PR Secrets for Your Online Business

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/>

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

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>

2 PR Secrets: Using Statistics & Offering An Exclusive

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/>

Who Benefits Most From PR and Media Relations?

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>

Outside the Box PR Tips

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

Easter Season PR Tips

One of the main things to look for when pitching the media is how and when you can pitch your story to an event, a breaking news story, a season, or a holiday.  For example, around New Years is a perfect time to pitch stories about weight loss, exercise and fitness. That’s the time that people, who have overeaten during the holiday season are making their resolutions to get into shape, lose weight and establish new eating habits.  Not that those resolutions often stick, but if you’re a fitness trainer, or are marketing a weight loss supplement, or have written the latest and greatest diet book, this is a perfect season to launch your media relations campaign.

Likewise, if you run a spa or you’re a florist, or you sell designer chocolate, Valentine’s Day is great time to launch a PR outreach campaign.  Valentine’s Day is also your target day if you’re a relationship expert and have a new book on finding that right someone, or if you run a dating website.

But what about Easter?  What are some campaigns that work best during this season?  There is quite a lot you can do.  The following are some Easter PR tips to keep in mind.  Remember these are basically seasonal, so you can launch them a bit before the actual day, but can also keep working the campaign for a few weeks after Easter has passed.

  1.  Easter is about spring renewal, which means flowers.  If you’re a florist, you’ll want to consider coming up with unique Easter floral arrangements, gifts, displays, etc.  Tie a story into your pitch.  How do the flowers specifically illustrate the season?  What makes these displays Easter specific?
  2.  Easter is also about food.  Pitches that offer unique Easter recipes, dishes, and desserts can work.  Try to give the recipes some history.  Where do they come from?  What makes them special?  How do the tie in to the season?  Build a story around the pitch
  3.  Easter is also about fashion.  If you’re a designer of clothes or accessories create a PR pitch that ties the season into your designs.  Come up with creations that are specific to the season.  Present yourself as an expert, explain what colors and fabrics should be worn and why.

All of the above are secular ways to pitch, but this is also a great time for churches to do a PR campaign.  What could be a better time to reach out to the public.

You get the idea.  Easter signifies a celebration of spring and renewal.  Find a way to tie your product into those concepts.  Be creative.  Have fun with it.  And – Happy Easter

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Aitch, Travis. “Easter Egg Chocolates.” Photo. Info Barrel. 05 Apr. 2012. <http://www.infobarrel.com/The_Origin_of_The_Easter_Bunny_and_Easter_Eggs>

“Bully” and the MPAA PR Dilemma

“Bully” opened in a limited release on Friday, leaving theaters to decide whether they should let underage teens in or not.  Harvey Weinstein chose to release the film without a rating after loudly and repeatedly objecting to a controversial decision by the Motion Picture Association of America to give the film an R, which means anyone 17 and under needs an adult with them to get in.

Weinstein has brought his objections along with his army of celebrity supporters to magazines and talkshows, but the MPAA refused to budge and the R rating has stuck, which the Weinstein Co. argued would bar its target audience: teens.

“Bully” is said to have received the R rating because in one scene a bully uses profanity.  If sticking to the letter of the law is its sole purpose, the MPAA is doing its job, but at what cost?  The kids who could most benefit from this film are being locked out.  And why, because of language they hear every day on the playground by those very bullies being documented.  The Hunger Games, a film about kids sent to hunt and eat other kids, ended up with a PG rating.  Go figure.

To quote a recent article by AO Scott in the New York Times: “There is little swearing in the movie, and a lot of upsetting stuff, but while some of it may shock parents, very little of it is likely to surprise their school-age children.” Whose sensitivity does the association suppose it is protecting? The answer is nobody’s. That organization, like the panicked educators in the film itself, holds fast to its rigid, myopic policies to preserve its own authority. The members of the ratings board perform a useful function, but this is not the first time they’ve politicianed us.”

By sticking to this decision, the MPAA is doing irreparable PR damage to its own brand.  It is presenting itself as a dated, archaic system.  “Bully” on the other hand is generating more buzz and PR than it ever could have without this controversy.  Harvey is doing his PR magic.  He and the legion of star power champions of the film are garnering more exposure for the film than any marketing or ad campaign could buy.

Regardless of the rating and the controversy, “Bully” is an important film and one that should be watched by kids and parents.  The problem is how to get the kids to see it.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Allocca, Dave. “Lee Hirsch (left) and Alex Libby.” Photo. People. 02 Apr 2012. 03 Apr 2012. <http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20582921,00.html>

3 PR Tips For Landing More Media & More Clients

A few years ago we worked with a client who had landed some media before starting with us.  I asked her if she could bring some of the articles and TV interviews she had been featured in.  As it turned out she didn’t have any.  She had not kept one.  From her perspective, the media coverage was nice, but she didn’t consider what a powerful tool it would be for her down the line.  So in a sense, media-wise, we were starting from scratch.  Which was a shame; we didn’t need to be.   Whether you’ve launched a media campaign in the past, or have been fortunate to have a print article or TV segment come to you, all of your media coverage is a part of your PR and marketing arsenal.

If you use it correctly, media not only begets media, it also enhances all of your other marketing efforts, from social media and online marketing, to traditional advertising to direct marketing.   The following are tips to how to successfully utilize your PR efforts and media coverage

1) Use your TV and radio appearances and magazine and newspaper articles to interest other media. Copy the article, video, or audio tape and send it out when the media requests further information on you. Spotlight your media appearances in your bio or one sheet.

