How Do I Launch a Targeted PR Campaign?

You’re looking to get media coverage on Oprah, or Time, or CNN. You’re holding your breath for the Today Show and the Wall Street Journal. I don’t blame you. Those are great hits. But the problem is those hits take time to garner and usually take several different pitches and approaches. Those are the prime media outlets, the ones everyone is shooting for. Keep shooting for them. Study the type of stories they cover and come up with ways to present your story in a manner that fits their format, but don’t keep your focus there.

Target your media campaign. There are hundreds of small media outlets that need stories, from regional magazines and local newspapers and TV outlets to media that targets a specific market. For example there are publications that focus strictly on art, or sailing, or decorating, or wine. Chances are you can find a publication that specifically covers your field. And I’m not necessarily talking about trade publications, although those are always ones to consider, but consumer-oriented media that focus on a specific field. Take some time and make a list of media outlets that fit your company’s profile and target your market. Don’t simply concern yourself with the viewers or circulation, focus on the fit.

Also, target your regional and local media, but make sure to pitch towards their needs. They are looking for local stories with a local hook. Give them what they’re looking for. Unless you live in New York, Los Angeles or a similar type of media hub, these regional media outlets are not the triple A media hits, they are not media that will send your message around the country overnight, but they can offer you solid media coverage. Perhaps even more importantly, they can offer you media coverage that you can then use to garner more media. Media begets media; that’s the name of the game. So if you’re stuck focusing strictly on the media home runs, rethink your strategy. There is a huge media world out there. Broaden your approach. Broaden the media bull’s-eye you’re targeting. You’ll be surprised the effect some well targeted media coverage can have. Then you can post that media on the net, but that’s a whole other article.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A MEDIA INTERVIEW

When launching a media relations campaign, it’s easy to get so lost in pitching the media, that you forget you also need to prepare, to be ready when the media does call.  And you need to be prepared for different types of interviews, from print, to radio, to TV.  Keep in mind that interview calls often come when the media is on a deadline and needs an interview – now!  In those situations, you need to be ready to move in a flash, you have to be prepared and ready to go.

 

Although media relations usually takes some time, there are those instances that a press release immediately hits the jackpot. For example you could email a press release at 9 a.m. and be doing a live TV interview at noon that same day. You have to be ready. Remember; don’t unleash the power of the media until you’re prepared to control it. Public Relations can be tricky because you have to be both patient and prepared. If you’re not prepared to do an interview, it could turn out to be a dismal experience. You can end up feeling depressed and embarrassed, the media will feel cheated, and you will have wasted an incredible opportunity.
So how do you prepare for a media interview? Review the image you want to convey – small town and friendly, authoritative, professional, humorous, artistic, formal and business-like, etc.  Know the image you want to convey. Make sure that your image matches your personality. If you are basically shy and retiring, don’t try to come off like a rock star. That’s not going to work. You may have to learn to project more and become a bit more forceful with your responses, but those are simply tools you learn to utilize when needed. Keep your voice modulated. Be dynamic, but not frenzied. Your mission here is not to alter your personality, but to enhance it. Do practice interviews.  If you can hire a media trainer, great.  If not practice with a friend, or in front of a mirror.  Have both your information and your delivery ready to go. That way, when the media does respond, you’ll be ready.

 

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Fame Addiction: Human Train Wrecks as Entertainment

Jon & Kate and the balloon boy hoax are the latest in what is growing into a disturbing, albeit ever-expanding list of fame addicts; people who become famous, simply because they crave fame.   I’m already beginning to miss the tabloid-hell days of Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears.  We have hit a new deranged zenith when it comes to fame addiction.  This is a strange malady.  The most bizarre aspect of this addiction is that fame, in whatever form it comes, is the objective.  It used to be that fame was the desired byproduct of a triumphant career.  You became famous because you were a successful actor, or you recorded a hit song, or created a unique new product.  Now fame, in and of itself, is truly the name of the game.

How did we get here?  From my perspective it goes back to the O.J. Simpson murder trial.  That was perhaps the first true reality show.   A real life trial became a form of entertainment, beating the ratings of most daytime shows that went head to head with it.  We then had a flurry of celebrities-gone-wrong tabloid stories.  These celebrities gained media coverage for their notoriety not for their talent.  Paris Hilton then took the forefront, becoming internationally famous for, well… for being Paris.  Next came the true seismic shift, as reality TV began to make its mark.  People began to see that they could become famous not for their talent, or their art, but for the simple act of humiliating themselves in front of the world.  Apparently for many that’s a trade-off that is more than worth it.  Not only are there people who are willing to go to these lengths to grab attention at any cost, but that there is a vast audience willing and eager to watch them do so.

