Effective Public Relations

Authors, Musicians & PR’s Brave New World

anthonymora37 — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:44:35 +0000

Yes, the music industry has changed and in many ways it’s more challenging than ever before, but with change comes new opportunities. Success can still be had by those who work to create it. The traditional major label options aren’t as great and as varied as they were when the Stones or Madonna or REM initially made their marks, but there are now new and different ways to succeed, develop an audience and build a strong career

It’s not only the music industry that has been stood on its head by the internet. The worlds of publishing, film and TV are also reeling. In the past authors expected to sign a publishing deal, get an advance and then prepare for a book tour. Well times have changed. Fewer and fewer publishing houses are investing in tours unless it’s for one of their reigning literary superstars. So whereas more and more musical acts are back on the road and touring, fewer and fewer authors are out there meeting the public and bookstore owners. Book tours are more important than many realize. They are about making connections with individual stores, store owners and managers. Even those inevitable signings that end up with a handful of people in the audience can be beneficial, if a relationship is forged between the writer and a bookseller. Making it even more challenging is the fact that bookstores themselves are facing some of the roughest times they’ve ever encountered. Independents are falling by the wayside; Borders is gone and Barnes & Noble is doing all that it can to simply survive.

As with all types of intellectual property, book sales are being hit hard. The model that worked so well only a few years ago, is now broken. Still, in both music and publishing as the old models begin to falter, new avenues and opportunities are surfacing. For musicians and authors that take their careers and their works into their own hands there is a new world of opportunity out there.

The tough part here is that artists either have to become marketers, or they have to hire PR and marketing firms to handle their promotional needs for them. Particularly in the fields of art and entertainment, marketing cannot be looked at as a luxury. Marketing, particularly media relations, is a necessity. The upside to the internet is that every area of interest has its own bloggers and social media sites. Savvy authors and musicians are using social media, blogging, and article marketing to create an inbound marketing funnel for their books CDs and music downloads. Some are launching and investing in their own tours, others are offering online events. Those that are truly savvy are launching traditional public relations campaigns to reach their target market, establish themselves as experts in their field and gain the validation and legitimacy of being in the news. With the right buzz both musicians and authors can with a bit of creativity generate their own sales and build their fan base, and establish their own successful careers.

Surviving (and thriving) In The Music Industry

anthonymora37 — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:11:35 +0000

The music industry has made such a complete 180 in the past few years, that it’s enough to make you dizzy. The days of A&R reps finding a new band, recording them and putting them through the star making machine is pretty much a thing of the past. The mid to late ‘80s was one of the heydays in the music industry. From The Police and Motley Crue to the GoGo’s and the Chili Peppers (originally Tony Flow and the Majestic Masters of Mayhem) bands were signed and snatched up out of the local rock scenes. Those were the days of powerful large labels and upstart independent labels. Most bands sparked for a minute or two and faded away, some are still on top today. But the difference is that back then there were labels that were willing to take a chance on an artist or a band, produce, market and distribute their product. That was also the heyday of MTV. A video in strong rotation could launch a band. Touring was still important, but bands could do so more sparingly. Radio and video exposure could help keep an act in the spotlight. CDs were sold directly to the consumer. Artists actually made money by selling their music.

Fast forward to 2012. The world I just described is as anachronistic as that of the era of the horse and buggy. Everything has changed. It is now a true struggle to make money by selling music. Touring and merchandising is a must. The days of musicians and record labels spinning gold by selling music are over. Not long ago there were bands who wouldn’t consider selling their music to an advertiser or TV show. They could make their revenue off of an album and then CD sales. With product placement now becoming the name of the game, recording artists are having to rethink their approach and their career paths.

The upside is that there is more of a level playing field. More singers, bands and musicians now have an opportunity to get known and develop a career. But, it has become more of a do-it-yourself world; musicians, who know how to work social media, blog, and launch traditional media campaigns, can still establish a presence, create a fan base and build a buzz. There is still a way to launch a music career and make money while making music, but musicians now have to be savvy marketers. They need to understand PR, media relations, publicity and the basics of marketing. It’s a bit daunting, that goes without saying, but for those who learn the ropes, it also puts the power squarely in their hands. It’s true that labels launch many a band, but there are also myriad stories of bands who were taken advantage of and ripped off. Musicians now have to be more savvy about marketing and business, but they also command more control. In the long run it could be a decent trade off.

