BLASTmedia Consumer Crew Blog

In every profession, it’s important to keep up with what’s new. There could be an advancement in technology to make your job easier, or maybe there’s another professional out there who has simplified a process already – why reinvent the wheel?

For this reason, we try to learn and grow from other PR professionals as often as we can. Recently, the BLASTmedia Consumer Crew team listened in on a great PRSA webinar from Michael Smart, the national news director at Brigham Young University and also an independent media relations trainer and coach.

Michael addressed a crucial topic for any PR pro – how do I make my pitches stand out? While we don’t want to give away all of his, or our, secrets, there are a few key takeaways we wanted to pass along!

To start, Michael walked through the basic anatomy of a perfect pitch. Something most of our team has down to a science – or, a sandwich (see, the Pitchwich). Once the basics were covered, he outlined eight different ways to boost your pitch. Here are our favorites:

1. Focus on the process. Michael points out that sometimes the result isn’t always as interesting as the process used to reach it. When faced with a challenging, potentially boring, topic, see if the process is more compelling.

2. Pitch the people. When pitching a consumer product or company, don’t forget about the people! Is there a testimonial of someone who has been affected by your brand, or an interesting person behind-the-scenes at the company to highlight?

3. Get trendy. Is the brand you’re representing tied to a trend somehow? Chances are, the media is going to use an example of this trend at some point, why shouldn’t YOU be that example? Warning, be sure to use non-competitors when you send your pitch. In fact, our own Indiana State Fair is a great example of this – it received national newspaper coverage for proactively pitching the fact it was eliminating trans fats.

Another great suggestion from Michael was this – before sending your pitch, ask yourself, “if I wasn’t getting paid to pitch, would I be interested?”

Do you have other pitch-boosting tips to offer up? We’d love to hear them! If you’re looking for someone to pitch your consumer product to the media, please contact us.  

As April showers are departing and on the way to bringing May flowers, you may come to the realization that the year is nearly half over and you are in a client coverage lull. How do you, as a PR professional, make sure you are securing consistent coverage for your client,  regardless of the the time of year? To avoid the dreaded "coverage lull" make sure you have a short and long-term strategy in place.  At BLASTmedia Consumer Crew, we recommend a long lead and short lead approach.

Long-Lead Strategy
Though on our calendars we just wrapped up with spring break time and are on our way to Mother’s Day, magazines are thinking about their back-to-school guides and what to include in their holiday issues. If you're in media relations, it's easy to leave the office not knowing what month it is! To be successful, you have to always be thinking three to six months ahead for your clients. If you represent a product or service that would be a fit for back-to-school, Labor Day travel, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Holiday gifts, then now is the time to start pitching relevant print publications. Reaching out to these media in a timely manner will help make sure your client is on the radar for those big end-of-the-year issues and that your product/service is being considered for magazine coverage. Who would say no to some glossy print coverage?! (Answer: No one.)

Short-Lead Strategy
Clients want to see consistent coverage, so keeping daily, online and broadcast outlets in mind are also important. As these outlets generate content more often, there are more opportunities to have your client included in stories. These short-lead media can turn around coverage more quickly, from a hands-on review to an inclusion in a product round-up. Upcoming holidays like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and seasonal topics like Memorial Day and graduation gifts offer great chances to secure your clients coverage in the next few days, weeks and months.

So whether you're pitching a product or a service, having both a long and a short-term strategy in mind is imperative. We at BLASTmedia Consumer Crew recommend having a monthly plan that outlines angles you want to concentrate on pitching each month, always making sure to have long-lead and short-lead outlets included. Staying organized from the beginning will keep your media coverage pipeline full and your clients happy!

If you’d like to learn more about executing a full-scale media relations campaign for your product or service, contact us for more information.
 

Is our lack of online etiquette diminishing our practice of common courtesy in real life, or are we forgetting manners in real life to such the extent that we completely disregard them online? The manners your mother taught you might seem like common sense, but no one is too busy for quick a reminder of the idiosyncrasies of common decency.

As consumer PR professionals, it’s no secret that the majority of our work is conducted online, so it's important to pay attention to how you're communicating in this space.

Punctuation Equals Tone

Punctuation can go a long way to emphasize your tone. While it's never good to load your content with exclamation points, using them sparingly will show your genuine enthusiasm. For example:

"Dear Client,

Great news - we just confirmed that the (product) is going to be featured as the main story in the print edition of the tech section in USA Today. The editor loved the features and plans on including several high-res images. Furthermore, she is is recommending your product over your biggest competitor, X."

That reads extremely dull and uninterested. This is excellent news for your client - be sure that they can feel your genuine excitement! Try a good balance:

"Dear Client,

Great news! We just confirmed that the (product) is going to be featured as the main story in the print edition of the tech section in USA Today. The editor loved the features and plans on including several high-res images. Furthermore, she is is recommending your product over your biggest competitor, X!"

You aren't over or underwhelmed by this approach - it shows excitement without reading like you're screaming at your client.

Have Relationships, Not Just Contacts

Relying on email and social media to communicate with editors, producers and clients on a regular basis is the easiest approach. While technology has enabled us to talk to an immense amount of people daily, we shouldn’t let it strip away the art of conversation. There are certain situations that require personal communication, versus social media - and you should care enough to know when it’s best to pick up the phone or have a face-to-face conversation (if it's possible). These types of proactive measures keep our interpersonal skills sharp and our conversations less robotic.

