Lindsay Olson » pr

Not All PR is Good PR

Lindsay — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:18:45 +0000

This is a post by PR columnist, Alison Kenney.

Want to know reporters’ pet peeves about working with PR people?

No?

Me neither!

But attend any panel session that includes members of the media and the question ALWAYS comes up.

At first the reporter will get a look on his or her face like, “oh, wow, where do I begin?” Then they’ll start off answering the question in a nice way, “well, it’s helpful if the PR person who is contacting me has a relationship with me, or has maybe even read my work and can reference that in the pitch.” But then they get warmed up and watch out! Soon you’ll all be chuckling over the crazy things PR people do when they are pitching stories.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

Most reporters don’t start out spouting off about how annoying PR people are (notice I said “most”) – it’s the PR people who ask them this question. I suppose we ask it because we have an inner desire to do better, or maybe it’s to ingratiate ourselves to the media. I also suppose it’s a PR rite of passage of sorts in which every junior PR person must be exposed to hearing first-hand the rantings of the “other side” and have their blinders removed, so to speak.

But it seems to me that the answers are always astoundingly basic and are only exposing the mistakes of moronic individuals or of a few bad apples.

The two annoyances that come up most frequently when the media is asked this question have to do with follow up calls (either calling when reporters are on deadline or following up excessively) and receiving pitches that are completely off the mark. So do your homework, folks, and understand who you’re pitching and their position with the media outlet, as well as how they work, including their deadlines.

Are we that masochistic?

Are PR pros using their voyeuristic gene to focus on all the bad examples in the industry? How else to explain the popular and authoritative Bad Pitch Blog? Or the site’s efforts, as well as Gawker’s, to “improve the PR industry through ridicule”? Or the viral path that PR screw-ups have taken recently, such as when a BrandLink VP failed miserably in pitching the Bloggess?

It’s gotten to the point that the industry has started debating the value of publicly outing bad pitches, like Arik Hanson does in his post, Are We Helping or Hurting by Blogging About PR Flameouts?

This doesn’t happen in other industries

Can you imagine a group of lawyers asking a judge about what courtroom behavior is the most vexing? Or scientists asking the FDA for tips on speeding up drug approvals?

Of course there’s a difference between “peeving” someone and royally mucking up a brand’s reputation. In any industry, the latter could cost you your job. But, in our industry, the consensus seems to be that there’s value in talking about what not to do.

Do you agree? Disagree?

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.

Working with Friends and Family

Lindsay — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:19:55 +0000

This is a guest post by Alison Kenney.

It’s that time of year…when families gather for the holidays lots of things can happen. Those of us in the PR profession have more than likely experienced at least a couple awkward conversations about our work with family members who don’t quite understand PR. Since I’ve already blogged about my family’s inability to understand what it means when I say I work in PR, I’ll focus this blog on the other awkward work-related conversation that inevitably comes up at this time of year: what happens when family members, or friends, ask for your PR help.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I know we all have family and friends who we’d do anything for, and many of us have benefited from the help and advice of family members. Yet sometimes these situations can get sticky.

Take, for example, situations like these:

A family member is excited to work with you and promises to pay you for your time and expertise…but they have no idea what the cost of your service will be.
A relative outlines an “opportunity” or “project” that you would never consider taking on if it came from someone who was not a family member.
Friends dangle in-kind payback that is not at all enticing to you: “I’ll introduce you to all my poker buddies entrepreneur friends so they can call you when they need advertising PR advice.”
No matter how expert you are, or how respected you are in your industry, when your great Aunt Ruth or your older brother need you, they know how to reach you and they know your personal soft spots and what to say to get you to do their bidding.
You’re asked to get on board and help with publicity for a product or company that doesn’t exist yet. Maybe it’s more fun to talk about publicity than other business infrastructure issues, but these prospects are nowhere near the RFP stage. They don’t need PR right now; they need to find a manufacturer first.
After you take on a project with an old friend (even though you knew better) and it ended up going way over the anticipated scope of work, they have the nerve to criticize the (pro bono) work you did. For years to come, they will continue to mutter about your inability to get them results.
And the #1, most common request from friends and family: asking for your PR help for a product or company in an industry that is not related in any way to the career experience you’ve built over the years.
Remember, there’s a big difference between doing business with your friends and becoming friends with the people you work with.

If you have any remaining doubt, I leave you with this funny org chart that can help you decide whether it makes sense to work with a family member: http://shouldiworkforfree.com/

.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.

Agency or In-house PR – Which is the Better Employer?

Lindsay — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:54:07 +0000

If you’re starting your PR career search, you may be torn between wanting to work at a public relations agency or work in-house at a company. There are perks and drawbacks to both. Let’s dive in.

Working In-house
The nice thing about working in-house is that you get to really know a single industry. This gives you the chance to develop relationships internally with executive management and gain a deep understanding of a company, rather than flitting from field to field, the way you might at an agency.

You’ll likely work with people in different departments, like marketing, sales, finance and HR, which can expose you to a lot of types of people and roles. You may also find more opportunity to gain experience in other aspects of communications and perhaps move into a very specialized communications role, such as employee communications, or switch departments completely. In an in-house PR role, you might feel you’ve got more vested in the company, and will want to help the brand succeed through your efforts.

