PR and marketing

Do you want to see you and your business profiled in the media but don’t know where to start?

Have you sent out media releases and received no response?

When you get the right media coverage, your sales can double (or triple), you gain new customers and you can position yourself as a leader in the market place.

However, if you don't know the tactics of a publicity/public relations (PR) strategy or how to write an effective media release, you won’t get the results that will make a difference.

You'll learn the science behind an effective PR strategy including writing media releases that get results, how to approach journalists, how to write articles and case studies for the media as well as clever online tactics.

In one day, you'll discover the secrets to getting good publicity that you can use for your own business.

This seminar covers:
• the elements of a typical PR strategy
• how to determine your target audiences
• how to structure media releases and what you must include
• who you should quote and what they should say
• how to deal with journalists
• online distribution strategies
• contributing articles to publications
• how to approach bloggers as part of your PR strategy

This seminar is ideal for:
• Business owners, coaches, speakers, entrepreneurs who want to promote their business
• Professionals who have been given PR or marketing responsibilities but who may not have had formal training in this area
• People who are relatively new to a public relations role

This seminar covers all the issues you need to consider before you even put pen to paper - or fingers to the keyboard! Once you have these issues covered, you will have a strong framework that will guide how you write the release.

About Catriona Pollard
This seminar is presented by Catriona Pollard, director of CP Communications. Catriona has 18 years experience in developing and managing public relations and marketing programs.

Prior to establishing CP Communications in 2001, Catriona set up the marketing communications department for a leading software company and managed a diverse range of accounts within PR agencies. She also has extensive experience in managing public affairs and marketing in federal and state governments.

Catriona's blog Public Relations Sydney was shortlisted as media & marketing blog of the year 2009. She is a co-founder of Social Media Women, a formal online and in person networking group that encourages and assists women to participate more prominently in social media.

This seminar is held at the Sydney Writers' Centre.

PR and Media Releases that Get Results with Catriona Pollard
11 August 2011 9.00am - 5.00pm
Fee: $495 (includes GST)

To book, please click here. 

Ground Floor
55 Lavender Street
Milsons Point NSW 2061

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.

Recently I did a presentation at the networking group LetsDoBiz on social media. A friend of mine nearly fell over when she read about it on Twitter. You see, I make everyone else do presentations, but I don’t do them. They scare the bejesus out of me.

In one of the numerous conversations I have had with people about public speaking we realised it’s the whole centre of attention thing. You either love it or hate it. I am on the hate it side, but am now dipping my toes into the spotlight, and doing it in a way that suits me (i.e. baby steps).

The reason I encourage everyone to participate in speaking opportunities is that they offer a cost effective way of reaching a captive, and quite often a large and influential audience. They increase the brand awareness of your business and provide a platform for you to be a credible industry expert.

You can get some some tips on how to public speak by watching the experts! There is a great conference coming up discussing the future of journalism in the social media age. The Media140 conference is on 5-6 November in Sydney. As a reader of this newsletter you receive 20% discount on tickets, enter the CP140 code when registering.

I am organising a brunch to support breast cancer research at Aqua Dining at Milson’s Point on Tuesday 27 October, 9:30-11:30. It will be a champagne brunch including fruit, pastries & hot breakfast and a fashion show. Aqua Dining donates 100% of the cost of the breakfast to breast cancer research and we make a tax deductable donation of $80. Let me know if you are interested – it’s a great combination: champagne & supporting a good cause!

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.

Maximise the power of public speaking

It is a well known fact that the fear of public speaking ranks higher than the fear of death. This means most people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy at a funeral! However public speaking doesn’t have to be a traumatic experience; in fact when done right, it can often be the most effective form of communication.

It is so powerful we build speaking opportunities into our clients PR strategies. Here are some useful tips for effective presentations.

Practice practice practice
If you are a nervous public speaker as most people are, the best way to overcome nerves is to practice your speech over and over. Practice in front of family and friends, the bedroom mirror – wherever.

Know the audience and the venue
Before your presentation find out who the audience will be and how much knowledge they will have on your topic so you can pitch it at the right level. It is essential that you tailor the presentation to the bulk of the audience and understand what makes them tick and what drives them. 

Clients can share your story
Often co-presenting with a client, or using case studies or anecdotes will help reinforce your story and build credibility. Your clients have a unique perspective that is often more convincing and ‘real’ compared to your story.  

Go to our Public Relations Sydney blog to read more presentation tips including get to the point, use efficient body language and don’t read the whole time.

Writing a great media release

One of the highest key word searches on our website and blog is “how to write media release”, so we thought we would share with you how to write a great release.

Developing and distributing a media release is one of the most effective methods of telling your story to the media.

A media release can contain information such as the work your business is doing, a new product release, the signing of a new contract or commenting on industry issues and trends.

The main rule is that all releases have to be newsworthy. If a release isn’t newsworthy, then it simply won’t get picked up. What makes items newsworthy differs greatly from one publication to the next or even from one section to the next. News is something new, up-to-the minute and of interest to the readers.

Following are some guidelines for good press releases:

• The lead paragraph is the most important and should provide a ‘hook’ for the journalist. It should contain who, what, when, where, why, and how.
• Write in the inverted pyramid style. After the lead paragraph, each remaining paragraph should be less important than the one preceding it. That way the editor can trim your release from the bottom. 
• Write in short sentences, short paragraphs and keep the information simple and to the point. Try to keep the release to one page.
• If you read an article in the paper, you will see they always include quotes. So you should give them the quotes to use. Attribute them to a particular person in the organisation and ensure they are newsworthy. 
• A good press release has no typographical or grammatical errors. 
• Head the release with “Media Release” and date it clearly. 
• Use a catchy headline. 
• At the end of the release add contact details so the editor can easily contact you for an interview.

Go to our resources section of our website to see a media release template.

Top 7 social media tips

In a really clever PR strategy, one of our Twitter friends, AJ Kulatunga (@ICT_GURU) has launched 31 Days of Technology. Linking it with the Northern Territory’s October Business Month, they are giving away a free technology tip everyday for 31 days in their blog and Twitter.

We asked him to give us his top seven social media tips.

• Use what works for you. If you’re not a fan of Facebook use a blog or Twitter instead. Mix and match the tools to suit your availability and personality.
• Make personal comments but remember everything you do represents the “face” of your business online.
• Social media involves giving and receiving, so make sure you help out others by promoting their ideas. 
• You’re in business so measure the results of your tools against your marketing strategy to see what works and what needs tweaking e.g. TweetReach
• Social media can be used for training as well. Popular “how-to” clips on You Tube can be fantastic staff training tools.
  Some tools to try are WordPress(blogging), Digg (articles) and Twitter (conversations with people).
• Check out GoogleWave – when it comes out it will change the way you think about communication online.

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