We'll Be Back

We are re-arranging some things at The Write Vision Group and taking a little break from blogging while we sort it out. And we are certainly ready for some exciting new changes.

Meanwhile, enjoy some of our past popular posts:

3 Tips to Get a Reporter to Open Your Email

Five Ways to Handle A Mistake in Your Story

3 Ways Publicity Can Make You Money

Is Any Publicity Really Good Publicity?

Five Things You Should Never Say to a Reporter

3 Reasons Why Getting An Award is Great PR

At the heart of public relations is reaching out to the public to get the message out.

One way to do this is to apply for an award or recognition. I can rattle off three quick reasons why you or your company should constantly be on the lookout for award opportunities.

Related: 3 Reasons Why Publicity Should Be Part of Your Marketing

1. It's an awesome feeling. Who doesn't like getting an award? It definitely makes you feel good -- and look good -- when you're recognized for your work. Everyone wants to be a winner, after all.
2. It's another way to get the word out. Organizations that give awards, especially prestigious recognition, typically have some sort of announcement or ceremony. They may blast the winners' name to their list serve, feature you on their website or even pitch you as a story to their media contacts. It's another way to have a ready-made audience to receive your message.
3. It lends credibility. Winning an award from a panel of judges that evaluated your organization or project against others and deemed yours top quality is a great measure of the good work you're doing. This is an honor that is often used -- think of how many times you've seen "award-winning" this or that in marketing/PR material -- to an organization's advantage.

The moral of the story? Finding opportunities to apply for awards in your industry is another way to solidify your organization's reputation and expertise.

Read more: 3 Ways Publicity Can Make You Money
                     It Takes More Than An Idea

Bridgette Outten is a journalist and media relations consultant with The Write Vision Group, Inc. With a background in print media, she has written thousands of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette consults with nonprofits and small businesses about how to get their programs and efforts in the news. Meanwhile, she blogs on all things journalism.

Stop Randomly Pitching to Reporters

We'll make this very simple.

Though I'm certainly fond of posting blogs about three ways to do this or six reasons never to do that, I only have one thing to say today.

That thing you do where you blindly cc every reporter on the planet, cross your fingers and hope you get a call back about your story?

Stop it. Immediately.

Related: Where Is Your Media Plan?

Just like with anything else: a failure to plan to planning to fail. When you send out a blanket release, unless you're a super powerful organization or government body that gets news simply for being who you are, reporters can tell that you have essentially spammed them. Now I actually have three quick reasons how they know:

• The story doesn't have any angles that fit their beat.
• The story doesn't involve the location the reporters serves.
• It's quite obvious by the boilerplate presser you sent.

The moral of the story? I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but it certainly bears repeating: one targeted pitch is certainly better than throwing 10 press releases at reporters and hoping one sticks. Do your research and send a pitch that may genuinely interest a reporter.

Read more: Planning Ahead is an Understatement
                     Can A Reporter Contact You?

Bridgette Outten is a journalist and media consultant with The Write Vision Group, Inc. With a background in print media, she has written thousands of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette consults with nonprofits and small businesses about how to get their programs and efforts in the news.

3 Reasons Why You Need to Rock the Media Interview

When you apply for a job, getting the interview is a great thing. However, you know you have to rock the interview to actually get the job.

It's the same thing with the media. Pitching to reporters is the first step. And when you get the interview, it's awesome.

But here are a few reasons why the message is just as important -- if not more so -- as getting the interview itself.

Related: 3 Tips for a Good Media Interview

• If you have a dynamic, engaging interview, reporters will use you again as a resource.
• If your message is awesome, the public will heed and respond to your call for more volunteers, more donations or to check out the book or website from the wonderful tips you have given.
• You can use the clips on your website as a testament to your great speaking skill for future media interviews or engagements.

The moral of the story? The work just begins when you get the interview. Crafting your message and sharing it in a compelling way is the most important step.

Read more: 3 Ways Publicity Can Make You Money

Bridgette Outten is a journalist and publicity strategist with The Write Vision Group, Inc. With a background in print media, she has written thousands of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette consults with nonprofits and small businesses about how to get their programs and efforts in the news.

3 Reasons Why Publicity Should Be Part of Your Marketing

Everyone knows that marketing is essential to any business.

It's the reason why McDonald's with their millions of locations and billions of burgers sold continues to produce commercial and other initiatives -- because the executives know their products need to stay on people's minds.

