PR and marketing

When was the last time you day dreamed? Did you know that day dreaming helps with creativity and innovation? It helps your brain notice new connections, to see the overlaps that we normally overlook.

I’m reading Imagine: The Science of Creativity, which is all about how the brain ‘has a creative impulse built into its operating system’. It’s about how we imagine.

You don’t have to be an artist or naturally inventive to be creative. As the book says, we tend to assume that some people are simply more creative than others, that originality is a predetermined personality trait.

However, by merely sitting in a blue room or spending time looking at the blue ocean or the sky you can double your creativity.

Productive daydreaming (where you’re not letting your mind wander so far away it gets lost) can lead to great insights. When you are struggling with seemingly impossible problems, find time to unwind.

Rather than relentlessly focusing, take a warm shower or walk on a beach. Do a little day dreaming.

As the book says, it’s not until you let yourself relax and indulge in distractions that you will discover the answer; the insight arrives only after you stop looking for it.

So maybe it's time to stop looking and start day dreaming.

Million Paws Walk - We are participating in the Million Paws Walk 2012 on Sunday 20 May to help raise money for the RSPCA. We hope that by participating in the Million Paws Walk we can raise money and awareness to help neglected animals, but we need your help.

Please support our team and the RSPCA by donating to our CP Communications fundraising page. Help us achieve our (very achievable) fundraising target of $250!

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.
________________________________________
How to respond to negative tweets
Responding to a negative tweet can be tricky, especially since you don’t want to escalate the problem further. So how do you respond to a negative tweet and resolve the issue quickly while still maintaining a good reputation for your business?

The worst thing you can do is to ignore the tweet or respond in a negative way. This could escalate the issue and lead to a major crisis situation if other followers join the conversation.

Here are some tips to help you respond to a negative tweet.

• Tweet a polite public reply in response to the negative tweet and offer a clear process to resolving the issue. For example you could explain the issue better or offer them a discount on their next product.
• If you are following the person who wrote the negative tweet than you can send them a polite direct message explaining in further detail how to resolve the issue or asking them to explain the issue further.
• If you’re not following the person who wrote the negative tweet then send them a public reply and start following them. Ask them to follow you back so you can then send them a direct message.
• Deal with the issue on a more personal level by asking for their contact details. Send them an email or call them on the phone. This will be easier to resolve the issue when you can write more than 140 characters.
• Remember to address the problem quickly.
• Always stay calm and do not aggravate the situation further by getting angry or responding negatively.
• You can also research the person’s profile who wrote the tweet to understand their personality. This will help you to communicate better with them and help to meet their needs.

It is important to maintain good customer service while using twitter, which means responding to complaints quickly, being helpful, treating customers with respect and always being friendly and polite.

Read the full article here.
________________________________________
How to use evergreen stories to your advantage
There are heaps of events that occur every year that the media will always publish stories about such as Christmas or Valentine’s Day. These stories are called evergreen stories.

Evergreen stories are kind of like ground hog day. They come around every year and from a media perspective, they remain interesting and newsworthy every year.

Journalists are always looking for a new angle for an evergreen story because they don’t want to publish the same story as last year. You can use this to your advantage and gain publicity for your business by coming up with a fresh new angle.

An example of an interesting evergreen angle is around New Years Eve when there are always hundreds of stories about New Year’s resolutions – quit smoking, get fit or get a new job. You could add a new twist to this angle such as: What are your New Year’s business resolutions and how to achieve them.

You could even write a success story about how your business achieved last year’s resolutions and the amazing result that occurred.

