Forget The Story You’re Promoting - Here’s What Journalists Really Want From PR People
Although it seems less common these days, there are still a fair number of us
public relations practitioners who enter the business by crossing over from the
journalist’s side of the notebook.
When you make that transition, you become something of an oracle.
Colleagues and clients expect you to be the walking, talking answer to the
Rubik’s cube puzzle of how to gain the attention of the media. If only it were
that simple!
Landing media placements is at least as much about art as it is science.
But it’s also about you and who you are as a PR person. What did I learn in two
decades of writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and news services?
First of all, a PR pro doesn’t need a journalistic pedigree to succeed with
journalists.
But you do have to possess something else: knowledge of what journalists
really want from PR people. I’m not talking about what journalists want from
your story - that’s another subject.
I’m talking about you. Do you know what journalists want from you, as the
individual who’s e-mailing, faxing, calling and (too often, I fear) pestering
them?
Here’s my short list of attributes that will get you a hearing from journalists
(and that’s all you want - your story will sink or float on its own merits):
1. Honest brokers
Journalists know PR people have something to promote - a company, a
product, a point of view. That’s not the issue.
It’s whether the journalist trusts that the story is coming from someone who
won’t waste their time - someone who has invested the effort to understand
them, their organization, their boss, and whether the story might interest the
audience the journalist serves.
Trust is fundamental - but it’s also earned. Becoming an honest broker
requires more than one conversation with a journalist. It requires enough
dialogue that a relationship and a history of honest dealings can be
established.
2. Facilitators
Face it, journalists don’t want to talk to PR people - at least not on the record,
and not as newsmakers.
Good PR practitioners know they’re not newsmakers. They recognize that their
role is to make stories happen, not be part of them. So good PR pros focus on
being matchmakers, putting journalists together with the sources who make
stories come alive.
For the PR pro, as well as the journalist, it’s all about the story. It’s not about
you, or the institutional challenges you face in making the story happen. It’s
about making the story real. And that leads me to what journalists really,
really want from PR practitioners (and what we should strive to be):
3. Advocates for communication
No journalist wants to deal with a PR person who’s primarily unavailable, and
when he or she is available, has a vocabulary limited to phrases such as “no
comment.”
All other things being equal (including working for an organization or a leader
who doesn’t communicate) journalists still give the benefit of the doubt to a PR
person whom they know to be an advocate of communication.
That doesn’t mean someone who’s going to speak at inappropriate times about
subjects that aren’t in the best interests of their organization. It means
someone who understands deadlines, editors, the competition and the other
pressures that journalists face while trying to do their jobs.
It means someone who understands that the best interests of their
organization always include good relationships with the news media, the
trusted purveyors of independent information for the customers, employees,
investors and other audiences that the PR pro wants to reach.
In the end, that’s what all of media relations is really about: A good journalist
and a good PR pro want to serve their audiences first.
It’s not always possible for journalists and PR pros to achieve that objective
from their respective viewpoints in every interaction. But over the course of
time, in a relationship of trust, respect and understanding, honest brokers who
facilitate the story and advocate for communication will succeed in landing
media placements.
Paul Furiga is president of WordWrite Communications LLC, a Pittsburgh-based
virtual agency. He is the former editor of the Pittsburgh Business Times, and
has also covered Congress, the White House, edited magazines and written for
publications ranging from Congressional Quarterly to Frequent Flyer magazine.
Testimonials Convert Prospects Into Buyers
Big businesses get instant credibility with their well-known
company name or brand name. But small companies have to
create their own credibility. One of most powerful tools you
can use for this is customer testimonials.
Here are 5 tips to help you get persuasive testimonials
…and use them to convert prospects into buyers.
1. Continuously Collect Testimonials
Start by setting up a file to store the positive comments
you get from customers. Many good testimonials are hidden in
the casual comments customers make during normal
communications.
Don’t overlook the positive comments you get by phone or in
person. Write them down and add them to your file.
Next, look for some ways you can stimulate customers to give
you testimonials. For example, send a postcard or email
message to recent customers asking what they liked best
about your product or service. You’ll be surprised at some
of the glowing comments you get.
You don’t need a lot of testimonials before you can start
using them. Three is normally enough unless your sales
message is unusually long.
2. Try to Get Varied Testimonials
All of your prospects and customers are not exactly the
same. Different aspects of your products and services are
likely to appeal to different prospects.
Try to get testimonials that mention a variety of results
achieved by your customers. The more benefits you can reveal
with customer testimonials, the more business they will
generate for you.
3. Some Testimonials Are Better Than Others
Avoid using testimonials that are not specific. For example,
“I really liked your service a lot”, is nice for you to
know. But it won’t stimulate many prospects to buy.
Instead, look for testimonials that describe specific
results. For example, “In just 2 weeks I lost 9 pounds, feel
years younger and still continue to enjoy my favorite
foods.” That testimonial will motivate anybody who wants to
lose weight to get your program fast.
4. Get Permission to Use Testimonials
Always get your customer’s permission before using their
testimonial. And tell them how they will be identified with
the testimonial. For example, I usually include at least my
customer’s name, city and state (or country).
If you sell to businesses instead of to individuals you may
want to include some other things about each customer with
their testimonial. For example, your customer’s title, the
company name, the type of industry or anything else that
would appeal to other customers like them.
5. Highlight Testimonials When You Use Them
You can group all testimonials together in your sales letter
or web page …especially if the message is short. Or you
can scatter them strategically throughout your message
…especially if the message is long. But always highlight
testimonials so they stand out from the rest of your
message.
