This is a post by PR columnist, Alison Kenney.
This weekend I cleaned out my office. Or should I say, “this weekend I threw out my office”? Because by “cleaning” I mean that I weeded out tons of old paper files and re-filed them in my recycling bin and shredder. The whole process made me wonder if it’s possible for P.R. people to work in a paperless office.
Here’s what else I learned:
When it comes down to it, there’s very little that can’t be filed electronically. With this in mind, I filled five recycling bins with old paper documents.
What can’t be stored electronically? My notebooks, for one. I take notes the old-fashioned way and write them out (vs. typing) in school notebooks. I tossed about a dozen old notebooks (some went back almost a decade), but keep any that relate to a current client. Looking back at the ideas I had and the notes I took is helpful in understanding the evolution of a P.R. program and planning for the future.
Sometimes I keep things out of nostalgia. Like other mementos, the paper documents I keep remind me of work I did. For no other reason, I’ve kept documents pertaining to work I was really proud of and other documents that help me associate with people or a client that I want to stay connected to.
I also keep paper versions of things I’ve received in non-electronic format, like receipts, interesting brochures or important snail mail letters. I have a good scanner, but it seems easier to just drop the receipts into a file folder or to call attention to a special event by putting its documents in their own, carefully-labeled place.
I also learned that the term ‘paperless office’ was a publicist’s slogan, intended to describe the “office of the future.” It started as far back as 1964; an early prediction of the paperless office was made in a Business Week article in 1975. (Thanks Wikipedia!)
Now it’s time to make sure my digital files are in order…and backed up!
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
This is a post by PR columnist, Alison Kenney.
As a P.R. pro you know the challenge of writing a successful email pitch that stands out and convinces its recipient to take action. The last thing you want is for your email to be ignored or labeled spam.
I’ve come up with 7 questions P.R. pros should ask themselves before hitting the send button on their next email pitch:
- Is this a job for PR? Sometimes P.R. is tasked with something – say, launching a new company — that requires involvement from many other departments. In these cases it’s important to consider what advertising and other marketing efforts are being done to support the P.R. effort as it can affect the angle and tone of your pitch and provide you with perspective to make the right “ask” in your pitch.
- Is email the best way to tell this story? The answer could be “yes” if you have a reasonable number of targets. Surveys of reporters have found that the media prefers email as the #1 way to communicate with P.R. but they are also sticklers for email that’s “on target.” Do you have the resources to draft well-researched, personalized email pitches to a wide number of media targets?If the answer to #2 is “no,” then is there a better way to “go wide” with this story? Alternatives to sending individual emails could be putting your story in press release form and using a wire service or using social media tools to tell your story.
- Do I need to create a relationship with the media to tell this story? The truth is that not every reporter wants a relationship – sometimes they just want to get that product snapshot for their spring column and be done with it. So…No, you don’t have to “build relationships” or know everything about a writer or follow them on social media before sending them an email pitch. Notice, however, I didn’t say that you get a pass on researching the media and targeting your pitch to the right audience. Especially if your story isn’t a no-brainer or if your client doesn’t have any brand recognition, then, yes, you really need to put in the effort to research and find an angle to tell and sell your story.
- How comfortable am I with the accuracy of my media list? How well do you know the contacts on your list – when was the last time you read their work? Did you research the names yourself? If you bought the list or built it from a database, did you verify the names, contact information and beats? Yes, this is time-consuming work, but it is critical to the success of your pitch.
- Will the recipient recognize me? Of course, sending email pitches “cold” can be tougher than reaching out to people who already know you or who are expecting to hear from you. Some P.R. pros publish an opt-in newsletter in which they provide insider tips, introduce relevant sources and plant seeds for stories to recipients interested in a specific industry. Others bring in partners with specific industry experience if they’re lacking it themselves.
- Will the recipient think this is spam? You’re not a mind-reader and can’t foresee every reaction but you can proof-read your pitch before sending it to gauge whether it’s personalized and relevant. You can also do small tests to see which messages resonate with particular audiences and create different versions of the pitch that highlight different key messages.
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
This is a post by PR columnist, Alison Kenney.
What is going on? When did P.R. start meaning “please refrain”?
I mean, I’m used to hearing grouchy editors rag on P.R. tactics during their keynote speeches. I smile politely and wait to hear their advice on how best to pitch them if I really want to get coverage for my clients.
