Elementary Writing

This is the second article in our online course series on the theory, practice, trends and secrets of New Age Public Relations. Other topics that we cover are:

From Public Relations to Public Relationships

Edward Bernays (1891–1995), the founder of public relations, wrote in his 1928 book Propaganda:

“If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing about it?”

In 1928, the answer was yes. But today, the answer is no. The Internet changed public relations forever. Now the individual is in control. People trust their peers more than they trust companies. Relationships trump messages.

It’s why Public Relation Arsenal more an more deploys—social media services. Blogs, podcasting, social networks, photo/video sharing and online forums are social media tools that make connections, generate conversations, build trust and form relationships.

New media is forcing the rapid evolution of communications and is reinventing the science of public relations into the art of “personalized” relations. This is the practice of matching our stories with the preferences of those we wish to reach. Yes, it’s what PR should have been all along, but it’s not.

Powerful Media Relations Tactics

If done correctly, PR is capable of reaching a large audience on a small budget. What’s best about PR is that it communicates in a way that advertising can’t…By using its advanced technique, PR is like a third party endorsement of your business, products, and services by a credible, independent source.

There are any number of ways that a company or organization can positively use public relations to enhance their image in the eye of the public. Here we are list some of the advanced tactics:

• Write how-to articles for the media that have the greatest influence with your ideal customers.
• Post your how-to articles in the online article directories, such as www.ideamarketers.com, www.articleteller.com, and www.ezinearticles.com..
• Leverage your “how to” articles in the press with speeches and radio interviews.
• Serve as an expert to reporters that write about your industry.
• Launch and sustain a quality e-newsletter to stay in touch with interested potential clients.
• Stage webinars or tele-seminars or small scale free or low-cost seminars to make your expertise readily available to prospects.
• Share meeting notices with the local papers and valuable information by request.
• Write press releases about grand openings, news, and staff additions/promotions, and other happenings at your company, targeting the correct reporters that cover your industry.
• Enter award contests that are well-supported by the media.

Storytelling and Public Relations

Stories make our messages easier to remember and have been used throughout history to help explain concepts more effectively. Public relations is a form of classic storytelling, but for business. And, in business, whoever tells the best story wins.

The basic premise that attracts a reporter to a story is friction

• two competing agendas
• two people facing off over a contentious issue
• two groups that are at odds with each other.

Friction tends to lead to interest, and that’s what reporters and editors want. Ultimately, they want a story that will cause their readers, listeners, or viewers to sit up and pay attention. If the story isn’t out of the ordinary — if it’s just every-day stuff — it will not be read, heard or seen.

The components of an effective story

The use of fact and emotion in a story is critical – particularly in public relations. In a world cluttered with messages competing for audience time and attention, stories and our messages require both, facts and emotions to be effective.

• An Appetizing Beginning- which is always the hero’s ordinary, believable world.
• The Meaty middle - which is the hero’s journey into some extraordinary world.
• End with Dessert, Not Desert- the hero’s return to his ordinary world, but changed, very changed.
• A compelling point of view - or theme, such as “nothing takes the place of persistence,” or “true love never dies,” or “it’s all in the delivery.”
• Detail, detail, detail: that support storytelling elements such as risks taken (how much money is at stake) and people involved (team members, not spokespeople or top execs)

5 news values or characteristics that identify the newsworthiness of a story

• Proximity - a story of local importance
• Consequence - a story with a large impact
• Prominence - a story featuring an important person or entity
• Human Interest - a story that has a unique or absurd angle
• Timeliness - a story bound to a certain time or tied to seasonality

Good stories tell us something we didn’t already know or thought we knew. You new product may be a big deal to you, but new products are released everyday. Dig a little deeper to find something truly novel about your product and bring that novelty to your story.

