Posts Tagged ‘pr advice’

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In the Know With a PR Pro… Meet Charlene Blohm

Friday, July 9th, 2010

cblohm1Meet the Pro

Name: Charlene Blohm
Title: President and CEO
Company: C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
Client Base Includes: Discovery Education, PBS Teachers, PBS TeacherLine, Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) - see http://www.cblohm.com/pages/family.html for a full list.

Background

My first PR job was to promote Texas history and culture for the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures. I found my “home” working in the K-12 education marketplace while working for a firm that broadcast professional development programs for teachers. C. Blohm & Associates was born in 1991 and our focus has always been on the education industry.

It’s Business Time

How long have you been in public relations?
Since the mid 1980s.

What is one thing that you know now that you wish you had known when you first started in PR?
The delicate balance between building long-term relationships and pitching relevant content.

As the playing field for PR is evolving (social media, online publications, etc.), how do you advise PR professionals to build relationships and win ink?
Read, read, read. When I was still working as a journalist, I was always amazed at how little time people spent learning the basics about my newspaper or my consumer affairs column before trying to pitch me a story - something as simple as geographic reach. So I advise young PR professionals to spend time reading and researching before pitching.

What specifically is your favorite/most effective method of outreach?
I’ve had some success pitching in 140 characters or less, but I still prefer e-mail.

Which tech and PR blogs/publications can you not live without?
The publications and blogs in the ed tech sector, such as Educators’ Royal Treatment, eSchool News, Tech & Learning, Cool Cat Teacher, Learning, Education Week, District Administration, Scholastic Administrator, T.H.E. Journal, and School Library Journal.

Everyone has pet peeves - what is your biggest professional pet peeve?
Missing a scheduled 1:1 meeting, either in-person, virtual, or telephone.

What’s the first thing you do when you get the office in the morning?
First activity of the day is to check the “overnights,” what came in via e-mail and social media while we were sleeping.

Up Close and Personal

Home state: Wisconsin

Favorite thing(s) to do when not at the office:
Biking, gardening, and reading. “Santa” gave me a canoe for Christmas, and I’m hoping to learn how to paddle without tipping over by summer’s end.

What’s the last book you read?
I tend to alternate between fiction and non-fiction during the “school year,” but focus on one genre for summer (beach) reading. This year it’s murder mysteries, and the current page-turner is the Jane Austen-inspired “Murder at Longbourn.”

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and why?
New Zealand. Several TV shows and a few movies have been filmed there, and the scenery is just gorgeous.

If you could have any one super power, what would it be and why?
Super Editor! Able to leap long sentences in a single bound without stumbling on missed punctuation, typos, and long-winded passages.

If you were banished to a deserted island, what is one thing you’d take with you?
Sunscreen. Though the cast and crew of “Lost” would be nice to have around as well!

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In the Know With a PR Pro - Meet Melissa Burns

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

melissa-burnsMeet the Pro

Name:  Melissa Burns
Title:  Principal
Company:  Mobility Public Relations
Current Client Base Includes:  Antenna, Bitstream / BOLT Mobile Browser, Flycell, TextArrest

It’s Business Time

How did you get to be where you are today?
I earned my degree in public relations at San Jose State University and jumped in with both feet while I was still in school with internships and project work for several local tech start-ups.  After working in the trenches of tech PR for two years on the corporate side I landed at The Hoffman Agency, a high-tech PR agency based in San Jose, where I started as an account coordinator but quickly worked my way up the ranks to account director.  At Hoffman I gained invaluable client experience working with big brands like Amazon.com, Dolby, Hewlett Packard, and Sony.  It was the smaller, nimble, and incredibly innovative Silicon Valley start ups that really grabbed my attention during the early part of my PR career, and over time I developed a passion for the mobile and wireless technologies that I recognized were changing the world around us, from how we worked to how we played.  In 2006 I left the Hoffman Agency, and with three partners - John Sidline, John Giddings, and Stacy Sidline, we started Mobility Public Relations, a boutique agency focused on the mobile and wireless space.

