I’m at that point in my career in PR as an agency account director that I can take a clear-eyed stock of what my job is really like and entails. I’m fascinated by some of the main characteristics I don’t think they’d necessarily be noted in a class on PR, yet they are undeniably the best perks of the job. Here they are, in no particular order:
#1. PR is a career you can explain to your child in one sentence. This is surprisingly difficult for many jobs and careers, but in my case, it’s pretty simple. Here’s what I told my son, who was about 9 at the time, when he asked me what my job was: “I help get people in the news.”
Now, his follow up question, “Why?” required a more extensive explanation. But the job description itself remained a piece of cake
#2. People are (mostly) quick to respond to your emails and calls. Well, maybe not reporters, alas. But effective PR requires quick, responsive action and the thought leaders I communicate with on a daily basis understand that. Also, I’m communicating with them about interesting media opportunities. In short, people have a reason and a desire to quickly respond to their publicist.
#3. You’ll be a problem solver. If you are thinking about a career in PR, prepare to make judgment calls all day long. This is fairly terrifying at first, but you’ll never be bored. Throughout your day, you will be confronted with one decision after another to make. Should you pursue the media opportunity that just came across your desk? How do you fix someone’s problematic edits to a press release without insulting them? Your client’s customer who agreeably sat down for an interview with a top trade publication just emailed you asking to see the article before it’s published–something you know most reporters won’t agree to. How do you respond?
These are just some of the issues I’ve had to address in the last 30 minutes. In case you’re interested, here’s how I solved them: I researched the website traffic numbers of the media publication, plus the reporter’s past articles, and also sent out a query to my colleagues at the agency to see if they’ve worked with this reporter. I tactfully explained to the client why I thought we needed to tweak the language, and provided some alternative phrasing. And I explained to the client’s customer that reporters generally don’t share articles, but we can ask if quotes can be shown ahead of time.
After a while, you get pretty good at thinking on your feet. Just don’t ever be hesitant to ask for feedback from your colleagues. We’ll never know it all, and if you work with a smart team, you’ll get lots of great ideas. Don’t be afraid to ask, and of course, don’t hoard your own knowledge. Share the wealth.
#4. You can change the course of history. If you are doing your job, you are absorbing a tremendous amount of knowledge about your industry niche. Pairing this with your client’s own mission, you can shape the court of public opinion. Right now, I’m involved in explaining, educating and advocating for healthcare’s shift to value-based care, which could have implications on our health for decades or even centuries. If all goes as planned, we’ll have physicians pay as much if not more attention to keeping us well as they do to treating us when we’re sick. Our life expectancies could become significantly longer.
One caveat: I won’t get credit for any of this. Publicists usually aren’t publicly known faces. Well, except for one brief shining moment in the early 2000’s.
#5. You will get to meet and speak with people you might never have crossed paths with in a different career. In my four years at Amendola Communications, I’ve sat in a user meeting for nuclear medicine physicists; had dinner with a celebrity OB-GYN; and work regularly with a young woman who has scaled the heights of Kilimanjaro. I also frequently interact with thought leaders and executives at the top of their game, brilliant physicians and nurse leaders and some of the most dynamic communications professionals in the PR industry today. Pretty invigorating!
Public relations really is one of the most interesting careers one could tap into. Still, it’s not for the faint of heart. As with any results-driven profession, there is stress and self-doubt and many highs and lows…sometimes, all of this within a 30-minute time span. But here at Amendola, we’ve got that covered too: an always full chocolate drawer.
Many young organizations seeking to amplify their marketing and communications initiatives look to a public relations agency to help augment existing sales and marketing initiatives. But PR is not a one-size-fits-all discipline and it isn’t limited to media relations, as some still believe. Which means there are all types of ways to become a PR client.
Certainly, media coverage can be powerful, but is your organization built in such a way as to attract the kind of coverage needed to move the business needle? Or are there other facets of PR that you should consider that are more targeted and a better fit for how your business works? Let’s start by taking a look at what your current organizational strengths are.
Media Relations Why and Why Not?
