Insights for Leaders Navigating
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.
I’m checked in at Starbucks, video chatting with my uncle in England, scanning pictures from this week’s Seahawks game and rescuing dogs from Hurricane Irene all at the same time from my Facebook account. What’s next, Facebook – foot rubs? While Facebook may not be coming out with foot rubs anytime soon, one thing that recently caught my attention was an application, or “app,” called Causes.
Causes (www.causes.com) is a social media platform used to increase awareness, gain support, and raise money for thousands of nonprofit organizations and specific issues around the world. The San Francisco-based company that launched Causes currently has 150 million users of its app and has raised more than $35 million since it initiated its website in 2007. The website provides an interactive interface from which nonprofits, activists, and philanthropic citizens can promote or support various causes around the world. By being on Causes, nonprofits and other groups can gain more visibility and donations than ever before.
Over the past four years, Causes has harnessed the power of social media to leverage greater support for its participating organizations and user-created issues. As stated on the Causes website, each cause includes “features for communications, such as bulletins and a media board, as well as the ability to feature current fundraising and advocacy campaigns.” In addition, each organization has the ability to send emails, create campaigns and share content over the web with a huge number of members.
Like many strategic online programs and applications, Causes has linked its website with Facebook by allowing users to create, join and broadcast a number of causes by using their own personal Facebook accounts. This connection has fueled an unparalleled level of success for fundraising and awareness for nonprofit organizations hosted on Causes’ website.
If a nonprofit has a good representation on Facebook or another social media outlet, it will most likely experience some degree of success with Causes. The first step to be successful on this platform is to initially have a wide range of supporters and connections. Once a cause is created, the organization or group can promote various fundraising projects to target the specific issues they want to tackle.
The Humane Society, for example, currently has a project titled “Help Save Animals Affected by Hurricane Irene.” This is one of many projects the Humane Society has created on its Causes’ main page. Each project allows organizations to specify the purpose, goal, timeline, dollar amount, and overall impact users will have if they participate or donate. For a detailed guide on how to fundraise successfully for an issue or organization, take a look at the suggestions on Causes’ website.
In addition, Causes provides general steps for getting started on its website as well as tools to recruit supporters. These tips include 1) how to a start cause; 2) build a group of supporters; 3) promote a cause and 4) begin fundraising.
The website has a number of other resources that answer specific questions and concerns when starting with Causes for the first time. You can find just about everything you need to know to start and be successful with Causes by visiting its resource webpage.
In today’s world, the fight to gain support and recognition for a specific issue or nonprofit organization can be truly a tough one, especially given the current economic climate. It is crucial, therefore, for nonprofits and other issue-specific organizations to capitalize on the publicity tools social media has to offer. By doing so, such organizations avoid falling under the radar and can work toward accomplishing their missions as well as spreading their messages more extensively and effectively.
It is also important to remember that Causes is not the only social media app that can be used for fundraising. Follow the lead of many successful nonprofit and issue awareness organizations by leveraging a number of social media tools and outlets for driving awareness and support, as well as adhering to a strategic, multidimensional approach.
One last thing to keep in mind is that social media practices are changing rapidly, so the more up-to-date, savvy and creative you are with social media, the more successful you will be with whatever type of project you chose to tackle.
Katherine Turney
Last Friday, Colleen Moffitt and I had the opportunity to speak to the members of the Spokane MarCom Association about the importance of strategic public relations. The journey to Spokane was one we will never forget. We began our descent into the city only to have our landing aborted, turning us back to Seattle due to thick fog. Once back to SeaTac, we picked up our luggage and began the long drive. What we hoped would be a three-hour trip by plane, turned into 12 hours of travel.
Nonetheless, the journey was worth it. There were about 110 people in the audience, which comprised students, recent graduates, PR managers with nonprofits and corporations and agency PR practitioners. We spoke about taking a strategic approach to PR, why and how to do it, and reviewed each of the principles in our book, Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR.
Our intention was to provide the attendees with some practical ideas and suggestions so that they could more fully leverage PR for their organizations.
When we got to Principle 5, which is “Develop a Strategic PR Plan,” we asked for a show of hands for the number of people who had developed and were using a plan to guide their activities. Approximately four people raised their hands. We then went on to explain that if there was just one point that we wanted them to take away from the session, it was an understanding of the importance of having a PR plan.
Colleen and I are huge proponents of the PR plan, because it ensures that everyone is moving in the same direction, helps you articulate business problems in a thoughtful manner, lets you showcase your creativity, and allows you to be proactive versus reactive. It also lets you move forward to build consensus, as well as gain approval of budgets and programs.
After reviewing the reasons to develop a plan, we then reviewed the eight key elements of a plan and the type of information that goes into to each section. For instance, in the situation-analysis section of a plan, you might want to do a SWOT analysis.
This was just a fraction of the content of our presentation. If you’d like a full copy of the PowerPoint with our speaking notes, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. However, for a more comprehensive perspective on each of the principles, our book Strategic Public Relations is going to be a much better resource for you.
