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.
As she moved the microphone closer to my face, I ran through my check list: Pause and think, speak in a measured manner, and don’t freak out – it’s not live.
Recently, a former colleague, Joleen Hughes, interviewed me for her podcast, The Lawyer Who Rocks. This was my first podcast interview as the interviewee.
I am used to being behind the scenes, the counselor training spokespersons. Rarely have I been the subject of the interview. My discomfort at being in front of the microphone was noticeable with my nervous tapping and dry mouth. However, it was a wonderful reminder of the pressure associated with being a spokesperson and reinforced the importance of the practices we recommend for our clients. Taking time to study up on the outlet and its audience, the particular interview (e.g., is it live, recorded, in person, over the phone, etc.), revisiting your key messages and current proof points, and establishing your agenda are all helpful practices in advance of a media interview – and will alleviate some of the pressures. (For more on this read: Mastering the Interview and Preparing for the Broadcast Interview.)
Core to these practices is being prepared. In the weeks leading up to my interview, I listened to past interviews Joleen had conducted on her podcast. I thought about what I could offer her listeners that might be of interest. I reflected on my experiences running our firm, lessons learned, what I was proud of, as well as what I envisioned for the future. The intent was to get grounded in what I had to share: my key messages.
I started to question the time spent preparing – have I invested too much time on this, should I be doing x, y or z instead, do I really have anything of value to offer? Ultimately though, when I sat down at the microphone and started fielding Joleen’s questions, the time preparing truly paid off. After getting used to the microphone’s proximity, I was able to relax and be confident in sharing my experiences as a business leader, what I learned, and what motivates me.
The opportunity to be a guest on her podcast has made me more empathetic to the pressure of media interviews. I have facilitated countless interviews and conducted media trainings for a variety of executives over the years – and perhaps I had grown a little desensitized to the anxiety an interview can cause when you are “in the hot seat.”
In addition to preparing in advance, here are some in-the-moment tips for your next media interview:
- Pause before responding. Consider the question asked and how you want to respond given the audience, your messages and your objectives
- Breathe and don’t rush through your responses. Speak in a measured pace and articulate clearly so the reporter and the broader audience can understand your comments clearly.
- Eliminate distractions. Turn off your computer screen. Avoid conducting an interview from your mobile phone while driving or doing something else. Turn off your device while conducting an in-person interview. Find a quiet place.
Fortunately, my media training experience and time spent preparing were of benefit. And as it wasn’t live, my “ums” and repetitive statements such as “that is a good question” could be edited out, to create a smoother, more articulate segment for listeners.
Thank you to Joleen, Tina Nole, Joelle Nole and the rest of the team at Larj Media!
You can listen to the resulting podcast here: Colleen Moffitt – Parole Officer turned PR Powerhouse
Whether you’re getting ready to graduate or you’ve been out of school for a while, continuing to be proactive about your PR education is crucial to your career development and long-term success in the industry.
As a recent graduate and fresh PR professional, I’ve realized how important it is to be familiar with current trends and themes – all the way from interacting with media to creating the most engaging social content. The industry continues lurching forward, with expectation to grow 9 percent according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, and being a recent graduate affords me a certain perspective around what education looks like externally and internally.
Below are some best practices on how to remain current in your PR education, whether a current college student or college graduate starting out in the field.
Current college students
Create and maintain relationships with your professors – As freshmen, we’re told to visit professors’ during their office hours to introduce ourselves. I can attest, even in a 500-person class, the professor will remember your face, if not your name. Building these relationships is not only good practice for future relationship-building but professors often have a solid network and are willing to share it.
Utilize your university’s online job/volunteer-search portals – Often, these portals allow you to customize your search by industry, job title, job type (internship, part-time, full-time) employer, and even location. Whether you’re hunting for a job or looking through all the available opportunities, this resource allows you to sleuth for all the possibilities. Not only are job portals helpful to recognizing possibilities but you’re able to examine various PR businesses’ websites to get a sense of how they function, their best practices, how large/small the business is, and more.
Current college students & college graduates:
Read books and articles – There are a handful of PR books and resources for educational articles. Communiquè’s very own founders, Colleen and Jennifer, wrote Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR, which is now used as a textbook at higher education institutions. Some of my other favorite books and websites are below:
- The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott
- Cutlip and Center’s Effective Public Relations by Glen Broom
- PR Daily
- ZEROto5IVE
Leverage LinkedIn and other professional networking sites – Over the years, LinkedIn has become a hub for building and maintaining company and personal brands. Additionally, it allows you to share and keep track of your achievements over the years and network with industry leaders. It is an especially useful tool when creating briefing documents for interviews.
In a flourishing industry, it’s crucial to be proactive in your PR education and hone your personal skills. Stay tuned, I’m exploring mine.