Be Responsive
Emails should be replied to as quickly as possible, certainly by the end of the day. If you post a blog, pose a question on Facebook or send out a news-filled tweet, chances are you’re going to get some responses. Even if you cannot reply to everyone, you should take a few minutes to acknowledge the feedback - and not just from the familiar faces.

Reach Out Respectfully
When planning a strategic media outreach plan - start by getting to know each journalist as an individual. Don’t always contact them when you need something. Follow them on Twitter, offer them story ideas (not just about your client), share your thoughts on their articles, and promote them when the appropriate opportunity presents itself. When done correctly, the PR and press relationship should be symbiotic.

Always Say “Thank you”
We all get caught up in our work, meeting deadlines, scheduling meetings, etc. But when someone does a favor for you, helps you out or offers you their time, it’s never OK to ignore their act of kindness. A quick and prompt thank you lets you show your gratitude and sincerity. To really stand out, do one better and send a handwritten thank you note.

Contact us at BLASTmedia Consumer Crew to learn how we can politely help meet your business and sales goals through our PR and social media campaigns!
 

PR is a cost effective way to get a company’s message to the right audiences, and seasoned communications managers know that it should be part of every marketing communications plan. They also know that hiring a public relations agency is a smart decision when they don’t have the capacity to fully manage internally.

Whether you are already wearing too many hats and/or don’t have anyone on board to help manage your PR efforts, it’s worth considering an outside PR agency. This is a big decision. This agency will be an extension of your brand, speaking to media on behalf of your brand, consumer product or service, so it’s critical that you know how to pick the right PR partner!

Regardless of whether you’re a consumer brand or a business-to-business service, there are common threads to look for to find the right partner when seeking either traditional PR or a full scale social media campaign. Those threads are experience and communication.

Experience:
When vetting potential PR partners, look for those with experience in what it is you are looking to accomplish. It could be coverage in a national business magazine or driving Web traffic from YouTube, either way, the agency should show you that they have proven track record for those specific goals.

On the flip side, don’t immediately dismiss an agency if they don’t have extensive experience in your specified industry (audio, cloud computing, fashion, etc.). All established agencies have access to the same media databases and the same contacts. If the potential agency is stacked with a good PR account team, they can forge relationships with the right editors for your company.

Fundamentally, PR is handled the same way whether you are talking to a parenting editor or a technology writer. It is certainly a bonus if the agency already has some clients in your space, but it should not be an immediate deal-breaker for the others.

Here are a few ways to get started with some initial recommendations:

• Do research on companies you admire and look up recent press releases online. If they have a PR agency, the contact will be listed on the release. Even if it is a large company with a global PR firm out of your budget, that firm may have a smaller or boutique public relations agency to which they can refer you.
• Read industry trade publications, like PRWeek, to see what both large and small companies are doing. Sections on new hires, innovative campaigns, success stories, etc. can be really helpful in discovering new agencies.
• Contact the agency of a comparable company in your space with a great media presence. If the brand is a direct competitor, its agency may still be able to refer you to someone else.
• Marketing communication groups on LinkedIn are great to join and ask members for agency recommendations.
• Recommendations from the media hold a lot of value. Call a member of the press in your industry and ask them to name a few agencies with whom they enjoy working.

Communication:
The way you feel immediately with an agency or an agency rep is likely the same experience an editor feels when speaking with them for the first time, so pay attention. Do you feel relaxed, comforted and excited, or do you feel formal, like you’re being “sold”?

A good PR account rep must have exceptional communication skills — knowing how to connect with people on a basic level and making everyone immediately comfortable in the conversation. Whether you you’re interacting with a junior rep or someone with 10 years of experience, it’s important to note how you feel around them. A smart, quick-thinking 23 year-old tops a stiff, over-confident seasoned-veteran any day.

If you have questions, and you should, don’t be afraid to ask them! Check out this great post from BLASTmedia on the top questions to ask a potential PR firm, which will be helpful in vetting the best agency for your company.

For example, it’s good to inquire how often you can expect communication from them when it comes to activity and results. Some agencies may go for months doing “research” or developing strategic plans, without being held accountable for progress on their work.

At BLASTmedia Consumer Crew, we start client relations with weekly recaps of PR activity and then continue to provide regular comprehensive, monthly updates that detail all successes, challenges and pending opportunities. Keeping the client informed lets us adapt the campaign when necessary and ensures we don’t get too far down a path that isn’t seeing results for our clients.

Our business development manager, Julie Zaitz, is always available to answer questions if you’re looking for a consumer PR partner for your brand. We look forward to hearing from you!
 

The photo sharing and editing app Instagram isn’t just for wayfarer wearing, hummus eating iPhone hipsters anymore: Android users can now download the compatible app. In just 24 hours, over 1 million Droid devotees downloaded Instagram from the Google Play marketplace. According to The Next Web, given the widespread popularity, the app is predicted to break the 5 million download mark in the coming days.

Instagram is one of the most downloaded from the Apple App Store, as individuals and brands alike are catching the sepia-toned wave. Uploading mobile pics, editing and sharing with friends is simple and quick, but according to CNET’s Jaymar Cabebe, the app isn’t for those looking for an advanced photo editor.

Brands and events from Burberry to the Grammys are using Instagram to interact with fans and share product and people images. Jason Keath of Social Fresh, the jury is still out on Instagram’s effectiveness for brands, but companies like Bergdorfs (BERGDORFS on Instagram) and Starbucks (STARBUCKS) are using the app to its fullest – posting interesting, consistent images that have a theme and engage the community.

If you’re looking to use social media to make an impact with your brand, contact us at BLASTmedia Consumer Crew.