Archive | How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage

How To Pitch : The Wall Street Journal

How To Pitch : The Wall Street Journal

Want to hear some tips on how to get your company featured (favorably) in the pages of the Wall Street Journal? Let’s face it: Who doesn’t?!

I figured you would. So I caught up with Journal Business reporter Lee Hawkins and asked him how he likes his pitches.

Thanks for watching!

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Posted in How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage4 Comments

How a Niche Viewpoint Can Trickle up from Online to Primetime at @theGrio

How a Niche Viewpoint Can Trickle up from Online to Primetime at @theGrio

One of the most fascinating tidbits of info that I got from a recent panel on online media was how niche publications and websites are the future of media.

I captured some footage of David Wilson, founder of the Grio, discussing the Grio’s relationship with parent company NBC. In this clip, David describes the trickle-up effect of online news: how news can potentially break on the Grio and end up on NBC nightly news or the Today Show.

The Grio is a niche news site for African-American viewpoints. So case-in-point: Go niche.

Another one of the speakers on this panel was the co-founder of Politico.com which is doing pretty well as new media companies g0. My takeaway: Gone are the days of being super general, so if you’re writing about travel, maybe consider writing about travel for parents. Writing about style? What about style for today’s busy business owner/blogger who has two toddlers and needs to be comfortable but also needs to have great things to wear for last minute meetings? :)

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Posted in How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage, Social Media0 Comments

Do Services like @HelpaReporter @ProfNet and now @NewsBasis Diminish Journalistic Integrity?

Do Services like @HelpaReporter @ProfNet and now @NewsBasis Diminish Journalistic Integrity?

There’s a new HARO in town. And the service is making news.

On Sunday, the New York Times published a story about the launch of the new HARO/ProfNet competitor, the San Fransico-based NewsBasis.  Ragan’s PR Daily picked up the story asking essentially why the launch was newsworthy.  “Who’s doing this startup’s PR?” mused PR Daily editors.

So…day one and you’re in the New York Times…Nice.

Wondering how News Basis works or what makes it different? Here’s an explanation from the Times article:

Journalists post questions or search for sources with a particular expertise or point of view. Reporters can ask questions anonymously to avoid tipping off competitors. They can set an expiration date for their question and remove it when it has been answered to avoid getting bombarded with pitches.

Companies, public relations agencies and academics search for questions or, if they choose, get notification by e-mail whenever someone posts a relevant query.

Services like these can be particularly useful for small-business owners who want to connect with reporters but “don’t have 10 grand a month to pay a giant P.R. firm,” said Peter Shankman, founder of Help a Reporter Out, a competing service whose membership is 70 percent small businesses.

(Let me just say that MopwaterPR has affordable retainers starting out far below $10,000/month if anyone is looking for a firm. But I digress).

Interestingly enough, News Basis seems to take the HARO model and improve upon it considerably. And while we’re on the subject of HAROs, the fact that NewsBasis can be edited in real time is pretty cool, too. Since Vocus acquired HARO in June, the service has remained virtually unchanged. However, I suspect changes will be coming. Now with this new competitor on the block, those changes may come even more quickly. The only question is, will journalists use the service? We know journalists use HARO because the queries come at you three times per day.

More on how it works (video courtesy of News Basis):

One last thing: Back when I was a journalist, we didn’t have HARO. We had the phone, our connections, our staff meetings and our feet. I can only imagine how many more stories I would have been able to churn out with a HARO-like service.

This News Basis platform seems to make it even easier. Like, what’s the point of even showing up to work? Just throw in your query and let two dueling sides duke it out on News Basis and you’ve got your quotes. Add some context, a bit of editing and you’ve got a story?

A part of me salivates as a PR professional because I know this helps everyone connect much more easily. However, I wonder if connecting easily is truly the point of journalism. There’s just something about hustling up a story, and going out there with your preconceived notions, only to have them overturned. Or better yet, to have the story you thought you were going to cover get upstaged by a juicer, more exciting, more salacious story that you didn’t even know existed.

What do you think? Do sites like HARO, ProfNet and now NewsBasis make everyone’s jobs easier? Do they make journalists lazy? Do they make spin more probable? Do they add too much sheen and gloss to the news process and somewhat diminish journalistic integrity?

I’m undecided. What do you think?

