Public Relations And 180degree Turns

Writen by Lance Winslow

Public Relations is a pretty unforgiving field to participate in. Even those who are often called the king of spin have problems with it occasionally, as it is hard to be right all the time in an ever changing world of public perception and mass media incited hysteria.

So what do you do when something goes terribly wrong and you are in crisis mode? How can you back out of a public relations campaign, community goodwill program or direction of spin gracefully and do a 180-degree turn? It is not easy and often it involves some very creative thinking on the part of the main members of the team.

When a public relations campaign is not working right it needs to be shut down and terminated before it does any more damage. Sometimes, it pays to play up the controversy and then report that our customers have made up their minds and we are listening and therefore we are dumping this public relations campaign for something that our customers want and we are doing it now.

Another thing to do is to have a vote and let the customers decide what they like, this allows them to have by in and have a say in the public relations campaign. Then you can say as a company you trust your customers and you intend to give them what they want because you do it all for them. This is one of the easiest strategies for 180° turnaround's in a public relations campaign midstream. Please consider this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Pr Is Just Smart Business

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

The name of the game is doing our part to achieve manage- ment's objectives. And public relations best practice – properly applied – does just that.

How? The driving force is public relations' fundamental premise which promises to harness your most important external audiences in a way that actually helps reach those very same business objectives.

Just look at that premise: "People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving- to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the public relations mission is accomplished."

It strongly suggests that without the understanding of who and what your organization is all about, the behaviors of those important external audiences may hinder your efforts and, left unattended, tie your organization in knots.

This sentence sums up the bottom line. When public relations alters key audience perceptions, then reaches, persuades and moves them to an action you desire, it clearly helps achieve management's objectives.

Do you enjoy that kind of support? You can if you employ a program along these lines.

Decide at the start which outside audiences display behaviors that most impact your organization, and list them. We'll concentrate here on that #1 external audience you believe has the greatest effect on your operations. Of course, other audiences may need your attention as well.

The obvious first step is to find out how members of that "public," as we call them, actually perceive your organization. The best and quickest way to do this is to interact with those people and ask questions that probe their perceptions. Listen carefully for negative observations and remain alert to factual errors, inaccuracies, misperceptions and even rumors.

These responses enable you to create a public relations goal aimed directly at correcting the damaging perceptions, especially misconceptions and inaccuracies.

Now, you get to select one of three available opinion strategies that show you how you will reach your goal: create opinion where there may be none; change existing opinion, or reinforce it. Your public relations goal will lead you to the proper strategy selection.

The meat of the program is usually the message you will send to members of your target audience. After all, that message will be charged with the task of altering people's perceptions, and that means it must be persuasive and compelling. It must also be as clear as possible, and contain the facts and figures needed to repair the perception damage. In short, your message must be believable. You might also run it by a few members of your target audience to be sure it has the desired effect on the perception you are striving to alter.

Moving your message to many members of your #1 external audience requires aggressive and carefully targeted communications tactics. Public relations is fortunate to have dozens of such tactics from which to choose. For example, radio and newspaper interviews, letters-to-the-editor, face-to- face meetings and speeches. Or you might select tactics such as facility tours, brochures, community meetings, special events and promotional activity.

In due course, after your communications tactics have spread your message far and wide, you will want to know if you are making any progress. Experience shows that remonitoring your target audience is a must.

You will want to ask the same questions of audience members you used during your data gathering exercise at the start of the program.

Your objective, however, will be different. Now, you will be looking for signs that the offending perception has begun to be altered in the direction you desire. Should more work be necessary, a possible change in the mix and frequency of your communications tactics can be made. And, of course, you would want to review your message for clarity, impact and direction, especially with regard to your supporting facts and figures.

Because we know that predictable behaviors tend to follow changes in perception, your carefully planned public relations effort is well-positioned to create key audience support for management initiatives.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2003

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

Guerrilla Pr Chapter One

Writen by Michael Levine

THE NATURE OF MEDIA

Thirty years ago, Marshall McCluhan, the father of modern communications, wrote the immortal words, "The medium is the message." Today I would amend that to, "The medium is the media." Our civilization is utterly dominated by the force of media. After our own families, no influence holds greater sway in shaping the text of our being than do the media that cloak us like an electronic membrane.

We all think of ourselves as unique, unlike any person past or present. Indeed, what gives human life its divine spark is the distinct quality of every individual. Yet in many ways we are all the same. The task of market analysts, pollsters, and demographers is to identify those characteristics we share, and group us accordingly. If you are in your early forties, male, Caucasian, a father of two, earn $50,000 or more, and listen to a Top 40 radio station, there are total strangers out there who know an awful lot about you.

That's because they understand a lot about your upbringing. They know you watched "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the fifties, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." in the sixties, "Saturday Night Live" in the seventies, became environmentally conscious in the eighties, and were probably sorry ABC canceled "Thirtysomething" in the nineties. They've got your number because they understand the role the media have played in your life from the moment you Boomed as a Baby.

Today, in America, we tune in to over 9,000 commercial radio stations, 1,100 television stations, 11,000 periodicals, and over 11,000 newspapers with a combined circulation of nearly seventy million. These are the sources of our opinions on everything from nuclear disarmament to Madonna's love life. Nobody likes to be told what to think, but all of us, every single day, are told precisely what to think about.

As Anthony Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson show in their insightful book, Age of Propaganda, the mass media are most effective in terms of persuading the public for two primary reasons. First, they teach new behavior and, second, they let us know that certain behaviors are legitimate and appropriate. So, if the media are encouraging certain buying patterns, fashion trends, modes of thinking, the unstated message we receive is "It's okay for me to like that, do that, feel that." In this way, our culture evolves, is accelerated, and disseminated.

Like the transcontinental railroad of the last century, the media link every city, gully, farmhouse, and mountaintop in North America. Regionalism is fading. The American accent is more uniform; our penchant for migration and blending in is like the smoothing out of a great national blanket. We are fast becoming one.

A common grammatical error occurs when people say "The media is" rather than "The media are" ("media" being the plural of medium"). Yet I sense people who say "the media is" are on to something. They perceive the many arms of the media-TV, newspapers, radio, etc.-as part of one monstrously monolithic creature. The media are "one" too.

Consider "Baby Jessica" McClure, for whom my firm donated public relations services. Jessica was the toddler from Midland, Texas, who fell down a narrow pipe in her backyard in 1987. For thirty-six hours, America was mesmerized by press coverage of her rescue. Acting as a concerned neighbor, the media conveyed Jessica's light to the nation. The private agony of the McClure family became the anguish of all America.

Think of it: the temporary suffering of one "insignificant" little girl stopped the world's most powerful country dead in its tracks. (Then, to canonize the experience, the TV movie version of Jessica's story made it to the small screen within a year.)

Without those cameras there to catch it, and those TV stations to broadcast it, Baby Jessica's ordeal would have made absolutely no impact on anyone other than her family and those who saved her. Because of the media, all of America for two days became part of Jessica's family.

CONTRACTION AND EXPANSION

Journalists and talk-show hosts like to claim they're in the information business or the news business. But you know and I know they're in the money business just like everyone else. Because practically all media are privately held profit-making ventures, they behave much like any other enterprise, looking for ways to increase the bottom line.

To do that they must expand their consumer base, that is, their audience. They must give the customer what he or she wants. So if your local news station runs a few too many five-part specials on the illicit sex lives of nuns during "Sweeps Month," remember they're only trying to please the viewers.

Creating a successful product means citizens may not always get the information they need. A Harvard researcher found the average network sound byte from presidential campaigns dropped from 41.5 seconds per broadcast in 1968 to just under 10 seconds in 1988. That translates into roughly sixteen words a night with which to make up our minds on who should run the country. We absorb more information, yet understand less than ever before.

