Public Relations

Believable Myths

Posted by Megan Neher —

Sometimes even communications pros fall for ”myths” regarding our own industry. I thought this blog posting from a while back was a good reminder to what PR is… and isn’t.

Take a look at Myth No. 9. This one is spot on. As a former journalist and someone who helped with hiring at a large PR firm, I saw first hand as PR pros truly believed this myth! Some folks in the PR world think former journalists have a “secret knowledge” to placing stories with media. Sure, I think it can give someone a leg up to have been a reporter, but another good way to simulate this experience: READ the paper and local magazines, LISTEN to the radio and WATCH local/national television news.

Top 10 Myths about Public Relations
By Guy Bergstrom, About.com Contributing Writer

You’re exposed to the fruits of public relations every day, in every medium — TV, newspapers, radio, Facebook, Twitter, magazines. It’s a growing profession and never have so many public figures been in the public eye in so many different ways.
Yet the art and science of public relations is still more art than science. There are many myths and misconceptions about PR that are not only wrong, but it many cases dangerously wrong. Here’s a list of the Top 10 most common myths about public relations.

1) Myth: Any Press is Good Press
There’s an old saying, “As long as you spell my name right.” The idea being that any ink is good ink, that just getting your name out there, and breaking through, is a benefit that outweighs any negative content in a story. This is an enduring public relations myth. It’s also a losing strategy.

2) Myth: PR is All about Press Releases and Press Conferences
“Press release” and “press conference” are the two phrases that clients and bosses know. They will use those phrases. Often. And this is bad. Bad for you, if you’re doing the work, because press releases are over-used and often the wrong tool for the job.
Bad for your client or boss, because press conferences should be rare and reserved for the biggest possible events. If you hold press conferences all the time, reporters won’t show up. Public relations today is an ever-changing field, with more and more communication happening in cutting-edge ways. YouTube videos, Twitter, blogs.

3) Myth: Once You Break Through with Publicity, You’re Golden
Say you did a viral video and got a million hits, or wrote the most amazing press release the world has ever seen and newspapers all over the world picked it up. One big hit in the media isn’t enough.
It’s like music. One-hit wonders are common. They skyrocket to the top and just as quickly, they crash to earth. The tough part for rock bands — and any public figure or organization — is steady success.

4) Myth: Publicity is Free and Easy
We all drive cars. That doesn’t mean you should hire your neighbor to fix your Chevy’s engine. Not when your competition is using a trained mechanic. And there’s a lot of competition with public relations.
Most organizations are trying to get coverage in the media. Most people doing public relations full-time are experienced professionals who used to work at newspapers, TV or radio stations, and the ones who didn’t often got degrees in journalism or public relations. So it’s smart to have the best possible person doing the job — or if you do it yourself, to study up and talk to pros before you dive in.

5) Myth: You Need to Hire an Expensive PR Firm
For many individuals, small business owners and people just trying to break through — whether it’s in politics, entertainment or professional sports — hiring an expensive PR firm is not an option. The budget isn’t there. But there are other options.

6) Myth: Good Products Don’t Need Publicity – Only Bad Products Do
Even if what you’re doing is innocent — puffing up a bad product while ignoring your good products — that’s an odd and unproductive strategy. You want people to know about your best product. You should be proud of it, and making it the centerpiece of any publicity or marketing campaign.
Saving PR only for bad products means will trust what you say if you finally decide to do publicity on your good products. In their head, they’ll have made the link: whatever these people try to pump up is garbage, so if they’re pumping this widget up, it’s also garbage.

7) Myth: Public Relations Can’t be Measured and is Therefore Worthless
Public relations isn’t like baseball. There aren’t statistics for when you succeed and when you don’t. Some people and organizations do try to quantifying public relations, but that’s like trying to nail jelly to the wall.
You can try to compare earned media to an equivalent amount of advertising. Yet earned media is far more credible — and effective — than ads. You can’t pin that down as a number.

8) Myth: PR Means Schmoozing and Controlling the Press
The worst thing you can do is tell a reporter to NOT cover a story, or to stop digging. That’s a flashing neon sign that says, “There is journalistic gold buried here! They’re hiding something really juicy — dig dig DIG!”
You can’t control the press. The press isn’t not a monolithic institution anyway. Public relations is about communicating with the press and public in a smart, effective way.

9) Myth: Only Ex-Reporters Can Do It
In public relations, there’s no professional license or test to pass. The profession is growing, as the demand for information grows. There are more public relations jobs in business, entertainment, politics, non-profits and government.
Organizations of all types are seeing the benefit of communicating with the press and public, and they’re doing it in more ways than ever: web sites, blogs, Twitter, radio, Facebook, print, e-mail, Youtube videos and television.

10) Myth: Public Relations is Spin, Slogans and Propaganda
Propaganda is manipulating people to do something that’s not in their best interests, and it’s usually the tool of a state, used along with censorship and fear. Public relations pros avoid spin, slogans and propaganda techniques.
Today’s audience has never been more sophisticated, and there have never been more alternative sources for news and information. A lot of public relations is simply making life easier for busy clients and journalists.

