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The how-to-do-it e-newsletter for PR and marketing
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A tale of two articles
The other day I was having a quiet drink with the editor of a well-known newspaper and he told me about a couple of article pitches he’d had from PR people recently. One was the kind he was used to seeing all the time. (Incidentally, he received northwards of 50 a week.) It was dull to the point of soporific because it had nothing new to say about the subject.
The other was different. The PR pro had obviously gone out of her way to seek out some interesting facts about the subject and present them in a synopsis which made my editor friend feel that she (or at least her client who was named as the potential author of the piece) would have something new and lively to say about the topic.
My friend’s experience of contributed PR articles mirrors my own (over many years as an editor of newspapers and magazines) as well as other editors I’ve spoken to. So this month, we lead off with 10 tips for placing contributed articles with editors.
Next up is health and parenting freelancer Jane Alexander who gives her take on what she’s looking for from PR when she’s contributing to newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph and magazines like YOU.
PR agencies seeking new accounts in these recessionary times are finding life tougher than usual. Curiously, Jo Lynn – something of specialist when it comes to winning new PR business – believes that being willing to say no more often could actually result in you winning more accounts. Follow her argument below.
Imaginative thinking is like yeast in a PR campaign – it makes it rise. And that was the case when agency Limelight turned a hoax into some great coverage for a skin cancer charity. Business development director Patrick Barrett tells us how.
Peter Bartram
Editor
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10 tips for placing contributed articles
Editor and author Peter Bartram tells what makes the difference between your contributed article being accepted or rejected
When I surveyed 75 editors and senior journalists on a wide range of newspapers and magazines, only three per cent of them told me they thought the contributed articles they received from PR people were well written. Harsh? Possibly.
But then editors are being deluged with PR articles all the time – an average of 22 a week among the 75 I contacted. As an editor myself, I’ve received hundreds (probably thousands) over the years. Here are my top 10 tips on what goes wrong and how to put it right.
1. Do your reconnaissance. I’ve edited magazines that didn’t publish contributed articles. Yet every week, we’d received dozens of offers. So only offer articles to publications that may possibly use them.
2. Ensure the topic is relevant. Editors tell me that too many of the articles they’re offered are simply not relevant to their publication. Check out what subjects they cover before sending an idea.
3. Look for regular slots. Lots of newspapers, magazines (and, increasingly, websites) have regular columns which take outside contributions. This is where research pays dividends.
4. Provide a synopsis. Best not to send a finished article. It probably won’t match the approach, style and length the publication wants. Besides, editors are a cynical old bunch and tend to think that a finished article that pings into the in-box unbidden has just been rejected somewhere else!
5. Give the synopsis an angle. Too many are just a plea for free publicity tacked on to a slice of background information. Editors like synopses that have a fresh way of looking at a subject.
6. Do your research. Article ideas which get editors fired up are those which are packed with new information, rather than those which rehash old material. Seek out fascinating facts and telling quotes.
7. Begin with a bang. There’s nothing worse than an article that has a Mogadon opening – one that sends you to sleep. Too many articles open with a large slice of background information – save it for later.
8. Focus on the facts. Too many contributed articles deal in generalisations. Boring. Articles that excite editors are those with hard facts, specific examples, interesting quotes.
9. Banish sales puffery. I know that clients (or your managers) sometimes pressure you to put it in. You need to tell them that it reduces the chances of the article being used. And, even if the article is used, the editor will cut puffery out.
10. Meet the brief. That means making sure the article matches what you’ve agreed with the editor. (In the past, I’ve had articles on totally different subjects turn up!) And keep to word length and deadline.
Learn to write articles like a journalist. To get more insights on how to write contributed articles editors will want to publish, come to the Writing for Publication Masterclass in London on Wednesday 1st July. Full details and online booking at www.writingforpublication.co.uk
Five minutes with... Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander is a freelance journalist and author writing on health, wellbeing, parenting and countryside. Has written over twenty books and contributes to the Daily Telegraph, YOU magazine, women’s consumer press and health press. Blogs at http://brutallyfrank.wordpress.com and tweets as exmoorjane
What I want from PR people is ...
