Drill Bits

Immortalized by character actor Strother Martin in 1967’s “Cool Hand Luke,” those famous words to prisoner Paul Newman seem to aptly summarize the sentiments of many of my fellow PR veteran colleagues, as we unabashedly judge, or perhaps more fittingly prejudge the newest generation of public relations professionals.

Perhaps we are guilty of having evolved into the judgmental curmudgeons we vowed we’d never become all those years ago, uttering expressions that begin with “In my time…” or “you kids these days…”  Indeed, we all must accept culpability for possessing these admittedly narrow views.  That said, I must insist that they are, in many instances, quite justified.

Public Relations professionals who are cutting their proverbial teeth in this technological era have tools and, consequently, advantages that we didn’t have all those years (decades) ago.  From constantly updated media databases (we currently use Cision here at Brandware, but there are dozens out there) to instant-result research tools and e-mail systems that transmit our client’s news across continents in a matter of seconds, this generation can reach more people in five minutes than we could in five days when we were their age.

Nevertheless, this technology has its drawbacks, and those are readily evident when the subject of “communication” arises.  Thanks to our lack of the aforementioned technological tools available to today’s PR professional, communication “back in the day” always focused on the spoken word, be it in-person discussion or verbal pitching to highly targeted media.  For it was that communication that—if executed properly—helped establish, foster and cultivate the core, mutually trusting  media relationships that generated the brand-building and image-enhancing print and broadcast media coverage that helped clients grow their businesses.

Today, communication seems to have a completely different meaning for the newest flock of aspiring PR professionals.  To most of these 20-somethings, the written words emanating from the keyboards on their new Dell or iPhone have replaced personal touches that my generation used to build our credibility with the media.  Our ability to pitch the right reporter at the right time with the right information not only generated the “right” hits for our clients, it provided journalists with first-hand knowledge of the value that PR professionals bring to the equation. And perhaps more importantly (for us, that is), it set a precedent by proving our value and giving them a reason to take our next call and be more receptive to our next pitch.

All because of that antiquated practice of verbal communication, a tactic that seems to have gone the way of cassette recorders, typewriters and picture-tube televisions.

Indeed, those days have given way to e-mail blast pitches and mass-distribution press release dissemination.  Having spent many years as the internal corporate communications contact at a magazine publishing company, I can convey—first-hand—how displeased editors are when their e-mail in-boxes are flooded with generic pitches and  press releases that have little or no relevance to their area of focus.  The end result has been a widening of the already expansive gap that distances the media from public relations professionals.  It muddies the already murky waters and gives further credence to the media’s perceptions that PR people are impediments to their ability to journalistic processes…unwanted and unnecessary.

As a result, it’s imperative that this faltering relationship be repaired immediately.  Communication is a key to remedying this problem.

So while the newest technological tools allow us to get our work done more expeditiously and certainly bring great potential value to the PR process, it’s critical that we—both grizzled veterans and the newest and brightest—do a better job of proving our value to the media.  Following are a few recommendations for the newest wave of PR pros:

Taking a step back before moving forward

Before jumping into the deep end of the media outreach pool, PR professionals must take time to strategize and ultimately define a handful of key message points to be incorporated into every communication to the media.

Target, target, target

Take the time to highly define which media outlets are ripe for the pitch.  It’s not a numbers game, so pitching the same message to 200 outlets won’t necessarily bring the same brand-building results that you—and more importantly, your client desires.  Instead, focus on the print, broadcast, trade, consumer and social media outlets that really could be interested.

Use your researching resources

What we would have given to have time-saving, instant-results tools like search engines in our day!  These resources are literally at your fingertips.  Use them!  Take the time to see who has been covering the products, technologies or services that you are pitching.  In your subsequent communication, let them know that you’d read their previous coverage—they’ll acknowledge (if not actually appreciate) the fact that you took the time to pitch your square peg for the proverbial square hole.

Pick up the phone!

