PR and marketing

So you’ve sent out a pitch or a media release to journalists and have received no reply. What now? What should you do to find out if the journalist received your email or if they are interested? An essential skill for all PR professionals is to learn how to follow up with the media over the phone.

The best way to follow up with a journalist is by calling them. An appropriate time to follow-up is usually two to three days after the email pitch or release has been sent.

Never wait more than a week to follow up as waiting too long may result in the journalist deleting your email, the story being covered by another person or the story becoming (quite literally) yesterday’s news.

When it comes to following-up journalists the best advice would be to go with your gut instinct – listen to their tone of voice and the way they phrase their answers and make decisions based on that.

However, sometimes that can be a bit hard to do, so here are a few tips you should always take into account when following-up with a journalist.

Be very specific about the media pitch or release you sent them. Don’t just say “I sent you a release and wanted to know if you were interested”.

• Be polite and speak clearly
  When calling a journalist speak clearly and be very direct and to the point. Try to sound interested and enthusiastic to make the call interesting for the journalist.
• Don’t be afraid of journalists
  Don’t be intimidated by journalists, they are people too. If you contact them at a bad time apologise once and move on, apologising more than that can become annoying.
• Choose your questions wisely
  When calling a journalist don’t ask them if they are going to publish the media release. Instead, tell them the date you sent the media release on and what it was regarding. Simply ask if they received the release and if they would like further information or high resolution images.
• Be ready to respond to their requests
  You should be ready to supply the journalist with relevant images, additional information, event details or the contact details of your spokesperson. You can also line up interviews for the journalist to make it easier for them to cover your story/client.

Now that you have the journalist on the phone, how do you react to their responses? One way to calm your nerves and sound more confident on the phone would be to plan out what you want to get across – your pitch or key points.

However, any phone conversation can be unpredictable especially when dealing with a journalist. The best way to tackle any response from a journalist is to be flexible and prepared for anything. You may need to resend the release or answer detailed questions on the spot. More than likely you will need to leave a voice message, so be prepared for that.

Remember after every follow-up to make a note of the outcome to ensure you remember who you have called and who was interested.

The most important thing to remember when conducting a media follow-up is to remain confident and try to provide the most appropriate and interesting information for the journalist. With a little bit of preparation beforehand, you can then hang up the phone feeling like you’ve achieved your goal and maintained a good relationship with the journalist.

Aprimo®, a global leader in cloud-based integrated marketing software, has launched enhancements to its Integrated Marketing Management solutions. These additions combine the capabilities of Teradata and Aprimo and provide innovative Marketing Operations, Multi-Channel Campaign Management and Marketing Performance Measurement capabilities.

Aprimo added a new offering to its Integrated Marketing Management suite, Aprimo Real-Time Interaction Manager, an inbound marketing and offer management solution that analyses all customer interactions to ensure the best offer for each customer is delivered in real-time. These new capabilities help Aprimo clients drive more effective marketing performance.

President of Aprimo, Bill Godfrey said, “When Teradata acquired Aprimo, we promised our customers that we’d capitalise quickly on the synergies and deliver rapid innovation to continue to lead the Integrated Marketing Management market.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased with our progress, which includes a new inbound marketing solution and enhanced, integrated versions of our Integrated Marketing Management solutions. We will continue to deliver leading solutions that help our customers optimise marketing processes and performance to drive growth in their business,” said Mr Godrey.

Aprimo has also released new versions of two of its Integrated Marketing Management solutions, Aprimo Marketing Studio and Aprimo Relationship Manager. This is the first new product addition and product release for both solutions since Aprimo was acquired by Teradata, and showcases the accelerated pace of innovation across Aprimo’s Integrated Marketing Management suite.

The latest version of Aprimo Marketing Studio includes new features designed to streamline processes and enhance access to campaign data and approvals, including mobile access to marketing materials, enhanced online help and integration with relationship management campaigns.

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About Aprimo
Aprimo, a Teradata company, is a leading global provider of marketing software and services that enhance the productivity and performance of marketing organisations. Through the use of Aprimo’s Integrated Marketing Management (IMM) software for B2B and B2C, marketers can integrate their organisations, get control of budget and spends, eliminate internal silos with streamlined workflows, and execute innovative multi-channel campaigns to drive measurable return on investment. Hundreds of thousands of marketers trust Aprimo to revolutionise their marketing. Aprimo customers include over one third of Fortune 100 companies, and nearly one quarter of Global 100 companies. Founded in 1998, Aprimo is headquartered in Indianapolis with offices worldwide. For more information, call +61 (0) 2 8404 4154 or visit www.aprimo.com.

Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC), Aprimo’s parent company, is the world's leader in data warehousing and integrated marketing management through its database software, enterprise data warehousing, data warehouse appliances, and enterprise analytics. Teradata acquired Aprimo in January 2011. For more information, visit www.teradata.com.

Social media strategy checklist

More and more businesses are using social media because it gives them another avenue to connect with customers but how do you determine which ones best suits your business?

Before you sign up and start Tweeting or Facebooking, you should think about the social media strategy. This means taking time to stop and think about what you want to accomplish.

To read the full article on DynamicBusiness.com.au, click here.

CP Communications Director, Catriona Pollard, comments on work-life balance and tells her story about how she has started making more time for life outside of work:

 

 

 

 

 

Workaholics now in pursuit of leisure

Catriona Pollard worked herself sick. Until this year, 12-hour days and working weekends were the norm for the 42-year-old, who runs her own public relations firm. Managing staff, running a small business and meeting constant deadlines took its toll.''I wasn't making time for my hobbies,'' says Pollard, from Mosman. ''While I caught up with friends at work functions, I did lose touch with other friends. When you are overworked and exhausted, it is hard to see the joy in everyday life.''

 

Although I have lived in Sydney nearly half my life, I’m still a country girl at heart. At times when I am stuck in Sydney traffic I dream of living somewhere there aren’t any traffic lights (like where my parents live!). But last week, I was reminded how lucky I am to live here. Not only is Sydney beautiful, but we have access to so many great events.

I attended Vivid Creative Sydney, a series of free events about the future of creativity, technology and business. Industry leaders shared their experiences and discussed how to create innovative brands and products. One was an artist who creates ‘unseen sculptures’ using augmented reality. He placed a giant squid above the Opera House that could only be seen through your smart phone. Amazing!

On Sunday it was a beautiful clear winter’s morning and the CP Communications team joined hundreds of people on the MS Walk Fundraiser around the botanical gardens. The walk helped MS Australia raise funds to provide assistance to the 20,000 Australians living with Multiple Sclerosis. It’s not too late to help out a good cause and donate!

That afternoon I found myself sitting next to an Aboriginal woman artist from Tjanpi Desert Weavers who taught me how to weave in their unique way. They are a renowned group of indigenous women artists who work with grass fibres to make baskets and sculptures. They had travelled here from remote desert communities in central Australia for the amazing exhibition at Manly Gallery, KURU ALALA – eyes open. I was so thrilled, I couldn’t quite believe it!

Every event I went to last week was free, and they were all about community – creating, contributing and engaging. So have a think about how your business, brand or you as an individual can create and contribute to your community. The goodwill you create will be priceless.

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.
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What journalists are looking for and how to get their attention
Journalists work in a fast-pace, high-pressure environment every day and are only looking for stories which capture their attention right away. They constantly receive media releases, phone calls from PR consultants and emails about the latest and greatest product or business. So to make sure you are noticed there are a few things to keep in mind when contacting the media.

Make them want to know more. Whether you are sending them a media release or pitching an article over the phone, make sure to present the most interesting information first. The information may have to be tailored for different types of media.

Personalise your attempt. Research first and find out which journalist you may wish to speak to. Simply using someone’s name can get their attention and makes them feel like you have a put in a bit of effort.

Pick your time wisely. A bit of research and common sense can tell you when a media outlet's deadline is. Daily papers will obviously have a deadline each day, so get your information to a journalist earlier in the day. Monthly publications such as some magazines have long lead times so don’t call at the end of the month trying to get into the next month’s issue.

Don’t be afraid of journalists. They have good days and bad days and there are ones who will be nicer than others. But don’t be intimidated by them. If you have all your information at hand, know what you are talking about and are polite at all times you should be received well.
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TwitterCue: The new social media idea
In today’s world of 24 hour news cycles and social media channels that never sleep, people across the globe are constantly gaining access to large amounts of information on a daily basis.

