We've moved this blog to Be Heard, which you can access at:
http://www.mmipublicrelations.com/blog
Patty and Gloria will no longer be blogging here -- but they are still blogging!
MMI Public Relations has rebranded itself and taken its blog to the next level. Please visit us there, and thank you for your support!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
What is Considered "News"?
Photo Source
We steadily send out news releases about our clients every time something newsworthy occurs.
But what do journalists consider newsworthy? Here are some ideas.
- Your company has a new product or service
- Either you, your company or someone in your company has won an award
- You have been elected to a board of directors
- Your company has hired or promoted an employee
- Your company has just signed a major new client
- Your company has relocated or expanded its facilities
- Your company is sponsoring an event for a charity
- Your company has re-launched a new Web site
- Your company has significantly changed or improved a product
- Your company has expanded into a new market
- You are offering a seminar or giving a speech at a conference
- There is a new trend in your industry
- You are the author of a newly-published book
The reason to issue a news release is to get the media to call back and interview you. Even if the media does not interview you, however, a news release can result in a couple of sentences or a short paragraph in various publications, keeping your name in front of your target public.
The media wants to speak to an authority in the field. When a topic on which you have expertise is in the news, e-mail a news release or a pitch with a brief comment and state that you are available for interviews. Over time, the media will begin to associate your name with your profession, industry or field of expertise.
To distribute your news release, create it as a word processing document, then copy and paste it into an e-mail. Do not send it as an e-mail attachment. E-mail the news release to yourself and use the “BCC” (blind carbon copy) function to send it to your media list. This avoids distribution of the e-mail to hundreds of media outlets via the “TO” function, so that the first thing the editor sees is the 100 other e-mail addresses who received your release.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Press Conference: How To Do It Right
By Gloria
Experts become widely known when they make original contributions to their field through ideas, discoveries, mergers and partnerships, and innovative products and services. A major breakthrough may be worthy of announcing at a press conference.
A press conference is one of the best ways to get the word out when you want to provide the same information to all media at the same time. Other methods include setting up a TV satellite tour or sending a news release over the wire. All news releases distributed by PR Newswire , for instance, are delivered directly to newspapers; national news services, such as The Associated Press, Dow Jones, and Reuters; trade publications; broadcast newsrooms; and thousands of Web sites, databases and online services, such as Yahoo!, MSN.com and AOL.com.
The Embargoed Press Release
An embargoed press release is the traditional tactic used by PR professionals to inform the media of upcoming news, while still keeping the announcement confidential to the public until the exact day and time of the press conference.
Date, Time and Place
Choose your date, time and place as much in advance as is feasible.
- Date: Make sure that your press conference does not compete with other major events in your area.
- Time: Mid-mornings are a preferable time slot for press conferences, as it gives media people plenty of time to meet their deadlines.
- Place: Choose a location accessible to satellite vans and a room large enough for multiple television cameras. The room should have tables, chairs and plenty of electrical outlets. If you hold the press conference on your own premises, determine any media tours, off-limit areas, and photo opportunities ahead of time.
Format
- Your list of invitees may include media professionals, bloggers and VIPs.
- Send each a media alert and follow up with a phone call to determine how many will actually attend.
- Coffee, tea, water and light refreshments are always appreciated.
- The format should follow the generally accepted order of a formal statement followed by question-and-answer.
- Consider having industry leaders or political figures give opening remarks, which signals a higher level of importance to the media and the public.
- After the press conference is over, provide a press release and background material to all attendees, as well as those who could not make it.
Friday, October 23, 2009
How To Be A Popular Blogger
By Gloria
The world's best and most popular blogs are the product of someone's passion. Bloggers let their obsessions show! Blogs become successful because of the blogger's personality, knowledge and expertise. When you blog, use first person ("I")and be authentic.
Content and good writing are important. Some of the best blogs have won major journalism awards--a good example is Talking Post Memo. Another highly regarded blog is The Huffington Post , called the “most powerful blog in the world.” Co-founded by socialite Arianna Huffington in 2005, HuffPost has a highly successful business model: its hundreds of guest bloggers don't get paid for their posts at all, yet they include celebrities, politicians, and well-known academic and business leaders.
Other blogs that consistently make the "top blog" lists are the New York Times’ Freakonomics ; the geek blog BoingBoing ; the political Crooks and Liars by "Vlogfather" John Amato; Mashable , the largest and most popular blog focused on social networking; a favorite site for movie buffs called /Film (Slashfilm); and, of course, Seth Godin’s Blog .
