EURSSMediaRelations

4 misfit PR candidates you’ll likely interview

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:57:08 GMT

In the course of a recent recruitment effort, we came across certain types of applicants.

When the employment rate sits on the side of employers, candidates need to step up. We hope this gives job-seekers an insight into what won’t work in today’s competitive market.

The Charmer

This is the candidate who loves a conversation and can talk their way out of anything. They can answer every question, and they almost steal the show with quirky experiences and humorous expressions. Though captivated during the interview, we worried about substance and whether we would actually get high-quality work and commitment.

The Confider

This was a close contender to our winner because of their candor about what they can and can’t do. We felt confident this person would raise any personal or work issues, and that we wouldn’t need to worry about their being disloyal or divulging confidential information. What we struggled with was the candidate’s confidence and whether they would back themselves when it came to grueling client or media situations.

The Giggler

This candidate made us wonder if we were on “Candid Camera”; despite looking strong on paper, they made it hard to take them seriously. Instead of directly answering a question, these candidates would chuckle, breathe heavily, or actively search for an experience that would answer standard interview questions. Our tip for this job-seeker would be to familiarize themselves with interviews, have work samples ready, and do research on the company and role they’re applying for.

The Non-Committer

Juggling a number of interviews at a time, this candidate is a serial interviewee (and you may even get their application twice). They know the drill and answer the questions—even the one on what attracted you to this role—with the same script you know they’ve shared with others. They actually don’t care what job they’re going for, they just want a “job.” For this candidate, we say avoid the shotgun approach (which doesn’t work in our field)—you catch more jobs with a more targeted approach.

The Gun

This is the candidate we go for. They’re enthusiastic, they have relevant experience, they know the role, and they have researched our company. They can confidently answer questions and can identify unfortunate situations and their role in resolving them. Their personality matches the position and industry they’re applying for—they’re personable, funny, intelligent, and ambitious, yet humble and ready to dive into a new environment.

As employers receive an avalanche of applications for job openings they advertise, it’s important for job-seekers to find ways to stand out. If you don’t have the skills and experience listed, it’s better to contact the company before applying to see how they’re tracking. That way you don’t waste your time or theirs. With all the ways to communicate and build relationships—including Twitter, LinkedIn, video, and the good old phone call—would-be candidates should take a step back from auto-apply and think how they can leave an impression that lands that next key role.

Nicole Reaney is the founder and director of Australia-based boutique agency Inside Out PR, an industry leader in creativity and technology solutions. A version of this story first appeared on the agency's blog.

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KFC gets free buzz—from Gaza, of all places

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:54:04 GMT

Just how crave-worthy is KFC’s chicken? In the Middle East, they’re tunneling under the Egyptian border to deliver it to Gaza, according to a New York Times story.

The Times’ Fares Akran explains why something so common to some is revered by others:

Palestinians generally refer to Gaza as being under siege or blockade by Israel, and isolation from the world is among the most common complaints of people here. That can create an intense longing for what those outside Gaza see as mundane, or ordinary.

The story describes the complicated four-hour journey to get from El Arish, Egypt, past the Israeli blockade and into Gaza. There, customers are paying nearly three times what it would cost in stores.

Khalil Efrangi, a 31-year-old entrepreneur, started the delivery business. To avoid complication, his KFC orders are limited to chicken pieces, fries, and cole slaw.

In other finger-lickin’-good news…

The fast-food chain’s “I ate the bones” campaign has met with a positive response—notably from millennials—so KFC’s original recipe might go completely boneless in the near future, according to Fast Company.

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3 reasons to find a new PR/social media agency

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:52:53 GMT

The writing is on the wall, as they say. When something’s not right with your PR firm, the problem isn’t always easy to pinpoint, but eventually it becomes glaring—if you know where to look.

Here are three signs you should start looking for a new PR and social media agency:

First, if you firm is complacent—and doesn’t enthusiastically embrace opportunities to help you achieve your communications and business objectives—then it’s time to find a new PR partner. Energy and effort are huge in our business, and opportunities must be pursued and capitalized on when they are available.

If creative thinking is met with a sour response, or high-profile media opportunities are not seized aggressively, then you should sail your ship in other waters.

Second, if your PR firm isn’t yet developing content for a variety of media channels, then it’s time to move on. Our communications category has evolved—that’s clear—and content creation is king. It’s the whole royal family, to be honest.

Clients should be able to rely on one agency to help best penetrate traditional media and social media—and having an in-house creative services team is crucial to keep the content marketing engine firing.

Finally, despite the evolution in the category and the number of significant changes the PR business has endured over the years, it’s still about executing a communications program that helps drive business. So, look for another PR and social media agency partner if your current group is not directly supporting your business objectives.

There must be a correlation between a smart, strategic plan and measureable results that have directly contributed to helping the business succeed. Be certain your agency knows what has to be accomplished, develops a strategic plan for generating results, and executes well. Or look for another agency partner.