Then there is the business angle, the dollars and cents reason these people exist.  We have a voracious 24/7 news cycle.  Along with the networks and cable, we now have blogs and social media sites. For years now, the news has been more entertainment-based than news-oriented.  But, more importantly, (going back to my O.J. theory) after producers saw the numbers generated by the O.J. trial, light bulbs went off from coast to coast.  What if they created their own sensationalistic programs?  What if they did away with actors, writers, directors, did away with production values and had people humiliate one another on national TV?  How inexpensive would it be to produce a series of flavor-of-the-month reality shows as opposed to trying to launch another ER, Friends or Boston Legal?   But, would anyone watch?  You bet!

It is all a piece, as I see it.  You have people who otherwise would have no chance at media exposure, who now dominate the spotlight.   You have production companies and networks that realize the value of this type of fame-addicted media personality and you have a public that is being conditioned to watch human train-wrecks as entertainment.  So, we end up with The

Jon & Kate and the balloon boy hoax are the latest in what is growing into a disturbing, albeit ever-expanding list of fame addicts; people who become famous, simply because they crave fame.   I’m already beginning to miss the tabloid-hell days of Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears.  We have hit a new deranged zenith when it comes to fame addiction.  This is a strange malady.  The most bizarre aspect of this addiction is that fame, in whatever form it comes, is the objective.  It used to be that fame was the desired byproduct of a triumphant career.  You became famous because you were a successful actor, or you recorded a hit song, or created a unique new product.  Now fame, in and of itself, is truly the name of the game.

How did we get here?  From my perspective it goes back to the O.J. Simpson murder trial.  That was perhaps the first true reality show.   A real life trial became a form of entertainment, beating the ratings of most daytime shows that went head to head with it.  We then had a flurry of celebrities-gone-wrong tabloid stories.  These celebrities gained media coverage for their notoriety not for their talent.  Paris Hilton then took the forefront, becoming internationally famous for, well… for being Paris.  Next came the true seismic shift, as reality TV began to make its mark.  People began to see that they could become famous not for their talent, or their art, but for the simple act of humiliating themselves in front of the world.  Apparently for many that’s a trade-off that is more than worth it.  Not only are there people who are willing to go to these lengths to grab attention at any cost, but that there is a vast audience willing and eager to watch them do so.

Then there is the business angle, the dollars and cents reason these people exist.  We have a voracious 24/7 news cycle.  Along with the networks and cable, we now have blogs and social media sites. For years now, the news has been more entertainment-based than news-oriented.  But, more importantly, (going back to my O.J. theory) after producers saw the numbers generated by the O.J. trial, light bulbs went off from coast to coast.  What if they created their own sensationalistic programs?  What if they did away with actors, writers, directors, did away with production values and had people humiliate one another on national TV?  How inexpensive would it be to produce a series of flavor-of-the-month reality shows as opposed to trying to launch another ER, Friends or Boston Legal?   But, would anyone watch?  You bet!

It is all a piece, as I see it.  You have people who otherwise would have no chance at media exposure, who now dominate the spotlight.   You have production companies and networks that realize the value of this type of fame-addicted media personality and you have a public that is being conditioned to watch human train-wrecks as entertainment.  So, we end up with The Bachelor, Wife Swap and The Real Housewife’s of Atlanta as our entertainment and metallic hot air balloon hoaxes as the lead stories on the evening news.   I suppose we’ve earned it.

Bachelor, Wife Swap and The Real Housewife’s of Atlanta as our entertainment and metallic hot air balloon hoaxes as the lead stories on the evening news.   I suppose we’ve earned it.

How to Make Money in a Recession With the Help of PR

Tough economic times are precisely the times that you want to reach out to and stay in front of your target market.  They are also challenging times marketing-wise because you also need to be frugal and savvy with your marketing budget. Studies have shown that companies that stop all marketing during a recession are those that fair the poorest not only during the recession, but in the long run.  So, there is your dilemma, you need to promote your company, reach your market and not overly-strain your budget.

