tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78321198627856486542024-03-04T23:07:59.351-05:00Connect2 Communications, Inc.Blog about public relations, media relations, analyst relations and social media and how companies can best connect with key marketsRichard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-91586739343763820292015-12-16T16:53:00.002-05:002015-12-16T16:59:05.151-05:00We have moved! Hi!<br />
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Connect2 Communications TeamAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990966332225124772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-48065083576774684162015-12-01T09:15:00.000-05:002015-12-01T09:28:03.920-05:00Find the Story – PR Tip #18<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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One of the hardest jobs we have in PR is to find the story.
Sometimes, the story is right there for everyone to see, other times it’s
elusive. Sometimes we forget to look. We have all had times when we’re under
deadline and a release has to get written and we just crank it out headline,
subhead, quotes and boilerplate. But that’s not our job. Our job is to find the
story.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Part of this is developing the story arc and helping readers
easily navigate from beginning (the problem or trend addressed), the middle
(the value proposition and how this announcement fits) and the end (how the
market, customer and company benefits). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most
companies start looking for the story in the wrong place, though. They start
with what they have made. Problem is, that’s like telling a story from the
middle. The truth is, the story starts way before that and it starts with what
the customer needs and the problem they are trying to solve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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When looking for the story, start by finding what about the
announcement appeals to you or--even better--to the person you hope will read
it. Remember, people buy things (consumer goods, business technology, apps,
etc.) because it has perceived value to them. It makes their life better,
easier or more productive. If you can hone in on the “why this matters” to a
specific person you will be way ahead of more press releases and other PR
materials are written. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The story, or at least a compelling version of it, can be
elusive. As mentioned above, we’ve had lots of clients that believed that the
story started and stopped with the products they’ve made. They think that the
world will know exactly why this technology matters and how it will change
lives to their target customers. They are wrong. Often very, very wrong and
then are baffled when a reporter isn’t as excited about their news as they are
or the story comes out and it’s very vanilla. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We recently had a client announce a bit of new technology
that was interesting from a purely technology perspective. We could have
written the release and the pitch to focus solely on the technology and it
would have been good. However, there was so much more that it could be and, as
we peeled away the layers, we found a really interesting story about how retail
stores were using the technology to help lure customers offline and back into
the brick-and-mortar locations during the holiday shopping season by creating a
better in-store shopping experience and helping to keep the retail store’s
network secure. The technology was still a big part of the story, but now we’re
focusing on the problem the customer needed to solve and how they are solving it.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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Even if the story can’t be tied directly to a problem or
challenge a customer faces, it can often be written to talk about how a new
product or technology can change the market. It can be the first time customers
can combine products to do something, or how it’s the first implementation of a
new standard or even how it’s the first product to allow the market to better
leverage a developing trend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When telling
a good story, a developing trend or market shift can be your best friend so
take the time to understand what these trends are so you can tell a more
compelling story. </div>
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Remember, when telling a story, you can’t just say
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have to walk the reader through a compelling narrative that helps them understand why the story you are telling is important to them personally and professionally. When writing your next press release, blog, contributed article or any other PR writing, you'll make it much easier for your client and the target reader to connect if you tell a good story. And if you find yourself, or your company in the wrong story, then get
out of it. We've all been part of interviews that go sideways because
the reporter has an agenda or your spokesperson says something they
shouldn't. In this case, it's your job to try can get the story back on
track or find a way out. This is my story and I’m sticking to it.
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<![endif]-->Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-56333698836162692022015-11-17T13:35:00.000-05:002015-11-17T13:35:53.411-05:003 Steps to Turn Holiday Downtime into Organized Success<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Can you believe it is November already? Time flies when you’re
having fun…or just really busy. Christmas music is starting to play (way too
early in my opinion), families are on their way into town, office parties are
being planned and everyone seems to slow down a little. It can be tempting to
enjoy the distractions and slow your work mind down a little, too. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, in the PR world, I’ve found using that little bit
of extra down time to get organized can really pay off when the New Year rolls
in and client expectations kick into high gear again. Organization is a key
element to professionalism, responsibility and success. I’d estimate 90% of
people at least try to organize some part of their life, even if it only
happens once or twice year. Often, we get so busy at work throughout the year
that all of those organization systems we developed back in January have been completely
ignored by now. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’d like to develop some organization strategies that
are easy to keep, now is the perfect time. Follow these three steps and you
will be sure to have an organized and successful 2016:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Step 1. Purge &
Clean</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Start by getting rid of clutter. Throw out/recycle any
papers laying around that you don’t need. Move items from your physical desktop
that you don’t use daily to a desk drawer. Having a larger, clean working space
can clear your mind, too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then move on to your digital workspace. File away e-mails
you don’t need, and organize those folders that have been pushed to the corner
of your screen for the last six months. You will decrease the time it takes you
to find important items while freeing up memory so your processor runs faster.
It’s a win-win for you and your computer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you want to go the extra mile, start thinking about what
programs you’d like to kick off in January. Jot down any notes you may have, or
start a new folder on your desktop to file away resources. That way, when you
get back in the office, you are already two steps ahead of your clients and can
present them with fresh ideas before they can say “Happy New Year.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Step 2. Find <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Your</u></i> Best Reminder System</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I watch many young professionals try to manage the influx of
new responsibilities and assignments they receive each day, and many of them
forget about deliverables because they simply didn’t log it anywhere. Or, they
noted it somewhere they never look.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everyone is unique in how they like their reminders. For me,
I couldn’t function without hand written lists. Lists keep me on track and I feel
a sense of accomplishment when I’m able to cross things off of them. But, if
you won’t look at your list each day, that technique will be worthless to you. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the most critical elements to staying organized is
making your systems work with the habits you’ve already established. You
wouldn’t keep your trash can in a corner of the office you never visit, right?
I bet you keep it next to or under your desk. Take some time over the next few
weeks to figure out what items you look at multiple times throughout the day.
This could be your smartphone, Outlook calendar, notebook or even a whiteboard.
Try adding assignments or reminders there. If you end up not seeing the list
frequently enough, then try something else.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once you find the right system to suit your habits, you’re
going to be so much more efficient. You’ll probably also feel so much happier
knowing you’re on top of all your deliverables.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Step 3. Set up
Reminders for January 1<sup>st</sup> Now</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is it just me, or does Holiday break almost make us
completely forget about what we were doing on December 23? It can be very easy
to shut down your computer on that last day before the Holidays and forget all
about the looming deadlines you have to meet on your first day back. Trust me,
coming back to the office in January that way is a harsh reality check you want
to avoid. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead of scrambling through a New Year’s Eve hangover,
prepare for January 1<sup>st</sup> now. As you get closer to your Holiday
break, use that reminder system you developed in Step 2 to create a Top 5 list
of things you need to do (or remember) when you get back to the office. That
way you already know the first items you need to accomplish when you return to
the office and your first morning back will be a breeze.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hopefully these three suggestions will help you get
organized and create a strong foundation for success in 2016. But, don’t forget
to have a little fun, too! Just make sure there are no photographers at your
Holiday party.<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216067565428979699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-64388437574505565612015-11-06T09:16:00.000-05:002015-11-06T09:21:02.622-05:00Socializing 101--Navigating Social Media Never Never Land (Part 1)<div class="MsoNormal">
It seems like every time I turn around, a new form of social
media pops up. Whether it be Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Periscope,
Vine—oh my goodness the list could go on for days. It can easily become
overwhelming to keep up with what’s going on where, how frequently to check
what, and where to post your message. It’d be nice if a Social Media fairy was
available to take whatever content you had and drop it off at the door of the
most appropriate platform, with the right tone, at the right time. I wish!
Unfortunately, none of us are any type of modern day Cinderella (bummer, I
know) and there is no Social Media Fairy God Mother. So what’s a public
relations professional to do?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Social media is constantly evolving. However, there are a
few tips and tricks I have discovered that I believe could help any
communications professional navigate through Social Media Never Never Land.
Since there are so many different platforms, let’s start with the big 3 and if
you’re lucky (you will be), we can cover a couple more less prevalent ones in
another post.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">LinkedIn</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
is a professional networking site. Here you will find people in all stages of
their career from college students to CEOs looking to connect with other
professionals. It’s a great place to post any company or client news that you
may have. It’s also a good place to post articles related to your professional
industry. LinkedIn has tons of groups that are dedicated to any and every
industry/topic that you can think of. I would suggest that you find groups that
relate to your profession and your client’s industries and join those. It’s a
great place to find out industry news, contribute content, interact with
like-minded professionals and get your client in front of the right people.