But what used to be a low background din has become a maelstrom of ill-will towards the P.R. profession.
The latest influential personality to rant against P.R. people is Forrester’s Josh Bernoff, whose biggest beef is the unsolicited emails he receives
Yes, Bernoff could ignore or delete those emails, but most likely he’s bothered by their persistence and is trying to do something about it. Apparently, just unsubscribing doesn’t always cut it, and sometimes there is no unsubscribe feature (such as on a press release). Which led me to wonder how P.R. firms get around the CAN-SPAM act? (Bernoff counters via Twitter that “It’s not clear that PR emails are covered by FTC. Plus, their CAN SPAM enforcement is weak. This is an ethical issue, not legal.”)
It also led me to wonder why unsolicited email is so offensive from P.R. people. I receive hundreds of unsolicited emails too — from sales people at a range of different firms. But I don’t post rants on each individual sender the way these folks do:
So what do we do? Many folks chastise their comrades and take the “hey, we’re better than that” attitude. Some use it as a chance to kiss up to the cranky reporters with a “thanks for pointing that out.” PRSA tries to stay above the fray; it’s response to Josh Bernoff’s post “sounds like it was written by a P.R. professional” according to Bernoff (via Twitter).
What do you think? Is P.R. in need of some good P.R. for itself? If so, how is P.R. doing well and what are we doing right? Let’s start that conversation for a change.
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
Post by PR columnist, Alison Kenney
Last month the Council of Public Relations Firms reported results of its fourth quarter member survey in which 80 percent of firms reported 2010 revenues that exceeded 2009 numbers and two-thirds of firms reported double-digit revenue growth in 2010. Nearly 60 percent of respondents expected PR budgets to be higher in 2011.
In addition to that report, here are six signs that PR agency business is improving:
New business channels are delivering
According to the Council of PR Firms, “New business pipelines seem to be opening wider. A full 56.4% of firms reported that new business prospects were stronger than a year ago, with the vast majority firms (76.4%) citing social media as one of the strongest expected growth areas. Other areas where firms were expecting the most new business growth included consumer marketing (listed by 58.2% of firms), issues and crisis management (30.9%), and corporate communication (27.3%).”
More agencies are looking for senior talent
In times of uncertainty PR agencies are not likely to bring on senior talent. During the lowest points of the recession there were mostly entry-level and intern (some non-paid positions) available, but hiring has rebounded and the interest in mid- and senior-level talent is an indicator that agencies are optimistic again.
PR is an asset in today’s trust-deficit world
Corporate reputation can change rapidly and businesses appreciate and turn to trusted counselors. Says Ad Age, “following several major PR cries last year — think BP oil spill and J&J recall — marketers are all too aware of the need for communications professionals and their agencies.” Experienced agencies can help with reputation management and also help navigate the new rules of communication which require more transparency and more rapid communications, include multiple stakeholders and more government involvement and require mapping a course through a more disperse media landscape.
The technology industry continues to thrive
The technology industry did not suffer nearly as much as it did in the last recession in 2001. In fact, internal marketing budgets at tech firms are growing. Forrester Research reports that “marketing agencies and services firms stand to be the big winners as tech marketers plan significant increases in external agency spend in 2011. As technology marketing budgets grow an overall 8% in 2011, use of external agencies is also set to grow by 40% or more in some areas. External services firms should prepare to capitalize on this additional demand for their services.”
Growth in response to market demand
A recession can be a great time to shop if you have the funds, and many agencies saw it as an opportunity to grab market-share through acquisition. There was a flurry of acquisition activity in the third quarter. In addition a number of smaller, individualized firms are popping up, indicating the market is demanding more, rather than less, PR.
Evolution of media creates opportunities for clients
The shrinkage of authority media creates opportunities for clients to serve as publishers. PR agencies are working to convince clients of the possibilities that exist online – for promoting discussion and delivering content – and that web sites can and should go beyond being just media kits. Traditionally this role was handled by digital agencies but more and more PR practitioners are getting in the game. According to Ad Age, “As social and two-way conversation-themed strategies advance, the role of the PR industry will continue to grow within the marketing mix. According to many within the industry, this past year saw many marketers realize the conversation game lies directly in the wheelhouse of the PR industry. Digital revenue, which drove a huge number of bottom lines into the black for PR shops, will continue to do so in 2011.”
