The average individual probably wouldn’t correlate the art of being “zen” with the deadline and results-driven world of marketing and public relations. However, maintaining a calm, clear and patient mind can be the key to success.

Here’s how to be more Zen:

Create a plan.

Jumping into a campaign or project without a strategic plan is a recipe for lackluster results. Instead, take a step back before you act. Carefully think through the challenge at hand. What are your objectives? Who is your target audience and what key messages will resonate with them? What is your strategy and what tactics will you use to support them? Thoughtful planning doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but it will provide a solid foundation for your efficiency and effectiveness moving forward.

Meditate on it.

Once you’ve built a smart strategy and have rolled it out, make sure to evaluate the results after a reasonable amount of time. For example, if you are pitching a story on behalf of a client, try out the media pitch for a day or so and then reevaluate, discussing tweaks and new angles. If a promotional campaign for a webinar isn’t generating sign-ups after a week or so, think through ways to improve it.

Use your intuition.

Once you have some experience under your belt, your intuition can serve as a very powerful guide in the world of marketing and communications. Set realistic expectations for large and small announcements and trust your gut—based on your past experience and the knowledge you’ve accumulated, what would realistic results look like?  Clarity upfront helps everyone understand success measures.

Be patient.

Rome wasn’t built in a day—and neither are the majority of successful campaigns or projects. Again, communicating timing and expectations are key. While one-off wins do happen, continuous and impactful coverage stems from building relationships with target media, ongoing conversations and hard work.  What’s more, some articles may be in development for months before they are actually published.  A little patience can go a long way on the road to success.

While marketing and public relations can be a fast-paced, stressful world, there are steps we can all take to make it more zen!

Connect with us on Twitter: @Zer0to5ive

I recently put together a blog post with steps one through five for getting more and better consumer media coverage.  Here’s a look at steps six through 10:

6. Create Expert Tips/Top Five Lists – Pitch the reporter with a top five list pertaining to your client’s product. Some examples include the top five places to hear sounds better (re: sound enhancement product) or the top ways to maximize summer value and fun (re: travel discount card). Offer up the client as an expert and work your product into the pitch as an example. The idea here is to give reporters a fresh idea for a new story or post without your product coming across like an advertisement (which turns away reporters).

7. Build the Relationship – Begin to foster the relationship with the reporter from day one. This will put you ahead of the pack when contacting the reporter for your client’s launch or other announcement. Reaching out early ensures that you have the right contact; learn the reporter’s communication preferences and see what upcoming topics and trends the reporter is covering.  Sending an intro email is another way to get on the reporter’s radar.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Leverage Reporters Across Accounts – Pitch reporters across accounts to help generate momentum with new clients. For example, do you know a consumer producer who might want to book a new client? Or perhaps a medical reporter that switched to the financial beat that will cover a new investment advisor client? Making the connections across accounts is not always obvious – thinking outside the box will help to connect the reporter to new clients while strengthening the relationship with the reporter.

9. Master the List – Leverage your media database to put together a strong media list.  This step might seem obvious, but I’ve found that fully mastering all the advanced features of your media database can lead to additional contacts and coverage. For example, most databases offer the ability search for keywords in reporter titles such as “consumer” or “new products,” which I’ve found helpful when offering up new consumer products for review.  Always prepare to vet your list in advance of your pitch as contacts often switch beats.

10. Pick Up the Phone – Add the phone to your pitching toolkit.  Is relying on email enough when the top reporters are getting 100+ pitches a day and juggling deadlines, breaking news and special requests from their editors?  My teams have used the phone to their advantage when we’ve done our research on the reporter, know our technology inside and out, and simply haven’t heard back by email. However, the phone is not always appropriate, such as when the reporters are deadline or they already said “no” through email.

A copy of my presentation is available here.

Post by Michael Levey
Zer0 to 5ive Director
Twitter: @mikelevey

With the top consumer reporters getting 100+ pitches a day, while also juggling deadlines and special requests from their editors, it’s important to have a solid plan of action for opening the door to more consumer coverage.

At our recent company retreat, I put together a presentation on ten steps for getting more and better media coverage for consumer clients.  Here are my tips:

1. Address the Pain Point – Start your pitch with a clear and convincing pain point.  For example, if you pitch a direct-to-order hearing aid, how about sharing that 36 million Americans suffer from some kind of hearing loss, but less than ¼ are doing anything about it?  Or if you push a rapid HIV test, how about including the fact that prior to the introduction of rapid testing, more than 1/3 of the 2.2 million Americans that tested for HIV at public health clinics never returned for their results? Numbers and statistics build credibility and interest with the media.