LinkedIn also recently rolled out </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">LinkedIn
Pulse</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">—a new professional blog element to the platform. Here you can post
your own original content, follow other professionals in addition to </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Influencers</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (this would be the
equivalent of being “verified” on Twitter.) When it comes to what and how you
post on this networking site, err on the side of professional. Keep it career
focused and not too casual. This is essentially the boardroom of social media
platforms.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Twitter </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">is
so multi-dimensional. It’s funny, it’s serious, it’s coy, it’s playful, it’s
mean. Twitter has Multiple Personality Disorder. There, I said it. Any and
everybody is on Twitter, saying any and everything, which makes it difficult to
navigate, while at the same time, difficult to really mess up. In my previous </span><a href="http://connect2comm.blogspot.com/2015/10/socializing-101making-connections-with.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">blog</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
we covered how to interact with reporters on Twitter and make yourself stand
out to get your client’s message received. Obviously, all of those things still
reign true here. Twitter is very relaxed and conversational. It updates by the
second so there really is no such thing as tweeting too much. Unless of course
it’s all you ever do. In that case, back away from the blue bird. While Twitter
does have an “anything goes” type of feel, it’s important to remain civil. I
see so many reporters and other professionals ranting and posting inappropriate
and snide things, and in the end, it can taint your professional persona. When
it comes to tweeting, keep it casual, but keep it civilized.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Facebook </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">is
a tricky beast. Especially since your Grandma and first grade teacher are on
there. While it originated as a networking site for college students, everyone
can attest to the fact that it’s become an overcrowded party where no one is
willing to leave early due to a serious case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
Unless your company is focused on B2C, looking to hire or needs some assistance
from outside of the professional world, I’d suggest limiting the professional
content you post on Facebook. Mainly because not only will you probably not see
much result from your efforts, but also not many people would care…other than
your Grandma, of course.</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In theory, social media in the PR world should be as simple
as being social. I mean, we are trained communicators after all! Unfortunately
for us, even Cinderella’s Fairy God Mother couldn’t save her from losing that
designer shoe. When it comes to PR knowing the who, what, when, where and why
of social media just comes with jumping right in. And of course, a blog or two…<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990966332225124772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-88974201253837190952015-11-03T14:21:00.000-05:002015-11-03T14:22:20.513-05:00More Than a Clip<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What have you done for me lately? Sometimes it feels like
that phrase could be the motto of the public relations profession. We spend
time and energy every day making sure we secure the best possible coverage for
our clients. Once that clip hits, however, it’s </span>onward<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and upward to the next
story. You learn this pretty early in the business as it's just the
nature of the beast. As is the case with many things in life, there is more
than meets the eye when it comes to getting a good press hit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A smart PR professional understands there are three key
things that need to be in place to create quality editorial opportunities for
their company or client. While each of these can certainly happen independently,
they are most effective when working together.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Know Your Business – This may seem like a no
brainer, but trust me it’s not as </span>far fetched<span style="font-family: inherit;"> as it sounds. I’ve been in far too
many meetings, conversations or email exchanges where it is apparent that the
person tasked with pitching a story doesn’t fully understand the company’s
business objectives. If you don’t really know what the company is trying to
accomplish and communicate to the market, how can you convincingly pitch a
story that a reporter will buy into?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Know The Story – No press release, blog or tweet
should be a standalone item. Every word, sentence and message should help tell
a piece of a broader story. Think of the opportunity lost when an executive is
quoted as being “pleased”, “excited” or “happy”. Sure that sounds nice and
might make someone feel good, but wouldn’t the reader rather hear about why a
partnership will help both companies achieve shared objectives or how an award
validates the work a company is doing? The nature of each communication vehicle
dictates what kind of information to share, but ultimately, they should all
layer on top of each other and work together to tell a complete story for the
company.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Know The Reporter – As in every industry, there
are some snarky reporters who revel in highlighting the bad and/or irrelevant
pitches they receive. While we all make mistakes, they certainly have a point.
How can you expect to get coverage if you are striking up a conversation with
the wrong person? Doing research is only half the work. Taking the time to really
get to know a reporter who is influential for your company is so important. We
do weekly “Call Downs” with the sole purpose of learning more about a reporter
or analyst. This can be a phone conversation, a twitter exchange, using time
while waiting for other to join a conference call, whatever. The point is that
we ask questions about things they are working on, topics they are interested
in, or opinions they have on what is happening in the industry. These are
simple connections that can strengthen the relationship and give you insights
to be more effective in pitching stories.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So in the effort to continuously secure the most influential
coverage possible, these three steps are key to making that happen. More and
more these days PR is expected to “move the needle” to achieve corporate
objectives, which means the right story in the right publication at the right
time is more important than ever before. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-50076557106172418162015-10-30T08:30:00.000-04:002015-11-04T13:49:42.531-05:003 Scary-Easy Tips to Present Yourself as a Serious Leader<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhB5GscdT0rAgRR1Qt56z4JvLKGCBwB6ArBfnN0zZ5fV4mnmV0DC3-MzRvXvDI0yQ9TFyl68ZVXCcWOydSKDqIhAVCjvGeMpFHEpkkfAlqv3i5w7TumkSinBbCdm03SBxSmJIMpOTv1I/s1600/halloween+the+office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhB5GscdT0rAgRR1Qt56z4JvLKGCBwB6ArBfnN0zZ5fV4mnmV0DC3-MzRvXvDI0yQ9TFyl68ZVXCcWOydSKDqIhAVCjvGeMpFHEpkkfAlqv3i5w7TumkSinBbCdm03SBxSmJIMpOTv1I/s320/halloween+the+office.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Halloween is right around the corner and while developing
the theme for my next Connect2 blog post I thought, “what is the scariest thing
that could happen to me professionally?” Losing my job is of course at the top
of my list, but a close second is not being taken seriously. The thought of it
makes my skin crawl! I know I work hard and put a lot of thought into (most)
everything I do, so how could someone not see that I am a valuable resource to
my team? Chills my bones.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In reality, I can probably count on one hand the number of
times someone has made me feel underappreciated or insignificant to a team. I
am lucky to work for a firm that always finds value in its employees. We also
promote professional development with consistent constructive feedback to
ensure our team members present themselves as confident PR leaders. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d like to share with you some of the constructive tips I
was given in my career, as well as the most common feedback I give to young
professionals. Following these tips will help ensure you present yourself as a mature
team player from day one at your new job. Not following these tips could lead
to some seriously scary consequences. </div>
<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1. Unless
zombies are chasing you, don’t use an exclamation point in that e-mail.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This form of punctuation was created to
express excitement, surprise, astonishment or any other strong emotion. Are you
strongly emotional about the fact that you attached an excel sheet to your
e-mail? Are you surprised that you figured out how to attach it? If so, then feel
free to type, “The excel sheet is attached!!!” But also realize we may have to
talk about your qualifications for this job if you didn’t know how to do that
yet.<br />
<br />
I find that many college or grade
school students (myself included) make this punctuation mistake because
exclamation points are informally used to emphasize happiness, kindness, good
moods, etc. In a professional environment, though, it emphasizes inexperience.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2<b> 2. </b><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You might
have to find your way out of the Haunted House alone. </b>Many young
professionals expect to learn a lot in their first few years starting a career.
What many don’t expect is that they will often have to act as their own
teacher. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
Your superiors at work aren’t there to show
you how to load the printer correctly or fix a faulty Outlook calendar. If something isn't going quite like you expected, not go to the CEO hoping she will tell you what to do next.
