It is a classic dilemma – your client thinks they have a brilliant story idea, and accordingly, you apply the process of developing that angle (frequently self aggrandizing) only to learn that the news cares little about it.
The client is pissed, and you wonder what went wrong.
This happens in our business more often than we’d care to recall, but it is precisely this lesson that calls attention to, what should be, the role of a public relations professional.
1). Be in touch with the news cycle. Unless this is a stand alone product/service/mascara, every story must have some timely connection with the news cycle. This means that prior to applying long hours of development to your clients whims, you need to address how those can possibly fit in with the news’ agenda. It’s critical.
2). Pushing back on your client is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s your job, at times. They need to understand that selling widgets is incredibly interesting to them, and probably the people who buy their product, but self promotion (no matter how clever) is a difficult thing to describe, while any scent of it is odious to journalists.
3). Go the extra mile in addressing editors. This primarily means finding the right one. Do the research, read their columns, and by all means, make sure your pitch fits in with what they’re interested in. Be creative in adapting your story, and then, once you have their interest, the gift lies in reintroducing those client messages you originally intended to promote.
As PR professionals, it is our unique duty to broker content between our clients and the media. And yes, it is difficult to please both, but the more you can act as an advocate for the editorial community, the more press you will get. And the more press you get, the more you can push back on your client. It’s a nice feeling, actually.
Thinking Your Story Actually Matters
November 9th, 2009Surviving Your 15 Minutes: How to thrive in the media spotlight
October 26th, 2009It’s estimated that about 1 in 4 Americans has been on television in one form or another. With cable channels multiplying rapidly, reality television’s clear programming dominance, and average households clocking more than 5 hours of television per day, it’s never been easier to get yourself on television.
But are you sure that’s a very good idea?
I like to remind our clients – “You’re used to seeing professionals on TV who look effortless and natural. Only when an amateur gets in front of the camera do you get an idea of how tough it is to be good television.”
Still, we all want to share ourselves with the world. And whether this means being interviewed by a local news station, appearing as a contestant on a game show, or hot-tubbing in the next season of “The Real World”, there are a number of simple ways to make the most of your 15 minutes of fame.
A few selected on-air no-no’s, and what you should be doing instead:
DON’T wear white – “On TV you’re always seen before you’re heard”. Even before they hear anything about you the viewers at home are swiftly deciding if you’re worth listening to, and your appearance has everything to do with it. This means no white shirts (they wash you out), no crazy patterns (they draw attention away from your face), and for god’s sake comb your hair.
DON’T be a deer in headlights – If you really pay attention to people on television, they very rarely look at the camera. While a host will address the audience directly by speaking to a camera, all of the guests speak to the host. Of course having a camera shoved in your face instantly creates an intense desire to look at it, but you must resist that urge at the risk of looking stranded and panicked. Unless specifically instructed to do to (like on a webconference style CNBC show), just talk to the host and you’ll be fine.
DON’T go in cold – Why do you think every media savvy person, when ambushed with an on camera interview, says “no comment”? Once a sound byte gets recorded, it’s eternity. Thus, it behooves you to know what you’d like to say. Perfectly rehearsed monologues aren’t necessary (and frankly look stale and boring), but do plan out bullet points of things you’d like to talk about. Stammering into awkward pauses is the easiest way to get the producers to call in the proverbial canes to yank you off screen.
DON’T forget to act – If you’ve got on a nice basic colored shirt and your hair is kempt, the next chance you have to turn off an audience is with your physical demeanor. Viewers like to watch people who look active, interesting, and engaged. Sure, you’re nervous, but lean forward, nod, even smile a little. No need for melodrama, but a happy expressive face is one we all like tuning in to.
DON’T throw up on Fox News – One of my clients was about to be interviewed on a national morning show, whose nerves got the better of him and whose stomach betrayed him just moments before he went live. I should have been serving the guy wheat grass and OJ, not lighting his cigarette and ordering more lattes. Not to worry, the interview was a success in spite of gastric pyrotechnics, but wouldn’t you rather skip the drama? Take care of yourself before an interview, starting with a good night’s sleep and staying fresh with plenty of water and a reasonably fortifying breakfast.
You’ve got a pretty solid shot of landing in front of a television camera (and if that isn’t good enough for you, try surfing casting websites or combing a media sourcing service like HARO). Keeping just these few tips in mind, you should be well prepared to make the most of your moment in the spotlight.
Of course it helps to actually know what you’re talking about, too.
