Long day? Time to Take 5

August 4, 2015Ashleigh Mavros Leave a comment

Photo via Glassdoor

What could be better than one hour designated solely to laughter and making other people happy?

Offices can be high-stress environments, especially in agency settings. When each 15-minute increment of the day is recorded and billable, time is money. But taking the occasional break to participate in employee engagement initiatives can be even more valuable for overall health and happiness. It’s a long-term return on investment.

According to a 2015 Deloitte study, 87 percent of organizations cite culture and engagement as one of their top challenges. An even more surprising finding from the study: More than half of today’s working population claim they wouldn’t recommend their employer to peers.

Office engagement is a challenge across the board, but it’s becoming increasingly important to Millennials and new professionals. It’s time to take your engagement into your own hands. Here are two options for diving into office involvement.

Seek out existing initiatives.

Start by taking advantage of what your office does offer. Sometimes when large companies provide engagement programs, it requires a little research to learn how to get involved. Invest the time it takes to explore the intranet, ask around or email HR. Do your research to find out if your office offers any of these programs.

At Ogilvy PR, we have a “Take 5” committee for all things social and philanthropic. We plan the summer and holiday parties as well as pop-up happy hours, philanthropic partnerships and other ways to increase the office’s opportunities for social and community involvement.

These projects not only increase the fun throughout the office, but the hour meetings each month have provided some of my favorite moments at work. The dose of energy and laughter that comes naturally with planning entertainment is refreshing. As soon as the Take 5 meeting completes, I’m re-energized to take on whatever the day may bring. When an item on the weekly to-do list reads “Research affordable ice cream sandwiches for office party,” I’d say it’s been one treat of a week.

Take 5’s landmark events include Bring Your Parents to Work Day, an annual December toy drive for the Children AIDS Society and an office decorating contest. There’s no limit to the rewards of engaging with your company’s brand through planning these projects with colleagues.

But what if the opportunities don’t already exist?

Consider creating your own.

If your office doesn’t have an established committee or other engagement programs, consider starting a new one. Each committee or initiative has to start somewhere.

Michael DiSalvo, an account supervisor in OPR’s Healthcare practice and the driving force behind Take 5, is an advocate for young professionals spearheading company culture. DiSalvo joined the committee as an intern and has been instrumental since it was revitalized in 2009. DiSalvo’s role has opened opportunities to work directly with HR on engagement initiatives and meet with executive leadership.

“Everyone is really worried about morale,” DiSalvo said. As the Deloitte study shows, it’s a common concern for corporate leadership. Through Take 5, DiSalvo has the opportunity to meet with Rob Mathias, Ogilvy PR’s CEO of North America, to discuss talent retention and engagement.

“When you’re in a client service industry like PR, it can be very difficult to remember who you work for. Contributing to your own company is just as important as contributing to your clients,” DiSalvo said.

DiSalvo also emphasized the importance of continually promoting the brand through the committee’s work. He highlighted the value of junior staff, pointing to them as the group who usually leads the success of employee engagement.

So, new professionals, here’s a call to action: Get engaged. Help solve an ongoing challenge for the majority of companies, and be instrumental in promoting your company’s brand.

If you’re interested in learning more about the current state of job engagement, culture and satisfaction in the public relations industry specifically, take a look at The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations’ Leadership Report Card.

How does your office encourage engagement? Share in the comments below or on Twitter using #npprsa.

Jacquie McMahon is an assistant account executive at Ogilvy Public Relations in New York City. She graduated from The University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a passion for employee engagement. Connect with Jacquie on LinkedIn and Twitter (@jacqmcmahon).

Pitch Perfect: The Dos and Don’ts of Media Relations

July 31, 2015August 3, 2015Stephanie Vermillion 1 Comment

Pitching is one of the most difficult thing we PR pros do. Many of us do it every day, but no matter how long you’ve been doing it or how often you’re sending pitches out to media, the rejection, or even worse, the radio silence, are still an unfortunate reality.

