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.
Photo Credit: PRWeekMany of us in the PR profession know that August is a time to celebrate some of the best and brightest talent in the PR world. Specifically, August marks the time when PRWeek releases its prestigious 40 Under 40 list, which recognizes standout PR professionals from both agency and in-house roles. According to Steve Barrett, editor-in-chief of PRWeek, the people who make this list are a tribute to the breadth, depth and potential of the communications industry and also represent a mature communications environment where PR is increasingly recognized as a desirable and rewarding profession.
So how can you grace the 40 Under 40 list with your presence? Well first, you must be nominated by a colleague or peer who believes you’ve made a long-lasting impression on the industry. But, what does it really take to receive such an honor?
I did a deep dive into the 40 Under 40 rising stars to uncover some common characteristics that the honorees possessed. Here’s what I found:
- Drive: This attribute is a given. You can’t be considered a trailblazer in the PR world without having the gumption. PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 have pushed themselves beyond their comfort zones to engage in important issues facing the world and shift attitudes on things that matter.
- Innovative Thinking: The 40 Under 40 PR pros don’t make the list by maintaining the status quo. They push the envelope. Many of them revamped existing communication programs to exponentially increase media exposure, launched new practices within their agencies, created new ways of measuring and monitoring results or developed programs to better connect with customers.
- Diversity: One size doesn’t fit all for the 40 Under 40. Everyone comes from all avenues in the PR industry. From sports marketing, to public affairs to crisis communication to digital marketing, they all possess a wide variety of skill sets and experience. Most importantly, the 40 Under 40 don’t pigeon hole themselves into a box, rather they’re constantly expanding their knowledge and exploring different ways of communicating.
- Relationship Builders: Whether they are spokespeople for their own company or charged with connecting with stakeholders on behalf of their clients, the 40 Under 40 have mastered a fundamental element of PR — the art of building relationships and connecting with people. The 40 Under 40 are adept at mentoring a team, building strong relationships with media and reaching customers. They are respected leaders who know how to inspire others and get their voices heard.
Do you want to make PRWeek’s 40 Under 40 list one day? Embody these characteristics and you’ll be well on your way!
The success of reaching out to media with a story idea is largely dependent on what you can offer the journalist in terms of a story angle, interviews and visuals. You have to have something newsworthy to share. However, if you are able to tie to an industry trend and offer an interesting perspective, this can increase your chance of coverage.
Recently, we partnered with our client Attachmate to increase its thought leadership on the hot topic of mobility. Currently, the way people work is dramatically impacted by the availability of mobile technology such as laptops, smartphones and tablets. Today’s workforce wants access to materials anytime, anywhere and this can create a challenge for IT. Attachmate’s Verastream offers a solution.
To help folks understand how Attachmate’s Verastream can help, we reached out to media and offered up Verastream Product Manager, Ron Nunan, to speak about this trend and its implications for IT. With this approach, we were able to secure two bylined articles. We’ve included the links below.
- Data Center Journal, “BYOD and the Impact on IT,” August 2012
- Enterprise Systems Journal, “Going Mobile: Introducing Your Mainframe to Modern Tools,” July 30, 2012
Bylined articles present an excellent opportunity to establish credibility and position you as a thought leader. The majority of bylined articles are vendor neutral, but the articles help to draw attention to the company and its products and solutions. For Attachmate, it was a great opportunity for Ron Nunan to be a part of the conversation and raise awareness. This is a win-win for media and companies looking for coverage. The outlet gets content and the business gets visibility. For additional information on why contributed content is good for business, read our blog post, “Three Reasons to Contribute Company-Neutral Editorial.”
There’s no question that the PR industry is evolving at a rapid pace. With the social and digital media boom, PR professionals are quickly developing new and innovative ways to engage target audiences, increase brand awareness, and positively influence the bottom line. However, while the industry evolves to incorporate strategies not known 10 years ago such as Facebook contests, Tweetups or video campaigns, a core element to successful PR remains the same — effective media relations.