Promoting Your Art Utilizing PR – Part II

anthonymora37 — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:01:58 +0000

I know how difficult it is for artists to promote their work. Look at it this way. PR is an art. It’s not hawking or selling, it’s the art of effective storytelling. For it to work it needs a narrative, a story arch. Learn and use the art of storytelling to promote your art. Use your creativity in your media relations campaign. My last article highlighted 4 approaches that artists can use to highlight their work and garner media coverage. There are at least two other approaches to consider:

1) Controversy: Are you creating art or a show that is different, or controversial? If so utilize that. The media loves controversy. You don’t want controversy for controversy’s sake (although people have gotten pretty damn far going that route) but you want it to be a part of your work, your show, your journey.

2) Timeliness: Can you tie your work, or a show to a particular time, season, date, etc.? Can you revolve your media pitch around a particular holiday or tie it into a story that’s currently in the news? Try and find ways to make your story pitch timely and use that to your advantage.

Regardless of the type of marketing campaign you choose to launch, keep in mind chances are you’re not going to hit a home run your first time at bat. There are those situations where you score big right off the bat, but don’t count on it. The most effective campaigns are long term, cumulative approaches. They need to be refined, adjusted, and modified. As you go, you learn. But as an artist, public relations and being featured in the media is your best approach. It offers the validation and credibility of being featured in the news. Take a look at your favorite, famous artists, most likely you will find most or all of them are media darlings and have learned the art of PR.

You can definitely launch a campaign on your own if you’re working on a shoestring, but if you can possibly afford it, bring a professional on board to guide you and run the campaign. If you do bring on a PR consultant or public relations company, work with them. It’s a collaborative process. It’s important you work as a team to develop story ideas, media pitches and create a campaign that meets your needs but also allows your PR firm to meet the media’s needs. Don’t look to your friends and acquaintances to give you marketing and PR advice. Advice is cheap and easy to give. Everyone believes they’re marketing mavens, but few actually have a clue. If you start listening to everyone’s advice you’ll continually be in reactive mode. Your marketing campaign will function like an old fashioned pinball machine, shooting to the right and then to the left with no focus, no point of view and no concrete direction.

Don’t let marketing your artwork intimidate or depress you. View it as an artistic challenge. Play with it. Have fun with it. Remember you’re building the bridge between yourself and the public. You’re giving your art a chance to soar.

Promoting Your Art Utilizing PR

anthonymora37 — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:36:14 +0000

If you’re a sculptor, painter, photographer, craftsperson, musician, author, cartoonist and/or performance artist creating your art is step one when it comes to launching a successful career. Once you’ve created your art, you next need to build the bridge between your art and the public. From my perspective, once you’ve given your time and care, blood, sweat and tears to your artwork, you owe it to your art to get it seen and experienced.

There are a number of ways to promote your art including advertising, direct marketing, guerrilla marketing, social media and publicity. For artists, PR can generally be the best route. Public relations and being featured in the media offers the validation and credibility of being featured as a news story. Often the most effective approach is a combination of medial relations and social media. The two complement each other. You can amplify and magnify your media placements via social media and a creative social media campaign can result in coverage in TV, magazines and newspapers. The most important element when launching a PR campaign is coming up with compelling stories that meet the media’s needs. Below is a quick overview of approaches you can use when pitching the media:

1) Pitch An Event: Do you have a show or a gallery opening coming up? Here you have something concrete to point to. You can offer the media somewhere to go something to see. But keep in mind that journalists, editors and producers are inundated with offers to come to shows and events. So find a way to make your story different, compelling

2) Something New: Give the media something new to cover. Have you begun working in a new medium? Have you changed your subject matter? Is there a new approach or style you’re utilizing?

3) Tell Your Journey: Your art is a story, but so is your journey to becoming an artist. Offer the media human interest stories about how you became an artist, how you followed your dream. Outline the obstacles you overcame, or the uniqueness of your journey.

4) Defining A Trend: Are you a part of, or are you helping to define, a new trend? You might not initially think so, but give it some thought. Don’t just think of art-oriented trends, keep in mind demographic, cultural commercial, and aesthetic trends as well. Think of how you can position yourself as someone how illustrates that trend.

