Best Tools For Distributing Information to News Media

Are you sending information to the news media in hopes that they will do a story on your company or a client's company? Well, based on my 20 years of experience working with media, these are some of the best distribution resources to consider -- with comments on the pros and cons of each:

www.PRNewswire.com:
This is a paid media distribution service and requires an annual membership of, I believe, US$125 per year. Plus, there is the cost of distributing each press release or other media materials to the media. If you've got a large budget (i.e., over $5000 total) for the project, then you may want to consider PR Newswire. The release will be electronically distributed and available to media that you target, whether nationwide, in a specific region, etc. The distribution also will be accessible to many search engines that post PR Newswire pieces. But, a major downside of PR Newswire is the high cost. For a two-page news release distributed nationally, you can expect on spending $750 to $1200 easily. And, that's no guarantee by any means that you will get coverage by spending that money. If your budget is tight, try some of the other services.

www.businesswire.com:
I have not used Businesswire for some time, so I cannot honestly review it. I think many of the points made about PR Newswire can be repeated for Businesswire.

www.prweb.com:
This is a cheap alternative to PR Newswire. You can pay about $80 or more to have a press release posted and available to search engines. I believe this is a better tool for SEO purposes than for seriously getting information to news media.

www.usnewswire.com:
From what I know, this paid distribution service is most frequently used for governmental, political and Washington, DC- oriented news. Visit their website to learn more.

EMAIL
For most media, it's ideal to learn the proper contact's direct email address and to email the release (as an extended email, NOT as an attachment) or other materials to them. Send with a brief note that is followed by the press release. To learn a reporter's email address, visit the media outlet's website where it may be posted, do a Google search of the reporter's name to see if you can find it, call the media outlet to ask them, or, go to your library and review a media reference directory such as Bacon's guide to newspapers or Bacon's guide to TV stations, etc. Bacon's only covers the US and Canada, primarily. Be sure to followup any email with a phone call to ensure the contact receives it.

A reminder, unless a contact specifically asks for it, never send an email attachment to media. Most media will not open it and will delete it because they worry about getting computer viruses from attachments.

FAX
Personally, I think faxing is best when distributing media materials especially to TV and radio stations. At these outlets, they may be less likely to review their email, so by sending them a hard copy, they can easily refer to it and share with their staff. Again, it's best to call them within 24 to 48 hours after sending the fax to ensure the reporter or news assignment person has received it and to learn their interest and answer any questions.

In any event, it's best to inform long-lead media (i.e., monthly magazines) about a news opportunity at least 4 to 6 months in advance of when you want the story to run. And, for TV and radio news programs and daily newspapers, send an initial alert to media about 1-2 weeks before you want the story to air. For TV and radio programs that run on a weekly or other irregular basis, contact the media initially at least 4 weeks in advance. It's always better to contact media too early rather than too late.

LETTER
Mailing a hard copy to the reporter can be good for many media outlets. Some reporters still prefer getting materials via snail mail.

MISCELLANEOUS
Before communicating with a reporter or other media contact, it's best to:

1) Confirm who is the best contact for the specific story category (i.e., sports, business)
2) Ask them what format they prefer to receive information (i.e., mail, email)
3) Learn the contact's contact information (email address, mailing address, phone)

Also, to increase your chances of a media contact getting your press release or other media materials, use two methods for sending it to them. For instance, send the initial press release both via postal mail and email, or, via fax and snail mail. That way, they are bound to see at least one version, hopefully.

Good luck in making news!