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
Post by PR columnist, Alison Kenney
More than ever before, PR is being chartered with generating our own content and not just shaping media content. As Fleishman-Hillard SVP Brad Mays says, “You are the Media.” This emphasis on content has created a need for more content generators, and in some cases, the hiring of “corporate reporters.”
I asked Lindsay if this was indeed a hot trend. She says that although her firm hasn’t received searches that are specifically for corporate reporters, she has heard of many PR departments that are hiring writers and many of the communications directors searches she has going on are very focused on finding someone with strong content creation skills. HooJobs has had several content focused positions recently, including a content manager position.
Writing has always been a big part of the PR role and reporters have long been scaling the wall and joining the PR ranks. But I’m not talking about bringing journalistic skill sets to the PR field…I’m curious about whether the notion of hiring your own corporate reporter will take off.
I’ve found several interesting examples:
- Last Spring, Eloqua hired Jesse Noyes, a former reporter for the Boston Herald and Boston Business Journal, as a corporate reporter. Eloqua intends Noyes to create content that will inform, educate and entertain those in Eloqua’s market.
- The LA Kings made Rich Hammond, who has covered the Kings for the past decade and previously wrote for the Los Angeles Daily News, its in-house reporter, in order to, in his words, provide “better, more comprehensive Kings coverage than ever before.”
- In 2008, Miller Brewing Co. hired a corporate reporter, James Arndorfer, to write Brew Blog, which was intended to be less of a corporate blog and more of a news-oriented source of fresh content. Brew Blog shut down less than six months later, but not until Arndorfer famously (well, famously in the sense that it was reported in the Wall Street Journal) broke the news that Anheuser Busch would be announcing a new brew – before A-B or the trade press had a chance to report the story.
- Cisco retains an A-List stable of freelance writers, including Bill Bulkely, Elizabeth Corcoran, Jason Deign, John Dodge and Marc Gunther, to write and report for its news@cisco page.
- In addition to the value that journalists bring to the PR department, there are all sorts of implications and opportunities for missteps when hiring a corporate reporter. Exhibit A: Chevron hired a reporter to tell its side of a story on rain forest contamination and pre-empt an expose on 60 Minutes.
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
This is a post by guest columnist, Alison Kenney.
Are you inspired at work? Is your current job the perfect job for you? If not, how do you decide what to do next? Are you a good judge of your own strengths? Recently I was reading an interview the New York Times did with Kathy Savitt, CEO of Lockerz, when it hit me…the same tough questions Kathy uses to grill job candidates during interviews can be turned around and used by the candidates to help identify the perfect job or qualities to look for in a new job.
Adam Bryant, who writes The New York Times “Corner Office” column asked Kathy Savitt what questions she asks in a job interview. Here are some of her examples:
Q: “What did you love most about the work you just finished doing?”
I imagine Kathy asks candidates this to get a sense of where their commitments lie. I think it’s a good way to prioritize career goals and help focus a job search. For instance, if you loved writing in your last PR job but loathed pitching media, perhaps you’ll find inspiration as a speech writer, copy writer or freelance writer.
Q: “If you could take 100 percent of your abilities and create a job description, what would it look like?”
You can learn a lot about people or about yourself with this question. It’s a way to turn the tables – rather than squeezing the candidate’s experiences and qualifications into a pre-existing job description, you can find out what someone is really like as a person. Listening to which qualities are mentioned first or highlighted more than others is also telling. It can also be a wake-up call to job seekers whose skills may be outdated or irrelevant to the positions they’re interviewing for.
Q: “Who’s been the best manager you’ve ever had? Who’s been the worst?”
The intention isn’t to name names here, but rather to focus on the qualities that were most, or least, appreciated in a manager. Presumably this will also tell you what type of environment the job candidate is most suited for. For instance, if your favorite manager was someone who gave you a lot of room to make your own decisions, to speak out publicly or to represent the business, you are probably not a fit for more structured environments with multiple managerial layers.
Q: “If everyone here was a CEO and I was to make you the CEO of something, what would it be?”
Kathy says she asks that because she likes to get a sense of the candidate’s passions and what they want to “own” in a new job. This is the ultimate segway into thinking about how you can invent or reinvent yourself, i.e. what do you want to be known for?
Q: “Who’s your wackiest friend?”
This is another question designed to find out what someone is really like. It can also be a good way to see what type of office culture is the best fit for you. Do you have a lot of different types of friends (which could mean you get along with a variety of different people or are very outgoing)? Once you start thinking about which friends are the wackiest, you’ll also start to think about what kind of influence these friends have on you or how their behavior affects you.
