Many people are intimidated by radio interviews, whether live or pre-recorded and often spoil great promotion and branding opportunity in less then effective interviews.

Did you know there are more than 1500 talk radio shows in the US?

Also, radio is the only medium to show increased usage since the introduction of the Internet.

Radio can be a powerful way to communicate to a large amount of people in an immediate and intimate way.

So it is increasingly important to perform at your best when doing radio interviews in order to make optimum use of the opportunity.

Having worked in radio for more than 16 years, here are my 10 tips for getting the best out of radio interviews.

1. Preparation.

You only have one chance to get it right with live radio. Always prepare. This includes having strong and precise messages you wish to relay to the audience and goals for the interview.

2. Stay on message.

Most radio interviews are less than four minutes in duration. Always keep on message and avoid being drawn into side issues. Journalists are trained to acquire information from you, not necessarily on the topic covered in the interview. Keep focused at all times.

3. Metaphors and examples.

Radio is a very intangible medium. It is difficult to store and listeners rarely get a chance to re-listen. Make your message more memorable and tangible with stories, metaphors and examples. Remember radio reflects your personality to the audience.

4. Use word pictures.

The radio is often on as background noise. It is also the medium of imagination. Cut through the clutter with words that paint a picture in the mind of the listener.

5. Be available.

Always make yourself available for radio interviews. The immediacy makes it a powerful medium. Be available to go into the studio for better quality than over the phone or to take talkback calls. Missing a interview opportunity means the station will find somebody else to interview, perhaps a competing company in the same field, offering them the exposure.

6. Warm up your voice.

Always take time to warm up your voice so you sound more articulate, intelligent and authoritative. This will give you more confidence. Be clear in your pronunciation, unlike printed news listeners aren’t able to listen again if they miss words.

7. Make it personable.

Use the interviewers name to make it more personable when answering questions. This is another chance to develop a relationship with the media outlet interviewing you as well as your audience.

8. Don’t wait to be asked.

Many first timers fail to get their message across because they wait to be asked. Always try and take control and use every opportunity to get your message across. Be adaptable but remember your goals and messages.

9. External noise.

When you do radio interviews make sure the background is as quiet as possible. While wailing sirens will help add a sense of urgency, background noise can be distracting from your main message. Remember your message will be competing with background noise in the offices or cars it is listened to in so try to keep your background noise as minimal as possible.

10. Call to action.

Most people will remember the opening and closing of a radio interview. Always have a strong closing with a call to action, i.e. something you want listeners to do. Having an action statement at the end of your interview offers an opportunity for listeners to be involved with your company and develops your relationship further.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting this site and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom’s blog

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Tags : people, management, communications, public, relations

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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Last month, we told you about “pay for play,” a practice in which news organizations charge sources to appear on their programs. In other words, if you ante up enough cash, these “news” programs will air a puff piece about your company or organization.

But in most cases, these pay for play outfits don’t deliver what they promise. Not only don’t they stand behind their “guarantees” of audience numbers, but the public regards their alleged reporting with skepticism. The public is smart enough to recognize the difference between a news segment and advertising.

Shortly after sending out our article on pay for play last month, PR Week Magazine reported a story on its front page about yet another scheme.

Terry Bradshaw, the former Pittsburgh Steelers hero, is hosting a television program called “The Winners Circle.” The program honors companies for their “forward thinking and consistent principles.” The segments air during commercial time on MSNBC, CNN, CNN Headline News and CNBC.

The problem is this – the companies actually pay the producers of these spots $29,000 for their dubious honor. The producers never say that the alleged winners paid for the honor. Occasionally, they cryptically note that the commercial time was purchased. But in some cases, the spot has aired with no notice to viewers whatsoever that this was just a glorified commercial.

With the practice under increased scrutiny, my advice remains the same as it was last month – in general, walk away from these offers.

