What PR Can Do That The Law Can’t – And Why That Matters To You

April 23, 2012 Leave a comment

Perhaps one of the most striking examples of how public relations, specifically media relations, differs from any other form of marketing is the way it can bring stories that the legal system has hit roadblocks to light.  PR can bring these stories to the public, and through media exposure enact change.  I can think of several cases that were floundering or caught in legal gridlock for one reason or another that were brought to public attention by the media, at which point the legal gears began to turn.  The media sheds light on a story that is shrouded in darkness and that light is often what leads to justice being done.  Those stories are often brought to the attention of the media by PR consultants.  Our company has represented clients locally, nationally and internationally where our focus was on bringing media attention to cases that, for one reason or another, were not being properly addressed through the legal system.  These are situations where PR can effect change when the legal system has hit a roadblock.

Not that your media needs or PR stories are going to be as serious as the one’s I’m referring to here.  But you see the basic point.  It’s the media coverage that gives those stories legitimacy, credibility.  PR brings them out of the shadows into the light of day and to the attention of the public.   In much the same way, media coverage can confer the credibility of being featured in the news to your story, service or product.  You are not presented as an ad or a commercial, but as the news.  That alone separates you from your competition.

Once you have the legitimacy of being featured in the news, you can take your media coverage and by using social media tools magnify and amplify your press coverage.  The combination of traditional media and social media makes for an incredibly powerful marketing tool.

Once you start to garner press coverage, you never know who is going to see, hear or read about you and that can result in totally surprising and unanticipated results. Always start a campaign with certain objectives in mind. Know your target market and outline your objectives.  Your gameplan will outline your primary focus.  But because of the powerful nature of the media, you never know what opportunities might arise.  I have witnessed some amazing results that neither I nor my clients envisioned. I have seen companies and careers built in record time, have had clients offered their own radio and TV shows after having been seen on the media. I’ve had clients offered positions in other companies, larger companies have offered buy-outs or mergers, and one client was offered complete financing on a new business venture after appearing on one talk show.

The bottom line is that media relations is an amazingly effective tool; it can effect social change and bring legal issues to light, but it can also brand your product, or company, build your business and substantially grow your customer base.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Faur, Peter. “Upset by the Reputation of PR? Get Over it.” Photo. Peter Faur. 14 Sept 2011. 23 Apr 2012. <http://peterfaur.com/2011/09/14/upset-by-the-reputation-of-pr-get-over-it#axzz1stciOT2O>

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PR Secret: A Good Story Will Get you in the Media Today

April 20, 2012 Leave a comment

With all of the new theories, programs, classes and seminars and master mind groups on how new media and social media are changing the world of PR, one thing remains constant, to be successful in the PR world, you have to have a story – good, compelling story with a strong narrative. All of the newest sites, gadgets, bells and whistles will get you nowhere, if you don’t have that in place.  Not that long ago, when the dot.com explosion firmly set on its head, the fact that AOL was set to swallow up Time Warner, was a story.  It actually should have been placed more in the realm of fiction, or better yet science fiction, but it sure as heck was a story; and one that received non-stop media coverage.  But if your company’s not about to gobble up Facebook, or Google, or Apple, how are you going to interest the media?  Some imagination and creativity on your part are in order.  You need the newest PR secret, which is also the oldest; you need a compelling story!

For example, if you’ve started a new website for your business, a press release announcing that your new site has been launched might get your company some ink in certain trade publications, you have a shot at garnering some online mentions on Yahoo and Google, but is that really what you want?  If you’re intent on launching an effective media relations campaign, you need to offer the media more than the fact you’ve created a new site.   What makes your site unique, special, different, or cutting edge?  What problems does it solve?  What questions does it answer?  How does it make a person’s life easier, happier, or more effective? 

This is no longer a one-story-fits-all world, and it’s imperative that a company develop press releases, hooks and ideas that will compel an editor, writer or producer to want to do a story. Think of the media less as a unified country than a segmented group of islands, each with its own interests, philosophy and needs.

What interests the Wall Street Journal will not necessarily interest USA Today, 60 Minutes, People, Vogue or your local media outlets.  The job of an effective media campaign is to interest each one of those venues.  Depending on  the campaign, the name of the game is to reach either a specifically targeted group or the largest number of consumers.  Each objective has its own strategy, but regardless of the strategy or objective, every campaign comes down to one main component; a good hook.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Snow, Shane. “8 Hot Media Trends You Need to Know.” Photo. Mashable. 19 Apr 2012. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://mashable.com/2012/04/19/hot-media-trends/>

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PR Secrets for Your Online Business

April 18, 2012 Leave a comment

Apart from Facebook and a few other IPO notables, dot.com IPOs no longer command the attention they did in the wild west of the late 1990s, and youthful billionaires, although still newsworthy, are no longer the big stories they were even two years ago.  These stories will continue to garner press, but they are not enough for a company to build a media presence around. The days of easy media are lost to the end of the 20th Century.  Already the 21st Century is a more demanding, more media-savvy time.

