|
|
The how-to-do-it e-newsletter for PR and marketing
|
|
|
Good ideas are the life-blood of PR
When a PR agency was asked to run a campaign to support sponsorship of an IT conference, it thought up a raft of ideas that would engage the attention of its audience. There was an international survey and an intensive social media campaign during the conference.
You can read about this interesting campaign later in the newsletter – On target: how PR reached a niche audience. I mention it here because it underscores something that’s right at the heart of effective PR – thinking up good ideas.
As a journalist, I’m on the receiving end of more PR than I can shake a stick at. But what strikes me about a lot of the output is that it lacks imagination and flair. The reality these days is that there’s so much PR material reaching editor’s inboxes that it’s the stuff with some original ideas which stands out.
Which means that time thinking up good PR ideas – as I mentioned last month - is some of the most valuable time you can spend. My colleague Andy Green, who wrote the CIPR’s text on PR creativity - Creativity in Public Relations – believes that brainstorming has an important role to play in thinking up good ideas. So he’s just started a brainstorming course specifically aimed at PR people.
Of course, these days, good PR ideas will involve using both conventional and online PR. But given that online PR now offers such a wide range of different options, which are likely to be most important? In conjunction with the Perfect Online PR Masterclass , we’ve run a survey which explores what 107 organisations that currently use online PR plan as their most important priorities for the future. You can read about it below.
Pitch, is a new online publication - a news, views and commentary website that includes content from marketers and marketing communications agencies to help the two worlds engage better. Assistant editor Louise Jack tells us what she’s looking for from PR people.
In my Writers’ Clinic piece last month, I mentioned that one of the most common reasons why PR contributed articles get turned down by editors is because they’re written to please the clients rather than the editors. In this issue, I take a look at how you can write articles which please editors – while also keeping the clients happy. And if you can do that – you’ll be happy too!
Peter Bartram
Editor
GUARANTEE YOUR FREE PR SUCCESS MONTHLY: The only way to ensure that you receive every copy of PR Success Monthly is to register online at www.prsuccess.co.uk. It takes less than a minute. If you would like to ensure that you receive future editions of this newsletter, then please identify info@newventurepublishing.co.uk as “not spam” in your e-mail software.
FORWARD TO A FRIEND. If you find PR Success Monthly useful, why not forward it to a colleague? And, remember, back issues are archived at www.prsuccess.co.uk
The future of online PR - by people who use it
Jo Lynn analyses the results of a new survey of how organisations plan to use online PR
We all know that online PR is going to be much more important in the future. But which of the many online tools and techniques will be most useful in PR campaigns? And what will be the most effective way of using them?
It’s true that every organisation will have to find its own answers to these questions. But a valuable guide is how other PR pros plan to use online PR in the future. In conjunction with the Perfect Online PR Masterclass , we asked 107 companies and public sector organisations what they regard as their top priorities. They ranked issues on a scale of 1 (not important at all) through to 5 (very important indeed). Here are the top 10 (with more available at the Masterclass).
1. Integrating online with other PR activity. Score: 4.36. Very important this, because those who are most successful at using online PR are often those who are best at using conventional PR techniques. They also realise that online PR is not something that can be allowed to develop in isolation. It delivers the best benefits when it’s planned as part of an integrated campaign.
2. Developing online PR expertise in-house. Score: 4.25. Using online PR means getting up to speed on a whole toolbox of new tricks. Of course, there are plenty of consultants out there who are experts in specialisms from running Twitter campaigns to search engine optimisation. But they come at a price and they don’t always understand the broader PR objectives behind what they’re asked to do. That’s why those organisations using online PR most successfully are taking the time and money to invest in their own online expertise in those areas which are most important to them.
3. Revamping the website to make it more useful to customers. Score: 4.14. Strange, in a way, that many organisations hadn’t been doing this already. But online PR focuses the mind wonderfully on what’s really important in new media. And the two key issues are how to reach customers (and potential customers) and the best tools and techniques to use in doing so. This often makes organisations realise their website is an under-exploited resource.
4. Giving online PR higher priority in marketing communications. Score: 4.06. This is all about how to use resources most effectively. Anybody who has planned a marcomms campaign knows that there are always more things you could do than you have resources to carry out. So having an informed and mature debate about how to use resources – and including online PR in that debate – is critical in the planning phase of any campaign.
5. Involving senior management in online strategy. Score: 4.01. There’s so much hype about online PR that there’s a danger that senior managers, who don’t fully understand what’s involved, might think it’s a panacea for all marketing or PR problems. It’s not. And it’s vital that senior managers should understand what is - and what isn’t – possible with online PR.