There is one disclaimer here. While running the media shop at Conservation International, I received a call from the producers of “The Winners Circle.” Like many pay for play outfits, they were aggressive. They wanted the sale – and I got the sense that they couldn’t care less whether or not the subject of the piece was actually a “winner.”

I went to the producer’s website to see if it listed criteria for what they considered a winner. It listed laughably softball criteria, such as, “What can viewers learn from your satisfied customers?” I suspect their real definition of a “winner” is anyone with $29,000 to burn.

YOUR RESPONSES

Last month, we asked our newsletter subscribers to tell us about their experiences with pay for play outfits. Here’s what you had to say:

Doralisa writes, “We have been approached several times by exactly the same type of pay for play outfit you described in your newsletter. I’ve had experience with those companies at previous jobs, so I knew from the get-go what was coming after the first flowery sales pitch. Besides the obvious reasons for rejecting them (no guarantee of what markets and time slots it would air, and you’d end up with an infomercial of dubious credibility), the finished cost-per-minute was more than twice what it would cost for me to make the same video in-house, and at the end of the day, we still would not have the rights to the raw footage. If it sounds too good to be true ….”

Laura writes, “I think we got the same pitch as you did. As a non-profit with literally zero resources devoted exclusively to broadcast journalism, the idea “sounded” wonderful. But more probing made me nervous; they didn’t really know our organization name, nor what our purpose was, nor what their story was – they expected us to provide the hook and the main storyline! It was these problems that made me realize what the true motivations were. I mean, no true journalist doesn’t know their own story.”

Perhaps there are a few good pay for play operators out there. But watching these groups from both up close and afar has made me wary. My experience has taught me that companies and organizations can almost always invest their $29,000 more effectively. My advice is this – when you get the pitch, take a walk.

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

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

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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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People seem to worry themselves silly over facing a tough media interview and most are too frightened to stand up to the journalist and actually have a go at him/her if the line of questioning becomes unreasonable. Well, guess what? Media outlets just love a bit of a barney or stoush between their journalists and members of the public so give them what they want. I can almost guarantee that they will use the bit where you stand up for yourself and ifr you can slip your key message(s) into that interchange, guess who’s winning – YOU!

You see, in any issue based interview, the journalist is going to come at you with negative questioning and, if you do nothing to counter that, the whole interview will end up as a negative quagmire from which it will be almost impossible for you to escape with any dignity intact.

After several decades of television news and current affairs experience and an equal amount of time media training I can honestly say that the rules for handling tough media interviews haven’t changed at all and I can’t see that they ever will. You have to stand up for yourself and not let the journalist browbeat you; you have to make sure you get some of your “equalising” positive points across; you have to do it in an as entertaining way as possible within the confines of the issue and you certainly have to do your preparation which includes filtering what information you should be imparting as well as working out your main two-to-three points you want to get across in the interview.

Other points, that apply to all media interviews, are to keep your language simple but powerful, be concise and never forget the audience you’re talking to through that journalist ‘ who they are and where they are? Also remember to avoid using that awful phrase, ‘no comment’. At the very least, give the media the reason why you can’t comment as this provides the journalist with something useful for his/her audience. This helps you as you could otherwise look and sound either arrogant of as if you’re trying to hide something.

Don’t mimic the politicians and ignore the question. Politicians invariably have very low credibility because of this. Be seen to answer the difficult question but stay general. Then, try to counter with some positive aspect and go very specific. Don’t be boring, actually paint a picture with your words so the public can see what you mean, not just hear it.

Use a smile, chuckle or laugh to counter any ridiculous accusations. Use the same technique if you try to put down the journalist. This latter technique usually fails if attempted in a serious manner.

Doorstop interviews can be a nightmare. Give them a miss, if you can, till you have a couple under your belt. Remember that the journalists in a doorstop are playing to opposition news directors as well as to their audience. I know quite a few journalists who have improved their careers markedly by being tough in a doorstop situation. If you can’t avoid the doorstop, make an excuse to check the latest details to get back inside and do a mini-preparation, say 3 minutes, and then go back into the fray but be in absolute control.

