Sunday, July 18, 2010
Learn to pitch better stories in just two minutes
Great video of AP reporters sharing what they expect from a media pitch.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
What is the best day to send out a release?
Like the answer to most general questions on PR, the answer is "it depends." And that's basically the answer Jeremy received, based on the wide variety of responses to his Twitter poll on the topic. Jeremy includes 10 great tips to help you make your decision.
My favorite: Figure out where you'd like your news to appear. I think that is one of the most overlooked considerations. If you are targeting dailies, the question is what time of day. If you are going after weeklies, what day of the week. Monthlies... Monthlies? If you're considering a monthly is it really news?
In addition to his advice, I would offer that it's best to know the deadlines of your target outlets and build in time for the reporters to react. Most will need to do some additional reporting before writing on your pitch. They won't be inclined to invest the energy if they are up against a deadline.
Another option to consider is the pre-release. Depending on the news value, you could offer your story to a publication to cover before you issue the release. Make sure you have an agreement on when they would publish their story. Most people go for the same day of the release or maybe even a day before. The exclusive news scoop is always appealing to journalists. Another benefit of the pre-release, when the story runs, other (non-competing publications) might be inclined to give your release a second look.
Finally, with most releases and stories living forever on the web, the day it crosses the wire might not be as important as making sure it can be useful over time -- that includes content as well as keywords.
Action Plan - Using your media list of favorite journalists (I'm sure you have one), ask reporters for their deadlines and when they need information to consider it for publication. I'm sure you'll see some trends emerge for your industry. In other words, consider your audience. That's the best way to determine any communications decision. Other than that, I'll have to go with 'it depends.'
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Why blaming your customer is a bad idea (Yes, I actually have to explain this to CafePress)
This is a rant disguised as PR advice.
I asked CafePress ‘what gives?’ Here’s a synopsis of the response I received from Crystal R:
CafePress started a new marketing structure that takes shop owners' products and sells them in a different part of the site for less money. Naturally, we’ll earn the commission on the lower-priced sale.
Here’s the part that got me: Crystal “apologized if I missed the notice that was sent to all shopkeepers when this policy change was implemented.”
I was dutifully accepting my chastisement for not reading my emails when I found this nestled deep in the new policy:
“We realize that different pricing for the same product in the Marketplace, and in your shops, could cause customer confusion. We are working on a solution for customers to quickly see, within the Marketplace, other designs and products you offer. Look for these changes in the upcoming months.”
There's the problem, Crystal!!! (I hate exclamation points, but I had to...cuz I’m actually screaming) It’s not that I missed your notice, it’s that your policy created the problem. Shouldn't you have found a solution BEFORE you rolled out your new Marketplace?
In all fairness, Crystal did open her email by apologizing for any confusion they caused... before sending me the policy that acknowledges the policy could cause confusion.
It’s like my other pet peeve -- businesses that put you on hold and apologize that you called when there is a high volume of calls. The problem isn’t high volume, it’s inadequate staffing. If you know that there is a high volume of calls between 12-2, hire enough employees to handle the surge. I don't care when anyone else calls.
Ok, enough with the rants. What can we learn from them?
As a PR practitioner, I often found myself drafting responses to disgruntled customers. Here are a few principles I picked up along the way.
1) Answer the question. I asked why the same item in my store was selling for two different prices on the site. I’m sure I received a blanket response that they send to every similar complaint. I remember doing the same thing when I was in her shoes. I’d march my extremely well-written response (I thought) into my boss and wait for her obvious kudos and approval. She’d then ask, ‘what was the question, Lynford? Did you answer the real question?’
The question isn’t always explicit. You sometimes have to dig beyond the words to find the real pain point. My complaint wasn’t with CafePress’ change in policy. I was annoyed because they lowered the prices of my products and left it to me to opt out of their decision. A response that doesn’t address the real customer problem won’t be satisfying. You'll check the box but miss the opportunity to solve the problem.
