answer.”

If the reporter requests follow-up…
information to be e-mailed, faxed, or snail mailed to his or her office, ask the reporter when his or her deadline is. Then make it a top priority to get that information to him or her the same day you get off the phone and no later than a two days before the deadline. Following up in a timely manner will make it easier for you to get another interview when the time arises, as the reporter will find you a valuable resource!
Before you hang up…
Thank the reporter for his or her time, ask when the article may appear in print, ask for the correct spelling of his or her name, and get his or her contact information. Finally, let the reporter know that he or she can call back regarding clarification, or should another story idea come up where you could be useful.

What if you were out when the reporter called?
Gather your thoughts, and any information you may be able to use for the interview, then call the reporter back, ASAP! More often than not, the reporter will request a phone interview. It’s fast, painless, and allows them to meet their other deadlines with ease.
If you can get away with having the reporter email you a set of questions, that is your best bet. After all, you can reword and regroup your thoughts to sound as professional as possible. Then after proofing your answers, you can send them off to the reporter. There is also less of a chance of getting misquoted.

What if the Reporter called at a bad time?
Simply state, “This is a bad time, can I call you back at such and such a time?” Then get the reporter’s contact information and make sure that you call back, on time.
Alyice Edrich is the editor of The Dabbling Mum®, a free parenting publication, and the author of several work from home e-books designed to help parents earn extra cash while spending more time with their children. To learn more, visit her at here.
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Tags: representative, salary, reports, public, relation

Maintaining public relations and therefore having a sound public relations strategy is important for any company be it an extremely small one or a large MNC with thousands of employees. This article gives you a nine step process that will help you plan your public relations strategy perfectly and most productively. The steps are as follows:

• Identify your target audience- You must realize that you will never be able to sell your product to everyone. Therefore however strong a business you have, you must still identify, select a target audience and direct your communicative messages only towards them.

• Survey their present Knowledge levels- Either take a survey or use the internet to find out the present knowledge base and beliefs of your target audience. Google and online forums would be of great help to gauge their pulse.

• Observe how they are reacting- Keenly observe what opinions your target audience forms using their present knowledge base. How they are thinking and reacting is therefore important.

• Set specific goals for the campaign- Like with everything else in life, set achievable goals like increased web hits or changing governmental regulations etc for your public relations campaign as well.

• Select your public relations strategy- Devise your strategy keeping your goals in mind and work accordingly to use the strategy to fulfil the goals.

• How persuasive will the communication be- Formulate what thing or things you would like to communicate persuasively to the target audience. These should be things that they need to know and would want to know, in the process helping your business thrive and your goals fulfilled.

• Tactics and tools to be used- Zero in on executable forms for your public relations strategy. Decide whether you want a blog or take out a press release or join a forum as tactics to successfully execute your strategy.

• Look out for changes in knowledge and belief- Since public relations is all about creating a reputation or image and belief changing, you must monitor from time to time whether your PR strategy is being effective in enhancing your business’ reputation or making people believe in your company’s beliefs.

• Look out for a change in behaviour- The end result of your meticulous public relations strategies should be increased sales figures and peoples lives being affected by your products. The planning and the product or service offered should together be able to change the behaviour pattern of your target audience.

Every business venture should be backed by a proper and effective public relations plan which would be of great help to the business organization. If you thought your knowledge about public relation strategies was not so good, this article should be of great help to you. Hopefully after reading this, you will be able to implement some of these tips in your strategies and benefit from the outcome.

James Copper is a writer for this site where you can find great marketing strategies.

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Tags: public, relations, company, services, agency

It’s a well established marketing maxim that what’s read in a newspaper or heard on the radio carries greater weight than copy in an advert, simply because it has the endorsement of being published or broadcast on merit.

And with the explosion in content-hungry print, broadcast and online media, the opportunities for any business to grab its share of the spotlight have never been better.

You can reach all manner of media sites and news channels economically through online distribution channels. If your market is local or specific to a trade or industry, a brief ‘get to know you’ chat with your local paper’s business editor, or your trade magazine’s news desk, is essential groundwork. Even if you do nothing else but post releases on your website, you’ll give it a regular injection of fresh content that will help your search engine rankings.

So what’s stopping you? Maybe you don’t consider your business to be sufficiently newsworthy. Well, take a look at your product or services. Have you launched anything new? Or has an existing range been revamped? Perhaps you’ve built customer experiences of what you do into a newer, better offer.

Maybe you’ve responded to a customer need in a way that speaks volumes about your levels of service and commitment, and if the outcome had a particular benefit then that could be the raw material you need for some well-earned coverage.

And don’t forget expansion – a change of office, new personnel – or event sponsorship within your industry, or in your local community.

If you’re still stuck, then get creative by taking a closer look at what your company does. Review some recent customer history and feedback. Is there some positive stuff you can rework into an industry trend to which your business is responding? And don’t overlook those soapbox opportunities for a chance to comment on your industry’s wider issues, or at least your particular niche within them.

Plan a programme of releases and get them out there on a regular basis. Target a length of between 350-500 words and make sure you include the nub of your story in the first couple of paragraphs. Don’t bury your news out of sight.

As to style, be matter of fact and avoid blowing your own trumpet. Back up any claims with hard evidence and vary the flow with a quote or two – from you, other key members of staff involved in the project, or from partners or customers.

Once you’re in gear, you’ll soon identify plenty of press release opportunities that should give your business an excellent return for very little upfront marketing cost.

Christopher Snowden of Moving Finger is a UK-based marketing copywriter and editor specialising in b2b communications in print or online. Chris helps businesses from sole traders through to large corporations get their words fit for purpose so their marketing communications earn their keep. Go here for the full story. He also publishes KeyNotes, a bi-monthly e-newsletter about writing and editing for business, and words in general — you can try out the latest issue here

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Tags: industry, public, relations, companies, careers

How to plan, write and evaluate the success of your Press Releases

Press Releases are a fantastic and FREE form of marketing your company, products and services. Basically, it works like this – you send your company news to a list of publications. The editors WANT your news so they can keep their subscribers up to date on what is happening in your industry. You get a plug and all it took was time to write the Press Release.

The other great advantage is that it can now be posted on many electronic magazines, spreading the word throughout the Internet.

To create the best chances of success with your Press Releases, here’s a quick “How To” list:

1. Have a plan. News happens fast, and you need to be ready with a plan to react to that news to tell the world. So before you start, write at least twelve Press Releases in advance and put them into a folder to draw from when needed. Keep in mind that when in comes to news, it doesn’t matter if it’s NEW to you, it matters if it’s NEWS to the editors. Write them in advance so you can draw from this folder once a month on the same date for an entire year. Keep them in chronological order. As up-to-date news occurs in your company, use that information first, bumping all other Press Releases back one month. Review the folder each month before you send your release and move the unused, unneeded or out of date releases to an archive on your website along with the release you just sent. Get every extra mile you can from every release you write!