It is particularly challenging when communicating via Twitter, when your clearly written and informative media release is reduced to a 140 character line.

How do you express essential and maybe even critically important information in only 140 characters? Enter ‘TwitterCue’ – a 140 character line written at the top or bottom of a media release which sums up the content and can be then spread through social media channels without losing any essential information.

Not only is TwitterCue a great addition to a social media optimised media release – distributed to bloggers, citizen journalists and through services such as PR Newswire – it will also be useful for time-pressed journalists.

The challenge, however, is getting all the information needed into that 140 character line. To help you get the most out of writing a TwitterCue, here are some useful tips:

• Lose the fancy talk and get straight to the point – concentrate on facts only
• Always use a suitable hashtag
• Include a URL that links to the full media release
• Leave space for unedited re-tweeting – 120 characters should be your aim
• Channel the language of your Tweeps – use abbreviations e.g. to = 2; for = 4; you = u 

An example of a TwitterCue is one we did for our client Community Engine when we released their annual survey. We included the hashtag on all tweets:
The Nielsen-Community Engine 2011 Social Media Business Benchmarking Study released 2day http://t.co/6KoQiXt #B2Bsocialstudy
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Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

Social Media Women June: Learn about online business with Shoes of Prey
Social Media Women’s June event features inspirational creator of online business Shoes of Prey, Jodie Fox. Jodie will share how she built her incredible online business and some of the secrets to her success.
14 June 2011 – Sydney, NSW

Nice Girls Just Don’t Get It
Dr Lois Frankel is running a breakfast presentation about her book ‘Nice Girls Just Don’t Get It’. During the presentation Dr Frankel will teach women how get what they want in both professional and personal areas of their lives.
15 June 2011 – Brisbane, Qld

Web 3.0 and the Future of Social Media
New technologies collectively known as Web 3.0 are already providing a momentous opportunity to businesses and marketers.This conference will investigate the web and how it will transform marketing. Key areas to be discussed include the future direction for social networks and progressive social media marketing.
21 June 2011 – Sydney, NSW

PR and Media Releases That Get Results with Catriona Pollard
Catriona will teach you how to construct a PR strategy that gets results. By the end of this workshop you will understand how to come up with a media angle, write a pitch, media release, article, case study and editorial. You will also learn how to strategically use these tools to maximise your chance of achieving your PR objectives.
23 June 2011 – Sydney, NSW

Business in the Social Age
Simon Betschel (Sensis) and Brian Giesen (Ogilvy) will be speaking about the opportunities and challenges that are being presented to Australian businesses in the social age. They will aim to help business owners make more informed decisions about how to use and engage in social media for business.
7 July 2011 – Melbourne, Vic

Macquarie University’s Women, Management and Work Conference
Learn how to become an influential leader at Macquarie University’s 23rd annual Women, Management and Work Conference. This two day conference will inspire and inform women who are looking for insights and key tips to develop their leadership skills. Speakers include CEO of Medicare Lynelle Briggs, Board Director of CoSolve Anna Booth and Director in the Royal Australian Navy Captain Michele Miller.
28-29 July 2011 – Sydney, NSW

Journalists work in a fast-pace, high-pressure environment everyday and are only looking for stories which capture their attention right away. They constantly receive media releases, phone calls from PR agents and emails about the latest and greatest product or business. So to make sure you are noticed there are a few things to keep in mind when contacting the media.

Make them want to know more
Whether you are sending them a media release or pitching an article over the phone, make sure to present the most interesting information first. The information may have to be tailored for different types of media, eg: community newspapers are generally only interested on something to do with its immediate area. Most media releases won’t even be read all the way through if the journalist isn’t interested from the beginning.

Personalise your attempt
Whether emailing or calling, do a bit of research first and find out which journalist you may wish to speak to. Simply using someone’s name can get their attention and makes them feel like you have put in a bit of effort and aren’t just calling every media outlet in the country. If sending out a mass email make sure to BCC all email addresses so journalists don’t know you are sending it to every media outlet in the country, they will be less inclined to use information they know everyone else has.

Pick your time wisely
A bit of research and common sense can tell you when a media outlets deadline is. Daily papers will obviously have a deadline each day so getting your information to a journalist earlier in the day may be an advantage for you as you’ll be contacting them when the stress is a bit less. Monthly publications such as some magazines have long lead times and can be looking for articles months in advance, there is no point contacting a magazine at the end of the month trying to get into the next month’s issue.

