Tag Archives: pr

How Social Media Is Changing PR

Posted on August 2, 2012 by | 8 Comments

On the last Tuesday of each month, ProfNet hosts ConnectChat, a monthly series of Twitter chats exploring key communications and media topics. During a recent ConnectChat, Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO of Pure Performance Communications, discussed the changing role of PR in the digital era and how we can adjust our mind and skill sets accordingly.

Breakenridge says that with the rise of social media PR professionals need to:

  • Master information technologies as a “technology tester,” including video, SEO, website analytics, monitoring applications, CMS and more.
  • Start dialogue and build relationships through new channels.
  • Strategize to connect directly with stakeholders, especially customers.

Breakenridge notes that being a technology tester is the most challenging new skill for PR pros to master because it requires constantly paying attention to new apps, resources and platforms. “It’s so important to understand use technology the way stakeholders,” she says.

To excel in these new practices, people in the PR industry need to become hybrid professionals, says Breakenridge. This process includes:

  • Moving the best of traditional practices forward and integrating them with digital and social communications.
  • Working cross-functionally with marketing and moving outside of the PR “silo,” which includes learning and applying marketing tactics.
  • Collaborating with other departments too, like Web/IT, sales, customer service, HR, etc.
  • Being flexible and adaptable in a global communications environment.

Breakenridge provides some new roles popping up in the PR industry:

  • Internal Collaboration Generator: knows good communication starts on the inside with technology sharing
  • Pre-Crisis Doctor: plans for crises through new approaches, processes and recovery steps
  • Relationship Analyzer: takes relationships to deeper levels through technology and visualization
  • Master of the Metrics: understands metrics tracked over time and can track them back to executive goals

To successfully use metrics, PR pros must have objectives and know what they are trying to achieve, adds Breakenridge. “It’s important to know what you’re measuring: leads, sales, registration, awareness (buzz), community growth, etc.”

Listen to conversations and identify influencers to drive discussion and systematically map out audience connections, explains Breakenridge. “Understand the culture, critical issues and passion in the community to make better connections. Use crowdsourcing, contests, and promotions for deeper engagement.” She notes that you can use @mentionmapp and @TouchGraph to visualize connections.

Social media provides incredible intelligence, and, when filtered, can help PR pros plan more strategically, says Breakenridge. For example, social media can help companies react quicker to negative situations and crises. “You can strategically engage for more valuable outcomes: leads, sales, registration, better CS, more productivity.”

Social media should move across an organization, says Breakenridge. PR should work with other departments (marketing, advertising, branding, etc.); it should cover everything from social governance and planning to content curation and the monitoring of programs. PR should spearhead social media, but not own it. “Working with other groups doesn’t mean we lose our core purpose; we have just expanded our opportunity!” she says.

Where is PR headed? Breakenridge says PR will:

  • Continue to integrate with other areas and strategize cross functionally.
  • Start incorporating interactive living rooms, touch experience, augmented reality, etc.
  • Gain influence by telling more meaningful stories through technology and educating others on best practices.

Written by Grace Lavigne, senior editor of ProfNet. Check out her blog on ProfNet Connect.

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Dear Gracie: Clearing the Hurdles of Sports PR

Posted on July 27, 2012 by | 7 Comments

Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of nearly 50,000 ProfNet experts. Has there been a question burning in your mind lately, something you’ve been wondering that none of your colleagues can answer? Please send it to grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com

Dear Gracie,

I recently acquired a professional athlete as a client, although I have no experience in sports PR specifically. Any advice? Unique challenges?

Athletic Amateur

***

Dear Athletic Amateur:

Three ProfNet experts with sports PR experience weigh in:

What to Know About Sports PR

  1. Professional vs. Fan: “If you choose to get involved in sports PR, understand that the fan element must be removed from the equation,” says Christopher Navalta, senior account executive for Graham and Associates, with experience managing NBA players and teams, as well as minor league baseball players and teams.
  2. Long Hours: And while you don’t have to have a passion for sports to work in sports PR, you probably won’t like it if you don’t, warns Adam Siepiola, assistant athletic director for media and external relations at Adelphi University, a Division II institution in New York. Sports PR includes long hours at games, and the ability to know what you’re watching and writing about. “As a collegiate PR professional, we are required to travel with our teams regularly and to be at all home games,” says Siepiola. “Your work day really starts after the game.”
  3. Unstructured Work: “Every day is different,” says Navalta. “Managing a team is obviously more structured than managing an athlete, but if you’re the type of person who enjoys every day being different, then this is the perfect fit.” From head injuries in the NFL to ethics violations in the NCAA, the sports industry faces many challenges that require the assistance of PR professionals, agrees Amy Littleton, senior vice president of KemperLesnik, a PR, events and sports marketing agency in Chicago.
  4. No Riches: “Sports PR doesn’t pay very much,” says Littleton. “You have to do it for the love of the game.” It’s long hours, average pay, weekends spent working and no real time off until June, warns Siepiola. “But the good outweighs the bad!”
  5. Untapped Stories: “There is so much more beyond just the final score,” says Siepiola. “For example, we had a four-time All-American women’s lacrosse player who has been dealing with diabetes since she was 6; she overcame that to become one of the best in the country!”

