The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

If you’re releasing a report on the state of your industry, what’s the purpose of writing a press release? Why not just post the information to your blog?

In fact, why even bother with press releases? Can’t blog posts serve the same function?

That’s what law firm marketing expert Kevin O’Keefe asked at Real Lawyers Have Blogs.

He will be releasing a report later this week on the use of blogs by large American law firms, and he asked:

“My question is who do I send the press release to? Don’t I accomplish the same thing by posting a blog post with the report as I always have? As a courtesy to reporters and editors, couldn’t I just email them a link to my blog post? How does a press release help them?

“Some law firms and companies use press release services such as PR Newswire or PRWeb for press releases, many in large part for Search Engine Optimization.  Getting links from such sites to your company website or blog using keywords describing your offering causes your website or blog to rank higher on such keyword searches.  But that feels a bit like a sham and I’m not looking for SEO.”
   

Write a release and a blog post

Do both.

Press releases are written much like a newspaper article would be written with “just the facts.” And, of course, you can link directly to the report and anything else you wish.

One of the big advantages of press releases is that journalists, bloggers and others can simply cut and paste from the press release and add what you’ve written to their own copy.  Blogs, on the other hand, are written in a more informal, personal style that make wholesale copying difficult.
  
A blog also serves as a great platform to comment on various aspects of the report, in one or more blog posts. So while that press releases is pulling traffic at PRWeb, your post is pulling traffic at your blog. 
         
  
How to publicize an industry report

I gave Kevin seven ideas for publicizing his report:

1. Write a press release and post it to PRWeb.  Journalists and others can also search the PRWeb site by topic.  I found eight RSS feeds at PRWeb just for legal news. So if the only place that somebody can find info on the report is at Kevin’s blog, they’ll miss it if they’re at the PRWeb site.
       
2. Let your Twitter followers, Facebook friends and LinkedIn connections know about the release. Just give an enticing headline and link to it at PRWeb. (See 11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.)
       
3. Write a blog post that ties into the press release.  Why was the report written? Are the results surprising? Can you offer a behind-the-scenes look at the benefit of blogging for big law firms, something the press release doesn’t explain?
       
4. Post the same press release at your website, in your online press room.  You want to do this so that people who come to your website can find recent information about what you’re doing.
       
5. If you wish, you can now pitch the story to a select group of journalists and bloggers.  These can be people whose names you have collected and put into a database.  I’d create individual pitches for each journalists or blogger, customized for their audience, and then include a link where they can see the press release.
       
6. What about people on Twitter who “tweet” about law-related topics?  Don’t forget about them.  Sometimes you can get far more traction on Twitter than you can in traditional media, simply because of the retweets.
       
7. How do you find people who would be interested in the report and are most likely to retweet?  Go to Search.Twitter.com and search for #law, #lawyers, #legal and other related words, using hash tags.  Twitter will return a list of tweets written by people who have used those keywords in their posts.  You can then go to each person’s Twitter page and decide if they’re worth following.  If so, follow them.  They might follow you back.  You can then send them a direct message and let them know about your report, and link to the press release on PRWeb.
       
8. Finally, how about creating a short video, about two and a half minutes, discussing the report?  You can do this with an inexpensive Flip video camera and upload the video to YouTube, which can pull more traffic to your blog or website.

Kevin might also consider a subscription to Expertclick, the Online Yearbook of Experts. A subscription puts you in their experts directory and lets you post up to 52 press releases per year.  You can then link to these releases from your blog or the online press room at your website. That’s what I do.  Learn more at Expertclick.com.

How do you use press releases in conjunction with your blog?

Posted In: Blogs, LinkedIn, Pitching the Media, Publicity for Niche Markets, Social media marketing, Twitter, Video, YouTube
posted On: 3/8/2010: 12:32 am: By Joan
Comments: 1 Comment

If you or your PR client have a great story to tell that can motivate entrepreneurs and upper management, you might be a good candidate for Motivated magazine.