Read about how evergreen stories can benefit your business on our Public Relations Sydney blog.
________________________________________
Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

Social Enterprise Unconference
At this event you will learn about the social enterprise, what it is and what it means for your business. You will also learn how the social enterprise impacts social innovators. This event offers the opportunity for you to network with other like-minded people to build your network and drive social innovation in Australia.
14 April 2012 – Paddington, NSW

6 Steps to a Better Business
At this free workshop you will learn how to make you business work more effectively so you don’t have to work so hard. Learn how to turn your advertising into an investment instead of an expense, leverage your time to maximise your profits and efficiency and learn how to recruit and retain the best employees for your business.
17 April 2012 – Crows Nest, NSW

Social Media Management
This conference will teach you how to create a sustainable presence for your business on social media. You will learn how to handle negative issues on social media and how to develop the best community on social media for your business. You will hear practical advice from a number of social media and marketing experts.
17-18 April 2012 – Sydney, NSW 

SEO for Beginners
Learn how to make your website Google friendly with search engine optimisation (SEO). You will learn about the definition of SEO and how to use it to get your business to appear on the first page of Google searches. Marketing expert Dave Chaffey of Netreach will provide practical advice and tips on SEO and how to find your own SEO consultant.
18 April 2012 – Sydney, NSW

Think Women Think Business
This one day conference is for women who want to invest in their future and receive a tool kit of ideas to grow their business. There are six available workshops to attend on the day and you can choose to attend any three that best suit your needs. You can also network with like minded women from a range of professional backgrounds. The conference concludes with a keynote presentation.
20 April 2012 – Perth, WA

Social Media Live! - Sydney
Attend this interactive workshop and learn how to use social media strategically and effectively for your business. At the end of the day you will have created your own Twitter account, LinkedIn profile and company page, a Facebook Business page and a social media strategy to manage these new sites. You will be given a workbook and instructions, which explain how to use these sites.
30 April 2012 – Sydney, NSW

Responding to a negative tweet can be tricky, especially since you don’t want to escalate the problem further. So how do you respond to a negative tweet and resolve the issue quickly while still maintaining the good reputation of your business?

The worst thing you can do is to ignore the tweet or respond in a negative way. This could escalate the issue and lead to a major crisis situation if other followers join the conversation.

Here are some tips to help you respond to a negative tweet:

• Tweet a polite public reply in response to the negative tweet and offer a clear process to resolving the issue. For example you could explain the issue better or offer them a discount on their next product.
• If you are following the person who wrote the negative tweet than you can send them a polite direct message explaining in further detail how to resolve the issue or asking them to explain the issue further.
• If you’re not following the person who wrote the negative tweet then send them a public reply and start following them. Ask them to follow you back so you can then send them a direct message.
• Deal with the issue on a more personal level by asking for their contact details. Send them an email or call them on the phone. This will be easier to resolve the issue when you can write more than 140 characters.
• Remember to address the problem quickly.
• Always stay calm and do not aggravate the situation further by getting angry or responding negatively.
• You can also research the person’s profile who wrote the tweet to understand their personality. This will help you to communicate better with them and help to meet their needs.
• Always be on the lookout for tweets about your business. You can use Google alerts, Twitter hashtag searches or http://tweetbeep.com/ to find mentions of your business. You can also use http://monitter.com/ to see a live feed of tweets related to or about your business.

It is important to maintain good customer service while using twitter, which means responding to complaints quickly, being helpful, treating customers with respect and always being friendly and polite.

On Sunday I went to an event that kicked off a week of celebrating International Women’s Day called the F word with Germaine Greer and Naomi Wolf. These women shared their views on feminism in the global context, as well as what it means in today’s society.

Both women have formidable intellects and raised really interesting and valuable issues. Some of which I agreed with, and others I didn’t.

I was very aware of the privilege of sitting and hearing them.

As Germaine said, “In some countries feminism is a matter of life and death” quoting a situation where a woman was killed because she wore lipstick.

As an educated woman living in the western world, I do have choices. Many choices. I realised it’s how I act on those choices that makes the difference.

One of the comments made by both women got me thinking. Germaine said “I’m going to get in trouble for saying this but I’m going to say it anyway”. That’s what people love about her (and why others hate her).