While there are several tips and tricks available on how to build strong relationships with media, there are less resources around what pitfalls to avoid and common mistakes that will undoubtedly get your pitch or press release tossed in the trash folder. Ragan’s PR Daily recently posted a helpful blog titled, “5 ways to get on a reporter’s blacklist” by Mickie Kennedy, CEO and founder of eReleases and blogs at PR Fuel. While some tips may seem like common knowledge, unfortunately, the mishaps that Kennedy conveys happen all too often, and are good reminders for us all.
Here are his top five snares that will drive reporters crazy.
1. Send them stuff they can’t use.
You have a great, well written pitch. It’s clear, concise and compelling. Unfortunately you send it to a reporter who is no longer covering the topic. Make sure you do your due diligence and research, research, research. No reporter wants to feel like you pulled him or her out of a random search or a blast press list. Do some background research to ensure your pitch is relevant to the recipient.
2. Forget to proofread.
This should be a no brainer. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t always happen. Make sure you proofread your work before sending it. I often send my pitches to my colleagues for review in order to get a fresh pair of eyes. Even then, I still read and reread before I send. If your materials have errors in them, not only will no one want to print your content, but it genuinely damages your credibility and annoys reporters. You never want to be that PR professional that the media often rant about.
3. Tell a reporter you sent the press release to someone else.
As I mentioned in snare no. 1, no reporter wants to feel like they’re a part of a big blast list. Journalists are less likely to write a story if they know half the world is getting the same scoop. Make sure you customize your outreach. Let a reporter know why your pitch is relevant to their specific publication and coverage area.
4. Ask about the press release.
There’s a fine line between being aggressive and being annoying. Don’t call a reporter to see if he or she got the release five minutes after you sent it. Don’t bug them about sending you the article before it goes to print. Reporters are busy. Eight times out of 10, reporters will get back to you when they have time and will contact you if they need any additional information. If a reporter’s ignoring you, it’s likely because they’re not interested. While some reporter follow up is acceptable, don’t inundate your media targets with constant contact.
5. Write a boring press release.
While some say press releases are a thing of the past, interesting and relevant press releases still have a place in the PR world. What’s important is that the press release has news value. A compelling press release can be an extremely valuable tool for media who are pinched for time and resources. However, if you’re not passionate about the story you’re pitching, then why would a journalist be passionate enough to write? If your press release isn’t communicating anything of significance, then it probably shouldn’t exist.
As a manager, or those seeking to grow into a managerial role, it’s a requirement that you delegate work to a strong team so you can focus on other important aspects of your role or business. It frees up your time, but also allows your team members to feel productive, grow their skills and add value to the organization.
Delegating can be challenging to some, and reminders of best practices are always helpful, so I set off to find tips in delegating effectively.
Here are some of the most helpful pieces of advice I uncovered:
- Consistent standards and clear requests. Whether male or not, the Art of Manliness blog post, “Leadership: The Importance of Knowing How to Delegate,” contained great advice. Knowing what you’re asking for ahead of time prevents you from being upset when the delivered project isn’t what you had in mind. But judging the quality of work once received should be consistent as well so your team knows what you expect. When delegating, give the team member all the information that’s needed for the work and be available (within reason) to discuss questions and challenges.
- Check in. There is a fine line between micromanaging and being supportive. Check in halfway to ensure there aren’t questions, challenges or bottlenecks, but as this article in BusinessWeek notes, trust your employee to figure things out as well. If you don’t find them competent to do the work, or they’ve destroyed your trust to meet deadlines in the past, it might be beneficial to delegate the task to someone else.
- Don’t just delegate, explain. There won’t always be time to talk through the reasoning behind a delegated task, but I often find myself more motivated to complete a task when I understand its importance. When giving instruction, be sure to include some of the rationale behind your decision to delegate the work.
I will definitely use these tips as I delegate more tasks and I’m sure I’ll learn a few more along the way. What guidance have you found helpful in delegating work to your team?
Earlier this week I was chatting with one of my colleagues about Time magazine’s suspension of respected writer and CNN TV host Fareed Zakaria for plagiarism. It got me thinking about the topic and I decided it might be helpful to offer a reminder of what plagiarism is as well as tips on how to avoid it.