So let's talk about about publicity's role in your marketing. By publicity, I mean using the media to air a message that is NOT an advertisement.

So you may be asking...why? I'm a plumber. Why should I try to get publicity?

Related: Three More Ways to Get in the News

Well, Mr. Plumber (and other business owners), you have to consider a few things:

1. Understand that media is more than just the news. There are blogs, magazines and websites about home improvement (or whatever industry you are in) where your expertise may fit. Do you have great information to contribute to create more of a following for your business?
2. You're not using publicity to directly sell. You're using it to create awareness about who you are, what you do and how you can assist potential clients. And it's cool to just help people when you can.
3. If you want to be considered an expert, publicity is a great way to establish credibility. It also gets your message out to a wide audience, which is why I like to say publicity is word-of-mouth on steroids.

The moral of the story? Publicity is a great tool for spreading your message, which will let people know more about you. If you have a marketing plan to grow, definitely consider how you can get the word out through the media.

Related:  The Winding Road to Publicity
               Before You Pitch: 5 Questions Reporters Will Definitely Ask
                   
Bridgette Outten is a journalist and publicity strategist with The Write Vision Group, Inc. With a background in print media, she has written thousands of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette consults with nonprofits and small businesses about how to get their programs and efforts in the news. Meanwhile, she blogs on all things journalism.

4 Ways to Establish Credibility

When you are pitching reporters, your credibility is everything.

Reporters want to know who you are, if your story is true and how/why you are qualified to speak about that story.

If you cannot prove to a reporter that you are a credible source, you can forget about a story.

Here are a few things that you should be doing to reassure journalists that you actually know what you are talking about:

• Have an online presence. By now, everyone should have a website, a blog or at the very least, a Facebook page. Gone are the days where a reporter will use a phone book to locate an expert...it's all about Google and Bing now. If you do not have some sort of online presence for your business or organization, you are sorely behind.
• Have independent research and statistics. I can't stress enough that reporters -- and people in general, actually -- love statistics. Research. Quantitative facts that support your story, and not necessarily research that you completed, unless you are a qualified researcher. Outside sources are always great. "Why, yes, the national expert on this or that said these numbers are true."
• Work with other credible partners who can vouch for you. No one operates in a vacuum. As you grow your business and organization, you should reach out to complementing organizations or businesses that you can network with and that you can tell reporters you have worked with if they ask. "Yes, we've been working with organization X on this initiative or Prominent Person B and they have been very supportive."
• Tell the truth. Don't exaggerate, bend or stretch the truth. You may get away with initially, but it will come back to bite you.

The moral of the story? When you're a media novice, your background is going to be scrutinized, especially in this digital age where people can more or less make up their credentials. Make sure that your credibility can withstand the review.

Related posts: If You Paid For It, It's Not News
                       Can You Be An Expert?

3 Reasons Press Releases Aren't Dead

The mourning of the press release is a little premature, in my humble opinion.

Want to know why? Because every news outlet I've pitched recently has asked me to follow up with...you guessed it, a press release. And these were major outlets.

To be clear, I will say the structure of the traditional press release is a bit outdated. Much to my regret, some of the formatting of press releases that used to be functional are now defunct -- (press releases looked so official with all that stuff!) And you don't fax a press release the way you used to for many outlets.

However, it's OK to update your press release format and still use them. Here are three reasons why press releases haven't received the death knell yet:

• Their purpose is still to capture the essence of the story. It's not the whole story. It's not three pages long. It's a summary of the most interesting and important elements of your story. It's supposed to simply whet the reporters' appetite for more information. This is needed during the busy day of a reporter/editor/producer/planner.
• It's a structured format everyone can understand. Sure, you can tell people to trash the presser and just send a bunch of bullet points and that may work. But I love press releases because they are full of structured information and -- if done correctly -- get straight to the point.
• Reporters are still asking for them. Regardless of what the industry buzz is, the folks at major media outlets still asked for this information. Again, the format has changed, but the role of the press release remains relevant.

The moral of the story? If you have a good story and send the information in a press release, no reporter is going to say, "Yikes, didn't you know press releases were dead?! I'm not covering this amazing story!" Don't use your press release to ramble on or send out a million weird press releases blindly to random outlets, but when done right, press releases still win.

Related Posts: Be Your Own News Station
                        How the News Works