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Posted in How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage7 Comments

Vocus Hosts Free Online Conference w/ @BrianSolis @LeeOdden @DBreakenridge @DMScott @BethHarte

Vocus Hosts Free Online Conference w/ @BrianSolis @LeeOdden @DBreakenridge @DMScott @BethHarte

Amanda Miller Littlejohn and David Meerman Scott

Author, Speaker and Rockstar David Meerman Scott + Amanda Miller Littlejohn

CANCEL your meetings. HOLD your calls. BLOCK your entire day on Wednesday July 28, 2010. Vocus is hosting an online version of their 2010 Users conference: Retweet: Engagement Means Business — an event you shouldn’t miss – and you don’t even need to leave your desk to attend.You want to get this information.

And it’s free.

What?!?!

I attended the Vocus Users Conference in June and saw these presentations in person. Let me just tell you, the fact that Vocus is repackaging them and offering them online and for free is absolutely incredible. I am traveling part of the day on June 28, but I’ll be jumping on from the airports and wherever I can get a good Wi-Fi signal so that I can relive this awesome content all over again.
Here’s the line-up:

Deirdre Breakenridge: From PR’s Past to Social Media Power
David Meerman Scott: Game Change: The New Rules of Marketing and PR*
Beth Harte: Integrated Marketing Communications: Engaging Your Audience Online
Lee Odden: Optimizing PR for the Web in 2010
Brian Solis: Engage or Die!

Date:  Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Engage! Author Brian Solis with Mopwater PR's Amanda Miller  Littlejohn

Engage! Author Brian Solis with Mopwater PR's Amanda Miller Littlejohn

Time:  9:30AM – 5:30PM Eastern

Cost:  The Online Conference is FREE. Free, y’all! The in-person conference started at $800 per attendee. Yes.

Click Here to Register

You heard it here first. Don’t ever say I never gave you anything :)

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Posted in How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage1 Comment

How To Pitch: Ceci Connolly of the Washington Post

How To Pitch: Ceci Connolly of the Washington Post

Ceci Connolly, award winning reporter for the Washington Post recently participated in a media relations panel sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter in Washington, DC.  Connolly offered further evidence that today’s reporters are often chained to their desks, working longer hours on more stories: Gone are the days when reporters could grab lunch with sources-there’s just no time for that. Lunch has been downgraded to a cup of coffee. (I’ll drink to that!)

But seriously, Connolly brought up an important point that bears mentioning, and that is, news organizations are still trying to find their value-added especially with the proliferation of online content providers. So while you may think sending a pitch automatically means you can score coverage, sometimes it’s not that simple.

“It’s pretty rare for somebody to pitch me on a single story and you say here’s what your story should be and I turn around and do it…That’s just not how we operate any more,” Connolly said.

“We use [pitches] as the foundation for the story and we think about what more we can bring to this.”

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Why PR Is Not Just Media Relations

Why PR Is Not Just Media Relations

PR is not media relationsI recently had a conversation with a young lady, let’s call her PR Ingenue, who wanted to hear my PR Basic Principles because as she said, PR is so broad. We had an interesting discussion about the difference between public relations and media relations so I thought it would be interesting to share my thoughts with you guys, and get some of your basic principles. Here’s the conversation:

Mopwater: A lot of people equate PR to media relations, but that’s just one part.

PR Ingenue: Could you explain the difference?

Mopwater: Media Relations refers to the act of working with members of the media to get media coverage. PR includes media relations but it also encompasses how you safeguard image perception of your brand, or what do people think about you. What is your reputation? PR people shape that. So if your client is Starbucks and their problem is that people think its too expensive PR people would figure out the messaging that would appeal to cost-conscious consumers or decide “hey we are expensive and that’s how we want to be perceived, and we want to appeal to people who want a more expensive product. Let’s just leave it like that”
PR people watch what people are saying about you in a crisis and tell you how to respond carefully to minimize damage to your reputation (think celebrities like Chris Brown and Mel Gibson or corporations like BP).
PR people advise you on the steps you need to take in order to be more visible and to get to the next level, so we find platforms for clients to showcase their skills because we’re in the business of positioning experts.
Mopwater: People so often say “get me on CNN” or “get me in the New York Times” without thinking it through…it’s like why? Why do you need to be on CNN? How does that fit into your strategy? How is that helping you meet your goal? It’s just an empty wish you think you should have because everyone says you should have it. UNLESS you think CNN is the key to showcase all the work you’ve done up to this point and you’re ready to move to the next place.
PR Ingenue: Okay so PR asks underlining questions you need to know the reasoning to help create strategy, right? Correct me if I’m wrong.
Mopwater: You need to know the goals to create strategy. Always ask what is your goal? What do you want more of? Customers? Attention? Website hits? Facebook fans? Marketshare? Money? Repeat customers/brand loyalty?
PR Ingenue Got it!
———————————-

What are your thoughts?