If other media outlets have already printed/broadcast wrong information, use your interview to counter that so the mistake is not propagated.

Finally, always remember that it’s YOUR interview as well as the journalist’s.

Graham Kelly has extensive experience in television news and current affairs journalism as well as media training. He has written the world’s first multi-media ebook on handling the media (actually the third edition of this media training book) as well as a set of media training tips. Visit the website for the multi-media ebook, Managing the Media, and the set of media training tips or the main training site

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Tags: pr, media, relations, lists, news

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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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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One of the media opportunities that you will seek is to appear on TV as a guest of a show or to be interviewed. This article will focus on the times you are a guest on a specific show. First, it is important to note that the television news media are literally inundated with pitches for media appearances every day. So when your chance arrives you want to be prepared. So what are the strategic actions you can take to be a top TV guest? The PR Doctor offers the following prescription of strategic actions to help you achieve that goal.

#1: Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare for the interview with your message and key points you want to make during your appearance.

#2: Select some of your favorite “tips” to share on the show. “Tips” are a great way to communicate your message. Television producers always strive to provide their viewers with useful content presented in a manner that is easy to understand. You should select about five “tips” to share on the topic of the show.

#3: Be sensitive to the amount of statistics you use during your interview. Be careful to use numbers wisely and to be aware of some of the emotions certain statistics could trigger.

#4: Be prepared to answer personal questions. In professional quality television shows a producer will do research for the host about you and your topic, in preparation of your interview. So be aware that if some simple web research unearths some potentially negative or embarrassing information, be prepared to respond in a proactive and positive manner. Sometimes, your best response is a real and even comical answer that will “play” to the audience and deflect the antagonistic tone of an interviewer.

#5: Find an “angle” for your “pitch” and especially look for a “local angle.” Local television stations with network affiliates are extremely valuable and you will want to entice their interest with a local connection. Your appearance and interview will be much more effective and memorable with the host and the viewers when you can incorporate the “local touch.”

#6: Check and confirm the information for your TV appearance. Make sure you know exactly where and when you are to arrive. Confirm this the day before your appearance.

#7: Make sure to have your contact information ready so you can share it when asked during your interview. You should be sure to give your website, an email address, your telephone number, and your location, if applicable. And make sure the contact information is accurate and up-to-date before you announce it on the air.

#8: Commit to looking and feeling your best for your TV appearance. Get a good night’s sleep the night before the appearance. A healthy breakfast would also help. It is important to remember that a good night’s sleep and good nutrition are very important to our daily mental and physical well-being. When we are rested and relaxed, we look better, feel good and think clearly. This is even more important for a TV interview because you may be subject o some stress of an important media interview. Don’t overdose on caffeine.

#9: Be very conscious of your voice and your tonality in your TV appearance. Avoid speaking in a monotone. A monotone will “kill” an interview’s effectiveness very rapidly. It is very important to alter your pitch and tone to keep your audience interested. Be animated also. Your body language is a very effective conveyor of your message. And remember, it is not only what you say, but also how you say it that counts!

#10: Always employ impeccable manners and be gracious on and off the air. Always thank the host for the interview while you’re still on-air. An added thank you to the producer will also be in order. I always recommend sending a brief thank you note to the host and the producer. It is good manners and will enhance your image as a well-mannered professional. And because these thank you notes are not always sent by others, the note you send will increase your chances of being remembered in the future, when they need to interview an expert on your topic.

#11: Review and critique your appearance. Have someone record your interviews. Watch your interview numerous times and ask yourself questions like: How well did I answer the questions? How did the host respond to my answers? Did my clothes portray me as a professional? What did my body language say about me? Did I appear natural or did I appear too rehearsed? Did I remember all of my key points and turn them into sound bytes?

The PR Doctor recommends that you commit to follow this prescription so you can gain much more positive results from your pitches to the media.

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines – Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 345 articles on business.

To find out more about the benefits & rewards of effectively working with a strategic thinking business coach, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his web site at this site.

