How Do You Pitch?

Regardless of your locale or client base, one thing most PR pros have in common is that they pitch a variety of media contacts on a daily basis.

Pitching can take the form of a phone call, email, Facebook message, tweet or text message.

All PR pros have their own styles and know what does work and doesn't work with their primary targets, but sometimes it's good to hear what others have to say. It could be that they have just the advice to help form a relationship with that editor that you've been striving to foster for a few months.


One agency, WiredPR, recently wrote a blog post that gave some good advice on the best ways to follow up with media pitches. A couple of these included choosing one way to pitch for each contact and sticking with that method, and if the topic is obscure, mentioning a more prominent publication that covered the topic and explaining the angle the writer took with the story.

It may seem like common sense, but some of the most important things we can do are to be relevant, show respect of a journalists' time and know when to push and when to back off.

What have you found to be your most effective ways of pitching?

The Conversation Turns Ugly Online. What's Your Next Step?

Facebook is an inexpensive and effective way of spreading the word about your products and company. It's a great tool for gathering input from your customers, for hearing what they have to say. But be prepared. What they have to say may not be all good.

With social media like Facebook and Twitter, you've got to be willing and prepared to receive and engage with folks about the good and the bad. The scathing criticism. The negative critique of your product. Even the unsubstantiated rumor.

When those kinds of comments appear on your Facebook page, do NOT delete them. Remember, social media is a conversation. It's an open forum that needs to be respected as such.

Don't ignore negative comments. (And, a word of caution here: you can appear to ignore negative comments because you're not paying attention, so keep a watchful eye.)

Think of negative comments as an opportunity. Step back, seriously analyze what the negative comment is really saying. Develop a strategy for addressing your critic. And jump into the discussion.

Don't be defensive. Realize instead that this is a great opportunity for you to demonstrate that your company really cares about what its customers think. If you're really interested in serving them better, this is the time to show that.

As you engage in an open, online discussion with your critic, you might just discover something that could be done better. When you do, take steps to improve your product or service, then go back online and tell your fans about it – and thank the critic for bringing it to your attention.

A critical comment could be the beginning of many interactions with your fans/customers as they see that you not only “talk the talk” of social media engagement, but “walk the walk” of truly engaging in a conversation. And, as other customers chime in with their unsolicited, positive comments about your company, you'll benefit from a third party endorsement that is invaluable.

Social Media... Leave It To The Professionals....

Your business is ready to develop a Social Media plan. You know you need one. But just how do you come up with a plan and then put that plan into action? Researching the efforts of similar businesses is a good place to start, as is doing a thorough audit of your own company's needs.

Your social media plan is an essential first step if you want your social media program to be successful. But you don't have the time or expertise to develop one. What are some options? Professional help? An intern?

Once the plan is formulated, who will implement it? Options again: professional help or an intern.

We're all cost-conscious today. So some companies opt for the intern. Okay, you won't get the benefits of professional experience and expertise, but it's certainly a cheaper way to go. An intern can post updates on your Facebook and Twitter pages and maybe even write a blog for you. Choose an intern who's enthusiastic about your product or the causes you support and the intern may fit seamlessly into your organization chart. Problem solved.

But, social media programs are not that simple. There's a lot to think about first.

Sure, college kids today have grown up with computers. As “early adopters” of social media, they can bring you a vast knowledge of the workings of social media Web sites. They probably feel way more comfortable with the medium than you do. They've been tweeting, using Facebook and blogging since those sites were launched. They probably even know of some sites you've never heard of.

But a knowledge of the use of social media doesn't necessarily mean a person is ready to be put in charge of your company's marketing message and reputation. Remember, while the intern may know “how” to interact with others on the social media sites, he or she is unlikely to know how to best utilize social media for you and your business. Life experience and business experience are just as important as social media experience.

Should you be thinking about bringing in the pros?

The heart of public relations is communications. A good PR team is experienced at working everyday to cajole positive editorial coverage for clients out of the media. They know how to forge and build relationships that produce results. Social media is just another extension of those kinds of communications, of conversations.

Writing comes naturally to PR pros. Engaging blog postings, Facebook updates and Tweets flow easily.

In addition to writing and communications, good PR professionals think strategically. That really comes in handy when a Facebook status update could be the beginning of a possible PR problem. Would your intern recognize when to address an issue or when to leave it alone? What experiences would your intern draw upon to handle the issue in your absence?

A good PR team will bring life and business experience to the table — plus they'll have made it their business to understand yours. That leads to strategic decisions and appropriate actions when the need for fast thinking arises. PR pros have been handling such challenges since long before the dawn of the Social Media era.

On the surface, an intern might seem like a logical and cost-effective way to maintain your presence on the Social Media landscape, but before you choose that path, ask yourself the big
questions.

Who do you want to represent your company when customers come to call? Would you send an intern out to represent your products to your customers face-to-face?

How would you have your company's spokesperson handle any important customer interaction?

Would you put your brand in the hands of someone who's inexperienced?

Would you rely on the counsel of an intern when making marketing or sales decisions?

Would you ask an intern to resolve an issue that could have important PR implications for your company?

Or would you rather entrust your brand and reputation to a seasoned professional experienced in the real world of PR and marketing?

Social media provides the biggest opportunity your company will have to reach people directly and make an impression.

Is that a job for an intern?

THE LITTLE RESORT THAT COULD: A SUCCESS STORY

This is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Okay. This is a true story, but changing the name of the client has nothing to do with innocence. We just don't think it's fair to share a client's name and budget with the world.

So while the results and statistics in this story are true, I'm just going to call our client the Little Resort That Could.

The Little Resort is not the kind of place that can afford to pay for a lot of advertising to tell the world it's there. But its managers believe in the power of PR. They looked at their budgets, squeezed them tight, and came up with as much as they could to fund PR.