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Posted in How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage3 Comments

How American Public Media Uses Social Media and Its Audience to Shape the News

How American Public Media Uses Social Media and Its Audience to Shape the News

American Public Media At a recent Media Relations in the Digital Age panel, I heard and interesting tidbit from Nancy Marshall-Genzer, a reporter at American Public Media’s Marketplace program. Ms. Genzer described what I think is an innovative way one news organization is leveraging its audience and using social media to shape the news.

American Public Media has created a “Public Insight Network” where you can go on the American Public Media website and sign up to be considered a source for stories. APM describes the network this way:


Public Insight Network is a new approach that journalists with American Public Media shows like Marketplace, Marketplace Money, American RadioWorks and Weekend America are using to find diverse sources and a broader range of information. It involves partnering with the public and, at its heart, is our Public Insight Network – a group of thousands of people who have agreed to help us cover the news.

Many of our public sources have told us about their work, education, passions and expertise. Almost daily, we ask some of these public sources in the network to share their observations and knowledge with us on specific stories. Our public insight analysts take that information, distill it, and pass it on to our reporters and editors. Analysts may follow up with a request for more information, or perhaps an interview with a public source.

We also ask public sources to tell us about stories that we should be covering – stories that matter to them and are not on our radar. And we ask people to participate in online interactives where they share ideas and stories and reason through tough issues.

These public insights help us set our agenda for coverage and inform our reporting. We believe this partnership creates more diverse and in-depth news and cultural coverage. It also makes American Public Media programs even more trusted and credible sources of news and information.

I went ahead and signed up to join the network and immediately got an auto-respond note thanking me for signing up. The email also informed me of another aspect of the network, the “Trading Floor” which is essentially a blog. Each post poses a question (I’m assuming from a story one of the APM journalists is working on) and to join the conversation and be considered for a story, you simply comment on the blog post.Check out the Trading Floor.

Overall I think this concept has great potential and could be a cool way to use social media to source stories, kind of like HARO and ProfNet’s alerts on Twitter.

Maybe American Public Media has created these “networks” because they’re stretched super-thin and need to be smarter and more efficient in finding sources for their stories. Maybe they were only tapping into a certain demographic and wanted to open the perspectives up to more readers. Either way,  crowd-sourcing does increase the diversity of voices , so it’s a win-win either way.

The PRSA panel was the first time I’d heard of the netowork. The comments on the site were sparse,  and there were only 15 queries since April, so some awareness should probably be raised. There is a Twitter Account that’s basically a feed of all of the queries. So add it to one of your Twitter lists and monitor it daily.

I wonder how many PR pros have signed their clients up to be sources on the network. Have you? If you’re not signed up for the Trading Floor, check it out. It’s free, and there’s nothing to lose. It may be a great way to find another story. I’ll let you know if I come across any queries that pan out for me.

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Washington Post Reporter Talks Web’s Influence on Media #DCWeek

Washington Post Reporter Talks Web’s Influence on Media #DCWeek

This morning I met with Renae Merle, business reporter for the Washington Post. We talked about a lot of fun things, growing up in the South, our mothers, and the changing landscape of media, social media, the web’s influence on journalism and of course how public relations/PR professionals should be approaching media in this new media landscape.

I captured Renae’s perspective for you all on my Mac. Enjoy.

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Reaction to the HARO Acquisition

Reaction to the HARO Acquisition

I rarely post interviews of myself since I’m usually the one doing the interviewing, but since I was interviewed regarding my take on the Vocus – Peter Shankman partnership/HARO aquisition, I thought I’d share it with you here. This would be a fine time to tell you all that I recently chopped off all of my hair!

Enjoy!

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Vocus Acquires HARO

haro_logo_bkVocus plans to launch a free service!

