Q: What is the best way for a business to generate and leverage PR opportunities?

A: You need to be prepared ahead of time to tell your story. That means having your company’s key messages and talking points in order well before you receive the phone call or email asking for a comment.

The PR team should help the media do its job by having information about your company and products readily available, and today that means having a current and easily accessible press section of your website that’s stocked with bios, product fact sheets, recent press releases and images. One of the most important elements of a press room is the press contact – not a generic “info@companyname.com” email address, but a real name, an actual person’s email address and their telephone numbers. That’s typically one of the media’s top complaints about press rooms – there’s no real person to contact when a reporter is on deadline and needs to know someone is available and working to get a response.

Finally, you need to keep your press releases up to date. If the date of your most recent press release was nine months ago, it communicates a lot about what’s going on at your company – or not – whether you like it or not.

The “Sawmill” in our name comes from the gentle, beautiful and meandering Sawmill Creek (left) that winds its way from northern Baltimore County, including where I live, through Anne Arundel County until it flows into the Patapsco River.

Sometimes we wish we had a more interesting answer. But in the more than 17 years that Sawmill Marketing Public Relations has been in business the “where  does ‘Sawmill’ come from” question is a good reminder that it’s your definition of interesting that matters.

We’re all for continuing to answer “where does the name ‘Sawmill’ come from?” for at least the next 17 years!

In our opinion, taking control of a media interview, as guests routinely do to one extent or another on such interview shows,  should always be the goal. A media interview is your opportunity to communicate your messages using tips and techniques designed, crafted and time-tested to help you do so clearly, concisely, consistently.

On an upcoming Sunday, view “Meet the Press” or similar programs with an educated eye and ear towards the guests and their skill with taking control of the interview. You’ll see the results of media training at its best, happening right in front of you.

It was one of those extreme PR assignments that come along every so often, requiring constant caffeine injections as we managed all aspects of media relations while a team of more than 1,500 volunteers built a 4,300-square-foot home and a therapeutic riding facility in less than a week. Actually 106 hours, to be exact, and we wouldn’t trade those 20-hour days for anything.

Sawmill was brought on board to craft messages, help with product placement, provide media coaching and provide round-the-clock management of the onslaught of media coverage that was sure to arrive with Ty Pennington (seen above with the Luther family on “Move That Bus” day) and the rest of the cast of the Emmy Award-winning reality television show, including the always-in-pink Designer/Carpenter Paige Hemmis (below, chilling with Jeff just after the door-knock).

During the course of the build week, results included more than 55 television stories, dozens of newspaper articles, regular live radio interviews coverage in the trade press and one surprised family!

That’s a piece of advice from Barry Rascovar, the long-time Baltimore Sun political columnist and deputy editorial page editor, who joined Michael Cross-Barnet, The Sun‘s deputy opinion editor, at the recent PRSA Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake Conference to share insider tips on getting an op-ed considered and published.

Here are just a few insights:

The Sun publishes 12 op-eds a week. They receive more than 100 each week that are “worthy of consideration.” At The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, the competition is considerably higher.

Good writing is as important as an interesting topic. Use clear prose and concise, simple language. The academic community tends to have trouble with this, Cross-Barnet said. Rascovar suggests that writers dig out their copies of Strunk & White’s “Elements of Style” for a refresher on making every word count.

Your submission needs to “grab the editor” with a piece that solves a local problem.  Be creative, imaginative, concise and cogent.

Is it “different enough, unusual enough?” Or is it another bland piece that will get tossed into the rejection heap?

The day-long workshop will be held on the campus of the College of Southern Maryland in Leonardtown.

Anthony will speak on “Getting More Mileage from Media: Part One, Traditional Media,” while Davis will speak on “Getting More Mileage from Media: Part Two, Online Media.”  Both sessions will include ample time for discussion and questions from attendees.

About PRISM

Public Relations Individuals of Southern Maryland (PRISM) is a professional organization for public relations and marketing practitioners in the Southern Maryland region, including Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s counties. The purpose of the organization is to provide professional development and networking opportunities to individuals who work in public relations and marketing. The PRISM members serve in various industries such as economic development, defense, retailing, health care, government, non-profit, education, and professional services. For more information visit www.prismonline.info

About Sawmill Marketing Public Relations
Sawmill Marketing Public Relations is a Baltimore PR firm and social media marketing communications agency established in 1995 specializing in the development and execution of marketing public relations programs as business development strategies for business-to-business, business-to-consumer and professional services clients. The Maryland public relations company specializes in social media, traditional media relations, media training, and crisis communications. For additional information, visit www.sawmillmarketing.com

High Highlight #1: No question..it’s when Jeff came on board and we became SMPR partners. A Public Relations professional to his core who has lead us in new directions…most notably/recently his expertise in social media…he is also a genuinely nice guy and good friend.

High Highlight #2: Being on site (and working around the clock day after day) for five weeks at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City where we represented a resort property that was an unofficial Olympic Village for Nordic ski and biathlon teams from around the world. It was a heady experience working with major national and international media on a daily basis and in close daily contact with athletes of that caliber.

Our Three Maxims:

• Always Take the High Road. No exceptions, no detours.
• It is a Small World. In large measure reputations rise and fall as a result of  this simple statement.
• LOVE what you do or don’t do it anymore. A great day @ SMPR is when we get a “hit” for a client and/or we provide counsel that a client  recognizes as smart, insightful and new.

Thank you for your part in helping us to arrive at age 17 and for your continuing help to propel us to the next 17 years.

The item in “Smart Strategies” notes that PR firms and advertising folks were among the first to use Twitter to promote clients and engage in dialogue with the media. “One of the early adopters in this field was Jeff Davis, a partner with Sawmill Marketing Public Relations.”

“His tweets offer a nice mix of the personal and the professional — and some are quite funny,” the BBJ says. At least that’s their opinion!

In fact, the BBJ was the first to cover Sawmill’s push into social media in 2007, and then in 2008 under the headline: “What Are You Doing? PR firms answer that question and more via social networking phenomenon Twitter”

The campaign will include strategic message development, traditional media relations, website development and management, community relations, crisis communications planning and spokesperson training.

The $50 million facility, to be located in Baltimore, is the first of several used motor oil recycling operations planned by the company in the United States.

About FCC Environmental

FCC Environmental, LLC provides recycling services for the automotive, commercial and industrial sectors of the U.S. economy. Its service offerings include used oil collection and processing, collection and recycling of used oil filters and antifreeze, along with parts cleaner supply and service, plus field service activity and emergency response capabilities to support the requirements of its customers.

Headquartered in Houston, FCC Environmental has maintained a regional office and operation in Baltimore since 1950.  It has 38 branches and terminals throughout an 18 state operation, serving over 30,000 customer locations. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), one of the world’s largest environmental service providers with headquarters in Madrid, Spain. With more than 90,000 employees operating in over 50 countries, FCC was able to provide the financial capability and leadership to allow FCC Environmental, LLC to expand its service offerings. For more information, visit www.FCCenvironmental.com.

About Sawmill Marketing Public Relations

Sawmill Marketing Public Relations is a Baltimore PR firm and social media marketing communications agency established in 1995 specializing in the development and execution of marketing public relations programs as business development strategies for business-to-business, business-to-consumer and professional services clients. The Maryland public relations company specializes in social media, traditional media relations, media training, and crisis communications. For additional information, visit www.sawmillmarketing.com.

Here’s a link to an informative blog post based on research on “what journalists really want from an online newsroom,” by David Bowen of Bowen Craggs & Co. and posted on the MyNewsdesk customer blog. [Thanks to Keith Childs for sharing it on the FIR FriendFeed room.]