| Welcome to the Sawmill Marketing Public Relations Newsletter
Media Relations. Media Training. Crisis Communications.
Greetings!
Welcome to the premiere issue of BuzzCuts, a quick read on the latest tools and techniques in the world of media relations, media training and crisis communications. Brought to you by Buzz, our sometimes grouchy and always cantankerous spokesperson.
The Sawmill Team - Susan Anthony and Jeff Davis
How to Get the Publicity Ball Rolling
Positive Press is Waiting for You
Like most executives, you probably know the value that positive press can bring to your organization. However, you probably also know that getting a publicity campaign up and running can be a daunting challenge for the uninitiated.
Here are five easy ways to get the ball rolling and reap the benefits of news coverage.
Create a publicity strategy that supports your organization's goals. Develop publicity materials to help the reporter tell your story. Post these in your Web site's press section.Build a targeted media list and focus on one outlet at a time. Study what types of articles your key reporters write, so you can tailor your pitch. Be creative. Sending out a press release is just one tactic.
Dedication pays off. The most successful publicity campaigns are ongoing, well thought out and multi-faceted - all requiring time, patience and skill. Assign these important responsibilities to someone so you can focus on leading your company.
When we conduct media training sessions, one exercise is to boil down a client's key message to 7 to 12 seconds. Why?
Because that's all the time you'll get in the typical TV story, so you better make the most of those precious seconds. We recently heard a real-life explanation from a TV veteran who confirmed why they're looking for 7 seconds - 12 seconds max - when putting together a news story.
"Check your cell phone for messages and notice the point when you get irritated that the person is going on too long -- it's about 15 seconds," says the broadcaster. "If they go on for 25 to 30 seconds you'll want to throw your phone through the window," he emphasized.
Same goes for the media interview, where no one wants to hear your spokesperson ramble through the bulleted list of corporate talking points. Get your spokesperson media trained now, so when the media spotlight is on, those 12 seconds will already have been polished and ready for prime time.
Crisis PR Tip #16: Keep the IT Dept. in the Loop A recent situation with a client was a good reminder to include the IT department when developing and implementing a crisis communications plan. What better way to ensure that intellectual property is protected, internal and external communications leaks are detected, potential sabotage is aborted and the immediacy of e-mail and the Internet are maximized? |
