Media Relations Should You Pay For News Coverage

Writen by Brad Phillips

Dear New York Times:

I'd like to be quoted in one of your news stories. Enclosed is a check for $500. Please call me to arrange the interview sometime this week. Evenings are best. Thank you.

Imagine how such a letter would be greeted in the New York Times newsroom. The recipient would likely laugh out loud and might even post it on the bulletin board so other reporters could walk by and enjoy a good chuckle.

The letter wrongly assumed that the New York Times would accept "pay for play," or would run a news story as long as a payment accompanied the request. It's preposterous, of course, and U.S. news organizations just don't work that way.

Or do they?

I recently booked a client on a Washington area radio talk show. After booking the client, I spent some additional time exploring the show's website. Here's what it said:

"Guest Opportunities: $600 to appear as a guest, 6 minute (minimum) interview."

Although the host agreed not to charge my client, it made me wonder how pervasive this practice is, and whether media relations professionals should ever take advantage of this type of pay for play.

It's not as uncommon as you might think. When I headed the media department for an environmental nonprofit, I used to get calls from production companies who were purportedly interested in producing half-hour documentaries on our group. The pitch was that they would then sell the completed program to a national network like Discovery or PBS, which would happily air it.

But later in the conversation, they would inevitably reveal their less than journalistic motives – they wanted us, as the subject of the piece, to pay tens of thousands of dollars to "defray their costs." (Could you imagine Mike Wallace, after his recent interview with Russian President Putin on CBS, asking the Premier for a few grand to help 60 Minutes recover its production costs?)

When we asked the production companies what they could guarantee, they told us the show would appear on at least 80 PBS stations – but they couldn't tell us in which markets and at what airtimes. In other words, they wouldn't tell us if we would be buying a 3:00 A.M. timeslot in a small town or primetime in New York City. Something seemed off, and we decided to walk away from it.

A few months ago, I met someone who tried it. According to the president of a well-respected cultural nonprofit organization, the producers promised her that for $60,000, they could guarantee her that the show would air in at least 80 markets. After the show started airing, she asked the producers repeatedly for a list of the markets in which the piece was running. She never heard a word. She suspects the number was closer to 12 than 80.

So what should you do if you're ever confronted with a pay for play opportunity? In general, I'd advise you to walk in the other direction. There are many news outlets that will report your story the right way – for free. Plus, the public is savvy enough to detect the difference between a balanced piece of journalism and an infomercial, and is more likely to regard the former with more credibility.

Is there ever a time to say 'yes' to pay for play? Well, perhaps. If, for example, the pay for play offer allows you to own the rights to any raw video footage the production team shoots and you can use that material in other ways, it might make sense. Or, if the venue is a direct hit on your target audience and you have no hope of getting coverage with that outlet in any other way, it might be worth it.

But in general, be wary. Pay for play has a way of making its customers pray for pay – in the form of a refund check.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information and to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training e-tips, visit http://www.PhillipsMediaRelations.com.

Press Release Writing Tips For Pr People

Writen by Joan Stewart

A press release is often your only chance to make a great first impression.

Newspapers, magazines and trade publications receive them by the truckload. That means sloppy, long, inaccurate, pointless releases are the first to hit the newsroom wastebasket or a journalist's "deleted" folder.

To make sure yours isn't one of them, avoid these major mistakes:

--Failing to write a headline that explains what the story is about. Don't try to be too cute or tease readers. Remember that journalists spend an average of five seconds reading a release before deciding whether to use it or toss it.

--Failing to write a sub-head. A sub-head communicates to journalists a little more of what the story is about and helps get your message across quicker.

--Writing press releases that are too long. Each release should be no longer than one printed page, or one computer screen of type. Remember, the purpose of a press release is to make a journalist pick up the phone and call you for a larger story.

--Failing to double-check all facts. Before you send a release, double-check everything. If your press release includes a telephone number, call the number to make sure it's correct. If it includes a website address, send the release to yourself first and actually click on the link to make sure it takes readers to the correct page. Don't rely on your computer's spell-check. Have someone else proofread the release.

--Sending it too late. If you want publicity for an event in your own community, send releases to local newspapers and TV stations about three weeks before the event. If you want publicity in national magazines, however, you might have to send your information six months before the event because many magazines work several months ahead of the publication date. Make sure you know deadlines for every publication on your media contact list.

--Sending a press release that focuses on the company sending it, not on the reader. Instead of saying, "The Pacific Gas & Electric Company today issued eight tips for lower utility bills..." say "Homeowners struggling with high utility bills can cut heating costs by doing eight things to weather-proof their homes before cold weather hits."