What is one thing that you know now that you wish you had known when you first started in PR?
The people looking to hire you to do PR may not even know what public relations is or why they need it.  This was startling to me when I first started out.  In school you learn all about how to plan and execute PR programs and campaigns, but they don’t teach you how to sell the value of PR to a potential client who doesn’t know what PR is.  Successfully articulating the value of a good PR program in terms that a potential client could understand was something I learned quickly and it made a big difference in my career.  When I’m evaluating a potential hire for our agency I ask applicants to sell me on why a company needs PR.  I’ve found that the best “PR salespersons” make the best employees because they are typically able to see the big picture; understanding not only how to do PR, but why to do it, and they understand that one size does not fit all.  With this in mind they are able to make recommendations for strategies and tactics that are exactly what a specific client needs rather than what the client thinks they need.

What specifically is your favorite/most effective method of outreach?
In person conversations.  They are fewer and farther between these days, but I love nothing more than meeting up with an editor or a blogger for a live face-to-face chat.  Something great nearly always comes from in-person interactions.

Everyone has pet peeves - what is your biggest professional pet peeve?
Mean people.  On the agency side you often come across corporate PR folks who spent time at an agency where they were treated poorly by a client.  Some of them think now that they are the client it’s their turn to be the jerk.  Come on… Break the cycle! Be nice.

How do you start your day off right?
Coffee.  Lots and lots of coffee.

Up Close and Personal

Home state: Idaho
Favorite thing to do when not at the office: Be the loudest fan on the sideline of my kids’ soccer games.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and why?
I’d head straight to South Africa this summer for the World Cup to take in the sights and watch the best soccer players in the world play the beautiful game.

What song best describes you?
Madonna’s 4 Minutes.  In this industry clients believe “we’ve only got 4 minutes to save the world” (at least their world) at least once a week.  My kids think the same thing.  Saving the world before bedtime.  It’s what I do.  It’s what I live for.

What is your favorite thing you have decorating your desk at work?
Starbucks mug.  I like it even more when it is full of hot coffee.

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In the Know With a PR Pro - Meet Chris Abraham

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Meet the Pro

chrisabraham1Name: Chris Abraham
Title: President
Company: Abraham Harrison LLC
Summary: Abraham Harrison does the leg work for companies hoping to connect with their customers and strengthen their social media presence.   We help companies engage with bloggers, on Twitter and Facebook — in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and other languages — in their native cultures.

It’s Business Time

How did you get to be where you are today?
I studied American Literature in college, though I grew up the son of a professional photographer and exile of the NY Advertising world— an illustrator and, later, an ad man.  I was brought up with books, art, and photography and was making and selling images as early as 13.  When I graduated in 1993, the economy was tepid and I ended up looking for photographer jobs since I was a member of ASMP (The American Association of Media Photographers).  My first job was with Picture Network International, one of the first online stock photo services, offering images via dial-up.  When they realized that I had mad computer skills (from being a geeky computer hobbyist as a kid) they sent me to the image server room and I got my first Unix account, became a system admin, and earned my geek wings.  This resulted in a decade of being a geek, systems administrator, and programmer — which I was good at but wasn’t passionate about.

In 2002 I left it all and took a three month sail from Acapulco to Los Angeles and thought about what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I had been dialing into message boards and forums since 1982 and loved my second life online — really was as close to being a native denizen of the proto and current Internet as anyone I knew.  When I returned from the sailing trip, I discovered New Media Strategies (NMS).  NMS was one of the very first social media marketing firms and I halved my salary to get into there and I was home.  Every day I engaged with big Hollywood and NYC brands, products, and services, learning how to take all of the mad skills I had earned as a geek, a programmer, and bonafide virtual community member and how to sort out the best ways to engage and influence influencers online.  It was stupendous!  A few years later, I was poached by Edelman Public Affairs and brought on to work in their Online Advocacy team working on major PR and Public Affairs clients.

I hated what NMS paid and I hated working for a big agency so I leaped out on my own and started Abraham PR, which grew and grew.  Soon, I begged my best friend and experienced NYC fortune 50 media executive, Mark Harrison, retired at the time, to come aboard as CEO and we changed our name and incorporated as Abraham Harrison, LLC, in March of 2007.

What is one thing that you know now that you wish you had known when you first started in PR?
I wish I had known how closed-kimono the PR world was.  Mark and I assume that we can talk about all of our processes — our tactics, our best practices, and our strategies — and it won’t matter too much because there is such a big difference between knowing generally how to do what we do and actually having a trained and experienced team of over 40 online analysts, researchers, project managers, operatives, native in many different languages and cultures, as well as over three years of operations under their belts.  I mean, I can’t believe how black box so many PR and ad agencies are with their methods, their ROI, and their efficacy.