I’m highlighting a few of the obvious reasons to find a new PR firm—but what else do you think I could add to this list?

Scott Signore is the principal and CEO of Matter Communications. A version of this article first appeared on the company’s blog.

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How to apply PR skills at networking events

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:49:30 GMT

Public relations is a skill that applies not only to the media; it also applies to social situations, especially networking events where your image is everything.

I recently attended a local Chamber of Commerce networking event, and like every other entrepreneur, I went there to mix, mingle, find leads, make sales, and create new money. It’s the driving force behind every successful entrepreneur or business owner. The quicker you master these skills, the faster your business grows.

Roughly 150 people were at this NYC event. I’ve been to hundreds of journalism and PR mixers, but this business crowd was different. Unlike journalism conventions, where reporters sit back and observe, this Chamber of Commerce mixer was packed with type-A personalities. Every man and woman was focused and self-aware. No one waited for the right moment. Everyone seized even the smallest of openings.

The longer I mingled with New York City’s entrepreneurs, the more I realized how image matters in business—and not just on TV or in the papers.

As a former executive producer with WNBC and senior producer with CBS, I have more than a decade of experience working with publicists from all over the country. But you don’t need a lofty title to understand that some publicists get it and others ought to find a new career. Every journalist will tell you that a good publicist makes the job easy and a bad publicist turns it into a laborious task.

It was no different at this Chamber of Commerce networking event. The best entrepreneurs made the art of networking seem easy. The more awkward leaders made the event painful.

It got me to thinking: Public relations skills also apply to networking events. You might pay for salesforce or oprius, but if your networking skills are off, you might be doing just as much damage at these mixers as a hit job in the National Enquirer.

Here’s a quick rundown on how to apply your public relations skills to any networking event.

The best publicists listen and interact. The worst publicists talk to you and ask few questions. The best publicists know how to drive conversations. The worst publicists can drive a train into a house, and they won’t even see it coming. They aren’t in control of themselves or their ideas. When you’re networking, be conscious of your words and how you use them. Drive the conversation with open-ended questions that lead to your intended destination. Learn how to grab information by guiding conversations, as opposed to talking to others.

Make eye contact. This is a common-sense rule, but many people at this networking event failed to make consistent eye contact. It was as though they were afraid of emotionally connecting to me, or perhaps they were hiding something. If you have difficulty making eye contact with others, practice in the mirror. A sociology professor from college demonstrated this to my class, and it works. I do believe the eyes lead to the soul, so don’t be afraid to reveal a part of yourself at these social events. You’ll survive.

Dress the part. The best female publicists know how and when to reveal a bra strap. The best male publicists know when a touch on the elbow is appropriate and how long to hold on during a handshake. It doesn’t mean you need to express your sexuality like a porn star, but it does mean you need to be aware that connections are made through the sensory of skin. Use it to your advantage, but make sure you study this sociology before you start showing off lace or feeling up elbows. Be conscious of what you choose to wear that morning. I met some business professionals who looked like they stepped out of a 1970s Kmart catalog. I don’t want them advising me on creativity. If you’re expressive or creative, you will likely express it in your clothes. I’m sure it sounds shallow, but the reality is when you’re networking at these events, we base our perception on reality—and your reality is what you’re wearing at any given moment.

It’s not about me. It’s about you. In publicity, I tell clients we need to think of what the media needs—not what you need. It’s no different at networking events. When you learn that you are talking to a commercial real estate designer (as I discovered at this mixer), you need to learn more about what his/her needs are before you can determine whether or not you can work together. This takes us back to point No. 1. Listen and interact. The best publicists are authentic, and you can feel it when you first meet. That’s because these publicists understand that it is really about us—and not just you. Now that I think of it, this was a skill my teacher taught us all in kindergarten.

Mark Macias is founder of CaffeinatedVideos.com, a social media video service that enhances the Web experience for businesses. Macias also wrote the communications book, “Beat the Press: Your Guide to Managing the Media.” A version of this article originally appeared on the Up and Running blog.

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5 ways to avoid being a rude guest blogger

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:52:08 GMT

Guest blogging is a PR and marketing tactic that is all too often overlooked. Being a guest blogger can offer PR pros a number of benefits. It can get your name out there, help you position yourself as an expert, drive traffic back to your website, get you links that help improve your search engine rankings, and so much more.

A lot of times when we talk about guest blogging, we only focus on how to get guest blogging opportunities. After all, the more chances you have to guest blog, the more you stand to benefit.

However, there’s another aspect to guest blogging that’s worth discussing: etiquette. If you don’t understand the etiquette of guest blogging, you risk coming across as rude, and you could cause damage to important relationships with other bloggers.

Below are five tips that can assure you’ll be a guest blogger who’ll be asked to contribute again.