2) Customers don’t care about YOUR policies; we care about OUR problems. I’m sure you’ve studied the complaints, identified trends and implemented a new solution. When you present it, always remember to frame it in the customer experience. That is how we relate to your product and services. Policies should be for internal use, not as a shield for poor decisions.
3) Don’t make customer opt out of important decisions. Haven’t we learned this from Facebook and AOL yet? If it affects my money or my privacy, let me make the decision to opt in. You earn no loyalty from sneaking me into a situation I would not have chosen.
Bottom line: if you create a policy that pisses me off, I don't care that it's your policy. I don't care that I missed the email, and I certainly don't care that you apologized for something *I* did.
I presented CafePress.com with a problem, and they responded with their policy. That’s poor PR and a pet peeve from my perspective. Alliteration aside, here’s what went down and what we might learn from it.
I have a store at CafePress that sells my awesome framed pictures. :-) Just the other day, CafePress congratulated me on a sale, but I noticed it was at a lower price than I’d offered. A quick search revealed that I had the same product in two locations, one at my price and another at a lower price. Guess which one was selling? (No, the problem isn’t my pricing. I choose not to give my work away.)
I have a store at CafePress that sells my awesome framed pictures. :-) Just the other day, CafePress congratulated me on a sale, but I noticed it was at a lower price than I’d offered. A quick search revealed that I had the same product in two locations, one at my price and another at a lower price. Guess which one was selling? (No, the problem isn’t my pricing. I choose not to give my work away.)
CafePress started a new marketing structure that takes shop owners' products and sells them in a different part of the site for less money. Naturally, we’ll earn the commission on the lower-priced sale.
Here’s the part that got me: Crystal “apologized if I missed the notice that was sent to all shopkeepers when this policy change was implemented.”
I was dutifully accepting my chastisement for not reading my emails when I found this nestled deep in the new policy:
“We realize that different pricing for the same product in the Marketplace, and in your shops, could cause customer confusion. We are working on a solution for customers to quickly see, within the Marketplace, other designs and products you offer. Look for these changes in the upcoming months.”
There's the problem, Crystal!!! (I hate exclamation points, but I had to...cuz I’m actually screaming) It’s not that I missed your notice, it’s that your policy created the problem. Shouldn't you have found a solution BEFORE you rolled out your new Marketplace?
In all fairness, Crystal did open her email by apologizing for any confusion they caused... before sending me the policy that acknowledges the policy could cause confusion.
It’s like my other pet peeve -- businesses that put you on hold and apologize that you called when there is a high volume of calls. The problem isn’t high volume, it’s inadequate staffing. If you know that there is a high volume of calls between 12-2, hire enough employees to handle the surge. I don't care when anyone else calls.
Ok, enough with the rants. What can we learn from them?
As a PR practitioner, I often found myself drafting responses to disgruntled customers. Here are a few principles I picked up along the way.
1) Answer the question. I asked why the same item in my store was selling for two different prices on the site. I’m sure I received a blanket response that they send to every similar complaint. I remember doing the same thing when I was in her shoes. I’d march my extremely well-written response (I thought) into my boss and wait for her obvious kudos and approval. She’d then ask, ‘what was the question, Lynford? Did you answer the real question?’
The question isn’t always explicit. You sometimes have to dig beyond the words to find the real pain point. My complaint wasn’t with CafePress’ change in policy. I was annoyed because they lowered the prices of my products and left it to me to opt out of their decision. A response that doesn’t address the real customer problem won’t be satisfying. You'll check the box but miss the opportunity to solve the problem.
2) Customers don’t care about YOUR policies; we care about OUR problems. I’m sure you’ve studied the complaints, identified trends and implemented a new solution. When you present it, always remember to frame it in the customer experience. That is how we relate to your product and services. Policies should be for internal use, not as a shield for poor decisions.
