Excellent writing skills are important for every job, but it’s especially critical for PR professionals. We’re constantly writing everything from traditional press releases and bylined articles to posts for social media and emails to clients.
As we get into the swing of the New Year and work hard at keeping our resolutions, consider adding “improve writing skills” to your list. To get a head start, we like PR Daily’s 13 steps for becoming a more productive writer.
This article was originally published on www.prdaily.com
Phone pitches: Love them or hate them, they’re necessary.
If you love your phone, read no further; if you hate your phone, this article is written for you, with love, from someone who knows how you feel. When I first started in PR, I landed a dream job. Instantly, I was pitching national news outlets and simultaneously learning the practical skills professors don’t teach you in college.
One lesson I picked up on quickly is that you’ve simply got to get used to being in the sales business if you want a great public relations career. You’ve got to get good at it, because traditional PR has always involved cold calling.
Once you’ve spent time crafting your messaging and writing and distributing your release, you can’t just stop and wait for your phone to ring. If you do, you might just miss your greatest placement.
Overcoming a fear of picking up the phone comes with practice, but practice only makes perfect if you’re practicing the right way.
During my 15 years in the profession, I’ve made countless phone pitches. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way:
1. Whether to "wing it" shouldn’t even be a question.
I’m a planner by nature, but even if you’re not, don’t wing your phone pitch. Take the time to write, rewrite and write your pitch again, if needed. You don’t have time for filler words, pauses and unnecessary points when you’ve got only about 30 seconds to sell a reporter on your story.
Practice your pitch out loud and multiple times before you ever pick up the phone. This builds confidence and helps your pitch flow.
Even if the reporter doesn’t pick up your story this time, a polished pitch can help you get your foot in the door the next time. After all, the phone is just another tool to build a relationship.
2. Parts of a pitch: A breakdown so you won’t have one.
Every pitch should include three sections: an introduction, the message and a closing. It might sound a little like a speech tactic, but it works.
The Intro should include your name, your company name and your phone number.
If you’re working for an agency and representing a company, make sure to use the client’s name, not the agency name. For example, I work for Intermark Group Public Relations. My intro might go as follows:
“Hi, this is Sonia Blumstein with [CLIENT NAME.] My number is XXX-XXX-XXXX.”
This approach is perfect if you’re leaving a voice message, which is more often than not what you’ll be doing. But on the rarer occasion when a reporter answers his or her phone, take a slightly altered and courteous approach:
Your name
Your company or client name
Temperature check
Check to see if the reporter has time to talk to you. Perhaps you called when the reporter is on deadline. Perhaps the reporter wants to talk to you, but it just isn’t a good time. You won’t know unless you ask. Try this script, for example:
Hi, this is [your name] with [company/client name].
I’m calling to follow up on [abbreviated story topic] or [a release I sent you earlier today].
[Did I catch you at a good time?] or [Do you have a quick minute to talk?]
If the answer is “no,” follow up by asking if there is a better time to call back. If the reporter gives you the run-around, say you’ll call back at a later time.
Once you finish your intro, briefly share your story idea in 30 seconds or less.
Assuming you’re leaving a voice mail, close by repeating your phone number so the reporter can easily jot it down without having to replay your message.
[RELATED: Tell the stories that touch people's hearts—and inspire action.]
3. Get your numbers straight.
PR professionals joke that we are in the communications business, not the numbers business. But there are two sets of numbers to be mindful of when planning phone pitches: the 12 numbers on a clock and the seven days of the week.
Reporters work on different deadlines. To the best of your ability, don’t call them when they are on deadline. A few guidelines:
Don’t call daily print reporters after 2 p.m. in their time zone. They’re working to finish up their stories before they hit the door.
Don’t call TV or radio shows while they are on the air. Call them right after their show is over, when they are working on booking the next program. You might only have one or two hours to reach them. Know which hours those are and plan ahead.
Don’t call a weekly outlet on the one day of the week the publication is wrapping up and going to print.
Don’t call a magazine about a story that has passed its editorial calendar due date.
Don’t call on Fridays, especially daily news outlets.
Do call a reporter if you have breaking news. It’s the one exception to the rule.
4. Double as a customer-support agent.
By the time you’re calling a reporter, you’ve likely already sent your email release, but chances are your release is buried in the reporter’s inbox.
Before you pick up the phone, open your original email. Have it at the ready to forward immediately. If the reporter can’t find your release, you’re one step ahead and can send it right then. Sometimes the reporter will even wait on the phone to confirm receipt.
Score. You’ve just increased your chances to get that reporter to read your release, which is the first step to getting your placement.
5. Save your voice, your time and theirs.
If you know you’re going to include a phone call campaign, you might avoid at least a few calls by giving the reporter a heads up. In your email pitch, tell the reporter you plan to follow up via phone.
If the reporter knows you are going to call, maybe she will reply to your e-mail before you pick up the phone. Who doesn’t want that?