As new pros, pitching stories to established media can be a daunting task. “Pitching 101” isn’t a course offered in PR programs – it’s a crash course you take in your first internship or job that requires you to have those skills.

Pitching and acquiring placements for a client is a huge part of media relations and is definitely worth a bit of attention and fine-tuning. Here’s a few tried-and-true tips to make pitching a breeze.

DON’T schedule a press release on a newswire service & forget it.

Sure, PR Newswire is a great way to post a press release and get it mass reposted on some news sites. That shouldn’t be confused with a press placement or earned media, though. It’s an OK way to get the your news out there, but it’s certainly not the kind of placement clients have in mind when they sign up for media relations.

DO try to build relationships with the media.

Everyone is more likely to do someone a favor if they know them. Reach out before you have a client dying for media attention and introduce yourself. Find out how your new media contacts prefer to be reached. Know what they cover and talk to them about what they might be working on in the future. If you can offer yourself as an expert for something already in the works or put them in touch with a good source, you’ll become a valued contact for them.

DON’T send a mass email pitch.

Almost as bad as scheduling and forgetting is sending a mass email pitch to editors and reporters. Think about the general, boring emails that end up in your inbox. Unless they have a super catchy headline or are offering your something exclusive or special, they’re going directly in the junk bin, right? Journalists think no differently. There’s plenty of news out there to cover. If you can’t give a writer a good reason why he or she should be writing about what you’re pitching, what’s the point?

DO your research.

Nothing is worse than irritating a journalist with an email they consider junk. Your pitch may have been perfect, but did you send it to the right contact? If you’re sending out pitches to just any media contact, you’re wasting your time. Make sure pitches aren’t going directly into the garbage by only sending them to people who might be interested. Got a great new fashion brand that you represent? Awesome, but a tech reporter won’t care at all about your pitch or your client.

DO personalize your pitch.

Right along with doing your research and not sending out mass emails, do make sure you personalize each pitch. Make sure all names and titles are spelled correctly and that all other information is correct. Bonus points if you can mention other pieces by the author that are similar to what you’re pitching.

DON’T pitch “just because.”

There’s nothing more irritating than people who subscribe to the idea that there’s an ideal frequency for pitching. There’s no magic formula for how often you should be pitching media, but you should never send out a press release just because you haven’t for a while. There’s nothing newsworthy about saying “Hey, we still exist.” If you don’t have anything newsworthy to say, there are better ways to keep yourself or your client relevant and in the forefront of people’s minds, such as a strong social media presence, blogging, guest posts, offering expert input on other stories your journalist friends might have in the works… the list could go on.

DO pitch stories.

Pitching should really be wrapping the whole story package up with a bow and presenting it to the writer. What’s your angle? How does it tie into other things? Why is this important or newsworthy? All of these are important items to keep in mind and communicate in your pitch. The better you can pitch a story, not a brand or product, the better your pitches will be received.

DON’T exaggerate.

No matter whether you’re pitching, promoting or explaining, it’s never a good idea to exaggerate. If you’re claiming to be the best, the top, the only or any other claim that makes your client stand out, you better have the facts to back it up. If you lie about something and are found out by a journalist, you’ll quickly be blacklisted.

DO keep it short and sweet.

Long emails are difficult to read and retain no matter who you are. When you have hundreds or thousands of emails flowing into your inbox every day, your attention span is that much shorter. Make your point, make it quickly and include a clear call to action. Be friendly and professional, of course, but leave the long flowery prose at home.

DON’T pitch a story the author has already written.

If journalists could recycle stories they’ve already written, their jobs would be so much easier. Pitching something nearly identical to what your contact has already written says one of two things: you didn’t bother to do your research or you don’t know how media works. Offer a new angle or idea that will transform your pitch into something a journalist can work with, instead of tired, recycled content.

DO playback your coverage.

Your work isn’t done just because you secured a placement. Your client or boss needs to know that the effort has a real ROI! Playback your coverage by linking to it, sharing it across social media, including it on your website’s press page or “featured in” section. Get statistics on how many pageviews the story got and how many retweets, mentions and new website visitors the placement generated. If possible, see if you can find a connection between increased web traffic, social media following, content shares, or sales and the placement. The ROI for your media placements will depend on what your goals were from the beginning.