2. Tie to Breaking News & Events – Connect your product to breaking news and events to help drive immediate interest.  For example, can you tie your water purification product to the Gulf Oil Spill?  How about connecting a financial crime monitoring software to the Super Bowl or World Cup events that have a large spike in transactions?  Breaking news and events are bound to be covered – so offer up your client to talk about the product or service in the context of the big news.

3. Use Catchy Subject Lines – Create a short and clever subject line.  Think about it… how much more likely are you to open an email that catches your attention?  Some examples of catchy subject lines that my teams used to drive national coverage include “Is RFID Sponge-Worthy” (re: RFID counting and detection system for surgical sponges) or “Are We All on Drugs? The Answer May Be in the Water Supply” (re: new pharma drug take-back program).  The subject line should also be short enough that it can be read on a PDA.

4. Pitch Seasonal Gift Guides – Product gift guides are a great way to connect your products and services with the top publications on a regular basis.  Mark your calendar for important dates such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s/Father’s Day, and back-to-school season.  Offer to send a sample product and high-res photo – and be sure to reach out several months in advance.

5. Target the National Days/Months – Take advantage of the national days and months set aside by industry organizations to connect your product or service.  This includes days from Earth Day to World AIDS Day to National Doughnut Day.  And if you can’t think of one, invent your own.  For example, 7-Eleven created “Free Slurpee Day.”

These are five steps to get you started.  Stay tuned for part 2 that will discuss tips six through ten and give you an opportunity to view my complete presentation from the retreat.

Post by Michael Levey
Zer0 to 5ive Director
Twitter: @mikelevey

If you’re in the business of PR, then you know how rapidly the field is changing. The act of crafting the perfect pitch, agonizing over which witty subject line is going to get the media to open your email and then waiting for the phones to ring is, quite frankly, extinct.

Whether you are someone who loves PR 2.0 and how it’s changed what we do forever, or curse it for making our jobs harder (because it has), the bottom line is that the rest of the media world is moving forward and you’re either headed in the same direction or falling behind.

So, let’s get moving! Here are a few tips for how to connect with the media and build lasting relationships:

Pick up the Phone.

This one isn’t rocket science, but you would be surprised how few PR professionals actually do this. Relationships aren’t created via email – introductions are. There are a thousand reasons why this is more successful than just email, but here are three of them:

1. It gives you a chance to build rapport with the reporter.

2. The writer may never take the time to look at your awesome pitch because they just don’t have time to read the 150^th email they got that day.

3. IT WORKS! Didn’t your momma always tell you the squeaky wheel gets the grease?

Stand Out from the PR Pack.

It can take three, five, maybe even 10 touch points before a writer tips – meaning s/he agrees to interview your client and converts it into an article. But, those touch points are more than just sending pitches and making following calls. Try sending reporters an article you think they would be interested in, helpful stats or even a source for another story they are working on (that has nothing to do with your agenda of getting covered).

The result? You build a relationship with someone that sees you as a valuable resource; someone that brings them great content, great sources and makes their jobs easier.  You also get someone who will at least be open to listening to what you have to say. You place yourself above the pack and offer value.

Google: It’s a Wonderful Thing.

Those of us that rely on Cision, Vocus, MediaAtlas or any of the other databases available to find media contacts know how inaccurate and unreliable these services can be. Not only that, but name, email and phone number don’t exactly tell you much about the person you want to reach. So Google them! Look at their LinkedIn and Twitter profiles. See if they have a blog – many journalists do.

Social media profiles and personal blogs can tell you a lot about a person – don’t be afraid to incorporate these things into a customized pitch. It’s not stalking! It’s doing your homework. And most of the time, the journalist will appreciate that you attempted to understand what they were all about before reaching out.

The media may be difficult to access, but those who take the time and effort to do so will reap the greatest rewards – client coverage and strong relationships with the media.

Colleen DeVine
Zer0 to 5ive Senior Strategist
Twitter: @DevineColleen

Working in PR, you’re constantly tasked with getting your clients targeted, exciting and highly relevant media coverage.  We work with a lot of print and online publications. But, one of the most exiting “hits” – for both the agency and the client – is the broadcast placement.  Not only does broadcast itself garner tremendous visibility for your client, it often extends to online and sometimes print coverage.

How can you achieve this type of placement? There’s no doubt that airtime is competitive.  Having a great, timely announcement or product launch will certainly help your chances, but there are also some best-kept secrets that go a long way in grabbing the attention of a show’s booking directors.

