Archive for publicity
Media Training Can Help in a Variety of Situations
Posted by: | CommentsIn getting ready for an important meeting later this week that will include an in-depth question and answer period, I was reminded of media training basics including answer only the question that was asked and do not speculate.
Learning how to deliver your key messages clearly, concisely and consistently has so many valuable uses beyond communicating effectively in a media interview such as meetings and presentations of all descriptions, employee/staff situations, hiring interviews, and even sensitive family discussions.
There are several other basic media interview tips that can come in handy in a variety of situations beyond those with the media. Email me at susan.anthony@sawmillmarketing and I will be happy to share them with you.
This Hit Never Gets Old
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One thing that never gets old in our business is getting a client mentioned in the media, otherwise known as a “hit.”
Today we got our hands on the August issue of Baltimore magazine and inside is an article about seniors housing communities that includes our client, Crystal Spring. It’s a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) coming to Annapolis in 2012 that will also include village center-style townhomes for people of all ages and a destination retail village with shops and outdoor cafes, as well as a cultural arts center and village green. A boutique inn and spa is also being considered. It’s all on one “campus,” and is the new way CCRCs are being designed and built vs. the old stand-alone model that isolates the residents from the broader community.
Sawmill has been working with the writer for many months. In fact, the paragraph were I am quoted comes from an interview I did back in January. Proof that publicity also requires patience.
The Same Old Story – This Time from Inc. Magazine
Posted by: | CommentsInc. is a favorite magazine of mine because I always learn something and enjoy a good read as I do so. Imagine my chagrin when editor Jane Berentson
took the PR profession to task with yet another trip to the woodshed for irrelevant pitches and obvious email blast pitches.
When will we learn?
Ms. Berentson shares that, for her, the best story ideas “unfold in a conversation about this and that” which provides valuable insight into her approach for exploring and discovering stories that reside beyond the obvious and the expected.
Our challenge is to find a way to be a part of one of her conversations about “this and that” and in so doing, uncover a story that neither one of us knew was there.
Kudos to Fireline Corp. President for Maryland Daily Record Award
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We were delighted to nominate Anna Gavin, 28, president of Fireline Corporation, a Sawmill client, for the Maryland Daily Record “20 in their 20′s” award that recognized young leaders for their exceptional professional and personal achievements at this early stage of their careers.
The award is meaningful and the recognition is invaluable!
Facebook Friday: New Page Promotes ‘Facebook Journalism’
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Just last week, Facebook came out with a new page called “Journalists on Facebook” to share best practices for engaging with readers and encouraging them to view content.
The page has more than 45,000 “likes” in just over a week, and many of the tips are applicable/useful to the public relations community.
Why so much interest? Here’s what Facebook says: “Over the past year, we’ve worked with media organizations to help make their content more social and empower readers to experience news through their friends. Since we first launched these initiatives at the beginning of 2010, the average media organization has seen a greater than 300% increase in referral traffic from Facebook.”
Check it out, give it a like and see what all the buzz is about.
No News Can Indeed Be Good News
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s not always the right strategy to seek media attention for your client — especially when it involves one side of a complicated and litigio
us situation. But what if the client wants to react to recent (albeit one-sided) coverage?
Perhaps the best counsel is to view the situation from a reporter’s standpoint, who would be receiving yet a new angle to a story s/he thinks has already been covered. With a little digging how many more sides to the story will now be uncovered? What’s the potential cost to the client in letting the media determine how to use the new angle? Is the risk worth it?
Think of ways other than media coverage to get your client’s story told, including communicating directly with the audience with concise, accurate and relevant information that may or may not touch on the situation at hand — a decision that needs to be weighed carefully and without the repercussions of “he said, she said.”
Crisis Communications Tip #3: Make Media Training a Priority
Posted by: | CommentsWe inc
lude “Next Steps” in our crisis communications plans and “media training for designated spokespeople” is nearly always at the top of this list.
Why? Because we’re firm believers in the crisis communications mantra of “tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth.” This appears to be simple, sound and matter-of-fact when talked about in the calm of a conference room, but yet another matter requiring resolve, courage and leadership should a crisis situation occur.
In our experience, the designated spokespeople who already have a fundamental knowledge of how to communicate their messages to the media are better equipped to immediately focus themselves and their organization on telling it all, telling it fast and telling the truth, rather than to first take a crash course in media training.
Our New Year’s Day Gift to You: An Updated ‘Sawmill Guide to Baltimore Media on Twitter’
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We started to compile a list of Baltimore media on Twitter in 2008, published it on New Year’s Day in 2009 and updated it every time we came across a new account.
Today we present the 2011 edition of the “Sawmill Guide to Baltimore Media on Twitter,” now more than 250 names!
The list can be accessed here, and it resides on our home page all year long (see the link on the right). If you have any updates, please leave a comment and we’ll share.
Merry Christmas, Hon
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Laura Vozzella’s column in the Baltimore Sun does a great job of capturing the PR firestorm over a local restaurateur’s decision to trademark “Hon.”
Rather than debate the merits of the decision to claim rights to the word and the way the restaurateur went about defending her point of view, look at how PR missteps and social media are intensifying this storm.
Many people continue to say “any publicity is good publicity.” BP doesn’t think so, and the owner of this restaurant (and gift shop and festival) surely won’t believe it when this fiasco eventually fizzles out.
The mishandling of the news led to a spoof Twitter account, boycott the restaurant Facebook page, blog posts, newspaper comment section posts, a protest and a string of critical Yelp “reviews,” all within hours of this firestorm. Fanning the flames even more, the restaurant’s graphic design (and presumably not PR) consultant weighed in with a profanity-laced post (click on comments to find the one from “springray“) that went viral, while a rejected Yelp review found a new life and many more eyeballs on countless blogs.
In the meantime, Buzz is dying to hear what counsel the unidentified “publicist” referenced in The Sun‘s column offered when the the idea to trademark “Hon” was discussed!
