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May 13, 2008
Press Release Don't Have to be Spam
The media has made it clear that they detest being spammed with press releases and off-track pitches. In fact, many bloggers and editors alike have published lists of Naughty Spammers, calling out repeating offenders. Their requests for researched and customized pitches that offer unique and useful data, experts, and insight is of course legitimate. No one likes spam.
So it has been noted - A pitfall PR professionals must work to overcome is how we utilize one of our most basic tools, the press release. So, how do we walk the fine line between newsworthy and spam?
Brian Solis of FutureWorks contributed a noteworthy blog post to TechCrunch on this subject and outlined the different types of releases (Traditional, SEO, and Social Media). More importantly he discusses how the press release can still be relevant if developed correctly for today's more diverse media/new media landscape.
"Let's help them, help us in the process," Solis states. By golly I think he may be onto something.
Check out the post and feel free to share your thoughts on what you see in the future of the press release. It's not a static subject and deserves some discussion!
Posted by spalmer at 10:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 7, 2008
Gas prices bringing you down?
Just read an interesting piece off the UPI Wire talking about gas prices and worker productivity . Are the gas prices bringing you down? What are you doing to change your ways or save some dollars in your pocket?
Posted by panmedia at 5:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 6, 2008
Hungry for Nutrition
It is no secret that nutrition is a hot (and healthy) trend for Americans. Recently, I attended a community Earth Day event in the beautiful suburbia of Westport, CT for a client, World of Grains, new whole grain snacks. As I handed out samples and information to the families attending I was amazed at the detailed questions and comments I received.
- How much sugar?
- Does it have wheat?
- Does it have quinoa?
- I am on a gluten free diet.
- I am on a vegan diet.
It is apparent that Americans have read a lot about ingredients and nutrition and are hungry for more information. You cannot open a women's lifestyle magazine without a new health food or study featured. The media is in a constant search for the latest "good for you" food and the readers are consuming it.
As a PR professional I really enjoy leveraging the experts I have on hand to deliver the facts to the media and in turn the consumer. Recently, with World of Grains we partnered with the experts at the Whole Grains Council to provide the media tips on how to spot healthy whole grains in the supermarket. The outreach benefits all parties -- gets the word out about the healthy product options, highlights the organizations' mission, sells the magazine, and most importantly gives the consumer the facts to live better.
Posted by ccallahan at 4:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
May 2, 2008
Workers Choice?
I just read a very good article from this weeks issue of BusinessWeek where it discussed Apple's move into corporate American offices. It got me thinking, do we as employees have a choice in what technology we can or should be using? Should we have a choice or should employers standardize across the organization?
We have a client, InterNoded,that says that in the coming years workers will bring their own mobile devices into the office and expect the company to support it. I can see it more with mobile devices, but what about desk/laptops? Should employers have reimbursement programs set up so that you and I can go buy our own system and synch it up at work? What do you think?
(Dom, take note, Juniper is starting to roll out some Macs to its workforce...)
Posted by panmedia at 1:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
April 30, 2008
In The World of Evolving Media - Stick to the Basics - Relationships
Change is a good thing. While it may create challenges for some who may struggle to adapt to changes, others are creating those changes and benefiting from them. All in all, for the most part, when all is said and done -- whatever terminology you want to use, change happens and there is nothing you can do about, so don't resist it.
With advancements in technology the media has definitely been facing these changes and some have fared better than others. Many publications quickly evolved from straight print into multimedia sites that include blogs, videos and video podcasts, whiteboards, etc. These sites include NetworkWorld, CNET, The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek, and many more than are listed here.
Ultimately those changes are reflected within the responsibility of members of the media who formerly wrote only in print are now also active in a wide array of multi media pursuits. Wall Street Journal Reporter Wendy Bounds not only edits and writes a column/pieces about small business for the paper, she also writes a column on home improvement called "About The House," and pens a small business blog called "Independent Street" . Additionally, she is a regular contributor on the Good Morning America television program.
Wendy is not alone, many reporters are so active across so many different mediums, that we can no longer rely on the traditoinal beats. In fact a resource at eWeek magazine recently shared with a colleague that he no longer has a specific beat, rather he is allowed to pursue any type of story that interests him. This individual also is active across many different media fronts including blogs, print and more.
What this means for PR practitioners is that we have to be more on top of what our contacts in the industry are covering and how they are covering their stories. Many are expanding into new areas of coverage, have more deadlines, additional requirements upon them and additional scopes of responsibilities. And this isn't for only the print reporters, but also reporters in the blogosphere as their sites are becoming more comprehensive as well.
Ultimately, for PR practitioners this means going back to the basics, and the most important PR basic is building solid relationships. Whatever business one is in, it has always been the relationships that help get the job done. Contacts are key, and developing relationships, building and maintaining relationships are the key to having the connections when your contacts become so busy that they don't have as much time to foster new relationships or have lengthy conversations.
You need to trust your insticts that you have built solid enough relationships, so that your contacts trust that the information you can provide is of value to their readers. And no two relationships are alike, so it really comes down to how you can communicate best with another human being - be respectful and realistic of thier needs and calendars, stay on top of what each reporter/editor/blogger is covering, be open to cues that may be given to you and learn how to work with each person according to their needs.
