Posts Tagged PR tips
The Five Minute PR Plan Part Two
by Keith Thompson MA, CMIPR, PG Cert
My name’s Keith Thompson and a warm welcome to my blog regarding PR tips at Effective Media. In the first article we looked at how businesses should look at PR as something they do already and simply need to focus it a bit more. So let’s first look at the benefits of this.
- Firstly being media savvy doesn’t just affect sales, it can also have an impact and branding and reputation both offline and online.
- Secondly search engines like press releases, video content and also photographs (properly tagged) too
So we’ve already ticked two major boxes here and we’re still not causing any great hole in the working day. So far all I have proposed is that you find and add one journalist per day, one from a local paper, one from a trade mag and so on for the next couple of weeks so that you build a database of contacts.
Now all we need to do is learn how to write a press release and here it is:-
Type 1: Paper press releases to be released physically by fax or snail mail.
1) Don’t for get your logo at the top. Sounds like an obvious one that doesn’t it? Well not really. It’s amazing how many companies still send news releases out without one.
2) Keep your language simple and to the point without being flowery. Don’t use five words when one will do e.g. “It is possible for customers to” “they can”
3) Beginners should use the three paragraph format on one side of A4 although there are longer versions. Let’s stick to the three paragraph version in this article.
4) Formatting: News Release at the top. To the left indicate when the press release is available from (avoid embargos like the plague). 1.5 space the text and single space the “Note to Editors” Include your immediate contact details here. Leave wide margins for notes.
5) Headline should be boldened, relevant and keyword biased. Attempts to be witty wil almost certainly be met with yawns. They do the jokes! “You can get slim by thinking about it says psychologist.”
6) First paragraph: Tell the whole story and nothing but the story. Who? What? When? Where? Which? Why? e.g. “You can put on muscle tone just by thinking about exercise according to a report by a top psychologist, Dr Tim Jones at a conference in New York today.
7) Second paragraph reinforces the story and might include a quote e.g. “Dr. Jones was speaking at the International Psychology Conference where he delivered his findings from experiments on 26 office workers.”
Third paragraph will be a call to action or invitation (this is your chance to sell your location) e.g. ” Dr Jones has his own webinar on the subject and wil be inviting readers to ask him questions this Wednesday at www.drtimjonesinc.com….”
9) End the press release with ENDS so that you don’t run the risk of any of your private contact details being published to the world.
10) Include a “note to editors” if you are inviting them to a photocall or other press event online or locally. perhaps you might wish to inform them that there are photographs available. Don’t forget to proofread and grammar check. Sometimes crucial phone numbers and website addresses can be typed in wrongly.
Type 2: email
As above except:-
4) Use normal text based emails single spaced. If you want to use HTML, check with the publisher first. In fact you should never spam editors with unsolicited emails anyway. You wil soon find out how they want your email by having a conversation with them preferably by phone or at least an advance email. Mass submitter software is not recommended for press releases.
If you are still nervous about writing your own press releases or content, we do offer a copywriting service here at Effective Media and Effective Publicity which is cheaper than you think. Please feel free to contact me for details at keith@effective-media.co.uk If not read on and we can see if we can provide the knowledge and skills you need to follow the Five Minute PR Plan.
In part three I will show you to shoot a video news release and also compose a picture which will dramatically enhance both the quantity and quality of coverage you receive both online and offline. Picture stories rule. find out why in the next installment.
‘The Article Profit Formula’ by John Taylor PhD
Review of The Article Profit Formula by John Taylor PhD
Terms of reference: The author is not an affiliate of this product
The offer: John Taylor is offering a $17 re-launch via certain forums but this is likely to increase to $27. It consists of a download of the book plus four writing bonuses which are referred to as a surprise bonus after purchase.
Target audience: Anyone with an interest on making money via the highly effective but equally misunderstood concept of article marketing.
Review: The ebook arrived promptly through 7 Day Deals and I was able to access the product immediately. 30 minutes later I understood the concept and felt that the $17 was money well spent. Compared to a $17 I might have spent in a bookshop – which is not a bad way of assessing an ebook’s added value- I felt that I learned more in the 12 pages offered than much of the time I have spent ploughing through the endless debates about article spinning. On that vexed subject, and without giving the content away, John Taylor is not advocating the concept of spinning. Content is most definitely king but it’s king at vital areas of the internet and at logical stages.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the reviewer will be following the route of righteousness over the next couple of weeks. So check back for updates. But suffice to say that the formula led me to a sigh of relief that quality and not quantity will discern the wheat from the chaff in the coming months when article sites and big G clean up the spun copy. No disrespect to those who spin where it makes money, but it’s of benefit to all of us if informative and well researched copy can win over in the longer term.
Bottom Line: I thought I could write an article or two but I have never really known how to make it widely accessbile to my target audience. John’s book is an informative, concise read which has that wondrous ‘Eureka!’ feel to it. The best methods are usually the simplest ones and The Article Profit Formula fits into that category. Thanks for telling us like it is, Dr. Taylor.
