The Publicity Hound’s Blog  

Before you send that next press release, or add copy to your online press room, or post something to your blog, or upload a new article to an article directory site, use Mickie Kennedy’s 8 top tips for proofreading.

His company, eReleases, writes and distributes press releases for people who don’t want to do it themselves. Several of his tips, like letting the release sit for a day or so before you return to it and edit with a fresh pair of eyes,  are old copyeditor tricks I used when I worked as a newspaper editor.

I commented at his blog and offered four more tips:

• Check all numbers.  If the headline says “8 tips for spring cleaning,” make sure the text includes eight tips, not seven. If the story says X is Y percent of Z, double-check it on a calculator.
• If there’s a phone number within the press release, pick up the phone and call the number, even if you are the one who typed the number and you’re sure it’s correct!
• Ditto with URLs.  Make sure all URLs click through to correct web pages.
• Make sure someone’s name is spelled the same way throughout the release.

Before you hit “send,” also check to see that the release has a call to action.  Some press releases I read miss that element frequently. It’s the one opportunity you have to tell readers exactly what you want them to do: go to an online catalog, call for tickets, download a free report, etc.

The call to action was one of eight items  on Janet Thaeler’s checklist. for press release writers. She was my guest during a teleseminar on Keywords: The Magic Magnets That Pull Journalists & Consumers to Your Press Releases.”

Do you have your own proofreading tricks? Share them here.

Posted In: Blogs, Press Releases/News Releases, Writing Articles
posted On: 3/2/2010: 9:09 am: By Joan
Comments: 2 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

If you had to choose one or the other, which would you choose: a blog or press releases?

Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, says a blog is more powerful. Her comments appear during a Q&A interview in the Febuary issue of  PR Week.  

The magazine asked if PR pros were reaching out to offer rebuttals to opinions at her website, “or are they not reaching out as much?” Her response:

“We absolutely get a lot of response from PR pros. I think a lot of them are recognizing that it is more effective now to blog about something, to have the principals blog about something, rather than send press releases. The world of the press release is dramatically changing.” 

I agree. Here’s why:

• Blogs do a far better job establishing you as an expert in your field.
   
• They give readers a chance to comment, and you can continue the conversation by replying to their comments.
    
•  Blogs generally get better search engine ranking than press releases.
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• Other bloggers who like your posts, or not, will be more inclined to link to them and comment on them instead of linking to and commenting on your press releases. That’s because blogs are usually more visible than press releases, which are often buried inside a company’s online press room.
     
• Blogs are the new website.  Many companies no longer have to pay several thousand dollars or more for a website.  You can even run an Internet marketing business from a free WordPress blog, using a good shopping cart like KickStart Cart.  (Download the free ebook on how to pick a shopping art system that saves you money.  I’m an affiliate.)      

Blogging expert Patsi Krakoff, my guest expert during the teleseminar on Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging, said blogs have also saved many businesses money on search engine optimization. By using keywords in press release headlines and text, your blog posts can pull in free traffic.

That doesn’t mean you should abandon press releases, however.

And unlike blog posts, press releases are generally written in a format that makes it easy for journalists to simply cut and paste.

Many bloggers and journalists, particularly those covering topic-specific beats, subscribe to press releases via RSS feeds or press release distribution services like Expertclick and PRWeb. You can distribute your releases using those services, and then link to the releases from a blog post and your online press room. That’’s what I do.  You can also post releases to your Facebook Fan Page. (See 11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.)  

Are you blogging yet? Check out Patsi’s five blog “must haves.” It’s the second item in this week’s issue of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week. You can subscribe to the free ezine in the sign-up box just below my photo on the right side of this page.

If you struggle with press releases, sign up for my free tutorial that includes press release tips galore.  It’s a 12-week course packed with information on how to write and distribute online press releases.

Weigh in with your opinion. Which is more powerful? Press releasesd or blogs? How do you use them together?

Posted In: Blogs, Facebook, Press Releases/News Releases
posted On: 2/4/2010: 8:36 am: By Joan
Comments: 10 Comments

If the media, bloggers or anyone else come to your website looking for the navigational button that will give them all the background information about your company, what will they find?