For example, display them in italic letters enclosed in
quote marks. On web pages you can further highlight them in
yellow or some other color that contrasts with the
background color of the page.
The 5 tips in this article revealed how you can get
persuasive testimonials - and use them with maximum impact.
Start applying these tips now in your business and you will
quickly start converting more prospects into buyers.
(c) 2004 Bob Leduc http://BobLeduc.com
Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find
new customers and increase sales. He just released a New
Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast
With Simple Postcards …and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a
newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You’ll
find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com
or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV
Shop Online For a Top Quality Adjustable Air Mattress
So, you are looking for an adjustable air mattress. Well you are in luck because there are many different locations where you can find exactly what you are looking for. In fact, you may even find something more suitable that you didn’t know existed. The most obvious places that immediately come to mind are department stores and sporting goods stores, and they would certainly have many options for you. However, if you really want plenty of choices when choosing an adjustable air mattress then the internet is the place for you. The range of air mattresses and dealers offering them on the internet is enormous. If variety is what you want then the internet is the best place for you to start. There are a few things in particular that you should keep in mind when searching the internet for adjustable air mattresses.
For many people the most important consideration will be the cost. If this is the case for you then it is important that you investigate several websites before making your decision. Don’t rush in and purchase the first adjustable air mattress you find. It may appear to be exactly what you want but you can be certain that some other vendor will have the exact same item on their website for a much cheaper price. There are many bargains to be had if you are prepared to devote a little time to the task of searching for them.
It is vital when purchasing an adjustable air mattress online (or anything for that matter), that you are fully aware of the exact details of the purchase. Be sure you know exactly what the purchase comprises including the total cost of the purchase. Are there any hidden costs that aren’t shown like delivery or taxes? Is the item described in enough detail? If there is something you need to know about the item that was not mentioned in the description you should always email or phone the sites customer service for details before committing to the purchase. You can always return your adjustable air mattress if it turns out to be not what you expected, but we all know this is a real chore and leaves us feeling disappointed with the whole experience.
On the whole, finding an adjustable air mattress can be a relatively simple task. If you spend a little time searching on the internet you may be surprised at exactly how many choices you have available to you without even having to leave home.
Jodie Phillips is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Ultimate-Air-Mattress.com She provides more air mattress facts, tips and advice on finding the best adjustable air mattress on her website, where you can research in the comfort of your own home.
Using Google Adwords To Drive Laser Targeted Traffic
The biggest well known secret in generating wealth in the
internet based business or e-commerce is Traffic. Everybody
knows it; every site wants it and every site needs it. The point
of websites is to be visited and viewed. Many elaborate designs,
money and countless hours of developing a site to make them
beautiful and attractive are utilized. Without traffic, it is
for naught.
With traffic comes a potential customer which basically means
sales which in turn means profit. While many sites have
collapsed in the past with the downturn of many internet based
business, many smaller sites have generated good money by
concentrating on a certain niche and some subniches.
This is a reason why e-commerce site laser target certain groups
of people and drive them to their site to showcase their sites
and products. Precision marketing is essential so that you could
count on all the traffic on your site as potential customers.
Using Money to Make Money
It’s a common business notion that if you want to make money,
you have to spend money. One good way of spending money for
business gain is through advertising. Advertising brings in the
people because through advertising, they know that there is such
a company or product in existence. With the right type of
advertising, you can see the spurt of traffic growth to your
site. With a high volume of traffic, even if only a small
portion or percentage turns out to be buying customers it is
still a good average of profit generating income.
Right now, there is no other advertising scheme that would be
worth every cent than using Google’s Adwords. The surge in
popularity of Google’s Adwords is very evident as you can see so
many sites sporting this ad scheme.
In using Google’s Adwords, you pay a certain fee depending on
the number of keywords your ad is keyword sensitive to. Each
time a person does a search in Google, the keyword or keywords
use generate ads in the side of Google which are generated by
the keywords they have assigned for their ads.
This method laser targets the traffic a site wants for their
site. This also ensures that you are readily visible in the
first page of a search result. Paying Google for this ad scheme
ensures that your target group of people sees your ads. You
drive your laser targeted traffic to your site which provides
for their needs and wants. You can also be sure that you can
meet their demands and needs.
Aside from Google, you can also be featured in their other
search networks, these includes sites like, AskJeeves, AOL
Search and Netscape. These sites also show Adwords ads that
react to searches done by visitors. There are also content
networks, non-search engine sites that feature Google Adwords,
which will also carry your ads. But this is subjected to the
niche the site features. Your chosen keywords will determine
which content network shall feature your ad. The frequency of
your ad shall also be determined by your allowed budget.
Laser Targeting your Traffic
To get a good number or estimate of the traffic to buying
customer ratio it is good to laser target your traffic. Knowing
that your traffic are all potential customers and are interested
in your products and company provides you with a more accurate
statistics. This will show you how effective your utilizing of
Google Adwords is.
Drive laser targeted traffic to your site by using keywords or
keyword phrases for your Goggle Adwords that pertains to your
company and to your products. There are many online internet
tools that can help you in choosing keywords and keyword phrases
that are currently in demand that could help drive laser
targeted traffic to your site.
With your Google Adwords ad, you are ensured that every click to
your ad is a potential customer that is precisely looking pr
interested in what you have to offer. Make sure that your Google
Adwords ad has the right keywords so that you can drive you’re
laser targeted traffic to your site.
Using Google Adwords to help boost the drive to increase laser
targeted traffic will prove to be very beneficial as many other
companies can attest to. The benefits are high with the cost
relatively justifiable.