3) Don’t make customer opt out of important decisions. Haven’t we learned this from Facebook and AOL yet? If it affects my money or my privacy, let me make the decision to opt in. You earn no loyalty from sneaking me into a situation I would not have chosen.
Bottom line: if you create a policy that pisses me off, I don't care that it's your policy. I don't care that I missed the email, and I certainly don't care that you apologized for something *I* did.
Monday, June 28, 2010
How a Rolling Stone crushed the general, tips to help you avoid getting squashed, too
He shoulda seen it coming. That’s what I thought when I learned a Rolling Stone feature cost Gen. Stanley McChrystal his job. You probably thought it, too.
Why didn’t the general or his staff see warning signs that were just a Google search away? They forgot the basics of media relations. Perhaps these simple tips might have helped.
TIP -- Always do background research on reporters -- especially those you don’t know.
Even Michael Hastings, the author of the Rolling Stone feature Runaway General, agrees. In October 2008, Hastings wrote an article for GQ titled Hack: Confessions of a Presidential Campaign Reporter.
No more than six paragraphs into the article, he drops these gems:
Why didn’t the general or his staff see warning signs that were just a Google search away? They forgot the basics of media relations. Perhaps these simple tips might have helped.
TIP -- Always do background research on reporters -- especially those you don’t know.
Even Michael Hastings, the author of the Rolling Stone feature Runaway General, agrees. In October 2008, Hastings wrote an article for GQ titled Hack: Confessions of a Presidential Campaign Reporter.
No more than six paragraphs into the article, he drops these gems:
Objectivity is a fallacy. In campaign reporting....reporters aren’t just covering the story, they’re part of it--influencing outcomes, setting expectations, framing candidates--and despite what they tell themselves, it’s impossible to both be part of the action and report on it objectively.
But that’s not the good part. Hastings displays the kind of candor you expect from tell-all books.
They shoulda known better. That’s what Hastings told Howard Kurtz on CNN’s Reliable Sources.
Let’s call these questions the BFO (Blinding, Flashing, Obvious) Hastings Test.
TIP -- Find out how much the reporter knows about your topic, and do some basic educating before getting into the interview. Get this -- it improves the likelihood of an accurate story.
TIP -- Always provide background and context to reporters in writing. Stick fact sheets and overviews into their hands. Make it easy for them to get it and get it right.
TIP -- If a reporter isn’t invested in your industry or subject matter, she is more comfortable going for the sensational story.
I’m willing to bet that the general said similar things in front of other reporters -- they were just focused on reporting the war.
Lara Logan, CBS News chief foreign correspondent, admitted as much when Kurtz asked if there is an “unspoken agreement” that you’re not going to embarrass the troops by reporting insults and banter.
“Absolutely,” she said. “Yes... there is an element of trust.”
TIP -- Limit the amount of time and access you promise a journalist you don’t know. Allowing a virtual stranger to have days of full access to your principal is insane.
TIP -- Always assume you are on the record. Speaking on background and off the record should be used sparingly and only with reporters you know and trust. Even then, assume you are on the record.
Any of these basic tips could have alerted the general’s staff to potential danger. Any of them can help you get out of the way of a rolling stone.
You pretend to be friendly and nonthreatening, and over time you “build trust,” which everybody involved knows is an illusion. If the time comes, if your editor calls for it, you’re supposed to f@#k them over.Nice.
They shoulda known better. That’s what Hastings told Howard Kurtz on CNN’s Reliable Sources.
I’m pretty transparent right? I wrote a piece explaining what journalists do. All they had to do was read that piece... I’ve been pretty transparent with my methods, and it was pretty easily accessible.TIP -- Answer the obvious questions: Who is the reporter? What is her beat? What’s the tone of his articles? Any trend in her last five articles? What’s the reputation of the publication? Who is the publication’s audience?
Let’s call these questions the BFO (Blinding, Flashing, Obvious) Hastings Test.
