Tag Archives: media contacts

Each Word Counts in PR

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Be proefficient when speaking

Publicity is more than a form of media. It is an art.

Knowing your target media and the industry is essential in developing a good and successful publicity program. Just as important is knowing how to speak to reporters, journalists and editors.

Choosing the right words when talking to these people can help you gain favorable publicity. But before you can speak to these media reporters, you need to send pr releases, articles or stories to them to get their attention.

That means the written word is powerful. It can make a reporter  contact you to further learn about your product or service, or it can be tossed out like most releases.

Learn what to say by choosing the right words is something that everyone needs to know. One person in particular, Ann Wylie has several tips on how to prepare and write a release. Some of the issues she explains are: Write a Feature lead; Lead with Benefits; Try a Tipsheet; Give a Bio and use Human Interest to name a few of her suggestions. I tend to agree with much of that information.

Another great source in learning better public speaking is Arie Galper. Although he teaches you how to "Unlock The game" for sales calls, he has a vast of experience in teaching people how to present themselves, which can easily be applied when meeting with the media.

After learing these powerful lessons, you need to make sure that you have a PR Plan in place. I strongly believe a solid publicity program coupled with your on-going marketing program will create a successful image. And that’s what you should be developing. The results of a positive image will then build the business.

To implement a PR program, seek the help of a professional company. There are a lot of good pr firms who can help you achieve your goals. If you need help in finding one, contact us. We will direct you in the right direction, whether we can do it for you or find a company that best meets your requirements.

 

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Get to Know the Media

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It cannot be said enough that you need to know who the media are. I don’t just mean their name, which of course is very important. What you need to do is find the type of media that best suits your pr objective.

For example, if you are seeking another round of funding, or want to attack potential buyers, you should concentrate on "financial media". If you want to get the attention of dealers, or distributors to represent and sell your products, then the trade publications in your industry would be chosen.

Simple, right? Well, not really. Finding the right media sources to target is where the challenge begins. But that’s another subject we can discuss later.

An interesting article I came across the other day can help you organize your pr campaign. The article addresses these specific issues:
Planning, Media Tactics, Execution and Follow-Up.

The article provides a simple process to follow, even has questions to ask yourself about the target media, such as: Who does this program affect? Who should receive this message? What is a common denominator for members in this group(s)? What core values and objectives are shared? What benefits are expected for these individuals? Who has the ability to reach and influence other audience members?

Your story or release might not have all the answers to these questions, but it causes you to stop and analyze your approach to the media. You can never stop learning about how to reach and target your media prospects. So continue the learning and check out Four Elements of Effective Media Relations and other articles.

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Working with the Media

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Developing a relationship with any person of the media requires time. The best way to begin this time process is to first create a media list of those publications, or broadcast editors, writers that you want to reach.

Then start providing newsworthy press releases about your company to them.

This may seem very basic, but this is the method most accepted by the press. Once you have sent the releases, follow up with a phone call. The call should be to ask if they received the release. Mention what the subject or content is about, but don’t try to tell the entire story.

If it is interesting to them, the editor or writer will ask to re-send it via email, or traditional mail. Sometimes you will be asked to contact a different person in the media department. This gives you another name to add to your media list.

Many times it is accepted to send these contacts an email telling them that you are sending a press release. Just mention the subject matter with a brief (one or two sentence) description.

Be considerate of their time and appreciate their position. The media people receive many releases per day and are approached by pr firms and companies to write a story on their specific topic.

So if your release doesn’t make it through the clutter, be patient. As I said earlier, relationships with the press takes time.