Socializing with the Media

In my opinion, PR is the best tool for getting the word out about yourself, your book or your product. It takes some work on your part, but with social media tools, it’s much easier to deliver your message than ever before. Today, the media uses the Internet as their primary tool for finding experts, so having a strategic online presence is essential. Remember that Social Media is a two-way street – not only can the media find you; you can use it to find out what hot topics are trending right now. Tailor your pitches to what’s hot so journalists can see how indispensable you are!

Here’s a run down of social media sites and how you can use them to boost your PR campaign:

• Twitter is a great way to learn sound bites because you’re forced to communicate to others with no more than 140 characters. The best way to use this tool in your media outreach is to monitor breaking news from CNN, USA Today and trade media. They’re always tweeting, so see what they’re talking about and pitch them from that.

• LinkedIn is primarily a social media tool for business, and the best feature on it is the conversation. Once you update your status, browse the professional conversations and groups in your industry and see what they’re talking about. Watch the hottest topics. Pluck one idea from the conversations, add your own opinion/tips and voila, instant media pitch!
• Facebook is what most people use for personal updates and networking. That’s great, but don’t forget to join the fan clubs of your favorite media. Plus, create your own group so others can become fans of you. Constantly add videos, updates and photos and invite media to join you on Facebook, too.
• YouTube is one of the best ways for search engines to find you online. Start your own channel and remember to keep your branding consistent with your online press kit, public Web site and all your social media profiles. Take the content from your pitches, bylined articles and online press kit and turn them into short videos and upload them to YouTube. Soon, the media will find you because these videos will deliver your message online in ways words alone just can’t. Take special care crafting the video titles and the descriptions so they include all important search words connected to your brand. That way, when media use search engines with the search terms you’re using, they’ll find you ‘by accident’ much more often.

Then there are all the other new sites we don’t know about yet. Every day new tools arrive online. It’s hard to keep up with the latest and greatest so watch the tech trends in the news. If there is a new Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Vimeo, you’ll want to be one of the first with your profile there. New sites work very hard to promote their members, so updating your social networking sites or blogging for other sites are all good ways to keep your Internet profile searchable.

Old Rules Still Apply

There’s no real mystery to landing great PR placements. It’s essentially remained the same from the old “can I send you our packet” days through the Internet revolution. It takes hard work and persistence, but the key has always been building good relationships.

That said, there is one tool of the Internet revolution that’s transformed the PR pitch the more than any other – E-mail. Back in the day, reporters would say, “Send a packet.” Today, thanks to the Internet, media contacts will get you off the phone by saying, “Can you send me an email pitch instead?” Don’t kid yourself, though. Media contacts remember who calls. So, be choosy, and when responding, keep in mind these two sure-fire tips: subject lines and the perfect pitch formula.

1. Why Subject Lines and Summaries Matter —The most important words you write in your emailed pitch are a) in the subject line and b) the first few words the media see when they open your email. Media flooded with hundreds of emails each day will often use search terms to go through their in-boxes and find email that relates to major stories they are working on. We suggest you put these key words in parenthesis so they will stand out.
2. Elements of the Perfect Pitch — If your subject line gets your foot in the door (and the reporter, producer or editor opens your email), then the first few words of your pitch have to get immediately to the point of what you can offer them that they can’t get elsewhere. If you are pitching tied to breaking news, (always a great idea!) you must say immediately how you can help the journalist advance the story. One way to do this is to list topics that you can discuss that will shed new light on the news. Another is to give the journalist a sampling of key tips or advice that you can offer their audience. These should be short, concise, single sentences. Finally, make sure to include a phone number or email where the reporter can contact you at any time, and when you see them on your caller ID, pick up! Return emails immediately if you want to be in the media. Remember, they are on deadline and will call someone else if you don’t respond promptly.

Old school rules still apply, even over e-mail, and one last trick the team at Wasabi uses is to always put on our ‘dial and smile’ face on before sending emails. Between the old school phone and new school computer, you will score the type of media coverage you desire.

Can PR Drive Sales?

There’s a running argument between advertising and PR – Which one is better for your business? (I bet you know which side I’m on.) Both have their place, but today I want to share a story about one of my clients that clearly illustrates the power of PR.

We recently placed Don Goewey, author of Mystic Cool, in the January issue of Outside. You might wonder what effect a placement like this has on book sales. Using Amazon.com’s ranking as a metric, Don’s book shot from an overall ranking of above 250,000 all the way up to 6000, and it hit #2 on its way to #1 in his category! When we got the news, there were hoots and high-fives all around the office. We love it when our clients succeed!