On International Women’s Day this Thursday 8th March 2012 maybe it’s time for all of us to 'say something anyway'! Maybe it’s time to act in a courageous way that will help the women around you, or women in the global community.

There are so many events to celebrate International Women’s Day. Here is a list of events you might be interested in.

Join me:
International Women Day: I'm a panelist for Women as Entrepreneurs event WE WIN, Women Empowering Women In Need. It’s an awareness and charity event, a celebration of the successes of women with a focus on enabling change for women as entrepreneurs, both here and in the third world. Special price tickets for our friends $45, register here using "CPComm".

Step into the spotlight with PR and social media: Join me on 28 March 2012 at the Women’s Network Australia’s lunch where I’ll be talking about Stepping Into the Spotlight Using PR and Social Media – both from a business and personal perspective. Register here.

Learn how to do your own PR: My next one day workshop – PR and Media Releases that get Results – is on 30th March 2012. Learn how to construct a PR strategy including how to develop media angles, pitches, media releases, articles, case studies and editorials. You will also learn how to strategically use these tools to maximise your chance of achieving your PR objectives. This event is held at the Sydney Writers’ Centre. Register here.

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.

________________________________________
How to create a media list
Do you want to generate publicity for your business with a media release? Then you need to create a media list and start pitching your release to the right journalists.

A media list documents the key media contacts in your industry that would be interested in your media release. These contacts can include journalists, producers, bloggers, freelancers and editors.

A media list allows you to create a targeted approach to the distribution of your information. By targeting the right journalists you can gain coverage in the publications that your target audience views. This means that the right audience will see your media release at the right time.

Here are some steps to creating a media list.

1. Find your audience: The purpose of a media list is to gain coverage in publications that your target audience uses or views. This means that you need to write a list of all the publications, blogs and TV programs that appeal to your target audience.
2. Identify contacts: Once you have a list of publications you now need to identify the appropriate contact person to send your information to. Usually the most appropriate contact is the reporter or editor who covers the topic in your media release. You can find their email address or phone number on their publication’s website or call the publication directly. Try to avoid sending your media release to the email address for general enquires or “editor@” because it usually will not reach the right contact person in that publication.
3. Create a Database: Organise your media list into a database such as excel document, with separate columns for the name of the publication, the contact person, their job title, email address and phone number.
4. Categorise your list: You should categorise your list into different sections for each media outlet. For example you could create a section for all your newspaper contacts and another section for all your magazine contacts.
5. Update your list regularly: Media professionals often change their career or areas of expertise, which means you should constantly update your media list. Remember to update your list if your contact person changes or if you find new contacts.

Read the full article here.
________________________________________
Why your business should start pinning on Pinterest
Have you heard the saying a picture paints a thousand words? Well your business can do just that on Pinterest.

Pinterest is a new social media site where you can create online bulletin boards and ‘pin’ your favourite images to it.

You can create a variety of bulletin boards in any category imaginable. Your followers can then view your images, like them, add a comment and re-pin them to their own boards. Each image represents a link to its original website, which makes sharing images and websites easy.

It isn’t a broadcast mechanism and doesn’t encourage product pushing, so you need to be creative and take a different approach to Twitter and Facebook.

The images on Pinterest can quickly convey their messages to the audience with just a glance, instead of users reading through long lists of text on Twitter and Facebook.

There are also a number of sharing options. Each image can be shared on Facebook and Twitter, you can embed it so the pin can be shared on blogs and external sites (which is great for link building) and the URL can be shared via email.