You have a number of choices to consider from advertising and direct marketing to public relations and online marketing.  All forms of promotion have their upsides, but your job is to find the marketing avenue that is the most advantageous for you and your company.  During rough times consumers and clients are particularly focused on companies that they can trust.  Sure cost savings is a big deciding factor, but credibility becomes more important than ever.

That is where public relations becomes such an important marketing tool.  Through it, you reach your target market and gain the validation and credibility of being featured in the news.  Also cost-wise, PR can be much more cost effective than a concerted advertising campaign.  Both require consistency.  You can’t run one ad or send out one press release and expect to really benefit from either, but going the PR route offers you a number of different avenues.  You can pitch the local, regional and national media.  You can develop a number of different story ideas, from a product or service-based story, to a local human interest story, to a national trend story.  You can present yourself as an expert in your field.  You can tailor make pitches for radio, TV and print.  You have the entire media world that you can pitch your story to.  Then, as you garner media placement, you can feature your media hits on your website, on your blog and on various social media sites.    Touch economic times are times that call for you to be both proactive and creative.  So, take a deep breath, and move forward.  Study the various media outlets; see what stories they run with.  Now, come up with effective story ideas that meet both the media’s needs and yours.  Even in the toughest of times, one well-placed story on you and your company can make all the difference.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

The Secrets to Successfully Landing Media Coverage

One of the biggest mistakes companies make when launching a PR campaign is that they approach the media as one huge unified organization.  When it comes to approaching the media, keep in mind that there is no one media outlet.  You are not pitching one story, nor are you pitching one media source.  To be successful you need to be developing a number of different stories to pitch to a variety of different media outlets.  Each media source has needs and interests that are specific to it.  For example, what is going to interest the Wall Street Journal will be different than what will interest People, just as a pitch that could grab Oprah’s attention won’t be the same one you’d use to land a story in Playboy.  The primary secret to a successful PR campaign is to focus on what the various media outlets need and pitch each outlet accordingly.

Develop your primary story:  Your basic story may well stay somewhat the same, but you need to modify the pitch to meet the needs of each magazine, newspaper, radio show and TV outlet.  Develop a number of secondary pitch ideas:  if you’re really going to be successful, you’re going to want to develop a number of story ideas.  Don’t always stick with the obvious story.  If you’re launching a new beauty product, or a new technology product chances are you’re going to want to focus  100% on the new product.  Of course that is your primary pitch, but if you stop there, you’re narrowing the media bulls-eye.

Is there a trend story connected to your product?  Is there a client who’s life you’ve changed who is willing to tell his or her story to the media?  Is there a business-oriented story you could develop?  Is there a human interest story that has to do with how the product was developed?  Is there a seasonal or holiday story?  The list continues.  Take some time, brainstorm, be creative.

After you’ve developed your stories your next step is to create an appropriate, targeted media list.  Now combine the two, match the various pitches to the appropriate media outlets.   Don’t pitch a sportswriter a beauty story and don’t pitch a business magazine a warm and fuzzy human interest story.  Study the various media outlets out there.  Learn what they need.  Read, watch and listen to the stories they run.  Educate yourself. Create compelling stories, a targeted media list and a strong pitch.  Now you’re set; launch an effective, successful media campaign and watch your business grow.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Job Hunting? Launch Your Own Personal PR campaign

This is the most challenging job market since the Great Depression; more and more people are continuing to be laid off and pink slips are still the order of the day. As the job topography changes, so do your job seeking strategies and approaches need to shift.

Whereas public relations is generally thought of as a tool to garner press coverage for companies, many of the same skills and techniques that are used in PR can be utilized when job hunting, or when going on an interview. When you launch a PR campaign, you’re not only looking to present yourself in the best light, but also for a way to separate yourself from the competition, from the others in your field.

But even before you get the chance to present yourself, how do you know where to search for a job? Where do you go to submit a resume, find an appropriate opportunity, or learn how to effectively network? A new site www.allpinkslips.com has been created specifically to solve these problems. www.allpinkslips.com provides access to thousands of job postings, offers hiring news, provides job leads in various industries, information on reeducation, tips on interviewing, and offers an onsite resume builder.  The site also offers information on outplacement firms, career coaches, resume tips, and networking advice. Created by Jared Lubitz, it is basically a one-stop site, offering social networking, information and tools to help educate and inform and guide people through the job seeking maze.