And finally…

DO definitely say thank you.

Those manners your mama taught you are still so applicable. It’s important to remember that pitching is essentially asking a favor. Don’t make it painful by being pushy, rude or indignant. It doesn’t matter how great your client is, unless you have your own media outlet to offer coverage in, you don’t necessarily get to call the shots. It’s important to be gracious and just taking a few minutes to let writers know how much you appreciate their hard work can be the start to a great, long-lasting relationship with the media.

Robyn Rudish-Laning is a graduate of Duquesne University, with a bachelor’s in Public Relations, a master’s in Media Arts and Technology, and currently works as a PR Associate with Pretty Living PR, a boutique firm based in Pittsburgh. Find her on LinkedIn or Twitter or read her PR-focused blog.

Throwback Thursday: Michael Smart on Media Relations

July 30, 2015July 30, 2015Stephanie Vermillion 2 Comments

Editor’s note: This is part of our monthly #ThrowbackThursday series, which features a prominent, successful PR pro taking a look back and sharing tips from his/her days as a new pro. Thanks for helping us out, Michael!

Ask almost anyone in PRSA who the “go-to” expert is on media relations, and you’re bound to hear Michael Smart’s name mentioned more than once.

He has the inside scoop on all things media, blogger, and influencer relations, and he shares that expertise through presentations, guest posts, his Inner Circle coaching group, speaking engagements and more.

Today, he’s also participating in Throwback Thursday to share that expertise with us! So let’s get started.

Question 1: What is one mistake most new PR pros make when first working with media?

Being authentic and real comes naturally to new pros when they communicate through social media or when they email each other. But when they start emailing journalists, it’s like they flip this switch in their heads and turn into stuffy-corporate-robot-mode. They start dropping jargon and business buzzwords every other word. Probably because they have seen bosses and others do the same. Just write to journalists how you actually talk. Well, how you would talk in a professional meeting 🙂 Save the slang, “bros” and “dudes,” and emojis for friends, obviously.

Question 2: As a new PR pro, how did you start building relationships with media?

“Back in my day . . .” ambitious new PR pros used to just call the media. That’s admittedly tougher now. Use social media to get them familiar with you and prove that you have valuable ideas to contribute. But use that as a means to warm them up so that you can actually have a phone conversation. You make such a bigger impact and it lasts so much longer.

Question 3: Many new PR pros – and young journalists – communicate almost entirely via digital. Do you still recommend picking up the phone to follow up on stories?

Oh, I jumped the gun on the phone question. In general, use the phone as much as you can. As for following up specifically, lots of journalists don’t like follow up, and they profess not to like the phone, so that can be a tough combination. HOWEVER, when you have a story you know is good and you know is relevant to a target journalist, and you’ve already emailed her twice, you owe it to yourself to make sure she at least knows about it. So in those special circumstances, yes, definitely call.

Question 4: And, speaking of the digital age, how do you recommend new PR pros interact with journalists on social media?

Generally speaking, journalists say that social media is okay for initial getting-to-know-you, but they still prefer to be pitched via email. That keeps their audiences and competitors from seeing those interactions out in the open. So the best way to interact with journos on social is to react intelligently to their work. Sharing it is a given – to stand out, add a comment or question that demonstrates your knowledge of the space. That’s how move from “random social media reader” in their mind to “potential source.”

Question 5: If you could go back in time and give advice to yourself during your first year in PR, what would you say?

“Younger self, all that stuff you learned in college about communications strategy and planning was great. Hold on to that knowledge for the day when you’re running the show. But right now, your job is to execute. Get the results your boss wants you to get. Build a track record of success. THEN you can start to influence the strategy.”