When dot.coms were still the rage, many internet companies turned to celebrities, hoping that by partnering with Whoopi Goldberg or Cindy Crawford, or some professional sports star, some of the stars’ fame and sheen would rub off on their online business. These companies were aware that the media love celebrities; and it is a star’s fame often that drives the media like moths to the proverbial flame.

But soon, even the celebrity factor began to wear thin; amazingly enough William Shatner survived as an online spokesperson, but overall internet companies found themselves faced with the same question that brick-and-mortar companies have faced for years: after the initial fireworks have cleared, how does a company consistently develop engaging and credible stories that will interest the media?

This is where public relations, specifically media relations and media placement come into the picture. When it comes to marketing a dot.com business, e-commerce site or internet product, a company must now broaden its scope to include an effective, story-driven media campaign. Unlike advertising, effective media relations can validate and legitimize a company – and for a fraction of what a comprehensive ad campaign costs.

This is not to say that when marketing an online business advertising and public relations are mutually exclusive. The two have different tasks to perform and one reinforces the other. Both can be vital to a successful overall campaign.  But in the 3.0 world of marketing it’s a mix of social media marketing and traditional PR that offers the most successful form of marketing.

During the dot.com heyday, many e-commerce companies did advertising overkill which cost-wise had a tendency to kill their business; most ignored or under-utilized the immense power and effectiveness of a well-targeted media relations campaign. Many figured that the more money they threw into an ad campaign, the more successful they’d be.  Few did their homework, thinking out of the box, and developing unique, compelling hooks and distinctive story ideas.

Meanwhile, the media began suffering from a bad case of dot-com burnout, which continues to this day.  It’s no longer enough to simply send out press releases announcing that a new site has been launched. Every day, thousands of press releases and pitches flood the email, snail mail, phone and fax lines (yes there still are some of those) of every media outlet in the country.

If a company wants to be noticed, or heard above this deafening roar, it better to know what each particular media outlet wants, understand each particular outlet’s demographics, and know how each editor or producer likes to be pitched.   Marketing has come full circle.  Once again it is all about the story.  Successful public relations comes down to having a credible, effective, engaging and instructional story to tell.  And that’s good news.  It means that the smallest, most cash strapped company has a chance to shine.  It simply needs to be creative.  When it comes to PR and pitching the media, remember, your story is your fortune.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Craig. “Advantages of Having an Online Business.” Photo. U2. NET. 29 Sept. 2010 18 Apr 2012. <http://www.uk2.net/blog/advantages-of-having-an-online-business/>

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How To Stand Out In a World of Dot.com Gerbils

April 16, 2012 Leave a comment

The internet has not only drastically changed industries, such as music, media and film, it has changed marketing forever.  Let me restate that, it is changing marketing on an ongoing basis.  How we send and receive information is in a constant state of flux.  There is no final destination; no point of arrival, there is only a constant ever evolving journey.   The not-so-long-ago lonesome trails of the net are now overly congested and traffic is bumper-to-bumper.

This is true not only of the number of web sites themselves but of the proliferation of web and dot-com advertisements. The amount has reached critical mass.  Not only has how we receive our information changing from PCs and Macs to pads and smart phones, but the amount of information that is flowing to us seems to be growing exponentionally.

The problem is the more information we receive, the less we actually register.  Every day we are bombarded with emails, pop ups, banners, etc.  It’s bad enough that we’re assaulted online; the offline world offers little escape.  From sponsorship of college football bowl games, to billboard ads, to stickers on produce, companies are trying any and every advertising and marketing avenue available to lure customers to their sites.

The sheer volume is so overwhelming that most of us are left with little more than a memory of countless dot-com companies that offer something – we’re just not sure what.  From traditional ads and commercials, to PR and media relations campaigns, to email marketing and social media campaigns, companies are trying any and everything to get your attention.

In real time the internet has shot from toddler to grown-up overnight, and the marketing strategies of even one or two years ago will no longer suffice.  So, where does that leave the entrepreneur who is looking to successfully market his or her online business?  Advertising, when done adeptly and consistently, is essential, but these days it can only take an internet company so far. To truly establish a company in the public eye, it’s imperative at some point for the message to take that defining, and validating leap from an ad that precedes the evening news to the story featured on the news.