Instead, problem solve. I bet some simple Googling would suggest what might be
wrong and get you on your way to a solution. This may sound harsh, but I
honestly don’t care that your Outlook calendar isn’t working. I just need you
to send out that meeting invite.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
The point is that there are many
resources at your disposal to help you be self-sufficient. We want to see you
use those tools and demonstrate you can think for yourself and think on your
feet. Your superiors aren’t there to be your mama, your babysitter or your
teacher. They are there to guide the best teams to deliver the best results for
customers.When you gain independence, you'll also gain respect.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3 3. <span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blame the
Werewolf, not the Moon. </b>Learning to become accountable for your actions is
one of the most crucial steps in demonstrating maturity and leadership. This is
a lesson that many people struggle with because it is natural for humans to
deflect blame. However, having an excuse every time you underperform is
childish and not a behavior you want to practice at work. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
If you’re at fault, own your
mistake and point it out! (Yes, I got excited there so an exclamation mark is
appropriate.) I have much more respect for team members that can point out what
went wrong <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>how to avoid it in the
future. That second element is key: when something goes wrong, demonstrate you
understand the mistake, why it is an issue and what changes you can make moving
forward.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
As you move into a role where you
are managing others, the ability to own your mistakes is critical in leading
your teams. You will be responsible for their work, so you will be held
accountable when something goes wrong. I doubt blaming Intern Jane for missing
the team’s presentation deadline will go over well the next time you need Jane’s
help on a project.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While leadership isn’t a scary concept, getting there can
sometimes be intimidating. Luckily, there are many professionals out there
willing to offer their insight on how to best navigate the road to success -- I
know some good resources right here on the Connect2 blog (wink wink)!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216067565428979699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-80001457511917731912015-10-27T09:12:00.000-04:002015-10-27T09:12:56.178-04:00Beginner's Guide to Navigating Public Relations: Time ManagementMany of us can agree that we often feel there is not enough
time in the day to complete everything we want to do, be it family time, going
to the gym, etc. Even our work days are fraught with issues when it comes to
budgeting time. How often have you worked on a project, only to have several
items fall in your lap all at once? This can lead to missed deadlines, shoddy
work, or a very poor attitude in the work place. It is very easy to find
yourself underwater and swamped with work to do. Nearly everything revolves
around a deadline in the PR world and problems can pop up at any moment like a
jump scare in a cheesy horror film. So how can you avoid the stress and fright
of having multiple things to do at one time: by having good time management
practices.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is something that is supposed to develop while one is
at school. I was a student who enjoyed working up against a deadline. I
developed the habit of finishing little assignments immediately when they arose
to avoid having to worry later if I had done them or not. This strategy worked
well for me while I was in college because everything was presented in a linear
fashion. It is relatively easy to budget your time when everything is already
planned out for you in a syllabus. Unfortunately, the real world isn’t close to
being that linear, and in the PR world you might as well expect that things can
turn sideways at a moment’s notice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I first started working at Connect2 Communications, I
immediately found myself treading water. I was not only dealing with the
commonplace issues of being a new employee in his first professional job, but
also realizing that I was responsible for helping coordinate PR for multiple
companies. It was an extremely difficult adjustment. I constantly felt under
siege by the emails, due dates, and work I had to complete on a daily basis. It
wasn’t until I was shown how to manage my time that I was able to finally
settle down some and get my head on straight. It is common for me to be calmly
working on a pitch for a press release or a briefing book and then all of a
sudden have a deluge of emails pouring into my inbox. Before, I would start to
metaphorically drown in this sea of email. Now I have learned how to do one
thing to manage that: prioritizing. It may sound trite and simple, but it is
easy to overlook and hard to do when you are new on the job. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It starts with writing the items down in some sort of
planner and getting the due dates for them. It’s too easy to get bogged down by
a myriad of little assignments that may not even be due for days. Next, work on
the things that are most pressing and complete them first. If it’s Monday,
don’t work on a briefing book due Friday when you have an award submission to
complete on Wednesday. I found myself frequently trying to complete every item
that came to my inbox when I first started and that put me behind the
proverbial eight-ball for completing work that had a higher priority. Lastly,
when worse comes to worse, delegate. One thing that was and is still difficult
to do is ask someone for help completing something you simply cannot get to. As
a new employee, I didn’t want to be that guy who said “I can’t do that”. I
wanted to be a reliable contributor to the company and not be someone people
couldn’t count on. Sometimes though, we need help getting things done, and at
the end of the day I’ve found it is better to have said “Can you help me with
this?” than “I didn’t get to this because I was swamped with work” and have a
missed deadline.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Working in PR means you are always on the clock for
something. Anything can happen that can require your full attention
immediately. That is why learning how to prioritize your tasks early on is
important. Get into the habit of managing your time for the things that are the
most important on your to-do list. It will save you a boatload of hassles later
on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05579277010406987137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-64317629769636158372015-10-22T08:30:00.000-04:002015-10-22T10:33:56.807-04:00Don’t Be or Believe the Stereotypes – PR Tip 16 In PR and in journalism, there are lots of stereotypes in play.
People love them and love to band everyone together into a generic
category that is ripe for ridicule and scorn. Soooo much fun! There are biases
and assumptions, condemnation and narcissism, bullies and airheads – in
both camps. The challenge of working in an always-on, globally connected
world driven, in large part, by social media, is how do we work
together without becoming jaded, bitter curmudgeons that are no fun at
parties?<br />
<br />
First, it would be good to just be nicer. Nicer in
person, nicer in email, nicer on Twitter…especially nicer on Twitter. I
don’t mean nicer in the Southern way when folks say “isn’t she sweet” or
“bless your heart” and not mean it. I mean really….be….nicer. Treat
people around you with the professional respect you’d like to be treated
with, especially when they don’t deserve it. <br />
<br />
This is more than
just being polite. Nice is also about doing your job well so that the
people you work with can easily do theirs better. It’s about being
prepared, organized and on time. It’s about paying attention and showing
a genuine interest in what the other person is saying, or at least
trying to say.<br />
<br />
It’s about doing the research required to make sure
you’re reaching out to the right person, or doing the research needed
before an interview so that you don’t waste everyone’s time. This can be
particularly hard when you have a gauntlet of back-to-back interviews
and the interviewee isn’t particular engaging. <br />
<br />
Being nice is
also recognizing you’re going to run into people every day at different
stages of their careers, and sometimes they just might not know better
yet. The PR person that is overly excited or the reporter that thinks
snide is a good interview technique can be annoying to everyone, but
it’s usually a sign the person is just trying to figure out how to do a
challenging job in an unforgiving environment. It can also be taking the
time to stop and think for a second what might have happened outside
your own interaction with them that might be throwing their game off. <br />
<br />
Reporters
and PR folks are just people. They get up in the morning, brush their
teeth, send their kids to school, pay their taxes, etc. There are
hundreds of things that can happen on any given day that can impact how
they are perceived in the brief moment you might interact with them.
It’s a shame most people, on either side of the fence, don’t take the
time to step back and give someone the benefit of doubt. Because you
know, it’s so much easier to take to Twitter and try and shame them. <br />
<br />
One
of the things that makes my skin crawl on Twitter is #PRFail. Yes,
sometimes PR people pitch the wrong person, but reporters also get
things wrong. We all do because that’s human nature. The truth is, PR
and journalists inhabit the same world and we’re all moving at a
break-neck pace. It would be a much nicer world if we could all, bless
our hearts, be a little more polite. Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-28070595834038688252015-10-06T15:55:00.000-04:002015-10-06T15:56:17.971-04:00Socializing 101—Making Connections with 140 Characters or Less<div class="MsoNormal">
One thing that I have learned throughout my career is the
power of social media. The informal, conversational atmosphere of social media
platforms somehow brings people’s guards down and creates a community atmosphere.
Twitter, in particular, has become one of my most valuable PR tools. When
you’re trying to get you client’s news noticed in a sea of other PR people, you
have to stand out. It’s really that simple.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is where learning the art of 140 characters or less
comes in. Here are my suggestions for making connections with key press and
analysts to ensure that next time your email doesn’t land in the trash:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Do your
research</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">: Make sure that you are following all of the relevant press and
analysts for your client’s industry. Many times you can find out what they
cover based on their bio and the type of content that they tweet. I would also
suggest seeing who these people follow. It’s a good way to discover new
relevant press, analysts and publications that you may not have found
otherwise.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Engage & interact: </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">This may feel a
bit uncomfortable because you don’t know many of these people yet, but as I
mentioned, Twitter is a very informal community and you can get away with
things that you normally wouldn’t in the real world. For instance, retweet
stories, reports or any other content that they may post that you find
interesting or relevant to what your client does. If you find a good story,
share it on your Twitter and tag the reporter that wrote it in a complimentary
tweet. Everyone loves compliments. Even by strangers on the Internet. Reply to
a tweet or join in on a discussion that you find of particular interest. While
you typically wouldn’t interject into a conversation that didn’t involve you in
real life, it’s perfectly acceptable and welcomed in the Twittersphere.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Get personal: </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Many times press and
analysts use their Twitter accounts to share both personal and professional
news and updates. Don’t be afraid to retweet something that you find funny or
strike up a conversation about something that you both enjoy whether it be
hobbies, television shows, music or anything else. Remember, the point is to
stand out and what stands out more than bonding over a love of spinning or Game
of Thrones (just an example).</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Call to action:</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Sometimes you will have
an immediate need for your Twitter interactions like pitching a story idea or
getting time on their calendar to schedule a briefing at a conference. In these
times, it’s important that you bring your interactions full circle.
Establishing these relationships won’t benefit your client if you don’t seal
the deal. Most of the time, conversation will start on Twitter and then migrate
to email where the details and logistics are hashed out. In other cases, you
may find that there is not an immediate action to take. Perhaps it turns out
that the reporter wasn’t relevant or you were simply relationship building.
That is fine. It’s important to continue to nurture and maintain these
relationships as you would a real-world friendship. Nobody likes the friend
that only texts when summer rolls around because you have a beach house, right?
