Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
If you’ve ever worked in journalism or public relations, odds are you’ve heard of AP Style. But if you haven’t, as is the case with many of our clients, it can be a foreign concept. In today’s post, we want to provide a definition of AP Style and discuss its importance in communications.
The “Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law” (AP Stylebook) is, according to its website, “a writing style guide for journalists. It is published and updated annually to reflect changes in writing style and new guidelines. … Updated regularly since its initial publication in 1953, it provides fundamental guidelines for spelling, language, punctuation, usage and journalistic style. It is the definitive resource for journalists.”
It serves as the ultimate resource when writing and formatting material, ensuring consistency across platforms and publications. There are many reasons why AP Style is useful and important to consider in PR, such as:
- Convenience. When writing any kind of material that may be useful to journalists – a pitch, news release, case study, etc. – PR pros tend to adhere to AP Style guidelines to increase the likelihood of the client’s content being used. By writing and formatting copy the way a publication would prefer, journalists and editors don’t need to worry about rewriting or reformatting the material. It saves them time when they’re busy and stretched too thin.
- Consistency. Regardless of the publication, or whether it’s print or online, having consistency with formatting and grammar is important. And with new technologies and language introduced daily, it’s useful to have an authoritative source providing guidance to everyone in the field on uppercase versus lowercase. Some examples of these new words include: Cloud Computing versus cloud computing, internet versus Internet, and tweet or Tweet.
- Grammar. Not only does the AP Style guide provide rules for formatting, but it also proves helpful when grammar isn’t one of your strengths. Included in the guide is a section on punctuation, as well as guidance on the difference between i.e. and e.g., lay versus lie, and either/or and neither/nor, plus many others.
The 2013 AP Stylebook is available now for purchase here. But tell us: Do you have additional thoughts on why AP Style might be useful?
At Communiqué PR, we’re big fans of Peter Shankman and the Help a Reporter Out (HARO) service he started years ago. So when Peter released his second book, Nice Companies Finish First: Why Cutthroat Management is Over and Collaboration is In, we were excited to pick up a copy.
CEOs are often lauded for their winner-take-all approach: They do whatever it takes to move up the corporate ladder, manage with iron fists, and answer to no one all without regard for the casualties they may leave in their wake. Often this attitude permeates throughout an organization’s culture which, while making the company financially successful, also makes for a toxic atmosphere for employees. In Nice Companies Finish First, Shankman paints an entirely different picture of leadership, one that calls for leaders to take the complete opposite approach.
According to the book, the new standard for leadership is one that builds “productive, open, innovative and positive workplaces.” In turn, a positive workplace benefits customers, employees, stockholders and the bottom line. Throughout the book, Shankman profiles well-known “nice” executives and weaves in their experiences as he explores the nine traits that set these leaders apart.
All of the nine traits are standards to which we should all aspire, but trait no. 6, “Glass-Half-Full POV,” really resonated. At various points in our careers, we’ve probably all worked with a “Debbie Downer” – they are not particularly inspiring to be around. Now, imagine if a Debbie Downer is at the helm of your team or organization. Leadership sets the tone and I would guess that most of us would find more inspiration from someone who views life and business with more optimism. To be clear, the book does not contend that leaders should adopt a Pollyanna view. Rather, leaders who are glass-half-full people exhibit the ability to remain positive, but are not blind to the realities of their business.
If you’d like to hear more about Shankman’s thoughts on the positive impact of being nice in business– and for that matter, in all areas of our lives – check out his inspiring TEDx Talk:
Nice Companies Finish First is a refreshing take on management and leadership and shows that the lessons we learned as children to share and to play nice with others aren’t just meant for the sandbox.
I remember the need to fit in when I was a teenager—the need to be liked and look the part. I would beg my mom to buy me tops from Abercrombie & Fitch. I would proudly display the “beautiful people” shopping bags on my bedroom wall, showcasing bodies that neither I nor 99 percent of my classmates would ever achieve. It was a double-edged sword; I felt cool wearing the clothes, but terrible knowing I’d never be that perfect.
By now, many of you have heard about the harsh words of Mike Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, from a 2006 Salon interview. These comments resurfaced during a recent Business Insider interview with Robin Lewis, co-author of the book, “The New Rules of Retail.” Lewis claims that Jeffries “doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people. He doesn’t want his core customers to see people who aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they’re one of the ‘cool kids.’” Ouch. It doesn’t help that Abercrombie & Fitch doesn’t make clothing in size XL or beyond size 10 for women.