2. Create letterhead and envelopes specifically designed for Press Releases. As you send the Press Releases the editors become familiar with your envelopes and letterhead, and know what to expect. This familiarity also increases your changes for success. Don’t be afraid to actually say “Press Release Enclosed” on the outer envelope.

4. Send one release a month. No more, no less. More than that and you stand the chance of annoying the editors, and that means less print space. Less than once a month and you don’t appear to be the kind of company that is actually worthy of news because nothing of importance is happening in your organization.

5. Include a photo or image separately in the same envelope if possible. This just adds to the interest of your Press Release and increases read rates by editors.

6. Use the familiar format for written releases: Header should be your logo. Top right, flush right in Times 12 point, your name on line 1, your contact information on lines 2 (phone) and 3 (email). Under name and contact information, flush left, in Times 14 point bold, all caps, the title of the receiver (i.e., BUSINESS NEWS EDITOR) followed by the words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE”. Under FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, centered, in Times 14 point bold, upper and lower case, the subject of your Press Release. Use no more than two lines and as few words as possible. Body copy should be Times 12 point, no indentations, double spaced. Start with the city you are sending the release from in parenthesis. Each paragraph should be able to stand alone without needing the above or below paragraphs to make sense to the reader.

After the final paragraphs place three centered star symbols (* * *) to indicate the end of your release. If you have enclosed a photo or image indicate that with a line under the starts stating “Photos/Image Enclosed”.

7. You can gather your Press Release list yourself or have a service bureau provide it for you. To gather the list yourself, go to your local library. There are numerous resources that list publications and their addresses, and the names of the editors. These include The Directory of Newsletters, SRDS (Standard Rate and Data Service), and others. Spend some time and look around. Add your current customers, prospects, vendors and employees to your list. The list should include magazines, journals, newsletters and newspapers. You can also cruise the internet for electronic magazines and newsletters.

8. If you produce a newsletter you should also consider a designated area to reprint your Press Releases in each issue.

Press releases tend to have a snowball effect. When a publication receives enough REAL news from your company on a consistent basis, the more they see the more they tend to print. So create a manageable plan, and stick to it. Examples of what is considered newsworthy (but may not necessarily be news to you) are: New Logos, Logo Update, New Website, Website update, New Blog, New Employees, Promotions, Facility Expansion, New Address, Newsletter Introduction (Electronic or Print), New Products or Services, New Literature, etc.

At the end of the year, review the printed Press Releases. By measuring the amount of space they used in an issue of a publications and comparing that to the advertising rates for that publication you can easily compute how much FREE ADVERTISING your releases have netted you throughout the year. Whatever figure you end up with, add another 10% for editorial markup – your space is actually worth MORE than the amount of advertising space because by printing your Press Release the editors have given a thumbs-up to your company!

For more information go to this site.

Neil Walsh

Daba Designs

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Tags: advertising, public, relations, firms, agencies

Every single industry has “secrets” that the public is interested in and the financial service industry is no different. I understand that the longer you have been in the industry, the more “normal” the jargon and thinking may become, but for the general public, there are plenty of things that you and I may take for granted that could be turned into a killer press release.

I wanted to talk briefly about the press release style about having a secret to tell. Of all the different types of press releases, this is perhaps the best way to generate interest and, in my opinion, should be used regularly.

Have you put your goals and publicity plan together? Have you put processes into place that will make the submission of press releases easy and automatic? Have you gathered a list of local media and are ready to go? If so, then now comes the fun part.

Writing the Release -First Comes Structure. There are a few very important things to keep in mind when you write your press release. First a couple basic points that you need to remember about the structure of the press release:

* Top of the Page – 2 things about the header
o On the top left hand corner of the, in UPPERCASE LETTERS, you want to write “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” if you want it to released now or anytime in the future (yeah it may be a month or two until they use it)
o On the upper right hand corner of the page, write (again in UPPERCASE): FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: YOUR NAME, (123)444-5555.

Making the Headline Interesting

The headline has one purpose only, to be interesting enough to catch the reporters interest so that they continue reading the body copy. You want to use interesting, catchy, and in this case “secrets” that will interest the reporters readers. Keep in mind that the reporter has a reputation to uphold. They are not going to just throw a story together that isn’t interesting in the press release. If you can wrote an effective release, you will do a lot of the reporters job for them. Failure to express your story idea in an interesting headline is certain doom for your publicity campaign.

The headline should be written to bring out the personal side of the financial industry. In other words, people are selfish and if you can tell them why they are potentially doing the wrong thing then you have their attention. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is with a “secret”.

Everyone wants to be in on the secret, and expressing your secret in the headline is key. Reporters love secrets and if they can crack it, they have the making of a good story.

Now what is a “secret”? It is simply just something that you know that everyone else doesn’t.

Here is a headline that I used successfully for a workshop on college funding that I conducted:

Why Few Parents Have The Right College Funding Plan

- And How To Tell If You’re One Of Them!

It is pretty basic, but if a parent were to read it, do you think they would be interested? Of course!

Feel free to adapt it to your own niche. Simply substitute “College Funding Plan” maybe you could say “Investment Strategy” or “Retirement Plan” or “Mutual Fund Allocation”. The options are endless.

Most people tend to believe that they are doing things the right way and may not put a lot of thought into their savings, or investment plan, but if you can bring it to the front of their mind then they will be interested in finding out what you have to say. Here are some other ideas for headlines that you an adapt to your niche or liking.

Why You And Your IRA May Not Be A Match

How Changing Mutual Fund Allocations Could Save You Thousands, An Secure Your Future

Best-Kept Secrets of How To Get The Maximum Money For Your Child’s College Education

Discover the 10 Biggest Inside Secrets That Could Save You A Fortune During Your Golden Years

Discover the Unheard of Secrets of How To Choose the Mutual Fund Investment Right For You

These headlines draw in the reader and prompt a desire to learn more. I bet that as you read the headlines you asked yourself, what some of the secrets were. The list is endless and with a little practice, you will soon be writing your own attention grabbing headlines. The easiest way for me to write effective headlines is to look through the newspaper and magazines that you subscribe to and adapt the headlines to you. Some headlines that I have used have been borrowed from other industry magazines and from random stories from the newspaper. Use your imagination and have fun, it is not that hard to create an effective headline.

Brandon Hansen is the owner of MarketYourPractice.net He has been in the financial industry for over 10 years and is focused on teaching other financial professionals how to market their business more effectively. He offers a free marketing CD at his website that talks about how a struggling rookie agent went on to tremendous success that you can get for free by visiting his website.

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Tags: financial, public, relations, services, firms

This morning I was conducting an Interview of a young lady for the marketing position in my company. I explained various activities we do to market our products and the prime channel of marketing for us is Online and Email/Database marketing.

I explained to her in depth about the role and why we are doing what we are doing. All things went fine till she asked; “Would I be sending emails only? What about Direct Mailers, PR and event?”

Well it’s not just her. In India, for long, marketers have abused the term “brand awareness and PR”, in the pretext of in-ability to link it back to the expenditure done on marketing to sales conversion. Every time they had to do a brand awareness campaign, they want to spend marketing dollars on things which are least likely to give you the Brand Awareness and the worst ROIs.