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Learning how to distribute an online press release is one of the most important things you can learn as a small business marketer, whether you’re the owner of a brick-and-mortar store or even just an informational website or blog. The free publicity you can get from these documents can be enormous if you’ve done a good job of writing the online press release, and it only takes a little bit of effort in distribution in order to get the word out about your business. Unfortunately, very few people know how to distribute an online press release, and as a result, most people’s efforts are wasted.

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

Why do the tabloids get so much attention at the checkout stand? When you watch the news or read it online which stories get your attention the quickest?

We live in a huge mass society. If you met 100 people a day, you could only meet a tiny fraction of those people in your lifetime. The best way to reach the masses, or even the majority of your target customers, is to use mass media.

Most public relations press releases are just downright boring. The material might be important but come on. There has to be a way in this attention-deficit culture to reach people effectively.

In order to get your product, service, organization, or idea into the media, you have to think like a tabloid story editor. You must hit the Media Manager Hot Buttons. You need to first, reach the editors before you reach the public.

First, target your message to the medium that is most interested in your type of story. Start with online blogs and press release companies. You can test headlines with press release submissions and place a special link to your site.

There are several topics that media managers usually grab as soon as possible. If you can think of a way to combine your message with controversial subjects, you will be noticed. The Controversial topics can be searched on the Web and with some creative writing, connected to your own story.

Is your story controversial all by itself? There are certain topics that the media seems to be jumping on regularly. You can actually look up what is popular on the Internet or in the news by going to Google Trends or to Technorati.

The bottom line is this, think like the media; shape your message to fit their likes. Do that and your message has a great chance of being used. Above all, don’t give up. Find interesting facts that will tie in to your own story, for example: When Brittany Spears shaved her head, the pictures were everywhere.

If your hair restoration product was linked to the topic, you could put out a Press Release that said: Brittany Spears’ baldness highlights the growing problem of women’s hair loss. Of course, you’ll have to make the headline more creative.

Hang in there and keep creative ideas flowing. Do research on the latest movies, stories and trends. Determine how to make sure your product, service, organization or idea ties into some of one of those stories. 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 to this site 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, positions, communications, consultant

The public relations factor is probably the biggest press release incentive. If you can get a good story out about your business you will be winning over the hearts and minds of potential customers. The media release can detail the good works that you’ve done and show your business in a very positive light. This can have a profound impact on the way that customers view the business. People would much rather do business with a company that is a good community member and gives back.

Another great press release incentive is just getting your name out in the world. If there are no good works under your belt yet, consider generating a story that will just get the name out there. Write up a press release about a brand new product that the business is introducing. It must be newsworthy so there will have to be something innovative and fresh about this product for it to gain the attention of news organizations. Even if the product is very simple, if it solves a problem that people have been dealing with for a long time it can be newsworthy.

With online businesses it can just be about getting the company in the top page of a search engine search. If the news article or press document can be written in such a way to get the search engines to notice the document then you will probably be able to attract some visitors to the business site that may not have heard about your company. Doing whatever can be done to differentiate yourself among the millions of businesses online is imperative in today’s online business world.

These are very powerful press release incentives. Just getting your businesses name on the lips of potential customers is enough. The increase one single positive press release can bring to your business is enough to make it worthwhile. Take the time to write up a newsworthy press release and get it out there to the media outlets. Do your homework and find out all the elements of a great press document. It really isn’t that difficult. And while you’re at it you should think about developing a full press kit. You want to show your business as one of the big boys then this is the path to take.

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, relations, insider, communications, consultants

Simply put, a press release is a unique story written in a journalistic style. It is 500 or more words and usually not more than one page in length. It includes quotes from you, the business owner, as well as quotes from employees and testimonials from customers and/or clients. It is geared towards the publication’s audience. In other words, when writing your press release think like an editor:

• What is in it for our readers…

• What will sell more ad spaces…

• What will sell more subscriptions…

• Who, What, When, Where, Why…

You cannot write a press release simply to announce a new product line, give statistics on a product that is eco-friendly, or try to drum up business for a product that could use a boost in sales, you need to think about the readers, what’s in it for them? Why should they read what you have to say?