Peter Shankman’s free service HARO, short for Help a Reporter Out, which has become an almost ritual  for PR professionals was just acquired by public relations software giant Vocus. The announcement was made this morning at the Vocus Users Conference opening presentation.

Vocus purchased Shankman’s service for an undisclosed sum, but both parties seemed excited about the acquisition. HARO will remain free for its 100,000 + subscribers.

PR pros responses on Twitter were mixed.

@ChiOKate:Yay for Vocus and HARO!! soooo excited :)

@robertdveloRT @chicagoprgirl: Help A Reporter Out (HARO) Joins Vocus http://bit.ly/aQmvxy. A little worried they may end up charging for this.

Both Shankman and Vocus say the service will remain free. I am personally excited about having a free version of Vocus.

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Posted in Biz Tips and Marketing Tools : PR 2.0 Toolbox, How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage0 Comments

For Political Reporters, Old Media Rules Still Apply

Patrick Gavin, Staff Writer-Politico *photo by Alex Priest

Patrick Gavin, Staff Writer-Politico *photo by Alex Priest

On Thursday, May 6 in Washington, DC Mopwater PR + Media Notes hosted the second event in the Twitch! series. PoliTwitch! Public Relations and Politics in the Age of Social Media promised to be a frank discussion with political journalists about how they were using social media to source and find stories. The panel was hard-hitting: Mark Preston, Political Editor for CNN, Patrick Gavin, Staff Writer for Politico, Peter Cherukuri, DC Bureau Manager of the Huffington Post, Jackie Kucinich a Congressional Reporter at Roll Call and Rachna Choudhry, policy manager at the National Partnership for Women and Families were all set to talk social media.  The roomful of PR pros, lobbyists  and social media enthusiasts was anxious to hear how these journalists were using our beloved tools of Facebook, Twitter and blogs to chase down political sources and cover political races on the eve of the midterm elections.

I’ll be the first to say that perhaps our expectations were a bit high.

In the inaugural Twitch, our journalists discussed how they regularly unearthed stories and sources via social media, to the point that one blogger in the audience begged the question Is Social Media Making Reporters Lazy? Not this bunch. Which maybe makes a broader statement on  political journalists.

Mark Preston, political editor for CNN said it best.

“[Social media] doesn’t affect what stories I cover. It doesn’t affect sourcing,” he said. “You do not develop sources, certainly in this town, over Twitter or over Facebook. You develop sources over a cup of coffee. Trust is built among people that you can see face to face.”

He did go on to say that he uses Twitter as his morning wire service to find out what the major news organizations deem the important stories of the day.

Jackie Kucinich, a Roll Call reporter said that among the stories that has been lit afire by way of social media has been the Tea Party movement.  “Every time I tweet something that is going at a Tea Party rally, I get like 100 more followers that day,” she said.

On one way that social media has made political reporters’ jobs easier, Patrick Gavin, staff writer at Politico said “Tweets are the new quotes.” So if Ms. Kucinich were to tweet about something going at a Tea Party rally, he’d feel free to use her tweet as a quote, saving him the hassle of getting a quote directly from her, or someone else attending the rally. And if the tweet contained false information, it would still be attributed to Kucinich and not shoddy reporting since most reporters’ Twitter streams are public.

One thing Gavin mentioned that struck the ire of many public relations professionals in the room: he doesn’t read his blog comments because they are almost always negative and he doesn’t have time to sift through them to get to the good ones and still do his job as a reporter. As a former journalist I can sympathize; whenever you write about something controversial (and let’s face it, politics will always be a controversial subject) you are bound to get an outpouring of crazy. If Gavin were blogging about make-up, maybe the comments would be more benign, but he’s a political blogger so I think we should cut him some slack.

Overall, I think the entire room learned quite a bit about the different needs each reporter may have depending on his or her beat. And given his beat, this will inform his use of social media. Listening to this panel further emphasized the need for smart, sharp public relations professionals who can gauge the nuances; because indeed there is no cookie cutter approach.

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How are Journalists Using Social Media? Ask CNN, Politico, HuffPost and RollCall this Thursday.

tealheaderSo this Thursday, May 6 at Busboys and Poets, I have the distinct pleasure of hosting an awesome panel of Washington, DC journalists to talk social media for the second installment of Twitch! Public Relations in the Age of Social Media. For talk two, PoliTwitch we’re hosting journalists who focus on political reporting, and I must tell you we’ve got some heavy hitters who you won’t want to miss. Haven’t gotten your ticket yet? Register here.