Read how Pinterest can benefit your business on our Public Relations Sydney blog.
________________________________________
Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

International Women’s Day: Reception, Expo, Lunch and Seminar
Celebrate International Women’s Day and hear the success stories of three inspirational women. During the expo a wide range of businesses and women’s organisation will showcase their community work. You then have the opportunity to network with other like-minded women during the included lunch.
8 March – Rockingham, WA

Strike a Pose for International Women’s Day
Get involved in a professional flashmob to promote the global recognition of International Women’s Day! The event will be held at 2pm at Martin Place in Sydney where participants will strike 10 pre-prepared poses over 5 minutes. You will be given the poses weeks in advance and anyone can participate.
8 March – Sydney, NSW

Women Empowering Women In Need
WE WIN, Women Empowering Women In Need, a celebration of International Women’s Day, presented by Women as Entrepreneurs. This is an awareness event – a celebration of successes of women with a focus on enabling change for women as entrepreneurs, both here and in the third world. Speakers include Catriona Pollard, Angela Vithoulkas, Orsi Parkany, Lisa Messenger, Kim McGuinness, Nicole Kersh, Hannah Schwartz and Maria Padisetti.
8 March – Sydney, NSW

Social Media Women
Online presence, e-commerce and social media are now necessary in every retailer’s marketing strategy. At this networking event Nancy Georges, “the Retail Miss Fix-it”, will give you the information to get you started in e-commerce and social media to increase your online presence.
13 March – Sydney, NSW 

Start your own business
This free seminar will provide you with the information you need to start your own business. You will learn about the legal and insurance requirements, the different options for a business structure and learn about what it takes to run a successful business. You will be given resources and a checklist to help you start your own business.
14 March – Newcastle, NSW

Creating successful social media strategy+ crisis management, measurement and evaluation (B2C)
This two day workshop will show you how to evaluate your social media activity using the latest social media monitoring, measuring and evaluating practices. Learn how to manage your own social media campaigns and gain actual ROI results. Learn how to prepare for social media crisis situations.
15 – 16 March – Brisbane, QLD

Do you want to generate publicity for your business with a media release? Then you need to create a media list and start pitching your release to the right journalists.

A media list documents the key media contacts in your industry that would be interested in your media release. These contacts can include journalists, producers, bloggers, freelancers and editors.

A media list allows you to create a targeted approach to the distribution of your information. By targeting the right journalists you can gain coverage in the publications that your target audience views. This means that the right audience will see your media release at the right time.

Here are some steps to creating a media list:

1. Find your audience: The purpose of a media list is to gain coverage in publications that your target audience uses or views. This means that you need to write a list of all the publications, blogs and TV programs that appeal to your target audience.
2. Identify contacts: Once you have a list of publications you now need to identify the appropriate contact person to send your information to. Usually the most appropriate contact is the reporter or editor who covers the topic in your media release. You can find their email address or phone number on their publication’s website or call the publication directly. Try to avoid sending your media release to the email address for general enquires or “editor@” because it usually will not reach the right contact person in that publication.
3. Create a Database: Organise your media list into a database such as an excel document, with separate columns for the name of the publication, the contact person, their job title, email address and phone number.
4. Categorise your list: You should categorise your list into different sections for each media outlet. For example you could create a section for all your newspaper contacts and another section for all your magazine contacts.
5. Update your list regularly: Media professionals often change their career or areas of expertise, which means you should constantly update your media list. Remember to update your list if your contact person changes or if you find new contacts.

If creating your own media list sounds too hard then you can get help from an online media guide such as Margaret Gee’s Australian Media Guide. These sites provide an online database of contact information for media professionals.

Another alternative is to hire a PR agency because they have an extensive list of media contacts and know how to create a perfect media list.

Once you have created your media list you can start contacting journalists to gain coverage in the most appropriate media that will reach your target audience.

I have enjoyed taking photos for a long time. I’ve never had one of those amazing expensive cameras, just the ‘point and click’ kind. I’ve often thought I should carry it around with me because I see photo opportunities everyday and have missed so many because I didn’t have my camera.

When I got my iPhone, I realised I was carrying a camera with me! I started taking photos most days and I am now an avid “iPhoneographer”. Yes that is a word. It’s also called mobile photography. There is a real movement in photography that now involves iPhone photos.