Not all organizations are well-suited or prepared to generate media coverage. Earning coverage is already not an easy task, but can be impossible if your organization doesn’t have some key assets.
Asset #1 A Story
To get coverage in the media, whether it’s a trade publication or The New York Times, you need a story. The growing number of journalists publishing on the internet means there are a lot of places for you to potentially see your story. However, despite enthusiasm and passion within your organization for the projects, products, services and industry trends that you’re involved in, journalists often still don’t see the value to their readers. Some questions to ask yourselves that can help determine if your story is a winner for journalists:
How unique is your business or niche? If you do something that a lot of other companies do, or if you produce a commodity product, it will be more difficult to find a story hook.
Do you have SMEs that possess a truly unique experience and point of view on key trends? Personalities can drive coverage, particularly if you have people that are uniquely qualified to discuss certain topics.
Do you have customers in the healthcare realm this typically means providers that are willing to share experiences and outcomes either (or both) patient health outcomes and financial outcomes?
Asset #2 Data
Building off that last point top tier business journalists are always looking for data. They are a skeptical bunch, and claims of performance are not enough. Validation data represents something that media can sink their teeth into. All the better if you have a third-party such as a healthcare provider or a representative from a respected professional association share their data and perspectives on your story.
With those two key assets in mind, we can look at two very common asks that PR pros get from clients; interviews and content marketing.
Interviews
Every organization would love to have its leaders interviewed. But, despite the number of media publishing online, the amount of top-tier publications with editorial staff dedicated to doing interviews and writing in-depth stories is shrinking. That means that the ones that do interviews can be extremely selective. To stand out, you absolutely must have both of the key assets we’ve discusses a great story , and data to back it up. For B2B organizations, this almost always means linking the reporter up with a customer e.g. a physician, a hospital system executive, etc. that can speak to how a solution helped them solve a problem with data that supports the point.
If your organization has a difficult time coaxing customers to speak out on your behalf, interviews will be harder to come by. But there is another option that might work better.
Content Marketing
Such organizations may have a much more successful program if they lean more heavily into content marketing. By producing your own content and sharing it online, through social media, and through email marketing campaigns, you can control your message and time your stories based on your calendar.
Content is also a good alternative to interviews for these kinds of organizations. If your organization is staffed with a group of subject matter experts, you can often find a home for your story by writing it yourself. Most media are understaffed, yet still hungry for content, so bylined articles by your leaders are a great way to get your message out to targeted audiences.
Finding the right fit
Many, if not all, organizations can benefit from including PR in their marketing mix. It’s important, though, to have a good understanding of how your organization can best utilize PR for maximum success.
Setting out on a program heavily focused on media relations may not be the right fit if your organization doesn’t have unique and compelling data to support its claims of market differentiation. But even without a bench of enthusiastic customer champions ready to help you share your story, you can still find success through other channels, such as content marketing.
While it is often a satisfying and rewarding career, sometimes public relations can be like river dancing through a mine field. Unlike marketing, where you have the ability to manage every aspect of the process, in PR there are a lot of variables over which you have no control. Those variables can lead to some significant (and embarrassing) interview mistakes.
Now, it’s true that even the best-laid plans can go awry. I’m not talking about things such as a stock market crash, the discovery of the Lost Ark, or some other “stop the presses” news event occurring on the same day as your big product announcement that causes all your interviews to be canceled. Those you have to chalk up to you-know-what happens and live to fight another day.
What I’m talking about is the unforced errors that can come as a result of poor preparation or not paying attention to the details. Here are a few you’ll want to be sure to avoid.
Not thoroughly testing the product before a demo
This happened at previous agency I worked at, although thankfully not to me. The agency had a client who had developed educational software for use in schools, and had scheduled a press conference in Washington, DC to debut it and hopefully gain government support for it.
My colleagues at the agency worked diligently to get major news outlets to attend, including cable news networks who brought camera crews to document this wonderful new development. The CEO started putting the product through its paces, which went fine for a while. Then it happened.
He talked about how the software would prevent students from going on to inappropriate websites, and he proudly entered the URL of a well-known porn site that shared a name with the president’s residence. Sure enough, up popped images that were decidedly not safe for school, work, or press conferences.
