portland ten guerilla public relations: tips for free & effective public relations & social...
Post on 21-Oct-2014
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Startups, and any business looking to work lean and build market recognition, will benefit from these easy-to-use tips on public relations how-to's from Pam Abrahamsson, VP of public relations, Stephenson Group. This presentation was shared with the 2010 participants of the Portland Ten entrepreneurial education & mentoring programs. Whether you are a small business owner, a startup, or planning to take the plunge, this overview will help get your DIY public relations and social media program under way.TRANSCRIPT
Guerilla Public Relations
WINTER 2010
Guerilla Public Relations
The practice of public relations is a sophisticated method for moving forward a business’ growth objectives. It is strategic, relying on an extensive base of knowledge, and tools, to get the job done.
Except you are an entrepreneur, and you don’t have time.
Guerilla PR is for you.
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Answer: cat herding
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OK, Now Really:
According to the Public Relations Society of America:
“Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.”
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Public relations’ success relies on conversations about and with your company, conducted with credible, impartial third-party sources:
Journalists Bloggers / Social Media Influencers Trade Analysts Market Influencers Consumers
These conversations are the key to your company’s success
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Public Relations = Conversations
Your company can discuss the value of your solution to the marketplace in a way that is meaningful to the customer.
You can hear back from your marketplace. They can tell you:
If they agree with you If there are other solutions you could be
providing It there is a problem you need to address NOW If they are willing to be customers
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The Conversation: It Takes Two
MYTH TRUTH
You need to give journalists a “snow job” so that they’ll write a great story about your company
Journalists are like your mother – you will not fool them. They have eyes in the back of their head. Be truthful. Be smart.
Journalists will write your story if they know how much you “need” the story. They owe you that.
Journalists are in the news business. Tell them about your company in a way that is important to their bosses: Their readers. They owe you nothing but accuracy.
Be their friends: They’ll write great stories.
Yes. No. Being likable helps – but nothing beats a good news story.
Long conversations are good Nope. Tell your story succinctly.
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Public Relations: Myth Busting
PR Tool Why it’s in the Kit
Media Pitch: Email, text, call or Tweet directly to journalists
Journalists need news they can use – you need to know how to get it to them
Action Plan: Calendar important business milestones; use PR tactics to promote them
Plan your PR support for key business activities: solution launches, customer wins, new hires – think ahead and be flexible
News Release: 1-2 page summary of your company’s business news
Consistent, professional way to “speak” to journalists about your company and its newsworthy events
Social Media: Web conversation with journalists/customers/others
They’ll be talking about you – join and inspire the conversation
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The Public Relations Crash Kit:Guerrilla PR for Entrepreneurs
The Basics Don’t interrupt a deadline. Be polite. Get to the point. Thank them. They owe you nothing.
Get to the Point Have your key points organized and ready. Tell your news first, then explain. Keep the journalist’s attention.
Know the News Understand “who” the journalist writes for. Speak from that perspective. Know the news of your industry and how your story fits.
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How to talk to a journalist: THE PITCH
What is your news?
Who are you pitching to?
What’s important to THAT journalist?
What are you going to say?
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Five Minute Exercise:BUILD YOUR PITCH
ActionItem
PR Tactics
The BuckStops Here
Start/End
Notes
New product
News release
Editor advance Tweet/ blog/Facebook
Name Oct 15 2010:
Start PR outreach. End Nov 15th
Offer advance to
Journalist, send release after. Media calls/emails with additional news
New hire: CIO
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The Public Relations Crash Kit:ACTION PLAN
Write down three things you want to accomplish with your business.
Are they newsworthy (Really)?
Write down when (approximately) these things will happen.
Write down the PR activities you will use to announce them.
Start/stop dates? Responsible Party? Notes?
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Five Minute Exercise:BUILD AN ACTION PLAN
Basic structure of a News Release: HEADLINE: generally about 80 to 125 characters.
SUBHEAD: a supporting sentence that expands on the headline.
MAIN BODY: Within the body of the release, the first paragraph, also known as the lead, is the most critical. You should construct the lead paragraph so that, even if a journalist reads no further, he will understand the reason for your news release.
BOILERPLATE: the anchor (end) portion of the release that provides a concise description of your company and offering. Target length is three-four sentences.
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The News Release: Building Blocks
DO: Be interesting.
DON’T: Be Boring.
DO: Be factual.
DON’T: Use hyperbole or sales language.
DO: Think social media and web. Optimize. Link. Embed widgets to:
Share – Comment – Favorite/Rank. Include audio & video.
DO: Include multiple ways to contact you.
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The News Release: Do’s & Don’ts
Social media: Constantly changing. Know why you’re there: Identify result goals. Know who you want to speak with. Know what you want to talk about. Blogs: Good foundation for company conversation. Interact- No monologue: No one likes a bore. Be authentic & honest: Conversation, not sales. And don’t fib. Find your community: Build your SM where they live. 1515www.StephensonGroup.comwww.StephensonGroup.com
Social Media: Common Sense
Rules: Have clear ground rules for your SM team.
Be reliable: Be consistent in how often you engage.
Be recognizable: Be consistent in your “voice.”
Think before your post: NO do-overs in social media.
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Social Media, cont.
ARE YOU READY TO CAT HERD?
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Questions? Comments?
Pam AbrahamssonVice President, Account Manager
[email protected](m) 503.298.97498216 N. Edison StreetSuite 4 • Portland, OR 97203Skype IM: Pam_Abrahamsson Twitter: Twitter.com/Pam_A
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pabrahamssonpr
Stephenson Group is a national public relations agency, specializing in emerging
technology and Fortune 500 clients.
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