Favorite Marketing & Media Websites

Our Favorite Marketing & Media Websites

Are you seeking Internet tools to help you with your marketing and PR efforts? These are some of Pirages Communications' favorite websites. All are free except those noted:

http://www.newslink.org/
Provides links to news media worldwide

http://www.mondotimes.com/
Provides links to news media worldwide

http://www.lexisnexis.com/
Paid research service for finding past media coverage worldwide

http://www.highbeam.com/
Paid research provider with some free service to locate media coverage; especially have access to coverage up to 10 to 20 years old.

http://www.reuters.com/
Reuters international news wire

http://ap.tbo.com/breaking/national/
The latest Associated Press wire service stories from Tampa Bay Online website

http://www.worldnews.com/
World News Network, with compilation of news from various independent international sources

http://www.wsj.com/
Wall Street Journal, a conservative US-based daily business newspaper owned by Dow Jones; requires paid subscription to access most content.

http://www.businessweek.com/
Business Week, an excellent weekly U.S. business magazine; some content requires subscription.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Highly acclaimed BBC News, UK-based news service with considerable international coverage.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/index.html
National Post, Canada's leading national newspaper

http://www.adage.com/
Advertising Age, largest U.S. weekly magazine covering the marketing and advertising industry

This Blog is provided by Pirages Communications (http://www.piragescom.com ), a leading Chicago PR firm serving clients in the U.S. and internationally. Contact Pirages Communications for assistance with any PR and marketing needs by visiting their website and easily accessing contacts there.

Organizing Effective Special Events

Whether you plan a special event to recognize a person or group's achievements or to attract media coverage, it is important that you carefully plan it. While a PR firm, such as Pirages Communications, can help you to direct the event, if you have the team to do it yourself, you can consider that, too. Based on my 20+ years of experience in arranging special events, consider these elements: 1) Time: You need sufficient advance time to bring all of the elements together. 2) Invitation List: Who should be invited? Employees, their families, the media, shareholders, vendors, prospective clients? 3) Location: Choose one carefully that is conveniently located for most attendees. 4) Invitation: Send them a mailed invitation if possible which is much more professional than via email. Give yourself minimum of three weeks before the event that the invitees receive it. If possible give them 4-5 weeks or more advance notice. 5) Seating: Have some seating, especially for the elderly or handicapped that may wish to sit. 6) Sound system: Don't count on everyone being able to hear the speakers at normal speaking volumes. Have a sound system available even if it's just used as a backup if needed. It's better for the audience to hear you loud and clear rather than not at all. 7) Media Materials: If there's any chance that media may attend or were invited, designate one or more persons who can greet them and assist them with their needs. Make a press kit or other materials for their use, and if possible, arrange for them to interview key contacts that can help them with their stories. 8) Photographer: If the special event is one that you want to have photos of for an annual report, brochure or other possible needs, it's better to pay for a professional photographer's time instead of worrying about having an amateur take some shots. When hiring the photographer, be sure that the contract stipulates that you own the resulting shots, not the photographer. Otherwise, you could pay hefty fees in the future trying to use the shots as needed. 9) Food and refreshments: If the event runs more than 15 minutes or so, its best to have refreshments on hand. If it runs over 30 minutes or more, you may want to have snacks or light appetizers or a meal, depending on the time of day and the occasion. 10) Speakers: Think about having a rehearsal with the speakers, especially if this will be a lengthy (45 minute plus) event. It's always better to err on the side of caution rather than take a chance at not being prepared. Each speaker should have the outline of when their talk fits into the overall event, as well as bullet points on what they should say. Of course, speakers should have the bullet points no less than two days before the event so that they can prepare their comments as needed. 11) Recording: Consider making a digital tape or other video recording of the event or select highlights of the event that can be played on the organization's website and/or provided to the media for their possible use. If you are unsure if the media will want such a tape, ask them in advance and see what format they prefer. Typically, TV stations and networks prefer to shoot their own footage, but some may consider the tape that you provide. Good luck with your event? Thank you to Chicago PR firm, Pirages Communications (www.piragescom.com) for its services in providing this Blog.

"Speechwriting 101"

Have you been assigned to write a speech for a corporate executive? Worried about it? That'ss natural. If you don't have time or the know-how to do it, see if a professional can be hired. Otherwise, if you already tried that or know it's not feasible, following are useful suggestions.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Way too many speeches are written and delivered without the speaker having a good clue as to whom he or she is speaking to. If you and the speaker don't know much about the audience, call the meeting organizer or another appropriate contact and find out: Where are they from? Will it be mainly women or men? What are their ages, backgrounds, and racial makeup? What are the three or four main "challenges" they face that they may want answers or solutions for? Is there anything particular about this group that I should be aware of? Are there any recent issues or news developments that have particularly impacted this audience or the city in which I am speaking in?