On the other hand, depending on the size of your department and the support your company gets from any outside agencies, you may be pigeon-holed in your job with very specific duties and may never have the opportunity to dabble in events or many of the activities given to the agency, and that won’t help you appear well-rounded on your resume. And knowing everything there is to know about laser manufacturing might not be what you want out of life, so focusing on a single industry might not be what you’re looking for.

There’s a shine that comes from working at a PR agency, and it’s one you won’t feel working in a cubicle for an engineering company or healthcare facility. If you want excitement, diversity, and a non-stop, ever-changing environment, a private company might not live up to the challenge.

Working for a PR Agency
On the opposite side of the coin is the PR agency. One benefit is that an agency is an excellent training ground, and you will learn a variety of public relations skills that will be valuable wherever you go in the future. Plus, working with multiple clients gives you experience in a variety of industries. You can figure out which ones you like best. You’ll more than likely report into separate supervisors on each account, so you’ll have the opportunity to deal with different work styles and multiple managers’ expectations.

That shine I mentioned? It’s all yours. Depending on your industry speciality and clients, you might work with celebrities, attend galas or movie premieres, and get the chance to try out new products working for an agency.

Already thinking about your next career move? You’ll meet many people within an agency environment, extending your professional network, which will come in handy in the future.

On the converse, working with so many industries could give you only superficial knowledge of each, without any real depth that can help form your PR career or be considered a specialist in a chosen industry. You’ll have to work your way through the agency structure, starting at the bottom before you’ll have a chance to manage clients and get involved in the strategic work. Expect to work long hours and have plenty of stress working at an agency. You might not be able to work on what you want all the time, depending on your clients’ needs and changes with new (or lost) business.

Some people are more cut out for working in-house for a company, while others thrive in the high pressure of an agency. Where do you fall?

Photo credit: Richard Alan

Niches in Public Relations

Lindsay — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:44:50 +0000

If you’re looking for your next role in public relations, look beyond traditional PR/Media Relations roles. You may not have considered some of the specialty areas of PR open to you and those could be right up your alley. Here are a few areas to consider:

Investor Relations
Public companies have investor relations departments. Usually, these departments are a subset of corporate communications or report into the CFO. Earnings releases, earnings forecasts, annual and quarterly reports and press announcements all fall under the IR department. You will likely be involved in setting up roadshows, where company executives talk to analysts about the health of their company and its stock, conference calls, where executives discuss quarterly earnings, and press announcements.

While you may not need an MBA to work in investor relations, a solid understanding of stocks and finance will help you tremendously. Communication skills and the ability to work hard under pressure, in a regulated environment and with tight deadlines are a must.

Look for jobs in this field if…you enjoy talking finances, mergers and acquisitions, and options.

Corporate Communications
Every company needs someone to write both internal and external communications, including letters, emails, memos, newsletters and promotional material. These days, a Communications Specialist may even handle social media communications. The goal in this niche is to keep all company communications consistent and professional.

You tend to see most openings with larger organizations and companies that need more centralized communications and messaging. In this role, you may be responsible for not only drafting the messaging mentioned above, but also writing press releases and arranging speaking engagements and press conferences.

Most hiring managers look for candidates with 4-year degrees in a communications field, like PR, communications, marketing, or journalism, as well as heavy writing experience. Being creative, fast on your feet and a good decision maker will help you score the job as well.

Look for jobs in this field if…you love writing and working for a large organization.

Community Relations
Creating community awareness of your employer would be your role in the Community Relations niche of PR. Corporations, non-profits, and governmental agencies employ Community Relations Specialists. Building strong relationships with individuals, other business and organizations, the Chamber of Commerce, local media, and government officials is key for this role to generate community awareness.

You may be required to organize community events and develop community outreach programs, in addition to creating buzz about them. You may organize volunteer programs and other community activities that increase employee involvement in the local community and assist with the planning and decision-making for the organization’s charitable contributions in the community.

A degree in PR or Communications is helpful when applying for jobs in Community Relations, public speaking and a solid grasp of social media.

Look for jobs in this field if…you love interacting with people and planning events.

Restraining Orders for the P.R. Profession

Lindsay — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:30:46 +0000

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:

Wired Magazine Editor in Chief Chris Anderson who started a trend in 2007 when he published a list of PR firms he was blocking from his email inbox:
Michael Arrington who is legendary in his scathing disdain for P.R. and calls out P.R. people on an individual basis, e.g. Timothy Johnson and Lois Whitman
Numerous bloggers posted about poor Beth Brody’s experience in promoting her client’s new book via email
Gina Trapani has list of P.R. firms who spammed her and tips for using filters to block these folks from your own email
And, of course, there’s Bad Pitch Blog which offers a snarky take on the inner workings of P.R. and frequently mocks those who use P.R. unskillfully.

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.

Hiring the Write Person

Lindsay — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:00:51 +0000

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.

Image credit: sskennel

Interesting Links for November 9-15

Lindsay — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:14:24 +0000

Some interesting links for the Week of November 9, 2008:

Enjoy!