This sort of blogger outreach and social media engagement requires one heck of a lot of transparency and I fancy that most people online are a little leery of marketing, PR, and sales people anyway, so being perceived as less than trustworthy doesn’t help anyone.  And when it comes to clients, we’re interested in return business and long-term relationships, so the less black-box we are — the more the client knows about what we’re doing on his behalf, the better.  Especially when clients try to do it themselves and realize that blogger outreach and social media marketing can sort of feel like juggling while navigating a unicycle through a mine field.

What tech and PR blogs/publications can you not live without?
I read the AdAge blogs, but my big secret weapon is the Power150 lists of marketing, PR, SEO, and advertising blogs.  The gang at AdAge, which supports the list, offers an XML-based expert file that allows you to easily take the list of over 1,000 blogs on the list at any one time and import that OPML file into my newsreader.  I personally use Google Reader, and spend quite a lot of time using my RSS feeds inspire me when it comes to blogging or sorting out new innovations, new sales channels, and methods to increase and improve the sort of accountability and proof of ROI clients want more and more.  Actually, my team and I steal shamelessly from all the good stuff that the top 1000 marketing, PR, advertising, and SEO bloggers share with us for free.  (Check out http://adage.com/power150/ http://adage.com/power150/opml )

What’s the first thing you do when you get the office in the morning?  Or, how do you start your day off right?
No office.  None of us have an office.  We’re 100% virtual, and spread across 12 countries.  No commute unless you want to pedal over to the coffee shop. So, what I do when I get up in the morning? The first thing I do in the AM is make coffee and check my email.  We’re a global 24/7 shop and sometimes I am in NY or DC and sometimes I am in Berlin, but I check email, then I check servers (we have several dedicated servers) and then I check Twitter (@abrahamharrison and @chrisabraham) and Facebook (facebook.com/abrahamharrison and facebook.com/chrisabraham).  Then I check my Google Apps calendar for the day’s calls.  Then I try to read the papers (FT, NYTs, WSJ) and then peruse Google Reader and the folks I am following on Twitter.


Just for Fun

Home state: Hawaii

Favorite thing(s) to do when not at the office:
(What office?)  I am trying desperately trying to learn German so I study that and attend classes on Rosetta Stone and at the Goethe-Institut.  I love to ride my single speed Surly Steamroller.  I try to get down to the river as often as possible to scull but generally, when I don’t, try to go on a walk, a run, a jog, or haul all of my paper magazines to the gym, read them on the elliptical machine, and then leave them there to make them Not My Problem.  I love Netflix and movies and have been trying to watch as many German-language films as possible.  I blog for fun.  And love to read.

What’s the last book you read?
The last book I have read was The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest back in Berlin.  I picked up the first  book in the airport in Stockholm and the second two at the airport in London.  I gloated quite a lot that I got to read Hornet’s Nest way before everyone else in the US.

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In the Know with a PR Pro… Meet Tory Patrick

Friday, May 14th, 2010

tory-klaubo2Meet the Pro

Name:  Tory Patrick

Title:  Account Manager

Company:  Vantage Communications

Client Base Includes:  Hi-tech start-ups, green/cleantech


It’s Business Time

 

What advice would you give to people just starting out in the PR field?

Take the time to learn the basics.  Listen, take notes, ask questions.  The field of public relations is changing on a weekly, dare I say daily, basis.  The more you read and absorb and take notes and ask questions, the better you’ll be in the long run.

 

What are some common mistakes you made as a younger PR professional, and how do you suggest people avoid them?

Forgetting the “so what” factor.  In your eyes and the eyes of your client, yours is the “next big thing,” you may even say “the greatest thing since sliced bread.”  But to the rest of the world, why should we care?  That’s the hook, the angle that you as a public relations professional need to find and run with.

 

What suggestions do you have to make and maintain positive relationships in the work environment, with the media, or within the industry as a whole?

Network, network, network.  You never know where that next client is going to come from or where that editor that gets laid off from his current publication will end up.  The key is to really get to know these people and cultivate relationships with them.  Don’t just contact them when you need something – keep a running dialogue going with them and you will find it’s a two-way street.