If you’re trying to be  clever and call that part of your website an “asset library” or “company press club,” visitors will find utter confusion, says publicity expert Marcia Yudkin. In this week’s issue of her ezine, Marketing Minute, Marcia correctly points out that an organization’s attempt to be creative can backfire.

She says she found one company that called its online media room an “asset library,” a phrase that stonewalls the visitor. She Googled “asset library” and discovered that other companies are using it, too. She also found a company that calls its online media room a “company press club.”

“Press Club implies a clique of media followers who clink glasses with each other,” she said.

What should you call it?

So what SHOULD you call that part of your website that helps the media and other  visitors find your bio, photos, background material, press releases and contact information?

I like “Press Room,” which is what I use, or “For the Media.” ”Media Kit” is OK, too, although a media kit can sometimes be part of an online press room. ”Media Room” is OK but some people don’t like it because they think it sounds too much like a home entertainment center.

If you REALLY want people to click on that navigational button, you can call it “For the Media Only.”

Yikes! I  just noticed my online press room is horribly out of date. I need to add links to my profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube, as well as information about my new company, My Social Media Solution.   (See “Special Report #22: How to Create an Online Media Room and Keep the Media Coming Back.”)

  
What do you call it?

What do you call that part of your website designed spcifically for journalists, bloggers, or anyone else who wants background information? What names have you found that are too confusing?

And how long has it been since you visited your own Press Room? How much of the content there needs to be updated?

I’d also love to hear your comments about features in your own online press room that have proven helpful to the media and other visitors.

Posted In: Media Kits, Photos & Graphics, Press Releases/News Releases
posted On: 1/20/2010: 10:07 am: By Joan
Comments: 4 Comments

If you’re looking for publicity from bloggers or traditional media but can’t think of an idea to pitch to them, here’s a quick way to find several. 

Longtime Publicity Hound Norman Lieberman reminded me about this yesterday when he emailed me to see if I had a list of questions that Publicity Hounds can ask themselves, designed to uncover nuggets of information that are possible story ideas.

I gave Norm two resources. The first is my “Story Idea Tickler List,” part of the handouts for my “Savvy Media Relations” workshop: 

1. What’s new or unique about your business?
      
2. What do you offer that your competitors don’t?                                                   
         
3. How do you help people solve problems, save time or save money?
       
4. What business mistakes have you made that you learned from?
      
5. What new trends have you spotted in your industry?
      
6. Is there a social or political issue you feel strongly about? (Write an opinion column, letter to the editor or blog post.) 
       
7. Are you sponsoring a contest or an award?
       
8. Can you piggyback your topic off a holiday or anniversary?
       
9. How are you using technology in your business?
       
10. Do you have any good visuals that tie into your story idea for television?
        
11. What about your personal life? (Hobbies, travels, food, clothing, etc.)
        
12. Have you formed an interesting partnership or alliance?
        
13. What how-to articles could you write?
             
14. What topics are good fodder for a tip sheet? (9 tips for….)
        
15. On what radio talk shows would you be a good fit and what’s the hot story of the day that ties into your expertise?
        
16. Are you the local angle to a national or regional story?
           
17. How are you using social media in your business? 
       
18. How can you piggyback onto celebrity news? For example, here are 10 ways to generate publicity from the Tiger Woods mess and here’s how Connie Dieken, a Cleveland TV personality and media trainer, got publicity by piggybacking onto celebrity outbursts.
       
19. Do you have an interesting  stand-alone photo you can offer the media? Newspapers and magazines often use these photos as fillers.

If those aren’t enough, you can check out the free sample chapter of my ebook, “How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound” where you’ll find more ideas, and a fuller explanation of some of the ideas listed above. 

What ideas have you pitched recently that other Publicity Hounds could also use? Share them here.

Posted In: Blogs, Business Promotion, Contests, Holidays, PR Consultants/Publicists, Photos & Graphics, Press Releases/News Releases, Publicity Resources, Social media marketing, TV Publicity, Writing Articles
posted On: 1/14/2010: 11:20 am: By Joan
Comments: 4 Comments