Don’t pitch like they owe it to you. Yes, when you pitch another blogger you want to sound confident and sell them on your post idea, but you don’t want to come across like a self-important jerk who thinks they blog editors owe you a guest blogging opportunity. There’s a thin line between confidence and arrogance.

Deliver your post when you say you will. Typically, when a blogger lets you submit a guest post, they’ll ask when you’ll have the post delivered to them. That’s so they can plan their editorial schedule accordingly. If you say you’re going to have the post by a certain date, make sure you keep your word and meet your deadline.

Help promote your post. Do your part to drive as much traffic to the guest post as you possibly can. Share it across all your social networks, send it to your email list, link to it from your blog, and so on.

Reply to the comments. Hopefully, your guest post will get some comments. If so, it’s your job as a guest author to stick around and reply. And when I say reply, I don’t just mean saying, “Thanks for commenting.” You need to take the time to actually engage with the commenters and try to create some meaningful interactions.

Thank the blogger and keep the relationship going. A simple “thank you” is all it takes to let the blog owner know how much you appreciate the opportunity to write a guest post on their blog. Being grateful can keep the door open for future guest-blogging opportunities. Also, make sure you manage the relationships you start with these bloggers. Keep in touch with them and don’t only contact them when you need a favor.

A version of this article first appeared on PR Fuel.

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Your primer to on-camera media interviews

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:49:26 GMT

The first time I got to appear on a national news program was the day after I filed a story about former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino getting a beer dumped on his head by someone in the bleachers at Wrigley Field.

They originally nabbed the wrong guy, and news outlets were having a blast talking about the fugitive beer dumper. Fox News called and asked me if I could appear on whatever midday show was airing at the time and comment on the story.

I was terrified.

Although I survived the interview, I knew I had plenty of room for improvement. I could have used a primer like “The Esquire Guy’s Guide to Media Interviews”:

Entrepreneur has the full article here, but there are a few highlights that you should always keep in mind in an on-camera interview situation:

• Sit up straight
• Make eye contact
• Have details ready
• Never interrupt the interviewer

Also included is a list of things you shouldn’t say during an interview. My favorites:

• If you’ll allow me to read a passage from my new book entitled …
• This interview is over.
• Hold up. I’d like to do a shout out to …

The finalists for the 2013 PR Daily Awards

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:46:33 GMT

When we initially called for entries for the second annual PR Daily Awards, it was hard to imagine being blown away any further by the exceptional work we recognized in 2012.

Then the entries came.

From companies, brands, and corporations to agencies, firms, and nonprofits, the breadth of this year’s entrants not only varied in size and industry, but ran the gamut in terms of their varied successes and notable efforts.

The hard decisions needed to be made, and today we’re delighted to recognize the best of the best.

Here are the finalists for the 2013 PR Daily Awards:

Traditional

Best Crisis Management
Brinker International
Hellerman Baretz Communications for Capitol Petroleum Group
MAVERICK for the Toronto Eaton Centre
Peak Communicators for Canada West Veterinary Specialists (CWVS)
Planit for Chesapeake Shakespeare Co.

Best External Publication (Print or Online)
Adfero Group for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Broward Health/Fort Lauderdale Media Associates
Florida Realtors
KCETLink
Lahra Carey Media & Communications for Quest Serviced Apartments
UCB, with Biosector 2
UMass Lowell Office of University Relations

Best Infographic
Gregory FCA for CA Technologies
GroundFloor Media for Oskar Blues Brewery
InkHouse Media + Marketing for Bullhorn
Matter Communications
MSR Communications for CPP
NASPE/AAHPERD
Slingshot SEO for HCC Medical Insurance Services
Version 2.0 Communications for Acme Packet
VerticalResponse
Weber Shandwick for NIKE

Best Op-Ed Piece
Fifth Ring for Raytheon Professional Services
Gregory FCA for CAST Software
Noble Strategic Partners for the Smoke-Free Texas coalition
Marcus Group for New York-Presbyterian Hospital
U.S. Department of Labor
Version 2.0 Communications for the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
Weiss PR for SECU Credit Union

Best PR White Paper
Varsity
Walker Sands Communications for Infogroup

Best Product Launch
Alpaytac Marketing Communications/Public Relations for CardNinja
BlackBerry
Child's Play Communications for Reading Rainbow
Konnect PR for Pure Fix Cycles
NYU Langone Medical Center
RF|Binder for McGraw-Hill Education
Version 2.0 Communications for Panjiva
Walker Sands Communications for HarperCollins

Best Publicity Campaign
Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliate BGC Partners
Citrix
Hollander van der Mey for the Dutch Video on Demand Association
Ketchum for DoubleTree by Hilton
Symantec Corp./Connect Marketing for Symantec
University of Utah Health Sciences

Best Speech
Diageo North America
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
U.S. Green Building Council
Zipcar