DON’T Order Vile Hooch:
October 6th, 2009The following is an excerpt from “DON’T: The Essential Guide to Publicity in New York City (and any other city that matters)”.
The following drinks are trashy. Some more than others, all more than enough. Here are the top 5 mistakes, and the caption broadcast with your order:
White zin: Drink up! I have to catch a train back to the Island in time for American Idol.
Amaretto Sours: To all my sisterrrrrrrrrs! OhmigodIwill never. Forget you guys. Whenwegraduate.
Jack – or anything else – and Coke: See above, minus four years.
7 and 7: Third rate scotch alone doesn’t cut it for me. Only fizzy sugar water brings it up to my level.
Rail drinks WITH JUICE (Yes, even gin and juice and vodka cranberry): Bling-bling, muthaf*cka! Yo, light anotha – N – let’s holla at the DJ. (Subtitle: “I may be a pasty dude with a Yankees cap and clipper burns on the neck, but I’m still down.”)
These drinks betray a tawdry history. They are sweet, they are cloying. They are meant for palates raised on Pringles and Pepsi. They also indicate that, having staggered all the way from the trunk of Dad’s car on prom night to your best friend’s frat porch after commencement, your sense of taste has crumpled in a heap. (A prime example of what not to do.)
Succinctly: forget the junk mixology. Order like a grown up.
The famous maxim, ‘God is in the details’, actually derives from a German saying, which sites the Devil instead. Either way, it’s certainly true of drinks. Seeming trifles, yet loaded with subtext, some cocktails are best avoided.
To begin with, anything sugary, mixed with Coke, Seven - Up, milk, curacao, or grenadine, equipped with an umbrella, served in a parfait glass or, outside of a Manhattan or a Negroni, garnished with a cherry. These rules also apply to martinis, which are ordered in their classic form or not at all.
With their inelegant connotations, cloying details are more to prom night than posh and served to greenhorns rather than the graceful drinker. Forget the swanky mixology. Order like a grown up.
Champagne is appropriate for holidays, celebrations, and women, as an evening cocktail. New York imports excellent wines from every corner of the world and good advice can be gleaned from the shopkeepers devoted to sourcing them. Brush up with a classic like The Wine Bible. In any case, choose well when handed the restaurant wine list or en route to a dinner party.
Quality spirits are generally served neat. Though there is some wiggle room in that, while no one knowledgeable would put ice in a 25 - year - old scotch, you wont offend good taste in ordering a premium vodka on the rocks.
Tip well. Always remove the stir stick or straw. Wine glasses are held by the stem, not the bowl; and all drinks in the left hand, so your right is warm, dry and free to shake hands.
For more information or to purchase “DON’T” visit dontnewyorkcity.com.
Is any press, good press?
September 17th, 2009Recently, The New Yorker wrote a feature piece in Talk of the Town for our book entitled DON’T: The Essential Guide to Publicity in New York City (and any other city that matters). The review might be characterized as “adventurous” – running a fine line between enthusiasm for the content and censure for it being self-published.
So, is this sharp article in The New Yorker still good? Decidedly. Is bad press still good for company profiling? Decidedly, NOT.
Besides celebrity gossip and juicy tabloid crap (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6835364.ece), which is the exception to this rule, bad media coverage works badly for companies, regardless of the exposure. Negative press travels 20X faster than good news, and as such, has the ability to damage carefully developed reputations 20X faster.
There are those who would say that it is simply the exposure and recognition, regardless of the quality, that can ultimately be measured. (This opinion seems to prevail from those that are still licking wounds from an editorial spanking.) Certainly crisis management comes into play to mitigate those disasters, but in the end, bad press is bad. It can swiftly destroy the solid media foundation you aspire to achieve.
I mention this as a caution to publicists who embark upon a campaign without considering negative press as a possibility, and as such, fail to plan.
By all means, think about the great press you anticipate getting, but also consider any chinks in your story’s armor (such as failure to prove, or potential for insult). Doing so may protect you from a windfall of negative press. Which is, however you look at it, bad. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/09/04/att-has-a-human-working-for-it-and-his-name-is-seth/
An Excerpt from the Book Don’t
September 10th, 2009CULTURAL LITERACY:
Powerbrokers, influencers, and icons – their occasional populist affectations notwithstanding – are found in greatest number among the cultured elite. If you can’t tell a Viogner from a Cabernet, Don Imus may appreciate your support, but don’t expect even him to tarry in your booth at Sardi’s. More importantly than these people’s attention you will need is their respectful attention. You’ll get that most reliably by speaking their actual language – not just the one with which they amuse their public.