Editor Shevaun Voisin said she welcomes pitches. But before pitching, please check out the magazine’s website to get a good feel for its mission.

“MOTIVATED Magazine encourages readers to rise to their fullest potential. Pairing passion with purpose, the magazine features insightful articles submitted directly from today’s world leaders, entrepreneurs and everyday people with extraordinary stories to share.

“Each issue focuses on a theme in an effort to inspire and motivate readers on their journey toward business and personal success.  Topics range from the importance of leading, communicating, and investing, to strategizing, producing, and growing, all in an effort to achieve balance and overall happiness.”

“Be sure to read my editorials so you understand the reason why I publish my magazine…it is very important to me that contributors understand my intention behind the magazine so that they are on board with my mission to empower and educate others by pairing passion with purpose.”

The target market includes entrepreneurs and upper management executives who have an interest in growing personally and professionally.  The magazine is shelved in the business section of Chapters, Indigo, and Barnes & Noble bookstores. 

It’s distributed through Gateway and Hudson news, in airports and Loblaws grocery stores, and through subscriptions. 

Email her at Shevaun at DeclanMcAndrewPublishing.com.

Posted In: Magazine Publicity, Pitching the Media
posted On: 3/2/2010: 11:46 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

If you’re a guest expert, or a PR person who represents an expert, and you’re looking for radio talk shows and podcasts that need guests, don’t pitch only the big shows.

Many of them are difficult to book, and you might be far better off trying to get onto shows that reach niched audiences.

Check out RadioGuestList.com.  You can use this site several ways.
       
      

How to be on a show

Experts, authors and PR firms searching for the right shows can sign up here. Whenever a talk show is looking for guests, RadioGuestList will notify you.
  
     
How to find guests for your show

If you’re a radio show booker, podcaster, talk radio host or TV producer who needs guests, submit your talk show booking opportunities here. RadioGuesetList will email its list of guest experts, authors and PR firms so that experts who are a good fit for your show can email you directly.
     
    
How to see which shows are available 

On the homepage, you can see a list of categories on the right side. I clicked on a few of them and saw lots of opportunities for authors, musicians, small business people and Internet marketers to appear as guests. If you have an area of expertise, you’ll find something here that’s a good fit.

The site is maintained by Scott Fox, an author and Internet marketer. Check out his 10 tips on how to use social networking to market your product or service. You can also follow RadioGuestList on Twitter.

Never done a radio interview before? George McKenzie, a former radio talk show host, offered tips galore when I interviewed him about how to get onto drive-time radio shows and ace the interview so that the host invites you back.

Have you used RadioGuestList.com? Share your success stories here.

Posted In: Authors & Publishers, Business Promotion, How to Interview, Media Leads, PR Consultants/Publicists, Pitching the Media, Publicity Resources, Radio Publicity, Social media marketing, TV Publicity
posted On: 2/11/2010: 9:29 am: By Joan
Comments: 9 Comments

If you’re a publicist or PR pro and write press releases for your clients, you’re making a big mistake if you let your clients determine exactly what the final version of a press release will say—particularly if that release is being sent to the traditional media.

Of course, they should read it for accuracy and suggest changes. And clients should always approve the final version of a release.

But problems start brewing the minute you let them insert information that has no business being there, and then fail to call them on it.

Beware control freaks and ego maniacs

Clients who are control freaks love to boss around their PR people and insert their own language into press releases. Ego maniacs demand you include puffery and other B.S. quotes so they look important. And then there’s the client who took a high school journalism course and thinks he knows everything about how to write a press release.

Sadly, they don’t understand the damage they’re inflicting on themselves by forcing you to make changes that you know are just plain bad.

I’ve heard this complaint dozens of times and it popped up again this week in my email:

“I have a small, marketing and PR business here in New York.  Sometimes I create press releases for businesses, and many of them have been published by a newspaper that has millions of readers.