The more you continue to invest in these connections, the more likely you are
to get a response when you do have a client that would be of interest.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So you’ll see, in PR there is true value in cultivating
professional relationships on a platform that is instant, conversational and
effective. If you consistently implement these tips into your PR practices, not
only will your emails see a lot less trash and a lot more replies, but you’ll
undoubtedly see you Twitter popularity skyrocket. Double win.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16990966332225124772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-70745226500092353342015-09-30T13:13:00.000-04:002015-09-30T13:16:30.201-04:00Getting a Little Face Time<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Life in high-tech PR is filled with travel. There is no
getting around it. From tradeshows to client meetings to road shows to hosting
press junkets, travel is just a part of the business. While travel delays are certainly frustrating
(let’s just say I had a really bad streak of luck in 2014) and flying cross
country and around the world can be exhausting, there are some key benefits
from travel that are invaluable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Time with clients face-to-face is so important. As great as
the promise of video conferencing is, it really is not the same as an in-person
meeting, especially when you are mapping out new messaging or strategies. The
back and forth banter as you work through a topic really does lead to the best
results. Tradeshows also provide an opportunity to relax and get to know the
people you work with on a daily basis. Many an inside joke has been created in
settings such as this – how else would you learn who are the closet Beyoncé or
diehard Cubs fans?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The same idea applies to building relationships with the
press and analysts. This audience is so important to the work we do on a daily
basis and personal relationships can really make a difference. However, these
days, press and analysts are dispersed all over the country. A publication can
be based in New York, but it’s highly likely the editorial team is spread from
sea to shining sea. So what is a PR pro to do? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At Connect2 we do as much as we can to maximize our travel
to get that all-important face time with our press and analyst colleagues. As
much as budgets allow, we encourage our clients to host a press and/or analyst
day at their corporate headquarters. When done right, these events give the
press and analysts valuable insight into the company, their customers,
executives and product managers they don’t normally have access to. The time
they spend on campus can really deepen their understanding of who the company
is and what they are trying to accomplish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are also great opportunities to have individual
conversations with the press and analysts that have nothing to do with the
client. I have learned about the ups and downs of the college applications
process from an analyst whose kids are older than mine. I’ve also had the
chance to hear about a potential career move before it actually happened. All
of this makes the connections stronger and increases the chance that my email
will get answered over some unknown person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We also try to have fun with our press and analyst friends.
In the past we’ve hosted “No Pitch Nights” at major industry tradeshows. We
pick the last night of the show and invite all of the press and analysts that
are attending to a baseball game without any clients present. After all the
craziness of the week, everyone appreciates the opportunity to sit back and
relax and NOT hear about the latest and great product announcement. We’ve even
kept it simple and taken a handful of journalists out for tapas and cocktails
at smaller tradeshows for the exact same results. We get the chance to learn
more about the people we talk to everyday and they get a chance to just have
fun.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The opportunities I’ve had to get to know people in person
all over the world make the long days and even longer airplane rides totally
worthwhile. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-28233717630350878902015-09-25T09:00:00.000-04:002015-09-25T09:00:02.584-04:00Four Tips on How to Advance in PR Faster<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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More than eight years into my career as a PR person, I continue
to wonder what I could have done to climb the career ladder a little faster. I
feel lucky to work in a firm where superiors try to mentor their teams instead
of manage them, and I try to practice this approach while leading our teams of
interns and entry-level Account Coordinators. However, I would love to travel
in a time machine and tell my 23-year-old self a few tips that would have made
that climb a little easier.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No matter how old you are, everyone can benefit from
another’s experience. Regardless of whether you’re just starting a career in
PR, looking to change professions or know someone who is looking for tips, here
are my personal tips on how to get to a higher rung in your career during those
first five or so years.</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1. Office experience</b>:
Many college students hear this all the time. In many PR study programs,
internships are even mandatory to graduate. But that’s not enough. Once you get
to your junior year of college, let the babysitting and waitressing jobs go and
find an office position. Seriously, any office position is better than none.
Even if you’re just answering phones at a front desk or organizing files in a
back room. Even if you are doing something completely unrelated to the career
you are studying for, the experience you absorb in an office environment is
priceless. You will learn how to conduct yourself professionally in person,
over the phone and digitally, and it really shows when you’re applying and
interviewing for post-grad positions.
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> 2. Keep in
touch</b>: I’ve found there tends to be two kinds of people. First, there are
people that will drop by unannounced just because they were in the neighborhood
and had a free minute (not caring if the person they’re visiting had a free
minute, too). The second type is people that need a reason to drop by. Be the
first. I’m not suggesting that you drop in on old bosses unannounced, but an
unexpected e-mail or Linked In message is always a good idea. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I always encourage our interns to e-mail or
call me after their position with us, even if it’s just to say “hi.” I am
always willing to give advice and our company will always look to hire great
previous interns once they have graduated and if a full-time position on our
team is open. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
This is something I have to work at every
day, but the younger you start making it a habit, the more natural it will come
later. In PR, the ability to build and nurture relationships is crucial because
your success depends on the connections you develop. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3<b> 3. </b><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ask lots
of questions, but answer them first:</b> I am a big fan of my team asking
questions. I much more prefer that you ask me 100 questions throughout your
project to ensure you are doing it right, rather than you ask none, get it
wrong and then you have to do it over again. However, before you ask any
question, think about if you have the resources to answer it yourself first. </div>
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<br /></div>
I realize this might sound
contradictory. The real lesson here is to understand that you are included in
every e-mail, meeting and discussion for a reason. Also, the Internet is a
powerful tool to help you educate yourself. Don’t know how to turn a Word doc
into a pdf? I bet Google will tell you. Creating a report on weekly activities?
Include everything you have e-mailed, talked, heard about over the past week to
demonstrate you were paying attention.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Before you ask any questions, think
about if you have used your own resources to find the answer, first. If the
question still needs to be asked, do it! If you can tell your manager the
answers you already found or the steps you took to try to find the answer, you
will demonstrate that you are thinking for yourself and ultimately bringing
more value to the team.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4<b> 4. </b><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Proofread
everything, and then proof it again</b>: I have found that graduates often
think they are expert editors. However, I have yet to meet a graduate that
never had any typos. I often hear “Oh yeah, I had to take an editing class in
college,” but then submit content with spell check alerts still underlined in
red. I admit this still happens to the best of us occasionally, but work looks
sloppy if “your” is used instead of “you’re” and it’s distracting if spell
check is yelling at the reader from the moment a document is opened.</div>
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<br /></div>
Read over your work, then read it
again, and maybe one more time, then submit it. There’s no doubt you have
worked hard on the content, so don’t ruin it with typos. This will also help
you transition to a client-facing role faster because your work is already
closer to the finished product.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I won’t hold my breath for the time machine, but hopefully
some young graduates out there will find value in my tips. I hope to keep
climbing the PR ladder and will continue to offer my insight. I also welcome
any tips others might have. As I would tell myself, keep those communication
lines open!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12216067565428979699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-18141201974840438492015-09-22T13:54:00.001-04:002015-09-22T13:54:49.715-04:00Be About More Than What You Make – Tip #15<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Most companies focus their communication efforts on the
products they make and the services they offer. That makes sense as it’s these
things that drive revenue and growth. However, in PR, that’s only part of the story
that can be told. In my last blog, I wrote about creating a <a href="http://www.connect2comm.blogspot.com/2015/09/create-story-telling-engine.html">story
telling engine</a>. What I’m going to cover with this blog is creating a story
line fueled by a different type of gas. </div>
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<br /></div>
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At every major business publication (<a href="http://topics.wsj.com/person/F/rachel-feintzeig/7054">Wall Street Journal</a>,
<a href="http://www.usnews.com/topics/author/robin-madell">U.S. News &
World Report</a>, <a href="http://www.ft.com/management/andrew-hill">Financial
Times</a>, <a href="http://projects.nytimes.com/corner-office">New York Times</a>,<a href="http://fortune.com/leadership/"> Fortune</a>, etc.) there is at least one
reporter covering management and leadership. Often times, this same reporter
also covers HR, employee issues, recruiting and compensation. If your company
is public, or in an interesting or hot market, there is a good chance you can
get them to talk to the CEO of your company. You’ll need to figure out a hook,
something that the reporter can latch onto, but this is often a very good way
to showcase a smart company leader and get a placement in a top tier
publication. If this is a thread you’d like to pursue, spend some time with the
CEO and talk to them about their management style, how they view leadership and
cultivate development internally. Also ask them about groups they are involved
with outside of their corporate role and how they see those positions as
relevant to their job as your company’s chief executive. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Next, read about the
latest trends in management and then interview your CEO on their views so you
can craft an intelligent pitch. Finally, read what the reporters at these
publications (and dozens more) are writing about so you can fine tune the pitch
to help them tell a story they are interested in telling.</div>
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Let’s say the CEO angle won’t work for you. Maybe you’re
company is too small or your CEO isn’t interested in talking with the media.
