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Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.

From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.

LeoSat Hits the Satellite Industry Scene, Reveals Plans for a Global Data Network

As every PR pro can attest, one of the best parts of our job is supporting companies doing interesting, innovative things that make the world a better place for all of us. We recently had such an opportunity with our client LeoSat, a newcomer to the satellite industry devoted to bringing high-performance, cost-effective broadband service to businesses and governments through the development of a low Earth orbit satellite constellation. This addresses the unmet, critical need for fast, global coverage within these markets while marking a step toward new standards in satellite systems and communications.

This month, LeoSat came on the scene to publicly announce this vision as well as its appointment of industry veteran Vern Fotheringham, formerly of Kymeta, as CEO. To support the announcement, we distributed the news to a number of select technology, satellite and space industry outlets and journalists. This outreach was highly successful, resulting in more than a dozen articles and multiple reposts in a variety of local and industry publications. Following is a sampling of the coverage generated by the news:

  1. Space News – Proposed LeoSat Constellation Aimed at ‘Top 3,000’
  2. Satellite News – LeoSat Begins The Next Stage Of Development w/ A New CEO…To Create Low Earth Orbit Satellite Constellation
  3. Satellite Today – Vern Fotheringham Speaks About New LEO Broadband Project
  4. NewSpace Watch – LeoSat LLC satellite constellation project hires Vern Fotheringham as CEO (subscription required)
  5. Advanced Television – LeoSat joins broadband space race
  6. Northern Sky Research – LEO: The Space Industry’s New Playground
  7. TechZone – The New Satellite Broadband Rush
  8. Digital Ship – LeoSat unveils constellation plans
  9. Talk Satellite – LeoSat Announces the Appointment of Vern Fotheringham as Chief Executive Officer
  10. Satellite Evolution Group – LeoSat announces the appointment of Vern Fotheringham as Chief Executive Officer
  11. Communications Daily – LeoSat Has New CEO Fotheringham, Plans Worldwide Coverage (subscription required)
  12. Communications Daily – Communications Personals (subscription required)
  13. Satellite Markets & Research – Vern Fotheringham Named CEO of LeoSat
  14. GeekWire – Tech Moves: Vern Fotheringham named CEO of satellite venture

We’re thrilled to see LeoSat take off and look forward to all of its exciting developments in the months to come. For more on LeoSat and its vision of enabling unified, worldwide broadband coverage, be sure to check out www.LeoSat.com.

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Writing for PR: May the Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

This weekend I finally got around to watching the latest “Hunger Games” movie and afterwards I started thinking about the similarities between mockingjay birds and writing in a PR agency setting.

Stay with me here.

Good PR professionals are (hopefully) good storytellers. I’d wager that most of us chose this as a career path because we love writing, as well as developing and shaping stories that get our clients noticed.

Which is why it can be frustrating – and potentially expensive – to get stuck in the endless cycle of writing and editing and re-writing documents for your clients. Who among us hasn’t been trapped in a never-ending revision round on a press release or pitch with a client that just never seems happy with your writing?

I’ve had multiple clients say they fired their previous PR agencies because of bad writing. Endless revisions aren’t just time consuming for both parties, but it can negatively impact client relationships and your agency’s business.

Which is why there are lessons to be learned from the fictional mockingjay bird when it comes to writing:

Listen to your clients. Mockingjays, in the movie, mimic sounds they hear in the forest. Pay attention to what your clients tell you when it comes to, say, a press release that needs to be drafted. When do their voices get excited? Is there a point when they show enthusiasm about a particular feature or customer benefit? Those are the important things to pay attention to and make sure are included in your draft. Are there phrases or differentiators they keep mentioning over and over? Those might be woven into a quote or help position the news in a broader context.

Adapt to your client’s writing style. Mockingjays memorize and repeat human songs. It’s important to remember that your particular writing style may not align with your client’s, or that of a particular publication. That’s OK. But in an agency setting, you need to adapt to their way of writing – and that’s not always easy. The language may seem overly formal or technical; the sentence structure might be too short for your liking – whatever the issue, you need to de-personalize your writing in order to reflect your client’s style and that of the broader industry/sector in which they operate. Again, listen to what your client is saying in their feedback/edits and try to replicate them as much as possible.

Be resourceful. Mockingjays are mentioned in various districts and environments in the movie. Spread your wings when approaching any writing project. Don’t just take what your client gives you – now is the time to be relentless and resourceful. Comb through their website, read previous press releases, white papers, and product literature – get educated on what you’re writing about. Read articles about their competition or partners and pay attention to the tone and language being used to describe them. This won’t just help with the project at hand, this type of research pays off for you and your team for future efforts and ultimately makes it easier and faster to write compelling content.

