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.
Thinking about writing a book? This is a terrific way to establish thought leadership in your industry and share your ideas. A book builds credibility for yourself and your company, attracts broad publicity and provides opportunities to engage the media. But while writing a book can have some tremendous benefits, it is no small task and should be approached with careful consideration.
Jennifer Gehrt and Colleen Moffitt, co-founders of Communiqué PR, recently finished their first book, “Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR.” The book offers practical advice to help readers understand the morphing landscape and leverage contemporary PR to achieve maximum benefit.
Throughout the writing process, Jennifer and Colleen gathered invaluable insight from a variety of journalists, other PR professionals, and senior members of management teams. Below are a few points to consider when deciding whether to write a book.
The Writing Process
Consider working with a professional. As first time authors, Jennifer and Colleen worked with Andrea Carlos, a writer with more than 20 years of journalism experience, Mary Catherine Lamb, who helped with copy editing and fact checking, and Kate Basart, a book designer. All of these professionals provided invaluable insights and coaching to help make “Strategic Public Relations” a success.
“We were extremely impressed with Andrea’s writing talent and how smooth she made the experience for us,” explained Jennifer Gehrt. “Writing a book can be overwhelming but Andrea did a phenomenal job of helping to keep the process moving forward.”
Colleen Moffitt concurs, “Andrea’s insights drawn from years of experience were invaluable to us and we wholeheartedly recommend her.”
Secure feedback. Whether from those quoted in your book, other published authors or people in your industry, feedback can help you refine your message and create a book that will be a valuable resource for your audience. Jennifer and Colleen reached out to former colleagues, other PR professionals and friends who had written books to secure feedback and strengthen their book.
Before you Begin
Weigh the time commitment. Writing a book can take 250-500 hours of time for writing, interviews and review of chapters. This requires anywhere from four to 10 hours per week depending on how many weeks you want the process to take.
Evaluate the subject matter. Will the topic resonate with a large audience? Niche subjects have a place in the market, but they must not be too narrowly focused. It is also important to make sure your book is not a blatant advertisement for your company or products. You can evaluate your topic by developing a clear outline that summarizes content.
Know what has already been written. It is important to do some research to know what books are already on the market, how yours will differ and why your book will have wide market appeal.
Be clear on your motivation. Know what your objectives are in sharing your story. Are you trying to inform and educate people? Do you intend to write an entertaining best seller? Or are you leveraging your book to build your credentials in a particular field or industry?
“Writing a book is a commitment that requires dedication and patience, but we can attest, the rewards are huge,” says Colleen Moffitt of the process.
If you’re considering writing your first book, Jennifer and Colleen would be delighted to share their experiences. Please e-mail [email protected] with any questions.
Twitter, a microblogging and social media site, is continuing to gain popularity thanks to its open design and dedicated followers. A recent survey from Compete.com found that Twitter is the third largest social media site in the country when measured by total page views, and although it only has about six million unique visitors, it garners approximately 54 million views per month.
Twitter is changing the traditional media landscape and the way people are documenting and learning about breaking news.
This is evident in the recent news about US Airways flight 1549. Within minutes of flight 1549 landing in New York’s Hudson River, dozens of New Yorkers started sending Twitter messages about the crash. According to the Telegraph, “Twitter users broke the news approximately 15 minutes before the mainstream media. However, it wasn’t just messages that were “telling the story.” Janis Krums, a Twitter user and iPhone owner, used his phone to take a picture of the downed plane and uploaded it to TwitPic. His picture was forwarded across the “Twitterverse” and was picked up by numerous blogs and news Websites.”
Scenarios such as this illustrate the power of social media and the ability to affect millions of people across the world with – literally – a push of a button.
When used properly, social mediums can be a great tool to break news, creatively market a company and reach a broad audience. However, it can also negatively impact companies that are unversed in this landscape, creating a powerful snowball effect that often reaches a broader audience than traditional news media.
An article published in the Financial Times is a great example of how social media can create this snowball effect. Last September, advertisers launched a campaign for the pain reliever Motrin. The advertisement “implied that while baby-carriers might be fashionable, hauling a child around could be painful.”
Mothers, angry with these advertisements, posted anti-Motrin campaigns on Facebook and blogs and also posted videos on YouTube to express their anger with the campaign’s suggestion that their babies were a hassle. They also used Twitter to attack the company and voice their disappointment with the advertisements. Motrin, unprepared to handle such a social media crisis, became unresponsive to the backlash and critics accused the company of being “not only insensitive but also unresponsive.”
