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.

]]> http://realnewspr.com/five-deadly-pr-sins/feed 0 http://realnewspr.com/the-power-of-twitter http://realnewspr.com/the-power-of-twitter#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 21:42:50 +0000 admin http://realnewspr.com/?p=152

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!

“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.

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

A Georgia funeral home owner “urned” millions of dollar in media attention by offering a free funeral to anyone who signed up for an unusual promotion.

Barry Miller of McGuire, Jennings & Miller Funeral Home came up with a legally binding agreement.

If you signed the contract admitting you planned to get behind the wheel while intoxicated on New Year’s Eve, crash and kill yourself while impaired, Miller would give you a casket, flowers and a burial all for free.

It’s a freebie that no one signed up to accept.

“In today’s society, sometimes you have to go to the extreme to get attention and that’s what we were trying to do,” says Miller.

Long before he opened his first funeral home, Miller lost a loved one who was killed by a drunk driver. He says the pain of that memory is what inspired the offer.

When asked whether it was just a publicity stunt, Miller told reporters, “If I had not lost a family member, you could call it that, but since I have been on that side of the fence, the answer is ‘No.’ I’m doing this to motivate people to make the right decisions.”

Miller has made this same offer every year for the last decade. Only one person has ever expressed any interest, and that didn’t last.

If anyone ever does sign up, Miller says his first call will be to local authorities to provide them with the name of the New Year’s Eve celebrant officers will need to watch.

Mr. Miller says he’s actually received letters from alcoholics saying that they had fallen off the wagon but the free funeral offer really shook them up.

Watch the MSNBC report

My calculator would explode if I tried to add up the value of all the free PR Miller has received over the years with this simple offer that he’s never had to honor.

Miller makes my personal PR Hall of Fame with this idea. He markets his funeral business without spending any money and sends a chilling message to would-be drunk drivers at the same time.

How about you? What can you dream up that will accomplish the same thing for your business? Smart public relations isn’t about what’s in your press kit or how clever the headline is on a news release. It begins and ends with the story idea itself.

The old ways of doing PR are dead and buried. Writing meaningless press releases and sending them into newsrooms simply doesn’t work. They’re inundated with them. Of course, you’re welcome to keep doing it that way, but in the words of Barry Miller, “It’s your funeral.”

Here are some simple tips to make a name for yourself in the blogosphere:

1) Read a bunch of blogs

If you’re new to the game, you have to know what’s out there. Every blogger has his or her own style, but I would say what the most successful blogs have in common is that they conversational, provocative and worth forwarding to a friend.

2) Demonstrate passion and authority

If you’re not passionate about what you’re writing about then who else will be? Pick topics that come from your heart and don’t be afraid to have an opinion. Your knowledge and views on a subject are what will have people coming back for more.

3) Share your work with other bloggers

One of the beautiful things about the Internet is how viral your blog can become. Bloggers quote each other all the time. Don’t be afraid to pass your post on to other bloggers who can share your words with their audience. Never spam a fellow blogger. Read their work first and make sure that you’re passing along something they would actually use.

4) Always spell check

There’s no better way to turn off your readers than to have a bunch of typos and spelling errors. Remember the old carpenter’s motto—measure twice, cut once. I always try to read my posts at least a couple of times before I press “submit” and even then I’ll occasionally misspell something or have a grammatical error. If a newspaper consistently mangles the language, subscribers eventually get fed up and leave. The same is true for the blogosphere.

5) Get professional recognition for your blog

A friend of mine is in the running to be named the “Best Real Estate Blog in Texas.” There’s no cash prize. Candy Evans knows that if she wins the title, the  readership will grow for her Dallas Dirt blog and she’ll become even more influential. You can vote for her by clicking here. I hope you’ll do that and study her past posts. She’s a shining example of how to do it right.

Just imagine that you’re a newspaper columnist trying to develop a following. You have to find your voice. There are many things you can do to grow your readership: be passionate, opinionated, thought-provoking and even controversial. The Internet is a democracy. Readers will vote with return visits to your blog.

If you’ve been putting off starting a blog, it’s time to get busy. It’s free to create through websites like Blogger.com and journalists are constantly reading blogs to come up with fresh story ideas. What do you have to lose other than your anonymity?

After 25 years in TV news, Emmy winning reporter Jeff Crilley left the news business to start the country’s first PR firm staffed exclusively with former journalists. For an example of how his firm helped position one Dallas attorney as a legal expert, just watch the video on their homepage:

So as long as we’re making resolutions, how about resolving to make 2010 your best PR year ever?