Of course, there is no shortage of interview techniques and personality quizzes that can help job seekers find their way along the career path. Back in 2008, USA Today wrote about the turn interview questions are taking (toward crazy). And U.S. News & World Report recently wrote about how to respond if you’re asked a “crazy” interview question.
What was the best interview question you were ever asked?
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
Post by guest PR columnist, Alison Kenney.
I’m fascinated by Groupon. And LivingSocial and Local Ginger — to name a few of the many “daily deal” sites I subscribe to.
While I know that the concept of “daily deals” or “limited time-only specials” that is not new, I’m amazed by how many of these sites exist now and am blown away by the estimated valuation of Groupon, as evidenced by the fact that Google was offering to buy it for over $5 billion. Yes, that’s billion with a “B.”
Recently I had the pleasure of listening to Ted McNamara, CFO of Rue La La, another daily deal site. He explained Rue La La’s approach to advertising and customer acquisition this way:
Under the traditional online shopping model, merchants pay Google to appear near the top of the list when a shopper searches for a brand on Google. The problem with this model from an online merchant’s point of view is that there’s rarely a chance to build loyalty. Instead the customer builds their loyalty to Google and its search capabilities and returns to Google the next time they want to find/buy something. Rue La La decided they could scrap their Google Ads budget and be much more cost-effective and productive by encouraging shoppers with exclusive (but free) “membership” to their daily digest of high-end boutiques offering selective merchandise at great value. As a Rue La La member, the customer is more loyal to the site and returns much more frequently.
TechCrunch also wrote about these “build it” vs. “buy it (ads on Google)” options from a local merchant’s point of view and the Groupon vs. Google struggle for local social mindshare.
Groupon’s success and its somewhat stunning dismissal of Google’s acquisition offer have led many to speculate about the future of Google. Groupon has shown that social and local are hot. In addition to failing to acquire Groupon, Google also failed in a bid to acquire Yelp last year and killed Foursquare predecessor Dodgeball after acquiring it. Does Google just not understand social? Are entrepreneurs like Groupon’s Andrew Mason afraid of what will happen to their social local businesses once Google gets them?
What do you think? Do you use daily deal sites personally or as a marketer?
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
By guest PR columnist, Alison Kenney.
There have been quite a few blog posts with provocative headlines wondering if PR is dead.* While PR certainly hasn’t “died” it sure has changed. Led mostly by the advent of social media, an overhaul of traditional media and an overall democratizing of information, PR has evolved. But what exactly has it evolved into? Can we still call it PR?
The old notion that PR is responsible for putting spin on a story that appears in the media is certainly dead. That job is more accurately called “crisis communications” now. Also, the idea that PR is responsible for controlling a story is dead. As Hubspot’s Brian Halligan pointed out last year, journalists have faster and easier ways to get information besides going through a PR person and the “public” no longer consists of just a handful of important media outlets (now, we have a broad spectrum of audiences and channels that need to be managed).
I think it’s interesting to see how PR is perceived in other places of the world, too. As Janette van Kalkeren writes on the PR Conversations blog, public relations as it’s practiced in Europe has origins in wartime propaganda, which led to a media-focused approach.
“However, the negative connotations from this heritage of propaganda led to different ways of representing public relations. For example, in the Netherlands it is often called ‘communicatie’ (communication); in Finland it goes under three different names: ‘ytheystoiminta’ (affiliation work), ‘viestintä’ (communication) and ‘sudetoiminta’ (relationship activity). In most European countries, the term ‘public relations’ is rarely used, making it hard to define the practice across the entire continent.”
So what does it mean to “do PR” now?
Yes, social media is a big part of our reality but it certainly isn’t a PR killer – it’s simply a new way of doing what we’ve done for years with traditional media targets: identifying audiences and influencers, engaging with them, and giving them reasons to continue engaging (or following or liking or whatever) with us. It also isn’t a replacement for traditional media – rather, the two can and should work together. PR professionals are also involved with online communities, although the job of managing a community is typically a separate duty.
PR professionals have always had a role in forming strategy, part of which entails listening and monitoring industry buzz, competitive news and customer feedback. Although we’ve always had tools and services to help gather and analyze the buzz, today’s tools are much more complex and capable and we’re more likely to hire a PR team member who can be dedicated to this job, especially if we are in a large organization.