Whether a company’s objective is to obtain more funding or attract more consumers to its site, there is nothing as validating and legitimizing as a well-placed print piece or TV segment.  The trouble is that not that many years ago, garnering Internet-oriented press was relatively easy.  Remember all of those articles and TV segments heralding the emergence of MySpace?   Stories about the launching of new IPOs, teen-aged wunderkinds who became overnight billionaires, and the very novelty of it all commanded reams of print as well as hours of TV and radio coverage. The wanna be Amazon.coms of the world were featured in every magazine and newspaper and on every TV and radio station.

Well, these days not only are consumers inundated with dot.com information, so is the media, and launching a successful media relations campaign is a bit tougher than it once was.  Still, when it comes to launching and implementing a successful marketing campaign for your online company a strategic mix of traditional PR and social media is your best bet.  As to the hows; I’ll be covering that in my follow up article.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

PETERD. “Fish.” Photo. SEOBOOK. 17 Oct 2011. 15 Apr 2012. <http://www.seobook.com/web-publishing-strategies-help-you-stand-out-competition>

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2 PR Secrets: Using Statistics & Offering An Exclusive

April 13, 2012 Leave a comment

You want to try various ways to interest the media.  But you want to make sure your approaches are appropriate.  The following are two public relations secrets to try.  One, using data and statistics in your pitch, just about anyone can use, you just have to get creative, the other, offering the media an exclusive,  is a bit more specific, but if and when you can use it can be a powerful public relations tool, as long as you follow the rules.

1) The media loves data, numbers, statistics and anything that will make a story seem weightier and more concrete.   So, your job is to come up with some unique data and statistics and tie it into your pitch (or pitches).  If you can offer the media information and data that is unique, you’ve got a great chance at piquing their interest.  People love statistics and so do the media. Statistics (percentages and numbers) seem real, whether they are or not. Stats are great to offer to producers, writers, editors, bloggers & media outlets. It gives them a hook, something to work with. They can use your stats and then your quotes to come up with interesting, off beat and fun sound-bites, articles, and segments. Using statistics in your pitches is an excellent way to give an editor or producer a good media hook, and garner media coverage for you and your company.

2) If you have information that is truly unique, contact some targeted media outlets and offer to give them an exclusive.  I hesitate to add this, because for that approach to work your story and pitch truly has to be newsworthy.  If you call a top mainstream media editor or producer and offer an exclusive about a new product or service you’re pitching, you’re not only going to be wasting your time and their time, you’re going to alienate them.  Chances are when you try your next pitch; they’re going to ignore it thinking you don’t understand what real news is.

In the real world, you’re seldom going to be in a position to offer an exclusive.  Those generally revolve around breaking news, celebrity news, politics, crime, etc.  But if you do hit on a story of that importance and offer an exclusive, you are honor bound to stick to it.  Don’t offer an exclusive to 60 Minutes and then turn around and offer the story to a network morning show.  I use that example, because several years ago, that’s exactly what happened to me.  I offered 60 Minutes an exclusive, they accepted and then unbeknownst to me or the 60 Minutes producer, the client was contacted by a producer at one of the national morning shows, and without letting me know until after the fact, the client went on the program before 60 Minutes had aired its segment.

Needless to say, the 60 Minutes producer and I were livid.  That is not the way media or PR works.  If you break trust, it’s very hard to establish it again.  So, if you ever are in a situation to offer an exclusive, think long and hard about what outlet would be the best one to offer the story to.  Which outlets best meet your objectives via readership and target market?  Once you’ve decided, make the offer.  If it’s accepted, you are duty bound to honor it.  Once the story breaks you can take it to other outlets, but until then, put on the breaks,  Hold back and wait until the story has aired or been published before talking to any other media outlets about it.

As I mentioned at the beginning, nearly anyone can use the data and statistic approach, so get creative and see what type of pitches you can come up with.  As to the exclusive, you only want to use that approach when it’s truly appropriate, a new product or grand opening does not qualify.  But, if and when you do come up with a story that warrants an exclusive, don’t be shy to go that route.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

“Average amount of media used per day.” Photo. BBC. 19 Aug 2010. 13 Apr 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11012356>

Gaskell, Adi. “People don’t use social media at work to talk shop.” Photo. Technorati. 13 Apr 2012. 13 Apr. 2012. <http://technorati.com/social-media/article/people-dont-use-social-media-at/>

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Who Benefits Most From PR and Media Relations?