Best Traditional Campaign
2K Games
Affect for Radware
BlackBerry
CRT/tanaka for Cambria Suites
GreenRubino for Washington State Fruit Commission
Grow Marketing for Birkenstock USA
RF|Binder for Abine
RF|Binder for Ameriprise Financial
RF|Binder for the NYU Stern School of Business
Weber Shandwick for Mars Chocolate North America

Best Traditional News Release
Gregory FCA for CAST Software
Hunter Public Relations for Arby's Restaurant Group
Primum Marketing Communications for MRPC

Digital/Social Media

Best Blog
Adfero Group for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
General Electric
Kaiser Permanente
MD Anderson Cancer Center
MSR Communications for Bluewolf
PATH
Walmart

Best Electronic Newsletter
Diageo North America
Hunter Public Relations
M/C/C for Harris CapRock
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
U.S. Department of Labor
Westbound Communications for San Bernardino Associated Governments

Best Email Pitch
Ketchum for DoubleTree by Hilton
LS2group for Ford Motor Co.
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Best Facebook Page
Gregory FCA for Friendly Planet Travel
Marketing Support for Adobe Echosign
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Piedmont Healthcare
Marcus Group for Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L)

Best Location-Based Campaign
Dotted Line Communications for Ask.com
MWW for McDonald's
National Car Rental

Best Mobile Strategy and/or Campaign
(Winner will be named in the Special Edition.)

Best Online Newsroom
MWW for Nikon
Powell Tate

Best Podcast
Dixon Schwabl for Greater Rochester Enterprise
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Best PR Video
Canyon Communications for Rain for Rent
M/C/C for Chuck E. Cheese's
The Nebraska Medical Center

Best Social Media Campaign
Bailey Lauerman
CRT/tanaka for BISSELL Homecare
Lynn University
M/C/C for Chuck E. Cheese's
MSLGROUP, MSL China for Alpenliebe, Perfetti Van Melle
Mullen for Century 21 Real Estate LLC
MWW for Nikon
Walmart

Best Tweet of the Year
Dixon Schwabl for the Heritage Classic Foundation for the RBC Heritage
GroundFloor Media for Oskar Blues Brewery

Best Use of Twitter
Arketi Group for the Technology Association of Georgia
CerconeBrown for Seventh Generation
Mx Group for JMC Steel Group
U.S. Department of Labor

Best Viral or Word of Mouth Campaign
Feather River Hospital
Impetus Agency for American Pet Products Association
Nature Conservancy

Best Website Launch
American Automobile Association (AAA)
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Coca-Cola Co.
CRT/tanaka for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council
Intellectual Ventures
University of Utah Health Sciences

Annual Report

Best Annual Report
Concurrent Technologies Corporation
OCC
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
University of Utah Health Sciences
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

Branding and Marketing

Best Branding Campaign
Alpaytac Marketing Communications/Public Relations for Turkish Airlines
BlackBerry
Ketchum for DoubleTree by Hilton
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
Piedmont Healthcare with Tailfin Marketing and Big Table Agency
RF|Binder for Band Aid Brand
RF|Binder for Band Aid Brand
Susan Magrino Agency for Hendrick's Gin

Best Cause-Related Marketing
Bailey Lauerman
California Earthquake Authority and American Red Cross
Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliate BGC Partners
Flagger Force Traffic Control Services
NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA)
Children's Medical Center of Dayton
U.S. Green Building Council

Best Content Marketing/Brand Journalism
Gregory FCA for Yoh
rbb Public Relations
Securities America

Best Event Marketing
Dittoe Public Relations for the Western Golf Association (WGA)
Global Gateway Advisors and Polylog PR for the National Business Center for APEC in Moscow
Hollander van der Mey for the Dutch Video on Demand Association
Ketchum for DoubleTree by Hilton
King County, Washington
Peppercomm for Tyco
RF|Binder for Band Aid Brand

Community Relations/Special Campaigns

Best Community Relations Campaign
Ameren Missouri
Bailey Lauerman
Bullfrog & Baum
Diageo North America
Effect PR for TTNET
Griffin Strategies for LBJ Express
O'Malley Hansen Communications for HanesBrands

Best Corporate Social Responsibility
Abshire Public Relations for Parker's
CRT/tanaka for Charles Schwab Foundation
Diageo North America
Effect PR for TTNET
Pioneer Services, a Division of MidCountry Bank
PR Newswire & Mullen Advertising for Men's Wearhouse
PR Partners for Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica (Walmart Mexico and Central America)
Weber Shandwick for Vital Voices and Bank of America

Best Fitness/Health Campaign
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Hollander van der Mey for the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sports
MWW for McDonald's
NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA)
Peak Communicators for the Canadian Diabetes Association
University of Michigan Health System Public Relations and Marketing Communications for University of Michigan Transplant Center

Best Green Initiative
Dixon Schwabl for Zotos International
Ogilvy Washington for LG Electronics
O'Malley Hansen Communications for HanesBrands
Suasion Communications Group for Concord Suites
U.S. Green Building Council
Walmart

Talent

Best Client of the Year
DoubleTree by Hilton, submitted by Ketchum
Babiators, submitted by Konnect PR
Avigilon, submitted by Peak Communicators

Best PR Team
Aflac
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Dixon Schwabl
Florida Realtors
USACE Galveston District

Lifetime Achievement Award
(Winner will be named in the Special Edition.)