 


Just For Fun

Home state:  Indiana

College:  DePauw University (with a “W”)

Favorite thing(s) to do when not at the office:  I’m enjoying home improvement projects (or should I say “supervising” my husband as he does home improvement projects).  Exploring my new neighborhood, spinning class, and learning to cook.

What’s the last book you read?  I just picked up Jodi Picoult’s ‘House Rules’ based on some recommendations, so I plan to tackle that this weekend.

What is your favorite city in the world and why?
Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland
If I could move to this little seaside town tomorrow, I would…

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Media 360: Words to the Wise From David Pogue, New York Times Technology Columnist

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

David Pogue, technology columnist for the New York Times, recently participated in a Ragan PR Daily Webinar where he offered tips, tricks, do’s, and don’ts to PR pros.

His beginning advice?  “Pitching a journalist is a lot like auditioning for Broadway.”

What does this mean?  Pogue, a former Broadway conductor,  recounted the plight of a short, stout woman with a beautiful voice, complaining about how she spent so much money on dancing, costumes and acting classes — but kept getting turned down.  She told Pogue she auditioned for “My One and Only.” Directors were looking for someone who looked like Twiggy.

The bottom line?  “In the end, you’re not going to get coverage unless you’re a match for what the outlet is looking for,” Pogue says.

But there are some things you can do to make your pitch stand out:

  • Tailor your pitch to the journalist
  • Make your pitch should be concise —
    “Make the whole thing a half screen,” Pogue says. “Make it human—not artificial.  Get to the point.  Tell me what you’ve got, the price and when it’s coming out.”
  • Don’t talk like aliens —
    Consider using English, Pogue says.  Skip over corporate jargon.  “It makes you look insecure,” he says.
  • Don’t paste a press release into the e-mail —
    At least include a salutation, Pogue advises

For more of David Pogue’s tips and tricks, click here (will redirect to Ragan’s PR Daily).

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In the Know with a PR Pro…Meet Eric Davies

Friday, November 6th, 2009

eric-daviesMeet the Pro:

Name: Eric Davies

Title: Principal

Company:  Davies Murphy Group, Inc.

Client Base Includes: IBM, Staples, Iron Mountain, Dimension Data, Ciena, TIBCO, Crossbeam Systems, and 22 others

Background:

With political science degree in hand, I immediately went into IT and software engineering.  Over time, because I was halfway decent at writing both English and C++, I wound up transitioning to the business side of things, and ultimately ran product management and marketing for three successful high tech companies.  At each of those companies, I was the client of PR agencies, and due largely to my frustration with those agencies, ultimately decided to build the agency I hoped to find when I was the client.

It’s Business Time

What is one thing that you know now that you wish you had known when you first started in PR?
You can’t please everyone all of the time.

As the playing field for PR continues to evolve, how do you advise PR professionals to build relationships and win ink?
Talk to the people who produce the content, understand their audiences, read what they write, know what makes them tick, and make it your mission to make them successful.

Do you think social media tools are helpful when working with the media?
They can be, but there’s no blanket rule.  Some reporters haven’t ever posted a blog entry and don’t know what Twitter is, but you still have to work with them.  Knowing who likes to be IM’d vs. who wants to hear from you by phone is important.

What specifically is your favorite/most effective method of outreach?
I like to start with e-mail and then pick up the phone if the reporter agrees there’s merit to having a conversation.

What tech and PR blogs/publications can you not live without?
Most of the PR industry outlets are very inwardly focused.  I like to read what my clients and their customers read - InformationWeek, CIO, eWeek, Computerworld, all the TechTarget sites, etc.

What’s the first thing you do when you get to the office in the morning?  Or, how do you start your day off right?
Fresh blueberry muffin from the 200 Wheeler cafeteria, and plough through the hundreds of e-mails that have come in overnight - hopefully before anyone else gets into the office.

Up Close and Personal:

Home state:
Maryland originally, Massachusetts now.

Favorite thing(s) to do when not at the office:
Play with the kids, make noise in my music studio, take pictures of things and warp them beyond recognition in Photoshop.

What’s the last book you read?
Honestly?  ”The True Meaning of Smekday” by Adam Rex (I read to my kids at bedtime).

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and why?
Either Patagonia or Alaska, because I’d like to see those parts of the world before they get any less pristine.

