LT Public Relations

Not sure when journalism and editing became so sloppy when drafting news releases (Yes-it’s called a news release-not press release-because you’re releasing news, not press).  Generally speaking, writing an effective news release has become a lost art. 

Today we’re going to put some life back into the news release and add a bit of coaching.  We’re naming this  blog, “how the news release got its groove back.” Sorry Stella.

LT Public Relations has done some extensive research to find the best sources for effective news writing and found many similar themes on the fundamentals of crafting a newsworthy release.  Two overarching themes were 1) keep it simple–Brevity is key. 2) before you put the hands to the keyboard, the writer must ask a simple question . . . “who cares?”  This question alone will help dictate the tone and direction of the news release.

From the folks at PR.com, there are a few other questions you should ask before getting started (and continue to ask while writing and re-writing the news release):

• How does this news impact my specific industry?
• What does our company bring to the table that makes us unique and fills a gap in the market?
• Who is our target audience for this news? Who doe we want to hear our news?
• Who is our wide or more peripheral market for this news?
• Where and/or who does our company’s primary revenue come from?

More information can be found on PR.com’s site.

But excellent news release writing goes beyond asking the “who cares?” question or having imppecable wordsmith skills.  The true baramoter is asking yourself, will the audience “get it?”  Granted there are complex, sophisticated companies that exist that must include some industry mumbo jumbo and acronyms, but keep in mind that the news release is designed to educate–in almost laymen’s terms–what your company, service, product does.  

Moreover, the news release is a means to an end.  If the target audience reads your release and understands it–they’re inclined to want to learn more and visit your Web site or call the company.  That’s the true objective of a news release, right?–To give the audience a taste and drive them to want to learn more. If the release is confusing, you lost your audience forever.

Keep it simple and understandable–that’s how your release is most effective. Give us a shout if you want to learn more-503-477-9215.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” -Albert Einstein

Up here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, we are exposed more to the world of Nike than most.  Following their developments as a company is now a hobby, but learning from quite possibly the best branding and public relations machine is an obsession.

Last week, the Oregonian ran a story on Nike’s very controversial new campaign for its Hyperdunk basketball shoes.  It’s controversial because the ads created for this shoe (shown above) clearly have some anti-homosexual undertones.

This blog post isn’t about taking sides on this sensitive issue, but rather discussing the public relations strategy behind the buzz this campaign has created.  Clearly Nike knew that these ads would have raised a stink–they’re too brilliant not to notice the ads might be seen as anti-gay. Once the ads had been posted and they received a public backlash, they made a formal statement apologizing and took down the ads immediately.

But the brilliance behind the buzz and the controversy it created is still around.  People (especially “macho” basketball players) will be talking about these shoes and the mystic for months/years to come.  Please note: LT Public Relations does not condone tactics such as this–especially as outright offensive as the Hyperdunk ads.  However, we do recognize the impact these ads have on the public. 

Nike does things different.  They sometimes break the rules.  Do you think they cared that they illegally used the Beatles “Revolution” song in the early 90’s ad to promote their running shoes?  The costs and any damage the company took was minimal to the amount of attention it received.

Nike has its ads and PR tactics and so does LT Public Relations. We’re different than Nike, but we do recognize them as brilliant in their public relations strategies.

There was an interesting stat highlighted in a recent Newsweek attributed to Journalism.org that claimed “out of every 10 people surveyed, 8 said the Internet is a critical source of information.” This caught our attention–especially the word “critical.” 

It use to be that when people wanted critical news, they turned to their respected local newspapers and/or television/radio stations.  This still might be true in some cases, but the trend is that when folks are seeking “critical” information–they’re turning to the Internet. 

It’s not necessarily shocking or surprising news, but it is data to support the trend of the steady transformation that “critical” information is presumably found online–moreover, online information is being more consumed by the public than anywhere else.

In a recent LT Public Relations blog, we discussed the demise of the business section and editorial from national and local papers–and the rise of online content.  Again, nothing really surprising.  The important point is the ”critical”ness of turning to online editorial to post our client’s news has increasingly been a priority and one we advocate time and time again. 

To quote a tremendously written and informative article, “The Changing Newsroom,” from Journalism.com, “the rise of the web . . . opens up innovative new forms of journalism, builds new bridges to readers and offers enormous potential for the future.” 

As public relations professionals that cater to professional and financial services companies, LT Public Relations is slightly troubled by the recent decision of many of the country’s largest newspapers discontinuing their business sections–some newspapers include The Orange County Register, Cincinnati Enquirer, Denver Post and Winston-Salem Journal.  But we completely understand why this is happening.