Jeffries’ comments created an uproar with parents, teens and the public alike. From disapproving videos to articles to parents boycotting the store, I highly doubt that Jeffries achieved his desired result. He essentially made every teen who can’t shop at his store—and every adult who would not have fit as a teen—relive childhood trauma as well as fueled bullies for tormenting. He made enemies.
The Jeffries’ case is extreme, of course, yet every PR professional can learn from his mistake. While many businesses target a specific population sector, Jeffries’ poor choice of words singled out the population that “doesn’t belong” and supposedly can’t wear his company’s clothes. Making insensitive comments can do irreparable damage to a company’s reputation, causing a PR disaster with measurable effects on company revenues and sustainability.
In general, brands should avoid making such potentially inflammatory and defamatory comments and instead ensure that they position themselves well in the media. It’s understandable to appeal to a particular demographic or population segment, but unacceptable to stigmatize or offend those outside of that group. Spokespeople should stick to messages that have been agreed upon and positively represent company values.
However, what if the mistake has already been made? The best thing a PR professional can do in this scenario is admit the lapse in judgment and apologize immediately. Once Jeffries’ comments went viral, he stayed silent, which was perceived as insensitive. It would have been far more effective for Jeffries to have reacted quickly, immediately issuing an apology and urging the public that his comments were taken out of context. Since the initial outrage, he did eventually offer a “half apology,” which has not gone over well. The damage has been done, and it’s unclear how the brand will recover.
In short, Jeffries’ actions offer a great example of what not to do in PR. Despite what you may have heard, all publicity is not good publicity for businesses. PR professionals should instead keep in mind that attracting customers for clients is about acceptance, not alienation.
To raise awareness for our clients, we often strive to reach their target audiences by building relationships with key journalists and driving relevant editorial coverage. Despite the proliferation of conference calls and online meetings, we believe press tours are still the best way to engage and form relationships with journalists. Additionally, meeting with the journalists in person allows us to spend more time learning about the journalists’ perspectives on both industry trends and our client’s business, which always proves to be an interesting, insightful experience.
In the case of our client, Smartsheet, a collaboration tool currently in use by more than 2.5 million people, we are working to connect the company with journalists covering cloud and enterprise technologies. In order to start building relationships for Smartsheet with journalists interested in these topics, we partnered with Smartsheet to execute both a West Coast and East Coast press tour, visiting San Francisco, Boston, Washington D.C. and New York City in the spring of 2013.
Focusing outreach on national business media, we were able to secure 16 meetings for Smartsheet with the following outlets:
- Baseline Mag
- Bloomberg BusinessWeek
- CITEworld
- eWeek
- Financial Times
- Forbes
- GigaOM
- Market Watch
- MIT Technology Review
- Network World
- Successful Meetings
- Tech Target
- TIME Magazine
- Wall Street Journal
- Washington Post
To date, Smartsheet has received coverage in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Forbes and CITEworld. Just as important, the in-person meetings laid the foundation for what we hope will be lasting relationships moving into the future. In fact, Smartsheet has already helped connect one reporter to a source for another story completely unrelated to Smartsheet or online collaboration. In today’s connected world, it is often easy to stay behind a desk. However, getting out on the road is a great way to build meaningful relationships with industry influencers. Smartsheet saw tremendous value from gaining first-hand insight into journalists’ perspectives on developments in the enterprise technology industry, especially in collaboration. Furthermore, we always appreciate the opportunity to make in person introductions for a company, as they tend to be a rarity, and go a long way towards building lasting relationships.
For more on tours from Communiqué PR, please see:
- On the Road: Medio’s Press & Analyst Tour
- Best Practices for the Successful Press Tour
- Radio Media Tours
In today’s digital era, media pitches are often directed toward non-print outlets, whether they are online-only publications, blogs or mobile news applications. In PR, it can be tempting to direct the same pitch to multiple types of outlets, especially if you’re pitching to different versions of the same publication. For example, you might question why one would pitch differently to the online and print formats of The New York Times—they’re basically the same thing, right?
Wrong. Digital platforms have a different set of interests and goals than their traditional print counterparts. A major aim is not only driving traffic to their content, but also distributing that content across the Internet through web-sharing and social-media tactics.
To meet these ends, digital outlets tailor their content specifically for web readership. What works well for print doesn’t always transfer successfully to digital platforms, where content is typically shorter in length, more attention-grabbing and more concise. When your pitch appears in an online reporter’s or blogger’s inbox, their decision whether to write is influenced by factors unique to digital publishing—to be successful, it’s helpful to address these.