Our moderator will be Peter Cherukuri, the DC Bureau Manager of the Huffington Post-and the real media mogul in the room for the evening. I hear he’s going to be talking about some of the HuffPo’s newest social media endeavors which should be exciting. And perhaps even newsbreaking.

We’re honored to have Mark Preston, Political Editor for CNN and editor of CNN’s Political Ticker.


Patrick Gavin
from Politico will also be on the panel. He’s a staff writer for Politico and editor of Politico’s new “On Media” blog, which you can ask him about in person. You can see him below interviewing David Gregory on the new Meet the Press set.


Roll Call’s Jackie Kucinich will also be at the table as well as the National Partnership for Women and Family Policy Manager Rachna Choudhry, and of course me, Amanda Miller Littlejohn and my husband Marc Littlejohn the organizers and hosts.

Here’s what we’re going to be talking about:

  • how social media and new media technologies have transformed the way news is reported
  • how political and advocacy issues make it to the top of the news heap
  • how organizations are using social media to set themselves apart from their competitors and get news coverage

So bring your questions for these decision makers in the news business. You won’t want to miss this discussion.

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Posted in How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage2 Comments

How to Create Media Lists on a Budget

emptypocketsThis is a very practical question that I get from time to time, and since I’ve heard it a few times, I figured I would post about it here on Mopwater.

People have asked me how they can create media lists without software, especially if they are only looking for a few select reporters. Here are the specific questions I’ve received and the answers I’ve given.

Q: Hello. I am working with a nonprofit that helps women become aware of the health issues HPV and cervical cancer. Looking for health reporters to pitch. Any ideas?

A: If your nonprofit doesn’t use Vocus, Cision, or MyMediaInfo, try a Google News Search on “HPV” and “Cervical Cancer” to give you stories that have been written in the past and the reporters who wrote them. Then pitch the reporters that are closest to your target.

Also, MyMediaInfo will give you a free 10 search trial which you could use to do a search for health reporters.

Q: I offered to help out some friends with their PR efforts, but we don’t have access to databases like Cision, Vocus, etc. Do you have any suggestions for creating media lists on a budget with social media? I’m looking to create a list of local DC media contacts. Any suggestion you have will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

A: If you aren’t looking for a specific term but for local coverage on an industry, say, for example you’re looking for reporters who may cover Safeway Grocery Stores because that’s your client, I would suggest you do a Google news search for local stories written about your client’s direct competitors: i.e. Giant, Whole Foods, Yes market, etc. and manually record the names of reporters who have written stories in the last 18 mos on that beat. For contact information, use the internet to find the reporters on LinkedIn and Twitter, or call their outlet and ask for them by name to get their contact information. Create your media list in an excel sheet or Google document that can be easily updated.

And also see the Media On Twitter database.

There is nothing easy about this method. It’s old school and time consuming. That’s why the software is so valuable. However you can also share licenses with users if you are a solo PR practitioner and that can help to cut down on the cost.

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Posted in How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage5 Comments

Win $1000 and Free Online News Releases for a Year from PRWeb

No Joke: Win $1000 and Free Online News Releases for a Year from PRWeb

From PRWeb:

Tell @PRWeb in 140 Characters your Best Tip for Creating Releases that Sizzle for Your Chance to Test Your Skills for a Good Cause and a Shot to Win $1000

We’ve seen some of our customers secure an average of 10,000 page reads on a given release, which makes the PRWeb community the best source for tips on improvement

Lanham, MD (PRWEB) April 1, 2010 — What drives 10,000 people to read your online news release? Is it content, news-worthiness, timing, literary license or multimedia? PRWeb aims to find out – and share those tips with the PRWeb community.

The online news release distribution service of Vocus.  Follow us  on Twitter:  @PRWeb
The online news release distribution service of Vocus. Follow them on Twitter: @PRWeb

Tell PRWeb on Twitter your best tip for creating online news releases that get noticed. PRWeb will select five respondents to test their skills in a new release contest for the cause of their choice — at no cost. Of the five contestants, the person who publishes the news release with most page reads over a seven day period will win $1,000 from PRWeb and one free news release each month – media visibility package – for a year.