I mean, even in today’s world if you say it’s a brand building activity and are not talking about the ROI, trust me you are bitten by something called as “Brand building pretension bug” and you are in a mythical world of Greek creatures waiting for some miracle.

I asked her, what are the things she wishes to do apart from email and online marketing? She said Direct mailers, Press Conference and Print ads.

I said “alright let’s start from the beginning”.

Direct Mailers: How much would one spend on creation of a direct mailer? Include the cost of designer, printing, envelope, couriering. We did some in-air calculations and arrived at approx INR 60/- per mailer. Now let’s assume we have to reach a database size of 10,000 people. So we spend approx INR 600K. Now let’s say the average cost of sales per product in the case in point is INR 15K. Therefore considering a very generous response rate of 2% you have 200 responses (though I don’t know if we can track the call to action back to the mailer). Let us assume we could. Now you have 200 people to whom you can start pitching, and with my experience I see the final leads to quotes to sales percentage would never go beyond 5%. So we are talking about 10 people who finally bought the product.

But it does raise some questions:

Did your DM reach the right person?

Do you know your Direct mailer was opened by someone?

Do you know your direct mailer was read by someone?

What happened? Did the person take the desired action on the mailer?

Lead creation time?

Let’s get down to business:

Interesting revenue generated: 15K (cost of product) * 10 (leads converted) =
150K. ROI = (150-600)/600= Loss of 75% on Marketing Investment

Ok let’s be generous: 20 people bought: 15K* 20 = 300K = ROI = (300-600)/600 =
Loss of 50% on the marketing investment.

Let’s be more generous: 50 people bought: 15K * 50 = 750K

ROI = (750 – 600) / 600 = 25% profit. Oh I forgot to add the salary component of
the marketing person. The cost just went up and this 25% loss became 0%.

No gain no loss. Do you need marketing?

Email Campaigns: Now let’s take another scenario:

We created an Email (design cost + email sending cost) per email = INR 5

We sent 10K emails = 10K * 5 = INR 50K

Now you can track if someone opened the mail, clicked on it, replied to it and
more.

Within one day you have 200 leads.

Let’s assume the same leads getting converted: 10, 20, 50

ROI for 10 = (150K – 50K)/50 = 200% profit.

I don’t need to delve into simple maths any more

PR/Press Conference/Print-Ads

A small situational analysis here:

“Let’s assume that you went for a sales visit and are talking to the client. Do you ever say,” sir can you please open the newspaper of a particular date 2 months old?” Or “open that magazine page so and so, from 3 months ago?” Obviously not!

So if someone is an avid reader, they would have read your company’s press coverage or they would have read that magazine advertorial. However, you took an assumption here and if the assumption of an avid reader is taken away, it’s a rare chance that your coverage reached the right people at the right time.

However, the question is, how do you leverage the PR to work for you every time, non stop? How to make every single dollar spent on PR, Press Conference or print ads work for you?

Simple way of arriving at the answer:

Ask anyone around you at your work place or home or your sports game or a shopping mall, “what do you do when you need some information?”

Most common answer would be: “I google it.”

If people are searching the information online, then isn’t it obvious that your company’s PR related information should be available online?

Having said that, many companies are already doing it consciously or unconsciously, but is it the part of your planned strategy?

Are you making a conscious effort towards your web presence strategy?

It’s easy to make your online strategy and PR strategy work for you.

Strategy 1: Conversational Email Hyper-Linking: – While you are having an email communication with your client, subtly give a small link for the online press release which came just at the right time. This online press release link works immediately where your client will see it. Not just newspaper, but even the online media is talking about your company. While you were pitching to the client, this press release immediately added to your credibility. Also, you can use this online presence any time.

Additionally, while people will search for certain information online your “Search Engine Optimized” press release will come-up as a search result in google. And your customer might just land at the right page on your website and gets excited about what the press is talking about you.

Oh! And do not forget to use these links in a conversational way. Which means, while you are writing a message, create a conversational dialogue and hyperlink with a couple of words and link it to the press link.

Strategy 2: Email Signatures Hyper-Linking: -This is a simple one. Use your email signatures in text with a link to your press coverage. People have been using their email signatures as banners etc. However, these get blocked these days but the text links do not. So you might want to try this one.

Strategy 3: Newsletter: – Create a monthly/weekly/quarterly newsletter about educating the customers and prospects about what’s new in the industry. Put couple of observations in industry which are affecting the customers as well as propose a solution to same. Talk about any new citing or customer testimonial on how the new product feature is helping people using your
product or service. Give links to the online press releases and showcase to customers how the press has talked about your company/product/service. Share some whitepapers/research reports that your company might have published.

Use this newsletter to talk about what others are talking about you instead of boasting about how good your product/service/company is.

1st Newsletter
2nd Newsletter

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Tags: definition, public, relations, pr, marketing

To be an effective community activist takes tenacity, patience and courage. You have to do be ready to do the “dirty work” and be willing to stick with your cause even when no one else seems to support you. Needless to say, activism is tough.

When you’re up against the kinds of challenges activists face, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is how you’ll leverage the media to get your message out to the public—but the reality is, you have to. Unfortunately, unless you’re part of a major organization with a PR machine already in place, media decision makers don’t always notice if you take on a worthy cause.

Here are 5 tips on how community activists can generate publicity for their cause:

1. Devise a strong plan.

First, determine exactly what message you want to send to the media, then decide which media outlets would be most interested in that message. Grab the names, email addresses, fax and phone numbers of those in the media you want to reach and put them in a database. Decide who will be the point person if the media should call and be ready to answer pertinent questions when they do. These are just a few things to think about when planning to engage the media.

2. Get Creative.

News rooms are bombarded with press releases and newstips everyday. What makes yours different? In fact, why should your story be news? If your particular cause is not currently in the news, get creative and make it news. How? Plan a neighborhood rally, publicly lobby your elected officials or conduct a compelling poll or survey and release the results to the media. Jonnae Taylor was not thinking about doing TV interviews when she became an activist at the age of 15. She simply wanted to empower her peers to face street harassment head on. But because her organization did an interesting poll on how to curb street harassment and tied it into the allegations surrounding R & B singer R. Kelly, she was able to get publicity on a show I hosted a few years ago and I continue to follow her organizations progress.

3. Offer exclusivity.

Do you happen to know of a reporter at the local news station or paper who has done several stories that deal with your issue? Contact them directly and make them aware of the issue at hand. If they are popular and have a good following , offering them exclusivity could lead them to take ownership of the cause and makes them more likely to follow up on your story.

4. Tie in to current news cycles and stories.

Because community activism is usually sparked by an event or concern that has recently come to the forefront, you must work quickly when using this strategy. News changes by the second so if your story ties into something currently in the news, make sure you position yourself to ride the wave of that news cycle.