Here are 5 ways you can take your publicity efforts to the next level without spending a dime:

1) Do Your Homework

Who is most likely to tell your story? Google around and find a reporter who gets you.

If you’re a Realtor and want to be quoted as an expert in the paper about home sales, find out who wrote the last article.

Reporters have beats. Chances are, the last journalist to write a story about home sales is the real estate reporter. Search the newspaper’s archives online. How often do they write about the housing market? What was their angle? What did they miss? What’s new since the last time they wrote about real estate? Have interest rates changed? Are homes in a certain price range moving?

2) Don’t be Afraid to Use the Phone

I run into PR professionals all the time who have a fear of the phone. They do all their story pitching to journalists by email.

The problem is, when a journalist ignores your emails, you never get an answer. Was it a bad story idea? Did you pitch the wrong angle? Did the journalist even see your email?

When you’re on the phone with a reporter, you get an answer. It may not always be the answer you want, but at least you know whether the journalist is going to do the story or not.

3) Don’t Wait for Tomorrow

If you’re driving in your car listening to the news and they begin talking about something that you’re an expert in, don’t wait.

Lawyers know a lot more about the law than the talk show host who’s blabbering on and on and urging people to call in with their opinion. Stop talking to yourself and call in. Tell the phone screener that you’re a lawyer and that the host is missing the point. I promise you, you’ll be moved to the front of the line and the next thing you know, you’re on the air getting free publicity for your practice.

4) Start a Facebook and Twitter Page

Even if you’re one of those people who still believes that social media is a waste of time, start a page.

Your next generation of customer is Tweeting and posting pictures on Facebook. If you don’t join the revolution, you’ll look like a dinosaur when those 20-somethings come to your website.

The radio was once center stage, it was replaced by TV. Now the Internet is pushing TV out of the spotlight. Social media isn’t a faze people are going through. It’s the way people communicate. Get a page. Period.

5) Take Some Chances

Stop spending all your time in the safe zone. Take a chance. Do something to get noticed by the media. You don’t have to become a carnival barker. Just pick up the phone and call a reporter.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.” Well, I’m sorry, Ralphie, that may have been true in the 1800s. But today there are millions of amazing mousetraps that no one will ever know about because the inventor never had the courage to tell anyone. Stop waiting to get discovered.

In fact, in 2010, simply tooting your own horn may not be enough to get noticed anymore, you may just have to start an orchestra!

After 25 years in TV news, Emmy winning reporter Jeff Crilley left the news business to start the country’s first PR firm staffed exclusively with former journalists. To learn more about hiring Jeff’s team: www.RealNewsPR.com

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.

Are Limiting Beliefs Keeping You From Becoming a PR Star?

I came across a great story on the Internet that I want to share with you this week:

An adult elephant can easily uproot huge trees with its trunk; it can knock down a house without much trouble. When an elephant living in captivity is still a baby, it is tied to a tree with a strong rope or a chain every night. Because it is the nature of elephants to roam free, the baby elephant instinctively tries with all its might to break the rope. But it isn’t yet strong enough to do so.

Realizing its efforts are of no use, it finally gives up and stops struggling. After the baby elephant tries and fails many times, it will never try again for the rest of its life.

Later, when the elephant is fully grown, it can be tied to a small tree with a thin rope. It could then easily free itself by uprooting the tree or breaking the rope. But because its mind has been conditioned by its prior experiences, it doesn’t make the slightest attempt to break free. The powerfully gigantic elephant has limited its present abilities based on the limitations of the past- Baby Elephant Syndrome.

Human being are exactly like the elephant except for one thing-we can choose not to accept the false boundaries and limitations of our past.

How many of us have done this? We talk ourselves out of success. We’re too afraid to pick up the phone and call a reporter because a voice in our head tells us, “The media won’t like this. They’ll probably laugh at me. I’m not even sure if it’s newsworthy.”

Often you end up turning on the news later and watching someone else being featured in a story that you came up with first.

You could have a story that’s ready for Oprah. What’s stopping you? The last time I checked they had phones in Chicago. Call up the show and start pitching your segment idea. The worst thing they can do is say “no.”

Isn’t it time you stopped acting like a trained elephant? The next time you find yourself at the end of your rope, break the rope, uproot the tree and be free!