Finally, as I reflect on our trip, I want to thank Sally Mildren, president-elect and programming chair with the Spokane Regional MarCom Association for helping us prepare for our discussion. She provided us with insightful counsel on the information that would be relevant to the members of the organization. Our only regret is that we did not make it to Spokane in time for dinner with her on Thursday evening!
It’s no secret that social media has drastically changed the PR landscape and how PR professionals engage with media. Twitter, Facebook and other social media services can provide great vehicles for connecting with journalists. However, with the social media trend generating so much online chatter and shifting at a rapid pace, it’s important to not get completely caught up in the latest social media fads and forget the basics of building meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships with media.
Back in 2009, Communiqué PR offered insight into how PR professionals can build better relationships with reporters in a blog titled, “The New Rules of Media Relations; Have They Really Changed?” With the continued proliferation of both old and new media, we feel it’s important to revisit the basics and help ensure we continue to master the fundamentals of building relationships with media.
• Research, research and then research some more. You’ll never build sustainable relationships with reporters if you’re pitching a product launch to a reporter who covers policy issues. It’s critical to understand what the reporter covers and what his or her interests are to ensure what you have to say is valuable to them. And researching doesn’t just mean pulling their name from a database that says their beat is technology. You need to get your hands dirty and do the legwork to read their articles, follow them on Twitter and think about how you can add value to their coverage.
• Pick up the phone. Yes, remember, the telephone? It’s the device that sits on your desk with a receiver and some numbers to dial. While you need to be careful not to inundate busy reporters with constant phone calls, actually having a conversation with someone can have a big impact. Reporters are more likely to remember your phone call over your one email in their inbox of over a thousand. Introduce yourself with a few suggestions of stories or angles that would be of interest to them. Having in-person meetings can also be extremely valuable. Go for lunch or grab a coffee. Believe it or not, face-to-face meetings still pack a lot of punch and will give you a chance to connect on a more personal level rather than reaching out only when you’re trying to pitch a story.
• Stay relevant and add value. We’ve heard it all before: “Spray and pray” isn’t an effective media relations strategy, so don’t spam a bunch of reporters and hope that your pitch is relevant to just a few of them. The best way to create mutually beneficial relationships with journalists is to find out what they want and help provide it. Make sure your pitches are creative and to the point and be as helpful as you can in providing resources they may need such as images, statistics, contacts, etc.
While most of us can agree that social media has offered huge benefits to the PR industry and another tool to build relationships with reporters, make sure you remember what life was like pre-Facebook and Twitter. At the end of the day we need to remember that journalists are just people. It’s rare to build and maintain meaningful friendships based solely on social media interaction, so it’s natural to assume that the same is true when building relationships with journalists. Building and maintaining any sort of relationship takes time and proper investments.
With the invention of email, reporters got the proverbial short end of the stick.
They are targets of many organizations who want to share information that may be of interest to the reporters and their audiences. Unfortunately, this means that reporter inboxes are filled each day with mail that they need to sort through for the few, exciting nuggets that will make the day’s news.
How can we, as public relations professionals, help reporters? It’s simple: stop spamming.
This doesn’t mean stop sending news and information that is meaningful. It means knowing their beat areas and sending relevant information. That is a PR 101 lesson. But the next lesson isn’t as easily accepted: know when to refrain from hitting “send.”
Overwhelming a reporter with massive amounts of information will get you noticed – just not in the way you’d intended.
A recent example of this involved the White House. Following President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress in early September regarding the Administration’s jobs plan, the White House sent nearly 50 emails to reporters overnight with statements of support for the proposed plan. Yes, reporters each received nearly 50 emails in about a 12-hour time period.
“The White House Press Office has vomited all over my inbox,” wrote Talking Points Memo’s Callie Schweitzer following the deluge.
It’s a great example of what not to do, and had a very poignant reaction. When your actions cause someone to associate negativity with you, the organization you’re representing or the matter at hand, you have failed in your job.
When a reporter receives information, it should be useful. I don’t know of any article that has quoted 50 sources, or even 10 sources. In fact, rarely are even five different sources quoted in one article. The White House spammed reporters by sending some 50 unique emails identifying individuals and organizations that were supportive of the Jobs Act.
It brings to mind a great quotation I’ve held onto from the 19th century English playwright, actor and composer Sir Noel Coward: “Consider the press. Treat it with tact and courtesy. It will accept much from you if you are clever enough to win it to your side. Never fear or despise it. Coax it, charm it, interest it, stimulate it, shock it now and then if you must, make it laugh, make it cry, but above all…never, never, never bore the living hell out of it.”
And bore the media is precisely what the White House did with nearly 50 emails reiterating the same message.
If you have the desire to overwhelm the media to prove a point, reconsider your tactics. The point you may drive home could impact your credibility and reputation.
What are some other bad habits practitioners should break? What are some best practices you have for engaging the media?
