PRing one’s self 23 September 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips.Tags: PR tips
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Last Sunday I closed my eyes and asked my friend to look at page 37 of Sunday Life to see if I looked half decent. After a “you look great”, I opened them and I saw my image taking up most of the page (Click here catriona to see PDF). Thankfully I looked half decent as I would have been very upset that the 100,000 odd people reading Sunday Life around NSW & Vic wondering why this PR chic was PRing herself.
I received many texts, emails and calls from friends, family about it. One associate emailed commenting about “PRing one’s self” and “Interesting to note you are doing PR on yourself”. I guess when you are in PR you have to do your own PR!
But it got me thinking. Many businesses can afford to use a PR consultancy – and trust me – it really does make a difference and is worth the money. But many businesses don’t have the budget and need to do it themselves.
One such business is my Women in Business mentoree – Gail Rast. Her business, Life’s a Feast is still evolving so she has been “PRing one’s self”. She has written a media release and was featured in her local newspaper with her contact details. She got a call from it.
She was also featured in the Sun Herald which is now proudly featured on her home page. So she is getting double PR from it.
So where do you start with “PRing one’s self”?
Media releases are a great way of distributing relevant and topical information to a group of targeted publications (think about which media outlets your target audience get their information from). The release must be newsworthy and cover the “who, what, where, why and when”.
Case studies provide an ideal platform to leverage business success and tell your story to the media through your customers. Many trade publications publish case studies and you can use them as testimonials when speaking to journalists.
Pitching is where you contact specific media outlets to offer them either an exclusive story or an opportunity that is more specific than a media release topic. You can pitch via email or phone, however before contact develop a clear outline of your story and ensure it is succinct and compelling.
Special features are published in most printed media and cover specific topics relevant to readership. They are an excellent avenue for reaching a specific audience. Contact the feature editor or the journalist in charge to see what angles, topics and issues they wish to cover and then develop a story, case study, or offer comment. Be proactive and contact features editors well in advance of publishing deadlines, as often they are pre-printed.
Write an article that positions you as an industry expert and offers topical, helpful information. Ensure it is written in an objective, informative and entertaining manner. It should never be a blatant advertisement or advertorial. Determine which publications your potential clients read, and approach editors focusing on what you can do for their readers. This is an effective way to generate future requests for comments from journalists as it positions you as an industry expert.
Defining public relations 29 August 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips.Tags: definition of PR, what is PR
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Over the past couple of weeks I have been in new business meetings and also networking functions where people have asked me my definition of public relations. So I thought I would share it here:
Public Relations is all about effective communication. It helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between an organisation and its target audience.
Public relations programs enhance the internal and external understanding of a company’s strategies, objectives and achievements. They build positive public image and reputation.
Public relations plays a strategic role in identifying, responding to and even creating trends, crafting appropriate messages and providing sophisticated communication methods.
Every organisation survives ultimately only on public consent, and that consent cannot exist in a communications vacuum. The PR program needs to be based on a long-term view of a business’s relations with the various groups of people that make up its public (clients, potential clients, staff, media etc).
Every business has a story to tell which will interest the media. The PR professional has to be an expert at seeing an organisation through the eyes of the editors and program directors, assembling the facts which the media would use, and giving them material at the right time. Anything from a speech to a new product has greater news potential if expertly handled. And it has absolutely no news value if it isn’t released to the media at all.
Public Relations practitioners are pivotal to the communication process between an organisation and their publics. They must ensure that any form of communication is clear, honest and unambiguous so that the messages are easily understood by the respective target audiences.
The power of PR is harnessed by an expert operator, and is vital to building business, whether it is used it to establish credibility, enhance reputation or sell more products and services.
A PR program isn’t just about media, it involves many activities – all which aim to achieve increase an organisations visibilty with their key target audiences.
Is it time for a package overhaul? 20 August 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips.Tags: Jurlique, packaging
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Many years ago I used a few Jurlique products. I distinctly remember the lovely rose hand cream. I also remember the boring blue and white packaging. It looked like a medical product or something an accountant would like!
But like most women I get sick of one beauty product and move to the next brand, so I haven’t been using Jurlique for years.
A couple of weeks ago I was walking through Myer and noticed Jurlique’s new packaging. It stopped me in my tracks. It was gorgeous. It now has beautiful imagery that represents what is in each product ie rose on the rose hand cream. The company’s key message is written on the box, so you immediately know it is organic, biodynamic and has living energy.