When approaching news outlets and publications, you need to think like the journalists and reporters. They care about news recent news, trends, facts, and interesting topics that tie into your product or service. They want something that gets readers to buy more papers and sell more publications. They want press release that will help them write something that is newsworthy, educational, inspirational, and/or motivational.

Send out a press release every time something new and exciting happens in your business, but don’t forget to angle that news so that it is “newsworthy!”

Tailor your press releases for different markets and send them out to those different markets on a regular basis. Lets assume you sell a multitude of eco-friendly products. You can write a press release educating the everyday person about the importance of choosing eco-friendly products and sending it to the appropriate department at every major newspaper. You could write a press release outlining the health benefits of using specific products and send it to health-related magazines. You could write a press release about your eco-friendly dog toys and send it to publications geared towards dogs. The idea is to think about the audience you want to buy your product then send press releases to the publications that reach that same audience.

Besides submitting your press release to various media outlets, put your press release on your company website. Make an online press room a necessity and keep it up-to-date. Once your press release has been written, place it on your company website for added exposure-not only will it help promote your business it will add valuable content to your website, making your company website search engine friendly. And who knows, a journalist may see your press release when searching for information to complete an assignment and request an interview!

Press releases were designed to help journalists and reporters find newsworthy information they would not otherwise be able to find and to help make their jobs easy by providing, fresh, unique ideas for their intended audiences. So don’t be shy. Write that press release and start sharing it.

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 website

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Tags: effective, media, relations, consulting, consultant

Submitting a PRESS RELEASE to the media is the most powerful form of marketing and advertising on earth. Last month, I pitched two of my clients’ stories, Kathy and Patti, to a local newspaper. Their stories were featured and within one week, their sales collectively spiked over $10,000!

One feature or mention in a popular, respected business publication can help your phones start ringing off the hook! The reason? Something called “social proof”.

Basically, social proof means that we tend to use the behavior of others as an indicator of what we should do in a particular situation. If someone else says, something must be good or noteworthy, than it must be so. This is why getting publicity through press releases is so powerful.

How do you write a quality press release that will grab the attention of the media and your particular audience?” Here are five tips to help you succeed:

1. Pick a “Newsworthy” Angle.

Press releases are not advertisements. Remember, a journalist, editor or reporter is reading your press release, not buying your product/service. It’s your job to give them an interesting story they will be happy to share with their audience.

Feed the press information THEY regard as news, and they’ll happily spread your message, at no cost to you, as long as you can come up with a timely angle for your message. Here are some ways to be timely:

* What’s new about your business?

- Have you just opened?

- Introduced a new product or new version of one?

- Launched a new service? – Hired a new president, vice president?

- Announced impressive sales figures for the quarter?

Even if your answer to this question doesn’t seem momentous, you can use it as a basis for a press release to local media or media that serve your profession. However, you’ll really be cooking if you have something both new and distinctive…

* What is different or distinctive about your business?

Sometimes it takes imagination to articulate a media worthy answer to this question. Think about, “What can you say about your business that competitors can’t?” You may also want to create a sideline service or product that comes across as distinctive.

* Do you have an event you can create or publicize?

Since an event happens at a specific time and place, it gives the media more reason to cover you than if you try to publicize an ongoing service or product. A Grand Opening event or a free lecture at a nearby public library are both examples of potential feature stories.

* Can you piggyback on current news?

For Kathy, my catering client, she successfully obtained a contract from Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, for baked pies. The Grand Opening of her store coincided with opening day of the White Sox; interesting story!

* Can you suggest a surprising twist on received opinion?

Controversy gets you attention. As long as you can argue effectively for your position, it will pique the interest of the media. Think of an idea, flip it into a controversial position, and pitch your story.