Most firms calculate the value of a placement by starting with the price of ad space in the publication, and then adding value for that all-important intangible – credibility. Industry standard is to multiply the ad price by ten, but at Wasabi we’re conservative and only multiply by three. Even with our conservative estimate, the value of this placement rolls in at $260,000! (But what does that mean if sales don’t increase?) The numbers don’t lie though; Mystic Cool’s sales on Amazon.com got a boost from PR that advertising just couldn’t duplicate.

All I want for Christmas is PR

A classic trick PR pros use for getting placements is tying pitches and press releases to seasonal events like Christmas or Valentine’s Day.  Shining the light of Holiday Cheer on your company or expertise helps you stand out from the crowd. By connecting your press releases and pitches to seasonal events like holidays or seasonal weather changes, you’re helping a reporter answer the important questions of “why should I care” and “why should I care now.”

The media is looking for content related to seasonal news daily. Even more important than weather, though, are breaking news headlines. This can be crime, celebrity hiccups, political matters, or other headlines of the day. Get into the habit of watching what’s breaking and be the first to reach out to your media contacts with content to help them cover the story around that breaking news. You might even tell your local media contacts how the national breaking news impacts the community locally. The trick here is to only comment on breaking news that furthers your brand. Otherwise, you’ll be diluting your brand and wasting your time and the media’s time. For example, if you’re a therapist, don’t offer commentary about winter tires on cars.

This may seem obvious, but some news headlines may not be that obvious. For example, you may be an author on the law of attraction. You think your commentary around unemployment is essential. To a Wall Street Journal reporter, though, your credentials have to back-up what you say. They cannot quote you on unemployment and the economy if your credentials are ‘law of attraction guru.’ If your book is about finding work in a tough economy using the law of attraction, then the reporter may be able to use you. However, just keep in mind, they can get the best experts in the world to comment for them. So, choose to find and work with media perfectly suited to your expertise and the breaking news commentary you can create.

When using the simple trick of connecting your expertise to breaking news, you must say immediately how you can help the journalist advance their story. One way to do this is to list topics that you can discuss that will shed new light on the news. Another is to give the journalist a sampling of key tips or advice that you can offer their audience. These should be short, concise, single sentences. Get to your point quickly or you risk losing the journalist‘s attention. Use this simple trick and you dramatically increase your chances of finding PR under your tree this season!

The right journalist for your brand. Are they harder to find than Hoffa?

Click here to watch Drew’s video on Connecting with the Media

How do you find the media? With the advent of the Internet there’s so many different ways for you to find the media and reach out and pitch them.

So let me just go over some of the ways that you can find the media that’s right for you.

First, there’s media lists. You can buy a list, you can do searches, and on the Web site http://wwwpublicityresults.com there’s some free media lists that we recommend, particularly if you’re looking for gift guide or radio lists. PublicityResults.com has some really great resource partners that you should check out.

To build your media list, you’ll need to do some homework. First, write down who you would like to communicate with.
•    What TV shows are they watching?
•    What magazines are they reading?
•    What newspapers are they reading?
•    What radio shows are they listening to?
Next, find out which hosts or reporters are doing stories for these shows and publications, and then contact them. All their information’s out there and many are on free media lists. They’re very easy to find on the Internet.

Now, one of the things I like to do (and if you’re going to do this type of research I recommend you do it too) is when you reach out to the media, really acknowledge them for work that they’ve done by mentioning something specific that you liked in one of their stories. Everybody responds well to compliments and it shows that you’ve done your homework, you know who they are, and you’re not just randomly trying to reach out to them.

Another great resource is query services. There’s Profnet, PR Leads, and of course, the company we created, PitchRate.com which offers free media lists. With all of these resources you can actually get free media leads sent to your in-box from journalists that are looking for experts and other sources. Pitchrate.com is absolutely free and offers free media lists as a resource. By taking advantage of these really great services you can connect to the media. So what are you waiting for?

Also, don’t forget your community! You know — six degrees of separation. I promise you, there’s people in your community that know journalists that you should be reaching out to. So let everyone in your network know what you’re up to. They’d love to help you succeed.

The last thing I’d like for you to remember is that when you’re reaching out to the media DON’T GIVE UP! As a PR professional, I’ve found that just like in advertising, sometimes it takes up to seven touches  — that’s right SEVEN TOUCHES! — for them to do a story on you. So don’t get discouraged. Keep at it.

Remember — it’s not just who you know, it’s who knows about you!

Publicity Results launches our Step-By-Step PR Training course

Well dear readers, you may have noticed that I haven’t been focusing much energy on my blog lately. That’s because I’ve been developing a step-by-step PR training program – and yesterday we did it! We launched our new training
program. Whew!

We learned a lot in this process. We may be the best publicist in the business but Internet Marketers we are not:).