PR Rookie of the Year (Agency or Corporate)
Jackie Gogel, Cognito
Brandy Stone, Konnect PR
Reina Porritt, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment
Amber Rice, Noble Strategic Partners

Grand Prize: Best PR Campaign of the Year

Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliate BGC Partners
Griffin Strategies for LBJ Express
Hollander van der Mey for the Dutch Video on Demand Association
Murphy O'Brien Public Relations for Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa
National Safe Boating Council for the National Safe Boating Council
Peppercomm for T.G.I. Friday's
RF|Binder for Band Aid Brand
Communications Group (tcgpr) for Skyline International Development
Nature Conservancy

We thank all those who entered.

Get more information here about the 2013 PR Daily Awards.

3 best practices of SEO for PR

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:49:59 GMT

If helping our clients to be more visible is the heartbeat of public relations, then learning to integrate basic SEO skills into the work we do is essential to keeping that heartbeat strong. SEO is a must-know skill in PR.

Every senior-level PR and content marketing professional should have a solid understanding of how SEO works and how it applies to their own work.

For an agency or company, SEO should be part of the standard writing and proofing processes as content is filtering through production, and it should be integrated into the learning culture of the organization. It should also start the content creation process, not be wrapped in at the end.

If the organization is large enough to have SEO staffers, partnering with them can identify a surprising similarity in goals and effort. Starting cross-departmental conversations and working together on joint goals can also make both departments extremely successful.

Learning SEO for PR doesn’t have to be time consuming or intimidating; it can simply be the addition of a few new skills and tweaks to your normal processes.

For the May #PRprochat on Twitter, we were lucky enough to have Ken McGaffin as our guest; he is a former CMO of WordTracker and an expert in SEO.

Here are some fabulous takeaways that came out of the chat with Ken:

• It’s hard to do everything—so understand first, then use SEO to do the technical stuff.
• Good content is essential for SEO, but good content on its own is not enough to rank well.
• To get your message heard online, you have to have a blend of content marketing, SEO, and social media.
• PR pros should recognize the skills you already have are important for SEO.

Keyword research for PR

It pays to invest time in researching keywords, rather than going on assumptions. Something as simple as a verb tense can mean a search volume difference of literally thousands of hits. It also identifies language choices that you may not think of. One example McGaffin shared is that airlines insist on using “low-cost fares” when customers are actually searching “cheap flights.”

This is one that I come across frequently: Clients refuse to use the word “cheap” because they feel it denigrates their product or service, when the reality is that customers look for “cheap.” One of our roles as PR pros is walking that delicate balance between what the clients want versus what drives results. Sometimes it’s just not easy.

Link-building for PR

“The biggest contribution that PR pros can make to SEO is encouraging editorial links. It not only allows people to click through but also boosts SEO,” McGaffin adds. “Sometimes an editorial piece contains a link, sometimes it doesn’t. Often that’s just because no one asked for a link.”

What does this mean? When you write a guest blog or a byline article that is being placed online, make sure that you include links back to your brand’s website. For added value, make the hyperlink relevant to the story and/or the bio.

For example, the author’s name can easily be a link back to the “About Us” page bio, or his/her title can link back to the company home page. Links at the end of the article can loop back to a post on the company blog that expands on the same topic. The more relevant the link, the better.

Blogger outreach

Securing guest posts for your client or employer is an essential component of digital PR. It helps you to join the conversation without waiting for media to publish something about you. (See the April #PRprochat transcript with guest @MackCollier for great stuff on this very topic.)

They are a powerful way to help your client be visible, find a targeted audience and show expertise. It also builds social proof of that expertise, since most blog posts are shared across Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus. With a little luck, each share tags your brand or the author.

According to McGaffin, finding lots of relevant blogs is an SEO skill, but building relationships and winning links are PR skills. Don’t worry about Penguin, Panda, and all the other SEO changes. Simply create great content, and get it linked.

“The pillars of good SEO are great content, link building, social and PR…. Getting all of them right creates fantastic results.”

Carrie Morgan is a 20-plus year public relations veteran based in Phoenix, specializing in digital PR. A version of this story first appeared on the Rock The Status Quo blog.

8 questions to ask before any media interview

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:48:01 GMT

Media training usually focuses on the questions a reporter will ask you during an interview. But before the interview occurs—during your initial telephone call or email exchange—you also have an opportunity to interview the interviewer.

Many journalists are willing to share the basics about the stories they’re working on, and any insight they offer will help you better prepare.

