INK PUBLIC RELATIONS

In public relations and as a company spokesperson, there are few things more disappointing than having a fantastic interview with a key reporter and then having the story come out without any mention of the source or company. This can happen to the most impressive experts, and sometimes they are in fact the most susceptible because they take it on themselves to educate the reporter. We take great time and pride in counseling our clients on how to provide more than background information for a story and, while nothing is ever guaranteed, how to increase their chances of being quoted and mentioned prominently in every story.

This is no grand conspiracy on the media.  This is about delivering what reporters need to do their jobs well.  We must offer up not just information, but interesting, colorful, attention-grabbing and sometimes controversial stories, examples, opinions and comments for their articles.  Every great storyteller does this instinctively.  Many people understand this for personal interactions, but then tone down the personality and enthusiasm in a business setting, especially an uncomfortable media interview.  In order to combat this natural tendency and increase our clients’ chances of being quoted and referenced, we recommend planning ahead on not just what you’re going to say, but how you’re going to say it.

A few tactics we have found to work include using bold action words and absolutes to pump up your statements.  It seems obvious, but it’s something you have to plan for in how you describe your product or service.  Think of more descriptive and unexpected ways of making your point.  Using personal anecdotes and references can bring a product demonstration or nugget of information to life.  Did you use the device to solve a problem in your life?  Did your four-year-old daughter recently try it out?  Did you hear about that while having lunch at the local burger joint in town?  Also, as corny as it may seem, clichés can work to quickly convey or stress a message.  And of course, the holy grail of interviewing is finding the perfect analogy.  It has to be simple or forget it.

So while great background information will make someone an invaluable resource to journalists, it’s the colorful statements that enhance a story and that the journalists can’t make up (or find through research) themselves that find their way into quotes.  By preparing that level of message in advance, you’ll be more than just a good interview, you’ll be someone they know to go to for great quotes – just make sure that quote is in YOUR best interest too!

In my role as Director of Broadcast Services, I have learned a few things about working with broadcast journalists and thought I would share with you, my loyal reader. These tips will be passed along in a series known as “Quirks of Working with the Broadcast Beast. ”

Quirk #1: “Well…That’s One Way to Look at It?”

I recently worked with one of the most visible consumer tech reporters in broadcast television. He covered the product of one of my clients, the BlueAnt Q1 Bluetooth headset. With all kinds of bells and whistles such as noise cancellation and multipoint technology, the Q1 is the kind of device that has gadget freaks fawning. And it does something else really cool. Something no other luxury headset from any other manufacturer does….it talks. The Q1 has a voice user interface so that you can talk to it and it answers back. With all that going on, I could not wait to see the take this superstar tech reporter would have on the device.

I settled in with anticipation to watch when the segment aired. I knew it would be a summer tech gadget feature and I could just see all the fun angles that could be taken with a souped up, talking Bluetooth headset. “Keep your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel during your road trip”, “noise cancellation technology blocks out the background noise when you need to take a call at a summer music festival”, “multipoint lets you share the Q1 with your summer fling….awwww.” So, imagine my surprise that the Q1’s redeeming virtue according to the reporter was that the rubber ear buds kept the headset firmly in when your ears got sweaty. Say WHHAAAA????!!!! Indeedy deed…that is how the Q1 was positioned…as the best headset for all you sweaty eared users out there. I mean, true the Q1 has optimized design features, but extolling its rubber ear buds would be like saying Manolo Blahnik heels are great because you can use the heel to separate your toes when you want to do a home pedicure.