These are just some approaches that artists can use to help promote their work. Keep in mind that, like it or not, this is a part of your job. Have fun with it. Don’t just keep your creativity for your art; use it in your marketing. You owe it to yourself, your work and the public.

How You Can Utilize the Celebrity PR Angle

anthonymora37 — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:02:49 +0000

When it comes to PR, business owners and entrepreneurs generally think of the obvious. An owner of a hair salon will think of stories that have to do with hair care. On optician will think of stories that have to do with eyewear, a florist will think of stories that have to do with flowers. That all makes sense, right? Yep. And that’s a start, but if you really want to get your story covered in magazines, newspapers and TV segments, you need to be a bit more creative than that. For example, if you do own a hair salon, come up with the top ten best celebrity hairstyles and explain why, or maybe give the worst celebrity hairstyles. You don’t have to be the hairstylist who worked on the celebrities, but you can be the one to comment and position yourself as a hairstyling expert. If you’re an optician, develop a story on why glasses are really jewelry for the face and then come up with a list of celebrities that illustrate why glasses are a beauty item. If you’re a florist, come up with a pitch based on flower arrangements used at celebrity events, political events, or any event that is featured in the news. Comment on why the floral arrangements worked or didn’t work and what you would suggest in the future.

The best way to launch a successful media campaign is to give the press options. You have a story that you want to tell through the media. Chances are you have one or two main angles or story ideas that you want covered. Those are where your focus lies, they are you primary objectives. But don’t stop there. Broaden your approach. For good or bad (and I think I know which one it is) we live in a celebrity-based culture. The media loves celebrity-oriented stories, so brainstorm a bit and see how you can tie your story into a pitch that offers a celebrity angle. This might be the furthest thing from your mind and that type of story might very well bore you to tears, but don’t let your personal bias, keep you from presenting a story angle that the media will pick up. Have fun with it. Think out of the box.

This celebrity-oriented approach can often be the way to prime the pump and get your media relations campaign off the ground. From there you can broaden into a more comprehensive campaign.

James. “Celebrity News”. Photo. Celebrity Cheeze. 02 Feb 2012. 15 Feb. 2012.

Why Your Clients’ Stories Define Your PR

anthonymora37 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:37:44 +0000

Your best stories are those that show how your product or service helps your clients. For example, if you’re a physician, your best stories are patient success stories. A doctor is the expert who can explain how to treat a disease or how a particular procedure works, but it’s his or her patient stories that are going to connect with the media and the public.

It’s the same in any business. Regardless what your profession is, you have an impact on the lives of others. And the impact you have on your clients can make for your most compelling stories. Those are the stories that, in essence, tell your story. Perhaps you made someone’s life easier by saving her time, money, or stress. Maybe you helped someone lose weight, feel better, look better. What are your success stories? Whether you’re an attorney, a plumber, a life coach or an artist, you have an impact on the lives of others. And the impact you have on your clients can make for your most compelling stories. Those are the stories that, in essence, tell your story.

Before launching a marketing or public relations campaign, take some time to work on the anecdotal stories which you feel best illustrate what you do, those which most effectively tell your story. Now match the various anecdotal stories to the appropriate media outlets. For example, using a medical story again, a story about a ten year old struggling with Autism, would be pitched differently than a story about the latest in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. If you’re an author of a how-to book, the stories you’d pick to pitch to Redbook or Ladies Home Journal, would differ from those you’d pitch to Forbes or the Wall Street Journal.

Make a list of clients you have worked with who have interesting, impactful or inspiring stories they can tell. You want these stories to illustrate how by working with you, their lives were changed or transformed. Keep in mind; these transformations don’t have to be huge. You don’t have to save someone’s life for your stories to resonate; your stories could be serious, fun, lighthearted, or practical. Perhaps you made someone’s life easier by saving her time, money, or stress. Maybe you helped someone lose weight, feel better, look better. All of these make for good anecdotes, which in turn can lead to great PR pitches, which can land you media coverage – which in turn can help you land more clients, build your business and grow your business.