TIP -- Find out how much the reporter knows about your topic, and do some basic educating before getting into the interview. Get this -- it improves the likelihood of an accurate story.
TIP -- Always provide background and context to reporters in writing. Stick fact sheets and overviews into their hands. Make it easy for them to get it and get it right.
TIP -- If a reporter isn’t invested in your industry or subject matter, she is more comfortable going for the sensational story.
I’m willing to bet that the general said similar things in front of other reporters -- they were just focused on reporting the war.
Lara Logan, CBS News chief foreign correspondent, admitted as much when Kurtz asked if there is an “unspoken agreement” that you’re not going to embarrass the troops by reporting insults and banter.
“Absolutely,” she said. “Yes... there is an element of trust.”
TIP -- Limit the amount of time and access you promise a journalist you don’t know. Allowing a virtual stranger to have days of full access to your principal is insane.
TIP -- Always assume you are on the record. Speaking on background and off the record should be used sparingly and only with reporters you know and trust. Even then, assume you are on the record.
Any of these basic tips could have alerted the general’s staff to potential danger. Any of them can help you get out of the way of a rolling stone.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Five questions that can keep your news release from being a dud
Every now and then, a friend will send me an email with a news release attached. The note will say, “I drafted this release for blah blah blah. Would you mind looking it over and telling me what you think? Don’t spend a lot of time on it, just some overall suggestions.”
I’m sure plumbers get these kinds of emails about leaky faucets and accountants about taxes. My cousin, who is a lawyer, regularly gets them from me. “Would you mind reviewing this 50-page contract? Don’t spend a lot of time on it.”
I don’t mind the requests. I love what I do, and I love to help. (One of the reasons I started this blog.)
I usually ask my friends about five questions. They are the strategic issues that should guide you before you even start to write. Too often, they are questions the well intentioned do-it-yourselfers haven’t considered. Even so, knowing and understanding your responses to these questions are essential to effective news releases.
1) What do you want it to do?
This should be a given, but too many people invest time in news releases because they think it is the thing to do. I ask “in a perfect world, what would you want someone to do after they read your release?” Based on that answer, we can determine if we want the release to inform, persuade, or just make me aware of something. Do you even need to write a release? It might not be the right tool for your goal. Before you ever sit in front of your laptop or smugly on your iPad, you should be clear on what you want to accomplish.
2) Who are the six to 10 journalists you want to reach with your news release?
Most of us breathe a sigh of accomplishment when we see our release cross PRNewswire, PRWeb or any similar service. Put down the latte’. Your work has just begun. If you want to get news coverage, you should have identified the half dozen reporters who can best reach your audience and who are likely to write your story. Shame on you if you don’t know who they are yet. Find them and make them your best friends. In the mean time, forward your release with a note introducing yourself and your story. The reporters will say they didn’t see your email and ask you to resend. You’ll resend it, so they can actually read it. It’s a dance we have to do. Indulge them. Make sure it gets into their hands. Unless it’s breaking news, it usually won’t get their attention without your assistance.
3) Do you really need the media?
Way back at the turn of the decade, you’d craft your story, send it to every relevant journalist and pray that they’d report on it. I would regularly counsel clients in my professorial voice that if you want to reach an audience unfiltered, a news release might not be the right tool. In the generation of technology that’s evolved in the last 10 years, that rule no longer applies. The wide sweep of search engines and the omnipresent social media can help you bypass the media gatekeeper and go direct to your audience. The news release lives forever on the web, and with the right keywords, it will magically appear to people who are actually searching for what you have offer. Isn’t it a beautiful world?
4) What else can you use to support it?
We live in a multimedia rich world. Readers increasingly want pictures and videos to keep their interest. Reporters are hungry for those kinds of tools to help tell their stories. Today’s news releases can embed pictures, video, downloadable files. Find three things that help support the main message of your news release and send them out as a complete package. Don’t just tell your story, illustrate it.
5) How will you continue the conversation with your news release readers?
