Pleading and humour aren’t enough to get you into editorial pages
Some people find this Youtube video of a mock-plaintive junior at PR agency Ten Yetis amusing. Maybe it did the trick but it left me feeling a little embarrassed for her. If I was her client, I’d be wondering if that’s all there is to pitching journalists – and wondering if I didn’t need a little more marketing savvy injecting into my PR efforts. Why, for example, was there not one single good reason offered up to the journalist to write about the product in that video? Why do readers need to know about ... read the full post »
03 May 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : adding value, media coverage, media relations, pitching, PR firms, reputation, selling, USP, YouTube.
The crucial role of subject lines in email pitches to editors
There was a good illustration recently of why it’s so important to think carefully about the subject line when pitching story ideas by email to journalists. It arose at a recent breakfast briefing organised by media information firm Gorkana with The Independent on Sunday’s Julian Knight. Knight edits the newspaper’s money and property section. He’s got ten pages to fill each Sunday on his own, so it quickly becomes apparent that his week is a constant stream of commissioning, writing and editing - all done to fit in with a conveyor belt of various deadlines. At the same time ... read the full post »
18 April 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : Independent Newspaper, media coverage, media relations, pitching.
How to use the Freedom of Information Act in your PR activities
Whether or not you’re a fan of Tony Blair, one of the welcome things that came into being under his watch was the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) in 2000. This gave UK citizens a legal right to information held by most public authorities. American citizens have had this right for some time, of course, and the UK is now one of about 85 countries that have introduced similar rights. Now, back to this post’s subject: how can you use FOI as part of your organisation’s PR activities? There ... read the full post »
08 March 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : adding value, communications strategy, Freedom of Information Act, media coverage, public relations, The Financial Times.
Should I call my new agency Puff-pedlars, Spindarella or Barking Mad?
Are PR agency founders on a mission to outdo each other when it comes to naming their firms? In striving to be memorable and achieve standout, I think we’ve now crossed the line between clever, creative branding and plain silliness. Here’s the evidence and all of them, except one, are genuine business names. A few are good, many bad and others just downright bizarre. What do you think? Can you spot the made up one? First up are the agencies named after animals. Here we have ... read the full post »
17 February 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | 4 Comments »
Tagged : agencies, agency management, branding, media coverage, PR firms.
Why do we still worship the workaholics?
We all know someone who apparently relishes working long hours. These people seem to believe that the longer the hours they work, the more exhausted, the more impressive they are. Perhaps it’s just that I’m from the ‘work to live’ camp, but it always puzzles me. Take this recent story courtesy of The Wall Street Journal. Defending W. Bruce Johnson, chief executive of US retail giants Sears and Kmart, against accusations of ineffectiveness, colleagues said he: “… relishes the challenge of turning around the Sears brand and takes home briefcases bursting with documents every evening. He returns to work between 6 ... read the full post »
09 February 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : brand, ceo, chief executive, workaholics.
Why we need to hear less from you and more from your customers
Most people old enough to be in senior management roles today know the slogan 'Let your fingers do the walking'. It did wonders for promoting Yellow Pages and joined the advertising hall of fame back in 2002. But how about ‘Let your clients do the talking’? Nope, that doesn’t resonate quite so loudly does it? But it should, because credible endorsements from others are one of the most potent sales tools in business-to-business, especially if you’re selling professional services. PR professionals call this ‘third party endorsement’ (TPE) and, well managed, it can win you business, forge alliances, improve recruitment ... read the full post »
07 January 2011 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | 1 Comment »
Tagged : communications strategy, marketing, new business, reputation, selling, third party endorsement.
Pitching your story to a TV news programme: a 2 minute tutorial
So you think you’ve discovered something that would make a good television news item and get you or your organisation some great exposure, maybe even swamp your website with customer enquiries? Now all you’ve got to do is sell the idea. Where to start? This two minute video from Associated Press (AP) is a great primer. Although it’s from the US, the principles of pitching stories to television are pretty much universal – and of course AP is a global syndicator of news. The question of how to ... read the full post »
22 November 2010 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : Associated Press, news, pitching, publicity, television, TV.
The FT meets ‘The Body’ and a PR car crash ensues
Earlier this month Elle Macpherson, one of the original ‘supermodels’, was interviewed by Lucy Kellaway in The Financial Times. You can read the article here (although you may need to register). It’s a great read, though it left this formerly neutral reader, and I suspect many others, with a rather dim view of ‘The Body’, as she used to be known. It made me wonder read the full post »
25 October 2010 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : communications strategy, marketing, media relations, PR, PR firms, public relations, reputation, The Financial Times.
How to annoy journalists
This post was prompted by a small but noticeable flurry of reporters who used Twitter last week to 'vent their spleens'. read the full post »
04 October 2010 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | 1 Comment »
Tagged : editors, Financial Times, journalists, pitch, story, Twitter.
Why University College London may soon have a reputation to rival Scrooge
What on earth is going on at University College London (UCL)? On the evidence of a recent major story in the London Evening Standard, its president Professor Malcolm Grant seems to be going through a Marie Antoinette moment. read the full post »
25 September 2010 | Posted by : Andy M Turner | Blog | Comment on this post »
Tagged : crisis, London Evening Standard, media relations, reputation, University College London.