There are still plenty of other story lines that can be created that showcase
your company’s path to market and the reasons you are likely to win in the
marketplace. These story lines could center on your manufacturing process or
channel programs, your social media strategies or community leadership. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We have a client that makes these amazing videos that help
tell their corporate story, the value of what they bring to market and the
challenges faced by the industry they are in. Their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMiFduHMVgWvidoNmBJWUaQ">videos</a> are
one of the company’s primary lead-generation methods—creating awareness in the
videos and driving traffic to them is a priority. To help raise the visibility
of these videos, we’ve submitted them for, and they have won, numerous industry
awards. These awards, and the announcements announcing the wins, have driven
traffic to their YouTube channel and their website. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Another client has built a really interesting campaign
called <a href="http://gigcommunities.net/">Enabling Communities, Connecting
Lives that allows</a> its customers to tell stories about how technology is
having an impact on their community. We’ll look into this strategy of using
customers to tell your story in the next blog of this series.</div>
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Using different types of fuel to get your story engine
running means you’ll cover more miles on your journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, I know that’s a corny way to end
this blog but hey, it’s my story. </div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-90426393906817279952015-09-18T14:43:00.000-04:002015-09-18T14:48:36.742-04:00<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #78b749; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.25em 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px;">
Beginner's Guide to Navigating Public Relations</h3>
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Graduating from college with a four year degree can often
inflate the ego to a massive size. It is surely a big accomplishment for
anyone, no matter your background. It can fill you with a sense of pride and
make you feel like you are on top of the world. I myself, felt that I knew what
to expect after I graduated, that I knew what the world of public relations
was. I had taken an informative media relations class my final semester at NC
State University, and felt that I could be a great PR professional right out of
the gate. Little did I realize just how big the PR world is, and how small I am
in comparison.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course, that doesn’t diminish the job I do, rather it
puts things into perspective. PR is much more than getting up in front of a
bunch of reporters and saying things that you won’t have to recant or regret
later that day as popularized by Hollywood and the 24 hour news organizations.
I have learned in the two and a half months of my being in the PR field that it
takes a proverbial village to create content and a coherent message for a
client. Press lists and media relations don’t just fall from the sky like rain.
It takes time, patience and knowledge about your client’s industry to get
things done. I’ve also learned that the PR world rarely sleeps, requiring you
to always be ready for whatever comes your way, whenever that might be. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This by no means defines PR as a boring or dreadful
industry. While it may be daunting at first to understand how to maintain press
lists, draft case studies, press releases, etc., you will begin to feel a
certain type of pride in your work. You will begin to realize that you aren’t
such a small piece of the puzzle after all. I know I have. Everyone plays a
role in how good PR is generated for any company, no matter what your title or
position is. If I don’t get a briefing book done and it doesn’t get sent out,
then one of our clients will be unprepared for a briefing or meeting with an
analyst or member of the press. That can lead to a bad quote, a
misunderstanding of what the meeting is about, or anything else that can damage
one of our client’s relationships with the press or analyst groups. Being on
the “bottom rung” doesn’t make you any less important when it comes to PR.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Getting into PR right out of school is challenging. It will
be far different from anything you are used to and you might feel as though
what you are doing is mundane and pointless. Trust me, it isn’t. Everything you
do has a purpose, because PR is a total team effort, despite what those in the
general public believe. Just like you can’t give all the credit for a winning
touchdown pass in a football game to a quarterback, no one person is
responsible for amazing PR in a company.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05579277010406987137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-10065798576597977082015-09-11T08:42:00.000-04:002015-09-11T08:51:22.125-04:00Create a Story Telling Engine - Tip 14<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Good stories just don’t happen. Like an engine, they need
multiple components to work together in order to make something happen. The
engine in your car doesn’t run on gasoline alone, it takes oil, coolant and a
spark to get things started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like a
story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stories need to combine a variety of elements to get the
reader from start to finish. Many companies forget this and try to build
stories using only one facet of their company – their products. The problem is
products are only part of a company’s whole story. Sure, products are often the
protagonist in the story, but if that is the only aspect told, then the story
is limited. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A better approach is to define a narrative that includes the
marketplace, the customer and the company as a whole. Now, companies have an
opportunity to articulate how a product benefits the target customer, how it
offers something unique or fills a gap in the market, and how it fits in the
company’s short and long terms plans to win. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The risk with only telling one line of a story is that it
leaves a lot up to the imagination of the reader. Basically, the storyteller is
asking the reader to connect all the dots themselves – why the product matters
to customers, what are the competitive differentiators and where the company
fits in the marketplace. That’s a lot to ask of any reader.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A good PR program should be, in essence, a story telling
engine for the company. The market, customers, investors and other interested
parties all need to understand where the company is going and how each move it
makes fits in the longer, broader narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To do this, PR needs to dig deeper into the company’s business and
market objectives to understand the story in long form. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A deeper understanding of what is happening in the market is
needed so the PR team can maximize how announcements fit into events that are
shaping the respective industry. PR must also be willing to take the time to
understand the company’s products and appreciate what goes into bringing a
specific product to market. Finally, PR needs to understand what is driving
customers to look for the products and technologies a company sells, so they
can match their company’s narrative to the story a prospect wants to hear. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This takes time and can’t be done on the fly. This idea of
creating a story telling engine is fundamental to transforming public relations
from passive to active and into a program that creates real, long-term value
for a company and not just quick hits that few remember. </div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-3236141151396181952014-04-15T15:39:00.001-04:002014-04-15T15:39:27.124-04:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide Tip 13: Be Active and Engaged
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With all the new technologies and information available,
from e-mail to IM to databases to online contact forms, it’s easy to take a
passive approach to connecting with people. Send something out into the ether
and wait for a response. I understand why people do it, it’s safe, low risk and
you don’t run the risk of having “no” said directly to you. It’s also the
completely wrong approach if you want to have a long-term, successful career in
PR. If you were a doctor, could you be effective if you only diagnosed patients
over e-mail? Not any doctor that I’d want to see. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some comments posted on an earlier </span><a href="http://www.connect2comm.blogspot.com/2014/03/52-tips-for-strong-pr-2014-users-guide.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">blog
post</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> about relationships made the point that with a good database,
relationships don’t matter anymore. I find the opposite to be true. First, most
databases struggle to stay current with shifting beats, and certainly do
nothing to capture reporter interests, preferences or interview styles.
Secondly, if more people have access to any given reporters information, the
amount of contact received each day goes up dramatically. If the reporter is
now getting 100 pitches that are all part of his or her beat coverage, having a
relationship with that reporter becomes even more important. While I understand
and agree that the quality of the pitch, and how well you’re telling a story is
critical, lots of strong PR people are good at writing pitches. If a reporter
knows you as a person, and you’ve shared kid photos, had coffee or helped him
find a source for a story, the likelihood that he responds to your pitch first
goes up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You also need to make sure that you are getting or staying
engaged. There are lots of ways to accomplish this. A simple place to start is following
and interacting with influencers on Twitter. You should also take the time to
compliment reporters, bloggers, analysts, etc. on articles, posts or reports
you read and enjoyed. Even better is when you post their content on social
media sites to help expand the influencer’s reach. Remember, none of these
people you’re trying to reach are creating their content in a vacuum, they are
creating it so others can read it, process it and form an opinion. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Where this passivity or lack of engagement can get you in
trouble is when you rely on only one way to reach someone important to your
company or client. This can be a reporter, blogger, analyst, conference
organizer, or any number of others that can have an influence on your company
or clients success. You send an e-mail and wait. You have no idea what else
they have on their plate and they are busy so your e-mail is easy to ignore.