Mar
09 ^th

Put a Fresh Face on Your Business

Posted by Megan Neher —

I was invited to write an article for KC Small Business’s March issue. The editor asked for an article about the importance of a small business’s marketing materials. I thought I’d share it with you here. Also, check them out online at www.ithinkbigger.com.

Put a Fresh Face on Your Business
March 2010
By Megan Neher

Most women put on their own makeup every day and think it looks good. But sometimes, they need a bold friend to say, “Honey, you really need to update your look.” Or, even take them to see a professional at the department store makeup counter.

It’s just as important that you put the right “face” on your business from the start, and keep it looking fresh. You must keep up appearances through printed materials, your Web site, letterhead, your business cards and even social media outlets.

Printed marketing materials, a professionally-designed logo and a quality updated Web site are simple ways to establish your company as professional, credible, longstanding and reputable. Creating or updating these materials doesn’t have to break the bank, but sometimes working with a professional is the best option. Below are a few ways you can get started with new or redesigned marketing materials and online presence for a reasonable cost.

Logo
This is an element where “do it yourself” rarely is good enough. Hire a professional designer to create a logo for your company. There are hundreds of local designers who work as freelancers and will create a logo from scratch for an hourly fee. You can have a customized logo that will become your company’s brand and be included on all of your marketing materials. This step is critical because it establishes your brand and begins to build that recognition. Beware of hiring your “nephew who likes to draw” or designing your own logo. It’s worth the initial cost to have your brand customized to your company’s mission from the start.

Business Cards
Your professional looking marketing materials don’t have to be expensive, but it’s important that they don’t look like they were do-it-yourselfers either. When you first start your business, you’ll likely discover a variety of perforated sheets of business cards that you can print at home on your own ink jet printer. Don’t be tempted to take this “easy button,” because it doesn’t project the stable, credible image you’re looking for. Another bad idea: The free business cards online with the message on the back that says: “Free online business cards.”

E-mail
Create an e-mail address that is professional and includes your company name. For example, if your name is Jane Doe and you just opened your own company called Jane’s Jewelry, don’t continue using your old casual e-mail, such ascooljewelrylady@yahoo.com. Instead change it to Jane@janesjewelry.com to project a more professional and established image for your company.

Web Site
The Web site you built yourself (or had a friend build) five or more years ago probably isn’t doing its job anymore (if it ever did). A Web site with visible frames, scrolling text and square, beveled buttons can’t compete with today’s slick graphic sites. Web templates are available at a reasonable cost to bring your Web site out of the ‘90s.

For a small company there are a few critical must haves for a Web site:
• It must be updated regularly. If you hire someone to create a site for you, make sure it is something that you can log into and update periodically. Then, schedule monthly Web site updates on your calendar. Even if you’re only tweaking the site, don’t let your messaging go stale.
• It must include your contact information on the home page. Nothing is more irritating than when you simply need to call or mail someone and you can’t get their phone number or address.
• It must feature your company’s brand, purpose, mission and logo. Again, consistency is crucial in marketing materials. Show your clients that you’re proud of your brand.

Social Media
This is where things get a little tricky. Twitter, Facebook and blogs aren’t necessarily marketing materials; however, if they’re representing your company you still must use the company’s logo and other branded messaging. Sometimes these online sources can be even more important than your business cards or letterhead. If someone is searching the Internet for your company name or even your name, they may stumble across a recent blog post, a Tweet or a Facebook status update. Always maintain a high level of professionalism when combining social media and your company.
Don’t let your company be seen in public without a fresh and professional-looking face. Get a marketing makeover—from logo to Web site. You’ll love the new you, and so will customers.

Megan Neher is owner of Megan Neher Public Relations, a full-service public and media relations practice specializing in inventive and strategic communications solutions.

Feb
11 ^th

I’m Flexible!

Posted by Megan Neher —

Two articles caught my eye in the January/February issue of IABC’s Communication World. Above The Fold and Make Your Own News both resonated with me and the transition my business has underwent in the past three years. It’s been a natural transition – thankfully – and one in which I’ve been excited about. Let me tell you why.

Above The Fold tells the story of the sad decline of print media. This is particiularly troubling to me because I majored in print journalism and truly enjoy reading a printed newspaper daily at my kitchen table. I started reading it each morning with my breakfast in high school and it’s been a daily ritual since. Of course, it also impacts my PR business leaving fewer reporters and publications to pitch stories.

Make Your Own News is how companies – many just like my clients’ businesses – are responding to this decline. And this is the exciting part. I’m busier than ever writing for blogs, shooting photos and video to post online and keeping up with clients’ Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.

I’m stealing a line from the article, but it’s a good one and it’s what I’m telling my clients about the transition: “used in the online environment, storytelling can reflect passion, uniqueness and immediacy.”