Today communication is about conversation. It’s cool to have people read your story. It’s infinitely better to have them choose to follow you and read all your stories. It’s better to build a relationship with them, so they will me more receptive to your continuing outreach. More importantly, it gives you an opportunity to listen. To know what is important to them. To hear what they are thinking about you. To continue what works and fix problems early. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to learn Twitter and Facebook business pages. If it makes sense, you should consider starting a blog. When you use them strategically, your news release becomes an introduction to begin a relationship. Without it, a shot into the dark.
What’s the point? Know why you are writing the release, and think beyond it.
Action plan: Create a check list of these five questions and any others you think about. Use it as you begin to plan any external communications product.
I’m sure plumbers get these kinds of emails about leaky faucets and accountants about taxes. My cousin, who is a lawyer, regularly gets them from me. “Would you mind reviewing this 50-page contract? Don’t spend a lot of time on it.”
I don’t mind the requests. I love what I do, and I love to help. (One of the reasons I started this blog.)
I usually ask my friends about five questions. They are the strategic issues that should guide you before you even start to write. Too often, they are questions the well intentioned do-it-yourselfers haven’t considered. Even so, knowing and understanding your responses to these questions are essential to effective news releases.
1) What do you want it to do?
This should be a given, but too many people invest time in news releases because they think it is the thing to do. I ask “in a perfect world, what would you want someone to do after they read your release?” Based on that answer, we can determine if we want the release to inform, persuade, or just make me aware of something. Do you even need to write a release? It might not be the right tool for your goal. Before you ever sit in front of your laptop or smugly on your iPad, you should be clear on what you want to accomplish.
2) Who are the six to 10 journalists you want to reach with your news release?
Most of us breathe a sigh of accomplishment when we see our release cross PRNewswire, PRWeb or any similar service. Put down the latte’. Your work has just begun. If you want to get news coverage, you should have identified the half dozen reporters who can best reach your audience and who are likely to write your story. Shame on you if you don’t know who they are yet. Find them and make them your best friends. In the mean time, forward your release with a note introducing yourself and your story. The reporters will say they didn’t see your email and ask you to resend. You’ll resend it, so they can actually read it. It’s a dance we have to do. Indulge them. Make sure it gets into their hands. Unless it’s breaking news, it usually won’t get their attention without your assistance.
3) Do you really need the media?
Way back at the turn of the decade, you’d craft your story, send it to every relevant journalist and pray that they’d report on it. I would regularly counsel clients in my professorial voice that if you want to reach an audience unfiltered, a news release might not be the right tool. In the generation of technology that’s evolved in the last 10 years, that rule no longer applies. The wide sweep of search engines and the omnipresent social media can help you bypass the media gatekeeper and go direct to your audience. The news release lives forever on the web, and with the right keywords, it will magically appear to people who are actually searching for what you have offer. Isn’t it a beautiful world?
4) What else can you use to support it?
We live in a multimedia rich world. Readers increasingly want pictures and videos to keep their interest. Reporters are hungry for those kinds of tools to help tell their stories. Today’s news releases can embed pictures, video, downloadable files. Find three things that help support the main message of your news release and send them out as a complete package. Don’t just tell your story, illustrate it.
5) How will you continue the conversation with your news release readers?
Today communication is about conversation. It’s cool to have people read your story. It’s infinitely better to have them choose to follow you and read all your stories. It’s better to build a relationship with them, so they will me more receptive to your continuing outreach. More importantly, it gives you an opportunity to listen. To know what is important to them. To hear what they are thinking about you. To continue what works and fix problems early. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to learn Twitter and Facebook business pages. If it makes sense, you should consider starting a blog. When you use them strategically, your news release becomes an introduction to begin a relationship. Without it, a shot into the dark.
What’s the point? Know why you are writing the release, and think beyond it.
Action plan: Create a check list of these five questions and any others you think about. Use it as you begin to plan any external communications product.
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