Potential Challenges

  1. Competition and Clutter: “There are so many sports and events competing for the attention of consumers, that it is often difficult to break through,” says Littleton. “This is exacerbated by the fact that ESPN holds a lot of power when it comes to sports news and coverage.” You have to find compelling, human-interest stories — anything that goes beyond wins and losses — to get coverage sometimes, says Siepiola.
  2. Changing Minds: Because professional athletes are paid millions of dollars, they are considered one-man institutions. Unlike working in a PR agency, where there is plenty of structure, working with athletes can be challenging, depending on who you’re working with, because athletes have the ability to change their minds constantly when it comes to their brand, says Navalta.
  3. Brand Direction: “Like any business, the sports industry is about building a brand,” says Navalta. “I’ve run into a lot of athletes and coaches who have wanted to build their own brand, but really never had any direction or foresight on what they wanted to do with it.”
  4. Damage Control: We frequently see professional athletes in trouble the law, says Navalta. These athletes obviously do not have a lot of the necessary structure to build and maintain a brand because they’re around the wrong people. “If sports leagues want to avoid having the reputation of having athletes who are always getting into trouble, they need a better PR plan.” Plus, damage control is always time consuming. Avoid athletes or teams with histories of bad PR, unless you’re the kind of person who thrives on helping underdogs.
  5. Uncensored Social Media Chatting: Social media is a great place to grow a personal brand, says Siepiola. But since it’s also a place to vent and talk with friends, social media can be risky business. A PR professional can educate and monitor this type of social media usage. At some point, an issue will come up, so have a crisis management plan in place, warns Siepiola.

Perks

  • Sports PR pros get to watch games up close for free, party with some of the biggest names in sports (along with the celebrities who want to be close to those athletes) and travel, says Navalta.
  • “Getting inside the ropes, courtside or into locker rooms to get up close and personal with players and see behind the scenes at events is pretty awesome,” says Littleton.
  • “I vividly remember a time this past spring — an April afternoon at around 2 p.m. — when I was out at our softball field watching and keeping statistics for a game,” says Siepiola. “It was in the mid-70s and sunny, and I remember thinking: ‘I get paid to do this — how cool is that?!”
  • Siepiola also says that he’s travelled to places he probably never would have been to otherwise.

Gracie

Written by Grace Lavigne, senior editor of ProfNet, a service that helps journalists connect with expert sources. Dear Gracie is published weekly on ProfNet Connect, a free social networking site for communicators. To read more from Grace, check out her blog on ProfNet Connect.

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Leveraging Press Releases to Improve Content Marketing Results

Posted on July 19, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Content marketing is one of the newest communications disciplines.  Press releases, on the other hand, are a decades-old tactic.  On a webinar held yesterday with the Content Marketing Institute, participants learned how to breathe fresh life into their press releases using content marketing tactics — and how the content the PR department creates can fit into (and even drive) a larger content marketing plan.

The webinar was moderated by Joe Pulizzi (@juntajoe), founder of the Content Marketing Institute, and he was joined by:

  • Bob Canaway, Director of Marketing, Ektron @bobcanaway
  • Michael Pranikoff, Director of Emerging Media, PR Newswire @mpranikoff

When it comes to content marketing and maximizing earned media, the value of the press release is growing ever stronger. Providing an influential and engaging outlet to market one’s brand across multiple channels – as well as increase search visibility of one’s content, press releases are becoming an integral part of the marketing mix.

Michael kicked off the discussion, noting the importance of search engines and social media in the amplification of a message.  Ensuring releases are written with search engines in mind, while also including elements that are easy for social networkers to share, are two cornerstones of developing an effective press release.  A third key to success, he noted, is the inclusion of multimedia content, which drives overall online visibility and engagement with the message.