This is a logical consequence of big media. Their existence depends on keeping the audience tuned in. If TV station "A" covers candidate "B" droning on about farm subsidies, most of the audience will probably switch to station "C" running a story about the stray cat raised by an affectionate pig. Station "A" would be wise to ditch candidate "B" and send a crew out to film Porky and Tabby.

Along with this contraction of information is a parallel expansion of media. Because social scientists have us so precisely categorized, outlets targeted to specific groups flourish. Lear's caters to mature, high-income women. Details appeals to middle-income, fast-tracker men. Essence aims for black women.

Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul, and Mary, tells a great story in his stage show to illustrate how narrowly focused we've become as a society. In the 1940s and 1950s we had the all-encompassing Life magazine. Then, we cropped our vision down to People magazine in the seventies (all of Life wasn't good enough anymore). Things tightened up even more with Us. Now we have Self. Somewhere, there's just gotta be a magazine just for you. I can just imagine it: on sale now, "Fred Morganstern Monthly."

Not only do we see more media outlets, but the flow of information has likewise increased dramatically the past few years. Fax machines, cellular phones, modems, fiber-optic cables, Low Power TV, satellite down-links, all have reshaped the way we get our information, when we get it, and what we do with it.

During China's "Goddess of Democracy" protests in 1989, the students kept in touch with the outside world via fax. Instantly, China seemed to leap forward from feudal empire to modern nation. Vietnam was the first "we'll be right back after these messages" war. As napalm rained down on the jungle, we saw it live as it happened. We had no time to process information or analyze events as we were barraged by them. Because of improved communications, the Gulf War had the same effect, only with infinitely more drama.

The media may have accelerated the process of dissemination, but as we found out in the days of the first supersonic jets, breaking the sound barrier did not, as some scientists feared, cause planes to disintegrate. Likewise, instant news did not cause us to psychologically disintegrate.

There's no way to assess what this means to society. To be carpet-bombed by information must have far-reaching consequences to our civilization, but that's for future observers to sort out. Today, we face an intimidating media- driven culture. Anyone looking to succeed in business must first master the fundamentals of navigating the media. To reach customers, donors, or investors-to reach the public-one must rely on the media as the prime intermediary. The methodology to achieve this is known as Public Relations.

THE NATURE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.

-- Robert Frost

I'm often asked whether public relations is a science or an art. That's a valid question. In science, two plus two equals four. It will always equal four whether added by a Republican from Iowa, a shaman from New Guinea, or an alien from Planet X. However, in public relations, two plus two may equal four. It may equal five. It may equal zero today and fifty tomorrow.

Public relations is an art.

Like an art, there are rules of form, proven techniques, and standards of excellence. But, overall, it's a mercurial enterprise, where instinct is as legitimate as convention.

Public relations was once defined as the ability to provide the answers before the public knows enough to ask the questions. Another P.R. pundit once stated, "We don't persuade people. We simply offer them reasons to persuade themselves." I define what I do as gift-wrapping. If you package a bracelet in a Tiffany box, it will have a higher perceived value than if presented in a K Mart box. Same bracelet, different perception.

PERCEPTION IS REALITY

Don Burr, former CEO of People Express Airlines, once said, "In the airline industry, if passengers see coffee stains on the food tray, they assume the engine maintenance isn't done right." That may seem irrational, but in this game, perception, not the objective truth, matters most.

How one comprehends given information is all-important in public relations. For decades, baby harp seals were bludgeoned to death by fur hunters, but until the public saw the cute little critters up close and personal and perceived the hunt as unacceptable, the problem didn't exist. Before that, it was a matter of trappers preserving their hardy way of life. The seals ultimately hired the better publicist.

This also works in negative ways. The congressional check-bouncing scandal was a case in which individual congressmen's visibility skyrocketed, while their credibility plummeted. The Tobacco Institute, a Washington-based lobbying and P.R. outfit, spends its time and money claiming cigarettes are okay. Nothing they do or say will ever make that true, but they may go a long way in changing public perception of their product. A few years ago they sponsored subliminally that no-smoking regulations infringe on our basic liberties. How's that for a P.R. stretch?

Ultimately, the goal of any public relations campaign is to either reorient, or solidify, perception of a product, client, policy, or event. From there, nature takes its course. If the public perceives the product as good, the movie star as sexy, the pet rock as indispensable, then the public will fork over its money. As the brilliant business author Dr. Judith Bardwick explained, "To be perceived as visible increasingly means one is perceived as successful."

Some may charge that stressing perception as reality is tantamount to sanctioning falsehood. I disagree. As the great historian Max Dimont argued, it didn't matter if Moses really did have a chat with the Lord up on Mount Sinai or not. What matters is that the Jewish people believed it and carved their unique place in world civilizations because of it. Perception became reality.

Likewise, on a more mundane scale, one will succeed in a P.R. campaign only if the perception fostered truly resonates with the public. I do not believe people are easily duped. You may try everything in your bag of tricks to get the public to see things your way. You'll pull it off only if the perception you seek to convey fits the reality of the public, the reality of the times. As Pretkanis and Eronson argue, credibility today is manufactured, and not earned.

P.R. OR PUBLICITY?

Often, the terms "public relations" and "publicity" are used interchangeably. They shouldn't be. Publicity is only one manifestation of P.R.-specifically, achieving notoriety through accumulated press exposure. A publicist knows newspapers, magazines, and TV talk shows. Public Relations is much more than that. The Public Relations expert is as well versed in human nature as in editorial and sound bytes.

P.R. can be as macro as a campaign to persuade foreign governments so buy U.S. soybeans, or as micro as a warm handshake. The notion that P.R. is simply a matter of mailing press releases is nuttier than a squirrel's breakfast. As producer, manager, and publicist Jay Bernstein says, "P.R. is getting a front table at the right restaurant, getting you invited to the right party, and getting into first class with a tourist ticket."

A man who has greatly affected my thinking, the esteemed business author and lecturer Tom Peters, tells the story of a visit to a neighborhood convenience store. "American Express was being a little user-unfriendly," Tom recalls, "and it took a good three minutes for my AMEX card to clear. When it finally did, the cashier bagged my purchase, and as I turned to go reached into a jar of two-cent foil-wrapped mints. He pulled one out, dropped it in my bag, and said, 'The delay you experienced was inexcusable. I apologize and hope it doesn't happen again. Come back soon.' For two cents, he bought my loyalty for life."

This story is about one small business owner and only one customer, but it's a perfect example of good P.R. But what about bad P.R.? I doubt there's anyone on the scene who has mastered that dubious craft better than sometime-billionaire Donald Trump. This is a man who has lost control of his own gilded ship. His lurid infidelities, his profligate spending, his precipitous fall from fortune, and, worst of all, his attempt to exploit the Mike Tyson rape tragedy to promote a prize fight, collectively paint a portrait of a thoroughly vulgar mind.

The Donald doesn't care what you say about him, as long as you spell his name right. True, whenever he opens his mouth or makes a move, the press is all over him. But his massive celebrity has made him only a famous fool. You are not likely to achieve the degree of fame that Mr. Trump has, but, given his shameful image, I would congratulate you on that.

P.R. VS. MARKETING

With Guerrilla P.R. (and P.R. in general), you do not tell the public that your new digital fish cleaner is the greatest invention since the dawn of time. You could easily do that in an ad. Your goal is to lead people to draw that same conclusion for themselves. Otherwise, you're engaging in good old-fashioned- or is it new-fashioned?-marketing strategy.

Companies often relegate public relations to their marketing departments. That might make sense from a corporate point of view, but there's a distinct difference between P.R. and marketing. Going back to the "science vs. art" analogy, whereas P.R. is the art, marketing is the science.

Bob Serling, President of the Stratford Marketing Group, an L.A.-based marketing firm, has written, "Marketing is everything you do to make sure your customers find out about, and buy, your products and services." That's a tall order, and to go about filling it, marketing executives lug around a hefty bag of tricks.