At the end of the day, the client and I were not disappointed for a second. The fact that we were covered at all by this reporter was wonderful, and after all, it was an extremely positive piece. However, I was still a bit surprised. Given that I was working with a seasoned pro and had done all of the due diligence of educating this reporter on the product, discussed possible angles to take and so on, it was clear that what I had on my hands was an opportunity to learn something, thus quirk #1 of working with the broadcast beast:

Expect broadcast producers to be more liberal with the edit scissors than their counterparts in the world of print. We are talking about a vastly shorter time frame to pack in information compared to what you can do in a print article. Also, when information is delivered through a broadcast medium, a much smaller amount can reasonably be retained. Show and tell them and then “poof” that’s it. When it comes to TV, content has to be tailored to minimize the “in one ear and out the other” risk. And of course, you don’t want to overwhelm the viewer with too much information. When your audience is reading something, they expect more detail and can reference back to the information since it’s right there in front of them. So, what I am saying is…don’t be completely surprised if the finished piece of a broadcast story looks a lot different than how you pitched it for reasons named above.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing and it’s a great thing to keep in mind. Doing so let’s you set appropriate expectations and provide more insightful counsel to clients. You can also use this knowledge to your advantage when pitching broadcast reporters. Break it down for them how all that corporate messaging and technical jargon can be condensed and repackaged in a visually compelling way. And of course, as any seasoned PR pro knows, we can tell our client’s story till the cows come home, but at some point you have to turn that baby over to the reporter who was the ultimate say. So as a cheesy Hallmark card from the ’80′s would say, “If you love something, set it free; if it truly loves you it will come back to you.” Just don’t be surprised if what comes back is a bird of a bit of an unexpected feather.

In the last couple of days, I’ve heard a few examples of “PR” that have just left me here with my mouth hanging open:

- “PR specialists” sending scripts to bloggers saying “Please post about my client – oh and here’s a script for you to use to make it easier on you.”

- “PR specialists” direct messaging reporters via Twitter and INSISTING that they tweet about their client, even going so far as to say “I retweeted your story, now you tweet mine.”

- “PR specialists” STILL sending mass emails to large groups of reporters in the bcc line (STILL? COME ON PEOPLE!).

There is nothing special about these specialists. None of them work here, nor will they ever. Perhaps I’m naive, but I honestly cannot believe these kinds of things take place. I used to say that PR isn’t brain surgery, but perhaps I was selling myself – and my team – short. We believe in the personal touch, in knowing what reporters write and are interested in, in pitching only those which make sense, and in respecting what they do – and in kind, ensuring they respect what we do. It’s really just the golden rule – would I want to receive a demand to do something for someone, especially someone I didn’t even know? Um, excuse my French, but HELL NO.

I’m a huge Food Network fan these days – ironic, since I don’t cook a lick. Hubby thinks it means I’m going to bust out with a gourmet meal any day now, but it really just means I find these people fascinating. Take for instance Duff Goldman, chef and owner of Charm City Cakes – and star of Ace of Cakes. Last night I caught his Chefography – fascinating stuff. Duff has found his calling in life and he didn’t do it by waking up and thinking “I want to decorate cakes when I grow up!” Instead, he cultivated the things in life that he loved to do – art in high school, cooking thereafter – worked hard, took internships and lower paying jobs to make sure he could spend his time doing what he loved, and then one day he made a cake for a friend’s wedding. And someone said, “Dude, you should really make cakes for a living.” And he thought, “Yep, I should!” and an entrepreneur, star and all-around happy guy in his chosen profession was born.

To me, doing what you love everyday is the key to happiness. Because man, if you’re spending 40 hours a week doing something you hate, you’re a miserable human being and who wants to be (or be around) that? And what I learned from Duff is that it’s a journey, not a destination, to find that thing. So get on it.

We believe in empowering each other, our clients and our community.
We believe in long-standing relationships.
We believe in quality over quantity, simple and direct messaging, and a balance of strategy, creativity and common sense.
We believe in loving our jobs, which can only come from work/life balance.
We believe in keeping an open mind and finding new ways to do things.
We believe in hard work and smart work.
We believe in giving more than you get.
We believe in Austin, dogs, babies, color, laughter, beer, Bluetooth, running, wine, sushi, queso, sustainability, gelato and pushing ourselves to be the best.

Link to the article