Archive for February, 2008

Instant Media Turnoff

Published
by
Robynn
on February 29, 2008
in Media Relations Tips
. 1 Comment

I’ve just finished a phone call with an editor covering the marketing and media industry in South Africa. She received a press release this week from a PR practitioner where 60 email addresses were included in the recipient list, for all to see. 60! Naturally, the editor said that she didn’t bother to read any further, it was simply deleted without remorse.

Think of this from a journalist’s perspective. If you see that a media release has been sent to 20, 30 or 60 (gasp!) other people covering your beat and industry, what thoughts would possibly be going through your mind? Probably something like this: “if Sally, Susan and Peter are covering this, then why should I bother?”

Personalised and exclusive
A journalist will not use your media release if there is a chance that another competing magazine or newspaper will cover the same story, or at least the same angle of the story. That’s why journalists love exclusives. It gives them a chance to give their readers something unique, something that their target audience can’t read, hear or view anywhere else.

Many PR companies aim to get as much coverage as possible and will send the media release to as many people as possible (including those who left the publication two years ago). But if you’re employing the “spray-and-pray” method to achieve this, then you’re probably wondering why you get no coverage at all.

Well, now you know.

And don’t try the BCC tactic. Journalists receive enough emails every day to spot the personalised emails from the … well, let’s just call it what it is: PR spam.

Popularity: 11% [?]


Ten Excellent Networking Tips

Published
by
Robynn
on February 28, 2008
in Communication skills
. 14 Comments

Having just attended two networking events in an equal number of evenings (PR-Net and 27 Dinner), I had the opportunity to practice some of the tips I learnt from Colette Carlson’s “Communication secrets to change your life” seminar last weekend. I’m still learning and some of these tips take a bit of practice (they don’t call it net-work for nothing), but I’ve found them to be incredibly useful:

1. Wear your stripes

Make sure to introduce yourself at every opportunity. Let people know who you are upfront. Don’t lose an opportunity by simply saying “Hi, I’m Robynn”. Rather say “Hi, I’m Robynn Burls, the owner of Encyclomedia, the online media database for the PR industry. And you are?” Now people know who you are and it opens the opportunity for them to ask you more about what you do. 

2. Introduce yourself to the loners - you’ll be their hero

No-one likes to be standing alone at a networking event, it’s embarrassing! It makes you do stupid things like pretend you’re checking email on your cell (and we all know you’re really only trying to look busy).

Make a point of walking up to the person and introduce yourself. The loners will be so grateful to finally be involved that they won’t be able to forget you. Remember, the objective behind good networking is to become memorable in the minds of others.

3. Bring outsiders into the conversation - more hero-factor

When you’re chatting in a group and you see that certain individuals are being side-lined, pull them back into the conversation by saying “John, what do you think about that?” By giving him the opportunity to get back into the group, you’ll make yourself more memorable to John.

Also, when you are talking, be inclusive and connect with everyone’s eyes, not just the person who asked you a question.

4. Lost and alone? Start a conversation

It’s always tough, if not a little daunting, when attending an event alone. Don’t get stuck in a quiet corner playing with your phone. Walk straight up to the busiest area, normally the bar, or around the registration table. Remember to smile, it makes you look more approachable - people like friendly people. Find another person and casually comment ”I don’t know anyone here. How about you?”

There you have it, you’ve started a conversation and it wasn’t so difficult. The fear of doing something is always far worse than actually doing it.

5. Embarrassing silence? Prepare ahead

We’ve all experienced that dreaded lull in conversation where you nervously take a gulp of wine, hoping someone will think of something to say by the time you’ve swallowed. Now you can use this silence to your advantage. Depending on the type of people attending the event, take some time out beforehand to read some recent blog posts or newspaper articles related to their field of interest. Find something quirky or humorous (no front-page dreary news stories please) and keep it at the back of your mind.

The moment people start fidgeting and looking around, you can add “hey, did any of you read Dave Duarte’s post about Nokia’s hilarious “position art” campaign?” If someone says yes, then invite them to tell the group about it. Not only have you saved the conversation, for which everyone is enormously grateful, but you’ve also given someone else the opportunity to tell a story. This once again makes you more memorable in the story-teller’s mind.

6. Ask unusual, but appropriate questions

Aim to create conversations that connect. You need to be a little strategic and use the short space of time that you spend talking to someone to build rapport (find common ground). Talking about the weather or the view is only convenient when you can’t think of anything else meaningful. Don’t waste an opportunity, rather prepare some questions ahead of time. Remember, there’s a bit of “work” in networking.

You could say something like “tell me what you do on weekends”. This is a clever question because it lets the person speak about their passions. People find it easy to talk about things they’re genuinely passionate about, so you can easily accelerate the conversation from there. If someone says they like to go hiking, then simply say “oh, tell me about that”.

7. Focus on others

It’s better to be interested than interesting. It’s a funny thing, but research has shown that the more you get a person to speak about herself, the more she will remember you as being interesting.

8. Make notes of people’s interests

When you get home after a networking event, make a note of everything that you can remember about the people you met - how many dogs and cats they have, what their children’s names are, what their hobbies are, etc. You could put this into a spreadsheet and categorise it by event or industry. Preferably synch the spreadsheet with your phone so you can quickly check the details again on-the-go.