To a large degree, they rely on surveys, demographic analyses and established sales and advertising procedures to accomplish their goals. But in Public Relations, intangibles play a far greater role. How do you measure a feeling? It's not easy, but in P.R. we trade in the realm of feelings every day. We may use the media as the vehicle, but the landscape we traverse is contoured by human emotion.

Marketing often goes hand-in-hand with advertising. The undeniable advantage with advertising is that the advertiser retains full control. He knows exactly what his message will say and precisely when it will be seen. But remember this little fact of life: most top ad agencies consider a 1-2 percent response rate a triumph. That's all it takes to make them happy. And, like it or not, most people don't take ads as seriously as advertisers would like. Everybody knows they're bought and paid for.

I prefer the odds with major media exposure. True, you do lose a large measure of control, and you never know for sure when or how your message will be conveyed. But the public is far likelier to accept what it gleans from the news media over what it sees in commercials. If Dan Rather says a new sports shoe is a daring innovation, people will give that more credence than if company spokesman Bo Jackson says it. The news, indeed the truth, is what Dan Rather says it is.

So who tells Dan Rather what's news? The media like to boast they rely on ace newsgathering staffs; but in fact they depend a great deal on public relations people. That doesn't mean the journalists of America are saps. They're just looking for good stories. A hungry reporter and a smart publicist is a match made in heaven, and it's been that way since the dawn of the Communication Age.

FROM THE GUERRILLA P.R. FILE

In Amarillo, Texas, you'll find the Big Texan Steak Ranch, where the owner issues the following challenge:

If you can eat a seventy-two-ounce steak in an hour, you get it free. News of the deal traveled far and wide, even to the skies where I first read about it in an airline magazine.

GLORY DAYS: THE FOUNDING OF THE P.R. INDUSTRY

The public relations industry flourished with the growth of twentieth-century mass media, although sensitivity to public opinion on the part of public figures is nothing new. Even Abraham Lincoln got into the act, declaring once, "What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself." The fathers of modern P.R. knew the value of simple images to convey powerful messages.

Edward Bernays, founder of modern P.R., defined his mission as the engineering of consent. He was a nephew of Sigmund Freud, and he strikes me as having been just as perceptive about human nature as his esteemed uncle. Bernays displayed a genius for concocting indelible images, something good P.R. campaigns require. In one early triumph, he arranged for young debutantes to smoke Lucky Strikes while strolling in New York's 1929 Easter Parade. What Bernays sold to the press as a bold political statement on women's rights was no more than a gimmick to sell cigarettes.

Pioneers like publicist/film producer A.C. Lyles set the pace for generations of publicists to follow. Another innovator, Ivy Hill, is often credited with inventing the press release. Hill believed telling the "truth" in journalistic fashion would help shape public opinion. He sensed editors would not dismiss press releases as ads, but rather would perceive their real news value. He was right.

The publicist's ability to appeal to newspapers proved invaluable to captains of industry seeking to shore up their images. Back in the 1920s, Hill masterminded industrialist John D. Rockefeller's much-ridiculed habit of handing out dimes to every child he met. Ridiculous but effective in its time. (Imagine T.Boone Pickens trying that today.)

Occasionally, clients got less than they bargained for. In the late 1950s, the Ford Motor Company hired P.R. trail-blazer Ben Sonnenberg to help overcome the negative fallout from the Edsel fiasco. He charged Ford $50,000 for a foolproof P.R. plan, and after three days submitted it in person. Sonnenberg looked the breathless executives in the eye and intoned, "Do nothing." With that, the dapper publicist pocketed his check and walked out, much to the slack-jawed shock of the Ford brain trust.

Even nations sometimes need help. During the 1970s, Argentina developed a little P.R. problem when its government kidnapped and murdered thousands of its own citizens. Buenos Aires hired the high-powered U.S. firm of Burson- Marsteller to tidy things up. For a cool $1,000,000, the firm launched an extensive campaign involving opinion-makers from around the world: a stream of press releases stressed, among other things, the Argentine regime's record in fighting terrorism. Sometimes the truth can be stretched until it tears itself in half.

I don't wish to give the impression that P.R. is strictly a polite version of lying. That's not the case. As I said, P.R. is gift-wrapping. Whether delivered in fancy or plain paper, truth is truth, and the public ultimately comprehends it. The trick is packaging the truth on your own terms.

How often have you read about a big movie star storming off the set of a film because of "creative differences" with the director? We all know the two egomaniacs probably hated each other's guts. But if the papers printed that, we'd perceive the situation very differently. By our soft-pedaling the row with words like "creative differences," the movie star's reputation remains intact, even though intuition tells us he's "difficult."

MORE THAN ONE PUBLIC

Thus far, when referring to the public, I've generalized to mean the population at large: We the People. The sophisticated modern art of P.R. encompasses many more "publics" than that. In fact, selective targeting is a primary tactic in sound P.R. strategies. As you will see, bigger is not always better.

Depending on the goals, a publicist could target any one of various business, consumer, or governmental communities. An investor seeking financial backing aims for the financial press and relevant trade publications. A rock musician zeroes in on the local music rags. A lobbyist might need nothing more than a friendly article in the Washington Post, a retailer only the residents of his immediate neighborhood.

Though I've found a few clients easily dazzled by quantity, in P.R. quality is what really counts. A seven-inch stack of press clippings means nothing unless the objectives of the campaign have been met. The scrapbook makes a great Mother's Day gift, but I'd rather see my clients' careers advanced in the right direction.

Figuring out which public to reach is one of the most critical decisions a publicist makes. My orientation-and, I hope, yours-is geared toward the most significant audience vis-à-vis your objectives, which is not necessarily the widest. You may want to target the people you buy from, the people you hope to sell to, the people you work for, the people that work for you, and so on. It's a big world full of little worlds when you look closely.

In most cases I spell out precisely who and what I'm going after, and then proceed aggressively. Don't go for the moon all at once. Set a goal, achieve it, then build on that base. Any good planner knows the advantages of thinking three steps ahead while proceeding one step at a time.

FROM THE GUERRILLA P.R. FILE

The history-making August 1991 revolution in the former Soviet Union began when then-president Mikhail Gorbachev left Moscow for a vacation on the Crimean Sea. Because the whole affair had a happy ending, everybody laughed when, only a few days later, the president of an outdoor billboard company in Detroit ran a series of large ads all over town reading: "Welcome Back, Gorby! Next Time Vacation in Michigan."

MICHAEL LEVINE'S TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR DEALING WITH MEDIA

Never be boring. Never!

Know your subject thoroughly.

Know the media you contact. Read the paper, watch the newscast.

Cover you bases.

Don't just take "yes" for an answer. Follow up, follow through.

Never feel satisfied.

Always maintain your composure.

Think several moves ahead.

Be persistent, but move on when you're convinced you're getting nowhere.

Remember, this isn't brain surgery. Don't take yourself too seriously (like too many publicists I know). Have fun.

Michael Levine is the founder of the prominent public relations firm Levine Communications Office, based in Los Angeles. He is the author of Guerrilla PR, 7 Life Lessons from Noah's Ark: How to Survive a Flood in Your Own Life.

GuerrillaPR.net is a resource for people that want to get famous in the media, without going broke. http://GuerrillaPR.net

Be The Medias Dream Guest Publicity Pro Tips For Smash Hit Success

Writen by Annie Jennings

Thanks all for your wonderful interest in our publicity tips. The series is a set of tried and true publicity tips to use while working with the media. You'll learn 4 of the top pre-interview tips, on-camera or on-air tips, media etiquette tips & lots more PR pro tips to help position you as the media's dream guest!

Don't miss this series. When the media calls, you'll be ready!