Below are eight questions you might consider asking reporters. I typically don’t ask all of these for every interview; journalists don’t appreciate being grilled. They’ll probably offer some of this information on their own anyway, so just fill in any gaps by asking the most relevant of these questions:

1. Who are you? No, you shouldn’t ask that question verbatim, but collect the basics—their name, the name of the news organization for which they work, and whether they cover a particular topic.

2. Can you tell me about the story you’re working on? Keep this question open-ended and remain quiet while the reporter speaks (the more they say, the more you’ll learn). Feel free to ask follow-up questions and to clarify any points you don’t fully understand.

3. Are you approaching this story from any particular perspective? Some reporters will bristle if you ask, “What’s your angle?” This question aims to elicit the same information in a more subtle manner.

4. Who else are you interviewing? Reporters often play it close to the vest on this one, but it’s worth asking. You’ll be able to get a sense of the story’s tone by learning whether the other sources in the story are friendly or antagonistic toward your cause.

5. What’s the format? For print interviews, this question will help you determine whether reporters just need a quick quote from you or whether they’re writing an in-depth piece that will focus extensively on your work. For broadcast interviews, you’ll be able to learn whether the interview will be live, live-to-tape, or edited. For television, you might also ask if the format will be a remote, on-set, or sound-bites interview.

6. What do you need from me? Ask the reporter how much time the interview will last and where the reporter wants to conduct the interview. Also, ask if you can provide any press releases, graphics, photos, videos, or other supplementary documents. You can often expand your presence in a news story—and influence the narrative—if the reporter chooses to use your supporting materials.

7. Who will be doing the interview? For many radio and television interviews, you will be contacted initially by an off-air producer rather than by an on-air personality. Ask for the name of the person conducting the interview.

8. When are you publishing or airing the story? Review the story as soon as it comes out. If it’s a positive story, share it with your online and offline networks. If it’s a negative story, consider issuing a response or contacting the reporter or editor to discuss the coverage.

One final note: Before an interview, tell reporters how you prefer to be identified. Include your title and company name, and spell your full name. You don’t want to see your name or your company’s name mangled in front of millions of viewers.

Brad Phillips is the author of “The Media Training Bible: 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview.” He blogs at Mr. Media Training, where a version of this story first appeared.

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5 top traits of good press release writers

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:46:24 GMT

Being a good writer doesn’t automatically mean that you can be a good press release writer. Press release writing is its own beast, and while there are certainly some skills from other types of writing that will help you write great press releases, there are also some traits unique to press release writing that you need.

Here are five of the top traits I’ve noticed that good press release writers share:

They have a knack for identifying the news angle. The first thing you have to do with your press release is grab your readers’ attention. The best press release writers are able to take all of the relevant information and pick out a compelling, newsworthy angle that makes reporters take notice.

They don’t waste words. Reporters (and other people who may be reading your press release) are busy and don’t have time to read a long, drawn-out press release. Great press release writers get to the point, cut the fluff, and deliver the story in as few words as possible while ensuring the major points are covered.

They understand the journalistic tone. I’ve said it before: a lack of journalistic tone is a big reason many press releases fail. The best press release writers know how to tell a story like a reporter, not a marketer.

They possess excellent attention to detail. News writing is all about details. If you get the facts wrong, your story is useless and your credibility is tarnished. Similarly, if you send out a press release filled with typos, no one will take you seriously. The best press release writers focus on the details, ensuring their press releases are accurate and mistake-free.

They know how to make the reporter ask for more. When you send out a press release, your goal is to get the media to contact you. You want them to reach out to you so they can get more information to write a story or set up an interview. That means your press release needs to leave readers asking for more. Great press release writers know just how to do this.

A version of this article first appeared on PR Fuel.

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Edgy ads or just really bad taste?

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:58:19 GMT

Should advertising agencies start calling in PR firms before embarking on edgy mass-awareness campaigns?

After three renowned agencies recently developed advertisements resulting in public humiliation for their blue chip clients, one would think so.

In recent weeks, heads rolled over at JWT India for the apparent leak of an ad depicting the controversial Silvio Berlusconi driving a Ford Figo with three women bound and gagged in the trunk. Ford followed up with a public apology, setting sensitivities on high over potentially offensive campaigns.

Yet in the past two weeks, Hyundai Europe, Pepsico, and General Motors have all circulated public apologies for ads that fueled public disgust instead of piquing consumers’ interest.

“I believe that today, more than ever it is important to have a check and balance before pushing messages out to the public,” says Karen Swim, PR and marketing communications professional. “PR can help identify potential landmines and ensure that content does not diminish a brand’s reputation and credibility with the intended audience.”

Recently, Hyundai Europe generated a tsunami of negative buzz over its ad, Pipe Job. The ad, created by Innocean Europe, showed in harrowing detail a man’s failed suicide attempt while sitting in the eponymous car as exhaust fumes filled his closed garage.

Thanks to Hyundai’s clean emissions technology, the suicide fails.