6. Improving website information/images available for media use. Score: 4.01. Many organisations already have a “press centre” or “media centre” on their website. But many still don’t - and even many of those that do, don’t resource it well with the needs of the media in mind. Those who are most effective at doing online PR recognise that an online press centre is a valuable way of “pulling” in the media rather than the usual way of “pushing” press releases and story pitches at them.
7. Creating online PR performance measures. Score: 3.84. As with anything new, there’s a temptation to plunge in without giving too much thought as to what the outcomes might be. It’s important to recognise that online PR needs to be just as rigorous at demonstrating return-on-investment as conventional PR if it’s going to win the long-term support of senior management.
8. Increasing the budget spent on online PR. Score: 3.72. And when online PR does win the support of senior management by demonstrating return-on-investment and positive outcomes, this is what happens. More cash to spend. But the real dilemma for many organisations is whether to increase the budget for online PR at the expense of conventional PR or as a real-terms uplift in the total PR budget.
9. Monitoring competitors’ online activity. Score: 3.55. PR folk have always had an insatiable desire to know what the competition is doing. So it’s no surprise this extends into online PR. But the key is to keep this work in proportion to its value and to focus on what’s really important. There are online tools to help with this work.
10. Doing more e-publishing such as e-books and e-newsletters. Score: 3.48. And most of this seems to be e-newsletters at the moment. Trouble is, too many of these e-newsletters seem to be little more than a list of products or services. The most successful provide information of real value to their target audiences and build a relationship with them.
The Perfect Online PR Masterclass, presented by Jo Lynn and Keren Lerner, is a day-long training course In London on 18th May. It covers online PR strategy, managing an online presence, running a website media centre and measuring the impact of online PR campaigns. The course provides a high-level overview of e-newsletters, blogging, social news sites, e-broadcasting and social community networks. More at: www.perfectonlinepr.co.uk
Five minutes with... Louise Jack
Louise Jack is assistant editor of Pitch, an online publication about the marketing communications world, aimed at Marketing Week subscribers. Pitch is a news, views and commentary website and includes content from marketers and marketing communications agencies, to help the two worlds engage better.
1. What I want from PR people is…
… co-operation. I am finding that my agenda as a journalist and those of PR people are becoming much less likely to clash than they used to. We both often want the same things. I need to create content and PR people need to get their clients coverage. What I am looking for is PR people I can work with so that everyone’s needs get met.
2. The best way to get my attention is…
…by understanding the publication that I write for and telling me things that are relevant. I welcome both e-mails and phone calls.
3. But please don’t…
…send me a mass e-mail then call me up two weeks later and ask me if I got it and whether I might do something on it. Please don’t send me e-mails with kisses.
4. When pitching a story to me…
…please at least be familiar with the publication and the possible slots that there are for stories. Call me up with no ideas first and ask me what I am looking for if you like. I am more than happy to explain to people what kinds of content I am after.
5. If you’re sending a press release, I want…
…clear concise information. Lots of facts. You don’t need to write a story - that’s my job.
6. The most successful PR people…
… are those I have built relationships with over time, who I trust and, I hope, vice versa. They have proper ideas and I am grateful for them. Plus, I know I can count on them to deliver whatever it is they have said they will deliver and they know they can count on me to be straightforward and fair.
Pitch perfect! The Perfect Pitch Masterclass in London on July 15th is an intensive half-day session which shows you how to pitch ideas to journalists successfully by e-mail or telephone. See full details and book online at www.perfectpitchmasterclass.co.uk
On target: how PR reached a niche audience
Peter Sigrist, associate director at Fishburn Hedges, reveals how a combination of traditional and online PR made an international conference sponsorship a big success
When BT Global Services asked us to help it reap full benefit from its sponsorship of last November’s Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, a conference of 3,000 chief information officers (CIOs) and IT leaders in Cannes, France, we faced a difficult challenge. CIOs are BT Global Services' most important purchasing decision-makers - but they are also a small, fragmented and difficult to reach group.
We needed to find a precise way of reaching a wider group of this niche target audience, particularly since there was a risk that, amid the global recession, many would not attend the event. Our idea was to combine the classic PR tactic of an industry survey, supported by an innovative use of social and online media, to reach the tech-savvy CIOs and give BT a unique opportunity to build relationships among them.