So you  may know we launched three hours later than expected and were bumed that we had a lot of people concerned that they missed the opportunity for the fast acting bonus.

As you might be able to imagine, this launch process has been totally insane. It’s our first “foray” into internet marketing, and we’re learning a lot as we go…

…and, like with any first stab at a new skill, we’re also making mistakes.

But I don’t want you to confuse our late launch time with the
value of what you’re going to get.

Because the truth of the matter is, if you want to get media coverage from the top-tier outlets all the way down to  your local news…

…we are the best in the industry.

We get people on Oprah, Dr. Phil (in 8 hour no less), The Today Show, and countless other outlets.

I really would love you to join this amazing group of people. I promise this program is going to rock your world.

Its only open to the first 100 people who sign up so HURRY!

To find out what its all about and to sign up, CLICK HERE.

Drew

PS … So if you want to get on show like oprah we are your
people – if you want to launch a product on the internet you
might want to look elsewhere

Update from PublicityResults.com

As you all know, my new website PublicityResults.com went live last week and we’ve been really pleased with the response.

Last week I also had the pleasure of interviewing Tracy Adler of yum Yum dishes. Visit Publicity Results and discover how a single mom with two kids continues to land media placements that triple her sales every single time! Month after month….

How we landed Dr. Phil in eight hours!

What a crazy few weeks I’ve had. Reciently we landed one of our clients on DR. Phil in 8 hours! The pitch we created was so successful I thought I’d share it, as well as few tips on how we pitched it… So I created a website and posted it – for FREE – along with  PR secrets the pros would rather you didn’t know.

We went live with the site today. Have a look and see if you can beat our record!

PublicityResults.com

Piecing it all together

Hi everyone!  From time to time, I’ll be posting my thoughts on Drew’s Publicity Buzz blog.  I’m learning PR as I go, so I hope to capture my observations and lessons learned to share with others.  I’m also an avid do-it-yourselfer and I often notice parallels between what I’m doing in my personal life and the commitments I have in my professional life.

I’m currently roofing the gazebo my wife and I built in our backyard a little over a month ago.  We chose split cedar shingles for their beauty—but not for their ease of installation.  Each night after work, my wife and I dedicate about an hour and a half to installing the cedar shingles.  It’s just enough time to see the last sliver of the setting sun drop below the mountain that shadows our house.  And each night, we get just a little bit more done than the night before—one pie-shaped panel the first night, one and a third the next, one and a half last night… and soon we’ll have it done.  We’re getting faster… and better… each night as we continue to develop our system.

It’s that same systematic approach that works so well in getting media coverage.  And just like the starter course of shingles at the overhang of each panel of the gazebo roof, it’s the core messages of a PR campaign that set the tone for success or failure.  Everything in a PR campaign builds on your core message, your brand.  If you can communicate what you do and why you’re unique in a short sentence that others easily remember, you’re there.  So I ask, “What is your core media message?”

About the guest blogger:

Shannon Nicholson, VP of Sales, brings his expertise in sales and customer service from 15 years of working in the banking industry.  Once committed to making a difference for people as a loan officer and financial counselor, he took a half-year sabbatical to ride his motorcycle through North America and South America.  He has now nestled into a new career: making a difference for people in the world of PR.

Keeping the Love Alive

Once your “Love Potion” has taken effect—that is, once you have a journalist’s attention– here are a few tips on how to keep it:

• Get to the point. Keep it simple. When talking to the media it’s time to break out your “elevator pitch” – you remember, that one to two minute snappy description of what you do and why it’s newsworthy right now. Stay on message and keep it simple. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Silly) will win the day!
• Make it easy for the media to contact you. If you’re hard to reach or you’re slow to respond, the media will just go to the next person on their list. Here’s a simple trick I swear by: Use a landline while talking to media. We all know how frustrating static and dropped calls can be. Being a clear voice on the phone can take you farther than you think.
• Give the media what they want when they want it. Journalists are under a lot of tight deadlines. Make their job easier and you’re sure to get repeat PR. If you’re difficult to work with, you won’t be contacted again.
• When the media contacts you – be amazing… so you’ll be sought out again and again. Two tricks to being amazing: 1- Do your homework! Have your pitch prepared and know the points you want to hit. And STAY ON MESSAGE! 2 – Listen to the journalist. What are they asking for? Not sure? Ask them directly what more you can do to help them with their story. The more positive the interaction, the more the journalist will be compelled to work with you again.

This leads to my last point:

• Build a relationship; be concerned about their needs– not yours. As budgets get cut and news outlets struggle, journalists’ jobs are becoming more and more stressful. Be a resource for them. Filter out relevant information and supply them with additional resources. Make their jobs easier and you will become their go-to contact in your field – and that’s priceless.