I found an insightful website created by Plagiarism.org, a subsidiary of iParadigms, LLC, a company developing web-based solutions to prevent plagiarism. On the site, you’ll find a definition of plagiarism from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. According to Merriam-Webster, to “plagiarize” means to:
- steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
- use (another’s production) without crediting the source
- commit literary theft
- present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
Plagiarism.org goes a step further to explain that “plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else’s work and lying about it afterward.”
The Associated Press posts the following statement on its website: “An AP staffer who reports and writes a story must use original content, language and phrasing. We do not plagiarize, meaning that we do not take the work of others and pass it off as our own.”
Clearly with the amount of information available on the Internet it is easy to access the ideas of others. So how does one avoid making a mistake and being accused of plagiarism? Citing sources and giving credit to others is the name of the game.
To aid all of us who write, the Plagiarism.org website also provides resources for people who are striving to maintain the integrity of their written work. There are several pages devoted to topics such as when to cite sources, how to determine if information is common knowledge, and how to cite material. While much of this information appears to be written for students, there are some good tips for those of us writing for work or fun. When in doubt, it is always better to be safe than sorry and cite sources.
Managing your work day, from task lists to time management to email, is all a personal preference. Everyone has their own style and it is essential to find what works best for you to work most efficiently.
I recently looked at my inbox and realized that it was distracting me — I wasn’t being as efficient as possible because I was responding to emails immediately, whether it interrupted my current focus or not. While there is nothing wrong with a prompt response, and likely encouraged in professional services, with some simple adjustments you can regain control of your email inbox, increase your productivity, and overcome email overload.
One of our clients told me that he only spends two hours a day answering email. I’ve also received out-of-office messages from reporters who have said they review email twice a day and if it is outside that window, they will not respond. Setting boundaries like those might be helpful for someone feeling overwhelmed with email. However, as email piles up outside of that window, it can feel unmanageable.
I came across an article in Ragan.com titled, “7 ways to manage email overload,” by Holly Reisem Hanna that offers some additional advice I found helpful.
I’ve highlighted a few tips from the article, coupled with my own experience, below:
- Creating an email schedule. Keeping your email open throughout the day can be distracting. There are times that I need to focus on a big project and I will close my inbox for periods of time. Hanna points out that keeping your inbox open all day controls how you work, and she suggests scheduling one to three times a day to answer emails. This might not sound realistic, but if you keep coworkers and clients in the loop, similar to the journalist I mentioned above, there won’t be any surprises.
- Get email organized. The first thing that I did when I started at CPR was create folders for each client, but depending on individual projects, that process has evolved. For example, I have “blog” folders for some clients. This allows folders to be easily searchable. Hannah suggests creating a follow-up folder, a hold folder, and an archive folder. I like the idea of a follow-up folder to easily locate items that need to be addressed, but don’t take up space in my inbox.
- Implement the two-minute rule. Creating a two-minute rule is an easy way to get emails out of your inbox and help that overwhelming feeling. The rule is easy to follow: If an email will take two minutes or less, answer it. If the email requires more in-depth thought, file it in your follow-up folder. Typically, I flag emails that require more thought with a red marker in Outlook to review later in the day. My colleague shared that she files the email and adds it to her to-do list to follow-up later.
- Unsubscribe from unnecessary newsletters. I know that I was spending far too much time deleting unwanted emails from subscriptions that I didn’t need. Many websites require you to sign up to gain access to materials, but make it a habit to immediately unsubscribe to newsletters so they don’t clog your inbox. I also subscribe to Google Alerts for certain topics, but realized I had not updated my keywords for accounts I no longer support. Some subscriptions are necessary, but you can create a rule or filter in Outlook that automatically sends the newsletter to a folder to read later.
- Be concise. Sometimes we get bogged down in crafting the perfect reply, but in most cases, a concise email is the most effective. It can be helpful to have a colleague quickly review your email to ensure your message is clear and concise. Additionally, Hannah suggests crafting a descriptive subject line that will help your recipient quickly gauge what your email is about. For more tips on subject lines read my previous blog post, “Subject Lines That Are Sexy.”
I know that I will implement some of these tips into my email management in the future. What tricks do you have for managing email?