These are the strategies I’ve used to land placement in the top print and broadcast publications across the country. What tricks do you have up your sleeve?
By now we have all heard about Facebook’s new algorithm and how it is forcing companies to pay for their content to appear on followers timelines. However, a new report has come out that Facebook is now making changes to their algorithm so that it will also start blocking posts that push people to buy a product or an app, posts that push people to enter sweepstakes and posts that share similar content that their paid ads have. Basically, they are blocking anything that could help your company gain leads and recognition. I work for a modeling agency and our main goal with social media is to create leads. We post a lot of advertise pitchy type posts to try and get people interested in working with us. If we are not able to post advertisements, what’s the point of having a Facebook? In my opinion, people like Facebook Pages for a reason. If you like a Page on Facebook, you’re interested in the content they are sharing. Facebook is getting greedy. What s going to happen next? Are they going to make normal users pay to follow Companies? Are they going to make us start paying for others for us to see posts? I know this seems far fetched but its definitely something that is going to start turning more and more people and businesses away from Facebook and onto other platforms like Twitter and Instagram. This article teaches us that the social media world is constantly evolving. Social Media sites are always trying to figure out how to make your user experience better, yet some sites want to make as much money as possible. For every update there is a positive and negative reaction. The positive part is that Facebook will be making more money for themselves. The negative is that businesses are going to have to keep handing that money to Facebook. Many small businesses are not going to be able to afford to keep their Facebook running. What the point of posting if no one sees it? Social media is supposed to be a place for free advertising. Now, Facebook is trying to make it solely a paid advertising platform. I wonder if more social networks will try and copy this model. -Nicole Rosa SOURCE http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/bc9abe57-a4de-4e4a-b25f-9f1bfa08a079.aspx?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
As an unabashed word nerd, I am fascinated with the ways in which language changes over time. In particular, I like to learn about expressions and phrases that were once commonly known, but that puzzle us today. Fifty years from now, will people know what “bad hair day,” “big brother,” and “Elvis has left the building” mean?
Here are some phrases that were once in common use, along with their definitions.
1. Bee’s knees — means the height of perfection. (Also, “the cat’s pajamas,” “the cat’s meow.”) The phrase originated in the late 1700s to describe something insignificant; however, in the 1920s, it came to mean the opposite, according to the Oxford Dictionaries. Example:
I love Matthew Inman’s latest comic; it’s the bee’s knees.
2. At sixes and sevens — means in a state of confusion or disarray. Phrase came from the numbers on dice and cards. To gamble on these numbers was considered reckless. Example:
These schedule changes have employees at sixes and sevens.
3. Dog days — refers to the beginning of July to mid-August to coincide with the rising of Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major. This is also the hottest period of summer. Example:
In sweltering Austin, it feels like the dog days last all summer.
4. Fair to middling — means average or so-so. The phrase came from the grades of commercial cotton. Cotton was rated from fine to inferior. Middling meant it was good, but not the best. Example:
There’s a fair to middling chance your press release won’t be read if you use that headline.
5. Hack — a metaphor for a person hired to do something or who does low-grade work. From the Old English term hackney, which is an ordinary horse suitable for general use. Example:
One look at his writing samples, and we knew Stan was a hack.
6. Hatchet man — a person employed to carry out an unpleasant assignment requiring ruthlessness. The term originally described a person serving in the military whose job was to march in front of the troops and clear the way for them. Example:
With layoffs looming, we wondered whether Tim was hired to be the hatchet man.
7. Rest on your laurels — to live off your reputation or refrain from further effort because you are satisfied with what you have already achieved. In the ancient Pythian games, winners were crowned with a wreath of laurels. Laurels came to symbolize victory and distinction. Example:
He will rest on his laurels, telling everyone who will listen about the award he won in 2005.
8. Make a beeline — means to go directly and quickly to. The phrase came from the belief that bees always flew in a straight line to the hive. Example:
After the last town hall meeting, we all made a beeline for the nearest bar.
9. Pig in a poke — something bought or received without prior examination or knowledge. A poke is a small sack. A dishonest farmer, claiming to be selling a young pig, might instead place a cat in the bag. Example:
When hiring freelance writers, always ask for writing samples. Otherwise you could end up with a pig in a poke.
10. See a man about a horse — this phrase is said when you are unwilling to state your true destination. The saying comes from the 1866 play, “Flying Scud,” in which a character extricates himself from an uncomfortable situation by saying, “Excuse me Mr. Quail, I can't stop; I've got to see a man about a dog.”
Oh, did I miss that meeting? I went to see a man about a horse.
11. Toe the line — means to conform to defined rules or standards. Original meaning was to position one's toes next to a marked line to be ready to start a race or some other undertaking.
You need to toe the line and follow the style guide.
PR Daily readers, any other old phrases you’d like to share?
Laura Hale Brockway is a medical writer and editor from Austin, Texas. She is also the author of the writing/editing/random thoughts blog, impertinentremarks.com.
