pr presentation for apld conference
DESCRIPTION
The Garden Media Group represents clients in the gardening and green living sectors. GMG presented this workshop at the annual APLD Conference in Cleveland June 2011.TRANSCRIPT
Public Relations Success
How to Tell Your Story
To Your Audience
Public Relations Success
Reaching the right media
with the right message,
at the right time
with the right pictures
Success Tools
1) Plan for Success
2) PR Tips
3) Social Media
Plan for Media Success:
1) Objective
2) Strategy
3) Checklist
4) Communication
Plan on Media Success Objective
• What do you want to achieve?
• What specifically is your message?
• If you don’t have a reason to communicate, don’t.
Plan on Media SuccessStrategy
• Deliver great content. You can’t force the media to come to your story.
• Know exactly why the person you are ‘pitching’ needs to share your news with their audience
• Find common ground
• Become a trusted source
• Establish a level of trust, confidence and professionalism that gets your message heard
Plan on Media SuccessTactics
• Target the right person.
• Package your story for the reporter, not for you.
• Tell them why you are emailing
• Write a 5 word headline
• Craft a lead with punch
• Don’t attach, include
• Offer options
• Follow-up . . . but don’t harass
Basic Press Release• Contact Information
• Use a (City, State) Month XX, 2011
• Grab attention with the first sentence
• Keeps sentences and paragraphs short – no more than four lines per paragraph.
• Always answer who, what, when, where, why and how?
ATTENTION: EDITOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 16, 2011
CONTACT: Kathleen Hassinger 610-444-3040
Suzanne Arca Wins “Designer of the Year” Award from the Association of Professional Landscape
Designers
Principle of Albany, California Based Company Also Wins Gold Award for Residential Design
(Harrisburg, Pa.) – Suzanne Arca, ASLA, CLCA, APLD, of Suzanne Arca Design,
(www.suzannearcadesign.com), an Albany, Calif. based landscape design/build company, has
been named International Landscape Designer of the Year by the Association of Professional
Landscape Designers (APLD). The esteemed panel of judges called Arca’s Lafayette, Calif.
residential meadow garden entry “a stunning
masterpiece with strong curves winding through
areas of masterful planting design.”
With just under one acre, Arca and her team were
challenged with designing a child-friendly space
with adventure areas, boulders to climb and open
spaces for ball games. She also wanted to give
the young parents “grown-up” outdoor rooms for eating, entertaining and a casual aesthetic
that wed the natural Lafayette backdrop of oak woodland and scrub with sustainable plantings
that require low water use and maintenance. The transformation included removing a sea of
4305 North Sixth Street, Suite A Harrisburg, PA 17110 Phone: 717-238-9780
[email protected] www.apld.org
Typical topics• Announcements of the
receipt of an award
• Announcements of major contracts
• Announcements of events
• Pictures of community outreach
• Publishing of a book or white paper
• Recent newsworthy development or garden trend.
Plan on Media SuccessChecklist
Make a list of reporters/editors
Write a brief email pitching your story
Include 1 or 2 pictures in the email
Include a phone, email and website link
Make a spreadsheet with reporters deadlines and dates of correspondence
Follow up – but don’t harass
PR
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PR Tip1: Think Like a Reporter
• Supply great pictures
• Answer a question
• Provide well written copy
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PR Tip 2: Tell A Story
• Before and After pictures
• Take pictures with a story in mind
• Drama or a key focal point
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PR Tip 3: Rookie Mistakes
• Don’t blast mass news releases
• Don’t send incomplete information
• Don’t send big attachments, long emails or longer voicemails
• Don’t be a pest
Let’s Create Some Buzz
In Break Out Groups
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Brainstorming
• What do your customers want to know about?
• What are some ‘how-to’ story ideas?
• What tips from the pros can you offer?
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Brainstorming
• Group 1: Post-Conference Press
• Group 2: Exciting Projects
• Group 3: Trends in Landscape Design
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1. Who are you targeting?
2. What is your angle? The hook?
3. How are you going to get noticed?
4. Write your headline
5. Write your lead paragraph
6. Write your quote
7. What pictures do you need?
8. How can you repurpose for social media?18
HOW ARE YOU USING SOCIAL MEDIA ?
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How does social media fitinto all of this?
• Social media is the new public relations
• Repurpose traditional PR releases and post on Facebook, Twitter, and your website,
• Turn your news into a blog posting
• Develop a social media action plan with dates and topics for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Your New 10 Minute Schedule 3 minutes • Check for Twitter chatter about
your company and its competitors.
2 minutes • Scan Google News and Blogs
Alerts for important articles.
3 minutes • Filter and flag relevant
industry-related LinkedIn and Quora questions.
2 minutes • Log in to Facebook to scan
your wall and comments.
What is Social Media?• Social interaction
• Web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue
• Encourages the creation and exchange of user-generated content.
• Blends technology and social interaction to co-creation something of mutual value
Social Media Tools
• Facebook • Twitter• LinkedIn • YouTube• Blogger
• Flickr • Instagram• Cinch • Ustream• Pinterest
• Something new every day!
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Social Media Do’s
Social Media Don’t’s
Top Ways to Use Social Media to Win the Mind of Your Customers
1. Making a 1st Impression
2. Be a Thought Leader
3. Be a Buzz Agent
4. Serve the Customer
5. Help Others
Monitor Your Reputation
• Google AlertsGoogle Alerts will send you a daily digest email anytime your search terms come up in blogs, news, or other websites.
• Twitter SearchIf you want to know real time what people are saying, you can setup a Tweetdeck mention columns, include searches for your company and business owner.
You Are An Expert• Use your blog and
Facebook page to promote yourself as an expert
• Toot your own horn
• Tell your story, tell it often.
Be a Buzz Agent
• Actively talk up something
• Seek online opportunities to build your name recognition
• Be a reliable source
• Make connections
Help Others
1. The best way to be popular is to help others
2. Get the reputation of answering others questions
3. Become a mentor
Target the right media
with the right story
at the right time
and your story will be told
to the right people -
Your potential customers
THANK YOU !
I HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON!
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