An app called Instagram has really facilitated this movement. It allows you to enhance, add filters and share your photos easily. Over the holidays I spent time exploring the people and ‘language’ of this app. There are IGers (Instagramers) all around the world, with a group in Sydney and Melbourne. You tag your photos so people can easily find the genre i.e. #ocean #clouds.

What’s a photo if it isn’t shared! So you start following people and liking their photos. They follow you back and you can add comments on photos. I have “met” some lovely people and great photographers. It’s another community I’m a member of now.

It’s even gone main stream. The Sydney Morning Herald ran a competition over summer for iPhone photos through Instagram. They requested you upload your photo to Instragram using the hashtag #summerherald and they chose the best to be published in the paper (I jumped for joy when one of my photos was used. Yippee).

When I was in Milford Sound in New Zealand over the holidays I was with people with amazing telephoto lens’ etc, and there I was with my ‘point & click’ camera in one hand and my iPhone in the other. It was quite funny!

Check out my photography blog ‘Life as I see it’ and I’m CatrionaPollard on Instagram if you want to join in the fun.

While we are on the subject of photography, I want to thank Shane D Photo for my gorgeous new professional photos!

Learn how to do your own PR! – My next one day workshop - PR and Media Releases that get Results - is on Thursday 23 February 2012. Learn how to construct a PR strategy including how to develop media angles, pitches, media releases, articles, case studies and editorials. You will also learn how to strategically use these tools to maximise your chance of achieving your PR objectives. This event is held at the Sydney Writers’ Centre. Book now!

I’m speaking at SheInspires on Social Media. Come and learn a step by step guide to social media and how you can use it to increase the profile, credibility and reputation for your business – and yourself. 28 February 2012, 6:00-7:30, The Rocks Sydney. Its $45 and we have a 25% off code – CP02insm – for our friends (which is you!). 

Want to join our team? We are looking for an experienced PR consultant to join our team. Send us your resume if you or anyone you know is interested in working with us. We’d love to hear from you.

________________________________________
How to follow up with the media

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.

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.

Read the full article CP Communications News.
________________________________________

Google+ Business Pages: What are the advantages?

Every business is different and so needs a different communications strategy. Not all businesses will be suited to the features and benefits that Google+ Business Pages offer, however some advantages of a Google+ Business Page include:

• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO):
  SEO is all about using techniques to drive the right people to your website. These include key words, back links and valuable content that will help search engines naturally find your site without paying for ads.
  
  As Google is one of the biggest search engines and therefore ranks Google+ very high in search results, it makes sense that SEO would be the top advantage for owning a Google+ Business Page.
• Google Services:
  By creating a Google+ Page, an organisation has direct access to all other Google services integrated into the system. Such services as Google Maps, search, YouTube, Android, Chrome and Gmail provide even greater exposure for a business. 
•  It helps build connections:
  Google+ pages don’t just interact with other pages; they interact with the entire Google+ world. Businesses can add people to circles, +1 comments and photos, add their own photos, edit their profile, host Hangouts and share things.
• Host hangouts:
  Google+ allows businesses to host their own Hangouts – live video chats with other users. Potentially a business could use these hangouts to have meetings with international clients, have expert discussions with potential clients or stream a live question and answer session. With live streaming businesses have even more of a reason to engage with their target audience.
• Circles:
  Circles are a feature on Google+ and Google+ Pages that allow the profile user to create groups of similar people or businesses. This makes it easier for businesses to send out targeted or tailored messages to each individual group.

