Media Relations 09/09/2011
One of the keys to successful media relations is the relations piece. While I personally believe that you do not have to have a very close relationship with every reporter in town - it may even lead to disappointment if you believe your friend didn't do your organization justice - it helps to understand what reporters are looking for in a story. Make it easy. Reporters are driven by deadlines. The easier and quicker you make it for a reporter to cover the story you want to get covered, the more likely they will be paying attention to future press releases that are sent out by you. Which brings me to the next tip. Use the same email account. Preferably, that email address includes your name or your organization's name. Once you have established a relationship with a reporter and his/her organization, they will recognize you and know immediately if the email is even worth scanning. Copy your press release into the body of the mail. Write in inverted pyramid. Make your release easy to read. Quick information will deliver results. Back to the relationships building. I probably should spend more time reaching out to journalists. But I simply do not have that time. You, more than likely, find yourself in a similar position. Don't worry too much. As long as you deliver newsworthy stories, reporters will start paying attention. Plus, the current media climate causes high turnover rates. By being consistent and taking care of reporters as well as I can when they are interested in a story, I keep relationships going even if I don't regularly socialize with them. In summary, the goal of media relations is to be able to place a press release and pitch stories that are picked up by media. Familiarize yourself with the publication and ensure that you fulfill the needs of the reporters who show interest in the story you pitched. PR and media relations are not rocket science. SWOT analysis 03/15/2010
As you know, a SWOT analysis helps you identify Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for your company. It is important to stay within the premises of PR when you develop a SWOT that is aimed to help you with the development of your annual PR plan. What I mean by this is that it is tempting for you or your supervisor to take into consideration production weaknesses and strengths, even though cost and manufacturing issues per se do not fall under the PR department. Take the example of a woman who wants to turn her hobby into a business. She manufactures handmade crafts items and has experienced great success. Now she wants to quit her corporate job and turn her side business into a fulltime venture. Under "Opportunities" you may be tempted to say that she now should buy raw materials in bulk, which will lower production cost. WRONG! Yes, the fact that she has an opportunity to lower production cost, is correct, but it is NOT a PR item. PR does not deal with production cost. Another example of what NOT to include is the development of a Web site. That's a business decision that involves more than just PR. Do you see what I mean? You have to truly stick to the topic of PR to get the most our of a SWOT analysis. Now, if you look a the Web example. The woman may already have a Web site, but her online presence is really static and not well defined. PR's job is to promote that site and expand its usage. Therefore, you can and should include in the Opportunities section of your SWOT analysis "expansion of Web presence". If you need help figuring this out, you know where to reach me - judy@tackettmedia.com. Should you ever ignore media? 01/31/2010
I recommend you don’t. A reporter who is ignored automatically assumes you have something to hide. If it’s a positive story, media is usually not calling at the last minute or after hours. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that if you get one of those late calls, it’s for a negative story. If you ignore the call, reporters usually go on record saying that they have tried to reach your client – to no avail. Or if you do reach you and get a “no comment,” they generally stick that into the story. Moreover, every journalist knows that only a handful of people truly stick to the “no comment” phrase. More likely, if a reporter reaches a subject, that person will talk and two sentences telling off a journalist are already enough to convey a negative image. So what are you to do as PR professional? What advice should you give your client to protect his/her interests? It is essential that you have internal media protocol set up and your client understands this. For one, if your client receives a call from media, she should ALWAYS consult with you, regardless of whether it’s a positive profile of her business or an investigative story about embezzlement in which your client is allegedly involved. If a reporter corners your client, it is OK for him to ask what the issue is about and then get the contact information for the reporter to get back with them shortly. Most reporters will say they’re on deadline. Tell your client to let the reporter know that he’ll get back with the reporter within 30 minutes – and do so. Whatever happens, stick to the protocol. You as the PR professional should know the types of stories and angles local outlets and some of the more prominent reporters like to take. Based on that insight, you can advise your client to watch out for dishonesty or sensationalism or both. In any case, keep your quote brief. Consider this, even if your client explains her situation for 10 minutes only one or two sentences for print or 5 to ten seconds for broadcast will be used. Why give them more material to choose from? As a PR professional you don’t always have the perfect answer. But what you are expected to do is to help your client brainstorm and develop the most appropriate message. Rule number one is to stick to the truth. Always! It is easier to remember the truth than keeping up with lies that have the potential to cause more harm and embarrassment when discovered later. If you have questions, feel free to contact me at judy@tackettmedia.com and set up a training hour. When to send a press release 01/18/2010