The discussion on tactics was followed by a framework offered by Bob, with an additional emphasis on measurement.  Bob encouraged listeners to “measure everything they can measure”.  As he sees it, a business outcome is a measurable activity that has a quantifiable return, and he believes that delivering relevant, consistent, and optimal content will drive successful outcomes.  At Ektron, Bob’s team uses a five step framework for their marketing communications, centered around: content, context, experience, optimization, and business outcome. In other words, if the content an organization creates in taken in the proper context by an audience, they will be inspired to experience an action.

In developing Ektron’s approach, Bob has found that the use of news releases throughout the communications process leads to improved results.  When Ektron first decided to use a news release in promoting an upcoming webinar, they saw an immediate 3% lift in registration, which continued with subsequent events.  Additionally, Ektron also noted a 30% increase in performance of one of their landing pages when they placed the content directly from a previous news release onto the page rather than writing a normal brief for the same purpose. Bob emphasized how important it was to measure the success of the use of these releases.

For access to the full discussion, please follow this link to the webinar archive: Press Releases: The Content Marketer’s Not-So-Hidden Treasure

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Press release, blog post or Tweet?

Posted on July 19, 2012 by | 7 Comments

In today’s world of blogs, social networks, digital media and connected audiences, it can sometimes be tough to decide which communications vehicle is appropriate for a particular announcement.   In this article, we’ll consider different ways to distribute messages, and when each is appropriate.

Social media

As always, we advocate adhering to the 80/20 rule – in this case, 80% of your brand’s social posts should be about others – e.g. interactions with audience members, or curation of interesting things from third parties – and 20% (or even less) should be about your brand.   So, within this structure, when is it a good idea to “break” a story on Twitter or other social channels?

  • When the content is ideally suited for social media – e.g. when you have developed a great infographic or video.  This sort of content is meant for social networks.
  • Good news that is likely to generate positive comments among your engaged audience can work well – such as congratulating a person or team on an award, e.g. “Woot! Congratulations to our PR team for their third consecutive Bronze Anvil!”
  • When you want to convey a short message that doesn’t require any further explanation, e.g. “Just one more day to register for our webinar! Here’s the link: {link]”

Blog post

Blogs are a less formal means of communication, but are nonetheless a great way to convey a message and engage your audience, and there are some instances when a blog post is the perfect mechanism for a specific message, including:

  • Background perspective for an announcement or development
  • Editorial or marketplace commentary that would be inappropriate for a press release
  • Offering an “inside” look at the company or an employee

Press release

Press releases have long been (and continue to be) viewed as authoritative statements that are part of the permanent public record.  While they were once reserved solely for hard news,  today, press releases are used for many other types of communications, including issuing statements, sharing survey or study results, offering timely tips or advice (e.g. recipes, how-to’s, etc.) and advocacy.   That said, many of these stories make great fodder for a blog or company newsletter.  So when should you consider using a well written press release (and a newswire service, of course) for the message?

  • When the message is truly newsworthy, and you could realistically expect an industry publication or mainstream media outlet to be interested in the content, a press release will help garner attention in newsrooms
  • When you need to drive a specific outcome, such as traffic to a web page, downloads of a white paper, or registrations to an event, a press release can be a powerful results driver.
  • Use a press release when you have a message you want to be sure is viewed as being “on record.”
  • When the message is an important one, and you want guaranteed broad exposure for it, issue a press release.
  • Use a press release to promote a blog post.  (Yes.  Really.)

They’re not mutually exclusive

It’s important to note that social channels, blog posts and press releases are not mutually exclusive.  In fact, they can work together to send a strong signal to search engines, to help improve web site rank.  You can also use different channels together to tell a complete story.     A press release about a new product, for example, would be wonderfully supported by a blog post featuring a video interview with the product manager.  Social channels could be used to amplify both messages.  In fact, it’s a good idea to think about “the other side of the story” when issuing press releases –  background information on key players or product details are interesting to key audiences and are a great way to extend the message.

We’re thinking a lot about press releases this week – and a lot differently about them as well.  On Friday, I’ll be discussing press releases – and the tactics you need to employ to make them work in today’s digital environment –  on the Bulldog Reporter’s PR University webinar titled, “Power-Packed Press Releases for the Digital Age: New Techniques for Increased Pick Up and a Longer Tail,” along with Katie Hasse , global PR manager for Steelcase, and Jon Greer, training director at PR University.  I hope you can join the conversation!

Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media, and is the author of the free ebook Unlocking Social Media for PR.

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Dear Gracie: Personal Branding Tips Every Social Media User Should Know

Posted on July 13, 2012 by | 9 Comments

Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of nearly 50,000 ProfNet experts. Has there been a question burning in your mind lately, something you’ve been wondering that none of your colleagues can answer? Please send it to grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com

Dear Gracie,

What are some general tips that I can give my clients about creating a personal brand on social media?

Branding for Beginners,

*****

Dear Branding for Beginners:

“Because of the open Web, explosion of user-generated content, social media and mobile apps — anyone who uses the Internet has a personal brand, whether they know it or not,” says Stefan Pollack, president of The Pollack PR Marketing Group.

Therefore, all public interactions must ultimately contribute to a controlled perception of how one wants to be perceived, Pollack continues. Whatever the objectives, only contribute information that supports that identity and an online personal brand will be formed.

“The Internet has already branded you, so it is up to you to cultivate that into a brand that supports your ideal online identity,” he says.

Determine Your Personal Brand

  • There are six ingredients for an engaging personal brand, says Joellyn Sargent, principal of BrandSprout LLC. Consider:
    1. Who you are
    2. Who you want to be
    3. How you see yourself
    4. What you want people to see
    5. What others perceive (how they receive your message)
    6. What they believe (what resonates, or “sticks” from your message)
  • Like company brands, consider what your personal brand has to offer that competing brand don’t, says Catherine Kaputa, author of the book “Breakthough Branding: How Smart Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs Transform a Small Idea Into a Big Brand.” Analyze your strengths and weaknesses, and do some fun brainstorming with friends to determine what sets your brand apart.
  • Share a compelling narrative, instructs Kaputa. The best profiles tell a personal or career story that ties all of the pieces of the journey together into a coherent whole. Profiles with captivating narratives are sticky — they’re easy to remember.
  • There are so many social media platforms, it can be overwhelming, says Kaputa. Begin broadly where you can catch the most clients by focusing on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter. Then branch out to Google+, Pinterest, etc., that are more targeted to your industry.

Create a Plan of Attack

  • Try to express your brand idea in one catchy, differentiating line that defines your brand, says Kaputa. (Analogy can be a memorable device, e.g., a market researcher calling herself the “Oprah of Madison Avenue” or a finance executive calling himself the “Steve Jobs of Finance.”)
  • Set both short-term and long-term goals, and come up with a mission statement to identify what you want to be known for, says Bill Corbett, Jr., president of Corbett Public Relations.
  • Determine which vehicles are best for promoting your brand and reaching your target market, says Corbett. For example: website, blog, videos, social media, e-newsletters, real-world marketing, networking, speaking, trade shows, etc.
  •  ”Create a social media and marketing schedule for your brand marketing,” says Corbett. “Identify how much time you will spend each week on social media and stick to it.”
  • Consider automating tweets, blog posts, updates, etc., using services like Feedblitz, HootSuite or Social Oomph to help you manage your brand, suggests Kaputa.
  • “The real challenge is not discovering your personal brand; it’s adjusting and augmenting your brand to work across multiple social mediums,” notes Elliot Tomaeno, head of consumer technology at Morris + King Company. Your voice on Twitter is not your voice on Facebook — each medium requires a different approach.

Share Compelling Content

  • If you only tweet client news, you will not be establishing any personal brand — you will only be furthering your client’s agenda, explains Tomaeno. Share original thoughts, and add personal comments when sharing other’s work.
  • “Your brand is most effective if you mix your personal experience with business interests, skills and expertise,” Corbett continues.
  • “Publish your brand content and messages frequently,” says Corbett. The content should be interesting, helpful and consistent. This will drive people to your brand and lead them to become regular followers, and eventually customers.
  • Keep the content simple, and keep it you, suggests Grace Kang, founder and chief buyer of Pink Olive Inc. “You don’t want to overload people with information, but you do want them to be able to see your overarching style and philosophy.”
  • Balance sharing best practices from thought leaders with original content, says Jeff Bunch, digital strategist at LANE PR.
  • Support complementary brands and businesses, and they’ll be more likely to spread the word about your brand in return, explains Kang. You’ll build a community with similar ideals and audiences.
  • “Make sure you have quality photos and headshots on your social media sites,” says Corbett.