What song best describes you?
“Grumpy Old Man” by Teddy Goldstein

What is your favorite thing you have decorated your desk with at work?
Pictures of monsters drawn by my nine-year-old son and five-year-old daughter.

If you were banished to a deserted island, what is one thing you’d take with you?
Assuming obvious answers like my family or a boat are precluded, I’d have to say it’d be my iPhone.  It’s a guitar, a jukebox, a library of books, a camera, and a photo album all rolled into one.  Plus, I’m hopelessly addicted to the game “reMovem.”

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In the Know with a PR Pro… Meet Donna Michaels

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

donna_michaelsName: Donna Michaels
Title: President and founder
Company: Loughlin/Michaels Group

Client Base Includes: FireEye, 3Leaf Systems, Concentric Networks, Ankeena, FWE&E, and others

Background
My PR career started at 3Com Corporation during the networking boom of the late 80’s.  Prior to that I was a technical book editor and did journalism internships with Reuters and San Francisco Chronicle.


It’s Business Time
How long have you been in public relations?
More than 20 years but not counting.  I’m having a blast with the constant change of technology and media tools.

As the playing field for PR is evolving (social media, online publications, etc.), how do you advise PR professionals to build relationships and win ink?
Nothing replaces a good old fashion phone conversation, but I use email, Facebook, and IM daily.

What tech and PR blogs/publications can you not live without?
Bulldog Reporter, Mashable, TechCrunch, GigaOm, Sramana Mitra’s Blog, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, The New Yorker, and Forbes.

Everyone has pet peeves - what is your biggest professional pet peeve?
Manners go a long way.


Up Close and Personal
Home State:
California — Heart of the Silicon Valley which used to be called the Land of Hearts Delight!

Favorite thing(s) to do when not at the office:
Outings with my husband, kids, and dog.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and why?
I’ve traveled extensively but a perfect travel day would be breakfast in Manhattan, tea in London, and dinner in Venice.

If you could have any one super power, what would it be and why?
The ability to speak every language in the world.

What song best describes you?
I Did it My Way

What is your favorite thing you have decorated your desk with at work?
My desk looks a bit like an I Spy book — Tiki God of Money, Tiffany box, four leaf clover, photos of my husband and kids, and an international clock.

If you were banished to a deserted island, what is one thing you’d take with you?
My husband.  He can fix and create anything!

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Media 360 - Get the Skinny on Sarah Cooke, Editor in Chief of Credit Union Times

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009


Q:  What types of articles/sources do you look for on a regular basis?sarahcooke

A:  After nearly 20 years in the business, Credit Union Times’ primary focus remains getting our readers accurate and timely news that is of interest to them and doing it quickly. To drum up story ideas, we talk to our credit union and related sources asking whether data we’ve studied could indicate a new trend or just shooting the breeze about industry observations for an impromptu brainstorming session.

As with any business, news is about relationships. Good PR is calling up the target publication for introduction and finding out not only who can help you get your news out, but also how you can help them. It’s about developing a relationship with the reporter who covers the specific news beat, if possible, before the first press release arrives.

Being proactive with PR, without becoming a nuisance, helps both sides do our jobs better. This includes asking when deadlines are and respecting them (like not waiting until the last second to respond if possible), and responding quickly. In a 24-hour-news-cycle world, the media is under a lot of pressure to get a thorough and balanced news story out before the competition.

Q:  What is the best way to contribute to your publication?

A:  Credit Union Times is always looking for original story ideas or new areas of business that credit unions are exploring, such as mobile banking or more secure credit cards. Another way to assist the media is to offer up exclusive stories. Nothing fires us up more than the promise of a good story that will not be appearing anywhere else. Keep in mind, the benefit to the source is that exclusives often get better positioning.

Providing opinion pieces is another positive way to contribute, but it must be done right. Op-eds should provide knowledge to the reader from an expert in the field, such as the return on investment for a certain type of technology. Nothing irritates me more than receiving an opinion piece that is simply marketing for a particular product.

Q:  When pitching to your publications, what should PR people keep in mind?

A:  Know the value of your news, which means understanding the audience. Credit Union Times, or other b2bs, would place different emphasis and weight on a new credit union branch being built than your local gazette. The gazette will want to know how people can join and what services the CU will offer. As a b2b, we’re more interested in the technologies incorporated into the branch and how it was designed to control lobby traffic flow.