Examples like this illustrate the importance of staying up to speed with emerging trends and technologies. As social mediums like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube continue to gain popularity, it will be important for companies to embrace these mediums and engage with their target audiences through these networks.
The best way to get acquainted with these tools is to experience them firsthand. Join the Twitter network or create a Facebook page to see what all the hype is about. As Jennifer and Colleen state in their upcoming book, Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR, “Using these tools yourself will give you a much clearer picture of how they are used and by whom. It may also generate some innovative ideas for how to target these media on behalf of your organization.”
Today the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published an op-ed article by Dr. Thomas Hansen, CEO of Seattle Children’s Hospital, which discusses how the steep rise in children with chronic illnesses over the last 50 years is pushing hospital executives to closely monitor and incorporate disease trajectories into the strategic planning.
The article, located on page a13 of the editorial section, also examines the healthcare impact for children with chronic conditions in Washington state during a recession. Families who have children with chronic conditions rely heavily on employment-based health insurance and public insurance such as Medicaid, which are often the first impacted during an economic downturn.
Dr. Thomas Hansen provides readers with supporting patient data points from Children’s as well as the Washington State Department of Health to demonstrate how healthcare is evolving for children with chronic conditions. From a PR perspective, this is an excellent example of how an organization can leverage trends and analytical data to share a perspective on important local issues.
Op-ed articles appear in the editorial/opinion section of daily newspapers and are a great way to help establish thought leadership and build credibility for an organization and its executive team. At the same time, these articles allow organizations such as Children’s to voice an opinion.
Dr. Hansen concludes the article by saying, “What keeps me up at night is that upheavals in our economy might overrun our ability to properly care for our children. Then I think about everyday challenges our children with chronic conditions have. I see them conquering fear, overcoming limitations and fighting for a better life. No matter what the greater economy is doing, we are obligated to fight for better health for our children. And I know we will.”
We applaud Children’s work to raise awareness of this important topic. By sharing their perspective in local newspapers like the Seattle P.I., the hospital is helping to secure healthcare resources for children with special needs, now and in the future.
To read the full Seattle Post-Intelligencer article, click here.
Over the past few months, Communiqué has had the opportunity to work with Big Canvas Inc. to secure coverage of its iPhone applications. Big Canvas is a creative developer of applications for the Apple iPhone. Beginning with its flagship application PhotoShare, Big Canvas applications have been growing in popularity and generating buzz because they allow people to engage in “visual conversations,” by sharing snapshots of their lives in real time.
There has been substantial media interest in its applications, and we wanted to share some of the great coverage Big Canvas has received thus far:
Articles
App Beacon, Big Canvas PhotoShare
Apptism, Big Canvas PhotoShare
Business Week, Windows Mobile, What Microsoft Needs to Fix
Cult of Mac, Big Canvas Photo Apps Could Make MMS on iPhone Irrelevant
CNET, iPhone Apps of the Week
Coolest Gadgets
iPhone Me, Windows 95 Lead Architect is a Mac Convert, Launches First iPhone App
iPhonexe.com, Big Canvas PhotoShare
iusethis.com, Big Canvas PhotoShare
MacBlogz, Holiday Frames, an iPhone App Comes Just in Time for the Holidays
Moconews.net, Mobile Veteran Changes Focus From Reaching The Mass Market To Single Focus On The iPhone
PCWorld, iPhone, Economy Spur Better Phones, Apps
PDAStreet, Software Drives the iPhone 3G
The iPhone Blog, Quick App: Big Canvas PhotoShare Social Network Pics for the iPhone
Top Tech News, HP Makes App Store Debut with iPrint Photo
Wall Street Journal, iPhone Calls on Software Developers
ZDNet, iPhone & Photos: Business opportunities through Apps
Forbes, Cloud Computing, Supercomputers for Hire
Press Releases
July 11, 2008, New iPhone Application from Big Canvas Allows Users to Store and Manage Pictures Online
Oct. 9, 2008, Life Loggers Share 100,000 Photos Monthly Using Big Canvas’ PhotoShare
Oct. 15, 2008, Second Application From Big Canvas Available Through Apple’s App Store
Nov. 26, 2008, With OilCanvas, Paint Like VanGogh, Monet or O’Keefe With Your iPhone
Dec. 16, 2008, iPhone Users Can Now Customize and Share Photos with New HolidayFrames Application from Big Canvas
Every day we hear news about the recession: the current state of consumer confidence, how many people are being laid off and how the economy is impacting various industries. PR is certainly no exception. A recent PRWeek article reports that many companies are asking their PR agencies to go on hiatus this year in an effort to weather the financial downturn. While retainer accounts may be hard to come by in 2009, this trend presents a significant opportunity for PR agencies to re-think how they’re working with existing clients and approaching new business to sustain momentum through these tough economic times.