April 11, 2012 Leave a comment

One huge mistake when it comes to PR and media relations is thinking that it only helps those that are already established. For example, in the entertainment industry only George Clooney of Jennifer Aniston need PR, or in the business world only Apple and Google can really benefit from a public relations outreach, or in medical arena, only the Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins School of Medicine can take advantage of PR and media coverage.  Whereas it’s true that all those listed can and do take full advantage of concerted PR campaigns, it is perhaps even truer that those actors, companies or physicians who are up-and-coming can benefit even more.

Those that I listed above need PR to keep their image strong, but those that have yet to become known in the media are the ones who truly need the poser of PR.  They’re the ones who need to establish themselves in the market, as experts in their fields, and need to reach their clients and customers.  Apple, or Clooney or the Mayo Clinic don’t need to actively pitch their stories as they did before.  The media know to come to them.  Their job is mainly to screen requests and when they have a new story to tell, to alert the appropriate media contacts and set up stories.  It’s the newer companies, or those who have never utilized PR in the past that need to court the media and actively pitch their stories.

Ever wonder how the Clooney’s, Google’s and others got to where they are?  Hard work, talent, expertise, great products-  and plenty of media exposure.  None of these would be at the top of their fields without hundreds of stories in the media including TV, newspapers, magazines and radio.

PR can be like money; those that need it the least get it the most.  That’s why public relations is so vitally important for companies that want to grow, reach their target market, and land more clients or customers.  PR offers the validation and credibility of being featured in the news.  It presents entrepreneurs and companies as premiere in the field.  It opens doors, builds businesses and establishes brands.

So, don’t make the mistake of thinking that your company or business or career isn’t big or important enough for PR.  In fact it’s the opposite that’s true.  Instead of waiting to become big or successful enough to warrant PR, use a creative public relations campaign to transform your business into that successful company you’ve been dreaming of building.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Getty Images. “George Clooney.” Photo. IndiWo. 25 Feb 2008. 11 Apr 2012. <http://indiwo.in.com/india/features/entertainment-life/in-pics-oscars-2008-hot-men-on-the-red-carpet/30631/0>

“Apple logo.” Photo. Forbes. 13 May 2011. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2011/05/13/apple-analyst-says-no-lte-in-iphone-5-to-add-sprint-t-mobile/>

“Google Building.” Photo. The Inquisitr. 11 Nov 2012. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://www.inquisitr.com/89991/google-fires-raise-tipster/>

“Mayo Clinic: Defend Your Corporate Identity.” Photo. Bloomberg Businessweek. 11 Apr 2012. <http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/10/1006_twitterville/17.htm>

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Outside the Box PR Tips

April 10, 2012 Leave a comment

If you’re pitching the media, make life easier on yourself, pitch the media stories that it wants.  Develop and pitch good, informative, timely entertaining stories.   Editors and producers want to interest as many readers, viewers, or listeners as possible and if you’re willing to work to help them do that, the media can become your greatest ally.  Help them meet their needs and they in turn will help you build your business, sell your products and establish yourself as one of the experts in your field.  But in order to do that you need to think not like a business owner, but like a journalist.  You have to study the various media outlets, review the different formats and study the types of stories they’ve run in the past.

You’re going to succeed by learning how the media thinks, not by assuming you think you know what they want. You have to prepare, do your homework; study the various media outlets. The bottom line is a good story, but it also has to be a story that the media finds of interest.  Don’t assume because you find your particular story fascinating that the media will like it as well.

Your first job is to develop your stories.  That is step number one.  There are no media relations or PR campaigns without good stories.  Once you have those ready to pitch start thinking out of the box.

The following are two out-of-the-box PR tips to consider:

1) Use your website as a way to offer the media story ideas.  Make your site a media destination; a place where editors, producers and writers can find information and story ideas that have to do with your field and expertise.  Do some research and offer facts, tips, and story ideas that the media can use in your media room.  Make it a fun informative, entertaining and educational page.  Offer resources, insider information, tips, advice, and outline the topics and areas that you’re expert in.

2) Conduct an online survey about something in your field and let the media know the results.  The media loves data, that’s why they’re forever quoting information from various polls and surveys.  So offer them your survey.  Give them insider information that they can find no where else.  Then write and distribute a press release publicizing your data and findings.