So two months before the event, we commissioned a survey of CIOs, business leaders and IT systems users in 12 countries. Using the research findings, we wrote two white papers on an emerging corporate asset, “Enterprise Intelligence”.
We developed PR material that combined a global press release with local country data. PR teams in each of the 12 survey countries were then able to use this material with their local media. We also created sector-specific toolkits for the UK to maximise the return on research investment.
We delivered an intensive social media programme using Twitter, YouTube, Slideshare and a blog, all to drive our audience to a specially-designed “mashup page” - that combines data or functionality from two or more external sources - that hosted BT’s white papers.
We updated the mashup page at least hourly. This helped to build a community around BT’s live updates of Symposium/ITxpo, which the campaign was supporting. It published BT’s news, insight and expert analysis via a mixture of live blogs and tweets, prepared videos, white papers and PowerPoint presentations.
The Twitter activity was underpinned by a “hashtag” strategy designed to attract relevant followers. By postscripting all tweets with both #gartnersym - Gartner’s official hashtag of the event - and #cio, we ensured that people searching Twitter for these terms were able to find BT’s tweets.
We engaged other IT bloggers and people tweeting about Gartner in order to encourage them to visit the site, learn about BT’s take on the Symposium – and, hopefully, to download BT’s thought-leadership white papers. In the event, the quality and freshness of the content proved a great pull for CIOs and IT leaders.
In three weeks, our mashup page received 2,064 unique visitors from 96 countries making 3,747 page views. Each visitor looked at 2.5 pages and spent an average of 3.5 minutes on the site. While the Symposium was running, site visitors viewed more than 960 YouTube videos and either viewed or downloaded 580 BT PowerPoint presentation decks.
Traditional media relations in the UK alone generated 45 pieces of media coverage and 895,000 opportunities to see (OTS). During the campaign, BT's Twitter feed grew by 12 per cent and was listed 14 times, which means it was cited as a valuable source of IT industry insight and expertise by Twitter users, including the IT correspondent of The Guardian.
|
|
Contents
|
|
|
|
|
Diary dates:
|
|
It’s easy to book: just click on the title of the course you want to attend.
Perfect Online PR Masterclass , London, Tuesday 18th May.
How to use new media to get your organisation’s PR message in front of the people who matter. £395+VAT.
“I just wanted to say I thought the course was extremely useful and it's made things a lot clearer in terms of how to apply online disciplines to PR. Both Jo and Keren were very good at explaining things through." - Sananur Meric, Adams Creative
Perfect Press Release Masterclass , London. Wednesday 2nd June.
A journalist’s eye view on how to write releases that make it into print.
£195+VAT
"Thank you so much! I walked away feeling much more confident and I look forward to putting my training to the test." - Jenny Hogan, press officer, Kinleigh Folkard and Hayward.
Perfect Brainstorming Masterclass , London, Thursday 10th June.
Expert help to brainstorm great new campaigns, pitch winning ideas or inject new life into familiar work. £195+VAT.
Perfect Pitch Masterclass , London. Thursday 15th July.
How to devise article and interview pitches that journalists really want to hear. £195+VAT.
"I really enjoyed the course - it felt like a breath of fresh air." - Ruth Palmer, Indigo Pink Communications.
Perfect Proposals & Presentations Masterclass . London. Wednesday 22nd September.
How PR and marketing consultancies can improve pitches to win more business. £245+VAT.
"What a great session - packed full of useful information and tips for success. Comprehensive content, including strategy and delivery, plus the chance to discuss specific issues and challenges in detail with a superb and highly experienced PR professional. We can't recommend this course highly enough. Thank you!" - Clare Elsley, director, Campus PR
Writing for Publication Masterclass , London. Thursday 14th October.
How to write news stories and feature articles that editors want to publish. £195+VAT
“I write for a wide variety of reasons as part of my work as a campaigner in the voluntary sector. This includes articles for internal and external publications, web content, promotional materials and information sheets. I found Peter’s straightforward and practical approach to writing very useful, the background materials have helped me greatly since the training day, and Peter’s offer of feedback on a piece of writing was invaluable. Thank you for a great course!” - Lee Webster, senior campaigns officer, Leonard Cheshire Disability
Perfect Online PR Masterclass , London, Thursday 25th November.
How to use new media to get your organisation’s PR message in front of the people who matter. £395+VAT.
Perfect Press Release Masterclass , London. Thursday 9th December.
A journalist’s eye view on how to write releases that make it into print.