--Blatant commercialism. Avoid hackneyed words and phrases such as spectacular, incredible, the only one of its kind, breakthrough, cutting-edge, unique and state-of-the-art.

--Including industry lingo that no one understands except people in your industry.

--Failing to include information on where consumers can buy what you are selling.

--Omitting a contact name and phone number. At the top of the page in the left corner, let editors know who they can call if they have questions. Include day, evening and cell phone numbers. Remember that journalists work around the clock. Don't offer a phone number where people work only from 9 to 5.

The purpose of a press release is to communicate the news as quickly as possible. The easier you can make a journalist's job, the greater the chances that your news will be used.

Publicity expert Joan Stewart is co-author of the ebook "How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound." Download a sample chapter at her website at http://www.PublicityHound.com/sample.htm where you can also sign up for her ezine "The Publicity Hound's Tips ofthe Week." Contact her at jstewart@publicityhound.com or at 262-284-7451.

A New Idea For Venture Capitalists

Writen by Robert A. Kelly

Obviously, it hurts when a promising business project you backed financially goes down the tube.

But while you point to many possible causes, seldom do you attribute the wreckage to a lack of effective communications that might have modified the behavior of sales prospects in a positive way, thus averting a money-losing shutdown.

Is it not possible, Mr. or Ms. Venture Capitalist, that aggressive publicity and promotion might salvage the occasional, marginal investment?

I believe it could, so here is a suggestion.

Make it standard operating procedure, starting with your next venture, (a minor cost compared to your investment) that any project you back MUST include an adequately funded, top-notch plan to aggressively publicize the venture.

Here's why. In public relations, we know people will act on their perception of the facts before them about your new venture. Further, we know that those perceptions will lead to predictable behaviors, good or bad, about which something can be done.

So when we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those folks whose behaviors affect your new venture, your public relations effort is a success.

I know you have startup worries beyond public relations concerns, but consider for a moment some very serious PR exposures faced by that new venture of yours, and especially by the new management you recently installed.

If sales prospects are not made aware of your product or service, you will not get them as customers. And, as customers, if they don't remain convinced of the value of your product or service, you lose them.

If employees believe your new management doesn't care about them, productivity suffers, and if a minority person believes your new venture discriminates when it doesn't, a host of unnecessary problems may ensue.

For that matter, if community residents perceive your new business as a lousy place to work, you have employee hiring and retention problems. And if insurance carriers perceive your new management as a bad risk, they don't provide the needed business coverage.

There's more. If journalists are suspicious of your new management's motives and they are not convinced otherwise, the venture gets "bad press." And if business people believe what some competitors say about the new business, that strategic alliance your managers want so badly may not come about. Plus, as you grow bigger, if government regulators believe the venture's products are not completely safe, sales will almost certainly be negatively affected.

By the way, this article calls addressing these kinds of risks a new idea for venture capitalists because I've yet to see it discussed or even mentioned in the public press.

Fortunately, you can put the kind of PR we're discussing to work immediately on behalf of your newest venture by introducing the new program to its managers with a brief, no-nonsense charter. Possibly along the lines of "yes, yes, I know you're very busy but it's our money on the line here and we're going to do everything possible to make it work!"

From that might flow these "marching orders" to your managers.

You will take the time to meet with members of your most important audiences and evaluate their feelings and beliefs about you and the business.

You commit to take action when you discover troubling perceptions that could lead to negative behaviors.

You accept that what people BELIEVE to be true, versus the truth, defines your public relations problem.

You will raise your profile, and that of the business, by regularly speaking before business and fraternal clubs, by meeting with the media and by promoting your business as appropriate, thus building the kind of good will you will need should things go awry.

You will prepare carefully thought out, persuasive messages that directly address the misconceptions you discover during your periodic fact finding sessions.

You will select effective communications tactics that will carry those messages to your key audiences in a timely manner. And you will choose from a wide array of tactics such as meetings, speeches, luncheons, facility tours, promotional events, emails, media interviews and many more.

And finally, you will track the progress of your public relations effort by speaking regularly with members of those key audiences, and monitoring both the media and the reaction of community residents and other businesses, adjusting your strategy and tactics accordingly.

Yes, Mr. or Ms. Venture Capitalist, it does hurt when a promising project you backed goes down the tube.

Of course, you are, and must be concerned with a host of financial, human resource, legal and competitive issues for each new venture.

At the same time, in my view, you must remain vigilant as to how a single issue - potentially dangerous, unattended perceptions among a key audience -- can nudge a fledgling business closer to failure than success.

Fortunately, the "marching orders" outlined above will lead your venture management team to resolve such issues without a major investment in either time or money.

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 © 2005.

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 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.

Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net