Develop a thick skin. Mockingjays are described as being as tough as rocks, being able to thrive in almost any environment. This is a must for survival in PR and especially in agencies where you’re handling multiple clients and projects. Stand by your writing and be able to defend it to your client if you get questions or negative feedback. Explain why you drafted the quote like you did, or why you didn’t include a certain element in the pitch. If you’ve done your research and paid attention to what your client wants in a particular document, you should be well-prepared to mitigate any concerns.

Have you ever drafted a release or pitch that knocked a client’s socks off? I’d love to hear how you approached it and why it worked. Or, if you find yourself frequently stuck in a dead-end of constant revisions, let us know that too and we’ll see how we can help. Happy Hunger Games!

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Social Media: What’s the Frequency?

As a communications advisor to clients in the tech industry, I am frequently asked how to leverage social media as part of an integrated PR strategy. Clients are often curious to know when and how often they should post and what their content should look like. Many clients are also now starting to think about whether or not they should use social media tools for relationship building, and if they should maintain personal feeds as well as corporate ones.

When and how often?

Not many people would be surprised by the fact that the posts that get read and shared the most on social media are those that are published between the hours of 9 a.m.-noon Monday through Friday. This is the time of day when business people are most alert and active on social media. I typically suggest that clients carve out 30 minutes each morning to read and re-tweet compelling content. There will be days when nothing much is of interest, and that’s OK. Posting truly insightful content three-to- five times per week is plenty.

What should the content ratio look like?

The most successful brands on social media use their Twitter, Facebook and, increasingly, their LinkedIn accounts as platforms for thought leadership. Clients are frequently interested in using their own feeds for this purpose and have questions around what types of content are most appropriate. I suggest a balance between original articles (those that are authored by you) and curated pieces (those authored by others). Original content can be anything from a blog post to a customer case study; curated pieces include anything that adds to the dialogue in your respective industry. Balancing original with curated content results in an overall perception that the person or organization posting is well versed on conversations happening in the industry and is a good source of information and insight. From a PR perspective, this is especially valuable not only for attracting new customers and partners, but journalists as well. Many companies will periodically include a call to action, a “check us out!” if you will. If it makes sense for your company, go for it.

Should you use social media to build relationships with journalists?

The short answer is yes! We counsel our clients to follow the reporters who regularly cover their space and to re-tweet and comment on articles they feel are particularly interesting or relevant. Twitter in particular can be a great place to learn more about a journalist – her likes and dislikes, the things she’s passionate about, and even if she’s planning on attending CES this year. Some clients ask if they should reach out over social media to suggest a story idea or invite a journalist for a cup of coffee. Be careful. Social media, particularly Twitter, is inherently a 1:many platform and a misfire in such a public forum could spell disaster. I always advise that for personal communications, such as a comment on a story or an invitation, or to meet at a tradeshow, email is best.  

Personal feed? Corporate feed?

A common question I hear is whether or not clients should maintain their personal feeds in addition to their corporate ones. The short answer here is, it depends. Social media takes time and a whole lot of effort. In 2012, over 60 percent of marketers spent the equivalent of a full workday each week monitoring and managing social media platforms. Today, it’s safe to assume that this number is even higher. A corporate feed is useful for brand image, conveying breaking news, sharing product updates, and more. A personal feed, on the other hand, is more nuanced. For a CEO, it can be a wonderful platform for thought leadership and forward thinking. The key is to ensure that both feeds are complimentary and cohesive. Drawing up an editorial calendar of topics is step one in the process.

A final word and call to action

If you’re still with me, I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips on social media in PR. Now, go and put in your 30 minutes of reading and re-tweeting!

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PR is Cumulative

Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to PR. When beginning work with a new client, there is an excitement in wanting to share their story with the world and, more specifically, with journalists who can help you share that story. However, with journalists receiving hundreds of pitches daily, cutting through the noise requires a strategic process that can necessitate some experimentation to find what resonates. By creating a compelling story arc and identifying the brand’s place in the industry landscape, PR pros can pique journalists’ interest and drive coverage in key publications.

All PR is cumulative. One of our clients, VoloMetrix, has now achieved a steady cadence of coverage in key business press through consistent exposure in trade publications and informational briefings with relevant journalists and analysts. VoloMetrix is a people-analytics technology company that uses big data to optimize organizational performance, providing executives visibility into the daily activities and relationships that propel business forward. This technology helps improve companies’ organizational alignment, drive sales, and promote employee engagement. Because they have invented an entirely new technology and established a new category, we knew gaining traction would require some creative thinking and grit and—you guessed it—patience.