Read the full article Public Relations Sydney blog.
________________________________________
Upcoming events

Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in: 

Social Media Marketing Course (Sydney)
Want to learn how to use social media for marketing your business? The Social Media Marketing course will teach you the key principles for using social media successfully and examine best practice examples. This intensive day course will cover the key social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and blogging.
3 February- Sydney, NSW 

Social Media Women
How do you measure reputation on social media? Kate Carruthers, an expert and forecaster in online collaboration, social media and digital integration, will explain the new social recommendation economy and why reputation matters. She will discuss how to make the new social recommendation economy work for you.
7 February- Sydney, NSW

The League of Extraordinary Women volume II
This networking event is for all young up and coming female entrepreneurs to meet like minded females, network in an informal environment and establish new business and personal relationships. You will hear from some of Australia’s leading female entrepreneurs such as Jodie Fox, Telstra Business Woman of the Year 2011.
9 February- Sydney, NSW 

Secrets of success for women in leadership
The Secrets of Success seminar is the first step of The Butterfly Program for Women in Leadership, which is a personal development program designed specifically for women in leadership and those who aspire to leadership roles. This seminar will offer tips on how to overcome obstacles and control thoughts, feelings and actions to get better results.
16 February – Melbourne, Victoria

Accelerate your digital business
Most entrepreneurs and companies do not have a plan to grow their business. AIMIA and VentureOne have created the ‘Accelerate your digital business’ workshop to help you grow your business in 2012. They will discuss how partnerships, joint ventures and investments can accelerate your business.
28 February- Sydney, NSW 

Web editing course
At this one-day course you will learn how to upgrade your web editing and e-copywriting skills. You can participate in discussions, gain hands on experience and work on your own projects with the guidance of an experienced online editor.
27 February- Sydney, NSW

Christmas is on its way and Social Media Women are celebrating the end of another fantastic year filled with a range of amazing speakers who have contributed to the success of Social Media Women.

As a thank you to everyone who has attended and contributed to our Social Media Women events we would like to invite you to help us to celebrate its success on the last Social Media Women night for 2011.

Feel free to join us anytime from 7pm on the 13th December at The Oxford Street Hotel. We would love to see you there!

Register now for our December event at http://socialmediawomendecember.eventbrite.com

Date:    Tuesday 13 December 2011

Time:    7:00pm-8:30pm

Venue:  The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel, 134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst (Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

The open discussion about social media is one of the best parts of the event. So bring your social media questions for the group to answer.

Ghost tweeters are teams or individuals who are outsourced by companies to tweet on their behalf. It sounds like a simple concept, and in many ways it is but tweeting for a client is very different to tweeting for your own company or for yourself.

If you are considering becoming a ghost tweeter for someone, or if you already are a ghost tweeter, here are some tips on how to make sure you do it well:

Get to know their topics of interest
Your client’s online presence on Twitter relies on consistency, as social media is all about connecting and engaging with a target audience. When tweeting for your client it is crucial you understand the topics that they wish to be tweeting about. Find out how they want to be perceived, research their areas of interest and stick to it.

Learn their language
When it comes to tweeting for your client you’ve got to know how to talk the talk...or tweet the tweet in this case! Learn the language of your clients. Read articles written by them, listen to them speak and take into account what industry they are in and who their target audience is.

Don’t do anything they wouldn’t do
It can be easy to forget at times that you are not tweeting for yourself. Before you reply, comment or re-tweet anything always ask yourself: “Would my client want to be associated with that person, company or comment?”

Although you may find the tweet funny, interesting or re-tweet worthy, your client may not – it may even be damaging to their reputation. From the very beginning you should learn what conversation your client can be engaged in and what conversation to avoid.

Don’t let trouble brew
As a ghost tweeter you may be on the lookout for negative comments of feedback about your clients. Make sure, if this happens, to respond in a professional and timely manner.

If, however, your response does not seem to work and the problem is lingering, or if it seems to be escalating, contact your client and make sure they are aware of the problem. In any case do not keep quiet and assume it will all blow over.

The best way to be a successful ghost tweeter is to communicate with your client and make sure you completely understand what they want to achieve. A tailored social media strategy will always be more successful and gain far better results than a general plan used across all clients.

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.