Best Buy Co. Inc. CEO Brian Dunn has gone public with a defense of the company’s business model — and some mea culpas — after a rough couple of weeks in the media spotlight for the electronics retailer.
Our colleague Kelly Davis pointed out a great post about public relations and client expectations on Ragan’s PR Daily by Elizabeth Friedland titled “20 Things PR Clients Should Know.”
It’s a little snarky, but comes from a good place and can help clients understand the most effective ways for us to succeed on their behalf. We encourage PR pros and clients alike to check it out.
We’ve excerpted a few of the twenty “things” that we found of particular import. We have said many similar things on this blog over the years, but this is such a succinct post that puts it all in one place we just had to share it. So, without further ado…our favorites from this educational post:
1. No, we don’t know every journalist everywhere across the universe—not that it matters. Even journalists whose weddings we were in will turn down our pitches occasionally.
2. A good publicist doesn’t have to be based in New York or Los Angeles to be effective. Ever heard of this crazy thing called email? (Note from AlexanderG PR: Have we mentioned we’re in Kansas City?)
[...]
5. Stop insisting we call the media. Most of them hate this and specifically request we contact them exclusively via email.
6. PR is not free advertising. PR is not free (or cheap), period.
7. Don’t ask us to pitch an idea and then not be available for an interview. If you want the press, we need you to be ready to talk to the media at a moment’s notice.
8. What matters most to you may be totally irrelevant to a journalist. Remember that it’s what they—not you—think is important that matters in the end.
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10. Social media is more than Facebook and Twitter.
11. If you insist on running all tweets and posts past your legal department, don’t expect results from your social media strategy.
12. If a journalist says he or she is not interested in a story, that person means it. Reaching out again will further annoy the reporter and guarantee you’ll be ignored the next time.
13. Don’t measure your PR results in ad equivalency rates. Do you want to know you had $500,000 of ad equivalent value in negative press, or would you rather know 80 percent of the press you received was positive in tone and accurate in its messages?
14. No, we’re not writing any more “…pleased to announce…” ledes.
15. Ditto for “We’re so excited/thrilled/happy” CEO quotes. Pretend you’re explaining the story to a friend over drinks, and then give us that quote.
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17. PR is a process. You know who hits it big overnight with a story on the “Today” show? Criminals, naughty celebrities, and shark-attack victims. Do you want to be one of them?
A west Georgia business owner has been deluged with calls and emails after posting signs on his company’s trucks that say he’s not hiring anyone until President Barack Obama leaves office.
Waco-based U.S. Cranes LLC owner Bill Looman tells WXIA-TV that reaction has been so intense he’s had to disconnect his phones and temporarily shut down the company’s website.
He posted the signs on his company’s trucks for other motorists to see on roads and interstates across the South. The signs proclaim “New Company Policy: We are not hiring until Obama is gone.”
Looman says he’s not refusing to hire employees to make a political point. He told WXIA he can’t afford to hire anyone because of the economy, and he blames the people in power.
Looman isn’t the only one who has done this. Check out this link for a great (and we think bizarre) example of a small businessman advertising his social agenda on the back of his business.
PR tip: Don’t do this–especially if your business depends on customers from a wide strata of beliefs, creeds and social groups. It’s just not smart. It may feel good in the short run, but ultimately you’re probably shooting yourself in the foot.
Why intentionally say or do anything to repel potential customers?
In this video from Ragan Communications, Johna Burke, senior vice president at BurellesLuce, calls the practice of “off the record” “a mythical creature.” Everything is public record, she warns. Hear more of what she has to say.
Our friends at The Brainzooming Group helped shape an intriguing project featuring two graduate level marketing communications classes at the University of Kansas. Students in Max Utsler’s “Innovations in Marketing Communications” class and Barrett Sydnor’s “Integrated Marketing Communications and Sales Strategy” class are writing blog posts during the semester on topics related to the classes, including branding, marketing, media relations, social media, experience marketing, and innovation.
Today’s author is Dave Dunn. Dave is a Broadcast Journalist & Communications Professional in Kansas City studying for his MS, Journalism, Marketing Communications at the University of Kansas.
Today he offers some fantastic tips for better media pitches. You can take this advice to the bank, as Dave is a TV news reporter who has seen the gamut of media pitches–good and bad.