You send a follow up with no new information and again are ignored. You can
then pretend they weren’t interested, and maybe they weren’t, but could be they
just didn’t see it or that the pitch didn’t register as something they’d be
interested in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not suggesting that you become a stalker, or continue to
bombard someone that has said “no.” But your job requires you to get your
company or client in front of people and to do that, you have to take an active,
engaged approach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-51932474460610238602014-04-04T13:37:00.000-04:002014-04-04T13:37:17.124-04:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide Tip 12: Find the Current
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the most interesting aspects of public relations is
how it, if executed well, can enable a company to leverage current trends and
market developments to its advantage. PR can help companies latch onto emerging
market drivers to help boost awareness, demonstrate thought leadership and
drive interest. It can preset expectations ahead of big product launches and
defuse the actions of close competitors. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This current can also be very effective in helping shape a
market by your company’s strengths and the competitors’ weaknesses, by articulating
how your features and functionality better match where the market is going and
how it is better suited to help customers get there. To be most effective with
this, you should leverage a broad range of communication channels from media
interviews, analyst discussions, speaking opportunities, customer events,
blogs, social media and probably several others I’m neglecting to mention. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finding the current can also help elevate a company that
seems to get stuck talking about what it makes and not what is driving the need
for its products to market. With this granular level of focus with its media
relations, a company can miss out on opportunities to demonstrate thought
leadership. Given how many stories are written each day about trends shaping
the market, the pending impact of regulation or even what the next season’s
trends will be, these are great opportunities. These forward looking
opportunities don’t focus on what a company makes, but demonstrates that your
company is thinking about how the market is changing as it designs, develops
and brings new products and services to market. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Companies can also link to current market trends to explain
how a business was negatively impacted by events outside its control. This is
not to suggest that outside market forces can become the complete scapegoat,
but they can help shade when something didn’t go as planned. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Regardless of how you want to leverage market trends and
shifts, it’s important to know what they are so you can position your company
effectively. Social media, conversations with key industry influencers, reading
analyst reports and blogs, are all good ways to keep your toe in the water to
feel which way the current is flowing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-89681486957711164662014-03-21T09:48:00.000-04:002014-03-21T09:48:28.321-04:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide Tip 11: Develop an Authentic Voice(s)
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyone that works in PR can tell you, there is a lot of
writing. We write case studies, press releases, contributed articles, pitches,
FAQs, media alerts, award submissions, speaking abstracts, event materials,
website copy, bios and probably a hundred other things during the course of an
average month. While some of these types of writing overlap in terms of style,
most require a unique style of writing to be effective. With each, you’re
telling a story, but how quickly you tell it, and how you structure the writing
will be different. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add to this, is the need to hone your voice as a PR person
so that when you reach out to media, write a blog, correspond with clients or
present at conferences, it is authentic so people understand who you are.
Developing an authentic voice is hard because the strictures that govern so
much of our writing don’t support creativity or originality. When I work with
people on our team, editing things they’ve written, I rarely rewrite it for
them; instead I prefer to provide guidance as to what the piece needs to cover.
It’s up to them to put the language in their own voice. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I write, I know which message I think should be given
the most weight, where to use humor or make a particular point with the voice I
want heard, but I don’t often find it in the first draft. Like any writer, I
can get caught up in my own head as I write, running an idea down until there
is nothing left to say in the first draft. It’s usually on the second or third
pass that I layer in the right tone, craft the right symbolism and make the
piece my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Going beyond the voice we need to develop as a PR person, is
ensuring that our voice doesn’t obscure the voice of the client or company for
which we write. We have clients that like their writing loose and edgy and
others that are as conservative as they come, focusing on the bits and pieces
of what they do by habit. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Additionally, as a PR practitioner, you will regularly be
asked to ghostwrite for an executive. This can be a speech, blog, press release
quote, etc. The challenge will be to step out of your own “voice” and into the
voice of the person you’re writing for. To do this, you have to know them,
which can sometimes be a challenge if you’re just starting out and get limited
face time with an executive. If this is the case, try and find videos of the
person speaking at a conference or listen to interviews that have been
recorded. It’s easy to fall back into writing in your voice when you don’t have
access to the person or any samples to review, but you have to remember that
the person is not you, does not have your experiences and doesn’t necessarily
want to project the image that you might want them to. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having the ability and talent to be authentic and help
others sound authentic is a skill to be nurtured and will be highly valuable in
today’s competitive marketplace. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-83410334433498004252014-03-12T16:47:00.002-04:002014-03-12T16:47:35.248-04:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide Tip 10: Forget the Formula
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the worst traps a PR person can fall into is getting
stuck using the same formula for PR campaigns. This is true for people just
entering the field and for folks like me that have been at it for 20+ years. We
develop habits, make assumptions based on past campaigns, get comfortable with
a certain set of tactics, and believe that because something worked once (or a
hundred times), it will work again. Sometimes it does, so the habit continues
to become engrained. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The danger is that you become stale as a PR practitioner and
fail to leverage new techniques, opportunities or tactics that can help you
achieve more than you were able to before. A primary example is how press
releases are written. Many press releases are still written in the inverted
pyramid style, even when the news is too minor to be of interest to the media.
The rise in social media and news aggregation sites makes this type of
announcement more important though, and enhances your ability to talk directly
to the end customer, partner, investor or anyone else that you are trying to
influence. Because you know the media won’t care, you can free up the way the
release is written, providing a more feature-like reading experience for anyone
that reads it on Yahoo!, WSJ.com, LightReading.com, etc. Because you’re not
relying on telling the story through the journalist, you can talk directly to
the audience, tell a deeper story and put the news into the right context. It
also allows you to tell more stories about a company’s development as it
evolves, showcasing how each move or change fits into a master plan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Events are another staple in the PR world and helping the sales
team plan another customer event or plan a product launch party can be tedious
when everyone else involved would rather be doing something else. It’s easy to
do what has been done before, mostly because you know the potential roadblocks
that might exist and can navigate them through to a successful completion. But this
is an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to an event that has become
tired. Think about ways for the customers to interact with each other and your
team in a new and exciting way, make customer gifts original and thought
provoking, find a speaker that doesn’t fit the normal profile or host a dinner
somewhere unexpected. The value with this approach is if you do it right, you create
a special memory for the customer that is tied specifically to your company’s
brand so that every time they remember it, they think fondly of your company. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The final area to cover, and I know there are hundreds more
that could be explored, is pitching. The standard pitch process has become so
mundane that many press don’t even read 1/3 of what comes into their e-mail
inbox. That’s because the formula most often used is something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dear Reporter:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope this e-mail finds you well.
I wanted to see if I could get time on your calendar for a conversation with
XXX Company to talk about their new XXXX product. The product is designed to
help customers achieve outstanding results with their internal management
operations, saving them from now unneeded capital costs and reducing
operational burn…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you’d like to schedule a call,
please let me know if Tuesday or Wednesday of next week work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Best,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">PR Person<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is nothing inherently wrong with the pitch above, but
I’m willing to bet that it looks a lot like hundreds of other pitches a
reporter sees every day. So how can you break the formula? It can be as simple as
a start that mentions a recent story the reporter wrote and why it made you
think that the reporter would be interested in what your company or client wants
to talk about. The pitch above is also positioned as a one-way conversation
with the reporter in a passive listening voice, instead of inviting the
journalists to a conversation about a topic that is driving<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the market, a topic that they are clearly interested
in based on the stories they’ve been writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I once pitched Doug Gross at CNN with a subject that read
“So I see you’re writing about porn…” because I read on twitter that he was writing
about how Twitter was looking to hide 6-second Vine sex tapes from unsuspecting
users. The pitch got an almost immediate response from Doug, who called it the
best pitch he’d gotten all year, and started a dialog about a client that most
likely wouldn’t have happened if I’d used a formulaic pitch. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you have ideas of other ways, or other areas, where PR
folks could forget the formula and try something new and fresh, please post
them in the comments section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-53587612129367517832014-03-06T08:30:00.000-05:002014-03-06T08:30:01.960-05:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide Tip 9: It’s All About the Relationship
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the past 20 years, I’ve developed a thick skin. The
extra layers of epidermis include scar tissue from internal battles of
messaging, PR campaigns that went really well and off the rails, executive
scandals, volcano eruptions and a host of other programs that--because of luck
and hard work--caused little or no damage to my clients’ brands. With the
emergence of social media platforms like Twitter, a thick skin can be helpful
when snarky journalists work out their frustrations by whipping PR folks
publically. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The truth is, over the course of your career, you’re going
to get on the bad side of reporters. Sometimes because of mistakes you make,
and sometimes because you’re following the directive of your company or client.
When things go south, companies often put the PR person in front of the media
to help give distance for executives, but also because they can make an easy
scapegoat if the message falls flat. I remember a time, over a decade ago, that
a company I was working for was announcing an acquisition. The chief financial
officer wanted the news to be above the fold in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
and to do that, we had to offer them an exclusive. I argued against the
exclusive because I didn’t think we needed it. We had great traction with the
WSJ, New York Times, Financial Times and all the wires. Given the attention the
company was getting, and the size of the acquisition, everyone was going to
cover it. If we gave an exclusive to the WSJ, we would alienate other reporters
following the company and that would hurt us in the short run and over time, if
the company hit a rough patch. I lost the argument and as soon as the news hit
the wire at midnight my phone was ringing. Words like trust, relationship,
betrayal, etc., were spit at me by top reporters from the rest of the major
outlets and none of them covered the news. Some of those relationships I was
able to repair over time but some of them still won’t talk to me today, over
thirteen years later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The good news is you move on, and so do reporters. Their
beats change, the publications they write for shift and time eventually heals
all wounds…hopefully. And what we do as PR people change. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the flip side, I have relationships with key media like
Om Malik that date back to my time at InFocus and his time at Forbes. We’ve
maintained our friendship and good working relationship through three
companies, the start of my firm and his moves leading up to founding <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GigaOm</i>. The same holds true for Scott
Raynovich, who I met when he was at Red Herring, then moved to Light Reading
and eventually to his own site, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rayno
Report</i>. And the person that I probably consider one of my closest friends
in the media world, Carol Wilson, whom I’ve known since her days at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Interactive Week</i>, then <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NetEconomy</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Telephony</i> and now <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Light Reading</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These relationships exist because we’ve connected outside of
the pitch process. We’ve shared meals outside of a briefing, watched ball
games, shared stories about family and even, at one event, got to meet Tommy
Lasorda. These folks, and many more, take briefings because they know when I approach
them it’s relevant to their coverage area or because it’s something I know
they’ll find interesting, even if it’s not a perfect fit. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This level of trust and mutual respect takes time to build.