10 +1 PR Tips on radio interviews
PR Week this week led on page 4 with the headline “Radio tops poll on influence.” For all our attention on social media, there’s a danger that we ignore what we hold most dear to our hearts.
Good radio won’t go away. It will only get better. Commercial Radio bosses realise that advertising and sponsorship will be gleaned from decent content not recycled pap. BBC also will aim for integrity from its programming.
Don’t forget that there are also community radio stations, local to you if you are in the UK, and internet radio stations (local and worldwide). Check out Shoutcast and Live365 for info on just how many internet radio stations there are. Not all of them have chat content but search, suck it and see.
Here are 10 tips for getting on the radio and linking the coverage with your social media:-
1. Relevance applies to Twitter as it applies to radio. Before ringing a producer of a programme, make sure the subject matter is relevant to the types of issue they regularly cover on the programme e.g. on BBC Radio Merseyside’s Roger Philips programme it’s about consumer affairs, local politics, the news issues of the day.
2. Timing. Don’t ring 5 minutes before they go on air. Check programme listings. Basic. Need I say more?
3. Preparation. Ensure you or your spokes person has some experience of talking on radio. There are many organisations that run media training courses. LJMU can run bespoke training days. Contact me keith@effective-media.co.uk for info.
4 The Four Point Rule. Vital. Think of FOUR points you would like to make. Three should be crucial to the issue you are discussing but the vital one is the Call to Action. Don’t try to garble any more than four. Your message will be mixed. Guaranteed!
5. Oh did I mention News Release? (notice ‘News’ not ‘Press’ as radios print very little). If you can’t write one or don’t have time to draft one, there are those who can. 3 Options: a) I can recommend a PR agency b) I can get student help for you through our World of Work c) You can use my template which I can email to you. All I ask a friend add on my Twitter account
6 At the interview. Be courteous but assertive. Turn up 20 minutes beforehand and talk to the producer before brodcast to finalise the parameters for the discussion. Although you have had this convo before, sometimes the agenda changes e.g. the other guest doesn’t turn up or the presenter is off ill. Be prepared. be confident.
7. Social media 1: Secure bounces to your blog or website IF the producer or presenter allows that. If not your response must be keyword rich. At the very least, make sure they get your name right your designation and the name of your blog or company so that people search for you after the interview.
8. Social media 2: Alert the producers that you have a blog. Get it in their contact books. Make yourself an expert and ensure you are the one contacted for views on your subject specialism.
9. Social media 3: Befriend producers and journalists on social media like Linkedin, Twitter, Digg and Facebook
10. Don’t puff. We know your product is brilliant but establish a rapport with your interviewer before you plug it. Get them on your side.
11. Hey you said 10! Ah But here’s the free bonus. Always offer future availability as you leave the studio. And, some radio stations have websites. Offer a URL to your blog. Stations get inundated with calls like “who was that bloke about the bikes?” The staff will welcome a further info slot to direct those calls to.
John and Edward Survive for PR Purposes
John
Edward
So John and Edward are through. Yes! Woot woot. This tribute act to David Lynch’s classic won’t win the eventual final but having Simon Cowell’s show devalued in such an embarrassing way is wonderful entertainment.
We love crass. And John and Edward are a crass act.
In my day it was acts like Kenny and Chicory Tip who polluted the charts with backing tapes made by session musicians over which these cheerful chummy chavs would strut excitedly onto the famous TOTP stage and mime. We would scream at the telly and declare death sentences on the guilty. Many actually paid good money to keep them in ciggies for a year.
Nothing changes.
“Die you bastards.” Oh you know I don’t mean it. I am sure John and Edward have a direct debit with Save a Donkey but they simply cannot sing or dance.
File in gay icon category. And no I am not homophobic just punch drunk to image marketing.
The reason why the wonderful sitcom, Extras was so successful was because Gervais and Merchant eeked out the cult of celebrity and distributed its innards around your front room.
John and Edward are your traditional Vaudeville flops. But wait, they just can’t go off stage before we have thrown some more tomatoes. Now, thanks to the phone vote, we can. Maybe even for a couple of years.
We love you, John and Edward. Aww bless.
The whole show reeked of crass. How we laughed when Whitney attempted one more platitude armed with a whiff of crack pipe between takes.
Me? I blew some Helium.
Meanwhile Clive the Aged Prophet uttered a couple more encouraging one liners like “Keep it up yeah” while soaking up the tributes from Cowell, who should know better, that this man alone (not Epstein) was pivotal to all our record collections.
He discovered Whitney. Gobshite.
Cheryl Cole, intent on blowing everyone off the stage, shocked us all with her “risqué” cheerleader garb and, with the help of around 73 dancers, succeeded in showing how a lack of basic talent could be masqued by persona and a thick layer of war paint.
Altogether now gulls. We’re worth it.
Leona Lewis has talent. But in the absence of any imminent catfights in posh night clubs, the media aren’t going to give her the coverage that Amy Winehouse receives in spades.
Jamie Archer isn’t a bad singer. But wait. There’s something missing. Nice hair. But where’s the guitar or even a banjo? Trumpet? Gob iron even? Songwriting? Null points.
We get what we deserve. Enjoy John and Edward’s journey to red tabloid hell. Now where did I put those fish heads?
Picture credit: www.davidlynch.com
PR Tips: What happens when I press this?
Audio visual is your friend
PR people just don’t do techy. And it’s wrong. Like most of my counterparts in agencies and in house teams across this part of Northern Europe, we were taught to write press releases. And release them we did. In my case 15 years passed and I was still giving birth to those beauties of modern prose. I spoke in the language of journalism and shared in the pride when article appeared. But ask me to shoot a film and I was on the phone to my good friend and colleague, Phil Hirst (left in pic)
But it’s become all the more essential why PR professionals at all levels grasp the notion that news doesn’t just have to be generated, the message can be controlled from start to finish. The concept is nothing new of course. Since World War One company newsletters have almost become a staple for employers. Times they are a changin’.
Since Web 2.0 , a new opportunity has opened along with mega bandwidths and broadband to shout out the message aurally and visually. My own introduction to the world of cameras was via ITV when I was fortunate to be involved, during my freelance years, with Lost Treasures, an archaeology programme where ordinary people make extraordinary discoveries.
At first Phil Hirst who produced the programme employed me in a familiar role as PR and publicity. The campaign we produced help us to secure an average of 14% above the norm for viewing at Sunday tea time. But by series three I had become more involved in the process of planning shoots as Assistant Producer. Vince Martin (above middle) showed me his broadcast standard camera with the £6k lens. And yes seeing your name on the programme credits is a huge buzz. Plus I had the opportunity to return to castles and stately homes again.
This coincided with a request on New Year 2008 from the then Director of Wirral TV, Mike Power to provide media training to unemployed people. My learning curve was steep. Another of the Lost Treasures team, cameraman Tom Holden was quickly drafted in response to be SOS signals. It was then that the penny finally dropped: about which plug goes into where and does what.
For all these years, I had the creative verve to think about photographic angles but not the confidence to do it myself. I will be blogging on my discoveries in future posts but suffice to say I was elated and also sad that this wonderful world had not been discovered earlier.
Rock star Glenn Hughes had been a long standing client of mine. We interviewed him in Budapest as a preview to his forthcoming tour of the UK and placed the result on You Tube and also on his own website. The Digital Editor at Liverpool.com also took a one minute version as a “freebie.” Priceless in terms of publicity. I was on a roll.
When the LJMU job came up, I thought it would a great idea to introduce this kind of thing as part of the curriculum. And so Media Relations 2 was born. But it’s not just me bleating on about why PR pros should carry their own gear around. Gary Jenkins of Merseytravel, who is on our Employer Forum, carries a Flip around with him to capture footage from launch events .
This is worth its weight in gold for a number of reasons. Journalists sometimes don’t turn up. When they do, they won’t release the footage unless you buy them a pint and ask nicely. Whilst the footage might not be as professionally shot as the TV stuff, it does provide a viable record which, if it’s good enough, can be placed on the website. With the direct USB connection, you can have your video on Youtube within minutes of filming.
Sounds ideal. But the disadvantage is that the production values aren’t going to be as high without a decent soundtrack. That rich warm ambience you hear on the Glenn Hughes interview on this site can only be achieved using a superior camera with a plug in for an external mike. This is where it gets a bit techy, as it introduces the vastly underrated aspect of sound becomes a science in itself. Stay with me though. Don’t switch off like I did all those years ago.
Basically a grand would be enough for a basic portable kit which consists of an HD camera like Canon’s excellent HV30 or 40 retailing at around £600. A shotgun mike with fluff would set you back at least another £250 and a “beach box” which is basically a mini mixer which screws into the bottom of your camera is about £150. This is what Tom and I took on Ryanair on our mini tour following Glenn around Eastern Europe. No we didn’t have to pay the excess baggage costs. The interview was lit with natural light through the curtains.
The beauty of separated sound is that you can extract the audio track and use it for the website and convert it to a radio news release. Because you are using broadcast level sound values, most radio producers would accept a recording which was free from any glitches. It works the other way round too. I help produce a rock radio programme on 7 Waves on Sunday evenings. As well as the audio, we can produce a film of the interview which means we can extend the life of the piece and distribute to a range of media.
Lighting is important. We got away with it in Budapest basically because the sun was kind to us and illuminating the hotel room, but ideally if you are thinking of investing in such matters, a set of four read heads and a green screen would mean that you have yourself a mini studio which could be set up within minutes. More of that on future posts.
So, to quote Shakespeare “be not afeard, the isle is full of noises that give delight and hurt not.” Audio visual is your friend in these days when newspapers are training their staff to use cameras and sound equipment while laying off those who don’t want to move with the digital age. PR tends to mirror much of the journalism profession. Forewarned is forearmed.
Recent Comments