Here's where perspective comes in. The Little Resort viewed their PR budget as a stretch, a very large investment for them. By PR campaign standards, it was very small. But we knew that something bigger and more important was happening here. The Little Resort was showing our team a vote of confidence and literally giving us their all.

The budget was in the $30,000 range. Spread over an entire year. Including expenses. Time to make every penny count.

Decisions, decisions. We could have come up with a big idea, dazzled the client and used the funds all at once. But would that give the Little Resort the most bang for its buck? We didn't think so.

We needed a better idea. Why not spread the funds over a year and generate a steady stream of publicity? And so it began.

Day in, day out, we encouraged media to report news about the Little Resort. We ran a tight and targeted media relations operation. Slow and steady wins the race, we told ourselves. Oh yeah. Pictures with captions helped too.

Big papers like The Washington Post, as well as small regional newspapers, bloggers and big online news sources responded to our message. Impressive awards followed. More and more people started booking vacations at the Little Resort.

Month after month, the results poured in. After a year, we counted them up: coverage 122 times in 45 different media. News about The Little Resort appeared 11 times every single month. Now that's frequency!

If the Little Resort had bought ads to get that exposure in those particular media, it would have cost them more than half a million bucks.

There was much joy at the Little Resort. The general manager liked the return on his investment in PR. The marketing director was thrilled with the exposure. The accounting department head nodded solemly and muttered words of appreciation for our thrifty ways. The owner applauded his staff for finding a cost-effective way to get the phone ringing and build business at the Little Resort That Could.

Best of all, the Little Resort rewarded its PR firm by extending its contract for another year.

Illustration Credit: Download-Free-Pictures.com

WHAT A WASTE: PURSUIT OF NEWS COVERAGE WITHOUT A NEWS HOOK

You know how you feel when you're pressured to do something you don't want to do? Now think about the media. They feel that pressure every day.

You've got a story and you think the media should want to report it. Why? Because you think it's important news.

Not good enough. Unless you're the President of the good old USA, you've got some splainin' to do before you get your story covered.

Before you make that media call, spend some quality time thinking about why your story is newsworthy. What's your news hook? Why is your news of interest to others? What reader-friendly angle could the writer use? Think strategically — you may only get one chance to make your pitch.

Today, the news business is tougher than ever. Many media are short-staffed and stretched to the limit. So here are some tips:

Don’t call the media unless you have real news to report.

Don’t call the media to complain that they don’t ever call you or that a story contained news about your competition but not you.

Don’t call the media and ask them to publicize your sale — they’ll send you to the advertising department to buy an ad.

Do call the media when you have genuine news to report.

Do call the media after you have given serious thought to why your news would be of interest to the media and their public.

Do thank a writer for positive coverage when you get it.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHOICE WHEN SEEKING PR HELP

Penny wise and pound foolish. It's an old saying that has found new meaning when it comes to PR.

Here's an analogy: You're on trial for your life. Do you invest in a  lawyer with a track record of thinking strategically --  someone who understands how past court decisions can influence your case and knows how to navigate the tricky waters of the court system? Or do you save money by hiring someone who's hung around the court house for a while and seen other people win court cases? In court, it's your life. In PR, it's your business and your image.

PR is the pursuit of the free publicity that will do you the most good. That means editorial coverage in the media that are most likely to be seen by your potential customers.

PR's not just about writing a press release and sending it out into the world. 

Are you trying to influence the media to write about you? Or are you planning to use social media to get your news out? We're in a transitional time and the vehicles you use to reach your audiences vary. Before you hire anyone to do PR -- especially the lowest bidder -- ask some questions and be sure they understand how to reach the audience you most want to reach. 

Here are some of the most basic questions you should ask:

What will my press release look like?  Anyone can write a press release, right? Wrong. Professionalism counts and clear, concise and news-focused writing is important. Press releases that read like ads end up in the trash can in most newsrooms. Find someone who knows how to write a focused, professional press release and you'll capture press interest. Use someone who thinks a release is just ad copy and you're likely to leave the media with the impression that you don't need to be taken seriously.

What contacts do you have? Sending out a release is just the first step toward getting good publicity. Will your release reach the right reporters and editors? It does no good to send a release to the editor of the features section when you have a business story to tell. And, if your release announces a local event, a financial reporter isn't your target. 

 
What results do you expect? Will your release go out on the appropriate news wire and reach the audiences you want to reach? If you're trying to reach media read by consumers, a wire that targets business and industry media isn't right for you.

 
Will your release be constructed to attract search engine crawls? Internet exposure can extend your release cost-effectively. But, it's not just about keywords. Done right, the integration of keywords will optimize your chances of showing up on page 1 of a Google News Search. But your release also has to be crafted to engage readers after the search engine delivers you to that first page.

Professionalism, strategic thinking and accountability. When you hire someone to handle your PR, know what you're buying and don't be penny wise and pound foolish. 

BIG IDEA. BIG RESULTS.

When new owners took over a faded IMAX movie theater, they needed a big idea to draw positive publicity and crowds.  The idea needed to connect to their business and to Myrtle Beach. It had to draw media attention and  appeal to both locals and the 14 million tourists who come to Myrtle Beach each year. Solution: Drawing inspiration from the movies that would open on the theater's first day — as well as Myrtle Beach's most famous amenity, the beach — we commissioned a 100-ton, 30 foot long, 15 foot high sand sculpture of a scene from the first movie that would be shown in the new theater. Results: Local, national and regional publicity. Instant crowds and attention. 10,000 tickets sold during the theater's first three days. "Best Theater Launch Award" from the Giant Screen Cinema Association.