Five Deadly PR Sins

There are dozens of mistakes that people make when it comes to public relations, but not all of them are fatal. Many PR firms blunder along for years making the same mistakes over and over again. But here are 5 mistakes you simply can’t make if you want to have long-term success with the media:

Deadly Sin #1

Not doing your homework. It’s pretty basic, but you would be surprised at how many well-paid PR people don’t even do a simple Google search before pitching their story to a journalist.

When I was a TV reporter I would get pitched light, fluffy feature stories long after my station had moved me to hard news. When people would pitch me a “leave them laughing” story, it would make me wonder if they ever bothered to watch one of my reports.

Deadly Sin #2

Sounding too much like a commercial. The reason news outlets have sales departments is so that people can buy advertising. If your pitch to a journalist sounds like a blatant commercial, you’re not even going to get a call back.

With our clients we always peel the commercial off the pitch and put a spotlight on the value to the audience. If your story doesn’t meet the “who cares” test, don’t even bother picking up the phone.

Deadly Sin #3

Lying to the media. If you want to have a relationship with a journalist, your credibility is all-important.

For instance, when we’re getting a client on TV and they’re not an amazing interview, I don’t tell the journalist that they are. We coach our clients on how to talk in soundbites, but some are just naturally better than others.

If a journalist asks me how good an interview someone is, I don’t exaggerate. The truth will come out. My relationship with the reporter is paramount.

Deadly Sin #4

Not paying attention to deadlines. These days reporters are under more stress than ever before. With all the layoffs in the industry, journalists are being asked to do more with less.

If a journalist calls me needing an expert who can talk on a subject, my very first question is “What’s your deadline?” I need to know if I need to drop what I’m doing to help the journalist that minute or if it’s something I can get to later.

Deadly Sin #5

Not learning from your PR mistakes. I’ve written a best-selling book on publicity and I run a thriving PR firm, but I’m learning all the time.

For instance, I worked with a client to make them a good soundbite. We did extensive media training, recording interviews and playing them back over and over again until I felt like the client was ready for live TV. They weren’t. They were nervous and actually went to the bathroom and got sick before the interview.

On air they appeared ashen and unsure. The host was nice, but politely told me later that my guest wasn’t very good and to not let it happen again.

I kicked myself and made a promise that I would never put a client in that situation again unless I was absolutely sure they were ready. I was reminded that despite all our preparation, the poor performance of the client reflected poorly on me.

The Power of Twitter

If you’re over 40, you may believe that Twitter is for kids or people with too much time on their hands.

“Who really wants to know that I’m having a Starbucks?” you ask. And you may be right. People may not care about your latte. But to ignore Twitter as a powerful way to deliver your message is just wrong.

Exhibit A: Silent Bob.

If you don’t recognize his name or know actor Kevin Smith from his 2001 hit movie “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” you probably know him from his recent tweets from 30-thousand feet.

In February he was booted from a Southwest flight because he violated the obesity rules. He had originally purchased two seats because of his size, but when he was bumped to another flight there was only one seat available. When he tried to squeeze into the single seat, the crew determined he was too big and asked him to leave.

Kevin Smith was so angry, he began blasting the airline with a blistering series of tweets that went something like this:

Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?

I broke no regulation, offered no “safety risk” (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?).

Wanna tell me I’m too wide for the sky? Totally cool. But fair warning, folks: IF YOU LOOK LIKE ME, YOU MAY BE EJECTED FROM @SOUTHWESTAIR.

Smith continued the rant for hours, even tweeting a photograph of himself, cheeks bloated, on a second flight:

Hey @SouthwestAir! Look how fat I am on your plane! Quick! Throw me off!

Who knew a guy like Silent Bob could make so much noise?

So what?

Smith has 1.6 million followers. That’s the same number of people who read the New York Times.

Think about that for a second. It takes thousands of employees and countless millions of dollars of run the Times. Smith is able to reach the same number of people with a cell phone and a staff of one.

The Twitter tirade forced Southwest into crisis communications mode because Smith’s fans began re-tweeting his messages and many of them sent out their own tweets attacking the airline for being insensitive.

Southwest repeatedly apologized and ended up offering Smith a voucher.

The bottom line? Twitter is a force to be reckoned with. It’s taken a place alongside YouTube and Facebook as a must-have for any marketer.

I’d like to hear your feedback. Follow me and send me a tweet!

An Olympic Gold in PR

No, your TV wasn’t on the blink. The pants the Norwegian curling team was wearing during the Olympics really looked that way.

“We’re scrambling to get shipments out and to get more pants sewn right now,” says Larry Jackson, CEO of Loudmouth Golf of Sonoma, California.