No longer are people getting their fingertips dirty by flipping through their local newspaper.  Instead, folks are using those same fingertips to log into their newspapers’ Web sites.  It’s hard to believe, but yes they are. 

The actual business sections within the newspapers are going away, but that doesn’t necessarily mean business editorial is departing–it’s just finding a new home (i.e. online).

The problem this causes us PR folks is that we no longer can say “look at the coverage we garnered on the front page of today’s newspaper.”  This always added an element of “wow” for our clients.  Now we must show that the coverage we secured online is just as important as coverage yielded in print–in most cases, there are three times more readers online then actually pick up the newspaper.

So we miss “Ta Da!” moment of unveiling the business section cover story, but now can underscore the more substantial impact that the online business coverage has on its readers (i.e. prospective customers).

Now–back to online reading!

Public relations professionals often put together a token Q&A (Question & Answer) document for their clients to help the company’s customers get a clearer look at the services, products, etc. that the company is trying to tout. 

This Q&A is usually filled with innocuous questions that will likely never be asked–and the responses are typically way too fluffy.

One of the largest and most respected public relations agencies, Waggener Edstrom, brilliantly developed the “rude” Q&A–and mandated that each client develop this document.  The rude Q&A works like this . . . members of a company’s communication and executive team (along with their PR agency) develop a list of the harshest, most egregious questions one could ask (true or not true) about the company.  These questions internally exposed the Achilles heels before an external source (e.g. media) would expose them.

Once the rudest questions are on the table, it was up to the PR team (and wordsmiths) to come up with the best responses that truly exemplify the company and its messaging. 

This rude Q&A is an excellent ongoing exercise for all companies to develop to prepare themselves for tough questions or inquiries (erroneous or not)–LT Public Relations certainly advocates and practices having a fresh rude Q&A ready at all times.  REMEMBER, not all pitches will be fast balls down the middle–you gotta be ready to hit the curve balls out of the strike zone.

Every four years brings about the classic political contest amongst the Republicans (Republican National Committee), Democrats (Democratic National Committee) and the Independents.  As public relations professionals, we love this time period–not because we like to debate our political views (necessarily), but because we monitor the impressive ways that each party communicates to its target audience.

Like no other period, Presidential elections bring out the newest and most creative mediums to lure audiences.  The media contiues to be the #1 way to communicate a presidential nominee’s platform and agenda, but there are now a myriad of mediums each political camp aggressively explores to attract attention (or denounce the other parties’ nominee).

The 2004 election (Bush-Cheany ’04) introduced us to blogging.  In 2008, we’re seeing the rise of YouTube  and a host of social media sites to promote Barack Obama –”Yes We Can” and John McCain –”Reform. Prospertity. Peace.” 

It comes down to utilizing the most effective, powerful communication tools to tell a story, while being more creative than past presidential elections to spread the word.

At LT Public Relations we’re listening to the message, but paying close attention to the mediums used to send the message.  Are these new communication vehicles useful? Impactful? We’ll see in November.  Regardless of outcome, these new communication tools for political reasons are being watched closely–perhaps we can leverage similar communication approaches for our clients trying to campaign for new customers.

Our good friends at Spaeth Communications are always advocating using “good” words (and avoid “bad” words) when communicating to the media–and to avoid being caught sticking your proverbial foot in your mouth when making ill-advised comments to the media. 

If you do find yourself being horrifically quoted or reading your quote in the media that jeopardizes not only your organization, but your credibility too, don’t be surprised if the folks at Spaeth Communications give you the dubious “Bimbo Award.” 

At LT Public Relations, we constantly keep these teachings in mind when counseling our clients prior to any interviews.  We fear being the recipient of a Bimbo Award more than reading the actual dumb quote from our client.

Get in touch with Spaeth Communications to learn more about how to be a more effective communicator and how to avoid “bimbo” comments.

Our friends at Portland PRSA distributed its “President’s Column” today (see below) with the focus on the need for solid public relations support during tumultous economic times.  We here at LT Public Relations recently blogged about this topic (“In Tough Times, Communicate More“).  Each of Darcie Meihoff’s points resonate with us and we wholeheartedly agree with the points made.

It comes down to capitalizing on opportunity . . . “When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” — John F. Kennedy (1959)

As PR professionals, let’s capitalize on this opportunity instead of sitting on the bench.

President’s Column

We here at LT Public Relations wishes everyone a safe and festive 4th of July week . . . especially our troops fighting for our freedom.  Thank you!

*LT Public Relations blog will continue next week.  Blog ya later!