There are other reporters I’ve known the same amount of time but don’t have
this type of relationship with because I don’t like them and they don’t like
me. But that happens and you can’t sweat it as a PR professional and still survive
and thrive. The key is to find the people you like and respect, and work to
develop relationships that can last your entire career. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-45585221203696829762014-02-28T08:04:00.000-05:002014-02-28T08:04:22.540-05:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide Tip 8: Go Deep and Wide
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of things I encourage any PR person to do is dig deep
and go wide. Let’s cover deep first. Deep in your understanding of what your
company or client does, including the products and technology, partners and
customers, markets served and competitive threats. This knowledge will enable
you to be an effective first contact for reporters that are interested in what
your company does or wants to learn more about what makes its market tick. This
knowledge not only makes you credible to reporters and analysts, but also to
the executives, product teams, sales people and anyone else that lives and
breathes what your company does every day. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s also important that you understand your or your
client’s business so you can help shape the company’s story as it evolves. This
will help put context around the moves the company makes as it progresses
through its various stages, and help you explain these moves or changes to press
and analysts so they are viewed as part of a larger plan. It also makes a
difference as you pitch reporters and analysts and walk them through the value
prop, market relevance and how whatever announcement you’re making fits within
the overall corporate strategy. During interviews, you can help keep the story
on track and make suggestions to your spokesperson about how to frame certain
aspects of the conversation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I tell PR people they need to be wide, I mean they need
to be able to carry a conversation. We’ve all been there, at a dinner with the
CTO of a client and a reporter that have nothing in common other than the topic
of discussion. It’s part of the ritual. Not so much about delivering the news,
but about the relationship so that mutual respect and a connection can be
created that can provide value over time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The problem is, everyone at the table comes from different backgrounds,
with different interests and influences. Part of your job as a PR person is to
keep the conversation flow going so that there aren’t the awkward silences that
leave both the executive and reporter leaving the meal unsatisfied. By wide, I
mean you need to stay current on a wide range of topics from the environment and
science to music and current events, so that you can help start or foster
conversations as everyone gets to know each other. The point isn’t to dominate
the conversation, but bring up topics that the other two might have some
knowledge of or an interest in discussing as the ice is broken.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To help develop a wide data set, I often suggest reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">USA Today</i> and a publication specific to your industry. You don’t
need to be the expert, but you do need to be able to start a conversation, or
several conversations, during a meal or over drinks and this base of
information can be helpful. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not every interaction will require you to be deep or wide,
but it’s always good to have the ability to do either when needed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-76214433905701375712014-02-19T09:00:00.000-05:002014-02-19T09:00:08.303-05:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide Tip 7: Don’t be a flak<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If there was ever a four letter word in PR, it’s flak. It’s
used by media and execs, in the movies and on TV as a joke and as a slur -- and
is 100 percent the wrong image for our industry and for any PR professional.
The idea that PR is run by brainless individuals that just do the bidding of
some executive is a stereotype we can’t afford. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So let’s put that aside for a minute and talk about what a
PR person should be and what our industry should represent. PR is the steward
of the company message and the chief protector of the company’s brand and
image. PR helps the company appreciate how it is understood, the difference
between its brand identity and brand knowledge, and how everything from trends
to competitive threats to company evolution will impact the market. We are the </span><a href="http://www.connect2comm.blogspot.com/2014/01/52-tips-for-strong-pr-2014-users-guide_15.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">calm</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
in the storm when a crisis hits, and the first line of defense when things go
wrong. We help the CEO articulate his message, the CFO provide context to the
street and the CTO turn technology jargon into comprehendible English.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are planners. We help a company understand how to shape
its message through media engagement, speaking opportunities, contributed
articles, awards and social media. We focus on the bigger messaging framework
to ensure the company talks about itself as a whole, instead of focusing on the
individual pieces. We make sure analysts understand where the company is going,
why it has picked this direction and how this journey will benefit customers,
investors, partners and employees. We ensure that our company spokespeople are
prepped before an interview so that they know what the reporter is writing about,
details about their interview style and insight into their knowledge of the
market, company and technology. We also make sure that the reporter has what
they need to be successful – providing access to customers, partners, experts,
information and ideas that help tell a bigger story than any one press release
might indicate. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We do all of this before we ever pick up the phone and call
a reporter. In truth, for a good PR person, 90% of our job is done before the
media are approached. So why do reporters love to feed the stereotype that PR
people are flaks? There are probably dozens of reasons that would require a
couch and a degree different than mine, but I think the main reason is some PR
people often set themselves up as simply the messenger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A key value a good PR person brings to their clients or
company is to serve both the internal needs as well as the needs of the
reporter. To do that effectively, you have to earn the trust of both groups and
then work to build upon that trust and maintain it. You have to really
understand what your company or client is trying to do and why their approach
has merit in the marketplace. You have to understand how a product will impact
a customer or market and how it differs from a competitor. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we decide to work with new clients, I always tell them
that they are not going to like everything I say to them. They might fire us
for that, but one of the things they are paying our firm for is our opinion. If
they decide to do something we think will have negative repercussions, we
provide alternative options and tell them what we think might happen if they
continue down that path. We’ll do everything we can to keep what we might think
will happen from happening, but we don’t back down if our experience, insight
and expertise are telling us something different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not worried about ruffling feathers, soothing egos or
simply cashing a check. I’m concerned with how the company presents itself and
how it is perceived. My focus from a program development and strategy
perspective is on the long game: how little pieces here and bigger pieces there
will help form a complete picture of the company, its prospects and relative
market value. Reporters come and go, beats change, executives move on, but your
reputation follows you wherever you go. So…don’t be a flak. <o:p></o:p></span>Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-83881057149843414372014-02-12T09:30:00.000-05:002014-02-12T09:30:03.444-05:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide Tip 6: Be Social Online and Off
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Social networking is everywhere. You can use it to book a
reservation, review a restaurant, ogle at a friend’s vacation photos, find out
who’s writing about what, interact with an old friend and make new ones. There are”Follow
Fridays”, “must reads”, “likes”, “check-ins” and dozens of other ways to
interact on today’s social networks. Online social networks have become so pervasive
that social networking has overtaken porn as the No. 1 activity on the web,
according to a recent story in </span><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3021749/work-smart/10-surprising-social-media-statistics-that-will-make-you-rethink-your-social-stra"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Fast
Company</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But do social networks really enable you to form real
connections? There was a great story last week by Casey Johnston of ArsTechnica
titled “</span><a href="http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/02/how-we-ruin-social-networks-facebook-specifically/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">How
we ruin social networks, Facebook specifically</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.” In the story, Casey
writes, “But the ability to keep tabs on someone without having to be proactive
about it—no writing an e-mail, making a phone call, etc.—became the unique
selling factor of Facebook….Facebook became a rich opportunity for ‘convert[ing]
latent ties into weak ties,’ connections that are valuable because they are
with people who are sufficiently distant socially to bring in new information
and opportunities.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Weak ties” is the key phrase here. Can you really create a
connection with someone when the only contact is online? I’ve “favorited” and
“retweeted” hundreds of stories by editors on Twitter but that doesn’t mean
I’ve engaged with anyone. I’ve “liked” posts on Facebook and have accumulated
over 750 connections on LinkedIn, but does that mean anything? Maybe.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think one of the traps PR people can fall into today is
relying too heavily on online social media and ignore the social networks they
can create offline. This can be as simple as jumping on a call a few minutes
early to chat with a reporter or calling them for no other reason but to check
in. It can be coffee or cocktails at a conference or breakfast at a trade show.
