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Let’s take a different approach to public relations<\/p>\n
PR people cover their butts by saying, \u201cWe can\u2019t guarantee placement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Okay. Maybe that\u2019s true, but your agency should guarantee value.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how we do it.<\/p>\n
A while back a local company engaged us to put out a release on a new company achievement. We advised that it might be tough to get it picked up in the news. But we gave it our best shot.<\/p>\n
When our prediction proved correct, and the release did not run, we said, \u201cNo charge, but next time, let\u2019s try a different approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since then we\u2019ve re-thought local press releases because a lot has changed in the world of local public relations.<\/p>\n
CLARIFICATION: For this article, we\u2019re not talking about strategic corporate public relations (which we also do). That is best handled with the continuity of monthly retainers to guide long term results. This little treatise is about small businesses and non-profits that need occasional press releases on a project basis.<\/p>\n
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We had The World’s show producer Jason Margolis in town and hooked him up with chef Jody Morphis of Blue Denim to talk about catfish.<\/p>\n
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The first thing an agency should do for you when you think you need a press release is due diligence \u2013 an hour or two. And you should not expect to pay for this. We often \u201csoft pitch\u201d the story to our media contacts just to gauge the likelihood of being picked up. We don\u2019t bill for this because it\u2019s part of sales. Like lawyers we need to ask ourselves: do we have a case? If we do, if we know we can deliver value, we engage.<\/p>\n
All print media is under-staffed now. Where there used to be several layers of editorial personnel, with the newbie journalists dutifully reviewing company press releases to go on those \u201cbusiness milestones and achievements\u201d pages, those people are all gone today. Broadcast is doing a little better, but not every client lends itself to exciting visuals.<\/p>\n
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Sometimes you have to deliver good photography to get placed, which is what we did here for the local non-profit Be Great Foundation.<\/p>\n
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While press releases may not be what they used to be, they are still valid. We\u2019ve just had to re-think the value proposition and our approach.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how…<\/p>\n
Half of the press release job is placement\u2013getting it into the media. But the first half is writing it. You still need an objective writer for this to make sure the copy both presents the news factually, while accurately positioning your brand in the market<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thekingsenglish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/kings-english-public-relations-for-hirsch-wellness-network.jpg” title_text=”kings english public relations for hirsch wellness network” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_text_color=”#B32216″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Spectrum News does a good job covering community events, if you’ve got interesting visuals. Here Hirsch Wellness Netowrk is hanging art for auction.<\/p>\n
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If your news release copy opens with something like this:<\/p>\n
…nobody is going to care. And that’s a way-too-common mistake when you’re not used to writing news. But if you say something like:<\/p>\n
…you might raise some eyebrows.<\/p>\n
Okay, you probably don\u2019t want to be that<\/em> brash, but our point is you want a press release that grabs the editor and suggests it will get people interested while advancing your brand in some way.<\/p>\n Therefore, you definitely want to rely on your agency to write the release. Give the agency some creative latitude.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.thekingsenglish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/2019-05-31-10.38.32-e1561920377848.jpg” alt=”earned media is all about story placement” title_text=”Earned media with John Joyce” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_text_color=”#B32216″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Business Journal<\/em> reporter John Joyce interviews Stephanie Lischke of Franklin & White over coffee at Cheesecakes by Alex in downtown Greensboro.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Now, for the placement half of the press release job, we need to look at media differently.<\/p>\n For example\u2026<\/p>\n \u2022 The local business newspaper currently runs business announcements for a cost of a few hundred dollars. Paying for a placement used to be considered bad form among PR people (prostituting the art!), but today, for this \u201cPR people\u201d it\u2019s perfectly fine. You\u2019ll get your message and photo in print and online where search engines pick it up. (See an example at the bottom of this article.) Nobody cares anymore that it\u2019s a paid placement.<\/p>\n \u2022 Our local daily still runs business news and achievements, pretty much verbatim to the releases we provide. And it\u2019s free. So do that, too.<\/p>\n \u2022 If your website doesn\u2019t have a blog, rethink that and get one set up (or let us do it). Think of this as self-publishing, but it’s still media. Blogs boost SEO performance and give your site a feeling of being current. Your blog becomes a repository of company and product information that is as good as any brochure. This is where you can self-publish your release and push it out on social media and, ideally, on your company e-mail blasts. Example: Jamesson Solutions blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022 If you have a decent LinkedIn network, you can probably get a few thousand impressions there, alone. I love LinkedIn for this. Of all the social media, it can be the most boring, but it also DOES get viewed by career minded people who make business decisions.<\/p>\n Remember, \u201cimpression\u201d just means people see it. It doesn\u2019t mean they READ your story. That goes back to having a good copywriter to help make sure people decide it’s worth their time.<\/p>\n \u2022 Don\u2019t overlook Facebook and Instagram. We\u2019re well acquainted with Meta’s organic (free) capabilities, as well as its paid advertising, and can help you get traction there. It’s a good place to publish your placements, too, like this:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n\n