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.
Offering a reporter an exclusive story is a time-honored agreement in which a company or PR firm offers a piece of noteworthy news or interview exclusively to one publication or media outlet to publish. But with the current shift in the media landscape coupled with the rise of social media significantly increasing the demand for real-time information, are exclusives still relevant?
In my 10 plus years in PR, I’ve offered many exclusives to select reporters with whom I’ve had long-term trusted relationships. However, today’s media climate is vastly different and reporters are under enormous pressure to keep up with the insatiable need for on-demand news and information. It makes me wonder if an exclusive story is an attractive commodity as it once was. If so, have the rules surrounding securing exclusive stories with media changed?
The verdict? Exclusives are alive and well as are the best practices in securing these gems.
Eric Fischgrund, a senior account executive with Beckerman says offering an exclusive to a reporter requires a great deal of trust with that individual. “Technically, no phone call or e-mail exchange is ‘off the record.’ PR professionals should do their due diligence with the reporters that they are considering, and work hard to identify a reporter with a proven track record of honoring such a commitment.”
Fischgrund has successfully pitched and secured exclusive stories in variety of publications including Reuters, GreenTech and The New York Daily News.
Exclusives not only have the potential to benefit an organization, a truly newsworthy exclusive can also benefit a reporter or news organization.
“Exclusives are very much still relevant, at least in my ultra-competitive financial services news world,” said Lori Pizzani, an independent financial reporter. “A news organization could potentially win recognition and praise if I can run with an exclusive piece of news or an interview. That can then translate into additional subscriptions, revenue and ad sales for the publisher and/or recognition of the quality reporting.”
So what are the keys to successfully securing an exclusive story?
- Build a trusted network of reporters – It’s important to know who you’re working with (both on the PR side as well as media). Do they have a track record for honoring embargos and exclusives? Are they transparent about information they will or will not disclose? Are they respectful of deadlines and embargo dates?
- Make sure you have a newsworthy story – Make sure the story you are pitching is compelling enough and has the necessary elements to help the reporter bring the story to life. What may be newsworthy for one company isn’t particularly newsworthy within the broader spectrum of news.
- Be transparent with the terms of the agreement – Honoring an exclusive or an embargo is an important commitment for both PR professionals and reporters. Failure to respect such an agreement usually results in a negative way for both parties. Be transparent and outline the terms of the exclusive including what information you will and will not be able to offer, embargo dates and times, etc. In today’s world, it is essential you agree on the specific time (e.g. 9 p.m. Eastern Time) that the story will be published.
I’m glad to know that exclusives are still relevant in today’s media climate as I think they can be a fantastic way to drive meaningful coverage for a company or service. In addition, exclusives can be a great way to build long-term relationships with media.
Back in February we told you about a new cookbook we helped launch called “Discover Cooking with Lavender” by Seattle-based author Kathy Gehrt. The book takes readers on a culinary adventure into the world of lavender and features 75 unique recipes spanning seasonings, drinks, savory dishes and sweets.
To help create buzz and drive sales of the book, we developed a three-pronged strategy. The first was to drive reviews of the book with influential foodie bloggers. Second, was to develop and distribute a press release to traditional media (both local and national) covering food and gardening to seed feature stories about how to incorporate lavender into everyday cooking. Lastly, we set out to secure speaking engagements and in-store appearances at local culinary stores, book shops and nurseries.
Since the launch, we’re proud to report that “Discover Cooking with Lavender” has been well-received by media, food bloggers and retailers. Some of the results we’ve secured to date include:
- Reviews in EricRiveraCooks, SeattlePI.com, EatWild.com and FoodConnections.com
- Feature in 425 Magazine (May/June issue)
- Inclusion in feature story on lavender in Central Coast Magazine (May/June issue)
- Recipes to be featured in Northwest Woman (May/June issue)
- Inclusion in feature story on lavender in The Oregonian (early May)
- Cooking segment on lavender for NW Fusion (Portland’s top rated lifestyle TV show)
In addition, we’ve also sparked interest with 10 prominent food bloggers who have agreed to try a recipe from the book and review it for their blogs.
Lastly, we coordinated speaking engagements and cooking demos at local stores for Kathy at cook shops, book stores, nurseries and wineries such as Mrs. Cook’s, Swanson’s Nursery, Sky Nursery, Ravenna Gardens, Dish it Up!, Fremont Place Books, Poggi Bonsi, Columbia Winery and the Sequim Lavender Festival just to name a few. These events are open to the public and we encourage you to click here to get the latest on where you can find Kathy.