The press release is one of the most valued and valuable tools for a PR person. However, sometimes even professionals overlook that sending a press release in and of itself carries a message that does not always benefit a client. Take the situation of a political campaign, for example. A local official, let’s call him Morris, is preparing for re-election. Morris is still a representative when he is faced with a controversial vote. People from fellow politicians to business owners to residents lobby Morris to vote one way or another. Morris listens to everybody’s arguments, which takes him a while. Pressure from all sides mounts. Finally Morris makes up his mind. As a professional you would assume that a press release announcing Morris’ decision would be beneficial. Not necessarily. Why? A press release tells the media that Morris seeks attention on this particular issue. It automatically makes it OK to view this specific, controversial issue as a focal point of Morris’ campaign. In certain circumstances, that’s exactly what you as the PR professional want to achieve for Morris. You will help him get more exposure. Maybe he can become an expert on this controversial issue. Potentially a press release will help get Morris onto a TV or radio talk show, which could increase his name recognition. However, the issue could be of such a nature that Morris may not want to be known synonymously with the controversial issue. In other words, he does not want his constituents to think of him whenever anybody brings up this issue. In that situation, it is better to refrain from a press release. In any case, I recommend that you, as the PR professional, help Morris draft a letter and send it out directly to his constituents. If he doesn’t have a listserv yet, it is high time you help him develop one. He probably also has a blog, where you can post the letter in which he briefly explains how he came to vote for or against the issue. In addition, help Morris indentify select leaders amongst his constituents. He should call them personally. These leaders are in our profession known as opinion leaders. They will help spread the message. But be careful, once the message leaves your control, you lose control over it. In summary, whatever you do, consider that the way you intend to distribute information always carries a message in and of itself. Good luck and if you would like my opinion on your specific problem, feel free to contact me. And remember: Your Message Matters. The Politics of Xenophobia 01/17/2010
Since November when the Swiss outlawed the construction of new minarets, people have asked my opinion on the issue. Discussions still focus on the perceived or not-so-perceived xenophobia among the majority of the voting Swiss population. However, a select few, I count myself among them, see this vote as more than an outright ban on the new construction of minarets on mosques in Switzerland. I believe this was a brilliant political move from the far-right party called Swiss People’s Party. What you need to know is that the Swiss People’s Party has been built by industrial billionaire Christoph Blocher (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3206778.stm ). At the height of his power, he was in the Federal Council* and was able to take over one party seat in the Federal Council for the Swiss People’s Party. However, in an unforeseen maneuver that showed a big division within his own party, he was ousted and the Swiss People’s Party was split in two. During that time of turmoil the party has lost some face and direction. The November vote on the minarets has been a huge political win – reuniting followers and party members. Now the Swiss People’s Party wants to double up on its success. It is calling for a special session on the uncontrollable immigration caused by EU policies and the increasing numbers of immigrants and refugees. Fear is the main weapon the Swiss People’s Party uses. Oh, by the way, have I mentioned that Switzerland has four minarets? Yes, that’s four (4!) in the entire country, and some of them have been there for years. In other words, it’s not as if all of a sudden minarets were popping up left and right. I bet prior to this vote, most people didn’t even know where these minarets are located. I certainly didn’t when I was still living in Switzerland. This entire fiasco just shows the effectiveness of propaganda (the communicator in me wants to call this admiringly successful marketing). Switzerland was plastered with posters and marketing outreach from the Swiss People’s Party. The government didn’t deem it necessary to counteract, believing that the population would not buy into the fear-mongering. (Oh, how they were wrong!). My question is, Will Switzerland be able to maintain its reputation of open-mindedness after voting so overwhelmingly against a problem that was not really a problem to begin with? In my opinion, Switzerland has lost big time. If the people don’t start checking the facts these political campaigns throw at them, the country will continue to vote on purely emotional levels. During the past decade I’ve observed an alarming shift towards xenophobia and close-mindedness. Many in of my acquaintances do not belong to the Swiss People’s Party, but support Blocher’s ideas and rhetoric nonetheless. Unfortunately, his rhetoric is a mixture of half-truths and jumbled facts. The weakening of their own parties at the cost of the growth of the Swiss People’s Party has impressed many of the German-speaking voters. I now hear hateful phrases from people who would have been ashamed to openly utter those same words a few years ago. And as in so many parts of the world, xenophobia has become a successful, political tool. What doesn’t make sense for this small mountain state, though, is that Switzerland has already one of the toughest immigration laws in the world. About 20 percent of the population consists of foreigners. And that’s not because they are all coming to Switzerland. No, many are born in Switzerland but do not have automatic citizenship. Besides, even if you are born in Switzerland, as long as your parents are foreigners you have to go through a burdensome immigration process before becoming Swiss. * Switzerland is ruled by a council of seven members; presidency of the country rotates among the members of the Federal Council. Xenophobia 01/17/2010
| AuthorJudith Tackett is a freelance writer and communications consultant based in the Nashville, Tenn., area. CategoriesAll Archives |
RSS Feed