The Power of Word-of-Mouth Public Relations

In an environment that bombards consumers with millions of (often conflicting) messages each day, credibility is suddenly the most valuable currency of all, and the greatest credibility of all comes from a source—word-of-mouth, both online and off—few marketers had previously considered and most had considered dangerous and unpredictable.

How do you start a word of mouth marketing PR campaign?

• Establishing Excellence
  First thing is to build an excellent product or service, truly worth talking about and stand-up to every endorsement given.
• Appreciation Approval for Referrals
  Reward customers and employees for promoting products and services. Create contests, discounts, giveaways, cash, etc. Employees and customers go wild for referral rewards!
• Get Free Publicity
  Inform the press about your special giveaway offerings to your customers. The trick here is to get potential customers to become new customers and receive the exclusive offerings available to customers only.
• Communication Follow Up
  The Internet is the hottest engine that every business should have and use. Continually thank customers and employees for loyalty and dedication. Use email campaigns to communicate with customers and employees.
• Blog Control
  Enforcing a blog in a word of mouth marketing PR campaign is a neat way to communicate with customers. This allows you to gather feedback and handle important issues. Always be certain to monitor your blog regularly to correct any damage control.

Word-of-Mouth Practice and Variations

Some word of mouth is not like the others. In fact, the variability on how word of mouth works and what types of outcomes get produced vary even more Between its 9 constituents types than TV, Radio, Magazine and Outdoor do in a traditional world:

The possibilities are limitless when one person tells everyone they know about your products and services.

Letter to the Editor

This is a letter you write to the newspaper commenting on a current news story being addressed by the paper. The letter may criticize some aspects of the paper’s coverage or bring additional context to a particular story. It may also respond to a previously published letter. Letters to the editor appear on the Opinion / Editorial (op-ed) pages and are one of the most highly read sections of the paper.

What dos it do?

Like an editorial piece, a letter to the editor can allow your comments to be presented with minimal mediation or interpretation by the paper itself. This requires you to keep the letter short.

When to use it?

Use it when you want to comment on a current story and/or its coverage without mediation and an op-ed piece isn’t warranted (because you don’t have enough to say on the matter, because you don’t think they’ll print an op/ed piece for you, or because you don’t have enough time to research or write one).

Important things about writing a letter:

• Keep it short. Notice how long the published letters to the editor usually are and try to stay within those boundaries to avoid someone cutting your comments.
• Criticize objectively. It you must criticize the paper itself, do it in a calm and objective manner, backing up any claims you make with facts and concrete examples.
• Try to ensure a human face. People respond best to human stories, accounts and comments.
• Sign the letter. Make sure you sign the letter and provide the paper with your name and address; otherwise they will usually not even consider publishing it.
• Don’t overdo it. People who write more than one letter a month are dismissed as crackpots.

How to Identify and Engage Influencers Online and Off

Who is influential in our lives today? When marketers and communicators ask this question they often mean who is influential to a lot of people or who “reaches” lots of people. The easiest answer is anyone extremely popular or who commands some type of audience like a celebrity, public official, leaders in industry or someone at the top 10% of their game - whatever that game can be.

Communication experts have always been good at understanding who is influential on a particular subject. They survey a broad number individuals against criteria like this:

• Prominence within organization
• Prominence of organization
• Reach in mainstream media
• Reach in digital media
• Level of investment in the issue
• Level of authority/ connectedness
• Grassroots reach

There are a lot of new influencers out there whose voices are amplified by technology. Understanding how that all works is critical for the communication pro of tomorrow. If you want to decipher who is influential online, you have to be willing to roll up your sleeves and look for the data. Here is a sampling of what we look for:

• Blogs & Microblogs
• Videos & Photo Communities
• Message Boards & Forums
• Social Networks

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Time-honored tactics like media relations and crisis communications remain in the public relations toolbox. But our clients need more to become irreplaceable brands. What are the best vehicles for your message? How can you get the word out in the most cost-efficient way?

Hopefully, advanced PR techniques presented in here may assist in leveraging your public relations practice in the future.