The company specializes in golf pants and until now was best known for outfitting pro golfer John Daly with ridiculously loud pants.

But when the Norwegian team strutted on to the ice wearing the pants, the phone lines at Loudmouth lit up. The company has sold thousands of pants since the Olympics began, with most of them heading to Scandinavian countries. Even the King of Norway has a pair.

The seven-year-old company started making the pants to pay homage to some of the loud golf pants worn during the 70s. Remember the flashy pants Jack Nicklaus used to wear?

They’ve done well in golfing circles with self-confident players who don’t mind a little attention. But Larry Jackson says nothing can compare to all the free publicity they’ve received from the Norwegian curling team.

The story has been carried by media outlets around the globe and now the Norwegian Olympic Curling Team’s Pants have more than half a million fans on Facebook.

In case you’re wondering, the Norwegian team finished with a silver medal behind Canada. But if they gave out gold medals for publicity, there’s no doubt that Larry Jackson would be standing on the winners’ podium. You couldn’t miss him. He’d be the one wearing pants fit for a king.

The Secret to Getting Booked on Oprah

I get this question all the time. How do you get booked on Oprah?

I’ll tell you what I’ve told everyone else. If you haven’t done dozens of media interviews, you don’t want to be on Oprah. You’re not ready.

It’s like a high school quarterback saying “I want to play in the Super Bowl.” He’d want to have a lot of victories notched before he got a chance to play in the biggest game of his life.

Sitting on Oprah’s couch is about as good as it gets from a PR perspective and if you’re booked on her show, you had better bring your “A” game. You get prepared by doing a ton of local and national media interviews.

But assuming that you’ve done that and you’re finally ready for Oprah, here are some tips from some of her former producers:

1) Watch the show

Producers say it’s amazing how many people pitch stories to the Oprah staff without ever having watched the show. Start recording episodes and really study them. Watch the rhythm of the show, the type of guests she has on and the subjects she tackles.

Would your segment actually fit? Or is it better suited for another TV talk show? There are plenty to choose from–Dr. Phil, Ellen, Rachael Ray, Regis and Kelly, Bonnie Hunt, Wendy Williams and the list goes on.

2) Pitch something topical

For instance, right now a marriage counselor or sex therapist talking about Tiger Woods and cheating is much more likely to get booked than other less timely subjects.

If a news item breaks on a subject that’s right up your alley, that’s when you should grab the phone and call one of Oprah’s producers.

3) Try, try again

Oprah has dozens of associate producers who field calls from potential guests and publicists. The producers don’t always talk to each other. If you get rejected by one, don’t give up. Just call back and ask for another producer and begin pitching again.

4) Check out Oprah’s website

The producers are always posting show topics that they need of guests for. Here are three topics they’re trying to book guests on right now:

–Oprah, MAKE OVER MY MAN!!
–In Need of a Marriage Ref?
–Did you take “Oprah’s No Phone Zone Pledge?”

Oprah’s been doing her show for 25 years. After interviewing thousands of guests she’s announced that this is her last year. She’s leaving her show to concentrate on opening her very own channel, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network in 2011. Maybe it’s finally time you worked up the courage to get yourself booked. What’s stopping you? Fear of rejection? Isn’t that what Oprah’s message is about in every single episode?

Take Oprah up on her advice. Be your best self and claim your place on Oprah’s couch this year.

www.oprah.com

$1,000 pizza?

It's not a half-baked idea

A couple of years ago a New York restaurateur cooked up an amazing way to get media attention.

He made the most world’s most extravagant pizza — a $1,000 pie topped with six sorts of caviar and fresh lobster.

Nino Selimaj, who runs six pizza restaurants in New York, unveiled his Luxury Pizza in 2007 and the media ate it up.

The 12 inch pie was topped with caviar, lobster, creme fraiche and chives. Cut into eight, it worked out at $125 a slice.

“I know this won’t be for everyone but there are people in New York who can afford it and once tried, they’ll be back for more. It is delicious,” said Selimaj. “Sure, some people will say it is just a publicity stunt but I have already sold one.”

One article carried by Reuters pointed out that if diners were still hungry after the Luxury Pizza, they could always head over to the midtown restaurant Serendipity that sells a $1,000 ice-cream sundae called Golden Opulence which is covered in 23K edible gold leaf.

The moral of this story? Sometimes you have to dare to be different. It wouldn’t have mattered if Nino didn’t sell a single pie, the story went worldwide. He couldn’t have bought that kind of advertising.

Now it’s your turn. What can you do to change things up? Isn’t it time you whipped up a new recipe for publicity? If you just stop and think about it, you may be able to serve up a story for journalists that’s guaranteed to deliver.

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