Category Archives: Communications

What’s your passion?

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Food. Flowers. Friends. Those are my passions. I try to capture and communicate my passions through my photos. So on this Valentine’s Eve and Valentine’s Day, I will share many of my passions with you.

Artistry from Ambrosia

My inspiration comes from my clients and their artistry. Here, you’ll see a beautiful chocolate and strawberry charlotte from Ambrosia Euro American Patisserie in Barrington, IL. I have guided their social media strategy and also secured local coverage for the many fundraisers and musical events held in their neighborhood gourmet bakery. Their pride and passion in their work has made me a more sensitive photo grapher. My desire is to capture their devotion to their customers, shown in their loving creations, fine ingredients, and the welcoming feeing when you enter their patisserie.  Is your work reflecting your devotion to your craft? If so, tell me how, as you stroll this visual gallery of deliciousness.

Great Tool to Follow Journ Tweeps

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Image by The Next Web via Flickr

If you are a news junkie and a Twitter fan, you will want to check out this directory of journalists on Twitter, listed by their media outlet. It comes from Muck Rack, which follows what journalists are reporting and talking about on social media. It also ranks the most active journalists on social media on the Muck Rack Leaderboard, which is a great way to follow trends and developing news.

Muck Rack is a fantastic source for anyone interested in news and communications. It was started in 2009 with about 150 journalists on Twitter and now lists thousands of reporters and editors who are active on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Quora, Google+, LinkedIn and more. What’s best is that the list is actually fact-checked by a team of editors, so you know you’re getting great info.

If you want to get even closer to the action, subscribe to the Muck Rack Daily email to learn on a daily basis what journalists are saying. This is a great resource for anyone who is trying to promote their own business, or who is doing PR and Media Relations on a shoestring!  If you subscribe, let me know what you think.

 

 

 

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“How do I…?” The entrepreneur’s most common PR question

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“How do I use PR to…    

  • Get more customers?
  • Grow my business?
  • Stand out from the competition?
  • Inject new life into my online presence?

Almost every week, small business people and entrepreneurs ask me how can PR build your customer base and grow your business?

It doesn’t happen overnight, unless you’re one of those rare savvy jack-of-all-trades who hits the PR jackpot and has your product or service featured on The Today Show or on the Chicago Tribune front page in your first round of media outreach.

It starts with building relationships with the people who can help you spread word about your business.

Look at your local newspaper or radio station. What stories do you see about your industry? Who is the reporter, how can you contact them, what are his/her interests? Do you have any interests in common?

You can find out a lot about reporters by simply following what they write about. Many media outlets provide online profiles about their writers and editors. Often, they’re buried online under the “About Us” or “Contact Us” sections. For example, many major metro newspapers, such as the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald (serving the North and Northwest suburbs), have a very detailed list of their reporters, writers and editors.

These editorial directories can be a bit hard to find. For example, the Daily Herald lists their media contacts under the tab “Services & Info, which isn’t the most intuitive for searchers. Often, media outlets bury their “Contact Us” link at the bottom of their web page in very fine print. Take the time and patience to look for it.

If you’re looking for contacts on a magazine web site, often you’ll find an editor to reach by clicking on their “Advertising” tab and clicking on their “Media Kit” or “Editorial Calendar.”

Trying to reach TV reporters? You’ll often find their contact information online as well, although it seems TV stations make it the hardest to find that info. For example, this NBC5 Chicago contact site has minimal information. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, pick up the phone, call the station or outlet’s general number and ask to be connected to the Newsroom. Someone staffing the news desk will be able to direct you to the appropriate person. Don’t be surprised if you get a reporter’s voicemail.

Use the search tool available on nearly all media outlet web sites to see past stories. If their stories are archived (often for a fee), make a small investment to get copies of their most recent reports.

Consider ways to get their attention by sending them samples of your product, inviting them to visit your business, or sharing a new angle or bit of advice on something they’ve reported on. Better yet, send an email, complimenting their work and offering your expertise for a future story.  Invite them for coffee (most reporters don’t have time for lunch, but you should still extend the invitation.)  Don’t be discouraged if they say they’re too busy for an in-person meeting. They really are busy – their jobs have become more demanding. Besides reporting the news, media reps also are expected to post on social network profiles and/or provide additional content for media-owned blogs (or even their own personal blog).