Lady Gaga & Her Little Monsters

anthonymora37 — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:56:07 +0000

Lady Gaga rules Twitter. With roughly 19 million followers, she leaves others in the dust. Lady Gaga was also the first to top one billion YouTube video views. So what is the obvious next step for the Queen of YouTube and Twitter? Start your own social network! And that’s what Gaga has done. Little Monsters is an invite-only (exclusive, eh? Kinda like getting let in by the doorman at a club) the site which is currently in beta test, is built around her fan base. Think of a traditional fan club on steroids. According to media accounts the site will be similar to Pinterest, the mobile app that has users “pin” where they go, what they do and what they like. It will also be somewhat similar to Digg in that users will be encouraged to share and post content from other sites.

The site is developed by a company named Backplane where (surprise) Troy Carter, Lady Gaga’s manager is one of the founders. But here’s the question, for now followers and viewers who visit and join Lady Gaga on other sites are coming from a large pool. They are also not defining themselves so specifically as Lady Gaga fans as they would be by joining a social network build exclusively around her and her fan base. Few rocks stars have true staying power and if the fame starts to wane, you have the very real potential of a mass exodus. To rely on a fan base to fuel a social media site can be a gamble.

That’s where it becomes a PR gamble. Initially it makes for great media. Any and every pop culture outlet will react to the Little Monster media relations and publicity blitz. You’ll see and read about it everywhere. It’s a sure slam dunk at first, not unlike Michael Jordon launching his own brand of athletic shoes. What will be interesting is to see where Little Monsters is in a year or two. If fortunes turn, could it suddenly be uncool to be on the site? It’s hard to know at this point. As time goes on it could be important to begin to minimize the Lady Gaga presence on the site and focus on fully branding Little Monsters as a stand alone entity. But one thing is for sure, up to this point Lady Gaga has been a PR Monster, so who knows how far her army of Little Monsters can take her.

MiKael. “The hand used on various official T-Shirts.” Photo. wikia. 09 Feb. 2012.

Apple’s PR Nightmare

anthonymora37 — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:58:49 +0000

Recently Apple reported one of the most incredible earning results on record. In the last quarter of 2011, Apple made a $13 billion dollar profit, meaning that the company more than doubled its earnings in the same period in 2010. This is amazing news for the company, a true business and PR coup and yet if you were to do an internet search for Apple during the past few weeks, its earnings would most likely not be the story you’d be reading about.

According to several news reports, investigations into the conditions of Chinese workers have revealed the deplorable conditions that workers labor within to produce the seemingly ubiquitous iPhones and iPads. Until very recently few knew the human suffering involved in the creation of this uber-cool, “must have” devices.

The research that was carried out by NGOs revealed alarming allegations of draconian workplace conditions at two major plants in southern China. The investigation offers a disturbing look into the lives of the approximately 500,000 workers at the Shenzhen and Chengdu factories. The factories are owned by Foxconn, a huge firm which produces millions of Apple products each year. The report accuses Foxconn of treating workers “inhumanely, like machines”.

This story is not completely new. Nor is this problem specific to Apple; Foxconn also helps build electronics products for other brand names including Amazon’s Kindle and Microsoft’s Xbox.

But Apple has been the main focus in these stories, causing the company that Steve Jobs built to have lost quite a bit of its luster. In the U.S., owning an apple device is a status symbol; the products are cool, hip, cutting edge. They are products that help define the user. People proudly display their iPhones and iPads and often look down on those poor mortals who own anything else, as inferiors. Apple has worked hard to define a lifestyle, a point of view, a sense of creativity and thinking outside of the box. One would have hoped that the company would have thought outside the box in its approach to manufacturing.

So what should Apple do now? From a PR or media relations perspective they should act and act swiftly. They should take responsibility, define in concrete terms how they are going to rectify the problem, do it in a transparent manner, and then actually do so. This is a problem that can be solved and needs to be dealt with; it is not one that can be swept under the carpet.

Palis, Courteney. “A woman checks her cell phone while…” Photo. The Huffington Post. 07 Feb. 2012. 08 Feb. 2012.

Making The Right PR and Marketing Choices

anthonymora37 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:34:41 +0000

You need to market, that’s a given. The question should not be if, but how. Your best choice is to hire a firm or a professional consultant. If you’re on s shoestring budget, that makes it tougher, but there are still myriad ways to approach it. Going the do-it-yourself route is one choice, but if you do chose to go this way, you have a big learning curve ahead of you. For example, let’s say you decide to handle, create and launch your own media relations campaign; to start, you need to learn the hows and whys of putting together a successful campaign. And you need to know how to define a campaign.