Yeah, this may sound like a lot of work, but if your audience knows that their presentation was written with them in mind, they will be much more attentive and appreciative. Don't worry about having the entire presentation tailored to them. Just try to fit in several subtle references to whatever characteristics that they have in common. So, if your audience is a group of nurses from Nebraska, you could check out what their major newspaper, the Omaha World Herald has reported about nurses in their news coverage over the past three months or so. You might make reference to the performance of their local professional sports team. You could make several "Nebraska nurses" mentions and/or references to their professional Association, etc.

PLAN IT WELL
Do an outline first, and include and Introduction, Purpose(s) for the speech, Discuss the points that represent the purposes, And wrap it up with a Conclusion.

The Purpose(s) or Objectives could be to "persuade the audience to take action on an issue," "inform them about a problem and what they can do to help solve it," etc., and there could be up to two or three main purposes or objectives. Don't try to cover too any different purposes in a speech, otherwise, you will likely overload the audience and yourself.

ADD SOME "COLOR"
Add some life and color to the presentation by going beyond just talking. Use Powerpoint slides of graphics, charts or illustrations to make your point. Use statistics and quotes from independent groups and authorities in your field. Give everyone a handout (have someone help you to distribute in advance or during the talk) that they can refer to and you speak. Tell them about personal examples and stories that you have that can help illustrate the points that you make.

KEEP IT BRIEF
The best speeches are typically under 12 minutes. That' s because people have a limited attention span and they may "zone out" completely once a speaker goes over 15 or 20 minutes or so. The shorter you can make the speech, the better.

GRAPHICS/ILLUSTRATIONS
Be sure that any slides, posters, or other a/v materials used can be seen throughout the presentation room. If in doubt, walk through the room several days in advance with a rough copy of your materials shown on the slide or video screen, and see if they can be seen from all seats. If there are typos in the materials, or, if the materials are illegible from a distance in the room, fix them, or see if there is another solution (i.e., handouts for everyone showing personal copies of the slides). One downside, however, of such handouts is that it can turn the audience's focus away from the speaker and toward their desk or table for much of the talk.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Do inform the audience that you will take Questions, but ask them to hold their questions until the end of the talk. This normally works best and avoids multiple interruptions. Also, when answering a question, it is important to repeat it, no matter how loudly the audience member asked it. This gives added assurance that everyone has heard the question, and, it gives the presenter added time to gather his thoughts for the answer.

ASSISTANT
It can be extremely helpful if you have a colleague serve as your assistant for the presentation. He/She/They can handle responsibilities including distributing handouts, turning on and off the lights for slides or video needs, running the video equipment, etc. And, especially if the speaker is using more than one a/v element (i.e., slides, video, posters), all the more important for there to be a "dry run" in advance so that you can test everything and be sure its all works properly.

PRACTICE
The best speeches require practice, but do not need to be memorized. Memorized speeches tend to be dull and the speaker gets wrapped up in remembering his or her next word, rather than truly understanding and conveying the comments. Try using a bulletpointed outline typed on about 2-5 pages, to help the presenter organize his/her thoughts. If possible, have the speaker practice in front of a video camera or web camera, so they they can see how they come across and possibly correct any weaknesses.

QUESTIONNAIRE
Use a brief questionnaire to learn what the audience thinks about the presentation. Keep the questionnaire to under 10 questions if possible and typed all on one side of one page. Give responders the option to fill out anonymously or to leave their name and they will likely be more candid with their comments. Encourage attendees to fill it out before they leave and plan their time accordingly so they have 2-3 minutes or so to complete it. If attendees leave before finishing the questionnaire, the chances that you will get finished questionnaires via mail or other means are pretty slim.

Okay, why are you still reading this? Get writing your speech. Good luck! -- Thank you to Pirages Communications, a leading Chicago PR firm (http://www.piragescom.com/) for its leadership with this Blog.