How does the contest work? Send a Tweet to @PRWeb by April 6th telling us your best tip for creating online news release. PRWeb will select five contestants from the respondents, and provide them each with one free distribution on PRWeb. Contestants will use that free distribution to write and publish a news release for a good cause of their choice – for example a non-profit organization or a small business that would not ordinarily have access to professional marketing or PR services. The news releases will be published on the same date – a deadline agreed upon by the contestants – and the writer who obtains the most page reads over seven days will win $1,000 and free releases for a year.

The contest is open to anyone, though participants will need to sign up for a free account on PRWeb.com if selected as one of the five contestants. As for “good causes” the honor-system is in effect, though PRWeb reserves the right to disqualify any contestant discovered in violation.

“PRWeb provides a range of tools and tips to help our customers write and publish online news releases that drive results,” said Sophie Shiatis, vice president of E-Commerce for PRWeb. “We’ve seen some of our customers secure an average of 10,000 page reads on a given release, which makes the PRWeb community the best source for tips on improvement.”

Tell @PRWeb in 140 characters, by April 6th, your best tip for writing and publishing online news releases that get noticed.

About PRWeb
PRWeb was the first company to develop a distribution strategy around direct-to-consumer communication and to build and offer a platform for search engine optimized press release distribution. PRWeb is an online news distribution service of Vocus, Inc., a leading provider of on-demand public relations management software. For more information, go to www.prweb.com.

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Posted in How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage0 Comments

How to Know When Your Organization Needs a PSA

When was the last bullhorntime you had your broadcast interrupted for an important public service announcement or PSA? When was the last time you did the interrupting- either for your own cause or on behalf of a client? If you are doing public relations outreach especially for a non-profit organization, public service announcements when done right, can be a great way to spread the word about your cause.

I spoke to Dan Lyons, an expert in PSA production, to get insight on how to create a PSA and when. His firm has created award-winning PSAs for national non-profits, federal agencies and trade associations. Here Dan shares his experience with PSAs.

Mopwater: What is a radio PSA and who needs one? DL: A PSA or public service announcement is a tool to generate awareness, educate the public about important issues, and encourage positive behavior. In our case, the platform for these messages is radio, so our PSAs are geared to engage radio listeners.
Radio PSAs tackle a variety of topics, including consumer safety, education, health, environment, family, etc.  They’re an ideal communications tool for non-profit organizations, trade associations or federal agencies that are striving to reach core audiences with key information and raise awareness for a cause.

Mopwater: What considerations should an organization or company make before developing a radio PSA campaign? Should they hire a professional copywriter or voiceover? DL: If an organization chooses to develop and produce a radio PSA on their own, there are several factors to keep in mind. First off, they need to be mindful about their intended audience—are you trying to reach a certain demographic, a certain region, or are you creating for general appeal.

Next, while the overall concept of a PSA campaign can be utilized across a variety of media platforms, radio PSAs need to be created for the ear.  With radio, you don’t have visuals to capture the attention of your intended audience. You must capture the listeners’ attention, set the tone, and provide a reason to keep listening within the first 5-10 seconds of a PSA. This can be accomplished with a strong script, distinct voices, various music beds or sound effects. For example, one of our PSAs begins with a middle-aged man with obvious angst in his voice stating, “My son was drinking too much…” accompanied by dramatic music. Instantly, the scene is set. On the opposite side of the spectrum, one of our PSAs features the sound effect of a toilet flushing in the first few seconds (nobody said writing PSAs couldn’t be fun.) Very different approach, similar results. Both PSAs have educated listeners and received thousands of airplays on radio stations around the country.

Radio PSAs must be broadcast quality, top-notch productions, and ready for air. Professional voicetalent is highly recommended. Unless you have a recognizable voice (aka celebrity or public official) or someone within your organization with a “voice for radio,” professional voice talent can lend instant credibility to your PSA campaign. Copywriters can also be helpful, and if you attempt on your own, you need ensure that you’re “writing for radio.”

Other radio PSA tips–PSAs should be evergreen, and scripted so they are relevant for a period of at least several months.  Offer different timed versions of your PSA, the most common being :60 seconds and :30 seconds. Provide scripts of you PSA for live DJ reads and offer PSAs with a “donut” where stations can add their own local information.