5. Leverage the blogosphere.

Blogs are a vital force in mobilizing people and building global awareness about all kinds of issues. If you don’t already have a blog for your cause, start one immediately using a platform like wordpress.com, blogspot.com or one of the many others available. If you don’t want to commit to blogging just yet, then use Twitter.com (a popular microblogging platform) or find other blogs that relate to your cause and start adding your comments and feedback to them. This strategy will spark interest in your mission, draw new supporters and help you gain recognition as an activist.

Monique Caradine is a Chicago-based broadcast media consultant, blogger and President of Momentum Media Group, Inc. A former radio host and currently the host of “Perspective,” a community affairs TV program, she teaches business owners, non-profit organizations and professionals techniques to get free publicity. Monique has authored two e-books on getting your message in the media. Subscribe to her free publicity newsletter publicity newsletter

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Tags: relations, relation, communication, public, service

Most everyone is nervous about doing media interviews, but how can you turn that nervous energy to your advantage and ensure a successful media interview virtually every time? The key is to look at interviews in a completely different way.

Most interviewees assume they’re there to answer the interviewer’s questions. But what if we turn that around and say: the goal of being interviewed is to give your answers, not to answer their questions? Think about that for a moment. When you sit down with an interviewer, your job is not simply to answer whatever questions they throw at you, your job is also to make the points you want the audience to hear.

It sounds so simple, yet it’s a very powerful shift in thinking, because it changes your focus and puts you in the driver’s seat. Too many people go into media interviews feeling a bit like a victim, like they’re being interrogated. Why? Because you’re often out of your element (in a studio, for example), you’re on someone else’s show or the subject of their article, and you’re the guest and they’re the host – you see them as holding the balance of power. If you approach the interview as a kind of victim, it can only heighten the nervous tension we all get when we’re expected to be “on” or to perform.

Now imagine how this change in perspective can alleviate some of our most common fears about media interviews:

* What if I forget what to say? When we’re distracted by focusing on the interviewer’s questions, it’s easy to forget the points we want to make. But if making those points is our sole purpose in the interview, they stay top of mind more easily.
* What if I don’t know the answer to a question? If answering the questions asked is your goal, this can be a frightening prospect. But with a goal-oriented approach, you can easily move on from saying you don’t know the answer to the particular question, to relating the question to an answer you do want to give.
* I feel self-conscious on camera or in front of a mic If it’s all about your message, then it’s not all about you, and the kind of navel-gazing that can create self-consciousness is reduced or eliminated. People who keep their eyes on a task aren’t aware of who’s around them or what others are thinking.

Of course there’s much more to giving a successful interview, but without focusing on delivering your message, the other elements become more difficult or you’re less effective in applying them. So remember: you’re not there to answer their questions, you’re there to give your answers and get your message across.

George Plumley is the owner of BraveNewNiche Media Coaching. A former broadcaster and voice-over trainer, he specializes in one on one coaching by phone or on location. His graduate degrees in philosophy have helped George to assist clients in determining the essence of their message, and communicating it clearly and effectively. You can learn more about his approach and his services at this site

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Tags: media, public, relations, jobs, social

A press release is a great method for informing the public about your business, whether you are just opening, expanding, or have other important news. An effective press release will catch the attention of readers and spread the word about your business. As with any other type of business writing, there are certain things you should do and certain things you should avoid when writing your press release to make the best impression and effectively convey your message.

The following tips will help your press releases-and your business-stand out.

1. Start with Your Contact Information

Because your press release serves to publicize your company, you should include your logo and contact information prominently at the top of your press release. Make it obvious what business is being announced and give readers a reason to look further.

2. Include a Compelling Title

Your press release should also have a compelling title that clearly states its purpose and catches the reader’s attention. If you want your press release to get noticed you have to give readers a reason to look and a great title can do just that.

3. Provide the Most Important Information in the Introduction

As with any type of business writing your press release needs to be concise as well as interesting. Make sure the first paragraph grabs the reader’s attention and gives them a reason to stay interested. You should include as much information as possible in the first paragraph without overwhelming the reader by using technical language or lengthy sentences.

4. Keep it Short

You should also try to keep the rest of the press release short and to the point by including one idea per paragraph and expanding enough to get your point across without rambling. Readers are more likely to read a press release in its entirety if it is short, even if a lengthy one contains more information.

5. Emphasize Information, Not Promotion

A press release needs to be factual and informative-and while you should try to portray your business in the best light possible-a press release should always be accurate and not include any misleading information. Even though one of the purposes of a press release is to promote your business, it should not read like an ad. Rather it should provide unbiased information in a more news-oriented manner so readers get information to draw their own conclusions.

6. Make Your Business Stand Out

You should not try to promote one specific product in your press release; rather announce your business news in general. A good way to get readers interested in your products or business is to include information on how your business strives to provide a quality product to customers and include positive information, such as community involvement.

Making Media Headlines

A press release is a great way to get the word out about your new business or business expansion. If you are starting a new business a press release can be one of the most effective advertising methods available, if you write one that is effective and that reaches a wide audience.

Remember to be clear about the reason for your press release and to stay concise. Use simple language that is easy to understand and keep your press release factual and informative. When you use these tips for crafting compelling press releases, your business will attract the media attention it deserves!

Melinda Copp is a writing coach, book editor, and ghostwriter who specializes in helping aspiring authors achieve their writing goals. She is also the creator of the FINALLY Write Your Book E-Course. Click here to sign up for Melinda’s free e-zine, and get a free special report!

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Tags: consumer, public, relations, internet, marketing

Unfortunately, it is still not always easy to decide how to put together a press release. For the most part, you will need to answer some basic questions, and combine with that with newsworthy content that is of human interest. While that may sound simple, consider you will also have to accomplish all of those goals in one page or less. Aside from that, if you have looked for advice on how to put together a press release, you may have come across some conflicting information.

As an example, as you decide how to put together a press release, you may have an especially difficult time determining what will satisfy the human interest element. In modern times, brutality, corruption, disease, and all kinds of horrors have become a matter of course. Therefore, even if you want to write about a cancer survivor starting a special business, it will not capture much interest.

Unfortunately, as people experience job loss, mortgage foreclosure, and other problems, their ability to empathize with a business person will become drastically reduced. Therefore, as a person learning how to put together a press release, you might want to look for something uplifting to use as your human interest element. That said, it is also very important not to turn your press release into a sales pitch.

Aside from the actual content, you will also need to consider format as you learn how to put together a press release. Typically, each publication has very specific guidelines. This may even include mundane things like placing contact information at the top of the page instead of the bottom. Still other publications may want you to repeat this information within the body of the press release. While this may not make much sense, consider that a publication’s readers are used to seeing information in specific places. If it is absent or improperly formated, they will not be impressed with your press release.

Next, it is also very important to consider voice and tone. While you may like to write in the passive voice, it is the absolute bane of journalism. When writing about something that is news worthy, the journalist is looking to convey action and excitement. As you learn how to put together a press release, you will need to get rid of word endings that slow down a reader, as well as words that do not convey meaning. Ideally, your audience should feel invigorated and motivated after reading your press release.