£195+VAT
|
|
PR Success Monthly:
|
|
|
Make sure you receive PR Success Monthly
To make sure you receive PR Success Monthly, register here
Share PR Success Monthly with your colleagues
If you feel PR Success Monthly would interest friends or colleagues, why not forward it to them?
|
|
Sponsored links:
|
|
|
Just click on the title of each link and it will take you to the appropriate website. Awayday
Get creative PR guru Andy Green on your team awayday and come back brimming with ideas for existing and new campaigns Be proud
Top Left Design makes websites, e-mail newsletters and blogs which our clients are proud of. Visit out website and get in touch! BNI
Business Network International provides a structured business environment where all members find work for other members.
Business book writing
Discover how to write a business book and win marketing and PR benefit from it at The Business Book Workshop.
Business Wire
From press release distribution to SEO services to multimedia – the complete selection of PR services and tools you’ll ever need.
Caroline Duffy Graphic Design
Looks count! Good graphic design ensures you're making the best of your marketing budget. Call now for a free consultation.
Helping Hand Books
Books to help PR and marketing professionals communicate more effectively. Read first chapter free online. Jo Lynn Consultancy
Worried about business? Low on creativity? Lack strategic thinking? Dread a crisis? Call Jo Lynn: 0207 328 3443. Media training
Half-day media training for company or public authority spokespeople by experienced editor and journalist. Can be run at your offices.
Nick Sinclair Photography
Delivering innovative and creative imagery to clients in PR, corporate communications and design companies for 20 years.
Public relations in a day
Training course for PR people who want to develop key skills for winning press, broadcast and online PR coverage that deliver more business value.
Win more business
Finding new business tough? Half-day training course shows PR agencies how to write proposals that win new accounts.
Worldwide Webdesign
Worldwide Webdesign is an advanced web design company, which has designed websites for many clients in the UK, and abroad.
Get your own sponsored link…
If you would like to have a sponsored link in a future issue of PR Success Monthly, which circulates to more than 8,000 PR and marketing professionals in companies and agencies, please e-mail info@newventurepublishing.co.uk for more details.
|
|
Worth knowing:
|
|
|
Writers' workshop
Peter Bartram on how to please editors as well as clients
I mentioned last month that one of the main reasons PR contributed articles get turned down by editors is because they are written to please clients (or internal management) rather than the editors.
It’s a conundrum that many PR people find difficult to resolve, not least because they point out that the clients pay the bills. I guess the starting point in resolving this is to ask clients what it is they are paying the bill for.
Is it to generate useful coverage in newspapers, magazines and websites that reach their target audiences? Is it to have specialists who know what editors want and the skills to write articles they know will be acceptable? Or is it to (effectively) dictate what can and can’t be written about them?
If they want complete editorial control over the message, advertising is the place they should be. But if they want editorial – and they usually want it because they know editorial is more convincing than advertising – then they have no alternative. They must provide copy that is acceptable to those who control the editorial – the editors.
That doesn’t, of course, mean that there is no chance to get across key messages in articles. Of course, there is. But it does mean that unless the article passes a minimum threshold of acceptability to the editor, there won’t even be a chance to get across that message. The article simply won’t be published.
So what does this mean in practice? The key is to deliver on the brief that the editor has provided. That may be a brief which came from the editor in the first place or it may be a brief based on a synopsis you submitted. The best way to deliver on the brief is to get client buy-in to it before the article is written and to make sure the client knows what to expect.
This is all about managing client expectations. So make it clear to the client during the information gathering stage for the article what kind of information is acceptable – and what isn’t. Explain about the writing style that’s needed to satisfy the editor. Showcase the advantages from getting an acceptable article published.
If the client tries to include material you know will be a turn-off for the editor, explain clearly that decisions to publish contributed articles are usually balanced on a fine edge. It’s yes or no. And it doesn’t take much to turn a yes to a no. At the end of the day, clients who trust their PR advisers are likely to get more contributed articles published than those who don’t. Next Writing for Publication Masterclass: Thursday 14th October. Booking now open at www.writingforpublication.co.uk
|
|
|
|
|
Contact details
We hope you find this newsletter of interest. If you have any queries or would like to make a suggestion about future content, please contact New Venture Publishing using the contact details below.
New Venture Publishing Ltd, 29 Tivoli Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 5BG, UK.
Tel: +44 1273 565505. E-mail: info@newventurepublishing.co.uk
© New Venture Publishing Ltd 2010. All rights reserved.
New Venture Publishing Ltd is registered in England & Wales, number 5606789
|
|
|