At that point the camera crews started packing up, the print journalists left, and the client was left staring at an empty room long before the scheduled demo was over. Needless to say, the big press event didn’t generate any publicity which was probably a good thing given the stories that could have come out.
Had the client run the demo that day before the press conference, they could have identified the problem and fixed it before the press arrived. But they didn’t. The moral of the story is never leave anything to chance.
Not preparing properly for an interview
A good PR professional will usually put together background information for the subject matter expert (SME) before an interview. The information will include the topic the journalist is interested in covering and how it relates to what the company does. In some cases, the journalist will even send sample questions prior to the interview so the SME know ahead of time what areas of the topic the journalist plans to focus on.
That’s all great information. But just like patients need to take their prescriptions and follow the doctor’s plan of care if they want to get healthier, the SMEs need to study the background material and come in prepared if they want to improve their chances of making it into the story.
Interviews that veer off-topic like a sports car speeding down an icy road are unlikely to produce much that’s usable to a journalist. SMEs who stumble through their answers sound like they don’t know what they’re talking about even when they do and thus are more likely to be dismissed by a journalist who has multiple sources.
Remember that unlike your company’s PR agency or internal writers who have to make something out of what the SME says, no matter how off-the-wall it is, journalists are under no obligation to use them as sources. Proper preparation will yield better results.
Turning an interview into a sales presentation
This is related to the previous point, but is kind of the other end of the spectrum. In this case the SME knows what he/she wants to say, but it doesn’t really have anything to do with the interview topic. Instead, the SME wants to tout product features regardless of the questions.
Going that route is one of the fastest ways to get an interview to end early and to find your organization left out of the story. Remember that the journalist isn’t talking to the SME to purchase the company’s product. He/she is trying to help readers learn more about a topic.
Not saying something quotable
Remember Ben Stein as Ferris Buehler’s economics teacher? If not, here’s a quick video reminder:
Everything the teacher says is true. But it’s not memorable, interesting, or engaging. Thus the blank looks on his student’s faces.
Part of good preparation for an interview is thinking of what you’d ideally like the SME to be quoted as saying about the topic. Then write it out, have it handy, and have the SME look for a way to work it into the conversation. Putting together a few good options is even better.
Some people are better at coming up with sound bites on the spot than others. If you have an SME who is one of those, you may not need to take this extra step. But if you don’t, give him/her a helping hand and you’re more likely to see your company included.
Droning on, and on, and on, and
I’ve definitely been in interviews where it sounded like someone pushed the “play” button on the SME and then went out to get a sandwich. It can be painful. It also makes you wonder how long the SME can hold their breath under water.
An interview is supposed to be a two-way conversation between the journalist and the SME. Tough to have a conversation, however, when one side talks non-stop for a half hour.
Be sure SMEs know they should keep answers relatively short, and take frequent pauses in case the journalist wants to go more deeply into something he/she said. Asking “does that make sense?” or a similar type of question also gives the journalist a chance to speak, and possibly redirect the conversation if he/she isn’t getting what’s needed.
Dropping your guard too soon
This one also happened to someone else’s client during an in-person interview at another agency. The conversation had gone well, and the SME and journalist were packing things up to leave.
Then the journalist asked an offhand question about some confidential information about the company, and the SME (who was CEO, as I recall) was only too happy to share it, figuring that the interview was already over. Wrong. Guess what became the headline of the story?
As Yogi Berra used to say, “It ain’t over “˜til it’s over.” SMEs should never say anything to a journalist that they don’t want to see used in the story, even if it feels like they’re through with the formal interview.
Unless someone specifies a comment is “off the record” (and even then sometimes with those rare unscrupulous journalists) it’s all fair game. Remember that and a lot of embarrassment and hand-wringing will be saved.
Go for the win
Things are going to happen during interviews from time to time that prevent your organization from making it into the story. But your SMEs don’t have to help that process along.
Avoid the unforced errors and you’ll find you get a lot more value from your PR investment.
What sorts of interview errors have you seen? Share your stories in the comments below.