…good fresh stories that I can sell with ease and a knowledge and understanding of who I write for plus a level of exclusivity – I’m not going to pitch an idea to the Telegraph if I know it’s already been sent to the Times. Accurate honest information: I know you’re PRs but we’re not idiots and we can see through flannel very easily. Good communication: I need to be able to get hold of you at pretty much a moment’s notice (newspaper deadlines won’t wait for an hour or so, let alone a day). Professionalism: sounds obvious but you should know your subject and your products inside out. Politeness and interest: you’d be amazed at how many PRs sound bored out of their heads by their products – if you are bored, how do you expect US to be excited?
The best way to get my attention ...
…surprise me. I’ve been doing this so long it’s easy to become jaded and I’ve seen most trends go round several times. Tell me something I don’t already know. If it’s a new product I need to know its USP and I don’t want it clothed in gobledegook or marketing speak. New interesting research will wake me up – summarise briefly and give me a direct link to the original publication, plus tell me how it could apply to my readers. Going on from that, do the groundwork for me – give me an idea that is fully-thought out and lets me pitch directly to my editors without having to dig around for hours. Think outside the box. I was recently taken on a trip to Walt Disney World, not as a journalist, but as a blogger. Now that woke me up. Social networking is going to be huge in PR but use it carefully (a whole new topic!). Finally, and above all else, if you can offer me a bona fide celebrity involved in some way, that’s the icing on the cake (sad, but true celebrity sells – I can get you pretty well anything into the nationals if you have a celeb endorsement).
But please don’t ...
…send me pages upon pages of spiel. Or phone me up and ask me what I’m working on. Or phone up and say you’re e-mailing a press release. In fact, please don’t phone at all. If I want to talk to you I’ll call. And really, really don’t send the information in attachment form (unless I have specifically asked for something in pdf, etc) – I won’t open it. Or nag me about when a story is going to appear - half the time I don’t know either.
When pitching a story to me ...
…e-mail me or write to me (yes, good old snail mail) or tweet me. Give me everything I need to know on one sheet of A4 paper (or its online equivalent).
Send me a simple link (that works) to where I can download good high-res pics should I wish (without complicated passwords and so on). Please don’t stall my inbox by sending 10 huge attachments. If it’s a human interest story or a health story, let me know that you have case studies willing to be interviewed and pictured (if you haven’t already done this, get it sorted) – and make sure they will be the right kind of person. It sounds obvious but I can’t number the times I’ve been offered 60-something men for a women’s magazine with a 30-something readership. If there’s a product involved, please just send it – don’t flannel around with that “if you want to receive a sample….” because 10 to one I’ll forget to ask. In a world where increasingly there aren’t even solid pieces of paper to shuffle through in the intray, something tangible sitting on my desk jogs the memory. Please note this does not apply to any form of pet!
If you’re sending a press release, I want...
…a great story (sorry, keep banging on about this but you’d be amazed how many total non-stories are pitched every day); the facts; accurate stats if relevant and available; up-to-date research if relevant; interesting quotes – preferably witty or at least sounding as if they come from someone who’s still alive (with their names spelled correctly and their position clearly stated); absolutely everything I might need to write a story (including all the nitty gritty such as price, availability - ideally one central website where readers can click and find nearest stockist, size, address, contact information, etc); a link to somewhere to download good high-res images; increasingly I’d appreciate a link to any other media – such as podcasts/video footage, etc. Anything can turn a story interactive and multi-media is a boon nowadays.
The most successful PR people ...
…..build up a relationship of trust, mutual respect and, often, friendship…understand my writing and what I like (and what my editors like) and send me stories I can sell…are meticulously prompt and reliable…don’t nag and don’t get arsey when a feature fails to appear (this is journalism, it happens, get over it and be nice and understanding – even if you’re inwardly seething)…are fun. We’re human beings and a light touch and sense of humour make working relationships so much nicer. Yes, it’s business but why should it be dour? Learn to send a press release that editors want. The next Perfect Press Release Masterclass is being held in London on the afternoon of Wednesday 22nd July. To see the full programme and make an online booking, go to www.prmasterclass.co.uk
How a hoax became a PR triumph
Patrick Barrett, business development director of Limelight PR, tells how an audacious hoax turned into a successful public interest campaign
In February, leading journalists and influential bloggers received a press release from a new company. ComputerTan, the release said, had invented a way to give people a Riviera suntan through their computer screens.