Are you on Facebook or Twitter (either a personal or professional page)? It’s very likely that reporter is also on social media, so take the time to “Like” their page, follow what they do, and engage. Post items on their wall that are helpful. And I mean helpful - not bragging or advertisements. Show them that you can be a valuable resource.

Establishing media relationships is one way to open the door to possible coverage and demonstrate your expertise and credibility.

Next time we’ll talk about how you can use social networks to spread word of mouth and get your customers and their friends talking about you and providing untapped exposure.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your experiences working with reporters. What have you done to get their attention?

Was it fruitful? What could you have done better? Leave a comment and I promise to respond!

 

 

 

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Phone calls DO matter for PR success

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Telephone

Image by plenty.r. via Flickr

Texting, posting, tweeting, liking, commenting, following, emailing. Key verbs for interacting with reporters? Yes, but what about CALLING? I still believe in the power of the phone call to get reporters’ attention. They generally discourage it and I respect that, but I rarely get a complaint when I do phone them. I also am respectful of their time and deadlines when I call.

A call, even if it’s a voicemail, can point them to your email amid the hundreds they get all day. It can entice them to check out your business or client web site, and it’s part of your brand awareness to a key audience.

In fact, today, I credit my calls in helping earn major placements for my client in:

And since the Tribune covered my client’s story, the Tribune-owned WGN-TV aired photos  during the evening news!

Without making my calls these stories may not have happened.  An email alone would have probably gotten lost in the deep dark inbox hole at the those outlets.
I always follow some important rules when phoning reporters:

  1. Ask first if they’re on deadline and say you’ll call them back if they are
  2. Know what they write about and be knowledgeable about why your pitch is news
  3. Believe in your client. It’s easier to cold call a reporter when your gut says you’ve got great news to spread.

What’s been your experiences phoning the media? Leave a comment or let me know if I can help.

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How PR legwork turned a negative reporter into a booster

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Chicago Sun-Times

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There’s a great back story to the news coverage I secured this week in the Chicago Sun Times. When I pitched a story idea to columnist Neil Steinberg about the Half-Cap ceremonies held by the Chicago Public School to honor sophomores for making it half way to graduation, he said he was ‘shocked.’ Why honor sophomores for doing what is expected of them — finishing their first two years of school? He called the idea ludicrous and said he’d write a critical piece.

I kicked my self for reaching out to this journalist, but willingly followed through with my offer of an interview of my client, Lloyd Bachrach, the keynote speaker at Half-Cap ceremonies at Fenger and Robeson High Schools.

“Great,” I said to myself, “He wants to talk to my client, and bash him and the school system.” I expected Steinberg to excoriate the program as a waste of precious time and resources.

Steinberg said he’d understand if Lloyd backed out of the interview, but I didn’t recommend that to Lloyd. I offered the interview, I believed it was a great story, so I proceeded with planning Steinberg’s interview with my client.

I could only hope that he would be fair and temper his criticism. I considered the negative questions that might be asked and prepared Lloyd as best I could for Steinberg’s potential cynicism. While Lloyd wasn’t looking forward to the reporter’s call, he also worried about the outcome. He has a great relationship with Chicago Public Schools, and didn’t want to spoil that with a potentially negative story that his PR consultant had arranged.

For a week I checked the paper looking for the story, hoping that Steinberg would just abandon it. His column appeared while I was in London giving media training and social media workshops for a client. I was thrilled at the results! By giving Steinberg full access to the information about this program, we completely turned around his point of view. His negative preconceived notions turned into a positive, powerful story with a message.

I think it’s a wonderful PR case study about:

1. The value in sticking to your beliefs in a good story when a leading journalist criticizes it.

2. Why you must still agree to a client interview, despite the reporter’s negative reaction.

3. Giving access to all facts, sources and potential angles is important, especially when the reporter’s approach is critical.

4. Preparing your client for the worst allows for an interview that is devoid of emotion, civil and leads to a greater level of knowledge and undertstanding.

