Transcript Public Relations Tips and Techniques

Public Relations Tips and
Techniques
Presented by:
Agenda
1. What is Public Relations
2. PR vs. Advertising
3. How can your PR efforts get more notice
4. Writing great press releases and queries
5. Success Stories
What is Public Relations?
Traditional: “I don’t care what they call
me, so long as they mention my name.”
– George M. Cohan
Today: Using the media (newspapers,
radio, trade publications, television) to
achieve your marketing objective
Marketing Objectives
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Increase sales
Increase company awareness
Increase “top of mind awareness”
Add credibility
Build reputation
Why PR is Effective
• What is more likely to cause you to visit
a restaurant – a good ad or a good
review?
• Warms up “cold” prospects
• PR “practically” free, advertising you
always pay
• Can help small businesses level the
playing field
Public Relations vs. Advertising
• Control
– Advertising = You control the message
– PR = The media controls the message
• Repetition
– Advertising = You repeat when and where
you want
– PR = Media will cover event/story only
once
Public Relations vs. Advertising
• Credibility
– PR = Media coverage seen as
endorsement of your product
– Advertising = People can be skeptical
• Attractiveness
– PR must appeal to producers and editors
as well as consumers
– Advertising ONLY has to appeal to your
prospective customers
PR is more than just media placement
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Research
Strategic planning
Community relations
Internal relations
Investor relations
• Customer relations
• Charitable causes
• Crisis management
Realities of local media
• News/advertising line is blurred
• Budgets and time are stretched
• Often, advertisers get priority (especially
with local, lifestyle publications)
• The easier you make the
journalist/editor’s job, the more likely
you are to get your story published
• Work together for win-win relationship
Trade Publications
• Publications of interest to a very specific
market
– Great way to establish yourself as an
industry expert
– Can be ideal way to establish credibility or
personal career path
– Reprints great for media/customer kits
“Vanity” Publications
• Publications that will print your story in
exchange for paid advertising
– MD News
– Lake Country Progress
– Great for reprints
Radio
• People are reading less and listening
and watching more
• Radio is the ultimate multi-tasker –
(listen while driving, cooking)
• Radio reaches 99% of the consumer
market
• Radio talk shows are looking for guests!
Television
• Consider & sell the visual aspects of
your story. “Talking heads” are boring!
• Consider having B-roll available (“stock
footage”)
• Consider paid opportunities to appear
on local shows
Online Public Relations
• Permanence – web info “sticks”
• Online sites hungry for content
• Journalists look to the web FIRST when
researching a story
• Blogs
• Article distribution services
• Internet communities
• Magazine websites
Tip #1
• Think like an editor
– Get familiar with the kind of stories s/he
likes to run, and write them or come up
with ideas for them
– Be familiar with the stories run in the past,
come up with new angles
Tip #2: Be Different
• Promotions, hires, award
announcements are fine…for a start
• Real coverage takes creative thought:
contests, product breakthroughs, trend
observations, surveys, public service
announcements
Tip #3: It’s NOT Who You Know
• It’s getting an editor or producer
interested in you
• Offer them a story they can’t resist
Tip #4: Tie into trendy stories
- Popular TV shows/movies
- Celebrities in the news (“How to keep
your kids from turning into Paris Hilton”)
- Hot weather survival tips
- Supporting our troops
- Seasonal tips, trends, recipes
Tip #5: Conduct a Survey
• There is very little new information in
the world. Surveys create new
information.
– 87% of moms don’t know what to make for
dinner tonight
– 50% of women actually hate red roses and
would prefer pink
– 60% of customers would prefer more green
options when designing their kitchen
– 90% of people over 70 worry about losing
their short-term memory
Tip #7: Make them laugh
• “Shred your rejection letter” (college or
high school graduates)
• “Stinkiest feet contest” (selling Crocs or
sandals)
• “Ugliest Kitchen in Lake Country”
• Free Chicken Soup giveaway (health
care/grocery store – flu season)
#8: Tie into a worthy cause
• Local events, fundraisers, school
programs
• AFI hat promotion
Getting your PR Program started
• Consider if you have time and
resources to do it yourself or hire help
• Begin a media/contact list
• Collect editorial calendars
• Develop a press kit
• Research your competitors
• Brainstorm ideas
Press Release Basics
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Contact information
Release date
Headline
Body
Response information
News lead (who, what, where, when,
why) OR
• Feature lead (entertaining, attentiongetting)
Press Release Basics
• Is it important to the publication’s
readers?
• Is it really news, or is it an ad?
• What’s in it for the reader?
• Keep it SHORT!
• Consider adding a “tip sheet”
• Add opinion and interpretation as
quotes from your executive
• Don’t lie, exaggerate or deceive
Hot and Spicy Press Releases
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Free booklets or report
Telephone hotline
Special event or gimmick
New product or service
New literature
Tie in with current events or fad
Free giveaway or trade-in
Feature Article Basics
• Query the publication to see if they are
interested (and convince them to write
about you)
• Submit case studies
• How-to articles
• New products
• Developments and trends
• Offer exclusivity if it’s a really hot topic
Handling Media
• Be available
• Anticipate questions ahead of time and
formulate your answers (“talking points”)
• Be aware of YOUR goal & points that
emphasize it (may not be the same as
media’s goal!)
• It’s OK to not know the answers and ask
for time to research
• Slow down
Tips for Radio/TV PR
• Offer listeners a way to contact you
• Offer listeners something of value for
free (tip sheet if they go to your website)
• Don’t pitch your product on the air
Getting TV/Radio to feature you
• Watch/listen to get to know the programs you
are interested in
• Think of a way to fit your message into the
show’s format & write query letter
• Prepare and mail a press kit (include reprints
of other media that have run the story)
• Follow up with a phone call to the producer
• Ask for feedback on what they would like if no
• Don’t badger, stalk or risk ruining relationship
if they don’t bite
Other PR Opportunities: Public Speaking
• Public speaking engagements
• Figure out if it is worth your time
• Capture names/emails of potential
customers
• Make sure your talk is of benefit to the
audience
• Record your talk if possible
More PR Tips
• Clip & save all PR
• Track leads from your PR efforts
• Make sure you have a media kit for
follow up
Success Stories
Parker’s Place Fitness “The Weight Loss Challenge”
Integrated Financial Solutions –
“Off The Clock” feature
Waukesha Freeman
JP Kitchen Design Studio –
“Ugliest Kitchen Contest”
“Kitchen & Bath Design News”
• Parker’s Place
• IFS
• JP Kitchen Design
Studio