The release – indeed, the whole concept of ComputerTan – was a hoax, launched on behalf of Skcin, the national charity dedicated to promoting awareness of skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer among 15 to 30-year-olds, a notoriously difficult age group to reach. So we needed an imaginative way to capture their attention and raise awareness of the dangers of ultra-violet radiation (UVR), Skcin’s core message.
The answer was ComputerTan a fake company that claimed to be able to give consumers a year-round bronzed look simply by logging on to a website that converted a computer screen into an array of tanning UV lights. ComputerTan is an example of how advertising and PR agencies can collaborate to create content that engages the public. From an initial idea by McCann Erickson London’s creative team, we invented a back-story for ComputerTan, an explanation of the technology involved and supported it with a PR and advertising launch.
Driving traffic to the website, where people would ultimately to be confronted by Skcin’s message, was at the heart of the campaign. The key was generating interest among 18 to 24-year-olds through a viral buzz effect online. The central hook of the campaign was a free trial of the service accessible by logging on to the website. Once surfers had clicked through to the Computer Tan website, their screen converted into an array of buzzing UV bulbs. Shortly afterwards, they were confronted with shocking images and facts about skin cancer as well as a link to Skcin’s website.
Our strategy was to launch the PR and advertising campaign as though the company was real and to involve journalists and commentators in the idea early on - securing their approval, interest and buy-in to the campaign.
We produced an “infomercial” featuring fictional ComputerTan brand spokeswoman, Hannah Yasmin. The infomercial was seeded across thousands of websites. We targeted influential bloggers across interest groups from healthcare to lifestyle, beauty and technology. We sent our hoax release to national and specialist journalists.
We contacted journalists who called a fake enquiry line, told them the truth and asked them to play along. We sent other media a follow-up release or phone call revealing the truth 24-hours after the hoax launch. Our media relations strategy was to get journalists and bloggers to play along with the campaign, but early on we recognised this could not be guaranteed. So our contingency plan, launched after two days, revealed the nature of the hoax. We supported the infomercial, which was shown on screens at 10 London Underground stations and in black cabs, with hoax tanning vouchers and an iPhone application.
Within 24 hours of launch, 30,000 people visited computertan.com – 400,000 by mid-May, with 1.5m page views and an average visit time of more than two minutes. We gained helpful coverage in The Sun, The Times, The Telegraph, Daily Star, Daily Express and The Guardian. Across all print media ComputerTan generated 66 stories and was featured on 8,000 websites. Nearly 70,000 viewed the infomercial on YouTube. The campaign prompted The Sun to agree a partnership with Skcin, which will see the charity’s messages showcased in a series of features later this year. Traffic to Skcin’s website jumped 1,000 per cent. And the campaign has given Skcin a national platform to promote its important message in the future.
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Contents
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Diary dates:
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Training events for PR and marketing professionals:
Thursday 18th June: Perfect Proposals & Presentations Masterclass. London.
How PR and marketing consultancies can improve pitches to win more business
More: www.perfectproposals.co.uk
Wednesday 1st July: Writing for Publication Masterclass, London.
How to write news stories and feature articles that editors want to publish
More: www.writingforpublication.co.uk
Wednesday 22nd July: Perfect Press Release Masterclass, London.
A journalist’s eye view on how to write releases that make it into print
More: www.prmasterclass.co.uk
Thursday 1st October: Perfect Press Release Masterclass, London.
A journalist’s eye view on how to write releases that make it into print
More: www.prmasterclass.co.uk
Wednesday 7th October: Writing for Publication Masterclass, Manchester Business School.
How to write news stories and feature articles that editors want to publish
More: www.writingforpublication.co.uk
Wednesday 7th October: Perfect Proposals & Presentations Masterclass. Manchester Business School.
How PR and marketing consultancies can improve pitches to win more business
More: www.perfectproposals.co.uk
Thursday 8th October: Perfect Pitch Masterclass, Manchester Business School.
How to devise article and interview pitches that journalists really want to hear
More: www.perfectpitchmasterclass.co.uk
Tuesday 27th October: Perfect Proposals & Presentations Masterclass. London.