Unfortunately, slang, and other habitual word uses can easily give your press release an unprofessional look. While you may think these phrases are comical, they only convey a lack of creativity to your reader. Even if you have a personal affinity for a particular style of writing, or inappropriate words, as a professional, it is necessary to leave those things aside when learning how to put together a press release.

As you consider how to put together a press release, it is imperative to consider how the number of different publications you want to distribute it to. Today, there are thousands of submission formats. Most people find it worthwhile to invest in software that manages the distribution for them. In many cases, these programs will take your materials and parse them into the correct format.

For the most part, learning how to put together a press release requires attention to detail. While it is not especially complicated, even a minor fault can stand out and draw unnecessary attention. That said, a little bit of time spent now learning how to put together a press release can bring in immense rewards later on.

Rod C. Beckwith, co-creator of the Press Equalizer software, has made hundreds of media contacts and distributed thousands of press releases online. If you need to distribute press releases online, then check out his software package.

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Tags: corporate, communications, publicity, public, relations

The invention of news release submissions was originally intended to be a communication tool between businesses and the media. It was a way of announcing important news and product introductions to the news outlets that would distribute it in their medium. The Internet has changed all of that. Today’s news release submissions are typically a marketing tool that can allow communication directly from the business to the customer.

The knowledge that most Internet users regularly visit news sites has caused marketers to see news releases as more than just a method to announce news. It is now a way to get the attention of Internet users who might likely become customers.

To get the most attention from a news release submission you will need to follow some important tips. You will want to maximize the visibility of the document. The first tip may seem a little obvious, but make sure you’ve actually got something to write about. The content of a news release submission must be newsworthy. Just like the old days of press releases, you must have something worth writing about. Boring won’t hold the attention of most online readers.

Take advantage of multiple angles for the story. Think about the story in a variety of different ways and submit the news document to several different news wires. Remember to rewrite the article so that it covers an entirely different angle on the same story.

Give your audience a reason to click through from the document to your site. A good method for doing this is to include a free report in the press release if the reader clicks through. Anything that you can offer to encourage a click through will generally work. People love freebies.

Get a list together of media contacts. Email them the document along with a good summary of what the news release submissions contain. Offer some of the writers exclusives with you if they will carry your press release. That will go a long way toward encouraging a good response to your release.

Write a blog version of your press release. Submit this blog release to the social media sites and get attention that way. Make sure you are writing in a way that is specific to the cultural group you are posting to. Check out the sites first and be sure you can capture the flavor of the writing.

There are many ways to get the word out about your business. A well-written and timely press release is just one powerful way that marketers are discovering for online businesses. Get in on the action and write up your press release now.

Rod C. Beckwith, co-creator of the Press Equalizer software, has made hundreds of media contacts and distributed thousands of press releases online. If you need to distribute press releases online, then check out his software package.

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Tags: marketing, public, relations, advertising, firm

In a nut shell – if you have the capability to write and follow a few simple rules of style and formatting you can capture the attention of your audience with a single press release distribution.

Typically, press releases are a one to two page article containing up-to-date news and information about a company that is distributed to the media for distribution. Many times these articles are published verbatim; however, other press releases are used solely for background purposes – either way one must keep in mind that the content should be interesting, timely and catch the attention of the reader.

A properly formatted press release is separated into sections, each extremely important to the process. The first section is the Contact Information, which will provide the editor the information he or she needs to contact you directly. This particular area of the press release should contain the company name and the contact person as well as his or her phone number and email address.

The second section is the Release Date, or the date in which you wish the information to be released to the public. If your information is not date specific, you simply put “For Immediate Release” so that the editor knows that your press release is ready to be published. If by chance your information is date specific, you want to make sure that you include the specific date the information can distributed to the public – for example, “For Release: April 1, 2008.”

The next section is KEY to your press release – the Headline, as this particular item is the text that ultimately attracts the attention of the editor. Keep in mind that media outlets receive numerous press releases on a daily basis, so you are in essence competing against several companies for the editor’s attention. The best headlines provide a very brief summary of the uniqueness of your press release – in other words the headline answers the question of “Why” the information is newsworthy.

The Body of the press release is the next section and this section delivers the information to the public. The first paragraph should begin with the dateline, for example “Kansas City, MO, April 2008 -” followed by the first sentence immediately after the dash. The city and state are most generally the geographical location of your company; however, if your press release contains news and information that warrants a different location then provide the appropriate information.

The First Paragraph of your press release is just as important as the Headline and it is imperative that you pack this area with information in such a fashion that if no other aspect of the article is published you have still managed to tell your story. Many times press releases are printed in their entirety; however, not always. As a rule of thumb, news editors shorten from the back forward so make sure that you have told your story in the first paragraph of your press release.

Finally, the last section of your press release is the Response Information. This tells the reader how they can get in touch with you for more information about your products and services. Including this information in your press release is VERY critical, as if you leave it out of your article chances are the editors will not put it in the copy for you. In order for your press release campaign to be successful you must receive inquiries, so make sure you include any pertinent contact information – including your name, address, telephone number and email.

You can hire a freelance writer to write a press release if you would prefer; however, if you choose to write your own press releases remember – when it comes to your business you are the expert. Tell your story by keeping it news worthy, keep the information timely and create headlines that catch the editor’s eye!

Staci J. Nauman is a freelance writer and has been in the business since 2000. She has worked with numerous clients providing quality copywriting services for both online and printed documents. She recently titled her company Captivating Copywriting, which will be housed here. once the site is complete.

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Tags: marketing, communications, consultancy, public, relations

A little media exposure may be all you need to take your product or service to the next level. How often have you seen someone get a little exposure on TV or in the newspapers and see a BIG boost in sales as a result?

The main issue involved in getting publicity from Press Releases is the enormous amount of material that goes out to the press each day. Being noticed for the right reasons is called public relations.

The problem with public relations is trying to find something newsworthy to tell the public. Here’s an idea; go to your business plan and review it. If you don’t have a plan, make one.

Go to your marketing plan and check the marketing calendar. Do you have a marketing calendar? Check your speaking engagements. Oh, do you have speaking engagements? The point is your business must be newsworthy. You must be communicating with your prospects and customers constantly.

Break your message into short sound bytes. If you made a big sale, put it in a press release. If you’ve hit a milestone in the

Are you an expert? You need to be out there letting people know what you’re up to.

What is the greatest benefit that your company offers its clients?

Here are a few ideas to keep in mind when you want to create a press release. You need to get a press release out at least twice a month.

1.Brand new service.

2.Old service that is discontinued.

3.The latest trend in your business.

4.New employees.

5.New processes in production.

6.New Information product online.

7.New marketing tie-in to a popular subject.

8.Seminars and interviews

9.Training videos or audio.

10. Promote joint ventures campaigns.

You now need to keep up on your list of online press release companies to make sure that you send out to them every month. In order to get your product, service, organization, or idea into the media, you have to talk the media manager’s language.