I couldn’t be more pleased over the results and all the hard work that went into helping Lloyd get a positive mention in this column and putting the public school half-cap ceremony in a positive light. What would you have done differently? Any other advice you’d like to share, or have you had a similar experience with a journalist? Leave me a comment, OK?

 

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Five Job-Hunting Tips for Grads

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In this tough job market, candidates need to use every tool at their disposal to find work. Using social networks is a natural, because you can reach many, target niche audiences, and mine your friends and family for contacts.

You rarely find a job from someone you know. It’s more likely that someone who knows a friend or relative will connect you to your next employer. That layer of connections is the magic potion that social media provides. How do you dive into those layers to make sure you’re searching every available corner for work? Here are five tips to get you started.

1. Start with family and friends.

Call them first and let them know you’re in the market for a job. Ask if it’s OK to email your resume and a short cover letter that spells out your value to a future employer. Provide succinct bullet points about your strengths and why those strengths matter. Your resume should tell a future employer what YOU can do for them. Ask your direct contacts to forward your resume to those who might be interested.

2. After you’ve made the rounds to friends and relatives, use your Facebook account to reach those acquaintances (or those you contact less frequently) and tell them you’re hunting for a job, are seeking suggestions and are eager to hear their words of wisdom. Direct them to your resume on LinkedIn (include the URL on your Facebook page).

3. What? You don’t have a LinkedIn Profile? Are you crazy?

If you are hunting for a job, you MUST get on LinkedIn ASAP? Why? Most recruiters (85 to 95%) surveyed say they go to LinkedIn first before anywhere else to find talent.  It’s THE leading professional network. LinkedIn offers a variety of ways to showcase your skills, personality and experience. While most counselors will tell you to limit your resume to one page, there’s unlimited space on LinkedIn. So spell out the activities that are relevant to your job search. Mention your rank on the Dean’s List and include the job at the off-campus pizza parlor that helped pay your way through school.

You can fill your LinkedIn profile with as much information as possible to give that prospective employer a complete view of why you’re their perfect candidate. Plus, you can ask people to post letters of reference so that all those bosses and colleagues who loved working with you can tell others why they should hire you.

4. If you happen to have a specific area of expertise, you can elevate your profile with LinkedIn “Answers.” There are people who make it their goal to answer LinkedIn queries posed by others. What’s beautiful about this? The LinkedIn rating system: Answer many questions and have your answers rated as the most helpful, and you’ll be rewarded and acknowledged for your expertise on LinkedIn.  So when a recruiter scopes out your profile vs. another job candidate, you’ll have an extra boost thanks to your efforts trying to help others.

It’s easy to see the questions and answers being posed every minute on LinkedIn.  They’re categorized by industry, so look up the industry that interests you, and follow the conversations.

5. Make the most of that Q & A.

I have made great connections with people who have answered my LinkedIn questions. I dutifully rate the best answers, and I immediately send an invitation to connect. Doing so further widens your network, and only brings more good karma to the job search.  And when it comes to social media and job hunting, karma is one of your most valuable assets.  Job hunting, like social networks, follows the same dictate: “If you give much, you will get much in return.” It’s a great rule to follow in the job search and for the rest of your life.

 

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Taking the leap from journalism to PR

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Career coach Catherine Altman Morgan interviewed me this morning on  Blog Talk Radio about my transition from a career in Chicago Radio (WXRT, WBEZ, and WGN) to a career that helps clients get news coverage on radio, TV, print, online and on the social web. Transitioning from journalism to PR was a huge adjustment for me. An even greater challenge now is living the life of an entrepreneur.

Give it a listen and would love to hear if you’re in the same boat!

And Thanks Catherine for a great time!

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Media interview — Thrill or terror?

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DFID Youth Reporter interviews Minouche Shafik

Image by DFID - UK Department for International Development via Flickr

It’s the payoff for all your hard work—a news reporter has discovered your company’s fantastic new product or service. She wants to learn more about you. You’re torn between feelings of thrill and terror. Done right, mass media coverage can boost your credibility, increase awareness and lead to a spike in leads or sales. Done wrong, you may miss the chance to communicate the benefits of your product or service and fritter away your 15 minutes of fame.