Monitor Feedback and Activity

  • Develop key talking points and see what resonates with your audience, says Bunch. Where does your community think you’re adding value?
  • Ask for feedback from trusted fans and brand ambassadors, says Corbett. Don’t be afraid to change your approach!
  • Protect your reputation online by monitoring your brand by using Google Alerts and regular online searches, says Corbett.
  • “Make it easy for people to pass along your content or your professional information,” says Kaputa. Consider adding Twitter and Facebook buttons, for example, to your website or blog so that people can spread the buzz about you. “People tend to pass on what moves them emotionally.”
  • “Create a system for capturing contact information from people you meet in the real world and online,” says Corbett.

Be Generous, Interesting and Inspirational

  • Be generous and promote good work by others, says Bunch.
  • Don’t try too hard to make your personal brand about only one thing, says Tomaeno. Everyone is multifaceted! Clients, partners and even your boss want to know that you have a life outside of work. Have a sense of humor sometimes!
  • Be inspirational and inspirational, says Kang. “Customers want to find experts that they can trust and follow implicitly. Hold yourself and your brand up to a high ideal and only post what you feel truly represents the core of your brand and vision.”

Gracie

Written by Grace Lavigne, senior editor of ProfNet, a service that helps journalists connect with expert sources. Dear Gracie is published weekly on ProfNet Connect, a free social networking site for communicators. To read more from Grace, check out her blog on ProfNet Connect.

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6 Keys to Building an Agile Engagement Program

Posted on July 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Yesterday PR Newswire hosted a webinar titled “Agile Engagement: 6 Steps to Building Communications Dexterity,” that featured some great case studies and a robust Q&A session that focused on what organizations need to do to make the change to the proactive agile engagement communications framework.

The panelists were:

  • Kelly LeVoyer, the Director of Marketing Editorial at SAS Software (@sassoftware)
  • Valerie Jennings, CEO of Jennings Social Media Marketing (@valeriejennings)
  • Sarah Skerik, VP social media, PR Newswire (moderator) (@sarahskerik)

The discussion was framed in the agile engagement construct developed by PR Newswire, which has key tenets and is discussed in detail in the free whitepaper titled “The Dawn of Agile Engagement.”  The six tenets are:

  • Listening & analysis
  • Content creation & curation
  • Audience targeting
  • Message distribution
  • Engage & interact
  • Measurement

Kelly started the discussion by speaking about how any company can improve by applying the agile strategy, noting that she believes many companies, including SAS, focus much too heavily on the “create” stage of this model.  She strongly encouraged that organizations begin focusing more upon the “listen”, “engage”, and “measure” stages. In speaking about the “listen” stage, Kelly stated that listening is a process that must be formalized and internalized, noting that the organization needs to be able to absorb and react to the information and data gleaned real-time from the social sphere.   The “engage” stage also received a lot of attention.  Kelly emphasized the growing importance of engagement as the term becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives.

When targeting and interacting with influencers, Kelly made it clear that engagement should not be reserved only for those with a high degree of influence (e.g. a big Klout score or rafts of Twitter followers) noting there are influencers everywhere.  Brands shouldn’t the people who are using their products on a daily basis.  It is smart to have a broad definition of what constitutes an influencer, for it can be detrimental to an organization to only engage the social media rock stars. By engaging everyone, she believes you can turn average customers into extremely credible evangelists.

Measurement was also a focus of Kelly’s presentation. She strongly believes that by monitoring all the processes involved with engagement, you are allowing the audience to create content for you.  In summary, Kelly noted that she does not have sympathy for organizations that complain about struggling to create content. She believes that if any organization can listen, engage, and measure, that content creation will come easily. However, she cautioned the audience to remember that despite how important the “listen” and “engage” stages are, they are meaningless if the “measure” stage does not take place.

Valerie Jennings, the CEO of Jennings Social Media Marketing, was our second presenter. She focused heavily on the importance of meeting business goals and achieving monetization for social media marketing programs, and noted that achieving these outcomes requires a lot of agile thinking.