Posted by panmedia at 2:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
April 28, 2008
$46.79
( image SKelley Cartoons)
Let's start a healthy discussion, how much did a tank of gas cost you this week ?
Here are some tips to help you preserve that investment.
Posted by hjohnson at 4:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
April 23, 2008
America's favorite pastime?
OK so for those of you that care about sports, you must know that this weekend the NFL season officially begins. No, not games, but the draft. Then followed by weeks of mini-camps, the typical two week break in late June and then right into training camp come July.
Being someone that has an interest in the sport of football, each year I am amazed at how fast the NFL has grown to become America's true pastime. I was always one to believe that baseball was it - growing up in the Tri-State area, I was inundated with NY sports news - even had the the Mets on WWOR-9 with Ralph Kiner and Tim McCarver calling games and then the Yankees on WPIX-11 with Phil Rizzuto doing the call. That was it. And during the fall, you were lucky you got two NFL games during any given Sunday (and for me I was guaranteed a Giants or Jets game due to location...) But today, the NFL has its own network (that costs you money now - what a scam, but that's another topic), year-long weekly update shows on the sporting networks, combine coverage - and now even college football spring practices are being televised. So the sport of football has grown in interest - way past that of baseball or the other ones going on.
But this weekend, the NFL Draft takes place. This is where the agents and publicists make their money and where GM's and scouts get fired. There will be more busts than prizes in the draft and organizations will make million dollar(s) investments in 21-22 year old players that have been on their absolute best behavior for the past four months - as to not jeopardize their draft status. It is a credit to the NFL and all the marketing folks and executives that they've been able to build up the interest in this annual event. They'll once again sell out Radio City Music Hall, Jets fans will boo whoever they pick and the suits will be outrageous - that's for sure. So here's to the football junky in all of you. Good luck following along this weekend.
Oh - and for those of you interested, here is something that should stir up some level of emotion. A story about a West Point cadet who is considered an NFL prospect - but remember the five year commitment those at West Point must honor - or do they?
Posted by panmedia at 3:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
ever changing ways to secure 'coverage'
As PR professionals, we're all looking for new ways to secure our clients coverage and shine that spotlight on their new offerings and unique approaches. Yesterday, the CTO from JackBe, John Crupi was highlighted on a Network World 'Whiteboard' - We're seeing more and more traditional magazines and dailies go the video route - even our backyard paper the Boston Globe is making a point to add more video coverage. Not that traditional media briefings and opportunities have gone away, it's just another way to get your clients message out there. Check it out:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1243511167/bctid1517411419
Posted by panmedia at 9:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
April 21, 2008
Tradeshow season is here – are you ready?
As many of us know, we are in the midst of tradeshow season. This year has been no exception for me with clients at Web 2.0 this week, Interop next week and Sapphire during the first week of May. With all of the hustle and bustle of tradeshows, product launches and media tours, I wanted to stop and call out a few key points and best practices to make that help to make our client’s tradeshow experience successful.
First and foremost – start early – planning is key when you have multiple clients going to multiple events. For Interop next week, three of PAN’s clients BlueCat Networks, CiRBA and Patni are going to be onsite. We took this opportunity to work collaboratively rather than having three different PAN folks contacting the same pre-reg. list. By keeping each other in the loop when speaking with a reporter and by discussing the fact that all three clients were going to be onsite, we minimized outreach efforts and maximized reporter relationships.
Additionally, Interop has done a stellar job in keeping PR and marketing efforts organized. The event planners held a conference call for those attending where we learned of specific deadlines, approval processes and where we can get pre-reg lists. Interop keeps all of this information on an exhibitor extranet. The process has been very organized and the planners have been a pleasure to work with.
In addition to the media who have registered for the show, the three teams outreached to their beat reporters to see who would be attending, since many reporters decide last minute and never make it to the pre-reg. list. This process has been very helpful because we’ve uncovered some new targets. In addition it has given us good reason to check in with our beat reporters and has led to other discussions and in some cases editorial opportunities.
Finally, a newer best practice that we have put into place is reviewing the exhibitor list for publishing companies. More and more, publishers are getting booth space to drive vendors to them, rather than the historical stance of walking the show floor. Of course, their purpose in having a booth presence is to drive ad dollars, but for PR, this is extremely helpful because we’ve let our clients know which publications will be onsite and recommended that they drop by the booth to strike up conversations.
With all of the above in place, our clients have booked several meetings leading up to the show and several onsite appointments. We are primed and ready to take our events by storm.
Good luck to all of you who are attending events in the coming weeks.
Posted by eburns at 11:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
April 17, 2008
Do you Twitter?
If you’re paying any attention at all to social media, you know about Twitter. It’s all the rage in certain circles.
In case you’re not yet in the know, Twitter lets you give text message-length updates via the Web or SMS to people you want to communicate with. Simple as that.
Why use Twitter? Some people are still figuring that out. Is it just a waste of time? Granted it can be distracting. Do we really need to know what friends and coworkers are doing every minute of the day? In marketing and PR in particular, people are beginning to use it to get tips on stories from reporters, get quick feedback on ideas, and post links to a site or story they want to promote.
Sound intriguing? Spend a few minutes watching this “Twitter 101" explanation. Decide for yourself.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OYHUOESHpVk
Posted by ashannon at 6:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)