As soon as the ad aired, the manufacturer took a public beating as consumers lit up their Twitter and Facebook feeds with messages of disbelief—including this poignant blog post from a woman who lost her father through similar circumstances.

“This ad is incredibly insensitive,” says Jodi Echakowitz, owner of Toronto-based Echo Communications. “I get the company has evolved somewhat and they want to be edgy in how they promote their vehicles, but to do so in such a hurtful way is not acceptable for any business.”

Then last week, Pepsico aired a Mountain Dew commercial now known as “the most racist ad ever” featuring a woman who was asked to pick out a criminal suspect from a lineup of black men and a goat. After mainstream and social media channels railed against the implications of the content, the soft-drink manufacturer pulled the ad and apologized.

General Motors quickly followed suit ending an ad purchase for Chevrolet featuring the song “In the Land of Fu Manchu,” in which the girls sing “ching, ching, chop suey.”

“These ads became car wrecks that could have and should have been prevented,” says Jeremy Pepper, public relations and social media consultant. “From the outside it appears these were situations where advertising wasn't aligned with public relations or social media and no one thought beyond the clip for award season.”

Do you think ad agencies are ignoring the implications of bad PR for their clients in search of over-the-top creativity?

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How NOT to apply for a job

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:54:26 GMT

Dear graduating student:

Think before you fire off those job applications for the first time.

It seems like an obvious tip, right? Well, apparently it's not. Let me explain.

I recently posted an ad on an online jobs site for reporters and editors.

I give a detailed summary of the job and specific instructions for applying. On the top of my list I asked for a cover letter that goes beyond the words, "Attached please find." Show me some voice, personality, style.

Within an hour I received an application with NO cover letter. The resume came from a young man with a graduate degree from a prestigious journalism school.

I replied to the young man, reminding him of my request for a cover letter. A few minutes later I get this reply, "which company are you again?"

Going against my instinct to move on, I informed him that he had applied for a position at PR Daily.

Moments later I received a two-paragraph reply about his passion for PR and his eagerness to land the job. Ok, this is worth pursuing, I thought. Let's give him a shot.

I asked him to write a how-to story of his choosing and to focus on helpful advice about any aspect of social media. I provided tips on how to cast the story, research it on the Web, and pivot off breaking news. Finally, I promised to pay him for his story.

A half-hour later, I received this cryptic note: "I have decided not to go the next step in the application process."

What?

Now let me count the lessons:

1) Never, EVER spam employers with your application, even if job sites allow you this option. Know what companies you've approached. Make a list and be sure to include the email addresses of companies using a blind gmail account. I disclosed my company in the job description and gave an enormous amount of detail about the website and Ragan.

2) Do what you're asked. If the employer wants a cover letter, send one.

3) If you decide against applying after you've begun the process, at least say why. Make up a reason if you have to. I know this young man's name. I've reviewed his LinkedIn profile and Twitter feed. In today's digital world, there is nowhere to hide.

4) If you say you're eager for a job, act eager. Do what it takes to land the job. If the prospective employer asks that you write a story, don't shrink from the task, even if it makes you nervous.

Finally, think before you make any move at all. Remember, what you do and say in today's online world has the half-life of plutonium.

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5 ways to lose a PR pitch

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:48:21 GMT

PR agencies typically have to earn the business they win by jumping through multiple hoops. Often we get an RFI (Request for Information) or an RFP (Request for Proposals) from the company looking to hire a new firm.

(Anyone who has completed these knows they’re laborious, time-sucking exercises that don’t accomplish much more than a half-hour phone call would—but that’s part of the gig, and a blog post for a different day.)

Now, if your PR firm is selected to advance to the next round, that typically means pulling together a comprehensive presentation that shows the prospect how your team thinks, what they’d actually do, and how much it would cost.

That’s a lot of work, right? And when you consider that PR agencies often go up against three-to-five competing firms, the odds are stacked against you from the get-go. Here’s how you can make sure you have no chance to win the PR business, despite hours-upon-hours of work:

1. Fill the presentation with 20 slides about how wonderful your firm is, and about stellar work you’ve done for other companies. This will effectively alert the prospect to the fact that you’ve just regurgitated the contents of the RFP into slide form, and haven’t spent any time actually thinking about their unique business needs. Kiss the business goodbye.

2. Include boilerplate slides lifted from prior presentations that discuss PR basics like “thought leadership” and “byline articles” and “building momentum.” If you can simply switch the prospect’s name out for any other prospect, you aren’t fooling anyone except yourself, lazybones.

3. Bring five people to the pitch, including the principal of the firm and two vice presidents, none of whom will actually be working on the account for more than a few hours a month. Make sure the other two staffers in the room (both junior) remain silent until it’s their turn to clumsily talk through the one slide you made them practice in the mirror for five hours. The prospect will know who’s really going to be working the account. Pro tip: not your firm.