In case you missed it, on Tuesday, April 23, A Place for Mom, the largest senior-living referral service in North America, announced the findings from its 2018 Senior Living Cost Index. The annual report is designed to help families and seniors as they consider moving to retirement, assisted living or memory care communities.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 47.8 million people age 65 or older in the U.S. on July 1, 2015. [1] And, by 2035, there will be 78 million people age 65 years or older. [2]
This means that each year millions of seniors are likely to be making important decisions regarding their housing and care, and there is a lot at stake for them. Decisions to move are often fraught with emotion and seniors typically spend more on housing than any other expenditure.
A Place for Mom’s Senior Living Cost Index can help them determine the cost of senior housing and care. It provides information – from historical rent and care charges– around the rate of cost growth by care type, and how costs might differ by region among other things.
This year, executives with A Place for Mom spoke with journalists with USA Today, Multi-Housing News, McKnight’s Senior Living and Senior Housing News to explain the findings and share additional insights on their significance.
Links to their articles can be found below and it is interesting to see how each person illuminated the findings:
- USA Today, There’s a ‘perfect storm’ (of good news) for senior living costs in 2019. Here’s why
- Multi-Housing News, Senior living cost growth lags healthcare
- McKnight’s Senior Living, Modest senior living cost growth presents marketing opportunity, experts say
- Senior Housing News, Competitive market keeps senior living rate growth in check
- PBS News Hours, Are Americans overconfident about paying for retirement? April 23, 2019 (Cites APFM’s 2018 SLCI data)
We also have heard from several other journalists that will rely on the findings from A Place for Mom’s Senior Living Price Index throughout the year.
Finally, it will be interesting to see what next year’s Senior Living Price Index will reveal. Do you think that American’s should expect price stability to continue, or will we begin to see costs climb at a faster rate?
[1] https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2017/cb17-ff08.html
[2] https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/cb18-41-population-projections.html
In September 2018, Cision, a leading public relations and earned media software company and services provider, commissioned Forester Consulting to understand how marketers perceive their communications’ teams and the value of earned media. Its surveys quantified marketing perceptions, providing unique insights. These insights allow us to adapt our positioning or behavior to either continue supporting the perception or attempt to change them.
This report, titled, Influencing Through Earned Media, garnered many valuable insights and I recommend taking a moment to review it in its entirety. However, the findings about the value of earned media and the approach to media outreach warranted further reflection.
Earned Media Plays a Significant Role in Achieving Marketing Goals
When marketers were asked how significant a role earned media played in helping their organization achieve its business priorities, 98 percent said it is critically or very important. For comparison, 98 percent said paid media is critically or very important.
These data points revealed that marketers find earned media as important as paid media. While media relations and securing articles in relevant publications is only a portion of what communications teams do, it is typically a key component of their work, and these findings solidify its role in the overall marketing strategy. It also highlights earned media’s ability to impact the bottom line and drive business initiatives.
When working with an organization, the foundational element we seek to understand is business objectives. This then influences the strategies we recommend and execute. For instance, we once had a client that was interested in growing revenue and a potential acquisition. In order to do this, we worked to secure articles in top-tier publications, place bylines by the executive team, and hone messages to highlight the company’s value proposition. Ultimately, these strategies helped raise awareness for the brand and established credibility in the product, as well as the leadership team. The company was acquired by a major public company that noted the company was a “media darling.”
Half of Marketers Expect Journalists to Reach Out to Them
Admittedly, this statistic surprised me. Surveyors inquired about how an organization’s PR team is integrated with overall marketing strategies, and while there were a variety of responses to this question, 52 percent said they rely on journalists to reach out to them. Waiting for journalists to reach out could result in a lot of missed opportunities.
Proactively reaching out to journalists has many benefits. First, it can place a story about a company or a trend relevant to the company which can assist in raising awareness and building thought leadership. Additionally, by proactively reaching out, you can establish relationships with key media. Not every touch point with a journalist will lead to an article, let alone a response, but providing them with opportunities and updates, and sharing information that is relevant to their beat demonstrates that you are working to service them with valuable and compelling information.
This proactive outreach, if done strategically, can lead to mutually beneficial relationships for both the brand and the journalist. Ultimately, establishing the brand, or a spokesperson, as a reliable and informed source for a journalist will lead to them reaching out. That said, it is possible that marketers at big, established companies that frequently received media requests could have skewed this data, however, proactive outreach still enables communication teams to develop trusting relationships with the media and influence story ideas or secure inclusion in additional articles.
This report demonstrates the value of PR and strategic communications as earned media is just as important as paid media. But if communications teams want to be successful in securing earned media, they need to be creative, strategic and proactive in their approach by sharing compelling and relevant story ideas with the media.