Mopwater:
Do you have any statistics about responses to radio PSAs? How do you know that they’re effective? DL: On average, our national radio PSA campaigns receive airplay in over 100 markets around the country, and reach millions of listeners. Radio reaches 90% of the U.S. population 12 and older each week, and 4-out-of-5 adults listen to the radio in their car each week. Radio PSAs are a cost-effective and high-impact tool to reach out to these listeners and motivate them to take action.

For many of our PSA campaigns, as soon as it begins to air, our clients begin to see spikes in their website traffic, and an increase in calls if a toll free number is provided.
However, the impact of certain types of PSAs can be harder to measure because they encourage an on-going change in behavior, as such is the case with our PSAs encouraging designated drivers. But we do know that as drunk driving fatalities decline, our PSAs are playing a part. I always like to think that if a PSA stops just one person from drinking and driving, and saves a life, it’s effective and worthwhile.

Further, online radio listenership is at an all-time high, one in five Americans aged 25- to 54- years-old listen to online radio on a weekly basis. This greatly benefits our campaign because PSAs are often used in heavy rotation on radio station online streams.

Mopwater: In your experience, what characteristics make for a really effective radio PSA? DL: Here’s part of the reason I’m passionate about PSA campaigns, and really enjoy working with the Lyons PR team on creating them. There are no strict rules or guidelines for what constitutes an effective PSA. Successful PSAs can be straight reads with no music beds or sound effects, while others are mutli-track productions, heavy on both. Above all, an effective radio PSA will clearly communicate a message or cause, and successfully educate listeners and prompt action.

One of our most successful PSA campaigns aired over 37,000 times around the country and earned us a PRSA Bronze Anvil award. It was also the most unconventional PSA we have ever produced. In homage to the classic movie trailer, we produced a radio PSA complete with the “deep voiced movie trailer guy” and the dramatic choral music. The subject was tire safety, but presented in this manner, it effectively engaged the listener and prompted positive behavior, in this case, checking tire pressure.

Mopwater: If a company is in the middle of a communications crisis, for example the recent Toyota recall, is that a good time to produce and run a radio PSA campaign? DL: PSAs need to be totally non-commercial, so it wouldn’t be an outreach tool a company would use for crisis communications.  To effectively integrate radio into corporate crisis communications outreach, radio media tours or radio news releases are the best way to disseminate information quickly and get a spokesperson on the air.

Mopwater: What is the ultimate goal of a PSA? DL: The goal of a PSA is to influence positive behavior, educate listeners about important issues or a cause, and stimulate action. Ultimately, a PSA can be the first step in engaging listeners to take action, whether it’s changing behavior in their every day life or visiting a website to learn more about a cause.

Mopwater:
In what instances should an organization NOT do a PSA? DL: If you’re trying to sell something or promote a brand—do not do a PSA. This would be a waste of time and money, and stations will not air.  And if you need the information to air quickly, for a very limited amount of time, a PSA would not be the right tool.

Dan Lyons in Founder and CEO of Lyons PR, a public relations firm based in Kensington, MD right outside of Washington, DC.

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Posted in How to Pitch : Getting Media Coverage1 Comment

Social Media : the Journalist’s Wonder Drug

Like everyone else, journalists are using social media to multitask, carry on multiple conversations and be in more place at one time. Of course this ends up meaning they are able to communicate with more potential sources than ever before. The limitations of communication are (almost) removed, creating a hyper-journalism. Kinda like journalism on steroids.

PR pros consider these limitless pathways to communication in a pitching context of course, but it’s nice to know that journalists think of it that way as well. Thanks goes to DC Social Media Examiner Mary Fletcher Jones for capturing this great footage at Twitch! Public Relations in the Age of Social Media, the panel hosted by Mopwater on Thursday evening.  In the clip, Washington Business Journal reporter Jennifer Nycz-Conner discusses how reporting, aided by social media, is akin to cooking on a restaurant range as opposed to on your standard kitchen stove.

[Other #TwitchDC panelists included Jim Long of NBC (@newmediajim), McLean Robbins of Washingtonian Magazine (@deacondoesdc), Jamila Bey of NPR (@jbey), Arthur Delaney of Huffington Post (arthurdelaneyhp) Lindsey Mastis of WUSA9 (lindseymastis)]

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