There is something to be said about the ol' adage, “Short, Sweet and to the Point"; when pitching a story to the media, nothing could say it simpler. And to put it frankly, the media runs on deadlines. Any time you keep them from writing a compelling story for their audience is only going to waste your time and make them disgruntled.

Here are just a couple helpful hints when drafting a pitch for the media.

• Include answers to the six basic questions any reporter wants to know (Who, What, Where Why, When and How).

 

 

• For the most part, omit any unnecessary fluff words. (i.e. revolutionary, greatest, state-of-the-art) These words only end up taking space and require additional proof to credential what you are trying to pitch.

 

 

• If you are uneasy making the pitch via phone, try practicing your pitch with someone else or consider sending an e-mail.

In short, present your message in an open, honest, yet enthusiastic manner. This will let the reporter know that you understand their time constraints, but that you are not just presenting another rote pitch.

Don Osmond

Senior PR Associate

One of the most challenging sides of public relations is helping the decision makers who pull the budget strings understand the value of the service you provide. Whether with clients or superiors, understanding how to show the value of your work will go a long way.

The first step: Determine What Success Looks Like

Unfortunately there is no sweeping measurement to determine success. Each person will have a different idea of what success will be. So before you start pitching ideas and shooting out releases take some time with your client or boss to find out what success will look like. For one client it might be an appearance on a nationally syndicated show, for another it may mean getting a post on a targeted blog, for yet another it may be attracting investors. Whatever “it" is, setting a goal and determining what success looks like will help you establish the basis for determining success.

The second step: Deciding How to Measure Success

Once you've got a clear understanding of what success will look like, your next course of action is setting up a system to measure your progress. One extremely important part of this step is to make sure the client is involved. Don't simply assume you know what they would consider a good indicator of performance. Arrange logs, reports and updates around specific quantitative goals. Whether it's a direct “inches to dollars" comparison or creating a list of specific media targets make sure it's something you can measure.

The third step: Measuring Progress

Except for rare instances “public relations" doesn't happen overnight. Reaching specific goals and achieving success will come over time. Once you and your client have decided what success will look like and how you are going to measure that success, you need to track your progress. This will take time but having a physical track record will help you and your client see what you've done and where you still need to go.

Matt Stubbs

PR Associate

The press release is a wonderful tool to create exposure for your company, relaying messages of the innovative developments occurring as well as the strides your group is taking. However, all too often, press releases are sent across the wire for the purpose of gaining exposure, but relaying no real news. These press releases can serve their purpose, but they can also hurt your credibility when it comes to sending out newsworthy materials.

So, what makes a press release newsworthy? Well, at my very first PR job, I was taught that a good, newsworthy press release hit one of two factors – fear or greed. In other words, creating fear by scaring the public into action by the news offered in your press release, or instilling greed into your audience by offering news so enticing that they want to possess every bit of the technology and/or innovation being offered.

I always looked upon this view as a rather negative way to go about generating exciting press releases, so I created my own mantra when it came to writing newsworthy releases: News is News. News is information that is new to the public; something that will interest and catch the eye of your audience because they have never heard anything like it before. Press releases can be presented as news when the product or idea comes when there is nothing of the kind available and at a time when it is needed by the public, when your innovations are going to revolutionize your industry. This doesn't always have to be some huge to-do, but makes sure your news is actually news before calling for a press release to hit the wire for you company.

So, next time you're looking for some exposure and are tempted to send out a press release, be sure that you're doing it for the right reasons. Don't go out there with the sole intention of getting some attention; show the public that you have some news.

Julie Paulson

PR Associate

In the Shameless Self Promotion Department, Snapp Conner PR is happy this week to have been acknowledged by David Strom and Paul Gillin in their TechPR War Stories podcast this week for best PR practices.

David describes the PR activities surrounding the Manage Fusion user conference for the Altiris Business Unit of Symantec in Orlando Florida. You can give a listen to David and Paul at the podcast link; click here.

Cheryl Snapp Conner

Managing Partner

As a big fan of college football I was intrigued a few weeks ago when Michigan opened the football season 0-2, especially with one of the losses coming at the hands of Appalachian State. What intrigued me more was Michigan's Mike Hart guaranteeing a win against Notre Dame after getting beat by Oregon. In his words this is what he said:

“We're going to win next week," Hart said. “There's no question in my mind. I guarantee we will win next week. I'm going to get this team ready. Guaranteed."

Hart set himself up for criticism and you could tell the media would have liked to have seen Notre Dame win, too. Had Michigan lost, that clip would have been played countless times by the media and would have become fodder for the media.

Businesses can learn a lot from Hart's prediction and that is don't guarantee anything — sales, products launches, etc. There's a reason PR pros tell executives to message product launches to say a product will be available in Q3, etc., because it gives the organization a window to work in case something disastrous happens. Giving the media a guarantee that something will happen can set you up for criticism that may come back and haunt you in the future.

In this case Mike Hart made good on his promise, but that doesn't always happen.

 Clayton Blackham

Senior PR Associate