So let’s say you’ve utilized the information on www.allpinkslips.com, you have some leads, perhaps some interviews and you’re ready to start networking, what now? Returning to the PR model, if you were a company launching a campaign, first and foremost you’d need a compelling story; what is it about you or your company that is of interest to the media? Once you’ve answered that question, next you want to learn how to best articulate that message, how do you best present it? Approach your job search the way you would a media campaign and see how much more effective you become.

Ann Convery, creator and developer of “Speak Your Business in 30 Seconds or Less™,” www.annconvery.com, utilizes her experience as a media trainer to help people do just that – effectively present themselves to employers, prospective clients, investors, and others. The same skill set that she used when preparing clients for Oprah, 60 Minutes, CNN and USA Today, she now uses to teach people how to expertly pitch themselves to employers, prospective clients, and investors. Her clients’ results include landing the job, seeing an increase in profit by up to 60% within three months, attracting investors, and/or becoming No. 1 on the sales team.

Similarly, the same tools that are used to interest the media can be used to interest and land a job interview and ultimately employment. How you present yourself, from your resume, the language you use, your tone, what you wear, and how you speak all figures into the mix. Whether you’re posting to a social media site, introducing yourself to someone at an industry mixer, or having an actual job interview, your presentation makes all the difference. Remember presentation shifts perception and perception creates reality.  So, take control of your job hunting situation. Launch your own personal PR campaign, not for the media but for employers. Take advantage of the various tools available to you. Remember you’re not alone in this and there are tools and skills that can help you through this economic jungle towards a new job.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

“JULIE AND JULIA:” AN INTERNET/TRADITIONAL MEDIA SUCCESS STORY

Internet Market/ Traditional Media? Regardless what you think of the film “Julie and Julia” is the perfect illustration of how the Internet can launch a project and then the mainstream media can shoot it into the stratosphere.In the film, Julie decides to cook all of the recipies in Julia Child’s book, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” in one year and to blog about her journey.  Julie. played by Amy Adams, considers herself a failed writer stuck in a dead-end job.  Her husband helps her build the blog.  It moves slowly, her mother being her main reader at first, but eventually it begins to grow.  Readers start showing up and posting comments.  The film cuts back and forth between this and the story of Julia herself, which is the meat and bones of the film, but Julie’s story best illustrates our point.  Julie’s blog begins to get real traction.  Eventually the media begins to take note and when the New York Times (the traditional media) runs a story about Julia and her blog, her life completely changes.  She zooms from successful blogger to media darling, to nationally published author to being featured in a film starring Meryl Streep – arguably the premiere actress of our generation.  One day after the NY Times story runs Julie receives dozens of phone messages from TV producers, book agents, magazine and newspaper editors, book publishers, etc.  Her life is changed forever, after that one article appears.

It was the combination of the two forms of communication (the Internet and traditional media) that did the trick. My take has always been that you don’t need (nor should you) choose between the two.  It is not an either/or proposition.  The most successful approach is to meld the two and “Julie and Julia” is a perfect example of how that can lead to a marketing juggernaut.

So, if the traditional media had not been a part of the equation, would there ever have been the media buzz, book, the film and all of the other opportunities that came Julie’s way?  Perhaps, eventually, but it would have never have happened as quickly as it did and with that intensity.  Being featured in the mainstream media is like having a magnifier placed on you.  Whereas the Internet powerfully communicates with specific audiences and can carry a message like wildfire, the mainstream media creates a much more targeted and focused approach that connects to more widely diverse audience.  There is also the fact that when you are featured in the media – you are the news!  Perception instantly shifts and becomes reality. The New York Times, leads to CNN leads to the Today show, which then causes the Internet coverage to literally explode.  Combine blogging and social media with the traditional media and you can create a firestorm so powerful and effective that it can literally change a life and build a business overnight.

The film “Julie and Julia” perfectly illustrates this point.  Here is living proof that type of Internet/media success can happen.  You might not get Meryl Streep in your film, but you never know.  Use it as a roadmap.

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The PR Credibility Factor

Let’s look at an example of how advertising and media placement differ. You’re interested in buying a new car and just happen to be thumbing through a copy of Fortune magazine. You come across an ad for a car. The ad is pretty and glossy. It is a photo of a beach scene at sunset. The colors are more beautiful than those in real life. The photo has an attractive man and woman dressed in sophisticated evening attire standing by the car, which is parked in the sand, just beyond the reach of the aqua marine waves. The copy tells you that this car is the best thing to hit this country since sliced bread and that you can’t exist another day without running out and buying it. The photo tells you that if you do by the car, you will be transported to that idyllic beach scene. You live in Cincinnati, Ohio, it is the dead of winter, and damn if that idyllic marine scene doesn’t look inviting.