Working as a reporter in TV News for more than seven years—from small markets to large—I’ve come across countless press news releases and story pitches. My colleagues and I strive to give everyone a “fair shake” and seek out the stories that deserve coverage. Sadly, some of the best and most worthy stories may not get coverage because of things that can set apart news releases (and I say “news” release and not “press” release because some TV and radio folks may turn their nose up at the latter newspaper-related term). Here are three important tips for better success working with news media.
1. Formatting.
It starts before typing the first word. While the release needs to be clear, concise and easy on the eyes, don’t get fancy with formatting. Many news software systems are highly advanced in many aspects, but not when it comes to transferring text. Avoid tabs, boxes, graphic design or anything other than text that may not transfer properly. When news “gatekeepers” receive releases, they simply copy and paste them into the appropriate day or place where stories are filed. When reporters, producers or directors eventually view the release, those with “fancy formatting” are jumbled with encrypted code. It can cause news decision-makers to sift through half a page or more of hieroglyphics before getting to, or between, the important information. It can turn a one-page release into three. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen with this problem. You may know exactly what I’m talking about if you’ve applied for a job lately through a company’s website. It’s similar to what can happen when you upload or paste your resume in the requested area.
As far as pictures with news releases, I’m not at all discouraging you to include them. Visuals are often very beneficial, but keep pictures separate or make sure they are easily transferable/viewable. Include as attachments or provide a link for a media person to copy and paste into a web browser. You want to make sure pictures are viewed the way you intended.
2. Don’t Bury or Muddy the Lead.
Help reporters and news people do their job. It’s not about laziness, it’s just another strategy to help media people visualize the story. Obviously, you’re pitching a story that involves or promotes a company, organization or person. But don’t confuse that with the lead. The story is about what’s happening. News people don’t want to hear a company’s name 10 times before getting to what it’s actually doing and why it matters. Organize releases with the key facts in the lead. Get to specifics later. Also, look to provide something “juicy”, a “wow” factor or a story angle. And think “big tent” or large impact—the more the better in most cases. Attach a story motivator upfront in the pitch/release or make it clear. Here are some motivators to engage media (and media audiences).
Money – ways to save money or avoid waste
Family – ways of life
Safety – threats, ways to be safer or avoid danger
Health – threats, ways to live better or avoid harm
Community – how the country, region or city is changing, or a way of life
Innate Curiosity – something so cool or unusual that you want to see it
Moral Outrage – something that’s just plain wrong
3. Think Sundays.
Sundays are undervalued and present a lot of potential impact because it’s one of the highest viewership/ratings nights of the week (Fridays & Saturdays are lowest viewership). Yes, news staffs are smaller on weekends, but far fewer stories to choose from means much better coverage odds. Also, if you pitch a Sunday story, don’t leave an office phone number that’s only answered Monday through Friday. Provide a cell number.
Was good PR the deciding factor in Amanda Knox’s release from an Italian prison?
David Marriott never visited Amanda Knox during her four years in an Italian prison.
He met her this month, when she stepped off a plane in Seattle.
Yet for Knox and her family, Marriott was as important a player in her ordeal as anyone in the courtroom. As Knox’s publicist, beginning three days after her arrest, Marriott worked to convince the international public that she did not murder her British roommate while studying in Perugia.
“Hiring him was one of the smartest things we ever did,” said Curt Knox, Amanda’s father.
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By enlisting her friends and family, and targeting specific news organizations to tell the family’s story, Marriott eventually helped reshape how the world saw the young American. And now, with Amanda safely back home in West Seattle, Marriott turns to a new set of challenges.
I’ll be talking up a storm today before (literally) thousands of people. How? To start, from noon to 2 p.m. I’m volunteering on-air for the KCUR Fall Membership Drive. I hope you’ll tune in or stream it on your computer–then pledge your support for great radio. I’m in this fun video about why people love KCUR. Check it out:
Also, I’ll be a panelist discussing crisis communication at the National Educational Telecommunications Association national conference today at 3:30. Really looking forward to seeing some of my old colleagues from my public TV days.
Needless to say, after today I’ll be pretty “talked out.” (Nah. Not really. Check out my new “Speaking of PR” tab on this website for more about my speaking activities and topics I can cover for your company, organization or group.)