Oftentimes public relations professionals think of content calendars as a tool for marketing communications programs. Having an internal editorial calendar is absolutely important for any content program. Since an integrated public relations campaign has evolved from just media relations, PR pros should also consider a content calendar as part of their overall strategic PR plan.
Knowing your audience(s) is one of the primary tenants of public relations, and the purpose of any good content is to engage, educate and encourage action. Therefore, it is necessary for us to identify those people who really are influential and approach them through high-quality content rather than corporate or product blurbs.
It is also essential to make sure that a content calendar is developed based on your overall marketing goals. What do you want to accomplish this year? What new products will be announced? Are you a start-up just entering the market or are you positioning for an IPO, other investments or hoping for an exit strategy? Positioning your executives as subject matter experts and/or thought leaders is always a good strategy in any PR Plan.
So, what should be incorporated into a public relations content calendar to reach appropriate audiences and support marketing objectives?
Events
Events are one of the best opportunities to make your public relations strategy successful, whether it is through external trade shows such as HIMSS or other health/medical conferences or internal events such as webinars and user groups. Listing upcoming events in your content calendar allows you to develop content that strategically targets potential buyers as well as current customers, and position executives and thought leaders, all based on the timeline for the events. You can tie press releases and customer case studies to events, announce executive speakers or even blog about your giveaways at a trade show.
Press Releases
A well accepted strategy in PR is to average one press release every month. This allows you to keep your name and messaging top of mind and fresh with reporters. Scheduling your press releases in advance of industry events and around product launches helps your PR team coordinate with your marketing team to make sure the news is ready to be disseminated at the right time.
Articles/Case Studies
Thought leadership articles and case studies are excellent tools in the arsenal of any PR professional to demonstrate your knowledge and experience. Planning to develop these types of articles in your content calendar and then pitching for placement in key media outlets is the kind of valuable coverage many organizations desire. Compare the articles you plan to develop to the next category editorial opportunity calendars and you’ve got a head start on content that can be published.
Editorial Opportunity Calendars
Years ago, editorial opportunity calendars were the bread and butter in any PR campaign. With the move towards online media, many publications no longer publish or adhere to editorial calendars. But some still do and researching those calendars and adding key opportunities to your PR content calendar allows you to develop content in a timely basis to pitch to those media outlets. Make sure, however, that you build in lead times into your calendar. Another benefit to editorial calendars is they give you an idea of what topics the media is interested in covering and can help you develop a list of content ideas for the year.
Other categories that can be included in an integrated PR content calendar are blogs, customer newsletters and social media outreach. There are plenty of free tools on the web that you can use to develop a content calendar.
In the end, it all works together. Having a calendar of events, press releases and editorial opportunities allows a public relations professional to strategically plan to develop content that meets deadlines, achieves marketing goals and engages, educates and encourages action from your key audiences.
One of the trickiest jobs of a PR professional consists of guiding corporate executives to the proper mix of marketing and thought leadership in various types of writing.
The easy part, relatively speaking, is persuading them that if they insist on promoting their product directly in a bylined article, it won’t be published. In case they have any doubts, you can just suggest that they take a look at the publication online and see if any of its articles are marketing-oriented.
On the other hand, by its nature a case study or a press release is strictly promotional. Readers expect that the story will focus on a product or a business deal and that it will be structured to make the company and the product look as good as possible.
But the boundaries are much more porous when it comes to white papers, sometimes known as position papers. Over the years, I’ve worked for clients who have had many different ideas about what such papers should be.
Ultimately, of course, they all wanted to sell their products. But only some executives grasp the concept of a truly effective white paper: It should draw in readers with a point of view about an industry trend and promote the company’s product indirectly by showing the need for it.
The rest want me to blatantly list the advantages of their product somewhere in the paper. To them, it’s just another form of advertising.
I don’t know whether a rigorous study has ever been done to measure the readership of these two kinds of papers, controlling for length and the demand for information on the topic. But I’d venture to guess that industry stakeholders would be more interested in a paper that gave them information they could use than in another piece of marketing collateral.
