A PR Masterclass by Two Sides of the Divide….
February 25, 2009 6:37 pm General MarketingYesterday I went along to a Connect 4 Lunch event ran by Drogheda Chamber. As always, I was running late but thankfully, the lovely Colm and Susan at Bru, made sure that I had some of their delish beef and Guinness stew. If I could have had seconds, I would….but unfortunately, the speakers were already at the podium!
The speakers are quite literally on each side of the PR divide - the PR agency and the journalist!
The journalist or media representative spoke first - Darren Hughes of the Drogheda Independent. Darren used to be the Editor, now he’s the Operations Director and he had the audience in the palm of his hand. He was engaging, entertaining and showed us how it’s done by speaking for 20 minutes on his subject without powerpoint. What he said was most useful.
Here’s a recap of what I took away when appealing to a journalist or newsroom. I could write more but time and words constrain me!:
1. KISS - Keep it Simple, Stupid
Make sure the information that you’re sending on is simple, straight to the point with little jargon.
2. The 5 ‘W’s
Who, What, Where, When Why - these are the key questions that should be answered in your press release.
3. The Funnel
A journalist will look at the press release and because of other stories may have to cut it down. If this is the case, s/he cuts from the bottom up. So it stands to reason, that like a funnel, the important information is in the first few paragraphs
4. Be an Expert
Whatever field you’re in, call up a journalist or news team and tell them that you’re the expert in your field. Give them examples of your credibility and tell them if they need an opinion piece, that you’re their guy or gal!
5. Tell People Your News
You have to call up and tell people about your news. Don’t wait for people to find you. Call up or email a journalist or news room and tell people your news. Even if your business is not aimed at the local or national market, tell the local and national media about you. Don’t hide your news behind a bushel….journalists won’t have the time to go fishing for information - it’s up to you to promote your business.
Next up was Ged Nash of McCormick Nash. I’ve known Ged a long time now since our heady days at UCD. I know how much he loves Public Relations and he is a born natural. PR is in his blood and he’s an expert at it. It was great to see him in action.
Like Darren, I could be here all day talking about what he had to say but I’ll keep it brief.
1. Audit your organisation for PR Opportunities
Most businesses have a financial audit or a technical audit but very few have a PR (or marketing!) audit. Yet without customers, there would be no need for a financial audit.
2. Have a Communications Day
What a wonderful idea of Ged’s. I get to know my clients staff so that I think of ways to bring them into marketing initiatives. Ged’s idea of a day of brainstorming, finding out more about your staff and even suppliers could be hugely beneficial. It really helps you to be conscious of positive PR opportunities within your organisation.
3. Prepare a PR Calendar
Every year sit down and write a PR calendar. It ensures a pro-active approach to PR. You’re controlling your message, your budget and your events.
4. Plan Your PR Programmes
Once you’ve set your calendar, it’s now time to flesh it out. Establish your target audience and select your target journalists. Then establish what the journalists you want to contact are interested in, how they write and what need.
5. Types of PR Opportunities
There are many PR Opportunities. Pure hard news, sponsorship, launches, staff stories (see above re communications day), surveys, research, anything quirky etc.
6. An extra element to the 5 ‘W’s
How is the extra to Who, What, Where, When Why. The How relates to how someone developing the best product in the world, how did a company find out the best research fact ever, etc.
Both Darren and Ged said that everyone is looking for good news stories. Now is the time to provide journalists with good, well-written press releases and stories.
Now you know what to do, what are you waiting for?