Public Relations Air Conditioning Companies

Writen by Lance Winslow

Have you ever considered how to launch a public relations campaign in a community when your company profession or industry is not so glamorous? Consider if you will a Air Conditioning and Heating Company. What sorts of community spirited public relations campaigns can you do with such things?

Well how about setting up or participating in a Neighborhood Mobile Business Watch Program, sponsored in part by the Chamber of Commerce and the local police department? Consider if you will the following observations;

AIR CONDITIONING COMPANIES: Heating and Air Conditioning Companies often work for commercial properties on roofs, a great vantage point and totally unexpected. They usually have many vehicles. They have constant communication. Their owners are usually very involved in city and civic affairs.

They also work in apartment complexes and low income housing areas where a higher percentage of crimes are committed due to density. They work in commercial malls and centers. More cars are stolen at regional malls than any other location and there is lots of shoplifting. They are also in residential neighborhoods of middle and upper middle class where people are at work and not around to protect their properties.

You see for all these reasons it makes sense to enjoy the benefits of helping the community, which supports your business by keeping an eye out for their well being. Such a public relations program costs next to nothing and the community goodwill generated is truly fruitful. So consider all this in 2006.

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

55 Reasons To Send Out A Press Release

Writen by Scott Lorenz

When should you send out a press release? You want to know my acid test? If it's newsworthy and if it's useful to the reader. It's that simple.

There are many factors to weigh when considering the need to send out a press release. As a publicist I have sent thousands of releases over the years and while there are no hard and fast rules, the most important factor is that you've got to make sure it's newsworthy and useful to the reader. Any thing else and it's just a waste of time for the members of the media.

A good press release can accomplish a lot of things too. It can be used to announce information to the public, your investors, the media, your customers and even your competitors about you and your activities. To help my clients determine whether something is newsworthy I compiled a list of fifty-five press release ideas I give to them to get their ideas flowing about their own businesses. Some are for general consumer media and some may not apply to all business types.

1. Announce a new service.
2. Announce a new product.
3. Tie in with a national holiday, a birthday or anniversary.
4. Report a new study of your own and your analysis or forecast.
5. Tie in with a controversy by commenting on it.
6. Co-op an event with the media.
7. Utilize a national survey or study to your benefit.
8. Announce your exhibit at a trade show or convention.
9. Commission a survey and report the results.
10. Write a white paper and announce its availability at your web site.
11. Create and promote a special event.
12. Use a current news event to frame your release.
13. Host a seminar and announce the information discussed.
14. Announce an upcoming speaking engagement.
15. Schedule a speaking engagement at the local library… for free.
16. Make reprints of speeches available at your website.
17. Create a contest and offer a prize that's newsworthy.
18. Pricing and policy changes.
19. Patents and trademarks.
20. Litigation won.
21. Announce the results of a new study.
22. The number of hours your employees donate volunteering in your community.
23. Involvement in various community events and activities.
24. Innovative use for your products.
25. First person stories about people using your product or services.
26. New clients you've obtained.
27. New testimonials.
28. Celebrities that use your product or service.
29. Financial projections and forecasts.
30. Announce a public appearance.
31. Appointments by government officials to offices.
32. Retirement of well respected and revered employees.
33. Recognition of long-time employees with 25 years of service or more.
34. Internal promotion of key staff members.
35. Send a letter to the editor and CC the media and your audience, "in case they miss it."
36. New members of important committees.
37. Results of an election.
38. The passage of an important resolution.
39. Anniversary of the founding date of the organization or company.
40. Charitable donations by your organization.
41. ISO 9001certification of your company.
42. New awards won.
43. Association membership.
44. Publicly release a letter from a soldier or someone with poignant thoughts.
45. Report on a public project and offer insight to the problem.
46. Protest an activity or issue.
47. The sponsorship of a community event.
48. How to apply for internships in your company.
49. How to apply for scholarships offered by your company.
50. Open house where people can tour your plant, office etc.
51. Create an award to honor individuals in the community.
52. The appearance in front of a public entity, i.e. testimony before the US Senate.
53. Host a public debate.
54. Announce a fact finding trip and then report your findings.
55. Host a celebrity event and tie in your company.

Once you get the release written now what? How do you put it in the hands of the media? How can a company or individual know if it can handle media relations themselves or if it needs to hire a public relations firm, an independent publicist or a full fledged marketing firm? If you aren't completely certain after debating the pros and cons, ask these questions:

* Are we getting all the PR we deserve?
* Is our competition getting more than their fair share of media coverage?
* Would media coverage bring more business to the firm?
* Do we have a PR strategy for continuous year round media coverage?
* Is our in-house "PR person or department" overburdened with "in-house" work like the company newsletter?

First of all, let's define a PR firm. Some people interchange a PR firm with a marketing firm, or marketing agency, or even an ad agency. Basically a public relations firm handles media relations and is the interface between a company and the news media.

A public relations firm or publicist will "pitch" the media on a story idea involving a company, invention or author. A good pitch about a story that would interest the people who read, watch or listen to a particular media outlet gets coverage.

Many larger companies rely on in-house staff trained in public relations or marketing while others hire PR consultants or publicists to handle their PR campaigns.

Joe Nicassio, author of Guerrilla PR Brand Manager, says whether a company should conduct its public relations, marketing or advertising campaigns internally or externally should be determined by these factors"

Do you NEED solid, consistent media exposure week after week, or are you satisfied with "occasional" exposure?