It could be simply helping connect them with someone for a story they have to
write to meet a deadline. And I mean a story that doesn’t include your company
or client. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Trade shows and conferences are great ways to extend your
social network in real life. We manage the press room at ITEXPO, one of the
business technology industry’s top conferences on IP communications. Our job
there is to make sure the media attending gets the most they can out of the
show. During the few days the reporters are with us, they are slammed with
sessions, briefings, keynotes and conversations. To give them some respite, we
take them out one night for drinks and dinner, with no agenda but to give them
a break from the craziness. When the telecom show SUPERCOMM still existed, we
partnered with the great folks at Engage PR to host “No Pitch Nights” at
Chicago White Sox and Cubs games. At these events, the only pitch was on the
field. The connections we make during these events are anything but weak
because they were built on real conversations and understandings, of mutual
respect and discovering the things we had in common. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The tip here is to make sure you’re forming connections
online and off so that your relationships are multi-dimensional and
meaningful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether you’re comparing
trade rumors for a favorite sports team, swapping stories on business travel
nightmares or sharing what your kids are up to these days, it’s all about creating
real connections. When you are able to cultivate these types of relationships,
it will help you cut through the inbox clutter and secure a conversation for
your company or client. When the story runs, then you can share it on social
media and see how many “likes” you get from all the people you really don’t
know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-5003101763171365262014-02-05T14:14:00.002-05:002014-02-05T14:14:20.145-05:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide Tip 5: Think Laterally
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Humans are creatures of habit. We like to do the same
things, see the same types of movies, eat the same types of food, and tend to
date the same type of person. We see the world in a linear way, with cause and
effect, and where an action has a predictable reaction. While that’s an
acceptable approach for most of your life, it’s not okay for PR professionals
that want to cut through the clutter that bombards most journalists. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s where linear thinking comes into play within PR. A
client or company wants to make an announcement; a PR person writes a pitch and
e-mails it to an editor, reporter, analyst or blogger. There is no response so
the PR person sends another e-mail, then another, then follows up with a phone
call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this doesn’t work, they might
try to ping someone on Twitter or will more likely move on to someone else on
the list at the publication, or another publication that covers the topic. While
sometimes a non-answer can be a simple timing issue, it’s usually a sign that
the journalist isn’t interested. This, however, is where the process breaks
down because the PR person will just move on to other journalists, or another
pitch, and never consider the fact that their methods might be the problem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is the old adage about the definition of insanity –
doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The
linear thinking for many in our profession is that the PR person doesn’t change
the approach, value proposition or idea as they try to connect and generate
interest from the editor; they just bang away because it is what they learned
to do. The linear approach can work, especially when a reporter knows the
company or PR person, but more often than not, the PR person ends up getting
called out on Twitter by an annoyed reporter (fairly or unfairly).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are ways other than a standard pitch to create
attention for and interest in your company or client. First, you can try to tap
into a broader trend that is shaping the industry and use that as a means to
introduce your idea to a journalist. Second, you can share an idea that
includes several clients or companies that are all able to talk about a
different aspect of an issue or market trend. Third, you can include customers,
partners and respected analysts in the mix to demonstrate that the idea is
bigger than your company alone. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can also leave the pitch in your draft folder unsent and
look to engage with media in a non-traditional way. Over the past decade, we’ve
created a variety of events and programs that showcase our clients without a
standard pitch. The first was an event we called “CXO Dinner,” where C-level
execs from our clients’ companies got together for an open Q&A with the
media on an industry topic. They weren’t allowed to talk about their company or
solutions; just the market need and what should or could happen. The idea here
was to show that the men and women running these companies were smart and
understood how the market around them was developing. The intent wasn’t
coverage of the event, although that did happen. Our goal was to get reporters
thinking about our executives as thought leaders, on topics bigger than their
individual companies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also do something each week called “call downs.” This is
when one of our team members touches base with a reporter or analyst to check-in,
see what they are working on or even to simply catch up on a common interest
outside of work. It’s not a pitch per se, but more about building
relationships, understanding what the reporter is interested in at the moment
and what stories they are planning in the near future. During these calls, we
might offer some insight, or suggest and analyst or executive they can talk
with, but it’s always part of the organic conversation. Most PR people only
reach out to reporters when they want or need something and that kind of linear
thinking doesn’t help you, your client or the relationship with the reporter. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The beauty of lateral thinking is that it can be specific to
a reporter, an industry trend, a pitch or a company. The goal is to be unique
and creative and present your idea in a way that is surprising, intriguing and
engaging. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-39735773332239288382014-01-29T12:59:00.003-05:002014-01-29T12:59:52.129-05:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide: Tip 4: Stay in Tune with Your Clients/Company's Evolution
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nothing stays the same, and truth be told, it shouldn’t. For
one thing, that would be an immensely boring song, but more importantly, things
that stay the same grow stagnant and often wither and die. This holds true for
companies as well. Companies need to evolve based on market changes, shifting <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>priorities, technology advances, customer and
partner engagement and hundreds of other possible factors that create both opportunities
and challenges that crop up as it works through its market. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some of these changes are organic as a company moves from
product concept to delivery, from thought leadership to market leadership, from
private to public. Some are forced by changes in marketing conditions or customer
demands. It’s critical for PR to understand how these changes fit within the
company’s long-term messaging and positioning and how they relate to the market
as a whole. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Part of our job as PR professionals is to help our company
and clients understand how to evolve messaging to support changes that a company
might be undergoing. Our agency likes to work with our clients on strategies
and programs that are based on where they want to be in 12 – 18 months, and
then re-evaluate every quarter to ensure we accommodate any new changes. And
something always changes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not all the changes will be huge or particularly important
in isolation, but can possibly be used to articulate a broader story about your
company, its milestones and ability to adapt to changing market environments.
You will need to stay on top of what internal changes might be happening that
can positively or negatively impact the PR program. This can be as simple as a
new executive that can be established as an expert resource to the media, or
the addition of a new vertical market that you need to help tap into. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This can be particularly challenging when the industry moves
and your company takes a step in a direction that might be controversial in the
short term, but is ultimately a critical part of its longer-term plan. Our job
it to make sure we explain how it fits in the company’s strategy over time. The
truth is, not everyone will understand or appreciate every move your company
makes, even with the best of explanations. But it’s important to articulate how
everything fits into the company’s overall vision so that whatever change takes
place isn’t seen as an unconnected, isolated event or change. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My final point is what to do when a change is based on a negative
event or situation. A CEO leaving, a product failure, a customer loss, etc.,
are all bad things that happen sometimes to really good companies. A lot of
people will want to gloss over these events, and while you can certainly spin
some aspects into a neutral, you shouldn’t try to convince anyone that these
changes are something they are not. Doing this can severely damage your
company’s reputation, and lead to problems when there is good news to share but
your credibility has already been damaged. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7832119862785648654.post-73104835491331670922014-01-22T08:44:00.000-05:002014-01-22T08:44:16.594-05:0052 Tips for Strong PR – A 2014 Users Guide: Tip #3: The “No Comment” Conundrum
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“No comment!” always sounds great in the movies and on TV.
Reporters gamely don’t push back and move right on to the next question. But in
real life, the world we work in, it’s more likely to be met with “You’re
kidding, right? Then why am I on the phone with you?”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not saying that you have to comment on every question
asked, or that you need to take an interview and expect to answer questions
that don’t help move your business forward, I’m just saying that the statement
“no comment” doesn’t play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s start with why you don’t want to answer certain
questions. First, the answer might give away propriety information or a
competitive advantage. Second, your company might have a policy that it doesn’t
release certain types of information regarding the company’s customers,
finances or technology. Third, it might be clear that the reporter or analyst
is baiting you to answer something inflammatory or that could be used out of
context later. It’s best to have a policy in place before you ever talk to a
reporter about what you’re willing to comment on and what you’re not. An
interview can quickly become uncomfortable for both you and the reporter if you
selectively answer questions only when it’s convenient or opportune for you,
and not at other times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So what do you say when a reporter or analyst asks a question
you’d rather not answer? My recommendation is to be honest instead of evasive.
Simply say “that’s not information we’re ready to disclose” or “that
information is considered proprietary, so we can’t answer that.” Most reporters
will respect that type of answer, even if they continue to push to get the
answer. Remember, that’s their job. Your job is to stay on message. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Part of the job as a PR person is to help a company or
client understand the questions they are likely to get during a news push or
cycle and prepare to answer them to the best of their ability. Sometimes, you
have to expect hard, specific questions and you’ll need to help prepare your
spokesperson accordingly. You are not doing anyone any favors by sugar coating
an interview scenario, or ignoring a potential interview angle because it might
make someone uncomfortable. This is especially true when the news cycle is bad,
or you’re dealing with a crisis situation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A lot of frustration can be dealt with up front, when you
are talking directly with the reporter or producer, letting them know what type
of questions your spokesperson can’t answer. This is not to suggest that you
ask for all of the questions up front, but if you’re clear on what your client
or company can’t discuss, you’re better off than if you just decide to handle
if they come up during the interview.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So leave the “no comments” to the big screen and handle
awkward questions like a professional. You and your client will be better off
in the long run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Richard M. Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14398971044661585848noreply@blogger.com0