Hit what target audience who has an interest in your product or service. Think like the media, craft your message to fit their preferences. Do that and your message will have a great chance of being picked up. Don’t let up; submit consistently. You’ll begin to find your favorite media people who welcome your submissions after you establish a history with them. The media needs piles of fresh stories everyday, so don’t give up. If you need assistance, let me know. I’ll give you more in depth information on the subject. You can get on my free online coaching program for more help.

Dennis Morales Francis is a consultant and coach for business professionals and wellness practitioners. His website, offers its members online coaching on building Internet income and automating their marketing on and off the web. Dennis is the author of “Double My Revenues In 12 Months or Less”.

Go Here to learn how to put $120,000 a year in your pocket by pressing a button on your PC. You don’t want to miss this E-Tutorial.

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tags: media, relations, company, consultant, public

Public relations is a systematic research function that aims to design an effective campaign to solve an issue within mass communications. It is imperative that this research is reliable in order to understand the issue and suggest recommendations. Reliability can be defined as the ability of a method to measure the same results comparably over time. It is a measure that is stable, and consistent.

Public relations as a social science research aims to understand society and the various segments involved. Researching these segments or markets helps the practitioner anticipate attitudes and behaviors. Moreover, these preemptive measures anticipate future issues that may occur, and solutions to solve them.

Because public relations faces the challenge of validating the importance of this systematic approach to problem identifying and most importantly problem solving, it is imperative for practitioners to maintain their reputations with “Corporate America” and the media. Reliable research helps illustrate to the dominant coalition the necessity to understand an organization’s stakeholders. More and more, members of the dominant coalition are understanding the importance of their support for public relations. Effective public relations aids a company’s competitive advantage, therefore, aiding their bottom line.

Unfortunately, not all practitioners perform the necessary research needed to make reliable and valid recommendations. Research can be a very systematic and complicating aspect of public relations depending on the issue at hand. However, it is best to conduct the necessary research to gather data that is detrimental to a campaign. Even though subjectivity is used in public relations, the practitioner must examine the organization, its publics, and all other aspects that may affect its success in order to make an educated guess. Millions of dollars could be wasted on a campaign aimed at the wrong target audience and even worse, unavailable to the intended target audience.

Although public relations was not seen as a separate function in the past, it is becoming more common. In order for public relations to continue its effectiveness, there must be support for public relations within the organization as well as an appointed director of public relations to manage all functions. A separate budget should be allocated solely for public relations research. Although some company’s are reluctant to do this, they find that this research actually saves them money in the long run with crisis management and marketing campaigns.

Furthermore, future licensing would help ensure more credibility. It would also help eliminate the opportunity for non-systematic and under-qualified imposters to take advantage of individuals, organizations and the media. Systematic research facilitates reliability.

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Tags: public, relations, company, services, agency

A popular television show is What Not to Wear, in which a person who is “challenged” in how to dress and look is totally made over. In our version, our goal is to discuss what not to say, especially to the media.

At the most basic level, don’t say anything that you don’t want passed on, and this includes e-mail. Just telling someone that what you are saying is “confidential” or “off the record” isn’t a guarantee that you won’t see it later. And, while we’re primarily discussing seeing it in the media, this also pertains to everyone, everywhere. You may think that you’re telling your senior staff about upcoming layoffs, only to discover that “somehow” the information was leaked to the entire staff.

But, back to What Not To Say to the media. Here’s several examples of incidents that we’re sure people never intended to be public fodder – or certainly, ones they wish they could change by saying something differently when the situation first occurred:

* When an international exchange student returned home, he weighed just 97 pounds and had to be hospitalized. He said his host family gave him only small amounts of food for months. What gave this story even more coverage was the fact that he sat next to a Senator on his return flight home and she publicly commented. The communications director for the exchange program declined to discuss the matter, referring the media to their lawyers. While a lawsuit certainly is a possibility, she passed up a prime opportunity to potentially diffuse the situation – without admitting any guilt or responsibility – as the boy’s mother said that aside from anything else, they just wanted someone to say “I’m sorry.”

* Actress Nicole Kidman is pregnant and it was reported that she was drinking alcohol after an awards event. Kidman’s PR person came out swinging at the columnist, stating: “I cannot remember the last time that Cindy Adams got anything right. She’s an idiot, and you can quote me.” We’ve all experienced times when reporters are incorrect, but calling her an idiot was not the way to handle the situation. The response made the story last much longer and it was picked up in more places. Plus, as we all learned back in “PR school,” it’s never wise to pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel!

* Always remember that it is a reporter’s job to report the story – good, bad and sometimes sensational. The best advice is not to tell them something unless you want it made public. You can speak to a reporter “off the record,” but it is usually agreed upon in advance. If not, you may become an “unnamed source” or worse, actually quoted, as Samantha Power, former senior advisor for the Obama campaign, found out during an interview with The Scotsman. She called Senator Clinton a “monster” then hastily told the reporter her comment was off the record. In this instance, Ms. Power was promoting a book she wrote and agreed in advance that everything she said was on the record.

* Bruce Goldberg, a reporter for the Denver Business Journal, frequently provides examples of “Bad Press Release Theater.” One example was: “Because of issues of client confidentiality and disclosure, the press release below, sent to you on Friday, July 13, should not be used as news material or disseminated in any way. Please completely disregard it.” You can’t unring that bell. Just telling the media to ignore something doesn’t mean they will forget about it – and if it is a good story, you can bet they will begin researching it on their own.

Mistakes will happen, but you can take steps to help alleviate them. Double and triple-check your facts. If you are sending out a press release, have another person (or more) read it. And always, always, make sure you should be sending it out!

If you are going to be speaking to the media, either in press conferences or in interviews, don’t go into it without media training. Of course, we don’t know whether the people in our examples had media training, but it’s always a good idea. Ms. Power got flustered by questions from the reporter and blurted out the “monster” quote. In the instance of the exchange student, a statement could have been issued along the lines of “We are sorry for the student’s health problems. We care a great deal about all of our participants and hope that he has a speedy recovery.” Many people assume that “No comment” means “We’re guilty.” One can say they are sorry without taking blame. Finally, while you may truly want to call a reporter an idiot (or worse), sometimes it is best to not respond at all and let the story die on its own. Or at the very least, take a moment to calm down, and then respond in a civil manner.

One final thought, don’t forget that it’s very easy for your comments to be recorded and/or videotaped. Many cell phones can take short videos and digital cameras are credit card sized. Don’t end up on YouTube…then the nightly news…unless you planned it!
Working with the media can be an intimidating process – but it doesn’t have to be. If you’d like help developing your public and media relations program, call us for a complimentary one-hour consultation.

Deborah Krier, president and founder of Wise Women Communications, is a marketing and public relations professional with experience in media and public relations, internal and external communication, crisis management, integrated marketing campaigns, brand management, event coordination, Web site design and development, and community relations. She managed corporate communications programs for the Denver site of ING Group, served as a media and communications coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Region of the American Cancer Society, served as the director of public relations and account manager for Linnell & Soreide Marketing Partners, a full-service marketing and advertising firm. In addition, she provided lobbying support at a state and local level for Corporate Advocates, a Denver-based firm. Deborah holds an MBA degree with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Colorado and an MS degree in communications management from Colorado State University.