Characteristics of Top Blogs
Top blogs ask questions and engage readers in an interactive way. Top bloggers do not shy away from controversy. They are always be civil but state their opinions forcefully. And they are original!
The most interesting blogs include other media--photos, artwork, charts and videos. It is important to use headers and/or numbered/bulleted lists for search engine optimization (SEO) reasons.
The best blogs link to other bloggers all the time. Link to other bloggers in your profession or industry--hopefully they will reciprocate. For the same reason, comment on other bloggers' blogs! The blogosphere is a place for dialog, not a soap box.
Hmmn. What's YOUR favorite blog? Mine is my own company’s blog, Be Heard . No kidding! Not only does it cover a topic I'm passionate about--public relations--but it's written by nine other people besides me. And they all have interesting things to say.
The world's best and most popular blogs are the product of someone's passion. Bloggers let their obsessions show! Blogs become successful because of the blogger's personality, knowledge and expertise. When you blog, use first person ("I")and be authentic.
Content and good writing are important. Some of the best blogs have won major journalism awards--a good example is Talking Post Memo. Another highly regarded blog is The Huffington Post , called the “most powerful blog in the world.” Co-founded by socialite Arianna Huffington in 2005, HuffPost has a highly successful business model: its hundreds of guest bloggers don't get paid for their posts at all, yet they include celebrities, politicians, and well-known academic and business leaders.
Other blogs that consistently make the "top blog" lists are the New York Times’ Freakonomics ; the geek blog BoingBoing ; the political Crooks and Liars by "Vlogfather" John Amato; Mashable , the largest and most popular blog focused on social networking; a favorite site for movie buffs called /Film (Slashfilm); and, of course, Seth Godin’s Blog .
Characteristics of Top Blogs
Top blogs ask questions and engage readers in an interactive way. Top bloggers do not shy away from controversy. They are always be civil but state their opinions forcefully. And they are original!
The most interesting blogs include other media--photos, artwork, charts and videos. It is important to use headers and/or numbered/bulleted lists for search engine optimization (SEO) reasons.
The best blogs link to other bloggers all the time. Link to other bloggers in your profession or industry--hopefully they will reciprocate. For the same reason, comment on other bloggers' blogs! The blogosphere is a place for dialog, not a soap box.
Hmmn. What's YOUR favorite blog? Mine is my own company’s blog, Be Heard . No kidding! Not only does it cover a topic I'm passionate about--public relations--but it's written by nine other people besides me. And they all have interesting things to say.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Five Crucial Leadership Skills
Artwork courtesy of: thegoldguys.blogspot.com/ and www.lumaxart.com/
By Gloria
Entire books have been written on leadership, and you can spend thousands of dollars on leadership development and training. Establishing yourself as a leader in your industry or profession is a long-term process.
Leaders inspire others with their vision and motivate people to follow them. They are take-charge types who direct the actions of a group to achieve a common goal. There are many leadership styles—authoritarian, democratic, Laissez-Faire—but every leader has a plan. If you lack a plan, you cannot effectively lead others, because you don’t know where you’re going yourself.
To become a more effective leader, focus on developing the following five skills:
Strategic-thinking skills
You have to know exactly where you want to take your business, if not the details of how to get there (that’s what your employees are for!). Concentrate on the big picture and how you will communicate that shared vision to everyone.
People skills
Your employees are your most important assets, so treat them well. Give them an environment and where they can perform well, supplying them with all the necessary tools, and then provide them a way to continually learn and grow in their jobs. Then pay them what they are worth, and you will have very loyal employees.
Public speaking skills
As a leader you will be called upon often to speak in public, whether it is at business meetings, conferences or press conferences. If your speaking skills are rusty, join a local Toastmasters club.
Listening skills
Speak out in public but don’t neglect to listen to what others have to say, especially one-on-one. People love to talk about themselves. Let them do it. Ask questions and listen to their answers. You will walk away with valuable information, leaving behind someone who appreciates you because you took the time to listen.
Decision-making skills
Whenever other people will be impacted by a decision, involve them and seek their input. Then when you make the decision, not only will you have the information you need, but you will have the buy-in from those affected by that decision.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Establishing Yourself As An Expert
By Gloria
Publishing magazine articles or a book on your area of expertise is de rigueur for establishing yourself as a leading expert in your field. Having published work out there gives you instant credibility and can get you on radio and television shows and speaking circuits. To get yourself known in your field, you should publish articles and books, even if you have to use a ghostwriter.
Let’s talk about magazine articles. Whether online or hard copy, magazines share certain general characteristics.
