If you’ve lined up a media interview for your boss or an expert in your organization, nice work. Earned media is a great way to generate awareness and credibility about your company or organization. But now it’s up to a reporter to actually tell the story, making it all the more important that you help prepare your boss as much as possible. When prepping for an interview with the media, we’ve mentioned the importance of homing in on key messages and practicing anticipated questions. But…
Read MoreWhen I started in PR more than a dozen years ago, three of the most dreaded words when talking with potential clients were: The Today Show. Nothing against the show, but it’s really hard to break through their producers to actually see your client sitting down next to them for an interview. It can be just as hard for Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning or any of the shows on Fox, CNN or MSNBC. Hard, but not impossible. Here are a few things to…
Read MoreSecuring live, on-camera interviews has always been regarded as hitting the media relations jackpot. But for some executives, being in the spotlight on live TV pushes them outside their comfort zone. But no worries. Getting more comfortable in front of the camera just takes practice – and patience – and with a little bit of preparation, anyone can master a live interview. Here are three tips that will set yourself, and your spokesperson, up for success during your organization’s next live interview. Get your message(s)…
Read MoreYou might say that I’m an old news guy. I get my news from traditional sources. There’s a Richmond Times-Dispatch in my driveway every morning, and my bathroom and car radios are both set to 88.9, the local NPR station. At work, a copy of The Washington Post waits for me when I get in. And so, by the time I start my day, I’m fairly up-to-speed on what is happening in my hometown and the world in general. That’s pretty much been the history…
Read MoreIf you haven’t heard, iPhone releases its iPhone X today. I’ve been so interested in the device that MacRumors.com is now the second most visited site on my current iPhone, right under my favorite tech website TheVerge.com. In addition to new features like Face ID and an OLED screen, the updated iPhone X comes with a new public relations strategy to promote the release. Here is what’s new. The 24-hour embargo Since the iPhone 6’s release in 2014, iPhone reviews on the major tech sites…
Read MoreSo, I recently had to work with my daughter, who is working on a project, and coaching her through being on television. And, not to say that CEOs or 17-year-old girls meet somewhere, but the premise is pretty much the same. You want to start with a couple of different basic premises, either the old who, what, when, where and why, and how to communicate those things right off the top, or think about what are the three things, no matter what the reporter asks,…
Read MoreSo, I’m talking to all you fellow PR folks out there when I say, you know and I know that at the heart of it were all storytellers. In the good old days, we told that story through the media. When there were tons of media to pitch, and there were tons of outlets out there. Well, there are fewer media to pitch and much fewer outlets out there, and it’s becoming harder for us. But, technology has enabled us to become our own publishers….
Read MoreSo, “off-the-record” and “embargo” are phrases that have been used historically in dealing with the media. Both of them are sort of losing their place in the 24-hour news cycle. Steve Bannon recently got into big trouble because he thought that he was off the record but never mentioned that to a reporter he was talking to, and what he thought was a personal conversation ended up being the headline of a news cycle. So, off the record is when you’re talking to a reporter…
Read MoreSo the first question is, “how do you pitch?” Are you emailing them, are you leaving phone messages, are you using social media? That usually sets you down a particular path. The first mistake people do when they do any of those is, they are too long-winded — they leave too-long messages, their emails are way too long and they wait too long to get to the point. Make sure in your first interaction with the media, whether it’s a subject line or the first…
Read MoreCollege campuses are rife with experts, whether it be the president, dean of admissions or faculty member who knows everything there is to know about the day’s big story. Newsjacking – what we call the practice of connecting experts to reporters covering trending news – often can enable their thoughts to be heard, but all too often their expertise goes unnoticed. The next time that happens, try getting opinionated. Opinions, or op/eds, can be a valuable part of your communications arsenal. While it takes some…
Read MoreHas the Capital of the South become the Capital of the Suds? With more than 30 breweries (and counting!) now open in Richmond, it would sure seem so. And just like rebels of old, breweries are marching to their own drum throughout the Old Dominion. The latest outpost is in Bedford where Beale’s has staked a local claim to the craft beer market. We were proud to be on hand to help Beale’s kickoff its new venture, devising a sort of concentric circle marketing strategy…
Read MoreErrors in the media are bound to happen: incorrect facts, misspellings or mispronunciations, tagging the wrong accounts on social media, you name it. Poynter does a rounds up (“Best of media corrections”) each year some of the funniest slip-ups that caught their eye, errors we might all learn a lesson or two from. But let’s face it, when we’re on the other side of those media miscues, especially when it involves your client, there’s not a whole lot that’s funny. Most of the time, these…
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