TIP #1 Don't Try To Change The Segment Or Story Idea

During the pre-interview with the producer or journalist, please do not attempt to influence the producer or journalist to slant or change the original segment idea. This is because the article, story or segment idea is most likely already set in stone by Managing Editors or Executive Producers and your contact has very little flexibility. They are assigned to develop a story or segment idea according to a specific set of directives and appreciate your support in moving the story or segment forward.

Always give the media the info they are looking for first so they can complete their assignment otherwise, they might decide to move on to another expert! If you do a great job for them, that is, you are on target and on message without meandering off topic or discussing topics that fall outside the scope of the placement, they will use you again!

Of course, if they ask you about other ideas you may have, feel free to give them your best stuff!

TIP #2

Never Cancel A Segment Or Appointment With The Media!

Once you represent that are able for the media opportunity, please do not change your mind because the producer or journalist moves immediately to finalize the media placement on their end.

If you pull out you upset the booking process you leave the producer or journalist in a tough spot. This business is built on trust so never do anything to jeopardize the trust the media has in you.

When you make a commitment, stick to it, even if something comes up that you feel is more important. Your word should be worth gold in this industry!

TIP #3

Prepare Talking Points For The Pre-Interview With The Journalist Or Producer

Prepare your talking points in advance of your pre-interview or interview with the media. This way, you will appear to have command over your area of expertise and knowledgeable about the issue under discussion. You will avoid stumbling for thoughts or concepts.

If the media doubts your ability or expertise in the pre-interview, they will not use you for the placement. They simply have no choice. Their job is to book top qualified experts and if you indicate you are not that, they have to move on. As Annie Jennings PR has said for many years, think of any contact you have with the media as an audition. Everything you do is evaluated by the media with the thought in mind - is this person the perfect expert for the story or the segment?

You can make the media contact confident in choosing YOU if you are ready and prepared to discuss the topic. Create at least five discussion points on the topic before you speak to the producer or journalist.

You'll be happy you did!

TIP #4

Make Sure The Media Has Your FAST Contact Info!

Always provide the media with your contact info including your cell phone and fast contact info. As we mentioned, when the media moves, it moves fast. If you are actively seeking PR or are booked for a media opportunity already, keep yourself available and able to be reached immediately. If you give out your cell phone be sure it is working properly and also check your messages immediately so you don't miss a thing.

If you are traveling to a location for a TV or radio segment ask for the emergency contact info to the producer and of course, only use it for emergencies. This way, if you have trouble finding the location you know how to reach your media contact immediately.

Copyright 2006 Annie Jennings PR

Annie Jennings PR is a national publicity firm with over 16,000 experts available to the media. Major media calls everyday with their expert requests. Annie Jennings PR offers a variety of publicity programs including the new HOT PUBLICITY Branding Program. Interested in letting us know about you, your expertise, your media objectives or your book/company? Fill out our expert form (and get a complimentary publicity CD) at http://www.anniejenningspr.com/experts.htm Would you like four more "Be The Media's Dream Guest Tips?" If so, please click to http://www.anniejenningspr.com/dreamguest.htm

Public Relations Tips You Can Take To The Bank

Writen by Mary Eule

There are two vehicles for having your company's information show up in a newspaper or magazine… pay to advertise or let the press do it for you. The latter occurs as a direct result of public relations (PR) efforts - actively seeking publicity as a form of marketing communications.

While each of these is valuable, a solid news story can give you with a higher ranking on the credibility ladder. Why? Because people understand that an ad is placed by you so are far more suspicious of its veracity. (Recent consumer studies confirm that most consumers think that all advertisements include outright lies and/or misleading information.)

However, articles written by others are viewed as more objective (especially if the author has no stake in your company's success or failure) and thus, more believable.

It's important to understand how this process works so you'll be able to take advantage of newsworthy opportunities that may come your way.

Most newspapers (and other media such as TV and radio) have a designated employee (usually called an assignment editor) who has responsibility for decide what's news and what isn't. They are tasked with reading and evaluating press releases. The ones that make the cut are sent to another editor for follow-up and inclusions, the others are usually trashed. The vast majority, up to 90%, end up in the rubbish.

This is why it's so important to get it right if you expect to compete with the hundreds of others vying for the same space. Here are some handy tips:

• Let a professional public relations expert write your press release and put together a press package for you. There are many freelance experts around who won't charge you an arm and a leg. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, good public relations professionals network well and have media contacts the rest of us don't! Also, keep in mind there are few boring stories, but many boring ways of telling them…another reason to seek wise counsel from a professional. (Chapter Eight contains several good resources)

• Focus on content versus form… Yes, there is a proper format, but it is far less important than what you say. Remember, newspapers need information as much as you need publicity. They are looking for timely, educational and informative information… so provide it. Conversely, local radio stations may be interested in airing stories that are funnier, quirkier or more controversial.

• Human interest stories are popular across all media types… one reason talk shows are so popular. So, if you have a compelling personal story, one that others will find interesting, tell it.

• Make sure that your story is timely and not late. If your store opened three months ago, it's old news. Also, understand that journalists work on very tight deadlines, so it makes more sense to fax or e-mail, rather than mail, your release.

• Edit, Edit, Edit… If an editor sees typos and other errors, it may cause them to question the accuracy of your content… a real killer.

• Make sure that you include accurate contact information… Provide precise and complete information so you're easy to find - phone (including cell) and fax numbers and e-mail, website and mailing addresses. The last thing you want is to miss an interview because you couldn't be reached!

• The more back-up information you provide the better… The easier you make it for a journalist to cover your story, the more likely they'll be to include it. Include photos, samples, interview availability times, research backup, and the like.

• Make sure to send press releases to all media in your area, no matter how small…. It's much easier to get local, rather than regional or national, coverage.

• Contact journalists and offer yourself as an expert in a particular field… One they can count on to provide them with accurate and objective information on the subject

These are just a few tips to get you moving in the right direction. However, as I've said before, best cost is not always least cost… so get a professional to help you with your public relations efforts. It will save you time, money and aggravation in the end.

Copyright 2005 Mary Eule

Mary Eule specializes in helping small and medium-sized businesses get and keep profitable customers. Formerly a Fortune 500 marketing executive; founder of two successful small businesses and award-winning speaker, Ms. Eule is President of Strategic Marketing Advisors, LLC. and co-author of a new book, "Mandatory Marketing: Small Business Edition". She has a BA in Journalism/English from the University of Maryland and earned her a master's degree in marketing from Johns Hopkins University. Log onto her website: http://www.StrategicMarketingAdvisors.com for free articles, newsletter and helpful marketing tools, tips and templates… and/or to purchase the book.

How To Keep Pr Working For You

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

Managers in the non-profit, association and business worlds need to persuade outside audiences with the greatest impact on their operations to their way of thinking. And then move those external stakeholders to take actions that help their departments, divisions or subsidiaries succeed.

But that takes a very special plan, one that delivers results far beyond simple publicity placements.

I'm talking about a blueprint, say, like this one that lets you broaden your public relations field of fire, putting its primary focus where it belongs, on your unit's key external stakeholder behaviors: "People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired- action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished."

You'll know such a blueprint is working when you see results like capital givers or specifying sources starting to look your way, customers making repeat purchases; membership applications on the rise; prospects beginning to do business with you; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures coming in; welcome bounces in show room visits; community leaders beginning to seek you out; and politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

However, to get there you've got to be certain the public relations people assigned to your unit buy into your more aggressive public relations approach. In other words, do they all accept the reality that it's crucially important to know how your outside audiences see your operations, products or services? And do they really subscribe to an even more important reality that says perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can trouble your unit?

Start by involving your PR team in plans for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

I mean, your PR people ARE in the perception and behavior business to begin with, so they should be of real use for this opinion monitoring project. Professional survey firms are always available, but that can cost a bundle. So, whether it's your people or a survey firm who asks the questions, the objective is to identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions .

With such answers gathered, you must decide which of the negatives should be designated as your corrective public relations goal – for example, clarify the misconception, spike that rumor, correct the false assumption or fix a bothersome inaccuracy.

In the same way garlic goes with lamb chops, the right PR strategy tells you how to reach your goal. But just three are available when it comes to matters of perception and opinion -- change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. But be sure your new strategy fits naturally with your new public relations goal. If data gathered is satisfactory, you want the "reinforce it" strategy, not "change it."

When the moment comes to speak to your key stakeholder audience and help persuade them to your way of thinking, what will your message say?

Tap your best writer to produce the well-written corrective language you need. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to move perception/opinion towards your point of view and result in the behaviors you desire.

Here, fortunately, things gets easier as you select communications tactics to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. Be sure that the tactics you select have a record of reaching people like your audience members. You can pick from dozens that are available ranging from speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and so many others.

Because HOW you communicate can affect the credibility of the message, you may wish to deliver it in small meetings or presentations rather than through high-visibility media announcements.

Those around you will soon be asking about progress. Which will lead to a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Employing many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session, you will now be watching carefully for signs that the offending perception is being altered in your direction.

In public relations, we're lucky that action like this can be accelerated by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies, if necessary.

And you're lucky again that the folks you deal with behave like everyone else – they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operations. Which leaves you little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move your key external audiences to action.

The workable public relations blueprint outlined above will, in fact, keep your PR working well for you for a very simple reason – (repeating for emphasis), it will help you persuade your most important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then move them to behave in a way that leads to the success of your department, division or subsidiary.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1025 including guidelines and resource box.

Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

Public Relations For Bars

Writen by Lance Winslow

Public relations for the local bar is something that they must do in order to keep their bar in business. Too often bars will sell alcohol to people who will then get into their automobiles and drive and when they do they end up causing problems in the community, getting into accidents or perhaps even killing someone.

Since people know that people who drink and drive are bad news they often look at the bars for the reasons that these horrific accidents occur. Because of that negative publicity and public relations it is very hard for the bars to maintain positive community goodwill. However, it is possible for bars to do quite well if they understand how to bring it all together in the community.

One thing a local bar can do is to have it become a place where local singles who meet on the Internet can come to meet each other in person. Then it would be considered a safe haven and neutral point for that first meeting.

Local bars can also increase their image by promoting themselves to local corporations as a place to do business deals. If a bar works on upscale clientele it will find itself with less hassles down the road from bar fights out in the parking lot, damaged vehicles or drunk drivers who can not handle the alcoholic drink. Please consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Foolproof Publicity For Marketingminded Financial Planners

Writen by Ned Steele

They'd hate to admit it, but the media is pretty predictable.

There are some stories that will run in newspapers until the saints go marching in. Some of the obvious ones: diet tips, anything having to do with kids or animals, political scandals, celebrity divorces...you could probably find a story about each one of these topics in every single edition of every daily newspaper in the country.

Long ago, newspaper editors realized that these topics attract readers. And, if you got your story published, the same determination was made about your topic. Once a topic is anointed as "news-worthy" by the media, you can keep coming back to it again and again, as long as you have a reasonably new angle.

Think of every PR success as the seed for the next placement. Re-read your article when it appears, and ask yourself, "What could I have elaborated on?" or "What's going to be happening next in that field?"

For example, say your published story was about municipal bonds. Stay on the lookout for any municipal bond news that arises. Bond failures, new bond issues, appealing rates—all of these could be topics to bring back to a reporter. You may also consider a story about other tax-free return investment vehicles.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

Press Releases

Writen by Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

How do press releases or interest stories have an effect on meeting new potential clients?

Press releases can make the difference between being known and being just the same old service that everyone offers. You need to set yourself apart from all the others. The press needs to have stories about what is happening in your product or service area. They are not looking for the common place activities you provide; they are looking for what is unique about you. After all, the press has to write stories, why not all about you? You have to determine what they are looking for by reading their newspaper and by learning what the editor or producer is looking for.

You will need to write your press releases to their attention. The press release should always be short. They should contain the most important information first, such as who you are and your company name. The first paragraph should contain all the exciting things you want to announce. The remaining 2 paragraphs should give a little more detail but not too much. You want them to write about you and what you are doing. Some newspapers will want to have other information and you will need to provide a press kit for their reading. Just remember that when you send out a press kit, you should only do so if the publication requests it or when they state ahead of time that you need to submit one. A press kit should contain the press release, In any case, please remember, it is YOU who needs to make the news!

A press release is one way that you can make an announcement. There are many other places in the media where you can highlight company. For example, you can place announcements in many places besides newspapers. Announcements can be anything, not just a promotion.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com

Your Organization What Role Pr

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

As a manager, does your current business, non-profit or association public relations effort concern itself primarily with radio and newspaper publicity? Or does it concentrate on a specialty area like financial communications or trade relations? Or, possibly, it deals each day with sales support or government affairs?

Actually, maybe your PR effort should concentrate on delivering what you really need?

For example, PR that really does something positive about the behaviors of those outside audiences that most affect your organization?

PR that uses its fundamental premise to deliver external stakeholder behavior change – the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives?

And PR that persuades those important outside folks to your way of thinking, then moves them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed?

What fundamental PR premise are we suggesting as your new action blueprint? People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

The results can be very satisfying: membership applications on the rise; customers starting to make repeat purchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; prospects starting to do business with you; higher employee retention rates, capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way, and even politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

The first step, obviously, is involving the public relations people assigned to your unit and getting them on board the new approach. Be sure everyone buys into why it's so important to know how your outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be especially certain they accept the reality that negative perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can damage your organization.

Plan carefully how you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Your PR people, who are already in the perception and behavior business, can be of real use for this opinion monitoring project. Yes, you can always use professional survey firms, but that can turn out to cost real money . However, whether it's your people or a survey firm who handles the questioning, the objective is to identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions .

Your next chore is identifying which of the above problems becomes your corrective public relations goal -- clarify the misconception, spike that rumor, correct the false assumption or fix certain other inaccuracies?

You achieve that goal only when you select the right strategy from the three choices available to you. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Picking the wrong strategy is only slightly worse that forgetting to serve horseradish mustard with the corned beef. And please be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You wouldn't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Here we have the question of what to say when you sit down to create a persuasive message aimed at members of your target audience. Always a challenge to put together action-forcing language that will help persuade any audience to your way of thinking.

Be certain you have your best writer on this assignment because s/he must create some very special, corrective language. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

Now, an easy step – pick the communications tactics to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. Insuring that the tactics you select have a record of reaching folks like your audience members, you can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others.

With, as always, the credibility of the message at stake, you may wish to deliver it in small getogethers like meetings and presentations rather than through a higher-profile media announcement.

Inevitably, you'll soon hear from your colleagues re: signs of progress. What that signals for you and your PR team is a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. You'll want to use many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session. More to the point, you will now be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

We're lucky in this business that these matters usually can be accelerated by adding more communications tactics as well as increasing their frequencies.

This workable public relations blueprint will help you persuade your most important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then move them to behave in a way that leads to the success of your department, division or subsidiary.

So, while you did not ask for this public relations advice, I hope you will agree that the people you deal with do, in fact, behave like everyone else – they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operation. Leaving you little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach and move your key external audiences to actions you desire.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1165 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

About The Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net. Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

Inside A Companys News Release Part Two

Writen by James Finch

Energy Metals Corporation (TSX: EMC.TO) announced it would commence trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Thursday. EMC Chief Executive Paul Matysek's quote spelled it out, that because of this it would be possible for "… the Company to reach a broader base of individual investors, mutual funds and institutional investors." In other words, there would be less dependence upon the retail investor, and more reliance on the big funds to pile into EMC shares. Of course, the little guy will join the party as well.