4. Make sure the pitch team doesn’t research the key bloggers and reporters that the prospect obviously cares about. Avoid researching competitors, analyst opinions, and current industry trends. Winning teams leap at the chance to discuss these in detail. Losing firms all look at each other uncomfortably during the meeting, eyes darting wildly, when prospects ask pointed questions. But, hey, you’ll have a funny “worst pitch ever” story to scare interns with.

5. Fudge the truth about services you offer, reporters you know, how many clients you work on, and your personal background—and do it unconvincingly. The key here is to leave as many question marks in the prospect’s head as possible, including: “How did these clowns get in here?”

Parry Headrick is vice president of marketing and communications at Matter Communications. A version of this article first appeared on the company’s blog.

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4 ways to meet your PR deadlines

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:47:49 GMT

Every day we make (and occasionally miss) our deadlines. Catch the train by 8:30 a.m. Get to the bank before 5 p.m. Submit this blog post by…well, you get the point.

Today’s definition of a deadline is “the time by which something must be finished or submitted,” but it gets its name from an older and more sinister meaning. It used to be a boundary around a military prison beyond which a prisoner could not venture without risk of being shot by the guards. Scary. Think about that next time you fear a workplace zero hour.

The advantage of deadlines is that they’re motivational. When you make the deadline, the feeling of achievement makes the next step or task that much easier.

“Publicly committing to meeting a deadline is a powerful motivator, because it puts your reputation on the line,” said Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. It’s much more difficult to procrastinate when someone else is watching the clock—and you.

Here are some tips to meet that looming deadline:

Start with specifics

When exactly is the deadline? Clarify whether “end of the week” means 5 p.m. Friday or first thing Friday morning. Be sure to nail down the tasks and the results. What is the client expecting? How will they measure your success/effectiveness?

Make a plan and start easy

Some of us thrive on the pressure of a last-minute scramble, but rushing at the eleventh hour isn’t the best way to meet a deadline. It’s better to make a plan to take tasks head on, starting with the easy stuff—the aspects you know you are quick wins. Make a commitment to do at least a little bit at a time on a consistent basis. Even if you take a break at a certain point, the task that awaits you isn’t nearly as daunting as it was before.

Don’t be fooled

Who hasn’t reached the point when the oh-so-far away cutoff is just around the corner, resulting in a mad dash under pressure? Far-off deadlines trick us into thinking that we have all the time in the world and convince us that we don’t need to start anytime soon. Ideally, you want to meet a deadline, not have a deadline meet you. When working against the clock, be sure to set shorter deadlines along the way to get manageable chunks of the work done and make a plan to complete the task in plenty of time.

Use tools

Set reminders everywhere. On your calendar. Create tasks in Outlook. Stick a Post-It with big, bold writing on your computer. Creating a sense of urgency will keep your deadline top of mind and not let it get pushed aside by distractions.

You never know what’s on the other side of that (dead) line.

Iman Sandimanie is an account executive at Crenshaw Communications. A version of this story first appeared on the agency's PR Fish Bowl blog.

3 key skills any PR pro needs

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:52:38 GMT

Excellent writing and communication skills, a passion for your brand, and thick skin are all musts when working in PR. As the industry evolves and becomes increasingly competitive, there are a few less-obvious skills that you should develop.

Photography and Photoshop

Understanding what makes a good photo is crucial, whether you are pitching to journalists or you’ve been asked to create content for a client. Photoshop is a great tool for all PR professionals. Capturing and editing a photo of a press event or client speech or producing a short video will enable you to use it in your PR strategy to help tell the client’s story and communicate the message effectively.

Communication is becoming far more visual, and social media is completely changing the traditional landscape of PR. As PR professionals, we therefore have to take on new responsibilities. Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and YouTube are all photo-centric and can easily be applied to PR.

Design skills

Understanding how the design process works—from brainstorming to the final product—will help in organizing events and creating invitations, brochures, presentations, and coverage reports.

You will often have to work with designers in order to create visual content for clients. Knowing how the process works will help you to fully explain your specifications to the designer. You don’t want to order 100 invitations for a press event and find out too late that they are not what the client wanted.

Additionally, being able to create infographics to showcase client research will help make a story newsworthy and, as a result, far more likely to get published online. Knowing some basic design terms and how to use InDesign will benefit you in the long run.

Finance

Handling money, designing budgets for campaigns, and managing client fees will all become part of the job as you ascend the PR ladder. You will be overseeing the budgets of multiple clients and having to meet targets continually.

Having an understanding of how the entire business is funded and how your team fits into the mix will be one of your daily tasks. Learning how to forecast the future, using industry trends and accounts, will be beneficial. It’s not the most glamorous aspect to the job, but it is essential for keeping the business going and your clients happy.

Jazz Chappell is pursuing a major in PR at Leeds Metropolitan University. She is also a contributing writer for Your Coffee Break, where a version of this story first appeared.

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