2)  When pitching media, let them know about other segments or articles you’ve been featured in. Be prudent in the media you send.  If a feature story or interview has certain quotes you are unhappy with, you may want to copy only the parts of the interview you want highlighted. If you have a recently taped interview from a particular TV program and are now being considered by their direct competitor, you may want to think twice before sending that particular tape for viewing.

3)  Don’t just use your media to pitch the press.  Use it in all of your marketing and promotional efforts.  Highlight your articles and TV segments on social media; mention your media coverage in your ads, flyers, newsletters and brochures. Create one-sheets of your more impressive articles to pass out to clients or prospects.  Consider hiring a graphic artist to help professionally display your articles and interviews.

These are just some examples of ways to utilize your press. With a little thought and ingenuity, you’ll come up with several more. Make your PR efforts and your media coverage work as hard as you do.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Malloy, John. “2011 important but most underreported stories by media.” Photo. Network News.  29 Nov 2011. 28 Mar 2012. <http://www.networknewsdaily.com/2011/11/29/2011-important-but-most-underreported-stories-by-media/>

The NFL’s PR Dramas

Last week the NFL was able to muster more PR coverage than it generally does during the height of the playoffs.  Last season not only was Time Tebows’ jersey the number two selling jersey in the league (you’ll have to look up number one); his story captivated a good deal of the season media coverage.  Tebow was covered on nearly every media outlet.  YouTube was filled with videos of people throughout the globe hitting the famed one knee Tebow stance.  For many who had just a passing interest in the sport, Tebow not only was football, he eclipsed football.  He certainly was the main topic of conversation in Denver.  He was their quarterback and was bringing Denver back to its glory days.  Well, what a difference a few months makes.  Tebow is now a backup quarterback in New York and Broncos are Payton Manning’s team.

The Denver quarterback drama wasn’t that hard to figure out.  It would be difficult for a team to pass on one of football’s best quarterbacks for one who is learning the robes and has so many question marks.  The real drama was in San Francisco, where Alex Smith, who nearly took the 49ers to the Super Bowl, discovered that for several days he was in the same position that Tebow was.   Yes, he’s back with the Niners.  But considering how his team was flirting with Peyton Manning, it will be hard to go back to things as usual.  A three year, $24 million deal helps to ease the pain, but still, it can’t be easy to know that the powers that be were that close to letting him go.  True, Smith isn’t Manning, but last season much was made of how, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh backed Smith at every turn and stated that Smith was their quarterback for the long haul.  At least until a Peyton Manning shows up.  But Manning goes with Denver, Smith stays in San Francisco and who knows what anyone really feels.

The NFL certainly received more than enough media coverage during the Manning frenzy.  It was PR heaven for the league.  A perfect film scripted media relations blitz.  The same can’t be said for the other high profile NFL story that buzzed through the media.  The New Orleans story was more of a PR nightmare than a public relations dream.    On Friday, Saints coach, Sean Payton offered an apology.   In Payton’s first formal statement since the NFL announced his season-long suspension, he explained that he took “full responsibility” for the bounty scandal that led to unprecedented league sanctions against the New Orleans Saints.

Still there are also PR benefits to the Saints bounty story.  Although initially it can be seen as a media relations black eye, the league acted quickly and decisively.  The penalties handed down deliver a clear message that the NFL will not tolerate bounties. The severity of the penalties is unparalleled and media-wise that works in the NFL’s favor.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

“Petyon Manning Tim Tebow.” Photo. Fan IQ. 21 Mar. 2012. 26 Mar 2012. <http://www.faniq.com/blog/Peyton-Manning-and-now-Tim-Tebow-Blog-45962>

Branding Your Company Using PR

PR and media relations are not only effective ways to garner coverage in print, TV or the radio, innovative companies and entrepreneurs are utilizing the basic PR methodology to build their brands.  Effective public relations is one of the most powerful and effective brand building tools available.  Companies build lasting successful brands by creating a powerful emotional response in their customers and in the public at large and they do so by developing and creating an effective story.  Successful branding is not a process of the hard-sell.  It is not about being the biggest, or the loudest, or even the coolest.  A company builds a successful brand by making a deep powerful connection with its market.  Branding is about communicating on a basic human level.

Having worked as a journalist, editor and producer, I know from the media’s perspective what makes a powerful and compelling story. Having served as president and CEO of a PR firm, I also know from the perspective of a public relations consultant what creates a story the media will respond to.  It is the same type of emotional responses that companies look for when it comes to establishing their brands.

For a story to work it must be compelling, interesting and hit a true human chord.  Public relations is the only form of marketing that lives or dies on how compelling the story truly is. Unlike advertising, with media relations you can’t pay to have a story placed in the editorial section of the media. You need to craft and pitch a story that is compelling enough to capture the media’s attention – a story that in essence is strong enough to become the news.

PR is not an event; it is a process and using that process is the most effective and powerful way to create and develop an effective brand.  It is the PR mindset and methodology, the ability to develop and establish stories that resonate with the public that truly create the most powerful and lasting brands. A successful brand tells a company’s story both emotionally and narratively, which is why PR consultants who truly understand the process are the most effective brand creators around.

Keep in mind when you’re launching your PR campaign that you’re not only reaching your target market, establishing yourself though the media, and promoting your business, you’re also successfully connecting with your customers and establishing your company’s brand.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

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