It’s this “storytelling” – or otherwise known as news or public relations – that can create a personality for the company. It offers an opportunity for us PR people to put some creativity into our writing, use imagery and demonstrate an identity for a brand that the old-style of PR and press releases simply didn’t allow for.

Again, I still can not accept that I won’t be reading a newspaper at the kitchen table. (My laptop doesn’t fit as comfortably on top of my cereal bowl.) But, with this transition, I’m thrilled to be writing stories that connect us with the past/present and help define what is authentic about someone… even if it is just for a computer screen.

Feb
28 ^th

KC/IABC Wins

Posted by Megan Neher —

The Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (KC/IABC) received a Chapter Management Award for financial management, as well as a commendable achievement award for website of the year, at the annual IABC Leadership Institute conference in Orlando in Feburary 2009.

As chapter president, I’m especially proud of these awards. I can’t take credit for either one, but I’m still proud.

These annual awards recognize leadership abilities, management skills, creativity and teamwork of outstanding leaders from more than 100 IABC chapters worldwide. The judges praised KC/IABC’s overall fiscal responsibility and management of large-scale events, including the annual Bronze Quill awards program and the chapter’s annual Business Communicators Summit.

KC/IABC’s recently updated website was selected as the best website of the year. Judges cited adherence to brand, use of graphics, ease of functionality and member resources content. The site also received recognition for its new social networking and member directory content.

(Thanks to board member Melanie Deardorff for developing the new site on behalf of the chapter. She’s pictured above on the right along with me on the left, IABC chair Barb Gibson and Dan Dillon, last year’s prez.)

The entire board of directors for KC/IABC was thrilled to be recognized at the conference. We were also energized to enter next year and hopefully will win even more chapter awards in 2010! Especially since KC/IABC is a five-time winner of the International Chapter of the Year award… it might be time to bring back that honor to KC.

For more information on IABC’s Kansas City chapter, visit www.kc.iabc.com.

Jan
20 ^th

KC Star’s Restaurant Critic a True Professional

Posted by Megan Neher —

I work with many local and national journalists, and few I consider friends. Lauren Chapin, the restaurant reviewer for The Kansas City Star was one of those friends. Her untimely death in December was a shock and hurt more than the death of a casual colleague should. For whatever reason, it really resonated with me because of the season, because of her writing about her family and because of our relationship, albeit a mostly business one.

And, I’m not unusual. It seems she was a remarkable person to many. The late Lauren Chapin left an indelible imprint on Kansas City’s culinary community via her restaurant reviews and food writing, so much so that local restaurants, suppliers and friends are hosting a benefit event for her daughters.

The event titled “Four Stars for Lauren” will be at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29 at the Boulevard Brewery, 2501 Southwest Boulevard, KCMO. Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased in advance online at http://fourstarsforlauren.eventbrite.com/.

The tribute event to honor her memory will raise money for a college fund for her two teenage daughters.

Restaurants and other businesses supporting the event include the American Restaurant, Blanc, Bluestem, Capital Grille, Le Fou Frog, Hereford House, Jasper’s, JJ’s, La Bodega, McCormick & Schmick’s, NoRTH (my client!), Ophelia’s, Hotel Phillips, Pierpont’s, ReVerse, Room 39, Café Sebastienne, Michael Smith, Café Verona and Webster House.

I plan to attend, and I’d love to see you there.

Nov
25 ^th

Nostalgia merits newsworthiness sometimes

Posted by Megan Neher —

To some degree, newsworthiness is subjective. For example, there are those who’ve recently reported that they do not see the news value in covering the Kansas City Fairy Princess at Zona Rosa. Of course as the PR representative for Zona Rosa I would strongly disagree.

After working as a newspaper reporter for The Olathe Daily News following graduation in print journalism from Kansas State University and then later as the business editor for The Lawrence Journal World, I learned to decipher the difference between something that had news value and something that didn’t. This has become very important as I now counsel clients on this very topic as a PR consultant.

In fact, I also use this as my best piece of advice that I give new graduates or college students as they intend to enter a career in public relations. Work as a journalist – even if it is only at your student paper so you can understand news value.

If the Fairy Princess was just another Santa Claus sitting on a chair visiting with children from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day at the mall, then I too would agree that she didn’t have any real news value. I would write a press release and expect to be listed in the community calendar section of the newspaper.

But maybe those whom deemed her un-newsworthy do not know her history. Maybe those who claim she shouldn’t merit a news story in The Kansas City Star do not understand the nostalgia that surrounds her. And perhaps those who criticize the coverage haven’t heard of The Kansas City Museum and the efforts they’ve put into preserving this important history for our city.

Some might say this sounds a little over the top, and it might be. But, year after year, women and men from all over the city and beyond come to Zona Rosa to thank the development for preserving the history of The Kansas City Fairy Princess. To them she’s not just a pretty young woman who visits with children, but a relic of the city and a beloved reminder of past Christmases

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