More about Michael:

Michael Smart is the media pitching coach PR pros turn to when they want to boost their positive media placements. He’s trained more than 6,000 communicators from agencies large and small, from Fortune 50 companies to regional non-profits. He shares lots of tricks, including suggestions for subject lines that get your emails opened, with people who sign up for his weekly media pitching tips emails.

Five Tips to Fine-Tune Your Media Relations in Sports PR

July 17, 2015Ashleigh Mavros Leave a comment

Good communication skills and strong media relationships are essential for any PR professional to be successful with those they work with, but with the different public relations industries becoming more and more niche these days, there are some keys things to keep in mind depending on which media outlets you are pitching and working with the most.

For those working in the action-packed and non-stop sports and entertainment industries (or looking to get into these areas), here are five tips to keep in mind to help you fine-tune your media pitches, break through with key media contacts and more to further develop your media relations:

Timeliness & Relevance

As the old saying goes, “timing is everything.” In the sports and entertainment industries, this is even more important to remember when it comes to PR and pitching specific media reporters whether they are with long or short lead outlets.

More often than not, unless something is breaking news, it is best to tie your media pitches into something timely occurring that the outlet and reporters are covering (or could cover) whether it a large sporting event (such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, US Open, etc.), the start of a new sporting season (like golf and tennis season swinging under way each summer or football season and college sports getting started again each Fall) or anything else that’s relevant so that there is a direct tie-in to the media reporter and their upcoming editorial calendar an outlet.

Keep the Competition in Mind

When working in the sports and entertainment industries and with the media coverage surrounding them, to say it is a highly competitive space for coverage would be an understatement. When pitching various media try to keep in mind everyone else they are being pitched by and those who work with leagues, teams, events, brands, athletes, etc. and try to determine what your best pitch angle is to make you stand out from the rest and break through to the media contact.

In addition to the timeliness and relevance of what you are pitching, think of creative ways to enhance your pitches by determining the best subject line (and one that isn’t over the top or misleading), including images with your text or bullet-pointing information so your pitch helps you get straight to the point.

Don’t Get Discouraged if You Don’t Hear Back

Sometimes I like to think that “PR” more accurately stands for “persistency = results.” Like when sending out a press release announcement to a large database of media contacts (or on a newswire), you don’t always receive a lot of immediate feedback from those you sent it to.

If you don’t hear back on your pitch within an appropriate amount of time (of which there is no magic rule of thumb for), make sure and send a follow-up email or give them a call to see if they received your information. As for cold call media pitching, it seems more media prefer to receive email pitches first before being cold-called with pitches but that once you have established communication or a relationship with them that they are more willing and likely to talk on the phone with you.

Making Sure You Manage Expectations

For those of us who work in sports along with a lot of us who work in public relations, the phrase “under promising and over delivering” is very important to remember. This applies not only to those you work with/for, but also the media you’re building relationships with and collaborating on coverage opportunities.

When it comes down to things like determining how much time a media reporter can have in an interview or how much time they need to schedule photo shoots, it’s important to be aware of tight timelines and deadlines. It is in everyone’s best interest to be honest and forthcoming about what you (and who you work with/for) can and cannot do so that you are appropriately managing the media’s expectations. By doing so, this will help you with building lasting media relationships for both the short term and long term.

Keep up with What the Media are Covering

With the integration of social media into our daily lives and almost every move we’ve made in the past five or six years, this has become both a blessing and a curse at times for those of us who work in PR. Social media demands our constant attention (not to mention that sports related coverage consumes about 90% of twitter and all tweets produced daily).

However, social media also provides us an opportunity to follow key media reporters, see what they are covering and determine better pitches to add a more personable touch to connect with them and develop our relationships. While it is impossible to follow every media contact you want to get through to and see what they are covering, for the ones you do follow it allows some extra insight on events they are planning to attend, products they like, things they are passionate about and any other tidbits of information you might not have known otherwise that can help you determine a good tie-in when getting in touch with them.

I would also keep in mind that social media channels are NOT the best or recommended way to pitch key media contacts, but that it can’t hurt to respond to their posts and engage in conversations that potentially could help make you stand out to them when they do receive pitches and emails from you at another time.