Understanding your audience, also means that Credit Union Times would not be interested in a story that does not involve, at the very least indirectly, credit unions.

Be prepared to back up the claims you make when pitching a story. For example, if the pitch is a credit union’s amazing auto loan growth with ridiculously low delinquencies, be ready to quantify your claims with dollars and ratios. Readers want to know how and why and can I duplicate this at my credit union or business, and an editor doesn’t want to waste a reporter’s time chasing down something that isn’t supportable.

Q:  What is your favorite part of being an editor?

A:  I love writing and helping others’ writing to become clearer. Sometimes it’s like a puzzle determining whether a reporter gave proper weight to a piece of the story or if the focus is off.

But the job is a lot more than that too. One of the things I’ve really enjoyed learning about over my nearly two years as editor is the strategy behind online presence, audience marketing, and other related matters. As the D.C. reporter for seven years prior, I was very focused on drilling down into my news beat, which I loved, but I am finding I enjoy the 20,000-foot view as well.

Q:  What is the best/worst pitch you’ve ever received?

A:  The best pitches are those that are specific in the angle of the news yet have a broader application. For example, a tech company may pitch a story on the trend toward wider acceptance of remote deposit capture, which is when a financial institution will allow check deposits via scan. The idea can branch beyond the technology involved to how many institutions are offering RDC, to data on how many businesses and consumers are using, to the efficiencies and cost savings gained by the financial institution and the depositors. And in a down economy, who’s not looking to save a buck or two?

Again, if you’re pitching an exclusive with your company’s new CEO, particularly if that person might be considered controversial, that’s a big plus. This is the type of feature that could warrant a front-page headline, and if you’re targeting the industry-leading news source, it would be worth giving up pitching it to other media.

Worst pitches-where to begin! Fishing expeditions are not effective from anyone’s perspective. I’m talking about when a PR person we’ve never heard from before calls up and says, ‘I see your editorial calendar has technology as a focus six months from now. Can we help?’ This is journalism’s equivalent to telemarketing. As I said before, have a specific pitch in mind. And, again, know your target.  Credit Union Times is a weekly publication with constant updates on cutimes.com, so we don’t work six months in advance.

One of the biggest problems I see with a lot of PR begins with the press release. No. 1, there is an overreliance on them, which is really bad because, No. 2, the majority is poorly written. They frequently bury the news several paragraphs into the press release rather than leading with it; just like a news story, write in inverted pyramid so you get the most important information to your readers before you lose them. No. 3, press releases are often delivered well after an event actually occurred.

And please don’t call a couple days or a week later just to ask if a press release was received. I don’t remember how I got to work this morning, so I’m not likely to remember one press release I received two days ago after sifting through 700 other ones.

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In the Know with a PR Pro… Meet Sophie Ann Terrisse

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

sophie1Name: Sophie Ann Terrisse
Title: Founder and CEO
Company: STC Associates, Inc.
Client Base Includes: Tata Communications, Switch and Data, Donlin Recano, Gordian Group, Castle Brands, Bang & Olufsen, and Singapore’s National Environment Agency.  In the past 17 years we have worked with a number global Technology, Telecom, Consumer, Luxury, and Financial client base

Background
Where to begin! Following my jump across the pond, obtaining my law degree, and waitressing, I started STC Associates as a 24-year old “ESL Entrepreneur in a closet” funded completely by $500 in tips.  That is really where STC began … and at the time it was just STC Marketing, a one woman show.

In 1995 we moved on up to the west side, obtaining a work and living space in my loft. There were five of us at the time, working round the clock and building the brands of some of the biggest names in the market today, such a Global Crossing and KDDI America.

Making the move to 5th Avenue over a decade ago, we grew STC into the global company you see and know of today.  First to London and Paris -  then after the millennium we made our way East to Singapore and Mumbai.  Working with clients based in global offices, satellite offices, and all corners of the world, I, ST … and the Associates spend a great deal of time in the air and on their blackberries, building and making THE brands, AND moving with the world!

It’s Business Time
What is one thing that you know now that you wish you had known when you first started in PR?
It’s not about “me.”  Learn that nobody cares.  It’s always about the clients, the results, the associates, and the next steps.  Don’t try to be right -  just deliver and make it right.  Take pride in the “team” (clients and associates) and their achievements - no matter if and how you played or not in the outcome.