The reality is news doesn’t stop during a recession and while many organizations may be cutting back on spending, they still need to find ways to connect and communicate with their customers and key audiences. PR is one of the most efficient, cost-effective ways to do this.
Cision, a provider of media intelligence services for the public relations, investor relations, marketing and corporate communications sectors recently released some survival tips on how to do more PR with less budget. Here are a few interesting tips:
Align PR tactics with business strategies – This is the philosophy upon which Communiqué PR was founded on and in fact, our founders have even written a book dedicated to this philosophy. It’s critical to align your communication strategies with your business objectives if you want to see true ROI in your PR program. Particularly in a down economy, organizations need to get the biggest bang for their buck. Making sure your communication and business strategies are aligned will produce better results that impact your business in a positive way.
Know what story you plan to tell – As consolidation continues to shrink editorial staffs for newspapers and magazines, reporters have less and less time to devote to the in-depth, niche topics they once covered. It’s important to understand they’re being tasked with covering several beats at once. In order to spark interest and secure coverage, you need to get creative and present compelling story ideas and provide the resources they need to easily write the story.
Leverage emerging technologies – Social media continues to prove to be a budget-friendly, efficient way to reach niche audiences. Blogs and micro blogs, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, podcasts and vodcasts provide innovative ways to relay your company’s message and should be strategically incorporated into your communications plan.
The bottom line is PR can be a cost-effective vehicle for connecting with your key audiences and maintaining visibility during tough economic times. While you may not have the money to do a full blown PR program, many agencies are willing to work with you on a short-term or project basis to devise and execute a strategy that will yield results and drive your business.
For more information on how to leverage PR to help your company maintain momentum during the recession please contact us at [email protected].
We have all seen the news regarding our suffering economy, both nationally and locally. “Company now targets 20% workforce reduction; more layoffs are possible,” “Boeing Layoffs Swell to 10,000,” “Starbucks to lay off 6,700, Close 300 Stores.” These are just a few of the headlines from recent news.
While we will continue to be bombarded with bad news about the economy and additional layoffs, there is a silver lining. These types of news cycles often present a prime opportunity to pitch stories that provide consumers with a counter point, good news, and/or helpful hints for managing during the recession.
For example, last week, we reached out to local broadcast outlets to offer some refreshing stories for local viewers in light of news regarding significant local layoffs. We suggested a segment highlighting that despite the current state of the local job market, Big Fish Games is weathering current economic conditions, seeing its revenues increase and continuing to hire employees. We offered Big Fish Games’ executives to provide advice for job seekers and to speak to business growth despite the recession.
Through our outreach we were able to secure broadcast coverage with both KING 5 News and Q13 Fox News.
The KING 5 segment, “Big Fish Games still hiring,” hosted by Glenn Farley, included an interview with Big Fish Games’ CEO Jeremy Lewis as well as Christine Davis, a new Big Fish Games employee, and outlines the company’s growth over the past year.
Q13 Reporter Amy Allen focused her segment, “Some Local Companies are Hiring,” on Big Fish Games and mentioned other local companies fortunate enough to be hiring. She provided viewers with a tour of Big Fish Games’ headquarters and highlighted some of the great perks of working for the company, including fresh fruit in the lunch room, video games in the break room and the use of Razor scooters as transportation around the office.
Both segments helped promote Big Fish Games as a successful, local company with a fun and energetic work environment and informed viewers that unlike many companies that are laying off employees, Big Fish Games is looking to fill approximately 35 positions.
These news stories come in addition to other recent articles about Big Fish Games including a TechFlash article by John Cook, “Record Revenues at Big Fish and the dawn of a new Chaplin era?” as well as an article in the Wall Street Journal, “Out of Office: Job Loss in the Age of Blogs and Twitter,” which highlights how consumers are playing games from Big Fish Games as a fun, “affordable way to forget” about the economy for an hour or two.
To learn more about how you can leverage news and to secure coverage about your company, contact us at [email protected].