“I give my client one proof for minor changes. The problem is that a lot of them are not very educated. So sometimes they ask for changes that do not make any sense, or they ask me to change everything.  Then, I walk away because if they want too many changes, they don’t need me. They can do it themselves.

“Is there a better way that I am not aware ?”

Yes.

Get it in writing

Deal with that problem before you take on a new client, not after.

Your proposal or simple one-page letter of agreement should specify that you won’t submit submit press releases or materials to the media that will embarrass you or the client.  When I worked as an editor, I’d occasionally get a call from a PR person who would say,  “I know this press release is awful, but my client wants me to send it to you.”

They didn’t want to anger the client. But they never thought twice about angering me. I’d make a mental note that that PR person was a pain in the neck and that the client wasn’t worth covering.

When I left the newspaper business and did PR, including writing press releases, for my own clients, I’d tell clients that part of my job was to also keep them out of trouble with the media.

“If I send this release, it will mean trouble for you,” I’d tell them, being careful to use the word “you.” My words carried a little more weight because I worked as a newspaper editor for two decades. If they disagreed, I stood firm.

Don’t put your reputation on the line by letting clients have the upper hand. You’re better off walking way from a project, like the writer above did, and leaving $200 on the table than damaging your good name and submitting something that you know reflects poorly on you, particularly if your name is on the press release or if you’re the key media contact. (See 24 Ways to Add Clients to Your PR Practice.)

The same goes for crappy pitches. I can’t count the number of times PR people pitched horrible stories that they knew were bad, but they placed “being obedient” above being smart.

Press releases for consumers

Press releases written specifically to reach consumers online are somewhat different.

If you aren’t sending those releases to the media, the risk of letting clients determine what goes and what stays isn’t as great. Just remember that if reporters and editors find the release and want to write about it, and the writing sounds contrived or overly promotional, that could be a turn-off.

If you’re a PR person and you’ve run into this problem, how have you handled it?  If you work for multiple bosses who must “sign off” on your press releases, what’s the best way to avoid management-by-committee problems? Share your ideas here.

If you need press releases written or distributed and you’re looking for good vendors, check the publicity resources page at my website.

Posted In: Magazine Publicity, Newspaper Publicity, PR Consultants/Publicists, Pitching the Media, Press Releases/News Releases
posted On: 2/9/2010: 11:30 am: By Joan
Comments: No Comments

Several readers wrote to say they loved the item in last week’s ezine regarding the Newspaper Map of the World, the interactive  map at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. that shows headlines in today’s newspapers in hundreds of countries.

When you place your cursor on a particular city, you’ll see headlines for today’s newspaper. If you double-click on the dot, the page gets larger. I was in a hurry when I wrote that item.

But since then, I’ve been thinking about ways to use the map, particularly for people seeking publicity:

1. In place of an expensive media directory. It won’t come close to giving you you all the information a media directory will, but it’s a good place to start if all you need to know is the name of a newspaper in a certain city.
          
2. If you’re traveling to a particular city—for a speaking engagement or book tour, for instance—and you’d love to do an interview with the local newspaper when you get there, you can stay abreast of the news weeks before you arrive.
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3. The map will also help you find local reporters who are covering the major stories of the day. Once you know who covers what, you can read their articles before you pitch them and perhaps tie something they’ve written previously into your pitch. (You can also probably find more in-depth information on who covers what at the newspapers’ websites, particularly for larger newspapers.)
         
4. You can follow the Newseum on Facebook and learn quickly whether major newspapers ran stories of certain breaking news events on their front pages.
       
5. You can refer to it if you’re job-hunting, willing to relocate, and you want a job at a newspaper. (Are any of those people left these days?) 

OK, I thought I could come up with six ways to use the map, but I’m all out of ideas. The sixth one is yours.

How would you use this Map of the World?

Posted In: Newspaper Publicity, Pitching the Media
posted On: 2/1/2010: 6:08 pm: By Joan
Comments: No Comments