As any businessperson or entrepreneur knows, if you want to successfully scale your business, goals must be established. Objectives need to be set. Strategies and tactics must be in place. Each of these concepts plays a significant role in business planning – they set the very framework of guiding the direction of your organization.
And yet, it’s not uncommon for many businesspeople to struggle differentiating these terms from each other. Objectives may often be mistaken for goals, while tactics may be confused with strategies.
While these terms share similarities, discerning each for the unique concept it conveys helps paint a clearer picture of how businesses will achieve success. Below, we take a closer look at goals, objectives, strategies and tactics.
A goal is a broad outcome, which may take years to reach. It is often a brief, general and clear statement that illustrates what your business wants to do or where it aims to be. It is lofty and ambitious, focusing less on how your business will do something and more on what the desired outcome will be. An example might be that your organization wants to “become a market leader in its field” or “increase profitability.”
An objective is a measurable step taken toward reaching that goal. It is specific, actionable and defines progress made toward achieving your goal. If your company’s goal was to “increase profitability,” an objective may be to “boost revenue by introducing a new product in Q2” or “cut a percentage of overhead costs by the end of the fiscal year.”
A strategy is the approach taken toward achieving a goal. It focuses on how and less on what. Strategies can define your organization’s approach toward competing with other businesses in your field. They may guide the launch of marketing campaigns to influence customers and audience regarding the capabilities of your product or service. An example could be “inform customers of our new product launch through online and social media advertising.”
A tactic is an action or tool that an organization uses to achieve an objective associated with a strategy. A tactic is a what and not a how. While a strategy deals with the long-term direction of a business, a tactic takes advantage of opportunities as they happen and deals more with day-to-day matters. It’s important that tactics align with strategies and work in tandem – tactics serve as the action to a strategy’s larger approach. An example of a tactic may be after a bakery raises its pastry prices, a competing bakery that’s looking to increase revenue long-term slashes its pastry prices by 20 percent to capitalize on customer backlash.
It’s important to remember that each of these concepts relies on the other, as they all work in tandem to promote the advancement of your business. Organizations that understand and can differentiate these concepts are the ones positioning themselves for success and to best handle whatever the market throws their way.
Earlier this year one of our esteemed clients, Western Governors University (WGU), partnered with Lifetime™ for #SheDidThat – a campaign that celebrated four exceptional women who earned master’s degrees from WGU and have gone on to better the world as teachers, nurses, innovators, entrepreneurs and glass-ceiling breakers.
Out of the hundreds of nominations, Michelle Johnson, a language arts and student leadership teacher at Legacy High School in Kennewick, Washington was selected to be featured. Michelle is a graduate of WGU Washington’s College of Teaching and works with at-risk students who are vulnerable to problem behaviors, along with mental health disorders.
“So many of them have overcome so many of life’s challenges,” said Michelle, when describing the grit and determination of her students. “I tell people all the time, my students have a Ph.D in life – they’re just working on getting their high school diploma.”
Michelle works to make sure all her students have what they need to reach their potential, whether that means providing them with basics like clean clothing and toiletries so they can attend school with dignity, or teaching them the leadership skills they need to succeed after graduation.
Outside of the classroom she is making an incredible impact on the local community. For example, Michelle created a leadership program where students are given opportunities to volunteer with organizations such as Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
If you ask Michelle why she wanted to teach, she’ll tell you that one of the reasons has to do with the kids in the park, across the street from her school—the ones who’ve spent the night sleeping on picnic-tables.
“We have kids who are homeless and sleeping in the park across the street and as soon as we open the doors in the morning, they’re coming in to get warm,” said Michelle.
Michelle was also drawn to teaching from personal experience – her little brother was an at-risk teen, too. It’s all of this that led her to a career in education. She nearly chose a career path in marketing but soon realized where her true passion lay when working in education for some extra income. After excelling in her role as a para-educator, her colleagues noticed her knack for teaching and encouraged her to earn her bachelor’s degree and a position as a full-time teacher.
She soon realized that not only could she teach, but she could continue to expand her career and become an education leader in her community with flexible, online courses. Michelle earned a Master of Education degree in Learning and Technology from Western Governors University’s Teachers College.
Michelle hopes that one day she won’t hear about teens sleeping on park benches anymore. She’s working hard to help teens avoid that and similar challenges – like the ones her little brother faced when he was in high school.
It was our distinct pleasure to share Michelle’s inspiring story with media to highlight the impact she is making on her local community. We secured two broadcast interviews with the local NBC (KNDO/KNDU) and ABC (KVEW) affiliates in Kennewick that illustrate how Michelle is paying it forward.
To learn more about the extraordinary accomplishments of these four WGU grads and the #SheDidThat campaign, please visit wgu.edu/shedidthat.