Media Do's & Don'ts - Keeping The Media "Your Friends"

If your job involves some Media Relations, you definitely want to keep your media contacts -- your friends or at least on friendly and cordial terms. Following are actions that you should take and other that you should avoid. "MEDIA DO'S": 1) Do let them know that you are a media contact for your company and want to be of assistance when needed. 2) Do give them your work phone number, email address and after hours number in case they need to reach you after 9-5. 3) Do return their calls or emails within an hour or two if possible. Many media reporters and editors work on very tight deadlines, and you could miss a story opportunity completely if you don't respond to them quick enough. 4) Do send them a tip on a story opportunity if you know that they may cover the topic, even if it is not benefiting your company. 5) Do send them copies of stories on topics that you think may interest them. However, send them maybe one story each month at most, otherwise they could consider you a "pest." 6) Do thank them for their coverage of your company or client. It's not so much a thank you for them doing their job, but point out one or two aspects that they did particularly well (i.e., gave balanced perspective to a tough and controversial subject). 7) If they seem to appreciate your assistance, and they live in your market or you plan to visit there, invite them out for lunch or breakfast, but do it a few weeks in advance if possible. The worst thing that can happen is they say "no." And, the best thing is you can strengthen your relationship and learn more about what their job entails and how to better work with them. MEDIA DON'TS 1) Don't lie to the media. Sooner or later they will find out and there goes your contact and your credibility in the field may suffer, too, especially if he/she is well connected. 2) Don't blow off their calls and emails and not respond for more than a day or two, unless you've got a good excuse (i.e., on a Canadian fishing vacation without email access). 3) Don't forget to answer their email or phone call even if you are getting back to them after their deadline. It's possible that their deadline will be pushed back. And, most importantly, by getting back to them, you will bring "closure" to this need that they had, and they will more likely keep you in mind for the future. 4) Don't treat them like the "bad guy" who is out to tear apart your client or company and do a negative expose. Think positive and do your "homework" on them in advance (i.e., check what other stories that they have previously done; weigh the pros and cons of helping them), before you agree to assist them in developing a story. 5) Don't contact them at any time of the day or night with questions. When your begin your relationship, find out how they best wish to be contacted, and how the best times/days. Who knows, they may work from home a day or two a week and may welcome your calling them there if needed. 6) Don't send them a news release or other news item every day or every week unless you've got something important and newsworthy. Otherwise, it's a good way to quickly hurt your credibility and value. 7) Don't call them up without asking, "Is this a good time to talk?" They may be on deadline and would really prefer talking with you an hour from now. ---- Thank you to Pirages Communications (www.piragescom.com), a leading Chicago PR/Media Relations firm for their management of this Blog.

Helpful Websites for Researching Media Coverage

Some companies spend tens of thousands of dollars annually to obtain CDs of TV media coverage and copies of newspaper clippings of every single story about them. This works well for many organizations, but if your budget does not permit this expense, consider one of these helpful resources for accessing coverage of your company or a competitor: 1. www.lexisnexis.com :where you can easily set up an account linked to a major credit card and use key words to find media coverage going back several years. It is especially good at finding coverage from newspapers, trade publications and transcripts from some TV interviews. Cost per clip retrieved is at this writing $2 each. 2. www.newslibrary.com : this is an index focused on thousands of weekly and daily newspapers across the U.S. Again, there is a nominal charge per entire story/clip found. 3. www.dogpile.com : sure it's a strange name for a website, but it is a good meta-search engine that combines the strengths of several search engines including MSN, Google, etc. It may find a story that you couldn't find anywhere else. 4. www.highbeam.com : This Chicago-based research outfit is currently providing free searches using keywords. You only pay if you print out the entire article. In my experience, this site has some of the oldest pieces retrievable online, and they have good tracking of wire service and PR wire stories, too. 5. www.google.com : Yes, this "old-reliable" search engine is a good one to use keywords to check under both "news" and "web" categories. Be sure to especially delve into the 5th to 15th or so pages returned under the "web" categories because you may find reference to media coverage that you didn't know existed. 6. Major daily newspapers: Check the websites of the major daily newspapers in the headquarters city where the company is based. Often, you can check their archives and retrieve stories going back several years for free or a nominal cost. To find websites or major newspapers (and other media) across the U.S., go to www.newslink.org 7. Trade Publications: If the company is in the foodservice business, check out the websites of the major foodservice publications (i.e., Restaurants & Institutions, Nation's Restaurant News), to see if they have covered the company. A good resource for finding Trade Publications is at: http://dir.yahoo.com/News_and_Media/Magazines/ then click on the Trade Magazines option and you can select magazines within several different fields. -- Thank you to Pirages Communications (www.piragescom.com) , a leading Chicago PR and Media Relations firm, for managing this Blog.