Uranerz Energy (OTC BB: URNZ) issued a few telling news releases, which may explain the direction in which they are heading. On June 5th, the company announced a new Chief Financial Officer. URNZ also announced it had closed a financing, bumping up their cash to just under $12 million. URNZ Chief Executive Glenn Catchpole told us he hoped to launch his first In Situ Recovery operation for about, or less than, $10 million. This is a good sign. But, it was the next day's news release which confirmed the earlier news and reinforced where the company is going. The company announced the appointment of three independent directors to its Board. All three were appointed to the audit committee. Two are accountants with impressive track records; the third has an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, one of North America's top MBA schools. How do we interpret this news release? URNZ probably plans to move from the lowly over the counter bulletin board to a more senior exchange: Amex or NASDAQ Small Cap would be our guess.

What do you do about a company that hasn't been issuing a flurry of news releases? Take Strathmore Minerals (TSX: STM; Other OTC: STHJF) as an example. There are developments, but the news stream has been fairly quiet. Have they come to a standstill? No, quite the opposite is true.

We did what any investor should always do in the absence of major news. We picked up the phone and called their investor relations department. During a brief chat with Craig Christy, the company's spokesman, we asked about the company's cash situation. He responded, "We have about C$0.55/share in cash." Based on Thursday's closing price, that comes to more than 30 percent of what the market is valuing STM. That's UP from C$0.37/share earlier this year. STM has plenty of cash and is in excellent financial shape.

We looked through our copy of the Hargreave Hale Report, entitled, "Too Hot to Handle or Just Warming up?" This is a leading British financial institution, based in London. They are a major shareholder in STM, and they have been recommending STM shares. On page 32 of their document, we reviewed a great financial analysis of 33 Canadian and Australian uranium producers and development companies. The bar chart depicted the Uranium Enterprise Value (UREV) per Risk Adjusted pound of U3O8 Reserves and Resources of those thirty-three companies. A horizontal line crossed the chart, showing "fair value" of about US$4 million for each company's UREV per pound adjusted.

It was interesting to study how STM stacked up against many of the most popular uranium companies. Companies, such as Mega Uranium (TSX: MGA) rated at about US$28 million – about 700 percent ABOVE the Hargreave Hale "fair value" analysis. Crosshair Exploration and Mining traded about 500 percent of its fair value. UEX scored about twice above its fair value. Companies such as Uranium Resources, Western Prospector, Paladin Resources and UrAsia Energy scored at or very near their fair value. Strathmore Minerals had the lowest fair value rating – an absolute steal at about 30 percent of its fair value. About 16 companies traded above their fair value, some very much above the Hargreave Hale fair value analysis. It was enlightening to find Strathmore was in the company of producers such as ERA of Australia, IUC, Uranium One and Denison as an undervalued uranium company. In this case, it was the most undervalued of all 33 companies analyzed by the City of London financial institution.

We also found out that, a week ago, Strathmore Minerals president David Miller presented at the invitation-only Raymond James In-Situ Leach Uranium Mini-Conference in Toronto and Montreal on June 7th and 8th. You could visit the Raymond James website for the webcast of David Miller's presentation, but it has restricted access. Others presenting were Uranium Resources and Energy Metals. We were fortunate to review David Miller's PowerPoint presentation. One word describes Miller's presentation: Wow! It really did pack a punch. We heard Raymond James may be releasing these presentations to the public in the near future.

Sometimes, when there is a lack of news, one can learn to dig around and find a company can be doing quite well. In other instances, one can study the news releases and try piecing together where the company is heading. We hope this guidance helps you become a more sophisticated investor. We neither recommend stocks nor give buying and selling advice. As always, speculating on natural resource companies can be very risky and suitable only for certain investors. One should always check with their registered financial advisor about what is suitable or not for one's investment decisions.

James Finch contributes to StockInterview.com and other publications. Sign up now and get your free copy of our new book, "Investing in the Great Uranium Bull Market: A Practical Investor's Guide to Uranium Stocks." Just visit http://www.stockinterview.com for details.

The Role Of Public Relations In Branding

Writen by Michael Levine

Because PR can be difficult to control, it is often discredited. According to Dick Lyles, president and chief operating officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a full-service consulting and performance improvement company, "People tend to migrate to things they can control. Even now, when an executive looks at an advertising message that's exactly what they want to create, with exactly the right positioning and so forth, they say, 'That's the message I want to send.' That's great, even though people may not read it, or people may give it less value and discount it, because it's advertising.... [On the other hand], if you get a well-placed article in a trade journal or you get some ink, people give it more credibility. The impact is greater, but because it may not come out exactly the way it was intended to come out, [businesspeople frequently] discount it."

The concepts of Branding and public relations are closely intertwined. The job of public relations is to encourage the public to have positive thoughts about a particular company, product, service, or individual. Branding is the idea that a particular set of attributes will encourage the public to have positive thoughts about a particular company, product, service, or individual. It's a subtle distinction, but an essential one.

In order to best understand Branding and how it is done, it is necessary to examine and explain public relations. Many experts on Branding espouse the opinion that public relations are a vital part-if not the most vital part-of the Branding process. Public relations practitioners are particularly well suited to the Branding concept, since they are well versed in the techniques and practices that create a public identity very close to the central idea of a brand.

Unlike marketing or advertising, which are essential activities and indispensable to the creation of a brand, public relations is not devoted to a tangible object. Advertising executives create television, print, and radio ads; these are concrete, identifiable things. Marketing creates a product-be it a physical product or a service-and presents it to the public. That is an obvious, noticeable thing; it is not hard to understand.

Public relations does not do either of those things. When properly conceived and executed, a public relations campaign is next to invisible; the public does not know it's there. More to the point, public relations does not create a physical manifestation of its effort: When PR is done right, it doesn't leave the trace of a newspaper or magazine ad, a videotape, or an audiocassette that will win awards-and that can sometimes overwhelm the message being delivered.

What public relations does is to encourage third parties to deliver the message. Why? Because the third parties are news organizations, print journalists, and television and radio news programs and talk shows, which by definition have more credibility for the general public than an advertisement or the word of a company spokesperson.

In other words, public relations is meant to generate news coverage. It does so through planned events and through news stories (true news stories, it should be emphasized) suggested to reporters and their editors. When a newspaper runs an article about the unusual new promotion being done by a local business, that's public relations. But to the reader of that newspaper, it appears to be an article generated by the editorial staff of the publication itself.- There is no advertisement disclaimer that runs over a PR-suggested news article. That makes sense, because the news editor always has the option of ignoring the suggestions made by public relations people. Editors and producers will rely on public relations for news leads, but will not simply act as a conduit, presenting the message from the public relations company's client unedited and unconfirmed. Public relations can suggest, but not control, the message being sent. It is a very difficult tightrope to walk.

For example, in 2000, when the Beatles song compilation 1 was being released by Capitol Records, it presented (believe it or not) a public relations dilemma: how to promote an album full of songs that the entire target audience almost certainly owned in another form already.

The problem was solved in a number of ways. First of all, it was emphasized that these were the 27 number one songs the band had produced during its legendary career. Press releases noted over and over again that these songs had never been compiled on one album before. It was intimated that many in the group's core audience might not have heard these songs on CD before, having bought them on vinyl records when they were originally released.

But more than anything, the public relations executives managed to generate publicity for the album with something that no other project could possible offer: access to the (at the time) three surviving Beatles for interview. News programs, interview shows, publications, and talk programs were all given opportunities (albeit brief ones) to interview at least one Beatle, and therefore the album was mentioned on countless air-waves and in publications for weeks before its release, and given very prominent placement.

The album went on to become a smash hit, reaching number one almost 40 years after the initial release of some of the recordings. It was yet another triumph for a legendary recording group, but it was also something of a coup for the public relations personnel involved. Yes, they had the luxury of three of the most famous faces on the planet, and the ability to use them. But the PR people who worked on that project also knew that they had to make something that wasn't necessarily new seem vital and important, and they knew where the news story in the project was kept. Making sure the news got out was their job, and they did it admirably.