Several points Valerie believes are of paramount importance when striving to reach these outcomes include:

  • Goal setting.  Mapping specific business outcomes sets a foundation for the program.  These goals should be quantifiable and attainable. Even if an organization is in the early stages of development, Valerie encourages them to set these goals. She cited social media as an example. In her opinion it is not enough to just say that your goal is “to have X amount of followers on Twitter”. She suggests that an organization extends this to something that is quantifiable in relation to the business as a whole, such as “getting X % of twitter followers to sign up for the organization’s newsletter”.
  • Take full advantage of SEO opportunities, which includes using up-to-the-minute keyword data.  When dealing with B2B and B2C social media marketing, she believes the most important aspects to take interest in when developing editorial content are keywords, search trends, and SEO goals. In focusing on keywords, she made it clear that she believes that they are not static; they are strong indicators of audience behavior. If an organization does a good job of analyzing the keyword choices of its audience, they should be able to tell exactly what type of content they need to create.
  • Understand timeframes and sales cycles, and plan accordingly.  In speaking about what sort of time frame to expect in order to achieve monetization, Valerie expressed her belief that the time frame depends on what type of organization you are working with. She used Wyndham Hotels as an example. Since Wyndham’s sales cycle tends to be a bit longer, she found the 6 to 7 months it took to achieve monetization to be relatively fast.  However, when dealing with an organization with a shorter sales cycle, it may be reasonable to expect monetization in a much shorter span of time. Valerie finished by emphasizing the importance of integrating monetization into your organization, stating that monetization can affect the overall marketing strategy, so organizations should make sure to build it in to their sales system or marketing department.

The session was incredibly robust, and this summary barely scrapes the surface.   To listen to the archive of the event – which includes good discussion by the presenter of specific case studies, follow this link:  Agile Engagement Webinar .

We believe this will be time well spent!

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PR Blogs: The Art of Storytelling

Posted on July 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment

This week my focus is on PR blogs. Public relations may be its own industry, but, at the same time, every industry needs its own public relations. You can call it messaging, crisis communications, or branding. The fact is everyone has a story to tell. The companies that do it well often succeed. And the companies that do it well usually have a team of professionals assisting them. And, as I’ve learned this week, a lot of those professionals have their own blogs on the topic, offering a view behind the curtains into the art of communicating. So with that in mind, let’s ready our official statement, avoid all those annoying buzzwords, and simply enjoy this brief tour of some of the best PR blogs I’ve seen.

The PR Verdict offers a unique perspective (or “spin”) on the public relations world. This blog looks at the day’s top stories and examines them through a PR lens. There may be a story about a CEO or a Presidential candidate or a recently divorced movie star. This site looks at how their message was executed. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories surrounding public relations as it relates to the news. Check out the full review here.

PR In Your Pajamas is not a fashion blog. (That was a few weeks ago!) Instead, it’s a reminder that public relations never sleeps. It requires constant attention, regardless of what you’re wearing. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for humorous examples of poor public relations. I wouldn’t necessarily pitch her stories surrounding sleepwear. That is, unless you want to be featured on this site in the wrong way. Check out the full review here.

The Future Buzz is another PR blog written by a PR professional. What sets this blog apart, however, is the scope of that which it covers. Marketing, social media, SEO, blogging, news, opinion and trends are all fair game here. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with the public relations industry. Odds are, it’s already in their wheel house. Check out the full review here.

Media Culpa  is the blog of a Swedish PR professional.  He works in the field. He has for quite a while. Here on his personal site, he examines the successes and also the failures of the industry he’s called home for the last 15 years. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that surround social media and public relations. Check out the full review here.

PR-Squared  is written by a public relations heavyweight. To be honest, I knew about Todd Defren before I knew about his blog. These days I know about both. And I’m better for it! His insights and observations come with both a sense of humor and context. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d keep his reputation in mind. Check out the full review here.

That’s all for now. In the meantime, if there’s a blog I should be reviewing, drop me a line or a note in the comments, and I’ll take a look. Until next time…

Author Tom Hynes is PR Newswire’s manager of blogger relations. And as you may have guessed, he has a twitter account.

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The Fine Line Between Your Professional Brand and Your Organization’s Reputation

Posted on July 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Health Care Act (aka “ObamaCare”) last week brought with it some surprises, news coverage gaffes and high emotion in social networks, including some crude – and vulgar – tweets.

As I read the news coverage of and reaction to the bad social-media behavior, I mused on the connections between our personal social media brands, and the reputations of the organizations we represent. Many professionals – myself included – are active on social networks as de facto but not official representatives of the brand.  Sure, we can put “My tweets are my own,” in our twitter profiles, but in my mind, if you associate yourself with the organization you work for or represent, in my mind, you bear some extra responsibility. You may not be tweeting under the organizations’ official account but you are contributing to its reputation nonetheless.

The careless tweeters on Thursday did not benefit either their personal brands, or their employers’ causes.  The inflammatory tweets inflamed their opposition, supplying an opportunity for them draw additional attention to their point of view.    From a strategy standpoint, this tactic was a loser.