In addition to their new packaging they have great sales techniques. They offer free sample products every time you buy something (even if you buy at a chemist). At the city David Jones store if you buy two products you get a free half-hour facial.
Needless to say all of these techniques have worked on me. I have gone from using no Jurlique products a few weeks ago to using virtually every product in the range!
It got me to thinking. How many businesses go to the expense of updating their packaging? How many businesses actually review if their packaging assists or hinders sales?
Packaging plays important marketing roles, from capturing attention and increasing consumption, to ensuring consumer safety or just informing consumers of the ingredients. We rely on the product’s packaging to help us make a buying decision. The challenge facing the package designer is how to grab our attention so we buy it!
It might be time to follow Jurlique’s example and update your packaging!
How to do an Enewsletter 13 August 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips.Tags: enewsletter, newsletter
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Yesterday we sent out the very first enewsletter for our client Streamwise. As part of the PR strategy we have developed for Streamwise we felt that an enewsletter would improve communication channels with clients, share good news stories, share expertise through tips and also assist them in building a database of potential clients.
Have you thought about developing enewsletter for your business? Not only is it a great way to share your stories, it can also be a powerful marketing tool providing useful information to the reader while indirectly promoting your services.
Make it regular
The first step is to ask yourself – are you committed to sending it out regularly? There is no point in sending out an enewsletter when ever you get around to it. It has to be at least once a month, but preferably once a fortnight.
I am a member of the Women’s Network Australia, and they send their newsletter out every Monday evening. I know that it is coming out on that day and time, and so look forward to reading each Monday evening.
Make it relevant
The content obviously needs to be appealing to your readership. Have a think about what type of information they may find interesting. Under no circumstances use the opportunity to sell to your readers. It is about creating a sense of community and sharing your expertise with them. Avoid a lengthy intro, keep your articles short and keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Use plain language and always check for spelling and typos before broadcast.
Make it easy to read
The layout needs to be easy to read. Many people just scan enewsletters to find the stories that interest them. Stats shows that 51 seconds is all we usually spend scanning an e-newsletter and most people won’t read past the first 3 items on your list.
Limit your colours and watch for bad contrast. Bright colours like yellow don’t show up well on a white background. Avoid flashy, distracting graphics, but using low res relevant images. Use lots of white space to draw the eye to the text.
Importantly include a table of contents at the top of the e-newsletter so readers can decide what to read. Create hyperlinks on the entries in the table of contents to the articles for quick navigation, but don’t let this take away from your main items.
Never spam
Always ask people to opt in to receive the newsletter. So make it easy to subscribe and unsubscribe. Frustrated subscribers are not likely to return. There must be a simple Unsubscribe link. The email must clearly state the sending organisation and why it was sent.
How are you communicating? 5 August 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips.Tags: skype, twitter
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At one moment this afternoon I realised I was communicating using so many different applications it was incredible.
As I am running a small business that is in the business of communicating I tend to be open to new applications that help me communicate better with clients, colleagues and journalists.
Let me share with you what I was doing this afternoon. And this was in the space of 20 minutes.
* Chat skypeing with a friend/colleague about a work situation.
* On the phone to a client regarding a media release and chat skypeing phone numbers and web addresses while on the call (as well as hilarious hidden emoticons)
* My parent’s skype called me from Europe. We did a video skype call. They have taken an ASUS Eee travelling with them and I speak to them more now via Skype than when they are at home.
* I used Twitter to send a direct Tweet to a client who I couldn’t get on the phone.
* I emailed a client regarding speaking opportunities.
* My mobile phone rang and I had to hand it to a staff member because I couldn’t take the call!
As an experienced PR Consultant I am expert at doing 10 things at once, and while this 20 minute period of my working life sounds busy, it actually means I get heaps of things done much more quickly than if I couldn’t use these applications.
(And also I remember the bad old days when my globe trotting parents took off for months – sometimes years – at a time and I only got postcards and the ocassional call. I am very thankful they have embraced technology so we can keep in touch.)
You most likely already use email and the phone in your business, but check out other applications to help communicate with your customers and clients. Most of these are free and will help with productivity.