The one fact I’ve hoped most to demonstrate to you throughout this book is that, as a publicist dealing with the cognoscenti of our aesthetic, social and political life, you will find sophistication in matters of comportment, taste and intellect not optional to your work, but essential. More than a few of your editors, producers and writers hold their task on par with that of the serious artists, authors and thinkers of their age; cultural mastery is nothing less than these people’s professional raison d’être.
Knowing this, and simply knowing New York City, you must work to attain a cultural vocabulary. Cultural literacy does not consist in memorizing some hallowed list of names, events, works, and movements. Rather, it is something you can only truly understand by pursuing it as a lifestyle.
New York City is, by far, the best place in the world to study human anthropology. No comparison – people, places, art, theatre, dining, writing, dancing…even parambulating. Culturally speaking, New York City is a consummate garden, quite simply the best place to cultivate the senses in harmony with the mind. It should then be no surprise that this is the city where cultural awareness also counts most. When you first move here it can be daunting to assimilate to any circle, much less a highly cultured one; nonetheless, earning acceptance to the latter will prove forever valuable.
A dear friend of mine, Aaron Alden (owner of the renowned Robot Repair), gave me so much sanctuary when I first moved here. He said, without reservation, that it takes 3 yrs to settle into New York City’s rhythm. And after 10 years, I still feel like there is impressive room to grow in new cultural directions.
ABT’s new prima ballerina, what’s opening at the Met, the Central Park Conservancy’s upcoming season: you may not be ready to assert yourself in these conversations, but take the opportunity to listen. Seriously. Later, investigate. To acquire cultural terminology, concepts, and eventually opinions takes less brilliance than time. As well as a little devotion. Breadth is thin without detail, while depth is tedious without variety. Seek both with ardor.
Edification may not instantly gratify, of course. My older brother use to hammer me with the order to “accept the burden of thought”. Truly, words to live by. To refine your interests and investigate unfamiliar subjects requires persistence over time. So when Weekend At Bernie’s II is singing the Siren’s song, while The Forsythe Saga gathers dust on the nightstand, remind yourself of the opportunities you can create only through continued growth.
Listening, actually.
August 31st, 2009People rarely “listen.” It’s that elusive quality to which women are more prone to developing, and to which men generally don’t understand. Period.
Both professionally and personally, the benefits of listening (actually) are inestimable. But just as it takes discipline to think about your life, it also takes discipline to remove the blinders that keep you from missing valuable stuff. Listening is not a passive activity.
When I was a much more junior executive, I was preoccupied with being heard during group meetings. This usually meant cataloging (what I thought were) my important points beforehand and then looking for opportunities to be noticed. What I had hoped to portray and what were ultimately communicated were two entirely different things. First of all, the decision makers at the table saw that I was decidedly not one, while other juniors saw me as ambitious (not the good type).
It wasn’t until years later that a mentor taught me the value of listening. The advice was intended to mitigate some of the nervousness and insecurity I felt when pitching to clients or reporters, but it opened the door to an entirely new world about interpersonal communication. Besides the marked improvement in listening to what journalists were actually looking for, I discovered an overall betterment of my professional pursuits. Taking the time to develop this skill brought me closer to my work, knowing my employees, and putting my practice on a sharper trajectory upwards.
And yes, my wife likes me more as well.
I think we are witnessing the overall decay of professionalism, especially in the listening category. Shedding the egotistical shell which enables better listening is never an easy task, but believe me, the suggestion is worth it’s weight.
Paying For Journalism – The Price of News
August 18th, 2009So many of us have got all too comfortable with the idea of “free” news. These are our online sources which we continually rely on for meaningful daily doses, but seldom count their costs. As print outlets have been dropping off in record numbers, the idea of a paper’s usefulness is called into question. Websites are eager to generate unique users and happily share their hard-earned journalists with the public, for free.
It’s a fairly naive belief to think that this will last forever, or that it should. Financial Times (acting in accordance with its reputation) is leading the way; charging readers for content and not offering an apology. Bravo. Journalism worth reading is also worth paying for, regardless of what advertisers contribute to the running of a business.
Let’s admit it, we are an entitled public. Relative to other countries, American companies respond with more alacrity to changing consumer demands. Sometimes they do this at their own peril, unable to keep up our bulging appetites. Point being: we should happily pay for good journalism and reporting, just as we pay for other mainstays. Journalism (as the fourth estate), is thankfully not underwritten by our taxes, nor should it ever be. Advertising dollars are fantastic when you can come by them in a troubled economy, but really, the news isn’t owed to us.