So here are my thoughts on guidelines anyone who associates themselves with a brand in social networks should consider adhering to when engaging in conversation online:

Keep it clean. Despite the fact that TV networks now regularly use language formerly considered vulgar in prime time, anyone associated with a brand should steer clear of doing the same in social media. And Defcon-five level vulgarities – i.e. the F-bomb, its derivatives and other phrases of its ilk – should be studiously avoided.

It will come back to you. Be sure you want to see it again. Sure, you can delete a tweet or a status update – but you can’t delete impressions, and if someone else grabs a screenshot of your message, your bad judgment may live on in perpetuity.

Would your boss/CEO/child/parents be horrified? If the message you’re planning to issue would cause people you care about – or people you want to respect you – to recoil if they saw your statement in the New York Times (or on Mashable’s home page), then don’t post it.  The same rule applies for petty insults and snarky commentary.  Don’t give in to temptation.

Take the high road. You will never go astray if you stick to the high road, and your statements will never come back to haunt you – or your boss. Be a good sport -a gracious winner and a good loser.  And never be a jerk.

Do some scenario planning.  What are the best- and (more importantly) the worst-case scenarios your message could generate? Do you want to have the conversations your missive could catalyze?   Before posting that Tweet, think through the scenarios.

Divide and conquer, or don’t mix work and play. It’s fine to have a space to let your hair down, and many people have “work” and “play” social presences. For me, my fun space is on Facebook. My presence there is decidedly non-professional – I yammer happily about sports, my garden and my pets – and my network is made up of people who I really do know and whom I consider friends. I manage my privacy settings carefully, so people I’m not connected with can only see what I want them to see. That said, I don’t run too far amok on Facebook, but I don’t avoid controversial subjects on that network.

It’s safe to assume that someone is always watching, and that messages you issue will never go away. Hewing to these simple guidelines will help you avoid tarnishing your personal brand – and the organization you represent professionally.

Have I left anything out? If so, leave your additions in the comments.

Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media, and is the author of the free ebook Unlocking Social Media for PR.

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Dear Gracie: 4 Ways to Convince Experts to Talk to the Press

Posted on June 29, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of nearly 50,000 ProfNet experts. Has there been a question burning in your mind lately, something you’ve been wondering that none of your colleagues can answer? Please send it to grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com

Dear Gracie,

I have several clients who always put up a fight when asked to be interviewed by a reporter. Why? What can I say to convince them that press interviews and publicity are worthwhile?

Agitated Agent

*********

Dear Agitated Agent,

Six ProfNet experts talk about why some researchers are hesitant or unwilling to talk to reporters:

Why Experts Might Resist Media Interviews

Michael Bruckner, vice president of public relations at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, says that experts might resist press interviews because 1) they may not be used to deadlines, or providing immediate responses; and 2) they may not have significant research or experience on the given topic, and don’t feel comfortable being interviewed as an authority.

It could be fear of the unknown, the possibility of a misquote that could put the expert’s job in jeopardy, or fear of public speaking, adds Ron Whittington, senior account executive at Mulberry Marketing Communications.

“It was hard to find an expert that felt comfortable talking to the media,” says Michelle Mekky, vice president of the PR firm Alpaytac. “I constantly dealt with researchers that felt insecure, as they thought that they were not interesting enough.”

Dr. Vondie Lozano — former psychology professor at Azusa Pacific University and a former instructor at University of La Verne, who currently owns and runs Vondie’s Counseling — says that when she was a full-time faculty expert, there were many demands on her time, including teaching, interacting with students, researching, working on committees and more.

“I wasn’t even aware of the potential for PR. It wasn’t even on my radar,” Lozano explains. “And even if I had been aware, I would not have had the time to follow up.”

Furthermore, Lozano says she could see how the university would benefit from her being interviewed by a reporter, but not how it would benefit her individually. “Faculty are evaluated and advanced based on very specific criteria, such as publishing in peer-reviewed journals,” she says. “PR was not part of that criteria, so there would have been little incentive.”

She notes, however, that as a faculty member, she would have responded to queries from within the university system. She also says that she would have considered any media training offered by the university, as well as any incentives for participating in media interviews.

Reasons for Experts to Accept Media Interviews

1. Media is the way to reach your target audience, says Tim O’Brien, owner of O’Brien Communications. If you want to target important stakeholders like investors, local community members, industry leaders, regulators, analysts or trade associations; media is one of the best ways to do that.

“Visibility is important,” agrees Bruckner. “Whether we like it or not, this is a media-driven — or at least image-driven — society.”

