Brad Marley

This awesome photo is courtesy of mediatejack

When I was in high school I secured a girl’s phone number kind of out of the blue, and decided that I would invite my friend over to witness the magic that was Brad Marley on the phone with members of the opposite sex. (Or, maybe this happened in college and I’m covering up how lame I was?)

He readily obliged, sensing an opportunity for hilarity, I’m sure.

As the telephone conversation quickly headed south, my friend picked up a toy airplane that he found in my basement and “flew” it out of control, which provided a helpful visual of the disaster that was unfolding before his eyes. Shortly after that demonstration, the girl I was talking to hung up. We never spoke again.

In a lot of ways, this is what happens every day in public relations. But within this form of adolescent rejection lies a strategy that will land you more stories:

Pretend you have a crush on the reporter. (Seriously.)

When was the last time you called a girl or guy you had your eye on without taking a few moments to mentally check-off the potential conversational pitfalls? Probably never, right?

As it happens, this is the same exact tactic you should take when you call a reporter. Sit down at your desk, write down every possible question they could ask, and make sure you have an answer. Or, at the very least, know who they can talk to if you can’t answer your question. (Yes, I know – you wouldn’t tell that girl in AP Geometry to call another guy for answers to the homework, but for the sake of this analogy, go with it.)

Not only will roadmapping the discussion help to make sure the conversation goes swimmingly, but it might get you an answer faster if the reporter has everything they need right away, which could lead to an amiable end to the talk.

Just, don’t blow it by asking them what they’re doing Saturday night.

This is part five of a never-ending series on how to win at public relations. Check out the rest of the posts here.

If you’re like me, the blinking red light on your desk phone that indicates a waiting voicemail is akin to the person who left the message sitting next to you in your cube, poking you in the arm while you’re trying to work, bugging you to call them back, their imaginary nudging timed to the blinking.

Hey. Hey. Hey. Pick up the phone. Pick up the phone. Pick up the phone. Call me back. Call me back. Call me…

STOP.

Now, imagine this scenario from the perspective of a reporter on a deadline (which is, well, all the time.) 

That light probably hasn’t stopped blinking since they started writing for the newspaper. With their insanely busy professional lives, they don’t have time to see who called. I bet those messages get erased in one fell swoop, never to be listened to.

And that includes the pitch you just left on their voicemail.

So, now you’re in a pinch.

That voicemail had all of the details, including the number where you can be reached. But now, you’re forced to wait for a response.

Do you call back and risk the reporter berating you for bugging them?

Or, do you stay patient, hoping for a call back?

Such is the life of a public relations professional.

Here’s my tip for avoiding this scenario: don’t leave messages.*

Yeah, you’re going to run into the occasional journalist with caller ID who answers the phone with an impatient “What!?” because they recognize your number, but at least you’re going to get an opportunity — albeit, three seconds’ worth — to share your pitch, which is more than I can say for your sad voicemail.

At the end of the day**, those three seconds in front of your target reporter are like gold. Your ability to successfully pique their interest is where you earn your keep, not the 30 seconds you spent leaving the perfect message that will likely be erased.

Of course, you saw an asterisk up there, didn’t you?  There are two situations where I approve (as if you are seeking my approval) leaving a message, and that occurs when you are engaged in ongoing conversation with the reporter, or have an established relationship. In my humble opinion, if you think the reporter is awaiting your call, or you engage regularly, a voicemail is not the worst idea ever.

Otherwise, I suggest you leave messages with the frequency of Haley’s Comet visits.

(Oh, the double asterisk? I just wanted to apologize for using the often-used buzzphrase “at the end of the day.” I’ll try not to let it happen again.)

This is part four in a never-ending series on how to win at public relations. Read the other posts here.

When you begin your work in the field of public relations, there is a tendency to be terrified of talking to reporters.

Whether it's a direct report who unnecessarily scares you before you pick up the phone to place your first call, or you catch a reporter on a bad day who scars you for a good three weeks, it is their willingness to write about your client that determines your fate.

Your success lies in their ink-stained hands.

But as crazy as it might sound, reporters are not terrible people.

Their main drive in life is not to belittle every single PR person they come in contact with. They have spouses. They have kids. They have interests outside of their job, just like you and I.

But the pressure on them — especially now — is insane. So it's understandable if they get a little ornery with us.

Why we make them ornery in the first place is another blog post on its own, but there is a way to circumvent (or, minimize) the bad retorts: treat them like you would want to be treated.

I know. It's mind-blowing.

With a large percentage of reporters using Twitter to find sources, it's easy to discover their interests, which will help you in your quest for an audience with them.