Being questioned by a reporter is challenging for the inexperienced and unprepared. When I was a news reporter for WXRT and WBEZ in Chicago, I conducted hundreds of interviews every year for 15 years. I could easily discern the skilled interviewee from the newbie. For the skilled, the interview is a tango – a dance full of bold yet graceful moves, with accents on the appropriate twists and turns.  For the unskilled, an interview is like sitting through dental work without painkillers.

The key to mastering any interview is being in control and doing the advance work that inspires confidence. So park your jitters and skepticism at the door. This is the first in a series of tips on preparing for and controlling a media interview.

“Control” doesn’t mean manipulate. It means crafting a compelling message for your target audience and using the tactics and discipline needed to make sure the reporter understands and repeats that message in the story.

Just as the first step in the sales process is to understand the customer’s needs, the first step in the interview process is to know what the reporter needs and to whom he/she is communicating. Even before scheduling your interview, find out details so you understand what the reporter is looking for. Learn about their beat, media outlet and its audience.  As you coordinate scheduling, don’t hesitate to ask the following:

  • What’s your story about?
  • Do you have a specific angle in mind?
  • Will you conduct the interview in person or by phone? (Many now will send questions via email, which is great because you have more time to think about your answers, and you have a written record if you’re misquoted.)
  • Who else have you talked to?
  • How did you hear about me/my company/product?
  • What is your deadline?
  • When will you run this story?

I advise clients not to ask to review or approve the story before it runs. Allowing a source to edit his/her own story is viewed as an attempt to control coverage. Reporters may follow up with you to check their facts. But no respectable media outlet would allow you to edit (or in their view, censor) a reporter’s work.

After getting answers to those questions, do some simple research to learn a little bit about the reporter. A Google search will reveal the latest stories written by that person, as well as their interests, beats, and tone of their writing. Often news organizations will provide a reporter’s bio in the “Contact” or “Staff” directory of the outlet’s web site.

If none is available, keep digging. With so many media people on Facebook, Twitter and other popular social networks, you’re likely to find helpful information about a reporter’s background, personality and approach to his interview subjects.

Next tip: Preparing for the interview.

 

 

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Tell me what you do (in a minute or less)!

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So tell me, what do you do?

When customers and prospects visit your website, Facebook or other digital properties, do they see a memorable message about  your business and how it helps people or other businesses? In an elevator or at a cocktail party would someone understand your business value proposition in a minute or less?

If “NO” is the answer to both questions, you should consider creating or simplifying your business message or starting from scratch with a message framework.

It sounds easier than it is. Creating one short soundbite explaining what you do and why it matters to your target audience takes time, perspective and a willingness to dig beyond your mission statement and product/service description.

It also requires a kind of objectivity that’s difficult to practice when your business is your baby. The message development process can take hours, days or weeks, depending on your own and your customers’ experiences. My approach is to take it in baby steps; the first three are fact-finding steps.

  • Know Your Audience — pinpoint their problem, and consider all the ways that problem keeps them worried or makes them lose sleep.
  • List all the ways your product/service solves that problem. If you have a long list, put the top three in priority.
  • Describe the most important features that you offer a customer and how those features specifically address that problem.

The final fourth step has more to do with your customer’s feelings or emotions. We all establish personal connections to a business. I choose a neighborhood printer versus going online for my letterhead and business cards because the manager of the Minute Man Press in my town makes me feel important. As a small business owner, that’s a good feeling and one that will keep me coming back.

So once you’ve done all your fact-finding in steps 1, 2 and 3, consider the emotional response from your client when you do business with him/her? Does he feel more secure? Trusting? Smart that he’s spending his money wisely? Protected because you’re watching out for her business?

Navigating this process requires your own review of how you’ve helped customers and the anecdotes they’ve shared about how you made a difference. It’s also best to conduct this messaging process with the help of a third party, someone who can be objective, who doesn’t live and breathe your business, and who can provide a different perspective of your business and your audience. The anecdotes you gather become the supporting points that bolster your message. These “proof points” also serve as conversation-extenders, since prospects want to hear about other customer experiences for a better understanding of how you’ll help them.

So let’s get a conversation started — What do you do?

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