Establishing thought leadership in vertical markets can help a company raise its profile, distinguish it from competitors, drive new customer leads, and ultimately, increase revenue. In fact, according to a press release from leading research firm Gartner, thought leadership can be a “powerful tool for improved marketing success in IT services.”
As we have written in an earlier post, there are several ways a company can establish thought leadership in a given category including:
- Using trends to create proactive stories that raise awareness of industry pain points and solutions
- Developing byline articles or guest blog posts
- Leveraging social media platforms to drive relevant discussions
- Securing speaking opportunities
- Winning the right industry awards
We’ve leveraged some of these tactics to extend Attachmate’s thought leadership in the healthcare and insurance IT verticals. Specifically, over the past several months we secured editorial coverage as well as placed case studies and guest articles to drive awareness of Attachmate’s solutions and its benefits in these markets. Here are some examples of our activity and results.
- On March 10, we placed a case study titled, “Providence Hospital Modernizes Access to Patient Information,” in ADVANCE for Health Information Executives. This piece illustrates how Attachmate’s Verastream solution enabled Providence Hospital to leverage its existing technology investments and provide its medical staff with timely access to patient data on its computer systems.
- Next, we worked to secure coverage in insurance industry publications by offering journalists insight on how insurance companies are leveraging legacy integration technology to make the most of existing IT investments and modernize systems. Attachmate provided valuable perspective on how these organizations are saving time and money on the deployment of technology solutions – which is especially important during tough economic times. The result from this activity included an article in Insurance Networking News about Century-National Insurance’s use of Attachmate Verastream Host Integrator to update its technology system.
- Finally, we helped Attachmate create a thought leadership position in the managed file transfer market (MFT). MFT is a relatively new market within the file transfer space and many traditional players in the industry have been working to expand their offerings in the market, It was important to establish Attachmate as a solid leader in this space to gain early market and mindshare. To achieve this objective, we placed a guest article in IT Business Edge surrounding MFT technology and what organizations should consider when evaluating different advanced file transfer solutions.
Establishing thought leadership in vertical markets requires commitment and dedication – it doesn’t happen over night and it is often achieved through an ongoing, integrated campaign. There are several key elements to successfully implementing a thought leadership program; these include building credibility, expressing a clear point of view and fostering key relationships. To learn more, read our past blog titled, “Thought Leadership – What is it and Why is it so Important?”
A client recently approached Communiqué PR for a recommendation on the best social media conferences. His goal is to learn more about techniques and best practices for leveraging social media to better engage customers with blogs, social networks and video. He recognized he has a lot to learn as he continues to migrate from traditional marketing activities to online social marketing, and feels that participation at the right conference or event could have a significant impact on his success.
Over the past couple of years, Colleen Moffitt and Jennifer Gehrt have spoken or participated in several social media conferences in Puget Sound, which they found extremely valuable. Jennifer even travelled to Amsterdam to chair a panel on crisis management at Enterprise Social 2.0. She was really impressed with the caliber of individuals at the event.
Given this, we decided to come with a list of top-notch conferences drawing a national audience, as well as mix of global brand name companies and early stage companies. After considering a number of conferences, here are the ones that rose to the top of our list:
- South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive: This conference has been held in March annually since 1994 in Austin, Texas attracting people globally. Twitter got its start at this conference in 2007. According to Patrick O’Keefe, owner of iFroggy Network, “The best aspect of this conference is its networking opportunities to connect with peers and learn how others are using new media.” Some of the past speakers include Evan Williams, CEO of Twitter; Ossama Alami, developer advocate at Google; and Glenn Brown, head of music partnerships at YouTube.
- Blog World & New Media Expo: This conference, held annually in Las Vegas, is largely focused on social media for both newbie’s and the experienced alike. It is a three-day event consisting of a trade show, conferences, networking opportunities and instruction for learning the latest trends in social media. The next Blog World & New Media Expo will be held October 14-16, 2010. To learn more about past presenters click here.
- F5 Expo: Held in Vancouver, Canada in early April, this conference is focused on fast-changing technology and upcoming trends. Its aim is to educate attendees about social media, mobile and online marketing while helping managers with business planning and development. Past speakers include; Malcolm Gladwell, author of “Tipping Point,” “Blink,” “Outliers” and “What the Dog Saw”; Martin Stoddart, senior product manager from Bing; Alfredo Tan, senior director of sales for Facebook; and Wesley Chan, entrepreneur and general partner of Google Ventures.