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Tags: public, relations, firm, agency, marketing, campaign

It can be really easy to get frustrated with your publicist or PR agency. It can seem like you throw thousands of dollars at these people, and end up with an article or interview or two. And it’s true there are bad publicists, just like there are bad doctors, bad accountants and bad teachers. But most of the time, I find that people simply don’t have the right expectations. And they don’t have the right expectations because they aren’t using accurate measurements. As we near the end of the year, it’s a great time to look at your PR results, see if they’re delivering ROI, and make adjustments for the new year. And you should do this if you’re doing your own PR as well. As a business person, your own time is much more valuable than your money.

I’ve included a couple articles on this topic in this month’s newsletter and I encourage you to visit KD Paine’s blog and newsletter often. She is a genius at explaining complex measurement techniques in simple, understandable language. But to avoid the yearly scratching your head at your PR bill, let me give you a few ways to measure your results that are easy and quick to do.

• Set long-term and short-term goals. Understand what you’re after. Do you want to be in the top ten natural search for Google? Do you want to establish credibility for you and your product or service online? Drive traffic to your website? You must identify what you hope to gain from public relations. If it’s a book, measure your Amazon orders, but don’t expect PR to create immediate sales. Unless you get on Oprah or Ellen, you need to use PR to complement your sales and marketing activities, not replace it.

• Stay on top of your public relations efforts. Check in with your publicist on a regular basis to see what he or she is working on, and what seem like likely placements in the next 60 days. At the same time, be patient. Placements take time, and if you haven’t done any media outreach before, it can take a while to get you on the radar screen.

• Have a “wish list” of key target publications and outlets. A lot of people don’t understand their demographics well enough to do this, but you must have that list identified, if nothing else than to focus your own or your publicists’ efforts. And don’t try only for Oprah or Ellen. Pick media outlets that are attainable. Shoot for the moon, but spend most of your time on reasonable targets for you.

• If your public relations firm tells you the hook needs to be more unique, believe them. Don’t think you are special or that there aren’t 10 or more people doing what you do. I’m sorry if this is blunt, but it’s true. Too many people get defensive when their publicist is hunting around for angles. Trust that they know when a story’s been done. Otherwise you’ll end up paying them to send outreach that is not compelling.

• This is implied from my other comments, but don’t just sit back and wait for results. Be ACTIVE in your publicity campaign. If you want to get into a particular magazine, read it often and make suggestions on particular angles. Watch the shows you want to be on. Become an expert in your targeted media outlets.

• Write, and if you can’t write, hire someone who can write for you. Custom content can be much easier to place in trade magazines and online. Come up with ideas for new articles, and make them unique.

• Finally, be upfront and honest with your PR firm. If you feel things just aren’t getting going, don’t get frustrated. Sit down with them, review your goals, and if they can’t show marked progress, let them go.

Bonnie Harris is the president of Wax Marketing, a marketing and PR agency for small business. She also operates in this website, a DIY marketing and PR site for entrepreneurs.

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Tags: public, relations, measurement, commission, marketing

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 is no disputing the power of a well-written, newsworthy press release. In fact, it is one of the single best things you can do for your business.

Newspapers, magazines, radio and television news programs are filled with stories about businesses and organizations every day. What you may not realize is that those stories are often the result of a press release. There is a bit of skill involved in crafting a truly newsworthy release; the rewards can help stretch your promotional dollar significantly. Those who fail to master this skill are destined to wind up as the latest addition to the local landfill.

What Makes a Well-Written Release?

For starters, you need to know the difference between advertising and publicity. Many business owners use them interchangeably, when in reality, they are completely different. Advertising is what you use to promote your business and your brand. Publicity is what you utilize to have media outlets promote your business and brand, by way of a newsworthy “hook.” Considering the sheer volume of information that media outlets receive each day, the hook in your headline may be the only thing a journalist will ever see. That said, you should approach it with that in mind, and make sure you’ve got a winner.

Why Bother?

If you have unlimited resources for advertising and promotion, you may not see the value in supplemental promotion via press releases. But consider this – a story covered in the media will automatically carry more weight in the public’s eye, simply because we trust the media to be unbiased and impartial. Press releases offer an affordable alternative for those operating on a fixed or minimal budget. If you are able to write your own release, your only costs will be for the distribution of your release.

The downside? You don’t have any control over what is published. If the editor slants the article in a manner that places your business or market in a negative light, there is little or nothing that can be done about it. In addition, you have no control over the timing of your release. While you may be looking for an immediate release, a reporter may file your release away and wait for it to fit an appropriate project that they are working on.

Follow the Format

Editors and reporters are inundated with press releases every day. Make yours stand out from the crowd with a compelling headline, and make sure that it is formatted correctly. Remember to answer the five W’s: who, what, when, where and why. Below we’ve noted the basic elements of a great release, in the correct order.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – this should appear at the top of your release. If you are submitting in advance of an anticipated release date, note that instead.

HEADER – Upper left corner, and it should contain all of your pertinent contact data. This is the first place a reporter will refer to when they have a question. Make sure you are using a professional email address, and refrain from using anything that will compromise the professionalism of your release. Let common sense be your guide.

HEADLINE – You get one shot, so make it count. Keep it short, with 10-12 words maximum — and avoid hype at all costs. Avoid sales language or confusing jargon as well.

LOCATION & DATE LINE – Name your city, (or closest large city if you prefer), and the date the release was written.

BODY – The meat and potatoes of the release. Use your first sentence to support the headline. Build from there, keeping in mind that you need to approach it from the third person, as an objective observer. Employ a few quotations in the second or third paragraphs if possible. Tie up your loose ends with the final two paragraphs, and note your web address or contact phone number for readers seeking more information. Your release should be kept to one page if possible. End your release with the “###” characters, centered at the bottom of the page. This notes the end of the release.

Skip the Hype

Nothing will land you in the circular file quicker than a press release that reads like a Stephen King novel, or one that is filled with sensational sales language that liken you to nothing more than a used car salesman.

Do Your Homework

Avoid sending out press releases blindly. Take the time to research the editor or reporter that is covering your subject matter, and address your release to them personally. Make sure you follow up your release with a phone call or email a few days later to confirm receipt, and answer any questions.

Know Their Timeframe

Make sure you refer to the Editorial Calendar of any magazines you may be sending to, and make sure you target your release accordingly. If they are a long lead publication, make sure you send your materials far enough in advances. For monthly magazines, a good rule of thumb is to pitch two to three months in advance. For newspapers, allow 3-4 weeks if possible. For radio, allow a few days if possible – although radio stations are well known for airing releases on the same day they are received.

Make it Newsworthy

Some great examples would include: announcing a partnership or joint venture with another business, the launch of a new product or product line, the kick off a special contest promotion, arrival of a special celebrity for an on-location promotion, recent studies or research that directly tie-in to your product or service, announcing milestones, awards, or promotions.