You continue to look through the magazine and come upon an article on the year’s best cars. The article mentions a certain car (not the one you saw in the ad), and touts the car as being one of the most efficient, best-built, luxurious, yet cost-effective cars on the market. The article is simple, direct, and informative and is written by an expert in the automotive field. Which do you think will have the most impact on you, the ad or the article?

My guess is, after the Caribbean fantasies die down, the article will have the greatest impact on you. Why? Credibility. The ad may give you some basic information, but it primarily offers you a fantasy. The car is bright and shiny. It is parked on an empty, pristine beach. The sun is setting in the background. There is a sexy, tanned couple, in evening attire no less, standing by the immaculate, gleaming car. Nine times out of ten, you’re not buying the car; you’re buying the scene – the fantasy.

The article, on the other hand, raises your comfort level. You have been given objective
information on the car’s effectiveness and quality. An expert has kicked the tires for you and given you a positive report. You have moved from fantasy to reality. The car featured in the ad may seem more sexy or romantic, but the one spotlighted in the article becomes real. It is a news story. Not only is it luxurious, it is dependable, efficient, and reliable. Remember, it’s 20-below outside, reliable is important. It is this type of credibility or validation that cannot be bought in the form of an ad. It is the credibility factor that makes PR so effective.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Social Media as the Agent & Engine for Change

Social media could have an amazing impact on us individually and as a people. It could be the call to action that gets us to stop thinking and start doing. It’s great that people can communicate as never before and are now able to share what they’re doing, or where they’re going with others around the globe. It’s fun and makes for connections, but if it ends there, we’re losing a goldmine. Where the various forms of social media could have a true impact is not only in raising awareness of issues and problems, but in offering concrete solutions and immediate participation. The Internet offers a unique platform for raising awareness about issues and causes. If used correctly, it can also offer solutions that those online can immediately begin to participate in. I’m not advocating that the Internet turn into a non-stop charity delivery system. That’s not its function and we’d all burn-out at that. We need to keep the variety of topics; we need sites and posts to span the gamut, from the serious to the absurd. That’s what makes it interesting, but if the power of social media were truly harnessed to initiate change, it would be unlike anything we’ve ever seen. It immediately goes from the specific to the general, from the individual to the masses. The Obama campaign realized the impact the Internet could have and utilized it. Celebrity stories spread like wildfire, so think of the impact it could have to help those really in need. Causes, from global warming, to food shortages, to sex slavery need to be marketed just like companies or products do. To be noticed, and for change to happen, these stories need to reach the public through various forms of marketing or PR. If utilized correctly, think of the impact that a social media campaign, linked to a traditional PR campaign could have as an agent of change. Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Regardless of the Medium, The Story is the Message

 

“The medium is the message” is a phrase by Marshall McLuhan.  In his book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, published in 1964, he explained that the medium influences how the message is perceived.  So, what does that mean for the present?  Today, when all of the established mediums are basically crumbling around us and the overwhelming medium of choice is the Internet, what does that say about the message itself?  How can we now successfully convey a message through this relatively new medium? 

 

Although more people are able to deliver their message than ever before, the number of mediums is being reduced to one.  Whereas in the past people would choose to read a newspaper, watch TV, or listen to the radio, all of those mediums are funneling themselves into the Internet.  So how does the medium translate as the message?  The way we perceive the medium is as important as how we perceive the message. So, where is this new road taking us?  

 

Is it one comprised primarily of opinion-based information? 

 

Is peer review going to take the place of editorial review? 

 

Is vetted and fact-checked news now less important than on-the-scene, personalized, immediate coverage?

 

And, apart from information and news, how is this medium affecting the ways companies promote and market themselves?  How is advertising and public relations affected?  According to studies, at present, advertising is waning on the Internet.  The one-to-one correlations to print ad and TV commercials do not seem to be there.  How to monetize the Internet is still a question in search of an answer.   But, amid all of this change and flux, there does remain one constant, what people relate to are stories.  From the beginning of recorded history to the present time, our species is one that learns and communicates through storytelling.  So, amid all of the changes, the story remains supreme and those individuals and companies that understand this and focus on how to successfully articulate their stories, regardless of the medium, those will be the ones who will not only survive, but thrive. 

 

Copyright © Anthony Mora