Do you have the internal staff and expertise to commit the internal resources to your public relations, marketing, advertising efforts?

If you have the internal staff, and they understand Guerrilla PR principles, then there may be no reason to hire an outside agency. Paradoxically, the busier you get, the easier it is to parlay, or "set aside" consistent, important PR activities. Don't get caught in that trap!

"Public Relations is a craft that requires PASSION," says Nicassio. "You may need PR, and you may even have the people to conduct your public relations, marketing, advertising campaigns but that's not enough. To be truly effective, your PR campaigns must be conducted with PASSIONATE CONSISTENCY."

-END-

Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with doctors, lawyers, inventors and authors. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC Nightly News, The New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, NPR, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Family Circle, Woman's World, & Howard Stern to name a few. To discuss how Westwind Communications helps its clients get all the publicity they deserve and more, call 734-667-2090 or email: scottlorenz@westwindcos.com . Visit: http://www.westwindcos.com

How To Write Your News Release

Writen by George Torok

Follow this step-by-step process to write and expose your news.

Format

Call it a 'News Release', 'News Bulletin' or 'Announcement'. 'Press Release' sounds like propaganda.

Add, 'For immediate use'. This implies urgency. It also allows them some choice on when to run it. If the news is date sensitive state 'for use before' or 'for use after'.

Fax or mail? If urgent - fax. But to get noticed mail it. They get a lot of junk mail and junk fax. The fax junk looks too much alike. If you mail it you have a chance to get attention with the colour and feel of the paper. Send it on good quality paper with your logo. That could be your letterhead.

Don't address it to 'newsroom' or 'editor'. That's the same as 'occupant'. Instead address it to a person. Get their name.

Make it easy to read. Maximum one page. Use easy to read font. Twelve point size Times Roman works well. Add a little spice by bolding key names - but sprinkle lightly. Italics draws attention but is hard to read. Use capitals and small letters - don't print the whole thing in capital letters. That is extremely difficult to read. Keep paragraphs and sentences short. Double spacing is best.

Make it clear whom the release is from. Lead with city and date of the release. This gives perspective. At the bottom of the page state, 'The end' or '- 30-' Show contact name(s) and phone number(s) clearly at the bottom or top of the page.

Make sure those contacts receive a copy of the release and that they will be available and prepared to talk to the press when called. Impress on those contacts that the press need speedy responses to make their deadlines.

Content

Start with a strong title. A subtitle is not necessary if the title is strong. Study newspaper headings for ideas. Examine the style of the target media you are trying to reach to get ideas.

You have only one chance to hook them with the title. If you do not, they will not read any further. One glance at the headline is how they preview the release. There must be words, themes, companies, personalities or issues in the title that slows their glance enough to invite them to read the first paragraph.

The first sentence must grab them. Rework that first sentence until the first few words or even the first word pulls the reader in.

The first paragraph is important. It should contain your most important message. If they read that far - it is what draws them into the story. Write that first paragraph as if that might be the only paragraph they print.

Follow with the next points in order of decreasing importance. Assume that they might chop it after any paragraph. Write each paragraph applying the same approach to your sentences. If they only print one sentence make that the first sentence.

Good news releases are not written , they are re-written and re-written.

Make it easy to read. Maximum one page. Use easy to read font. Twelve point works well. Add a little spice by bolding key names - but sprinkle lightly. Italics draws attention but is hard to read. Use capitals and small letters - don't print the whole thing in capital letters. That is extremely hard to read. Use many short paragraphs and short sentences. Double spacing is a very good idea.

Proof read before you send it. Journalists are especially sensitive to poor grammar and typos. It hurts to read garbage - so they won't.

The media will read your release thinking, 'Will this interest my readers, listeners or viewers and is it unique?' It doesn't have to be 'very' unique - just a little. Every January we get news about the first News Year's baby. Because the first one is unique at that time, the second is not news.

Relate the news to the reader. Why is it important to the readers, listeners, or viewers of the media? Test for significance by asking, 'So what?'

Answer a reporter's key questions: who, what, why, where, when and how. You could even use these questions as sub headings - or as a summary. Use these questions as a quality test before you send it.

Quotes are good and more interesting. You might use quotes from company officials, community leaders or customers. When you use a name always state who they are, e.g. National Sales Manager, President and Founder, author of… Use quotes that evoke emotion, create controversy or present a position.

Don't introduce too many new names. This confuses readers. Talk about one or two.

Write the name in full the first time you use it. After that you can use only the last name. If you want a name to be remembered use it several times in the release.

After the Release

The reporter(s) may call for more information or to arrange a photograph. Be available. If you are out of the office check your voice messages often. The press has tight deadlines.

Don't expect to review the reporter's article before publication. Occasionally they will run the article exactly the way you wrote it - but not often. Once you give them the information they have control. It helps if you have read other articles from the reporter and know their slant and hot buttons.

If they use your news release, send them a thank you note.

Keep and file all your news releases in sequence - even the ones that did not get action. Clip and save the articles that ran with the release. Study them to find what works with whom and when.

See you in the news!

© George Torok is co-author of the national best-seller, 'Secrets of Power Marketing', Canada's first guide to personal marketing for 'non-marketers'. He delivers seminars & keynotes to corporations and associations across North America. You can reach him at 905-335-1997. For more information about seminars and more marketing tips visit http://www.Torok.com