Content creation is also a major responsibility for the PR professional and I will argue that telling your story has never been more important than it is today and there have never been so many mediums available for telling it. As an example, Eloqua, a forward-thinking marketing automation solutions provider, just hired a corporate reporter.
What do you think? Is Public Relations the right name for what we’re doing today?
*Blog posts about the health of PR:
Brian Halligan’s post on HubSpot Is PR Dead?
Norman Birnbach on Six Reasons PR is Not Dead Yet
3Point Communications’ blog post: 10 Public Relations-related Discussions I Could Live Without
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
This is a post by Alison Kenney, PR columnist.
As PR pros we want our communications to resonate resoundingly, our brands to be strong and our communities to be vital. To achieve these goals, we hold brainstorming sessions, conduct marketplace research and surveys, monitor our industries and competitors and undertake SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analyses. But how many among us regularly incorporate cultural trends in our vision and PR planning?
In his book, Chief Culture Officer, Grant McCracken argues that every organization needs to thoroughly understand culture in order to succeed in the modern marketplace. Microsoft, for one (and not an insignificant one at that) is buying into McCracken’s premise: Dr. Mark Drapeau, Microsoft’s Director of U.S. Public Sector Social Engagement, agrees with McCracken that it’s important to have a “broad awareness of slow-paced cultural evolutions that can affect companies, and how to monitor them and incorporate them into planning.”
How do we develop that awareness of “slow-paced cultural evolutions”?
First, by monitoring cultural developments and identifying trends. Culture is driven by a very wide array of factors ranging from art, advertising, fashion and media to geopolitical factors, socio-economics, and global business issues to education, demographic and generation shifts, gender issues and much more. Take a look at this fascinating program for the WorldFuture 2010 conference that took place this past July in Boston to get a sense of the various cultural trends under watch.
Next, by considering how cultural trends could affect your brand. As an exercise, pick any cultural trend, e.g. Generation Y reaching adulthood or the ‘Going Green’ movement, and think of all the ways it could impact your job, your work, your company. What could your brand do to capitalize on the opportunities this trend presents? Trendwatching.com provides some excellent tips for tracking and applying trends.
Lastly, develop your own vision. This isn’t so much about having a crystal ball that can spot the “next big thing” but more of a sense of where the marketplace is heading – based on the values that are being revealed through cultural trends – and understanding how to capitalize on those trends. As 2010 rolls into its final months, it was fun to look back at this piece predicting food trends for this year.
Fortunately, there are as many sources for trend watching as there are trends to watch. So, get going, get watching and don’t forget to share your observations!
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
This is a post by guest columnist, Alison Kenney.
I’ve blogged before about how content is king and I really believe this will become a major issue for marketers and PR pros in the future. The ability to create fresh, distributable content will soon become core to PR and communication plans.
To illustrate my point: Forrester Research recently announced that, while global adoption of social networking is still on the rise, content creation “experienced no substantial growth in the past year.” This “lack of growth in social creation translates into a lack of fresh ideas, content, and perspectives,” said Forrester Research Consumer Insights Analyst Jacqueline Anderson. “For example, one-third of online consumers in the US regularly watch user-generated videos on sites like YouTube. But, only 10 percent of US online consumers upload videos they’ve created to public sites. The traits required to create social content are unique, and at this moment, the consumer market interested in these behaviors has plateaued.”
While more and more people will be accessing social media to reach new content, fewer and fewer people will be creating that content, and thereby demand for social media content will increase.
This is a golden opportunity for PR professionals who are trained in promoting new ideas, changing the conversation, establishing brands, driving authenticity and attracting attention.
Are you fired up yet?
If so, visit these sites for more tips on creating content for social media:
HubSpot’s Blog Better with an Editorial Calendar and Style Bank
Social Media Today’s 40 Useful Things You Can Share on Twitter Besides Blog Posts
Ann Wylie’s Tipsheets on Writing, Communication
Blue Pencil Consulting’s Fight Writer’s Block with Talk
CopyBlogger’s Writing for the Social Media Everyman
Social Media Examiner’s 9 Ways to Use Social Media to Inspire Your Writing
USA Today There’s an Art to Writing on Facebook or Twitter – Really
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
This blog is to share my recruiting experiences and discuss thoughts on the job market, PR industry and technology.
Alison Kenney is an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience.