While consumer magazines are produced for a wide, general audience, trade magazines and regional magazines target niche audiences. Trade magazines are professional journals or technical publications aimed at a specific industry. More than likely, you are quite familiar with those in your own field.
So how do you get published in a trade or regional magazine? First of all, you read every single issue for a while until you have a feel for the editor’s preferences. Then you contact that editor with a query, usually via e-mail.
Convince him or her that you have something of importance to share with readers. Tell the editor about your credentials and offer to provide your media kit. Hook that editor’s interest with a unique slant or a timely topic.
Query only one editor at a time. You don’t want to alienate anyone—because the editor you alienate today may be the one you hope will accept your next article tomorrow.
Use your own experience as inspiration, and that way, you’ll avoid re-telling the same tired, overdone stories that magazine editors see over and over. This is not to imply that writing articles is a simple, straightforward process. It isn’t. Writing is difficult work, so don’t hesitate to request writing or editing help from your staff, your network or a professional source. Getting published is worth every dollar you pay a ghostwriter or editor.
Let’s talk about magazine articles. Whether online or hard copy, magazines share certain general characteristics.
While consumer magazines are produced for a wide, general audience, trade magazines and regional magazines target niche audiences. Trade magazines are professional journals or technical publications aimed at a specific industry. More than likely, you are quite familiar with those in your own field.
So how do you get published in a trade or regional magazine? First of all, you read every single issue for a while until you have a feel for the editor’s preferences. Then you contact that editor with a query, usually via e-mail.
Convince him or her that you have something of importance to share with readers. Tell the editor about your credentials and offer to provide your media kit. Hook that editor’s interest with a unique slant or a timely topic.
Query only one editor at a time. You don’t want to alienate anyone—because the editor you alienate today may be the one you hope will accept your next article tomorrow.
Use your own experience as inspiration, and that way, you’ll avoid re-telling the same tired, overdone stories that magazine editors see over and over. This is not to imply that writing articles is a simple, straightforward process. It isn’t. Writing is difficult work, so don’t hesitate to request writing or editing help from your staff, your network or a professional source. Getting published is worth every dollar you pay a ghostwriter or editor.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Mentoring Others
By Gloria
Judges love nominees who have mentored others, especially if they have mentored young people. Mentorship tends to be an important factor in winning awards.
Your desire to mentor others will expand in relationship to the growth of your reputation as an expert in your field. People are naturally drawn to experts and want to learn from them. When it is time for you to mentor, your mentees will begin to appear. Teaching these people and taking them under your wing will be a logical next step for you. If mentees don’t appear when you think they should, take action to bring them into your life.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest, largest and most effective youth mentoring organization in the United States. For more than a century, the organization has been the leader in one-to-one youth service, developing positive relationships that have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of young people.
If you want to mentor someone in your profession or your company, it can be accomplished through something as simple as an occasional lunch together and regular talks and e-mails consisting of advice. On the other hand, you may want volunteer for a formal mentoring system that requires training and certification on the part of mentors. Among those service organizations that offer mentoring programs are Rotary International and Toastmasters International.
Small Business Development Centers and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) provide entrepreneurs with free mentoring and workshops at hundreds of local offices nationwide. A nonprofit group of 11,200 volunteers across the country, SCORE offers e-mail mentoring and an online database of its mentors. You could become one of them.
There are few things in life as rewarding as mentoring others and seeing their success.
Judges love nominees who have mentored others, especially if they have mentored young people. Mentorship tends to be an important factor in winning awards.
Your desire to mentor others will expand in relationship to the growth of your reputation as an expert in your field. People are naturally drawn to experts and want to learn from them. When it is time for you to mentor, your mentees will begin to appear. Teaching these people and taking them under your wing will be a logical next step for you. If mentees don’t appear when you think they should, take action to bring them into your life.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest, largest and most effective youth mentoring organization in the United States. For more than a century, the organization has been the leader in one-to-one youth service, developing positive relationships that have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of young people.
If you want to mentor someone in your profession or your company, it can be accomplished through something as simple as an occasional lunch together and regular talks and e-mails consisting of advice. On the other hand, you may want volunteer for a formal mentoring system that requires training and certification on the part of mentors. Among those service organizations that offer mentoring programs are Rotary International and Toastmasters International.
Small Business Development Centers and SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) provide entrepreneurs with free mentoring and workshops at hundreds of local offices nationwide. A nonprofit group of 11,200 volunteers across the country, SCORE offers e-mail mentoring and an online database of its mentors. You could become one of them.
There are few things in life as rewarding as mentoring others and seeing their success.
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