About the PRSA Entertainment & Sports Section

Practitioners working in the high-profile worlds of sports and entertainment face unique challenges. PRSA’s Entertainment and Sports Section offers great opportunities to connect with peers who understand your issues and are willing to share solutions. Through in-person and virtual networking events, newsletters and other resources, the Section helps practitioners develop public relations and management skills directly relevant to their entertainment and sports environments.

Natalie P. Mikolich, is the 2016 Chair-Elect of the PRSA Entertainment and Sports Section and the Founder of npm|pr (www.npmpr.com). Natalie has worked with a variety of national businesses in different industries ranging from sports, fitness, health, beauty and luxury lifestyle to non-profit organizations and special events in addition to world class professional and Olympic athletes. Along with this, Natalie has provided public relations services for some of the leading global sports and entertainment agencies. Follow her on Twitter @npmikolich.

How the World Sees You: A Book Review

July 7, 2015July 13, 2015Ashleigh Mavros Leave a comment

What makes you uniquely fascinating?

If you’re struggling to answer that question (like I was) and are wondering why it even matters, keep reading.

Sally Hogshead created an entire methodology, book, business and speaking career based on the science of fascination. Her book, How the World Sees You – Discover Your Highest Value Through the Science of Fascination – is an insightful glimpse into her findings. It walks through actionable steps and advice that’s incredible relevant to any new professional, especially those in the public relations and marketing space.

I heard Sally Hogshead speak at an event a month ago, and I’ve been hooked on her principles ever since. While I’ve taken many personality-type tests before, her methodology is unique, because it focuses on how the world sees you – instead of how you see the world.

Her basic premise is as follows: if you can succinctly communicate to others what makes you uniquely fascinating, you are better equipped to win in business, life, and relationships.

Here are some compelling tidbits from Ms. Hogshead’s book:

“On an MRI scan, a fascinated brain is in a state of relaxed focus…if your listener becomes distracted while you communicate, they are more likely to feel conclusion or doubt about your message. If you’re not communicating clearly, you’re less likely to add value.”
“Different is better than better. You aren’t necessarily better than your competition. But you are already different.”
“Identify how you are MOST likely to add distinct value. Do more of this. Identify how you are LEAST likely to add distinct value. Do less of this.”

I highly recommend this book to all professionals looking to enhance their careers. Sally Hogshead brings to the table an impressive advertising and branding career, and while her insights are applicable to individuals, they’re also applicable to PR and marketing professionals’ work with brands. After all, it’s our job to make people think our clients are fascinating, and in turn, motivate people to buy from or do business with our clients.

As new PR pros, now is the time to figure out who we are as professionals and people. How the World Sees You is the best resource I’ve found to guide me in that journey. It’s a quick and enjoyable read. Don’t let the length intimidate you – Part II dives into each advantage and personality type, and is meant as more of a reference than a cover-to-cover read

The five advantages are:

Innovation – you change the game with creativity
Passion – you connect with emotion
Power – you lead with command
Prestige – you earn respect with higher standards
Trust – you build loyalty with consistency
Mystique – you communicate with substance
Alert – you speak the language of details and prevent problems with care

Your unique combination of primary advantage + secondary advantage = your archetype (there are 49).

If you have any desire to learn more about yourself and improve the way you interact with clients and coworkers, I would highly recommend How the World Sees You. If you purchase the book, you receive a code to take the quiz. The nice folks at How to Fascinate have supplied us with a code for blog readers to take the quiz for free:

Visit: www.howtofascinate.com/you

Use code: PRSA

I almost guarantee you will be hooked like me, and start obsessively guessing the archetypes of your friends, coworkers and family.

Lauren Leger graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in communication, concentrating in public relations. She started her career while still in college at Boston-based PR firm, Zazil Media Group. Lauren relocated to Dallas, Texas in fall of 2014 and began working at The Power Group as a PR account executive. She recently took on a new role as Power’s manager of digital strategy, where she brings her PR expertise to the digital realm of the business. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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