These are just a couple of outside-the-box tips.  More will follow in upcoming articles.  But, give them a try.  Be creative.  Have fun with this.  Come up with some outside-of-the-box tips of your own and share them with us.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

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6 PR Secrets To Maximizing A Media Interview

February 1, 2012 Leave a comment

Pitching the media and landing interviews is a big part of a public relations campaign, but it is just one step in the process.   Once your public relations firm has landed an interview for you it’s now your turn to spin the media opportunity into gold.  Many people feel because they know their business so well that a media interview will be a no brainer.  Well, think again.  This is what you and your PR company have worked for, this is your chance to reach your market, grow your business, build your brand, sell your products and establish yourself as an expert in your field.  Make sure you fully utilize each media opportunity that comes to you.  The following are some media relations tips to follow to ensure that you maximize your media interviews:

1) KNOW YOUR TOPIC:.  Find out what the scope of the interwar is going to be about.  If you’re doing a phone interview, make yourself a cheat sheet that you can refer to.  If you’re going to be on TV make sure you’ve reviewed your information, facts and practiced your particular point of view.

2) WARM UP:  It takes most people at least ten minutes to warm up.  If you have only a 3-5 minute interview, you want to practice until you are warmed-up in ten seconds.  This is you, sitting around after a dinner party telling a great story to good friends.  This is the “you” that will make a great interview.  Practice with your associates, in the car, at the studio.  Just talking and laughing with people, and especially putting others at ease, will do it.

3) IT’S YOUR EVENT.  Imagine reframing the interview in your mind, to where you have invited these people in order to educate, inform, and entertain them.  This will add vitality, power, and energy as you talk.

4) SHOW PASSION.  Why are you there?  Because you want to make money or sell books?  Probably.  But try this motivator instead:  you’ve got a great story, secrets to share, tips to impart, and you want everyone to know about it.  You REALLY BELIEVE what you’re saying, you’ve got the answers, and it’s fun to enlighten people.  You have a mission.  You want the public to know the truth.  Passion will make you come across like a dynamic expert who has the answers, rather than simply a talking head.

5) LOOK TO THE PROBLEM.  If you need a hint as to how to make your communication more vital and exciting, ask yourself – what problems did you (or your profession) solve in order to do this procedure, or write that book, or create that program?  Tell us how bad the problem was, and how happy your clients are now that it’s solved.

6) BELIEVE IN YOUR MESSAGE.  If you’re shy and you can’t believe in yourself that much in front of strangers and a camera, believe in your story, or your product, or your message.  Can you help people?  Can you make their lives better?  The answer is yes!  Believe in your message and that will come across in your interview.

Prepare, know your information, be enthusiastic, engage with the interviewer, and present yourself as a problem solver.  Now, once you have those points covered, relax and have fun.  Enjoy the process and the rest will take care of itself.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

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Daily Tips On Using PR To Establish Yourself As An Expert In Your Field- Strategies D & E

January 23, 2012 Leave a comment

Strategy D:  You want to present yourself as an expert in a particular field.  You can address a number of topics in your field, but you want to remain specific.  If you try to present yourself as an expert on everything, chances are you’ll be perceived as an expert on nothing.   The trick is to keep your focus, but broaden your scope.  Can you present new ways of looking at or approaching your field?  For example, if you run a company that produces skin care products, your main pitch is obviously going to be on how effective your product is, but can you develop a pitch about how your company is going green, or how the industry has changed in the past decade?

Strategy E :  Work on presenting yourself as someone who not only understands your product or service, but as a resource who can explain your field to others.  Are there new trends or new approaches that you can discuss and explain to the media and the general public?  For example if you’re a musician or are launching a new record label, can you address how the music industry is shifting and explain how the various new trends in music are impacting the culture at large?  Every industry has trends and shifts, position yourself as the expert who can explain them and discuss how they impact the public at large.

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Daily Tips On Using PR To Establish Yourself As An Expert In Your Field- Strategy C

January 20, 2012 Leave a comment

One of the main values of a public relations campaign is that it helps establish you as an expert in your field.  But you need to help the media help you.  Your job is to let them know why you’re an expert and make it as easy as possible for them to use you as a resource.  With that in mind, this week, I’m going to focus on daily tips you can use to use PR and media relations to establish you as an expert in your field.

Strategy C:  Breakdown the various ways you can present a topic.   Review how the topic you’re discussing impacts women, men, children, seniors, etc.  You can pitch the same basic story to a large number of media outlets, but you can’t use the same pitch or angle.  For example, there’s a chance that you can pitch yourself to Redbook, CNN and the Wall Street Journal, but you’re not going to do so successfully unless you modify the pitch to meet each media outlet’s specific needs.   If you can present yourself and the topic in different ways and to different audiences, you’ll have a much greater opportunity to garner media coverage as an expert in your field.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

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