Keep in mind that landing an interview on TV program, or in a magazine, is not media relations. That is simply one small step. I’ve had potential clients tell me that they tried PR and it simply didn’t work. When I asked them to define exactly what they did, they usually explained that they were featured in a magazine or newspaper or TV segment and nothing happened. When I then asked them how they utilized or maximized that one media placement, I’d generally be met with blank stairs. In their mind, that one media placement was a PR campaign; it didn’t change their life, so PR didn’t work. The trouble was, they never really tried a public relations campaign, they simply appeared in a story or two. Being featured in the media a few times is not a media relations campaign. It’s a start. It’s nice. It can help, but it’s not a campaign, and that’s what public relations firms focus on creating, launching and implementing effective PR campaigns.

This is not to say that you can’t do some initial PR work on your own. You can, but your goal should be to shift from doing your own marketing to brining on a professional as soon as possible. Your job is running your business. Your marketing team should be marketing your business.

Effective media relations is an art and a full-time job. It takes skill, know-how, experience persistence, and contacts. The art of effective PR entails more than writing releases, posting releases on paid wire services, putting together press kits – and praying. If a campaign is launched haphazardly or incorrectly, it’s often best not having been launched at all. The last thing you want to do is alienate the press, which is often what happens when well-meaning but inexperienced individuals try their hands at running their own media campaigns.

So until you can bring a team or a consultant on board, do what you can on your own. But be selective. Keep your efforts targeted and focused. Once you’re ready to hire a PR firm or marketing company, choose wisely. Choose a firm or individual you’re comparable with. You need to be able to communicate with you representatives. You also need trusted advisors who will tell you when they feel you’re steering off- base or making a wrong move. If you pick wisely, do your part and work with your PR firm, (to paraphrase Bogie in Casablanca) this could be the start of a successful and profitable relationship.

Square Hits a PR Grand Slam

anthonymora37 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:49:08 +0000

What could be a better PR coup than having both the Republican and the Democrats using your device in the race for the White House? Either way you win, even with the loser. And that’s exactly what Square has accomplished. One of the newest technologies to be adopted by the Obama and the Romney campaign is called Square, a mobile payment card reading device. Members of both campaigns are being equipped with this device that enables the campaigns to accept donations on various devices including Androids, Iphone, Ipads, etc.

To quote a Square spokesperson: “Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, running for president or local assembly, Square makes it easier than ever for candidates, organizations and volunteers to fundraise for their cause.”

Square makes fundraising easy which makes candidates and their teams happier. Generally a campaign needed to solicit checks or cash. There were always credit cards but the paperwork and tracking could be a fundraiser nightmare.

Square makes donating and receiving easy. Donations are immodestly processed and the company sends receipts via SMS or email. Political fundraisers can’t escape the reporting requirements and processing fees, but overall Square offers them a fundraising dream.

The special app for accepting Square payments for the Obama campaign will soon be available to the public and then the game is on. The Obama campaign reportedly raised $42 million in the last quarter of 2011. As the campaign goes into full gear, that number is sure to rise, add the Republican race to that and Square is going to be seeing quite a bit of money flow through its system.

The capital Square will take in by working with both parties is significant, since the company is basically a start up. But even more significant in the long run are the PR and marketing opportunities that are now afforded them. Their media relations and publicity efforts are in full swing (or at least they should be).

Companies pay celebrities big bucks to endorse their products or services. In this case Square’s clients are being afforded the biggest spotlight there is and some of that spotlight falls directly on Square. Public relations, particularly media relations can benefit quite a bit with the help of celebrity names. Think of designers or make up companies that tie their brands to those of specific celebrities. If a celebrity uses a product and word hits the media, sales of that product generally soar. Seldom is a company afforded the type of media exposure that Square can now command. It will be interesting to see how they utilize this opportunity.

Pinoytutorial. “Square app”. Photo. Techtorial. 25 May 2011. 03 Feb. 2012. <http://pinoytutorial.com/techtorial/square-pay-with-your-name-review-how-to-guide-and-tutorial/>

Flacy, Mike. “Obama Square App”. Photo. Digital Trends. 31 Jan 2012. 03 Feb. 2012. <http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/will-mobile-campaign-donations-be-a-game-changer-for-politicians/>