- Social Media Plus: This one-day event will take place in Philadelphia on May 25, 2010. At this conference, each seminar caters to a specific line-of-business manager at the executive level, human resources, information technology or sales and marketing. The mission of the event is to teach attendees how to implement social media strategies to build their brands, interact with customers and generate revenue. Scheduled speakers include Rohit Bhargavs, founding member of 360 Digital Influence group at Ogilvy; Mary Henige from General Motors; and Kathy O’Reilly, director of social media relations for Monster.com.
- PR + Social Media Summit: This one-day summit is focused on the convergence of strategic communication and social media. Held at Marquette University in Milwaukee in April, this conference provides attendees with insight on how and why to stand out in the cyber world. Speakers include Tim Blaire, vice president marketing communications for IBM; Mo Moorman, public relations director for Jockey International; Casey Kohner, social media manager for Trek Bicycle; and George Wright, vice president of marketing and sales for BlendTec.
If you have experience attending any of the conferences above or have attended others you enjoyed, we would love to hear about them.
Throughout human history, stories have been a fundamental way in which we connect with people and think about the world. As children, we grow up hearing stories and as we get older, begin sharing stories of our own. Stories are an essential part of child development, and if done correctly, hold our attention as adults, provide entertainment and hopefully teach us something about the world.
They are equally important for a company or organization. A well thought-out and compelling story can help to drive broad awareness of a company, build brands, shift perceptions, establish thought leadership, and even increase sales of a product or service.
One of the most effective ways for companies to leverage storytelling is to think about and develop a story arc. Think of a story arc as a trajectory, extended storyline, or the ongoing narrative that highlights a company’s overarching vision and its journey toward achieving it.
At Communiqué PR, we believe the purpose of a story arc is to show how an organization is moving from one state to another — in other words, how the company or organization is effecting change. To effect change a company must have a clear vision of where it is headed, and using a story arc can help dramatically.
In any convincing story (think novels, television, motion pictures or stage plays), the story arc should consist of the following elements: a protagonist, an antagonist, a cast of characters, a setting, a plot, a conflict and a resolution. To be effective it should play off human emotion and personal experience. Each company announcement, press release or interview provides the company spokesperson with an opportunity, or an “episode,” to put it in television terms, to support the broad narrative or story arc.
Nike is a strong example of a company that has developed a compelling story arc. The company’s goal is to provide innovation and inspiration to every athlete in the world. This vision of inspiring athletes is weaved into every aspect of the company’s marketing – from its press releases, branding and advertising to the its selection of the right images that leverage Nike’s key theme of innovation and inspiration.
We’ve had great success helping clients create a story arc to help them achieve their business and communication objectives. Take Digonex and Big Fish Games. Both companies were looking to drive awareness of their companies and establish thought leadership in their respective markets. We worked with each company to develop a strong story arc showcasing their respective vision and journeys – each press release, press tour or interaction with a journalist supported the companies’ larger goals.
By framing news in the context of the company’s bigger story, we were able to garner significant coverage in Red Herring, Reuters, NPR, Billboard Associated Press, Inc, MSNBC, The New York Times, NPR, Reuters, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal, as well as many other outlets. This coverage ultimately helped Digonex and Big Fish Games build their reputations as leaders in their industries and helped attract customers, key partners and additional investment.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of a story arc or how to create one, check out our book, “Strategic Public Relations.”
Today’s business leaders, marketing executives and PR practitioners are working to understand how to utilize the latest wave of social media tools in order to increase sales, drive awareness and build buzz. Jennifer Gehrt and Colleen Moffitt, founders of Communiqué PR illustrate how to effectively maximize the impact of tools and tactics through a strategic approach to integrated communications.
“Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR” offers readers practical advice on how businesses can leverage PR and make sense of today’s media landscape.
Through real-world examples, case studies and contributions from a wide variety of experts, Gehrt and Moffitt demonstrate the 10 principles outlined in their book and show readers how to use public relations to accomplish an organization’s most important business objectives.
In a guest review for PR Week, Jeffrey Ory, vice president, Deveney Communication wrote, “Each of the guiding principles is presented in a straightforward way. ‘Strategic Public Relations’ is a simple, but important, read for anyone in PR at any level of their career. Gehrt and Moffitt have written a book that is important for those entering the field all the way through to those who have been in the industry for a number of years.”
“Strategic Public Relations” is now available in paperback and can be purchased through Amazon.com.
If you’ve read “Strategic Public Relations,” we’d love to hear from you. You can post a review on Amazon.com, share comments here on our blog or post on our Facebook fan page.