DON’T be a Pretentious Twit
August 17th, 2009The following is an excerpt from “DON’T: The Essential Guide to Publicity in New York City (and any other city that matters).”
Are there varying levels of character, sophistication and accomplishment between people? Certainly. But no one is beneath surmounting a rudimentary milieu and no one is above regarding others with respect. It is unseemly to look down on anyone. A supercilious attitude says more about you than the subject of your contempt and has no place in the realm of ‘good’ manners.
This may be applied to any, and all, whom you come in contact with in the daily course of doing business—interns, doormen, barmaids, the courier guy, waiters, office cleaning ladies, or your receptionist.
As a rule, you should not view bar staff as convenient, if ‘common,’ sexual supplicants waiting to be picked off like skeet. Unless you wish to come off as a boor, you do not refer to female bartenders as “bar wenches,” other human beings as “the help,” view taxi drivers as miscreants, or deem staff of any stripe as inherently ‘beneath’ you.
Pandering to some presupposed caste system is distasteful and what it signifies about your perspective, unattractive. These people may be otherwise toiling at any of the personally, if not financially, rewarding vocations (artist, writer, actress, take your pick) that draw creative people to Manhattan and make it such a fascinating city in which to live. Or they just may be decent citizens making a living.
Displaying disdain, even just amongst your colleagues, marks you as a pretentious ass to those who know better while aligning you with the sniggering yobs who do not.
For more information or to purchase “DON’T” visit dontnewyorkcity.com.
DON’T Confuse Publicity with Marketing
August 10th, 2009The following is an excerpt from “DON’T: The Essential Guide to Publicity in New York City (and any other city that matters).”
Good news! Your client comes referred by an ad agency with a complete marketing plan that comprises a slick press kit, a series of broadcast spots in the can and a sweeping print strategy. All you have to do is start calling newspapers, get a few TV interviews and maybe whip up a couple of cool events. Your job couldn’t get any easier, right?
Not necessarily.
People who think they understand the value of publicity may treat it as merely another appendage of advertising or marketing. In fact, the two are completely distinct; even with an already-existing marketing or advertising strategy, publicity requires a separate, yet parallel, strategy altogether.
So your client has a renowned agency with a brilliant campaign already in place. So their sales have jumped X-percent since their series of media spots started running in target markets. How does this help you? Well, maybe it gives you a bubblier client to work with, but beyond that, not much. Appearing in an ad means simply that you have enough money to gain access to a certain club (Vogue, Forbes, etc.) to court customers.
Successful publicity, by contrast, means that the club has chosen you. This perceived third-party endorsement makes all the difference. It’s earned media. It’s nine out of ten “dentists” recommending your client’s product in an ad versus one beloved national TV host hanging on your client’s every word between the ads.
As different as the effects of these two approaches are, so too are the strategies that make each successful. To be eye-catching, even outrageous, to convey an emotion or capture a mood is often all an ad needs to succeed in energizing the consumer to rise, go forth and buy stuff. A media placement, on the other hand, must provide information of such intrinsic value that the consumer not only a) becomes aware of the brand but b) personally identifies with it and c) accepts it as quintessential.
It is media based on educated persuasion, not dollars.
For more information or to purchase “DON’T” visit dontnewyorkcity.com.
Asking for Help
August 5th, 2009All too often, young and tenured professionals alike make the mistake of NOT asking for help. Whether it’s the insecurity of not being current or understanding new material – not requesting help is a galactic rookie flaw.
The point of being successful in your job should be, well, self evident. I’ve seen too many marketing and PR “experts” wave their right to critical insights simply because that, in their elevated position, there’s a feeling they shouldn’t have to. That it’s better to position yourself as “in the know,” and wing it. (People like this frequently end up in swank executive roles, only to have the rug swept from underneath them when faced with real challenges.)
Young professionals simply need to grow. Recently, I gave a young project manager at our office a significant task – slightly outside of her usual bailiwick. It was so refreshing to have her first digest the information, and then come back to me with a number of question on how to manage goals, expectations, and some direction on how to accomplish our objectives. My reaction wasn’t critical on her level of experience, but rather, praise for her honesty and willingness to do the job well.
In my experience of dealing with Fortune 100 execs and thoroughly talented business thinkers, it is clear to me why these individuals accomplish substantial goals. They have a genuine interest in the advancement of their pursuits and understand, amongst many other things, that asking for help is simply a means of achieving their ends. On the other hand, executives that feel “posturing” is more important than substance will (eventually) find their place among applicants and middle management.