I have to admit, as a Halloween and zombie fan (Love all of George Romero’s catalog–particularly Dawn of the Dead, which takes place in a shopping mall, by the way…) this “Zombie Day Sale” email for Sears online really got my attention.
Coinciding with the pre-Halloween holiday and the eagerly-anticipated new season of AMC’sThe Walking Dead, this is a clever, hip marketing move on the part of the venerable Sears. Talk about Sales of the Unexpected (sorry)!
It works, too–at least it does on me. Their online sales and clever promos have led me to purchase a snow blower, leaf mulcher and lawnmower in the past year. I’m no zombie consumer, either. I plan my purchases carefully, and almost never pay full price. So when Sears tells me in an email with a subject line that reads
Use your brains & save up to 15%, tonight thru tomorrow
I pay attention. Cheers to Sears. Perhaps this clever approach will see their sales numbers rise from the dead.
I’m excited about my opportunity to speak at the 19th Annual Philanthropy Midwest Conference Oct. 17 in Kansas City. This conference is the Midwest’s largest gathering of nonprofit organizations.
I’ll be presenting a workshop from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. titled The Media: Opportunity Has a Secret Knock. My workshop walks participants through an audio-video presentation that will help develop key messages and package the organization’s story to get the media’s attention, respond effectively in tough interviews and generate buzz through social media.
I’m told there are 60-plus signed up. This should be fun!
Later next week I will be on a crisis communication panel for the National Educational Telecommunications Association conference. Crisis communication is a favorite topic of mine–I look forward to hearing what’s going on with NETA members in the crisis com arena and offering my thoughts.
I’ve spent most of my life–almost literally since I could talk–speaking before large groups.
As a kid my performances at family gatherings lead to school activities, plays, debates and student government. As a small town newspaper editor I occasionally gave the Kiwanis club luncheon my version of ham on wry. That led to a couple of ill-fated runs for political office, then community theatre (!) and some time behind the mic as a radio talk show host. Heck, I even showed my “face for radio” on public TV. Lately, I’ve been a master of ceremonies for a charity event and presented to a few book clubs about my novel.
Through it all, I’ve had a steady stream of requests to speak about or provide training on my profession: public relations. Those are the most fun, as I get to spread the PR gospel as I think it should be heard. I enjoy the questions, sharp challenges to my assertions and even the inevitable cups of hotel coffee.
The last two or three years, however I haven’t actively pursued public speaking engagements. Just had too much going on, so I went into a bit of hibernation. But…sometimes the world has other plans. Case in point this October. In the pumpkin month I’ve almost managed a hat trick: I’ve been asked to speak at two events with another the first week of November. One national conference panel, one regional conference seminar and one local half-day workshop. I’m thinking if these go well I may just set a goal for at least one speech or workshop a month.
I recommend you do it, too. I guarantee it will keep you sharp and make you pay attention to what’s going on in your field of expertise. It may also open up a whole new client base.
Not a good speaker? Well, not everyone is–but the only way you’ll get any better is practice. So start small–see if you can speak at the office brown bag in-service or on a professional association panel. You may learn you’re pretty good at it–or you may decide right away that it’s not your thing; but you should give it a shot at least once or twice.
So…here are my top three tips for a good speaking engagement:
Be prepared.Don’t wing it. People are paying good money or at least giving up their time to hear you speak. Give ‘em their money’s worth.
If you’re going to use Powerpoint or Keynote, use it well. See this post for more on that. (And for Pete’s sake, don’t have slide after slide of text that you read to your audience. Ugh.)
Have fun–even at your own expense. If you’re bored with your own topic, nervous or off-kilter, your audience won’t hear a word you say–they’ll just notice you were bored, nervous or off-kilter. Have fun–inject some humor where you can. Poking fun at yourself almost never fails.
Do you enjoy public speaking? Any tips? The comments section is open…speak!
Excerpted from the article by Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Managing Editor Mark Reilly:
Our colleague Kelly Davis pointed out a great post about public relations and client expectations on Ragan’s PR Daily by Elizabeth Friedland titled “20 Things PR Clients Should Know.”
I have to admit, as a Halloween and zombie fan (Love all of George Romero’s catalog–particularly Dawn of the Dead, which takes place in a shopping mall, by the way…) this “Zombie Day Sale” email for Sears online really got my attention.