How can you amp up your pitch for digital outlets? Caysey Welton, editorial assistant for PRNews, offered tips about the topic in a recent article. I’m listing three of Welton’s five tips below (I highly recommend you visit his full article for further reading) to set you on your way to the perfectly crafted digital pitch.
Welton’s tips:
1. Consider the virality of your topic.
The success of digital publishing relies largely on ad revenues, which in turn depends on the ability to direct readers to content via SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Eye-catching headlines and engaging multimedia content are therefore increasingly important for digital content. Consider what factors make your pitch SEO-friendly, and make them apparent. Writing about a popular topic, brand or major trend? Mention this in your subject line. If you can’t see why your story should be shared across the web, neither can the reporter.
2. Research is key.
It’s a given, but particularly important in digital pitching—read up on the publication, its style and audience, as well as the voice of the specific reporter. Pitching to a conversation-style blog? Be professional, but less formal in your pitch. The digital publishing realm is also highly divided into specialty topics, so make sure you’re targeting a reporter who follows the correct beat to avoid your pitch landing on deaf ears.
3. Educate the writer.
With the rise of the Internet, just about anyone with a computer and a few resources can produce news via blogs and contributed content. However, just because a writer has interest in a particular beat and a wide reach does not mean they know everything imaginable about that topic. It’s your job to fill the journalist or blogger in with background and context while still being concise and to-the-point.
As a PR professional, you may have been told to “think like a journalist” when constructing a pitch or strategizing media relations. Nowadays, this type of thinking requires understanding the key differences between digital and print publishing. Just as reporters cater their writing for different formats, so should PR professionals tailor their pitches to the particular platform type. Of course, traditional pitching tactics are still important, but do consider these suggestions when drafting your next digital pitch to avoid it landing in a reporter’s (digital) recycle bin.
Verdiem, one of our Seattle-based clients, delivers IT energy efficiency solutions for mid-sized to enterprise customers across vertical industries. One of the reasons we love working with Verdiem is because they have compelling and timely stories to tell.
For example, Verdiem’s Surveyor allows customers to lower their operating expenses, sometimes significantly, by reducing energy waste using Verdiem software. Verdiem can point proudly to its many customer success stories, including Partners HealthCare, which is saving over $1.2 million per year on its energy bills using Verdiem.
And that fits nicely into the growing concern of environmental sustainability in the business world. Even the federal government has now mandated that U.S. commercial and government buildings must significantly reduce energy consumption. Verdiem is contributing to the reduction in energy consumption, such as that seen by Partners, by continuing to deliver new, innovative solutions to market and offering stellar support to its customer base – all of which are excellent fodder for PR.
Through announcements, contributed content and creative story pitches, Communiqué PR was able to generate 21 articles since spring 2012 to raise awareness about the growing need for IT energy management and Verdiem’s successful solutions.
Below is a list of those 21 publications, along with links to the articles.
- Environmental Leader, “Verdiem adds international energy rate coverage to IT management software”
- ZDNet, “Power management software tracks multinational energy rates”
- Geekwire, “Keeping your workplace culture on the cutting edge”
- Seattle Business, “Changing your company’s culture can boost your bottom line”
- Techtarget, “No escaping networked-based IT power management”
- Government Technology, “How to save money by automating CPU power cycles”
- Journal of Business, “Software cuts energy use by city’s computer system”
- The Spokesman Review, “Spokane Public Schools district software pays big dividends”
- Seattle Times, “First there was Xbox, now there is Vbox”
- TMCnet Smart-Grid, “Save your energy with Verdiem’s IT and facility power management platform”
- Efficient Energy, “Integrated solution for energy savings in buidings and IT”
- West Penn Post-Gazette, “Sleeping computers bring savings”
- Xconomy, “New finance models for NW cleantech, sustainability as VC wanes”
- Government Technology, “Power management software helps Spokane, Washington go green”
- Health Management Technology, “Manage IT energy use and save cash along the way”
- Health Management Technology, “IT energy management: A no brainer for healthcare organizations”
- HealthLeaders, “Conserve energy to preserve margin”
- Washington Post, “Firms turn to IT to track energy consumption, cut costs”
- Government Computer News, “Printer analyzer can help keep energy phantoms at bay”
- Xconomy, “Seattle roundup”
- Energy Manager Today, “Printers, PCs hog energy at enterprises”
We are excited to continue our work with Verdiem, to aid their efforts in raising more awareness and supporting them in their business objectives.
Anne Lindberg