We began by sharing the news of their patent filing, establishing them as innovators and owners of the technology and of the people-analytics space. Next, we continued announcing major news including funding and new hires to their executive team. Most importantly, we have maintained a steady pace of proactive pitches, framing their company in an intriguing way by leveraging current trends and shaping the data collected. VoloMetrix is now well-established; it owns the people-analytics space and is considered an authority and resource on people analytics. We are thrilled by the momentum VoloMetrix has gained in both PR and overall business efforts and we are eager to assist them in their continued growth and success.

Following is a list of some of VoloMetrix’s media coverage from August 2014 through February 2015:

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Revel Systems Secures $100 Million in Series C Funding

Revel Systems, the leading iPad Point of Sale (POS) platform and one of our clients at Communiqué PR, recently closed a $100 million Series C financing round to bolster support and operations. The round includes an initial $65 million investment from Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS), a New York-based private equity firm, with an additional $25 million equity line available from WCAS.

The most comprehensive iPad POS platform in the industry, Revel provides food service, retail SMBs and franchise operators access to a full suite of enterprise-grade operations and reporting features to help them grow their businesses. Revel’s end-to-end commerce platform is scalable, from single location SMBs to enterprises with thousands of locations, and is designed to move commerce data seamlessly through open APIs.

The funding positions Revel to meet the fast-growing sales and high demand for its platform. Revel recently launched the world’s largest iPad POS deployment with installations at 700+ Smoothie King locations and serves large and multi-chain grocery, retail and restaurant establishments including Dairy Queen, Goodwill and many more.

“We’re very excited to welcome WCAS as an investor and Sanjay [Swani] to our Board of Directors. We couldn’t have picked a better partner to launch Revel into the next phase of growth,” shared Lisa Falzone, Revel co-founder and CEO. “Their deep investment expertise in the B2B services and payments industries, plus their proven track record for fueling company growth, will help us further cement Revel as the industry standard POS solution for both small businesses and enterprise customers. Our industry leadership and strategic position in the commerce space have allowed us to attract a top investor and have helped us achieve what appears to be the highest valuation in our industry.”

Revel’s funding announcement garnered significant coverage in business press, including The New York Times’ Dealbook, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Forbes and more. Together with SSPR, we secured the following coverage for Revel’s funding news:

 

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Reflecting on Bob Simon & the Art of Story-Telling

One of the many reasons I got into PR is because I have a deep-rooted love of storytelling. Stories not only reflect back our experiences, but they also shape how we think about the world. Stories help us be analytical, empathic and worldly. They empower us to think beyond our own experiences.

Few understood this better than CBS News foreign correspondent Bob Simon. When I was a kid, Simon made frequent appearances on the little analog TV on our kitchen counter. I distinctly recall my mother’s palpable fear when he was captured by Iraqi forces. Too young to grasp the seriousness of the situation, I remember thinking it was brave to sacrifice your own safety to tell someone else’s story.

Fast-forward, and I now find myself working in a career that relies heavily on the art of storytelling. With Simon’s tragic death last week, I can’t help but reflect on the lessons learned through his integrity as an impeccable storyteller.. There are several that stand out as I look back on his years of reporting and the thousands of stories he told.

  • Don’t force the moment. After he was released from Iraqi forces, a reporter asked him what he had learned. Rather than capitalizing on the moment and delivering a false oratory about what he learned, Simon paused and responded that, though he was sure he learned something, he wasn’t yet sure what exactly. His response was utterly earnest and profound in its ambiguity. He didn’t force the moment.
  •  Ask the tough questions. Admittedly, people who work in PR probably won’t find themselves in the dramatic and dangerous situations that were commonplace for Simon. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from his ability to ask powerful, gutsy questions. He asked the uncomfortable questions that other journalists might’ve thought, but never voiced. We too need to be comfortable with ambiguity – comfortable asking ourselves and our clients questions that we’re thinking but are too afraid to voice. This ability, to dive deep into ambiguity, in part, built his reputation as a journalist.
  • The storyteller matters as much as the story. These days, it’s becoming commonplace for journalists to recant false stories. But that wasn’t the case with Simon. His integrity shown through, and we listened as a result. People in PR have as much a responsibility to integrity as journalists themselves, and I learned this from him. Without the integrity of the storyteller, a story can be compelling, but it won’t be trusted.

Simon’s stories inspired me and countless others. But it’s his integrity as a journalist that will truly define his reputation.

 

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