Even for the most confident and self-assured account executive, the thought of “cold-calling” the media can be daunting.  But if you’ve done your homework, it’s not nearly as worrisome of an experience.  And if your pitch is of interest, ask their permission to e-mail your materials.  Although this may seem patronizing, it’s actually a technique that the media appreciates.

Follow-up…with (gasp!) a call

Given a sufficient amount of time, be sure to follow-up with a call.  Don’t assume that they’ve seen your information, as your e-mail will likely be buried below the hundreds of pitches they’ve received from your competition.   Offer to re-send if necessary, and ask if they’d like to interview your client.

Take copious notes

This often -neglected part of the process accomplishes two very important tasks: It provides your client with a thorough understanding of what the journalist wants to cover, while saving the reporter valuable time.  Executed properly, this task earns much-needed credibility with the media.

Say “thank you”

When you’re successful in generating great media coverage, send a quick note to the journalist thanking them.  As a former member of the media, I know first-hand that acknowledgement for a fair, accurate story comes about as often as a lunar eclipse.  Believe me, they’ll appreciate it.

Effective communication for today’s PR professional ideally melds the latest in technological advances with tried-and-true personal touch.  Ultimately, every generation within our profession can learn from each other.

Strother Martin would have agreed.

- Jeff Perlman

If you’re a small or mid-size company, chances are you watch the big guys conduct their high-visibility marketing campaigns with some envy.   Network television, glossy color ads, big-bucks national sweepstakes, multi-million dollar sponsorships, glitzy publicity campaigns, the list goes on.

How can you compete if you’re not a billion-dollar player?  At a BtoB Magazine (www.btobonline.com) NetMarketing breakfast here in Atlanta last week, I was reminded again that social marketing has become that great equalizer.  Smaller companies get low-cost access to powerful tools and tactics that can put them in the big guys’ league without breaking the bank.

This particular presentation (check out related Tweets at #btobnet) featured digital and social marketing leaders from global powerhouses like IBM to small enterprises like Atlanta’s www.controlscan.com.

Despite the participants’ disparate company sizes and budgets, common approaches prevailed.  Many of these included popular social media tools, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, video and SEO web content.  The consensus was that content continues to be the undisputed King.  Customer stories and case studies were repeatedly cited as the most valuable piece of content.

I couldn’t agree more.  Intriguing customer success stories have long been a staple for public relations professionals.  When pitching a company, product or service, you can toot your own horn all you want, but nothing beats a well-crafted example of how someone else made money or achieved some other amazing result thanks to your stuff or service.

We research, write and tell customer stories all day long – and you can, too.  Here are a few tips to get started:

• Put on your Jimmy Clark hat. What’s the news hook?  Why should your audience care? Will they learn something? Act like an investigative reporter, not a marketer.  Have your questions ready, and start digging.  Don’t settle for monosyllabic answers – engage your interview subject and mine for data and metrics that prove success.
• Write it right. Craft a great story that others will actually want to read and share.  That means concise, clear writing, supported by plenty of proof points and “aha” moments.  Your readers need to learn something.  And, of course, you’d like them to be motivated to reach for the phone (or their mouse to click-through to your “Contact Us” page).
• Don’t be self-centered. Brandware clients often tell us that they have a hard time getting their customers to agree to case studies.  Well, virtually everyone loves to shine in a peer environment, so frame the story to ensure your customer is positioned as a trend setter, category leader or industry innovator.  What makes their approach better, smarter, faster, cheaper or just plain cooler than anyone else’s?
• Offer up some love.  Counsel your customer how they might use the case study for their own marketing efforts – then offer to help.  Pitch the success story to the customer’s most important trade or vertical media.  And, of course, offer an incentive or other value-added feature to say “thanks.”
• Use multiple channels to spread the story. When a customer agrees to participate, also get buy-in for a 2 – 3 minute video version of the story for posting and sharing online.  Most customers will love to have a well-shot video segment of their success story.  Do yourself and your customer a favor and spring for a professional production team that understands staging and lighting.  This is no time for talking heads, shiny brows or that “deer in the headlights” look.

- Elke Martin