Are you sharing your successes through case studies? 29 July 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips.Tags: case studies
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We just had a call from a client’s client asking if we could do a phone interview for a case study we are writing for our client. It started me thinking, how many businesses tell their stories through the experiences their clients have?
Have you thought about writing success stories to put on your website, sales material or even to pitch to relevant media?
Case studies provide ideal opportunities to leverage business successes and can be used to reinforce your core messages through “story telling”. They provide audiences, including journalists, a picture of the benefits your business provides its clients.
Market research consistently shows managers refer to the experiences of their peers when making purchase decisions. You most likely have many “stories” and it would be a shame if you didn’t tell your audiences about the successes you have.
Here are some questions to ask your clients to build a case study:
What business is the company in?
What value does the business provide to the customer?
What are the most important issues facing the business?
What are the apparent problems?
Are the apparent problems the real problems or only symptoms of the real problems?
On first reading what do you think the company should do?
What are the possible problems with your suggested recommendations?
What are the characteristics of the environment that the company operates in?
What are the characteristics of the industry that the company is in?
How does the company compare with other similar companies?
Australian Anthill Cool Company Awards on again! 19 July 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips, Uncategorized.Tags: Australian Anthill Cool Company Awards, business awards
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Cool companies award
Even though entering business awards can be time consuming, they are a worthwhile activity. Even if you don’t win, just the experience of writing down all of your achievements can be inspirational. As business owners we often just keep moving forward, and awards time force us to sit down and review how far we have come.
When we do PR strategies for our clients we always build in potential awards they can enter – both industry specific as well as general business. One of the business awards worth taking a look at is the Australian Anthill Cool Company Awards.
If you believe your company a step ahead of the rest? An organisation of rule-making and rule-breaking leaders? To put it simply, is your company ‘cool’ in 2008?
Applications are now open! Click here to nominate.
Lorem Ipsum on your website, I don’t think so 18 July 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips.Tags: jetstar
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We all know that having a website is essential in the marketing mix. I often write websites for clients and the larger the website, the more vigilant you need to be to ensure all copy makes sense and sells your product and service professionally.
Jetstar needs to learn this lesson. Quickly I think. I was looking through Jetstar’s website for flights trying to figure out what locations the airports are and clicked on this link about the airport on the Fraser Coast.
ATTRACTIONS / EVENTS
WEATHER AIRPORT INFORMATION TRANSPORT Attractions / Events
There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form, by injected humour, or randomised words which don’t look even slightly believable. If you are going to use a passage of Lorem Ipsum, you need to be sure there isn’t anything embarrassing hidden in the middle of text. All the Lorem Ipsum generators on the Internet tend to repeat predefined chunks as necessary, making this the first true generator on the Internet. It uses a dictionary of over 200 Latin words, combined with a handful of model sentence structures, to generate Lorem Ipsum which looks reasonable. The generated Lorem Ipsum is therefore always free from repetition, injected humour, or non-characteristic words etc.
Sydney Writers Centre on Facebook 8 July 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips.Tags: Shine Sales Solutions, Sydney Writers' Centre, web 2.0 PR
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Congratulations to our friends at the Sydney Writers’ Centre. Their use of web 2.0 tactics within their marketing/PR program has been described by the PR Warrior as:
a great example of an entrepreneurial business utilising Facebook as a means of interacting with consumers, building a community and promoting itself.
Check out the Sydney Writers Centre Facebook page. Yesterday they launched their first podcast which you can listen to here. Its an iTunes URL so you need that installed for it to work or just search the Itunes store for “Sydney Writers Centre” or “Valerie Khoo”.
Our friends at Shine Sales Solutions also have a great Facebook page.
Don’t ignore twitter for media 2 July 2008
Posted by Catriona Pollard in PR tips.Tags: twitter
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A few posts ago I wrote about what the fuss was with twitter. It is official.
I am a convert.
I have been twittering away, following interesting people, getting some great tips, and today I realised what I was beginning to suspect. Journalists are using it to source spokespeople. The Scoop journalist, Mark Jones posted a tweet:
markhjones ack. two CIOs that I had lined up for The Scoop this Friday have pulled out. Got a CIO in yr back pocket who can talk Windows XP vs Vista?
markhjones In less than 3 hrs I’ve received one phone call, and two emails re my Twitter request for a CIO to join us on The Scoop. Gotta love it.