The next time you meet the person, try asking how the wife’s rowing regatta went and see how his face lights up!

9. Give before getting

Once you know what a person’s interests are, take it a step further than simply bringing it up the next time you meet. Use the information to help you connect and build a relationship. Use Google Alerts, Amatomu, Muti or Afrigator to search for new content relevant to the person’s interests. Then send a quick email with a link to the article or blog post saying that you thought he or she would find it interesting.

Wow, now you’re making a real impact in the person’s mind. Try to help others get what they want and you become a trustworthy, memorable contact.

10. Close a conversation with class

When at a networking event, it doesn’t serve you to spend the entire evening chatting to one individual. The objective is to meet as many people as possible who can help you get your ideas, interests and agendas heard (whether that’s making a new bunch of friends or finding potential clients).

So when you find yourself stuck in a long-winded conversation, take advantage of a natural lull. Confidently say “well, it was really lovely meeting you Fanie, I hope we get to meet again soon. Enjoy the rest of your evening”. Then you’re free to shake hands and move on back to the bar where you can start again and meet someone new.

Popularity: 30% [?]


Do you know how to ask for what you want?

Published
by
Robynn
on February 26, 2008
in Communication skills
. 3 Comments

I’m sure most PR and communications practitioners have attended a class or course on assertive communication at some stage. But I recently learnt a whole new angle of assertive communication that is particularly useful for PR people to know. If you want to learn how to ask for what you want (with grace) and get what you want, then read a little further.

Communication secrets
Colette CarlsonI attended a seminar this weekend in Cape Town entitled “Communication secrets to change your life”, by international motivational speaker Colette Carlson, who is also a communications skills expert and “mentor” in the movie called “Pass it ON”. A major part of the seminar was focussed on assertiveness, which at first concerned me, because I can still vividly remember Mrs Janse van Rensburg’s explanation of aggressive, passive and assertive communication in the PR classroom – yeah, she was a good teacher and I have a good memory! :)

Thankfully, the content quickly moved into new territory and my ears pricked up at the term passive-digressiveTM. “This is new” I thought, and indeed it was a new phrase coined by Colette (hence the little trademark thing). You can have a look at Colette’s full explanation and examples of passive-digressive types, but in short, if you tend to hint for things that you want (“ooh, this bag is so heavy”), or if you like to ask for things so “nicely” that you circle around the question (“do you always keep the air-con so low?”), then you are using passive-digressive communication. You’re digressing from the point and sending mixed messages.

Colette explains that “rather than not speak up for yourself at all (passive behavior) or speak up in a way that disrespects the needs of others (passive-aggressive behavior), the Passive DigressiveSM individual speaks sideways. Rather than be clear and direct (assertive behavior) they zigzag around an issue by being roundabout.”

Now if this is sounding somewhat familiar, it’s important to know that this type of communication is certainly not helping you get what you want and it’s also often perceived as manipulative.

How to get your message across
Public relations professionals and marketers are expected to be communication experts, so it’s really important to learn how to avoid this communication mistake. Colette’s advice is to clearly and succinctly say what you want. Be direct rather than hinting and circumnavigating the issue.

Start by describing a fact or how something affects you (not just an opinion that someone can argue with): “I see the air-con is set to 16 degrees. My toes are turning blue”. Then state what it is that you want and look for agreement: “Would anyone mind if I turned it up to a more comfortable level at 20 degrees?”

You’ll probably hear a collective sigh of relief from every other shivering person in the room, because they were all too “polite” to ask for the same thing. We can really be ridiculous sometimes, can’t we?

Popularity: 10% [?]


Sunday = smart-day for media relations

Published
by
Robynn
on February 24, 2008
in Media Relations Tips
. 2 Comments

Why am I sitting in front of my computer writing this post on a Sunday afternoon, with such gorgeous weather in Cape Town? Well, it’s just to let you know that I am not the only one sitting at my desk, missing out on an extra degree of sunburn.

Journalists working for daily newspapers are hard at work right now compiling tomorrow’s newspaper. What, did you think they put the whole paper together on Friday afternoon before they left for the weekend? No, Friday’s news is old news. Their week starts today and ends on Thursday. Now some of you already know this and your eyes are glazing over, so let me get straight to the point. When a public relations practitioner or publicist gets into the office on a Monday morning, they only have four days within which to pitch their media releases to these newspaper journalists and editors – the same four days that every other PR person is trying to get through.

Be smart, call them on a Sunday. Daily newspaper journalists have been telling us here at Encyclomedia that their phones are dead quiet on a Sunday, which I’m sure comes as a welcome relief to many of them. However, they still need good content to fill the newspaper so that they can make an impact on their readers by Monday morning.

So if you have a good idea that you’ve researched, a good story that will interest the readers, then take a few minutes next Sunday and make the call. Make yourself stand out and build a better relationship with a journalist. Just think how much more effective you’ll be.

Ok, so now that I’ve said my bit, I’m off to enjoy some more sunshine.

Popularity: 6% [?]