The best part: The public was never aware there were PR people involved at all. What average fans saw on TV was Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and/or Ringo Starr. They heard snippets of the songs they had loved for decades. And they were told that this was different; it was new; it was unique. That's all the public needed to know. The fact that this message had been carefully constructed and the interviews painstakingly arranged was irrelevant to consumers; all they needed to know was that the Beatles were, more or less, back.

Public relations works behind the scenes, but its impact on Branding is enormous. Because PR generates interest, and precisely because it is working offstage, it is as valuable a part of the Branding process as can be imagined. And best of all, it's often the, least expensive component in a sophisticated Branding machine.

As Adam Christing, president and founder of Clean Comedians, a company that provides meeting planners with G-rated comedians, says, "Public relations takes the brand and makes it mobile, makes it more visible. It's like taking a band that's been successful in a local neighborhood and taking it out on the road so more people can experience it."

Of course, when the message is not delivered in the form that was initially intended, that means the public relations professional has not done the job properly. The mistake can be in the design of the message itself-in particular, if the message that has been designed is a false or misleading one-or in the method of its delivery. It's a fine thing to have a vital, exciting news story to tell, but if the presentation is ineffective, that story win not be told, or win be told in such a way that its original intention is lost.

Public relations is about messages and their delivery, but that isn't all PR is. In correlation with Branding, the goal of public relations must always be to create a feeling in the mind of the target audience for which the message is being tailored. If Branding is about creating an identity for a product, service, or entity (company or individual), public relations' contribution to Branding is about making that identity friendly and likable for the public--specifically, the public for which the message is intended.

Obviously, the feeling most PR aspires to create is a positive one. But the intention is vastly more complex than that: In truth, public relations seeks to create and maintain a consistent feeling of familiarity, trust, reliability, and confidence with the targeted public. If advertising is about getting the public's attention, public relations is about delivering the message once the attention has been commanded. When people express an opinion about a product or a company, initially they'll say they like or don't like it, without offering further explanation. But when they're given specific questions about their opinions, the effects of public relations become clear. When products are assigned personality traits or attributes by the public-"friendly," "environmentally aware ... .. concerned with quality ... .. accessible"-it means that public relations, in conjunction with advertising and marketing, has done its job. But because the public is naturally wary of advertising and marketing, and because those disciplines are considerably more visible than public relations, it is possible that PR makes the most honest, and deepest, impact on the public's psyche.

How is the feeling created? Unlike advertising or marketing, public relations alms to influence public opinion without being noticed. So efforts made by companies to create goodwill through advertising and marketing are effective, but will be met with a higher amount of resistance from the public than a public relations campaign.

Michael Levine is the founder of the prominent public relations firm Levine Communications Office, based in Los Angeles. He is the author of Guerrilla PR, 7 Life Lessons from Noah's Ark: How to Survive a Flood in Your Own Life.

GuerrillaPR.net is a resource for people that want to get famous in the media, without going broke. http://GuerrillaPR.net

What People Think Can Kill Managers

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

By delivering a body blow to their operation when business, non-profit, government agency or association managers, with public relations reporting to them, overlook assembling the PR resources and action planning needed to alter individual perception leading to changed behaviors among their most important outside audiences.

Those managers' guilt worsens when they compound matters by failing to persuade those key external audience members to their way of thinking, and then overlook moving them to take actions that allow their department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

What such managers often have in common is a single- minded preoccupation with simple tactics like press releases, broadcast plugs, special events and brochures, which denies them the best that public relations has to offer.

On the other hand, approaching a public relations challenge as outlined in the paragraphs above, means you, as manager, are doing something positive about the behaviors of the very outside audiences of yours that MOST affect your operation. It is then that PR creates the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your most important managerial objectives.

But managers need a public relations game plan if they are to get all their team members and organizational colleagues working towards the same external stakeholder behaviors.

While PR blueprints do vary, here's one that can keep a manager's public relations effort, as they say, "on message:" people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Since "results usually tell the tale," this is what a manager might expect when he or she approaches PR this way: improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies; a rebound in showroom visits; membership applications on the rise; new thoughtleader and special event contacts; capital givers or specifying sources looking your way; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; fresh community service and sponsorship opportunities; prospects starting to work with you; customers making repeat purchases; and even stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities.

The public relations people reporting to you are of the utmost importance. But, who will you use? Your regular public relations staff? People assigned to you from above? Or could it be PR agency staff? Regardless, they must be committed to you as the senior project manager, and to the PR blueprint starting with key audience perception monitoring.

Once the right specialists are aboard, satisfy yourself that team members really believe that it's crucially important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be certain they buy the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Sit down with your PR troops and go over the blueprint with them, in particular your plan for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the exchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

The use of professional survey counsel for the perception monitoring phases of your program is always an option. But your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

To go further, you must set down your public relations goal from which you can do something about the most serious distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. The new public relations goal might call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor.

Of course, you need a solid strategy to achieve success, one that clearly indicates to you and the PR staff how to proceed. But do keep in mind that there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will taste like sea salt on your Lingonberry pie. So, be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. It goes without saying that you don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Time to sit down at your computer to prepare and share a powerful corrective message with members of your target audience. But persuading an audience to your way of thinking is no easy task. Which is why your PR folks must come up with words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual. Only in this way will you be able to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

Bring your communications specialists into the planning cycle and, together, decide if your message's impact and persuasiveness measure up. Then select the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. You can pick from dozens of available tactics. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the those you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

This is when you might want to unveil the message before smaller gatherings rather than using higher- profile tactics such as news releases. Reason is, the credibility of the message itself can actually depend on the perception of its delivery method.

Using progress reports might occur to someone at this point, which should lead your PR team to return to the field and start work on a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. In all probability, you'll want to use many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session. Only this time, you will be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

While things can always slow down, you can then accelerate matters with more communications tactics and increased frequencies.

But now is the time to move beyond tactics like special events, brochures, broadcast plugs and press releases to achieve the very best public relations has to offer.

Thus, the bottom line for managers wishing to avoid death-by-bad-PR is this: the right public relations can alter the individual perception among your key external audiences leading to changed behaviors which, in turn, lead directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1285 including guidelines and resource box.
Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels and writes for business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has published over 200 articles on the subject which are listed at EzineArticles.com, click Expert Author, click Robert A. Kelly. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.PRCommentary.com

Dont Expect To Bump Oprah From A Magazine Cover

Writen by Roman Pericon

"I want a pony, a tree house and the fastest bike in the world."

"I want the G.I. Joe with the parachute and camouflage Jeep."

Those wants from when we were children haven't changed much now that we have traded in our play clothes for suits and ties. When I sit down with clients, I always ask them what they want out of their publicity campaign so I can create a realistic list of expectations.

But I usually hear:

"Front page of the Wall Street Journal."

"I want to sit next to Katie and Matt."

"Do you think I could be on Oprah next week?"

Before I sign a new client, I make sure I explain editorial calendars and lead times so they won't ask me "Why haven't I gotten placements with you yet? It's been six days already." I also explain the concept of "newsworthy" to them.

But it seems that more often than not, all of that explaining goes out the door.

Here's The Naked Truth.

Sometimes reporters like big names. Sometimes they like unknowns. That lifestyle editor at InStyle may love the handmade candles that you created but if a major crisis happens in the news (e.g. celebrity breakup, A-list star caught with a call girl, paparazzi caught impromptu wedding) then you can bet your wick and scented oils the focus of their article won't be on your candles. Same goes for almost every magazine you want to target unless you are Oprah, Bill Gates or the president – of the U.S. not Trixie's Organic Dog Snacks. So don't blame your publicist if your story is axed or postponed. They will try another publication.