As the playing field for PR is evolving, how do you advise PR professionals to build relationships and win ink?
In the past few months, STC Associates has found that all forms of PR - traditional and new media - are benefiting our company and our clients.  I would advise PR pros to integrate and soak in everything they can about social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), interact, converse, and BUILD YOUR BRAND!  However, remember not to count out tradition outlets as the go-to source for ink.

What tech and PR blogs/publications can you not live without?
Traveling the world, not always having online access, I still consider myself a newspaper and magazine junky.  Before I board a plane I must hit the newsstand and collect Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Economist.  When on the ground with blackberry in hand, I live for Seth Godin’s blog, whatever Sarah Evans has Tweeted, and of course check out what my global team at STC is posting about on our blog.

What is your biggest professional pet peeve?
Poor communication skills!  When you work for a communications company there is no excuse for not getting up and interacting with other employees.  Step away from the AIM, Skype, and e-mail and have a conversation with your colleagues!

What’s the first thing you do when you get to the office – how do you start your day off right?
Listen.  There is something powerful in letting the office vibe fill you in before you make your first business move – it tells you how to deal with what is coming!

Up Close and Personal
Home state: Home state … not for me it’s the home country - FRANCE!

Favorite thing(s) to do when not at the office: Let my son bossing me around…gently.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Someone I would respect.

What is your favorite at-work desk decoration?
My six year-old is in charge of the decorum, although I often rub my Buddha’s belly so the force remains with us.  You can also find knick knacks from around the globe from whenever I or a team member vacation, travel for work, or visit family.

If you were banished to a deserted island, what is the one thing you’d take with you?
A mobile phone so I can tell those I love it is time to join me for quiet time… finally!

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Lauren and Whitney’s PR 411 – Lessons Learned from The Bloggess (No really…)

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

In our daily PR blog surfing, we came across an article from The Bloggess (who, in her opinion, is like Mother Teresa, only better)…

Basically, The Bloggess received a pitch from an unnamed PR practitioner, trying to get coverage on and sell a new, magical, makes your pores tiny and your skin glisten like Snow White, shield cream on her blog (note:  maybe try to sell us at The Decoder, we will gladly try your cream - assuming, of course, that The Bloggess’s comments aren’t true ;) ).  He even included a link to a video showing how it shields from rock-dissolving acid!

The Bloggess, known to subtly mess with PR and marketing people, responds that she would love to try this magical shield cream to protect her eyes from rocks in her industrial lawn mowing job…

(Please note… this is a true story…)

Instead of the PR person realizing his mistake (that he didn’t actually read her blog to determine if his magical shield cream was relevant), he responds with this - and this is a direct quote….

“You should keep goggles (just to protect your eyes from rocks), but you can use the lotion prior to wearing goggles to prevent allergic reaction to latex. I will have two bottles sent - one with and one without SPF15, hope to get a collective review from the whole lawn maintenance team!”

Really?!?!

We can all learn from this  mistake.  Let’s bring it back to the basics, fellow PR pros.  Before you send a pitch, stop.  Take a deep breath.  Ask yourself:  Is this pitch/source/product/information relevant to their respective publication/blog/media outlet?

Okay, and before you begin to pull the “But I’m so busy and I have five million other publications to pitch this to, why don’t I just get it over with” excuse (we are too quick for you), remember that reading the blogs and publications are going to actually help you in the long run.

By putting in that extra time up-front, you will not only be able to understand the readership and publication’s focus (thus inevitably getting you more coverage), but you will also waste less time pitching to publications that wouldn’t ever, in a million years, cover it.

So take this pitch disaster from the Bloggess as a lesson learned.  Do your homework.  It’s that simple.  Start reading and understanding the publication.  Tweak your press list so it’s focused.  Tailor your pitch to the readers.  Make the point, “This is relevant to your publication and your readers because…”  Then press send.

And if you are ever pitching magical shield lotion, please feel free to send us samples at The Decoder.  Just please include a fair warning if your product does not protect against flying rocks… (But really - we love free samples)

Lastly, to satisfy your curiosity, click here to read The Bloggess’s full posting.

Each month, we put our two cents in about the stuff that’s just a little controversial, discussing everything from the latest news on the Twitter feed down to innovative and “out-of-the-box” PR strategies. Doing something interesting at your agency? Share it with us. Time to put your thinking caps on folks.

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