How PR and marketing consultancies can improve pitches to win more business
More: www.perfectproposals.co.uk
Wednesday 28th October: Perfect Public Relations Masterclass, London.
A practical workshop for organisations that want to win more of their own media coverage
More: www.howtodoyourownpr.co.uk
Wednesday 2nd December: Perfect Pitch Masterclass, London.
How to devise article and interview pitches that journalists really want to hear
More: www.perfectpitchmasterclass.co.uk
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Win more business
PR consultant and trainer Jo Lynn reports on her experience of helping other agencies to win new accounts
In the past six month – as the recession has deepened – I’ve been running a training course* which helps PR agencies to win new clients. During that time, it’s been interesting to note the impact the recession has had on the never-easy task of winning new accounts. The impression I’ve received is that it’s taking more time for clients to commit and that many agencies who have enjoyed the luxury of winning business simply by word-of-mouth are having to consider more pro-active approaches.
Let’s be honest. Most PR agencies – and I’m including the biggest and the best of us – are pretty poor at winning new business. As an industry, we are among the worst for giving away our knowledge. In-depth proposals containing all our ideas, right down to the costs, are the norm - and we give this away for free.
To understand how ludicrous it is to give this amount of free consultancy, we have to realise that the average short-list of agencies that is invited to pitch for business is four to five. That’s just the short-list. In other words, the long-list - comprising agencies that are known, liked or which have been spotted in PR Week and other publications - could easily be 20. I know this because I conducted a confidential survey among 115 companies that use agencies - about how they appoint a PR consultancy.
Of course, I’m not going to advocate that we change a habit of a lifetime and refuse point blank to write proposals, but I am saying that, from what I’ve been told, most of us are not asking enough questions before we proceed. In our enthusiasm and anxiety to get business in the door, we give too much away too early.
To avoid this fault, get in the habit of asking questions that your new business lead will not want to answer. These include: Who else are you speaking to? Do you have a budget for that? And why are you unhappy with your incumbent agency? If they are speaking to a dozen other agencies, don’t have any money, or have unrealistic expectations of what they can get for their money - or if they are actually not unhappy with their agency but are fishing for a better price - you have the right to decline the opportunity to pitch.
It may sound like madness to turn down business during a recession, but the truth is, while you’re giving away your time for free to a company that is out to steal your ideas, you could be going out there and finding some valuable work with real fees attached.
* Perfect Proposals & Presentations Masterclass. The next event is being held in London on the afternoon of Thursday 18th June. For full details of the programme and online booking, go to www.perfectproposals.co.uk
How are we doing?
A benchmarking database, designed to help PR consultancies win new business during the recession, by showing how they perform against other agencies, is now accessible from New Venture Publishing’s website.
The PR & Marketing Benchmark was developed by Policy Publications in association with the University of Luton. It enables PR consultancies to benchmark their own performance at business winning activities against the other PR firms in the database.
Currently, there are 82 companies’ results in the database, but the number grows each time a PR consultancy benchmarks itself.
A PR consultancy can benchmark its own performance against 128 factors involved in winning new business. These factors are grouped into 16 key areas such as the main sources of enquiries from potential clients, factors to bear in mind when considering whether to pitch for a new account, key activities when preparing a pitch, and issues to address when completing the final negotiations with a potential client.
The database lets a PR firm compare its performance on all the issues against all the firms in the database as well as against those firms which are most successful at winning new accounts.
PR and marketing consultancies that benchmark themselves receive a 20-page report divided into five sections. The first section provides advice on interpreting the figures in the 10 pages of statistical tables. The second provides a comparison of the consultancy’s performance on the 128 factors against all other firms in the database.
The third compares the consultancy’s performance against the firms that are most successful at winning new business. The fourth contains an “action checklist” which picks out the top 10 factors where the consultancy lags most behind the best performing consultancies. And the fifth contains some advice on making the best use of the benchmarking report.
Colin Coulson-Thomas FCIPR, FCIM, professor of direction and leadership at the University of Lincoln, who leads the benchmarking project, says: “By replacing speculation about its performance with hard facts, we’ve found a benchmarking report helps focus debate in a consultancy about its priorities for improving new business activity.”
For more details visit www.newventurebenchmarking.co.uk
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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
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