You will never cross a reporter who doesn't enjoy a little banter through e-mail, as long as it's appropriate. (Duh.) If this is your first time pitching a reporter, perhaps it's a good idea to stick to the pitch. But if you've established a rapport, I encourage something to break the ice; inject some personality into your pitch. 

Not only will it help your e-mail stand out, but they just might e-mail you back.

This is part three of a never-ending series on how to win at public relations. Read part one and part two.

As a PR person, there's one thing you should take away from Apple's iPad press conference last week: when Apple CEO Steve Jobs appeared on stage to announce the new product, reporters clapped.

Why is this important to you?

Because Apple didn't waste those spray painted invites on media who would not be interested in attending. 

They only invited their fans.

This might seem logical, yet, some firms still employ the strategy of carpet bombing the media, which is the mirror opposite of Apple's tactic.

Here's a made-up example with real world implications.

The client is releasing a new product — the Snow Blaster 3000 — just in time for winter.

In an effort to prepare for the media blitz that will accompany the launch, the coordinator on the account is instructed to build the mother of all media lists. This media list includes every single reporter in the United States of America whose past coverage has ever included some combination of the words "snow", "like a hot knife through butter" and "back pain."

At 12:01 a.m. EST on the day of the launch, the release hits thousands of inboxes.

That morning, the technology reporter at the Miami Herald sits down at her desk, logs into her e-mail and sees a press release announcing a snow blower that is going to "change the way you attack snow."

Delete.  

This action repeats itself in newsrooms in various parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the client verbally undresses their account staff because they didn't meet the astronomical metrics.

Everybody involved decries the lazy journalists for covering fluffy news instead and retreats to their cubicles.

We're not yet at the point where we can pronounce the press release dead, but sending out a mass e-mail to reporters hoping one or two will bite certainly is.

(I've recently seen media lists passed around that included defunct newspapers. Try explaining to your client why you didn't land a story in that paper.)

While you cannot control the quality of the product that your client is paying you to promote, you can control the quality of the time you spend pitching the product.

Let's go back in time for a moment.

You get a phone call from your client to talk about the strategy you'll use to pitch the Snow Blaster 3000.

This time, instead of promising 100 stories in metro newspapers all over the country, you suggest to the client that outreach efforts focus on papers and media outlets in cold weather cities. Not only will the odds of positive coverage increase, you say, but from a professional perspective, you're making a name for yourself as somebody who knows their stuff.

In this situation you are managing expectations with your client and helping them to understand why they're paying you good money to do this for them.

Oh, one more thing: reporters are busy people. The reason we monitor coverage is to not only see when our client's coverage runs, but also see what the reporter is writing about on a daily basis. Daily monitoring of our target media gives us a great understanding of their interests and, thus, what they would be interested in writing about.  It also eliminates the erroneous pitches.

I've never been told this by a reporter, but I'm positive they like targeted pitches that are in their sweet spot. Besides, the quickest way to a reporter's black list is heavy use of the mail merge feature found in most e-mail clients.

In fact, pretend I never mentioned those words.

Now go out there and don't be stupid.

This is part two in a never-ending series on how to win at public relations. Here's part one.

Fact: Public relations is demanding.

So for those who want to do it for a living, we salute you.

But before you take the shrink wrap off of your AP Stylebook, run your fingertips over your keyboard and begin pounding out a brilliant pitch that is going to knock off your client's socks, know this: there will be days when you want to rip your AP Stylebook in half.

(Another hint: destroying company property is not a suggested strategy for winning.)

If you work on the agency side, it's not uncommon to balance a handful of clients at once who are  (rightfully) asking for immediate results — ugh, I hate this phrase — yesterday.  And it's inevitable that you will encounter one who doesn't understand why they are paying you a large chunk of their fiscal year budget.

To them, this might be a valid question.

They haven't seen a cover story in the Wall Street Journal (or an equally impressive piece of coverage) so they want to know what you've been doing.

Assuming you have been doing something, this is a perfect opportunity to show your value.

Are you building the client's reputation on their family of social media sites?

Put it in PowerPoint!

Are you changing customer perception through strategically placed op-ed articles?

Wow them with your words!

Are you consistently placing local executives on smaller but oh-so-important radio shows in key markets?

Numb them with numbers!

The first reaction we tend to exhibit when faced with a challenging inquiry is anger. The accusation that we're not adding value is one that can rattle even the most experienced PR person. But if you don't handle it properly and see it for what it is, you risk placing yourself on your client's bad side. And trust me when I say that nobody wants to be there. It can be impossible to dig yourself out.

So take a deep breath, assess what you've done, and show your client the nuts and bolts of the program. Assure them that the small steps you're taking today will mean long strides in the future, and maybe even that Wall Street Journal article, if newspapers are still around. 

(On second thought, don't say that.)