Don’t be afraid of journalists
They are people too. They have good days and bad days and there are ones who will be nicer than others. But don’t be intimidated by them if they are less than sugar and spice, they will respect you more for not sounding nervous. If you contact them at a bad time apologise once and move on, apologising more than that can become annoying. If you have all your information at hand, know what you are talking about and are polite at all times you should be received well.

Macquarie University’s flagship Women, Management & Work Conference on 28-29 July 2011 will inspire women to take the next step by utilising and building on their signature strengths to become influential leaders.

Leading women speakers will focus on strategies to achieve higher levels of women in leadership roles throughout Australia. The conference will share practical tips and tools to facilitate career progress and success.

The two-day conference is in its 23rd year and conference co-director Melanie O’Connor said, “This year we are aiming to ignite discussion and encourage women looking to make their mark in the leadership stakes to act on their strengths.”

“Debate continues to circulate around management circles as women start taking more positive and active leadership roles. But it isn’t enough. We need to ensure that the corporate landscape continues to change for the better.”

“Although we have recently seen some increases in the numbers of women in senior management roles and CEO positions, the numbers are still too small to get excited about,” said Ms O’Connor.

According to research conducted by Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics’ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency Census 2010, women are still underrepresented within key decision maker roles within Australia. The Australian Institute of Company Directors reported that in 2010 women made up about 25 percent of board appointments in Australia, but it slipped to 11 percent for the top 200 companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

These findings highlight that few significant changes have occurred in the business landscape to address why capable women are still prevented from contributing at high levels of business.

“It is clear that we still have a long way to go to fully integrate talented women into leadership roles. We hope that this conference will continue to spark the conversations needed to make cultural change a reality,” said Ms O’Connor.

Women, Management & Work: Ignite Your Strengths conference will consist of presentations and workshops with expert speakers from diverse backgrounds and industry sectors. Each section of the conference has been specifically developed to provide practical and relevant advice on negotiation, communication, mentoring and career development.

Topics to be discussed over the two days include what the future of leadership will look like and how women fit into this concept, as well as tips on how to fast track your strengths to become an influential leader.

Date: 28 and 29 July 2011, 9am – 5pm
Where: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney
For more information, program details & registration: www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/womenandleadership
Fee: $2,300


Conference speakers available to be interviewed include:
Melanie O’Connor, Managing Director, The Academy Network
Conference spokesperson. Melanie is highly regarded for her work in advising corporations in the development of talent management and capability strategies, and is considered by many to be one of the foremost advisers in this field in Australia.

Lynelle Briggs, CEO, Medicare Australia
Topic: Leadership Success Stories. Lynelle became CEO of Medicare in 2009. She has 30 years experience in the Australian Public Service. In 2004 she was appointed Australian Public Service Commissioner.

Anna Booth, Board Director & Policy Developer
Topic: The Future of Leadership. An executive director of CoSolve, a non-executive director of Industry Holdings Pty Ltd and a non- executive chair of Slater & Gordon.  Anna is a specialist in workplace relations, training and managing workplace change for positive outcomes.

Margy Osmond, CEO, Australian National Retail Association (ANRA)
Topic: The Future of Leadership. Margy is the inaugural CEO of ANRA which was established in 2006. She sits on the Boards of the Australian Sports Commission, the Bell Shakespeare Company and the Retail Employee’s Superannuation Trust.

Mara Olekalns, Professor of Management – Negotiations and Deputy Dean (Academic), Melbourne Business School
Topic: The art of negotiation: Strategies for success. Mara’s expertise is within the fields of negotiation and conflict resolution. Her research focuses on communication processes in negotiation. Mara has published in leading international management, psychology and communications journals.

Helen Conway, Director, Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency
Topic: Leadership Success Stories. Helen’s appointment as Director of EOWA comes after many years of experience in the top tiers of the corporate sector, including General Counsel, Company Secretary and the General Manager of the office of the CEO at Caltex Group and Senior Judicial Member of the NSW Equal Opportunity Tribunal.

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Women At Work Australia online community:
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Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WomenatWorkOz
Blog: http://womenatworkoz.posterous.com/