2. Interviews are an important aspect of being seen as a leader in your field, explains O’Brien.

“Every media opportunity translates into gaining more recognition for their research and achievements,” says Mekky.

3. “The media will cover you, your industry or your competitors without your help,” says O’Brien. “If you don’t involve yourself in the story, you have no say in the final outcome. By being involved, you help shape the story more to your liking.”

4. Most of the time, reporters are calling an expert for a positive story and are not looking for negative information, says Bruckner.

Expert Still Resisting?

Scott Lorenz, president of Westwind Communications, believes that there are very few occasions when an expert should be coaxed or coerced into media interviews. “If there is apprehension on the part of the expert, there’s a good reason,” he says.

Some experts might have faulty research or some other anxiety issue, Lorenz continues. For example, he was once asked to speak at a press conference after being awake for 36 hours straight. “How about that for a reason to beg off?” he says.

So the first step in this process of convincing experts to talk to the press should be identifying the reason for anxiety, says Whittington.

Make sure the expert completely understands what’s in it for them too, suggests Mekky.

If the expert is afraid of being misquoted, join the conference call with the expert and reporter, or escort them to an on-camera interview, continues Whittington. Sit down with the expert and help them develop their main points, or try mock interviewing them to get them warmed up.

“Some anxiety issues can be resolved with media training, but that requires some forethought on the part of the PR department by offering company experts media training in advance,” Lorenz explains. “Never throw your expert out there without some media training.”

Lorenz also suggests giving reporters written statements by the experts that clearly say what the expert wants to convey.

Extra Tips

If an expert gets a phone call from a reporter looking for an immediate interview, they have the option of saying, “I can’t talk right now, but I will call you back in just a few moments.” Then they can take a couple of minutes to think about what they want to say and write down a few keywords or phrases, says Bruckner. But remember that journalists are on deadline, so don’t call back too late.

If a reporter asks for compromising information, do not say “no comment,” says Bruckner. That just sounds suspicious. Instead, say something like “I don’t have enough information to talk about that issue” or “Now I’m getting outside of my expertise.” Perhaps even suggest another expert to discuss that point.

If the expert has no comments to offer, they should call the reporter back anyway and let them know, continues Bruckner. A polite “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you” is better than no response.

As for media training for experts, Mekky says that each of the following skills should be covered:

  • Sticking to the company message and conveying it in a strong, meaningful way
  • Speaking conversationally
  • Showing personality and energy
  • Steering the interview in a certain direction
  • Controlling tough questions
  • Answering questions the expert doesn’t know the answer to
  • Overcoming nerves
  • Knowing what to wear, including hair, makeup and wardrobe advice
  • Handling all types of interviewers
  • Preparing for any format (in studio, taped, live satellite or phone)
  • Using body language to exude confidence and make an impact

Gracie

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.

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PR Newswire Waives Distribution Fees for Colorado Fire Related News Releases

Posted on June 28, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Organizations offering aid to the victims of the fires in Colorado can distribute their messages through PR Newswire in the U.S. at no charge

Hundreds of homes have burned this week in Colorado, and many more remain at risk as wildfires continue to rage out of control.  We are heartsick for those who’ve lost their homes (and in some cases, livelihoods).   As is our practice during major disasters, PR Newswire is waiving fees for all news releases from organizations offering aid to victims and those assisting in rescue and relief efforts surrounding the fires tearing through Colorado.

“With the reports of more than 300 homes destroyed by the Waldo Canyon fire and more than 30,000 people evacuating Colorado Springs alone, there’s a great deal of information that needs to be communicated to the residents of Colorado Springs, its surrounding areas, and the broader country,” said Scott Mozarsky, chief commercial officer, PR Newswire.  “We want to make sure that the organizations that can offer assistance have a quick and easy way of getting their messages out.”

If you have a release that you’d like to distribute relating to the Colorado fires and you are a PR Newswire member, you can upload it via the Online Member Center (https://portal.prnewswire.com/Login.aspx) or email it to lahubs@prnewswire.com.  All non members can also email releases to lahubs@prnewswire.com.   Please include “Colorado Fires” in special instructions or the subject line of the release.

To view news releases issued by PR Newswire members offering aid, please see News About Colorado Fires on PR Newswire’s website (http://latest.prnewswire.com/page/colorado-wildfires)

To our friends, families, colleagues and clients in Colorado, you are in our thoughts this week, and we hope you and yours remain safe and sound.

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