Ten Top Tips For Better Managing Interviews

1. Be honest in your communications. This does not, however, mean that you have to reveal proprietary or sensitive information to a reporter. 2. If you don't know the answer to a reporter's question, say so. Then, offer the reporter to find out the answer and followup with the reporter. 3. When first setting up the interview -- if possible, days or hours before the actual interview -- ask the reporter what their "angle(s)" will be for the interview, what are the key questions that want to ask, when the story will be published or aired and in what media outlet, if the interview will be taped or live, and if they will be interviewing anyone else. 4. A day or more in advance of the interview, decide what your key "messages" will be that you plan to deliver. Keep them to four or fewer key messages. A sample message could be: "XYZ Company makes the highest quality over the counter medications to help our patients maintain their good health." 5. Never say anything to the reporter that you will not mind seeing in a newspaper headline or on the evening TV news. 6. If a reporter asks a difficult question that you need more time to consider, you can "buy extra time" by either asking them to repeat the question, or, tell them that you want to give that question more thought and come back to it toward the end of the interview. Do try to return to answer the question before the end of the interview. 7. You have the right to be comfortable in the interview. In other words, if the lighting in a studio is making you squint, ask the production team if it can be adjusted. If the seat that you are in is too rickety, see if they have another one. And, especially for radio and TV interviews, be sure that you have a glass of water or other beverage handy in case you need a drink. 8. Use a "bridging" technique if the reporter diverts a question to a topic that you would prefer steering away from. For example, if your consumer products company is launching a new product and had recently had to recall a product because of safety concerns, you probably do not wish to spend too much time talking about the recall. Let's say the reporter asks, "Is this new product launch been impacted by the recall of your previous product?" You might answer, "No, our introduction of the Swiffy product was in no way impacted by the action we took with the previous product. Swiffy was designed by our product solutions team because our research found (... and, then continue to proceed to talk about the new product. If the reporter once again returns to the subject of the product recall, do your best to again briefly answer the question, and "bridge" over to one of the messages that is most important to deliver, and you also can emphasize these messages with an introductory comment like, "What is really important to your audience is....(then proceed to tell them.) 9. Dress appropriately for the interview. The audience will judge you by what you wear. Of course, if your job is as a Car Wash Manager, it's fine to wear a clean work polo shirt and jeans, if that is the normal work uniform. 10. Do not repeat negative phrases that the reporter uses. For instance, if the reporter asks, as with the case of the recalled product mentioned earlier, "Is it true that the product that was recalled played a role in killing two young children who used it." You might respond, "No, our product was not found to have harmed anyone that had used it (Notice, the word "killed" was avoided altogether.) We voluntarily took the steps to pull the product from store shelves when we found that it did not meet our high safety and quality standards." -- Thank you to Pirages Communications (www.piragescom.com) for their leadership in providing this Blog.

Welcome to PR for Business!

Welcome to PR for Business (www.prforbusiness.blogspot.com ), where we work to provide you with the latest PR and communications information that can advance your business. Whether you are a sole proprietor or a senior manager of a Fortune 500 company, the information that we provide can help make your company more visible and more successful. Our thanks to Pirages Communications, a leading Chicago PR and media relations firm (www.piragescom.com) , for providing its leadership and expertise in developing this Blog. Stay tuned for much more to come......