To say it’s been a good year for Snapp Conner PR would be an understatement. Since our inception a little over a year ago we’ve been recognized twice (the second time just this week) by the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) as one of the top new companies in Utah; being named to the organization’s annual Top 25 Under Five. Snapp Conner PR jumped to number 16, up from 21 last year, and was the only public relations agency recognized in the Top 25.


“The first time we received this recognition we had only been in business for one quarter,” said Cheryl Snapp Conner, Managing Partner and Founder of Snapp Conner PR. “We know we were up against stiff competition this year, and being recognized two years running is tremendous validation that our level of experience and specialization is truly helping our clients achieve greater success.”


Steve Grizzell, Chair for the Top 25 event, recognized the winners as people of vision adding that these 25 award-winning businesses are shaping the entrepreneurial future within Utah. He also noted that the combined revenues for the winning companies exceeded $225 million and more than 950 jobs had been created by these relatively young companies.


To everyone who has made this possible, thank you!

One of the most satisfying experiences working in the PR industry comes when you secure an opportunity for a client to tell their story in front of a captive national audience. This week, after multiple phone calls, emails, and meetings, our colleague Don Osmond finalized an appointment for Footnote.com to showcase their site on the Glenn Beck Show, a true testament to the importance of networking.


Footnote.com will be talking about their most recent project, The Interactive Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall, as we prepare for the Memorial Day Weekend. The interview will detail the inspiration behind the project, the logistics of building the site, as well as share some of the wonderful and touching stories that people have posted on the site.


You can watch the Footnote.com interview Friday, May 23 on the Glenn Beck show on CNN Headline News at 5 p.m. ET (rebroadcast at 7 p.m. and midnight, check local listings), or listen for the radio interview with Glenn Beck on Premiere Radio Networks Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET (check local listings). Also available on www.glennbeck.com. Glenn can also be heard on XM satellite radio on channel 165.

On March 26, Footnote.com released an interactive version of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial. As a way to drive more interest for the story, Footnote choose to make the announcement on a day that already held important significance – March 26 was groundbreaking date of the actual Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.

Interestingly enough, “…the day of the launch was also the 26th anniversary of the groundbreaking for construction of the memorial, more commonly known as "the Wall.'" — ComputerWorld

Making the announcement on that date didn't guarantee coverage or publicity; however, it provided a news angle that was easily relatable and could be used as launch point for other stories. It also provided an excellent platform for a unique pitch.

While it's not always appropriate, using dates and anniversaries is a great way to make your pitch or story more relatable to a specific audience.

Broadcast media (TV, radio, streaming online) can be a very effective outlet for creating awareness for your business, generating public support, building investor relations and simply getting customers. But while just sending a press release to an assignment editor or producer will sometimes land you a spot, there are several ways of increasing your success when pitching to a broadcast outlet.

Know the show

Knowing a little out a particular show or segment will go a long way when making a pitch. If you already know who the show is targeting, what their goals are and what the general viewer/listener is looking for, you can include that in your pitch.

Why they care

One of the most common phrases you'll hear in story idea meetings is, “Why do I care?" Simply announcing something in a press release usually won't be enough to get them interested. Take a minute to tailor a message to their particular programming. If it's a news show, tell them how it will benefit their viewers/listeners.

Cut the fluff

Assignment editors and producers are extremely busy. They don't have time to sift through all of the information in every press release they receive (usually hundreds per day). Get to the point as soon as you can and leave out information that isn't particularly important. Make sure to include contact information, times, dates and addresses.

While there are many ways to generate interest from broadcast outlets simply taking a few extra minutes to find out who you are dealing with will go along way.

Matt Stubbs

PR Associate

Having spent several years working in the news business there was nothing more frustrating than having those people who were fortunate enough to get coverage attempt to manage the message.

Just getting covered in the first place can be a huge challenge, so when an individual or a company starts nit-picking and requesting copies of the reporter's questions in advance, asking to review the piece before it goes to air (or print), or even trying to influence photo and quote selection, they are pretty much guarantying they won't get coverage from that specific outlet again any time soon.

Making demands and being ungracious to the press will always work against you; no matter what.

It's also important to recognize that occasionally the media will make factual mistakes (they're only human after all). In those instances, it's good to step back and look at the piece like a reader or viewer would. They're not really going to care if your company was founded in 2000 or 2001. Sweating the small stuff is a great way to give you an ulcer.

Just remember, getting coverage is a privilege not a right. The important thing is that you received any coverage in the first place, and that you didn't have to pay for it.

Matt Stubbs

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

Looking for a simple way to keep tabs on the latest news, events or industry happenings? Take a look at Google Alerts.

This little tool can help you stay on top of the latest relevant Google results (business, web, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic and the best part is it's free. It should be noted that while this service can be a great way to help you keep on top of things it is by no means a comprehensive way to track news and internet postings.

Setting up an alert is very easy and will only take a minute or so of your time, but make sure your key search terms are as specific as possible. Otherwise you'll get an inbox full of alerts for things you're not interested in.

Google Alerts offers four types of alert searches: “News”, “Web”, “News & Web”, and “Groups".

• A News alert is an email that lets the user know if new articles make it into the top ten results of his/her Google News search.

• A Web alert is an email that lets the user know if new web pages appear in the top twenty results for his/her Google Web search.

• A News & Web alert is an email that lets the user know when new articles related to his/her search term make it into the top ten results for a Google News search or the top twenty results for a Google Web search.

• A Groups alert is an email that lets the user know if new posts make it into the top fifty results of his/her Google Groups search.

According to the Google Alerts website, some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

• Monitoring a developing news story

• Keeping current on a competitor or industry

• Getting the latest on a celebrity or event

While it may not be the best solution, it's a handy way of making sure something doesn't accidentally fly under the radar.

Matt Stubbs

PR Associate