Here are the top 5 tips for pitching and landing a broadcast hit:

1. Make sure your pitch is brief and to the point – no more than a paragraph.
2. Include video. TV bookers want to know that the person coming to speak on the show is good at speaking in front of a camera. Take out the guesswork and include a link to a YouTube video or a video on your company’s website.
3. Tie your pitch to a major event or trend. If you’re pitching a travel package, tie it in to upcoming Spring Break or summer vacation trends.
4. Pitch 3-4 weeks in advance. If it’s a fit, the show will want to secure a relevant interview timeslot a week or two in advance.
5. Do your research and pitch the right person! Pitching the person who actually assigns the stories can make all the difference. If your pitch winds up in an inbox of someone who doesn’t assign stories, it will go unnoticed – and most likely be deleted.

Kelsey Rodenbiker
Zer0 to 5ive Strategist
Twitter: @KRodenbiker

The 17th annual National HIV Testing Day took place on June 27^th, promoting the benefits of HIV testing and prevention to millions of Americans at risk for HIV. OraSure Technologies, the industry leader in rapid HIV tests, once again played a huge part in marking the importance of the day.

From left to right; Ron Spair; Catherine Abate; Frank J. Oldham, Jr.; Marjorie Hill, PhD; Douglas Michels; Mayor Ronald K. Davis; Mayor Robert L. Bowser of East Orange, NJ; Johnny Ford

More than 1.1 million people are affected by HIV; however, over 200,000 of these people are unaware that they have it. Zer0 to 5ive coordinated with OraSure Technologies and others on a series of events that put the spotlight on the company and National HIV Testing Day, including:

• Opening the NASDAQ Stock Exchange with the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and others.
• Hosting a panel of experts that discussed and shared their best practices for successfully integrating routine rapid HIV testing in a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings.
• Coordinating with The Community Healthcare Network (CHN) to offer free, rapid HIV testing with OraQuick ADVANCE® from its mobile HIV testing van in Times Square.
• Coordinating with Walgreens to provide free screenings for HIV at select retail pharmacies in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, New Orleans, Oakland and San Francisco.
• Working with local mayors and celebrities, including Vinny from The Jersey Shore, for key photo opportunities and to generate interest in the cause and the company.

From left to right: Mayor Ronald K. Davis; Johnny Ford (former Mayor); Mayor Robert L. Bowser; Douglas Michels

Along with many of its partners, OraSure Technologies utilized a major national day of recognition in order to foster community awareness of HIV, as well as maximize media coverage of the company and its innovative HIV tests.

Katie Cannon
Zer0 to 5ive Strategist
Twitter: @KatieGC7

Whether you are dealing with a product failure or recall, a lawsuit or a crime committed by an employee – all crises have in common the potential to damage the reputation of your Company (or your client’s company). You rarely see them coming. But, the good news is that there are things you can do to be prepared and minimize the damage.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a short list of tips:

Have a Plan

With the immediate nature of today’s news cycle, the first hour is the most important in any crisis. It is critical for companies to be prepared before a crisis hits, with a crisis communications plan.

At a minimum, the plan should include:

• List of potential crisis scenarios relevant to the Company
• Appropriate steps that must be taken, with a timeline
• Protocol for communications (who will be the spokesperson, what are the steps)
• List of crisis communications team members (internal legal counsel and head of corp. communications are mandatory)
• List of communications targets, including employees, media, local community, board members, etc.
• List of communications channels available and which will be used

Get the Facts and Prepare Your Response

Quickly gather information on the situation from all available sources and draft the materials you will need to respond. Do your best to understand what the key concerns are and how you can address those concerns directly. Determine what will be kept confidential and what will be shared.

Create the materials you will need:

• Detailed Q&A
• Media statement or press release
• Key messages/talking points documents for spokespersons

Be sure that your response addresses the following key questions:

• What happened?
• How did it happen?
• What is the current situation?
• What was your initial response?
• What is your long-term response?

Respond Swiftly and with Sincerity

With your spokespeople and response in place, it’s time to communicate to your targets, which may entail one or all of the following:

• Issue a communication to your board, customers, partners
• Issue a memo to employees
• Issue a press release or a statement
• Grant interviews to the media
• Post information on website and let media know of its existence
• Communicate through your Company’s available social media channels

Be sure to provide updated information as often as possible. If answers are not immediately available, it is important to highlight the actions being taken to obtain these answers. Always tell the truth and never speculate.

Remember that is it often the response to the crisis, rather than the crisis itself, that determines perception. So, in the unfortunate case of a crisis, a little planning can go a long way toward a positive outcome to a crisis situation.

Post by Jen Moritz
Zer0 to 5ive Managing Principal
Twitter: @j_moritz
Image courtesy of iStockPhoto

When you’re in PR, the unexpected can always happen. We’ve all been there. But, at Zer0 to 5ive, we’ve found that unexpected events can result in great opportunities – if you’re flexible.

Last June, we secured an interview for our client to discuss a first-of-its-kind product with an award-winning online media outlet known for its coverage of financial markets and economic and industry trends.

The interview couldn’t have gone better. Our client and the host had great rapport, and the clip was scheduled to post that evening — until we got an email from the interview host:

“We lost the interview.“

Losing a taped interview is a rare occasion. However, instead of lamenting our loss, we recognized the situation as an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the host and our client.

Not only did the host offer to re-tape at our client’s convenience, but he also offered to wait until our client could share additional news.

To fast-forward six months later, our client was in New York City to ring the NASDAQ bell. We had interviews scheduled with two national outlets, only to find out hours before the tapings that both reporters came down with the flu. Not wanting to lose the opportunity for a face-to-face interview while our client was in NY, we immediately emailed our contact.

Our contact graciously scheduled an interview with the client, covering a number of noteworthy topics. Our client was happy, and the host expressed his interest in receiving future pitches from us.

So, how did we benefit at Zer0 to 5ive? We now have a great relationship with a nationally recognized outlet and the reporters there.

So next time you encounter the unexpected, don’t panic – look for the opportunity.

Post by Michael Levey
Zer0 to 5ive senior strategist
Twitter: @mikelevey
Image courtesy of iStockPhoto/alexsl

by Michael Levey

At Zer0 to 5ive our “out of the box” strategic thinking has really made an impact in our media coverage.  Most recently, it was pitching reporters with briefing times.  We’ve grown accustomed to getting great news from clients less than 24 hours before the news will go live (i.e. a Fujtsu announcement that reached our radar in February right at the start of a 26 inch snowstorm!).   And finding out at the last moment presents a challenge for sending the “last minute” press release to the typical reporter on deadline with two stories and sifting through 47 incoming pitches.

Instead of relying on the press release to reach the reporter, the Zer0 to 5ive team re-forwarded its original emails with the press release to reporters with specific dates and times for a quick 15 minute briefing – no long emails, no deadlines and no demands that the reporter must write a story.  The end result: 11 interviews scheduled within a 24 hour period including PC Mag and even a television personality who has agreed to feature our client in a segment later this month. Our client deserves a special shout out: the CEO’s willingness to share his schedule made this process a smooth one. That’s another great thing about our work – building mutually beneficial relationships with our clients and the media.

We spoke with PC Mag’s Managing Editor Eric Griffith who offered insight into the value of pitching briefing times. “Any time pitches for a briefing can include a variety of times to pick from for a quick phone briefing, that’s always preferred, especially if it comes well ahead of an embargo date/time,” said Griffith.  “It’s no guarantee, but it’s nice to know our time is seen as valuable (and busy).”  We’ve found that most (if not all) reporters who accept briefings write something, whether it is an article or blog post.  Sometimes taking that initial pressure off a reporter to write immediately does the trick. It gives your client a chance to show off a great personality while fostering a longer term relationship with the reporter – and lets all parties in Northern climates enjoy those 26 inches of snow!

Michael Levey is a Senior Strategist at Zer0 to 5ive

Image courtesy of Zer0 to 5ive

As more and more magazines, newspapers and trade publications move into the digital space, public relation firms can leverage SEO tactics to gain greater exposure for their clients.

Journalists and bloggers are using search engines and tweeting and blogging today’s hottest topics. The majority of online content is redistributed content; bloggers and online writers find content and re-post or rehash it. This means that making your PR materials SEO friendly can help you generate continued pick-up online and gain your clients further exposure.

For many traditional public relation firms, SEO may be a new challenge. However, it’s one that must be adopted for greatest success. Here is broad overview of the components that make a press release SEO friendly. Look for future blog posts that dive deeper into each of these areas and download our free SEO Guide to maximize your search presence.

Select Smart Keywords: What are the key search terms that are relevant to your content or your client? Choose 3 or 4 terms that are most relevant to the piece. Keywords with higher search volume are more competitive and harder to rank for, so be selective of the keywords you want to target. Including geo-specific terms can help you eliminate competition. For example, “Philadelphia PR Firm”, “Philadelphia Online Marketing”, or “PA Integrated Marketing” would be targeted terms that Zer0 to 5ive would like to have visibility for. The term “Public Relations” has a far larger scope but may be too competitive to rank for.

Include Keywords: Once you select the best search terms for your content, include them in the piece as much as possible without detracting from the piece’s clarity. