The Byline: PR and Marketing Insights from Eiler Communications

In many recent TV interviews the subject of patients needing to take control of their destinies regarding their proper diagnosis and subsequent treatments has been addressed.

How does one go about getting all of the information that one needs when faced with a life threatening illness?

One day you are in control of your life and in a nano-second someone tells you that you have cancer and you could die.

We are somewhat an unusual couple to have both experienced a cancer diagnosis. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 years ago the Internet did not exist. There were only two books that I could buy to learn about my disease. It was at this point that I discovered that I was an activist. I researched, talked with anyone who treated the disease, knew of folks with the disease. I felt totally out of control. I could not complete a sentence without the word breast cancer in it. After many consultations with various practitioners, I decided on a modified radical mastectomy with TRAM Flap reconstruction.

While I was in the hospital I filmed a video talking about “self-actualization,” a phrase I had coined during this process. I sent it to The Oprah Winfrey Show in hopes that she would reach out to the millions of women that religiously watch her show and show them the importance of knowing their bodies and taking control of their illnesses with knowledge.

My doctors told me that because my tumor was so small I would not need chemotherapy. Lymph node report was so significant they all stood out in the hall, drawing straws as to who would tell me. Six months of big guns, losing my hair, trying to run our newly-formed PR business and care for seven children ages 6 through 23 took all of my energy.

It was years before I would ever plan anything longer than three months. My oncology visits were every three months and those would determine my life span. Every time that I would have my blood drawn I would be conscious that my destiny was in that vial of blood. I fully recovered and at this point considered “cured.” My husband, Larry wrote a book, When the Woman You Love Has Breast Cancer. It is an emotional support book for men who are dealing with wives or lovers with the disease.

In 2000 Larry was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His diagnosis sent me into a memory tailspin dredging up all of my old emotions and not being able to look at his cancer clearly. I was able to gain the control I need and went to work on research.

Because of the Internet, I was able find boundless helpful information for us. The physician who had diagnosed him was far too cavalier in his approach. Surgery was his only option, which could leave him incontinent and impotent. We had both done far too much research to not go forward with consults to determine other avenues of treatment.

Two consults in Michigan, one in California, one in Miami and one in Seattle. His choice was to go with the physician who had pioneered Brachytherapy in the United States.

Prostate cancer I found to be a much more political arena. Depending on the doctor’s expertise and experience is what they recommend. Many new treatment modalities are there for men. Larry’s experience with his prostate cancer led him to write his second cancer book, Prostate Cancer’s Emotional Maze: Forging Your Way.

Unlike for women the age-old “Slash, Poison and Burn,” advancements in the treatment of prostate cancer continue. In 18 years I have said goodbye to far many women dying with breast cancer.

This is just meant to be a starter discussion. Everyday people are diagnosed with heart disease, rare disorders, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and others. This is your life, not a dress rehearsal and you have to take control of it as best you can. Information is out there and although your treatment provider might not like it, he/she will respect the fact that you are an active participant in your disease treatment. As hard as it is to do, try to put your life in perspective. There are diseases that are far worse to deal with then yours

Be self-actualized and always have an advocate to clarify what is said to you.

Posted by Sandy

Does your PR/marketing person drone on about the upkeep of your company’s Web site newsroom opportunity? That’s likely because they know the majority of journalists research their articles and search for press releases nowadays. According to DMNews, “Corporate Web sites are a key source of information when reporting breaking news when no other primary source is available.” On a news deadline, the company with the most accessible information gets the coverage.

Web site newsrooms are commonplace by now, but you can separate yours from the masses by making it better. Here are five ways to do it:

1. Make sure the newsroom link is obvious from the homepage. If the link to your newsroom is subtle, or worse yet, inaccessible from your homepage, change it. If you were a reporter, how much trouble would you go to for your press release?

The likelihood of media visiting your site is high, especially if preparing for an interview with one of your executives. Approach your newsroom with that in mind. Does your content meet the needs of someone doing quick research about your company? Avoid the temptation to “track” media by requiring a username and password set-up to access your newsroom. It’s annoying, and if information is confidential or sensitive it doesn’t belong in the newsroom.

2. A newsroom is more than your online press release archive. Newsletters, executive speech transcripts, event photos and abstracts from recent media coverage are all appropriate additions. Think creatively about how to keep content fresh.

Post an online media kit to your newsroom for easy downloading. Include the same materials you would in a media folder: executive bios and photos, your latest company news release, a backgrounder or fact sheet about your business and a high-res logo.

3. Remember to date all posted press releases and newsroom items—readers need context. This will also force you to keep content up-to-date. Neglecting to post news as it is released wastes everyone’s time and defeats the purpose of the newsroom. Content should also be easy to navigate. Consider making your content searchable by multiple fields, like date, topic or headline, and available in multiple formats like Word and PDF.

4. Set up an RSS feed so media (and others) can subscribe to your site’s updates. An RSS (Really Simple Syndication), like Feedburner, is free and downloadable as an icon to your Web site. RSS feeds “read” the sites their users subscribe to and send an update when new content is posted. In other words, journalists can subscribe to your RSS and receive a prompt on their homepage when you post a new press release.

Many journalists actually prefer RSS subscriptions to receiving press releases via e-mail, because it allows them to “opt-in” to your news and provides real-time updates. In 2005, Robert Scoble (Microsoft tech evangelist) notoriously blogged that any marketing person who did not add an RSS feed to their Web site should be fired. Harsh. But it’s a valuable tool we should all be using.

5. Identify one media contact in your newsroom and provide his/her contact information on the Web page, not just within press releases. Generic “info@” e-mail addresses or request-for-information survey pages are disconcerting for journalists who may be on deadline and want to contact the right person in a timely fashion.

The moral of the story is to evaluate your newsroom from a journalist’s perspective: someone unfamiliar with your company’s history, leadership and chain of command. Does your site paint a clear picture of your corporate identity? If not, it may be a good idea to do some housekeeping; statistically it is the most popular place people go to learn about your company.

Posted by Rebecca

Awards are great PR tactics because they build credibility and visibility. Pursuing award opportunities can enhance industry leadership and build your company’s market recognition. Furthermore, awards serve a third-party endorsement of the quality products or services you offer (i.e. America’s Most Respected Companies, Best Places to Live America’s Favorite Cookie, etc.). That credibility accomplishes more than any advertising campaign.

Given the power of awards, it’s also important to understand where to look for them and how to pursue them for your organization. The diverse array of awards available might be daunting at first, but that’s a good thing. Different awards allow you to highlight different aspects of your business. Here’s a quick overview of some of the major award types and how they help you:

Industry awards recognize your company’s excellence within its primary area of expertise. You can apply for these awards for reasons including recent innovation, new product or company growth. Depending on the size of your business, you might be the best darn software development firm in the country, you might fall into the top 50 or 100, or you might fit a more specialized industry award, like “best developer of public transit tracking software” or “best manufacturer of polyester shoelaces” rather than best footwear manufacturer overall. Look to your trade publications and national industry organizations to find these opportunities.

Local media awards allow your company to showcase a strong suit other than its industry expertise. You might be the industry’s best developer of public transit tracking software, but you might also be one of your region’s “coolest places to work,” “best and brightest,” “fastest growing private companies,” etc. Check local business publications for announcements of these awards.

Professional organization membership awards acknowledge your contribution to the community of colleagues in related professions. Detroit’s Automation Alley, for example, has an annual awards gala to recognize the best member individuals and companies. Your member newsletters or the organizations’ websites are a great place to find out more about the awards they offer.

Awards for individuals within your company highlight employee excellence. Often, top-level executives are submitted for these awards based on significant victories, contributions or characteristics. Crain’s 40 under 40, for example, showcases one member of your team, but brings a measure of clout to the business as a whole. Not only that, these awards are often a morale booster; they show you recognize your employees’ contributions. Available on local, national and industry-wide levels, these opportunities can be found through professional organizations and it many trade and business news publications.

Awards for specific activities, generally given by professional organizations, recognize very specific areas of excellence. PRSA’s Silver Anvil Award for Crisis Communications, for example, awards member agencies based on documented strategic development and execution of one specific project. Consider pursuing awards for your web site, a successful ad campaign, company newsletter, new product design, etc.

Awards from clients, like “supplier of the year” and “certified partner,” allow you to demonstrate trends of excellent service—a plus when seeking new business—and help build your company’s recognition through association with other, often high-profile, clients. Explore these opportunities among clients with whom you have a positive, long-term relationship.

If none of these works for you, you can create your own award. This technique brings recognition to companies or individuals you think are doing something good, and it brings you recognition through association. Not only that, you’re also showing your company appreciates the contributions of others; something leaders at all levels do regularly. Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award is a great example of successful award creation. NuStep, Inc., an Ann Arbor-based maker of recumbent cross-training machines, gives its Pinnacle Award to exemplary health and wellness centers each year.

With all these options, the question becomes “where do I begin?” As with all successful PR tactics, some strategic planning with bring you closer to success. Establishing an award pursuit strategy involves three key actions:

1. Set goals! The pursuit of awards should support a defined purpose and work hand-in-hand with your business goals. Decide what you’d like your business to be known for and among whom and only pursue awards that will allow you to meet those goals. If you’re a baker, you might decide you want your bakery to be known locally for its great food and ambiance, and within the industry for its inventive recipes. You would apply for “top restaurant” or “best of” awards in local publications and “croissant recipe of the year” in trade publications. You wouldn’t apply for an unrelated award, like “best campfire sing-along leader,” even if you’re the undisputed champion, because it doesn’t further your business goals. Choosing award opportunities that suit your business makes you more likely to win.
2. Create an award database! Once you’ve defined your goals and audiences, it’s time to do some research. Find out about relevant award opportunities—application processes, deadlines, contact information, etc.—and keep all of that information in one central document. Try building an annual database so you’re aware of future opportunities and you can easily search within your master document for upcoming deadlines and other information. This saves you time in the long run; any additional research will supplement your master document, but you wont have to re-create it until next year. Your opportunity database should be comprehensive enough to allow for more than one award application in a defined period.
3. Apply consistently! You might decide you want to pursue one award per quarter, per year, etc. Whichever time frame you choose, make sure you are consistently applying for, and winning, relevant awards. If you decide to adopt award pursuit as a PR strategy, you should commit to it; make awards as much a priority as any of your other tactics and don’t wait for the opportunity to come to you. This will ensure your business is consistently recognized as excellent, not just a flash in the pan.

Posted by Nicole

We’ve recently entered an era of new media techniques and nontraditional marketing. It is now possible for anyone to exhibit the most creative and out-of-the-ballpark promotion and marketing strategies that would have easily been shot down five years ago. With these creative advancements in our marketing world, anyone can get the word spread about their product, company, television show or even themselves.

New media plays a major role in the e-world—be it podcasts, blogs and social networking sites. Take a look at this article by Stephanie Kang and Suzanne Vranica of The Wall Street Journal about year-old online forum Twitter MTV used Twitter as a promotional tactic to talk up the Music Awards show on June 3rd and they also plan on using it for the upcoming Video Music Awards in September.

Nontraditional marketing is all about two-way communication these days. Crest is asking consumers to choose the next flavor of toothpaste. Recently, MTV asked viewers to vote for the final roommate on the upcoming season of The Real World. Companies are getting consumers involved in the planning stages in hopes of increasing their loyalty.

The same is true for self-promotion. MySpace and YouTube allow users to upload videos, music files and photos, which has proved highly advantageous for aspiring musicians, comedians and models. Having an agent, label or recording contract doesn’t mean much these days—you can join a social network and get potentially just as many people to listen to your music, see your work or hear your stand up routine as you would after being “discovered.”

Above is a great example of how these new media promotional efforts work — Mia Rose. Up until December 2006, only locals had heard of Mia, and then she decided to post videos on YouTube of herself singing her own music. After 20,000 viewers subscribed to her music channel, Mia Rose now has a solo career and a strong international following.

OK Go, an alternative rock band from Chicago, is a second example of YouTube leading the way to their success. The band formed in 1998 and did not have much of a following until the above video was filmed and uploaded to YouTube about a year ago. To date, the video has been viewed over 20 million times. OK Go earned the Grammy award for “Best Short-Form Music Video” in 2007 and the YouTube 2006 Video Award for “Most Creative Video”.

My favorite nontraditional tactic would be The Simpson’s Movie craze that has been occurring lately. Actress Archives and The Seattle Times mention several of the tactics 20th Century Fox Film Corp. is using to market the July 27th opening. We still have all week to find out if the marketing hype was successful with box office sales or not.

Take Snakes on a Plane, which opened last summer, for example. By going to the Snakes on a Plane website, you could send voicemail messages from Samuel L. Jackson to yourself and friends reminding them of the upcoming release. The movie was hyped up all summer long leading to the mid-August big screen release, turns out Snakes on a Plane was number one at the box office through August even though the movie was continually getting low ratings. Just like the promotional rage for Snakes on a Plane release last summer, it will not matter if the movie is rated ten stars or one star, The Simpson’s will probably be number one this upcoming weekend and weekends to follow.

Nontraditional marketing is making vast advances by involving the audience in the promotion. Creative and nontraditional strategies will help keep you one step ahead and generate a whole new following.

Posted by Danielle

Unless you try to stay uninformed, you are aware of the mania surrounding the release of the latest and last book in the worshipped Harry Potter series. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows will be released to lines of people in wizard costumes at 12:01 am on Saturday (another blog post entirely).

The final fate of Harry and his posse has been speculated ad nauseum by fans and media, and an uber-strict publisher’s embargo on the books has only fueled the frenzy to find out how it all ends. Booksellers and reviewers worldwide have respectfully agreed to follow the rules of the official release date, but those crazy kids the New York Times and Baltimore Sun skipped class to smoke in the bathroom. Reviewers Michiko Kakutani and Mary Carole McCauley, respectively, not only obtained copies but also published reviews days in advance of the release.

The backlash was almost immediate, from media, readers and J.K. Rowling herself, who was quoted via her U.K. publisher, Bloomsbury, as being “. . .staggered that some American newspapers have decided to publish purported spoilers in the form of reviews in complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children, who wanted to reach Harry’s final destination by themselves, in their own time. I am incredibly grateful to all those newspapers, booksellers and others who have chosen not to attempt to spoil Harry’s last adventure for fans.”

Bloomsbury and U.S. publisher Scholastic, Inc. have both slammed the Times and Sun for running the reviews and revealing so much of the plot. Scholastic has taken legal action against two sources of “leaked” books, reports the Detroit News.

From a journalistic and PR perspective, this is an interesting case study in embargoes. Some background: an embargo is a request by a source that the news it provides not be published until a certain date and/or condition has been met. They most often accompany a product launch or government announcement, the purpose being to allow journalists enough time to draft their stories so they can publish at the same time the announcement happens—not before. The obvious reason anyone would ignore an embargo is to “scoop” competition and be the first to report on a story.

Embargoes rely completely on the honor system, but it is generally understood by students in both Journalism and Public Relations 101 that a broken embargo is bad form and a violation of trust. Some sources respond to broken embargoes by limiting offending journalists’ access to future information.

In this case, the only embargo with legal ramifications is the one between the publisher and the bookseller. While this is hardly a matter of national security, and journalists apparently did not enter into any agreements of their own, the vast majority of them were clearly obeying the spirit of the law by waiting to review the book until publicly available.

Nothing will happen to either newspaper, unless you count the angry outcry from Team Gryffindor and the court of public opinion. Here are some sound bites from the Baltimore Sun letters to the editor:

“I wanted to send a quick note about how terrible it is that The Sun allowed one of its reporters, Mary Carole McCauley, to give a review of a book that is so highly anticipated and whose secrets are so closely guarded just days before the book is released . . . Not only does the reporter not mention how she received an early copy of the book, but she also gives away two major plot points in her review. While the rest of us were breathlessly awaiting the book’s Saturday morning arrival and wondering what “Deathly Hallows” are and whether Harry lives or dies, The Sun’s reporter neatly summed it up for us. It’s despicable that The Sun would allow such a thing.”

“I’m utterly appalled that The Sun published a review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows two days before the book’s release, one that revealed some plot points and spoiled the conclusion of 10 years of wonderful reading experience for children and adults alike . . .This is incredibly irresponsible.”

And my favorite, I think, from Kelly McBride, ethics group leader of journalism’s Poynter Institute, as quoted in the Detroit News article:

“I think this comes down to, ‘who are you loyal to?’ As a journalist, you’re loyal to your audience. You have made no agreement with (book publisher) Scholastic to embargo information, should you get hold of it. So the information is out there, what do you do with it? You have to make decisions based on how you best serve your audience.” For that very reason, McBride doesn’t think revealing details of the plot serves the audience. “Do you ruin the ending? Well, of course not. You don’t do that when the book is released, either, because that is a disservice to your audience.”

There is definitely some gray area, but I’m siding with Gryffindor on this one.

Posted by: Rebecca

The following inquiry was sent to The Byline by one of our regular readers at SOS Community Services here in Ann Arbor. She has allowed us to copy her remarks and use examples relevant to SOS to answer her questions. We’re always pleased to provide PR insights by directly addressing our readers’ questions and comments. Inquiries are always welcome!

Q: What are the best places to look for national press? I know this is sort of a large question, so let me use an example.

But let’s say I want to go bigger. Let’s say I have a story that I think will appeal to a larger audience (like the fact that we are trying to start a social enterprise with homeless families). Where does one begin to look when trying to get more exposure? How does one reach out to large publications? Any thoughts you have would be much appreciated!

A: Obviously, national or multi-national organizations have an easier time obtaining national media coverage than smaller, local organizations. But smaller organizations can and do obtain national coverage. The trick is to tell your story in a way that shows national media you’re worth writing about.

First, it’s important to realize what journalists are looking for. The criteria for newsworthiness are timeliness, proximity, impact or relevance, prominence (is someone well-known or famous involved?), conflict and novelty. The more criteria met by your story, the better your chances of being written about. That being said, there are a few tricks of the PR trade that can help you fit within the editorial scope of your target national publications:

1. Increase your chances by choosing your outlets wisely
Many organizations want to be on the front page of the Wall Street Journal because it’s a widely-read publication. But, it’s not the best fit for every organization. Often it’s the type of audience, not the size that counts. You’re better off reaching an audience that knows and cares about the specifics of your industry. You can build a reputation of thought leadership and expertise among your peers. The added bonuses—the more you reach out to these trade publications, the better relationship you’ll have with trade media, the folks who set industry perceptions, and national reporters, who are reading these trade publications to stay abreast of trends.

SOS’s target media might include publications like Child and Youth Services, a biannual, national trade journal that focuses on the development and treatment of children and adolescents, specifically covering topics like homelessness, foster care, etc.

Every organization knows its top industry publications. As you read up on your industry, keep track of the reporters; monitor what they’re writing about to increase your chances of choosing the best media outreach contact for your story.

SOS might also consider getting attention for its programs in other parts of the country. Nearly all major U.S. cities have publications that address local homelessness efforts, Real Change in Seattle, Spare Change News in Boston, StreetWise in Chicago, etc. SOS could share it’s own efforts to gain visibility and a leadership position among other similar groups.

2. Connect your story to a national trend
National media outlets, especially trade- or industry-specific publications, tend to focus more on trends and current events than specific examples. They want to demonstrate broader impact, making their stories relevant to most, if not all readers. Connecting your organization’s efforts with larger trends is one way to get noticed. SOS might position its news in relation to national homelessness statistics, an increase (or decrease) in community relief programs around the country, etc.

National media outlets use seasonal trends, major industry events (trade shows, etc.) and other timeliness factors to raise awareness. Homelessness makes news more in the winter months, when its effects become more pronounced. National homeless awareness week takes place every November, so national consumer media will likely touch on the issue by raising awareness of plights and highlighting the groups and programs that provide assistance.

3. Fit into the editorial calendar
Most national media outlets have editorial calendars that outline intended story topics for the year. These calendars can typically be found on the publications’ Web sites, most often associated with the “advertise with us” content pages. Once you’ve chosen target publications, check their editorial calendars for subjects that could fit your organization and offer yourself as an expert resource by writing a brief, clearly defined pitch to the contact and letting him/her know you’re available for interviews.

SOS might offer to speak about its programs with the editors of Affordable Housing Finance magazine, who will be writing a piece about “homeless families, the cost to society and how to correct a national disgrace,” called The American Nightmare in January.

Educational Leadership magazine will cover the effects of poverty on learning in its April, 2008 issue; a great place for SOS to showcase its Early Risers program that provides reading, writing and math help as well as conflict resolution, social and problem-solving skill development to homeless children.

For additional insights into the mechanics of dealing with reporters, see Rebecca’s post about understanding media.

Good luck, SOS! Opportunities abound out there. Here’s hoping you go after some of them.

Posted by Nicole

I’ll admit it. An article by Katharine Seelye in last Thursday’s New York Times is the first in a long time to get me interested in the presidential primaries. I don’t think I’m alone in my apathy, though. The 18-to-35-year-old demographic is notorious for truancy at the polls and an aversion to televised presidential debates.

But I feel a little differently about this upcoming race, recently dubbed the YouTube Election, because Seelye brought it to my attention that YouTube is partnering with CNN on the Republican and Democratic primary debates.

What does that mean? Instead of the robotic “questions from the audience” we’re used to, this year’s questions will come to the candidates via YouTube video submissions. To paint a clearer picture: we could conceivably see Hillary Clinton field a question about healthcare in the form of a homemade rap video while Anderson Cooper moderates. 20 to 30 videos will be selected from the submissions, which must be 30 seconds or less.

Freedom from content regulation, format and rehearsal are part of the reason YouTube and its videos are popular. The same is not often said of televised political debates or presidential candidates, which is what makes this situation so interesting to me.

The addition of a visual and interactive element to the debates marks an advance from the last election, when blogs were the “new thing”. The fact that YouTube was invented in 2005 and in two years has established a powerful presence in the political process should make anyone sit up and take notice. Until this election, YouTube was mostly a forum for broadcasting political slipups. Case in point: Remember last year, when Senator George Allen of Virginia was caught on tape at a campaign event using a racial slur when referring to a college student in the audience? Maybe not, but it shot to the top of YouTube’s “most viewed” videos almost immediately, and from there blasted across the front page of the Washington Post and numerous cable and network TV news stations. This is why YouTube is so powerful. If you’re not watching it you are getting your news late.

But blogs and YouTube citations are apparently not a high enough level of citizen involvement anymore. Our media and our politicians seem to agree that voters want their questions answered (literally) and will respond to a more interactive and visually stimulating debate. It’s probably true - the tone of the “what’s your Iraq exit strategy?” question we’ve all heard before would change if, prior to it, we watched 30 seconds of related video footage.

CNN will decide which videos air during the debates, but maybe the spontaneous style of YouTube users and their questions will force the candidates to come up with less mechanical responses. Even if the network chooses only the tamest submissions to air, it doesn’t really matter. More than 100 million clips are viewed on YouTube every day, and according to Hitwise, this past February YouTube traffic surpassed visitors to all TV networks. Combined. It’s likely that more people will discuss issues on YouTube, and for a longer period of time, than will tune in to the debates. And if CNN plays it too safe with the question selection, there could be a backlash from YouTubers.

Of the five debates shown so far this political season, Seelye reports that the majority of viewers were older than 55. Will more young people watch the debates because of the new format? I think this direct engagement of the YouTube community ensures a higher level of involvement from younger voters at least during the primaries, which may prompt more of us to care once the race really begins. Will more young people vote in the next election? Stay tuned.

Two great articles on this topic:

The YouTube Election, by James Wolcott of Vanity Fair

Candidly Speaking: The YouTube Election, by Ryan Lizza of the New York Times

Posted by Rebecca

We found out 18 months ago that most people have no concrete understanding of PR.

PR is a common term, but who knows what it is?

Ask 10 people and you’ll get 10 different replies. “Free advertising” “Always saying only the good of a business—never the bad.” “A lot of pap to make corporate business people feel important.”

People with new companies feel they must “get the name out there.” They must become known? But they often will not take this to the real step of investing in PR. Rather, they take an easy course and run some ads so they can see copy and design first. They pay a lot more than PR would cost to do the same thing—in terms of the actual space or time and production costs, that is.

But PR is in fact the best way to credibly communicate your messages directly to target audiences in meaningful ways in the media. How do we know this?

In the past several years, PR has far surpassed more costly and less-credible advertising as the primary technique to build awareness, credibility and believability among your business customers.

How has this happened?

Here are the reasons:

1. The third party credibility provided by truthful PR far outweighs the credibility ads and their claims. Readers know the advertiser has purchased the space or time and controls the message, so they are far more likely to believe reporters, editors, news people and product users who give independent comments on issues, products or companies. PR enhances credibility because it gets the attention of key influencers in your industry and allows them to put the message out there, which, especially for new or little-known business, is far more effective than speaking for yourself.
2. PR is inexpensive for a client’s return on investment. We have one client that in 2004 had $5.4 million worth of media coverage in business, trade, special interest and general consumer media. In 2005, that total rose to $8.4 million. That gave a return on investment of 24 times—that is the cost of the news space had it been purchased at normal ad rates. This result also include more than 2,200 clips in just the print media, exclusive of radio or TV news coverage. We just measured a product introduction for another client that spent about $1,400 in PR fees to generate news coverage in just six target-audience magazines. The result: $17,950 worth of space if it were purchased as ads. An ROI of 12.8 percent and greater credibility. In another recent example, a client’s ROI was 47 percent on dealings with a host of economic development issues.<.li>
3. PR is focused on strategic moves, its “ready, aim fire,” not the “ready, fire, aim” approach of advertising. Advertising can reach everyone. It’s get an ad ready and fire. So what? Is everyone a typical customer? Aim comes more from PR where messages and audiences can be more precisely targeted. PR reaches those people in a specific target audience—a buyer or influencer that must be reached in the buy-decision process. PR means get ready, aim carefully by targeting audiences and messages, and fire. Not just get it ready and fire, hoping you will hit the market. A bit of analysis before going out with a PR campaign is always the best route.

Talk to me about how to make your business known.
larry [at] eilerpr.com 734 761-3399

What happens to language when people are both encouraged to write and encouraged not to write properly? How can we maintain some sense of law and order on the frontier of new media? What is the role of the professional writer - someone who knows how to clearly, concisely and accurately communicate—in a system that doesn’t seem to uphold any standards? The mass abbreviation and simplification of our language, coupled with the rise of user-generated content in even the most legitimate of media, has created a free-for-all that may cause us to wonder whether precision and clarity matter anymore. They do, but first, let’s look at our circumstances.

The “Evolution” of Language

Language is a necessarily dynamic component of culture. In 2006 alone, Miriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary added nearly 100 new words. Some of these, like “gastric bypass” and “spyware,” reflect technological innovations. Others, like “drama queen,” “sandwich generation” and “Google” (as a proper noun and a verb) illustrate cultural change. These lexical additions positively impact our ability to communicate.

At the same time, our cultural preoccupation with ease of use is causing a widespread over-simplification of language, grammar and syntax. A recent Cingular Wireless commercial, entertaining as it is, shows us what can happen when we apply the “œquick and easy” philosophy behind microwaves and Swiffer Wet Jets to our key communication mechanism. We may not have regressed to “idk” (I don’t know) or “np” (no problem) yet, but how many times do we begin inter-office e-mails with “fyi,” and how many of us really know where the comma or apostrophe goes?

The “Evolution” of Media

In the Web 2.0 world, user-generated content is king. Last month, MySpace was at the top of the 20 most popular website in the U.S. as ranked by Hitwise, an online competitive intelligence research firm. Facebook, YouTube and ebay also appeared on the list, competing only with Google searches and various e-mail clients.

Many national and local newspaper sites are taking note of this trend and offering a comment feature so readers can interact with their news. Just glance at the New York Times website, with its 20-some blogs, to find why many of us believe our opinions “fit to print.”

But good writing is not a historical artifact. Despite these linguistic and cultural shifts, many of us still care about precision of language. Some get it wrong, but wrong is not the new right. We know this intuitively because many of us are still offended at the sight of “your” instead of “you’re” or “its” instead of “it’s.” Monstertrak.com’s article “Avoid the Top 10 Resume Mistakes” puts typos and grammatical errors at the very top. Why? Because “employers will read between the lines and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you…” We draw those conclusions because we know how important it is to make a good impression. Language is a large part of how we represent our businesses and ourselves. It’s our vehicle for communicating who we are and what we have to offer.

And how should we do that?

Read

There are a number of excellent resources that offer easy-to-understand tips and tricks of the trade. Three of my favorites are Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss, The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and On Writing Well by William Zinsser. Even if you don’t read grammar- or language-specific books, reading regularly is a great way to familiarize yourself with proper grammar and sentence structure; making you a better writer in the long run.

Write and Rewrite

The old adage is true; the essence of writing really is rewriting. Focus on content when you first sit down to write. After you’ve included all the necessary information, take a break and return with an eye toward style and accuracy. Have a colleague or other trusted person look over your work, and don’t be discouraged if you receive constructive criticism.

Consult an Expert

Despite our best efforts, many of us recognize we’re not experts. We may be successful entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, etc., but that doesn’t necessarily mean we are effective communicators. Realize there are professional writers out there and make these people part of your brain trust. Let them help you reach potential customers with a well-crafted message that adequately communicates who you are and what you do.

Posted by Nicole

Media relations, one of the most powerful tools of public relations, can be difficult for businesses to understand. The tight deadlines and long lead times of reporters are often hard adjustments when beginning relationships with the press. To make it more complicated, different kinds of media prefer different styles of outreach.

Here are some general guidelines for how your company can best work with the media, with whom timing is everything:

Monthly publications
The timing of a news announcement is not as important to a monthly reporter as a weekly or daily since they have a longer time span between issues. It is important to remember, however, that monthly writers work two or more months in advance on their stories. So, they are less interested in breaking news (which will be out of date by the time it’s published), and more interested in trends, new technologies and hot industry topics.

Writers for monthlies will want to know less about your product and more about how it solves a critical business problem impacting corporate America—there needs to be business value to your company’s news. They look for stories for which they can talk to several sources, including vendors and customers.

Some writers cover your industry all the time but some are on assignment armed with only basic background, so it’s helpful to ask about their familiarity with the topic before launching into a discussion.

When preparing for an interview with a monthly publication, think less in terms of specific your products and more in terms of market issues, the direction of the industry, business benefits and customer examples.

Weekly publications
A weekly reporter’s job is as it sounds - to turn out stories every week for their print and/or Web news source. Weeklies publish on different days depending on the publication, so do your research to figure out your target weekly’s schedule. Don’t try to meet with or call writers on their “deadline” day - they are writing their articles on a time crunch and are not open to ideas for the next issue yet. Understand where their window is for receiving news for the coming issue.

Weekly and daily reporters (more on them later) are competitive. They like “scoops” - stories that other media don’t have access to. It’s smart to offer your story to one publication at a time and let them know they have the opportunity for an exclusive. Or, provide your news a week in advance to the reporter and issue your news release to the masses a week later.

Because they have to turn out stories more rapidly, these writers are not usually able to take as much time to meet with you (expect 20 to 30 minutes). You can ensure enough time is devoted to desired topics by asking the reporter what he/she would like to cover before the interview begins.

Keep in mind that even if you are interviewed, many factors influence whether your story will actually appear in a weekly publication. If a major local news event happens that week, you could get bumped.

Daily publications
Daily reporters are on deadline every day, so they usually need to get your news well in advance of the time you would like it to appear in print. On the other hand, they may call you and request information for a story that will publish that same day.

The best way to help a reporter in this situation is to ask what the deadline is and then work to get the information they request as quickly as possible. If you are able to aid a reporter on a tight deadline, your responsiveness will likely make you a source they will want to return to in the future.

Both daily and weekly reporters are less likely to have as in-depth industry knowledge as monthly writers, and will often be more focused on your business’ value to consumers than the industry. Feel free to ask a reporter how much background he/she needs before the interview, and understand that you will need to explain why your news matters to the general public.

Television
The most time-sensitive of all news media, TV actually prefers not to receive your news more than a day or two in advance. News desks keep a day book of potential events for their camera crews to attend each day, and two sets of show producers meet, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, to decide which events make the cut.

TV media want to see your news in short and sweet form. Translation: don’t send them your news release. If you want to publicize an event, provide key information as concisely as possible (what, where and when) and detailed information about the visuals available for cameras (i.e. “kids playing on new donated playground”, “governor cutting ribbon in front of new building”, etc.). Coverage of your event depends largely on whether a camera crew is in your vicinity at the time. Understand that even if a TV station says they are coming in advance, they may not be able to get their cameras there if something newsworthy happens across town.

If you are aiming for an on-air studio interview, provide some background about why your topic is relevant by including relevant statistics and trend information, and why you are qualified to talk about it. TV news producers will make content decisions based on what they think the viewing audience needs to know, so if you can show that your news is relevant they are more likely to set up an interview. Be prepared—interview segments sometimes tape very early in the morning! Understand that your interview may occur outside the 9 to 5 realm.

More resources on this topic:

• Cision’s white paper, Targeting the Media, available on the Bulldog Reporter web site
• The Bad Pitch Blog from Richard Laermer and Kevin Dugan—thoughts from journalists on what NOT to do, and what works in media relations
• The American Journalism Review, for articles about journalism and the news industry

Posted by: Rebecca