There's a great big world out there. Newsweek reaches over 3 million homes each week. They receive enough trash worthy press releases and media kits to fill a broom closet. Sometimes what you think is news… isn't. And you just have to trust your publicist to alert the media when something of interest is happening with your company. Or you run the risk of an editor never taking your releases seriously when you do.

Understand your target market. I know you think it would be the coolest thing since Nobu Next Door to be on the cover of Cosmo but you sell a high-end baby stroller. Cosmo readers don't have an interest in that. Trust me. They won't and the editors don't have time to wade through releases of no interest to their readers. Publicists know the publications' target audience and with the help of editorial calendars, they can figure out if you will fit in a certain issue they are preparing. So don't get upset when your publicist tells you they got you into a different publication because the one you wanted said "NO" to your story over 10 times. When they just aren't interested, publicists move on.

Sometimes the more is not the merrier. Just because we have an editor contact database of thousands doesn't mean each of them should receive your press release or an invitation to your launch party. It might sound great to you to say "Our company press release just went out to over 10,000 editors" but if they aren't targeted to the right editors they will only end up in the recycling bin. I'm positive Janice Huff at Channel 4 doesn't care about your gelato shop. She only covers the weather.

When it's time for your company to retain a public relations firm, remember to have realistic expectations. Your publicists know what publications are good targets and they know that providing you with the results you want is going to make you happy. And all publicists want to make their clients happy.

About The Author

Roman Pericon is the CEO of NakedPR (www.NakedPublicity.com), a public relations and event planning firm in New York. Subscribe to "The Naked Truth", his free monthly PR newsletter, by emailing Roman@NakedPublicity.com. NakedPR specializes in entertainment and lifestyle clients.

Eleven Solid Ways To Optimize Press Release

Writen by Allen Brown

It is an amazing thing that you find a press release for a particular product posted at a site that doesn't meant for such commodity. Despite the fact, the press release drags you to the company's website that has no existence in any search engine listings.

From this one can easily come to know about the influence of well optimized press release. How those press releases were able to get in search engines? Certainly, they were well crafted and efficiently optimized.

On the other hand, you might have come across poorly written press releases that does not even augur keyword based ranking in news and search engines. Stuffing keywords in press releases would lead to spam subject, which are being distributed with a bare minimum.

So, what we supposed to do? Write a simple release that does not contain keywords or key phrase? Here, a talented writer is required, who has the art of optimizing press releases with keywords. The well optimized and written press release will automatically haul reader's interest to read it.

Here are the eleven concrete guidelines to optimize the press release.

1. Select proper Keywords: Selecting key word is the salient part of press release optimization. Be very careful while deciding on a keyword phrase that is relevant to the product or service you are offering. The best recommended tool to search keywords is wordtracker.com.

2. Keyword or phrase placement: Be sure to place key phrase into the headline and the title of your press release. Try to repeat it nearly 2-3 times in the content of the release. You can put two links in your content. But, write "http://www.yoursite.com" instead of "yoursite.com".

3. Use product name repeatedly: Place repeated name of your service or product to make it eminent, stress on its common portrayal rather than its name. For example, write "Microsoft Word" instead of writing "MSWord". This would result making your product's name better and popular.

4. Replace pronouns with phrase: Similarly, replace relevant keyword phrases to the pronouns such as 'it' or 'its' to enhance its existence increase their overall frequency in the release.

5: Make it newsworthy: Make sure that your press release is well crafted and holds informational content that is useful for readers.

6: Select right PR distribution network: Selecting appropriate press release distribution is also a significant consideration. There are several free press release distribution networks exist so it is crucial to make mind on whether to go for paid services or free. There are also many press release distribution networks that claim for huge distribution but have very little network or use spam techniques.

7: Prepare your release for substantial media coverage: Make List of publications, send emails and correspondence letters to journalists for your release. Make sure you don't mail the complete release into the email. Be concise and send URL of the whole press release with the mail.

8: Create online media kit: Make an online media kit for the website that can be operated with a Blog Content Management System. This will lead interested readers to subscribe your latest updates and news.

9: Make it for journalists: Everyday thousands of press releases are emailed to the journalists. So make your press release presentable and well written to be noticed by them. These journalists usually sweep off poorly written releases.

10: Offer RSS feeds: Help journalist by offering RSS feeds, to be hauled to your website. Through this journalists and interested parties will be acknowledged that you have relevant release on the topic they are searching for.

11: Publish releases frequently: Make an effort to publish press releases often to be recognized as news source for Yahoo news and Google news. Add news weekly if not possible daily to be crawled frequently by Google.

An added advantage of these vital tips is that it enhances the rankings of your website at search engines that considers inbound links to boost search positions.

Allen Brown is a freelance writer for http://www.1888PressRelease.com

http://www.1888pressrelease.com/, the premier website to Submit Free Press Release for any announcements including launching of new product or services, new website, announcing new hires, sponsoring a special event or seminar and more. He also freelances for http://www.1888Articles.com

Public Relations And Goodwill

Writen by Kurt Mortensen

One highly effective type of advertising costs virtually nothing: public relations. With public relations, the newsworthiness of some aspect of your business or business activities can earn you free publicity in newspapers or magazines, or even on radio or television.

However, it must truly be newsworthy. You might publicize, for example, a lecture, a demonstration or a workshop being presented at your business site - an event that news outlets could list in their community calendars or possibly even send a reporter to cover. Find out who at a station or publication handles such local events and send that person a news release. Alternatively, prepare an article for a newspaper or trade magazine in which you offer information of value to its readers. The point of such articles is to establish you as an authority in your industry. It's for this reason that a stockbroker might write a biweekly column on personal finance or a nursery write a column giving gardening advice.

A further source of publicity is goodwill efforts. Team sponsorships, for example, keep your name in front of the public. Lectures given by you or your staff to civic groups or other businesses also enhance your company's visibility. Get a list of clubs and associations from your local Chamber of Commerce. Another course of action, one that must be heartfelt and genuine, is to spearhead a campaign to solve a community problem that is related to your business. A pharmacist, for example, might lead an effort to keep poison detection centers open.

Writing a News Release

If you keep in mind the person at the newspaper, magazine or station who'll receive your news release - a person buried under stacks of releases and eager to find some newsworthy information – you'll automatically write the best kind of release: short, crisp and simple.

In the first paragraph, tell who, what, why, where and when - starting with a description of the event itself. For example:

A free slide talk on family hikes in the Bay Area will be given by writer–photographer Jane Doe on Thursday, October 18, 7:30 p.m., at Jackson's Shoes in Berkeley.

In the following one or more paragraphs, add information that rounds out the first paragraph or answers questions the first paragraph may evoke. For example:

Doe, author of A Walk in the Park, will recommend nature walks for families with children aged seven and older. Most walks are in regional parks, and Doe will not only show what various trails have to offer but also the trails for difficulty. Parents and their children are invited to attend. Jackson's Shoes is located at 1234 First Street in Berkeley. For more information, call (510) 555-3271.

Finally, on either the top or bottom of the news release - which can be written on letterhead with the words NEWS RELEASE above the text - write the name and telephone number of your contact person. For example:

For more information, contact Mark Jones at (510) 555-3271.

To give newspapers further encouragement to publicize your event, enclose a glossy black-and-white photo that illustrates the subject of your release. Type a caption and paste it on the back. For example, if you are using a nature photograph:

Family hikes in the Bay Area will be the subject of a free slide talk by author Jane Doe on Thursday, October 18, 7:30 p.m., at Jackson's Shoes in Berkeley.

Overall, the virtue of a clear, well-organized news release and captioned photo is that they give newspapers - your most likely recipients - several ways to respond. They can print your entire release and captioned picture, they can use only the captioned photograph, or they can insert just the first paragraph into a community calendar. As a result, your chances of getting something into print are greatly enhanced.

Conclusion

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you've seen some success, but think of the times you couldn't get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.

Kurt Mortensen's trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life. If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report "10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands." After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!