Tag: media relations

Media Interview Tips: How to Get the Coverage You’re Hoping For!

After all of your hard work to interest an appropriate media channel (one that reaches your desired target audience) in a story about you or your business pays off, the work is just beginning! It may be hard to believe, but getting the interview is often the easy part — doing a good job during your interactions with the reporter is the really tough part. It’s what determines whether or not your name and information will ever see the light of day.

When we conduct media training, here are the general tips we share: Continue reading “Media Interview Tips: How to Get the Coverage You’re Hoping For!”

6000 Views and Counting – LinkedIn Authorship Gets Results!

LinkedIn recently added a new option for many of its members — the ability to write and publish posts that would be put before a broader audience than their own connections. If you see a little pencil icon next to the paperclip icon in the “Share an update…” box at the top of your home page, you have the ability to create and publish posts. Both my consulting profile and my freelance writing profile have these icons as do all my clients’ profiles.

So we’ve been experimenting with this option to see what kind of activity we’re able to generate.

Yesterday I posted an item on LinkedIn that I’d recently written as a blog post–“Four Little Words That Can Reveal a Lot: ‘Why Do You Ask?'”–the response has been phenomenal (at least by our standards). Last night as I was reviewing online activity for all of my accounts I noticed that I had about Continue reading “6000 Views and Counting – LinkedIn Authorship Gets Results!”

Contributing Content: Big Opportunities in Content Marketing!

There are big opportunities these days in content marketing. All kinds of organizations, from traditional publishers and media outlets to businesses hoping to gain online traction through organic search are looking for quality content. That means big opportunities for content creators of all kinds. It also means big opportunities for businesses and individuals hoping to get media coverage for themselves and their products and services.

Why?  Continue reading “Contributing Content: Big Opportunities in Content Marketing!”

Working With the Media? Relationships Matter!

What’s the most important thing that any business person should know about working with the media? Relationships matter! I’ve been working with the media for a number of years–both as one of them in my role as a business journalist and on the other side of the relationship as a PR professional. Because I’ve had a foot in both camps for so long, I don’t have the same level of fear or anxiety about working with the media as many often do. I don’t view the media as “the enemy” but as an ally in most cases. I need the media to help me get important messages out to various audiences. The goal:

Continue reading “Working With the Media? Relationships Matter!”

What’s the Difference Between Being an Expert and Being a Thought Leader and Can You be One?

We work with a number of “thought leaders” — experts who are hoping to establish or build their reputations in some specific area whether as an author, a consultant or some type of service provider. The phrase “thought leader” is bandied about quite a bit lately and we never gave it much thought. But, recently someone asked me to explain the difference between a “thought leader” and an “expert” which caused me to ponder the definitions of these two terms and come up with, at least IMO, an important distinction. Continue reading “What’s the Difference Between Being an Expert and Being a Thought Leader and Can You be One?”

The Yin and Yang of Finding–or Being–an Online Expert. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors.

In the “old days” finding experts was largely limited to identifying them through academic circles or highly regarded trade and professional publications. Experts were, in essence, “vetted” and those seeking their input could rely upon their veracity, authority and credentials. But, things have changed. Today, quite literally, anyone can be positioned as an “expert”–whether they really are or not. This has become possible because of the World Wide Web and a plethora of online communication channels, including web sites, social media, blogs, etc. This is both a good and a bad thing. Interestingly, it is both good and bad for experts and non-experts. Here’s why:

Continue reading “The Yin and Yang of Finding–or Being–an Online Expert. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors.”

PR Pro Thinks Blog Posts are the New Press Release — But, What do Journalists Think?

I read an interesting blog post today from Arik Hanson’s blog “Communications Conversations” titled News releases or blog posts: What is the future of media relations? In it, he suggests that companies and individuals hoping to gain attention through the media should give up on the outmoded use of traditional news releases in favor of blogs. Blogs, he says, offer many benefits including: Continue reading “PR Pro Thinks Blog Posts are the New Press Release — But, What do Journalists Think?”

Gaining Traction With the Media

When I work with students and clients I like to tell them that there are four ways that consumers (whether B2B or B2C) learn about companies and their products and services:
  • Their own personal experiences
  • Word of mouth (WOM) from colleagues, friends and relatives
  • Media coverage/PR
  • Advertising done by these organizations

I list them in order from most impactful, to least. And, while advertising certainly plays an important role for many organizations, media exposure is more credible. Why? Because media coverage represents somebody else talking about you, versus you talking about yourself. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on traditional advertising to get results these days. In fact, there are multiple opportunities for even the smallest of organizations to make an impact. For those seeking to boost awareness, preference and demand for their products and services without investing large amounts of money in paid advertising, the steps are: Continue reading “Gaining Traction With the Media”

Provocative Gone Too Far? – IDK, but it pays to know your audience

One of the things I’ve done for a number of years is freelance writing. Whether I’ve been employed in a full-time job, or now as I run my own consulting business, it’s just something that I can’t bear to give up. Because I have also worked with clients to help them find PR placement opportunities, I’ve been fortunate to experience “both sides of the fence” so to speak. The situations I encounter help me in my client work and also often serve as good examples for the PR-related classes I teach. At any rate, a recent experience really resonated with me.
Continue reading “Provocative Gone Too Far? – IDK, but it pays to know your audience”

How NOT to Pitch to the Media! Tips and Techniques for Seeing Your Name in the News

Today, more than ever, companies and individuals are hoping to get media exposure – after all, they figure (and not unreasonably), that media exposure is “free” and media coverage tends to be more favorably perceived than the advertising messages we share about ourselves.

Unfortunately, many novice “pitchpeople” make a number of seemingly “minor” errors as they try to get their stories covered. Many of these errors aren’t minor, however. Tick off a reporter once and the chances of connecting again in the future are slim. Here are some things to avoid: Continue reading “How NOT to Pitch to the Media! Tips and Techniques for Seeing Your Name in the News”