Don’t be afraid to get creative. Do you offer products to the wedding market? Consider hosting an “Ugliest Bridesmaid Dress” contest. Do you sell to pet owners? Consider sponsoring a “Paws for Photos” photo shoot of proud pet owners and their best friends. The opportunities are only limited by your imagination – and, the more creative the idea, the better your chances are of being picked up by the media.

Distribution to the Masses

You’ve crafted a killer press release, and you are ready for your media blitz. What to do? There are many free press release services out there, make sure that you take the time to familiarize yourself with them to determine which one can best serve your needs. If your budget permits, you may wish to think about using the services of a distribution firm. Why? There are many reasons — but the best ones are to take advantage of their existing database of contacts, reputation with the media outlets, and the time factor. If you have more time than money, then submitting the release yourself is the alternative.

Be Prepared for Results

Make sure that you have made ample preparations to receive calls, emails, and interview requests. Make sure that your voice mail is professional sounding, and that you check it often. If you provided your fax number, load that fax machine with paper. Be prompt when responding to email enquiries, and make sure you provide all of the information requested from you. Many publications will be on a very tight schedule, and any delay may render you out of the game.

You’ve Sent It… Now What?

One word, my friends – archive. If you don’t have a Press Room on your website, add one. Archive your press releases in PDF format, and keep them there. Add high quality digital copies of your company logo, photos of principals, company overview, sales sheets, relevant brochures, etc. Give the media as much information as you are able. They appreciate the ease with which they can access these materials without having to wait for a reply from you.

Remember – Press Begets Press

If there is one thing that we continually tell clients, it is that press begets press. If you land yourself in the pages of Vogue, by all means, flaunt it! Not only does it give you valuable bragging rights for use in marketing promotions, but it also serves to beef up that media room. One simple truth about the media is that they hate being “scooped.” Nobody wants to be left out in the cold — they will want to make sure that they give you coverage as well.

Traci Hayner Vanover, aka The Promo Diva®, is the owner of TheCreativeConcept, – a freelance firm specializing in the unique writing, publicity, and marketing needs of small businesses. She is also the publisher of Create the Dream! Magazine, a bi-monthly digital magazine for small businesses. To request a free sample issue and two other promotional gifts, visit this website

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Tags: public, relation, functions, social, business

When crisis strikes, quick and effective response is needed to mitigate its effects. Done right, it can turn a potentially negative situation into positive outcome. There are, however, factors; which may intensify crises, make the impact worse, or even blunt the impact of the crisis response strategies. Such factors include the media’s interest in, and the public’s seemingly insatiable appetite for sensationalism.

For instance, while crisis can strike any size organization, studies indicate that the larger and respected an organization, the more sensational a crisis will be; hence such organization is subjected to more critical media scrutiny. Coupled with the media’s ability to share such information widely and instantaneously, a mere rumor or speculation can morph into a full blown crisis in no time at all potentially damaging reputation and undermining organizational legitimacy to exist.

Additionally, crisis intensifiers include: crisis history of the organization, relationship with stakeholders, severity of the damage, hesitation, retaliation, lying, pontification, confrontation, evasiveness and litigation. Each is discussed.

Crisis history of the organization. Some organizations are notorious for ignoring societal expectations such as labor, environmental and safety regulations. Some may survive relatively minor accidents and yet, at their peril, ignore its lessons. The investigation into the February 2003 Columbia shuttle accident suggested this assertion. NASA’s attitude toward safety was said to improve little even after the 1986 Challenger disaster (AP, 2003).

Relationship with stakeholders. An entity’s relationship with its stakeholders impacts how deeply a crisis is viewed. It also impacts stakeholders’ willingness to be persuaded regardless of response strategies employed. A mutual trusting relationship between the entity and its stakeholders can create goodwill from which to draw in times of crisis. The Ford Explorer and Firestone tire debacle, described above, provides an example. In a crisis, neither company would be afforded the benefit of doubt nor forgiveness as neither was especially endeared to the stakeholders as a result of their public spat.

Severity of the damage. A crisis resulting in loss of lives; or in extensive loses of income and life savings, takes on greater significance than say, one with loss of minor profits only. The just concluded Enron case provides the example. With the Enron collapse, nothing associated with the company was spared. In addition to loss to property and loss of lifetime income investments for the stakeholders, those involved were convicted and sent to prison for a long time.

Hesitation. In responding to the crisis, there must not be hesitation as it only makes the organization or spokesperson appears indecisive, incompetent or, worse, callous. In communication, perception is usually reality. When Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a friend on a weekend hunting trip on February 11, 2006, it was four days when he finally spoke publicly about it to the media. As a result of his hesitation to respond publicly about it, what was a simple accident on a weekend hunting trip with friends had morphed into a crisis. The media and the public had begun to attribute it to the White House’s reputation for secrecy and high-handedness (Lockheed, 2006).

Retaliation. When one is accused in a crisis or conflict situation, he is embarrassed, belittled, in other words, his face is threatened. A face is a metaphor for someone’s or an organization’s image and reputation. There are two types of faces: Positive face, the desire for others to appreciate, understand and approve the face or image presented; whereas, negative face is the desire for others not to embarrass or impose on them. According to Ting-Toomey (1994), facework or face negotiation theory refers to specific verbal and nonverbal messages that help to maintain and restore face loss, and to uphold and honor face gain. Depending on culture, one way is revenge in which case the accused attempts to make an accuser share his pain as a result of an accusation.

Lying. Another form of face managing tactic, lying implies deliberately misleading the audience about the cause of the incident or, on what would be done to mitigate the effect of the crisis on the stakeholders.

Pontification. Along the line of lying, above, is pontification, boasting or embellishment. Instead of meekness or contriteness, this represents an idea of sounding more than one really is or needs to appear in the event of a crisis situation.

Confrontation. Irritants abound everywhere amid a crisis situation. From the media seeking information, to family members inquiring about their loved ones, to stakeholders who just want assurance their investments are safe or their jobs would be there the next day, it can be overwhelming for an unprepared spokesperson. No matter how overwhelmed, the image of a spokesperson at the podium wagging his finger in a confrontational mode at the media can send the wrong message, keeping the issue alive, instead of making it quickly go away.

Evasiveness. This means not being forthcoming with information, or trying to make things confusing. When a crisis happens, there are information voids the media want filled, and dissonance, a feeling of discomfort the stakeholders want reduced or eliminated altogether.

Litigation. Like confrontation, above, litigation or court involvement only keeps the issue alive, brings more attention to the issue and, by extension, the organization, and shine bad light on the organization longer than necessary.

Emmanuel A. Smart is President of Smart Expressions, a Strategic Public Relations and Organizational communication firm based in Houston, TX; offering lectures, workshops, counseling and support on: 1. Building, managing and leveraging the power of good organizational reputation; 2. Spokesperson development; 3. Crisis management strategies; more. For more information, visit this site

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Tags: public, relations, management, crisis, cases