Interestingly, big companies are no more likely than small ones to embrace the concept of true thought leadership pieces. Because they’re big, they may commission longer papers that have space to discuss industry trends or government regulations at greater length. But in the end, they still usually want their product promoted, with hardly a fig leaf to cover it.
It was actually a small, rapidly growing firm that gave me the widest rein to show its thought leadership and vision. Over a period of several years, I wrote a dozen or more white papers that helped build the company’s reputation for expertise in population health management.
I always mentioned the need for health IT solutions that could help healthcare organizations manage population health. But for the most part, the papers focused on topics that people needed to know about, ranging from accountable care organizations (ACOs) and patient-centered medical homes to care coordination, patient engagement and post-discharge care. Eventually, the company pulled together my essays into a book that it used effectively as a sales tool.
White papers and byliners are not the only vehicles for thought leadership. Occasionally, if a company CEO is a recognized expert in a particular area, you might be able to get a major publication such as the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post to publish a thought leadership piece by that person.
The easiest way to do this, by the way, is to pitch a letter to the editor. But it has to be on a hot topic, and you have to get it in very quickly.
One way to show a company executive the difference between marketing and thought leadership is to ask him or her where they see a bylined article or position paper being published. If they say they’d like to reach a broad universe, you advise them to think about thought leadership. If they insist on a marketing message, you tell them that it’s probably only going to be posted on their website or printed up for use by their salespeople.
A sophisticated PR professional or marketer knows that organizations need the right mix of these two kinds of communications to be successful. But thought leadership should be part of the package so that companies can impress potential clients with their deep knowledge and brilliant insights.
After reading a white paper or a bylined piece of this type, the potential buyer will probably not go running to your client. But when the organization’s salesperson comes calling, they’re likely to remember something about the company that caught their attention.
Like medicine and angling, PR is as much an art as a science. What it takes to help organizations succeed depends on how many tools you have in your toolkit, and how many different approaches you try. Eventually, if your executives trust you, they will land a fish or two.
The signs of autumn are all around us shorter days, pumpkin spice in abundance and 2019 budgets looming over our heads. Take this opportunity to revitalize your efforts. There are some evergreen items that are important to any successful marketing and public relations campaign, including pertinent social media, thought provoking content and strong media relations programs. However, what additional PR and marketing must-haves can you explore now to supplement these programs and make sure the budget is in place for them in the coming year?
As we say goodbye to summer, there are a few additional initiatives that are essential to giving your company an additional marketing edge:
Website refresh: A bit like spring cleaning, updating your website is a chance to rejuvenate it, make sure the messaging projected is current along with any facts and figures that are used. Still citing 2008 statistics? Time to find new content. Verify links and calls to action, ensuring they are all still relevant. Criteria to enhance SEO benefits are always being updated, so this is a chance to check meta tags, keywords and make sure that your site adheres to Google’s Mobile First push, which uses the mobile version of a site’s content to rank pages from that site. Adding fresh content, including blogs and video, helps with your search ranking and keeps visitors returning for more.
Webinars: Continue building thought leadership and trust with your target audiences through webinars. Increase brand awareness and get your messaging across while adding a human element to your company. People often view speakers as authorities on a given topic, so take this opportunity to show your knowledge. Webinars also are a chance to gather information on potential leads to supplement your sales funnel. These sessions can be recorded for future use and repurposed into whitepapers, eBooks, blogs or bylined article. Video bites can be captured and shared on your website and social media.
Customer testimonials: A recent study found that 86 percent of respondents felt online reviews were extremely, very or moderately important before making a purchasing decision. No matter how good you are, it carries more weight if someone else says it. Whether via text or video, having the people that use your product discuss how it helps them humanizes your company, lends credibility and illustrates the power of your solutions. These “reports from the field” give media and sales prospects narratives about how a solution is applied in a real-world situation and serve as tools for your sales team, along with fresh content for your website, lead generation and social media efforts.
These three tactics each have value on their own, work well together and will enhance an established public relations program or kick-start a new one. Better yet, there is no “one size fits all” approach to any of the above programs, so they can be tailored to your comfort level. Start at one level and scale up once you see results. Use your 2019 budget to employ tactics that will establish brand loyalty.