2. Write your press release in an inverted pyramid style.

Journalists often use the “inverted pyramid style” when writing a news story. This simply means they put the most important facts at the beginning of the story, and the least important facts towards the end. Typically you want to get the “Who, What, Where, When, Why and How” of the story written in the first half or third of the press release. After that, you can expand upon what you have said.

3. Keep your release short and to the point. It should contain no more than about 500 words and no more than 2 pages.

4. Keep your title to 10 words or less.

The headline and the first few sentences of the first paragraph are the most important part of the press release. If you don’t catch the reader’s interest here, you’ll lose your audience.

5. Include your contact information.

Provide full contact name, company name, full address, phone number, email address, and Web site URL. The contact name should be someone who is knowledgeable and available to answer any questions by media members.

Targeted press releases to the media have helped thousands of companies succeed. They are the most powerful form of marketing and advertising on earth. Remember: One article is all it takes to get people talking!

Copyright 2008, Bonita L. Richter and Profit Strategies

Bonita L. Richter, MBA, founder of Profit Strategies, teaches entrepreneurs and business owners how to market their businesses to increase sales to generate wealth and a lifestyle of choice. Find out more about how to market your business and skyrocket sales with her popular and acclaimed FREE eBooks at this site

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Tags: media, relations, communications, marketing, consultancy

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

Millions of people read the newspaper every day. Many others read magazine articles. Most of those two groups combined believe and trust the better part of what they read.

What is published on those pages becomes regarded as truth, or at least it holds an inkling of truth. The stories on those pages are often the topics of morning radio shows, of people chatting at work, and among friends. In short, the stories that make it to print have an impact on consumers.

So therein exists a very effective form of collaboration marketing. With the media, you are building the trust of consumers, who will in turn be more likely to buy your product or service. The trick is to get the newsmakers to write about you and your business, and that starts with news releases. In accomplishing that, you will form a strategic alliance with you and the media.

Many businesses today have incorporated communication plans into their marketing strategies. A large part of these plans involve attaining the media, as an alliance begins with writing news releases to local and/or national publications. The key to success here is to have well written releases. And if all else fails, have a well written release. Yes, it’s that important. The media receives countless press releases each day and if it is not in the correct form, or if you have a made a huge mistake, your release is gone to the trash.

Hiring a communications firm to write them for you is a great idea. They will also have a large media list with specific contact information for publications in your area and around the country. Getting your release to the right person is important. These contacts can be found on your own in most cases, although it make take a lot of work and you may have to make your way through many gatekeepers to find them. There are online services where if you subscribe, you will have access to their media lists. However, some of these sites can be hundreds of dollars to obtain.

If you are going to give it a go yourself, here are a few key things to remember in writing a news release. Never call members of the press members of the press. It is thought of as a negative term these days. So, at the top of your page it should read ‘News Release’, not Press Release. If the content of your release is time sensitive, then the words – for immediate release’ should be in the second line. This will tell the media that the info in the release has an upcoming expiration date. If it can be used for a while, then it should read ‘for release at will.’ This will give your release a longer shelf life and it has a better chance of seeing its way to print. Be sure to include your contact information. Keep paragraphs very short, one or two sentences. Keep the entire news release to one page when possible.

Consistency is going to play an important role in this strategy. Forming a strategic alliance with the media will be a key in your collaboration marketing plan. Some will choose to send releases media once a month for an elongated period of time. Some plans span 3 months, while others choose a more secure year or more. Of course, not all releases will turn into articles because big news happens and you will get sent to the bottom of the pile. But chances are if you consistently send your releases, you’ll see your name in print.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A strategic Collaboration Marketing consulting firm. He empowers business owners to discover and implement Integration, Alliance, and Joint Ventures marketing tactics to solve specific business challenges. He demonstrates how to create your own Collaboration Marketing Strategy to increase your sales, conversation rates, and repeat business.
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Copyright (c) 2008 Christian Fea

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Tags: media, relations, strategy, plan, companies

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