Half of the battle of pitching is getting a reporter to open your email. Now-a-days like many industries reporters are doing more with less. That means less time available, they need the information fast and efficiently. Before coming to Communiqué PR, I was a reporter at a small TV station and managing my inbox was a challenge. It is not uncommon to receive hundreds of emails in a day. I would scan my inbox and open messages that intrigued me, contained key words that I was interested in covering, had a personal touch or seemed to sell a sexy story.
As a PR professional now, I’ve used this experience to guide me while crafting subject lines. In addition, I came across an article from Ragan PR called, “Pitching a reporter: 7 tips for crafting irresistible subject lines” that offers good advice.
Consider the following tips next time you are tasked with putting together a pitch.
- Plug a previous story. By referencing a previous story that the reporter you are targeting has already covered not only demonstrates that you are pay attention to this reporters work, but increases the chance of the reporter opening your email. Ragan gives the example, “News tip per (Insert two to three words on story subject) story.” However, when using this tactic be cautious. Do not pitch an identical story to the one the reporter previously covered. Instead, work off of a relevant trend and ensure your pitch is adding additional depth or a new angle. Or, use the opportunity to connect with the reporter for future stories on the topic.
- Word trending. Pitches that stand out from the pack are those that are creative. Pay attention to what is happening in the word and play on those trends. Reporters will likely have key words top of mind that they are looking for when evaluating stories. For example, at the height of the recession, any story that included mention of how a business was booming or looking at the bottom line caught an editor’s attention. Ragan’s recommends TrendWatching.com as a resource for newsworthy trends.
- Play on reporters’ beats. Pay attention to a particular column or segment that a writer repeatedly covers. If you call out a column such as: “Money Matters Tip: (include four to five words summarizing your pitch)” you show the reporter the pitch is meant for them.
- Wordplay. Have fun and be creative with keywords and create new ones. For example, combine baby boomer and entrepreneur to make boomerpreneur.
- Latest slang. There is always a new funny word to work with and the media is usually pretty hip to the lingo. For words like “blamestorming” or “Belieber,” Urban Dictionary and BuzzWhack can help you locate these words to insert into your subject line. Just make sure it is intentional and relates to your story. You do not want a reporter to feel deceived.
- Read headlines=Writer better subject lines. A great resource for improving subject lines is to read more headlines. Headlines have the same goal as a subject line. You want someone to read it and want to know more. Who knows, your crafty subject line could end up being the headline. For examples of good headlines read my previous blog post, How Headlines Shape Perception.
- Stay fresh. Nobody likes the same old subject line. Once you create an eye-catching formula, make sure to update it and insert new ideas each time, especially if you are pitching the same reporter.
You want your headline to sum up your pitch in a few words and grab the reporter’s attention, so don’t make it an afterthought! Give subject lines as much thought and consideration as the body of the email. We often develop the subject line when crafting the pitch and include it in our internal review process, to get input from the team. It may seem like a lot given a subject line is only a few words, but if it doesn’t scream “open me!” the reporter may never see the strength of your story.
Teamwork. Some people love that word. Others despise it. Regardless, teams are a part of life.
As an employee, your individual success will in part depend on your ability to exist as part of a team. As a manager, the success of your department, work group or organization is a function of how well you use teams as a tool. However, most people form teams – or add to them one person at a time – without considering one key element: talent.
Talent is what drives people’s behaviors. It’s their natural strengths. This is different than skills and knowledge, which can be learned. Talents can be strengthened by an organization’s leaders to optimize employee performance.
Why is this important? Tom Rath, author of StrengthsFinder 2.0, provides valuable insight: “Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them. Instead, guided by our parents, by our teachers, by our managers…we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair these flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected.”
If you have the freedom to choose from among a variety of employees to create a team or add to your workforce, take the time to think about the specific talents of individuals as they relate to the tasks they will need to perform. If you do not have the freedom to hand-pick members, you should still take stock of the various talents to help you decide how to develop the individuals and the team.
The Communiqué PR team is growing. As people have joined the organization, we’ve adjusted roles and responsibilities. But we decided to take team building a step further and analyze our strengths. Using StrengthsFinder 2.0, team members took individual strength assessments. The results were very interesting.
While team members have many common skills necessary for public relations work, such as written and oral communications, developing relationships and strategy formulation, the team had a wide array of strengths. Among the six of us, there were 20 different strengths. Some were shared, but every team member had at least one unique strength.
How do these unique talents benefit a team?
Imagine you have someone on your team with an “ideation” talent. A person with this strength may do exceedingly well at providing new perspective on familiar activities. She is known for being creative, original or conceptual, and for her passion for gathering knowledge that may fuel new ideas.
Now imagine another teammate has an “analytical” talent. A person with this strength questions and challenges others in order to strengthen ideas. She connects seemingly disparate patterns and provides insightful analysis that leads to application and implementation.
Individually, these two team members may garner great results. Together, they can forge a powerful partnership.
At Communiqué PR, we’re excited to have this new-found information about our team that will allow us to combine strengths to better serve our clients.
What are some of the ways you’ve assessed talent within your organization, and how have you benefitted?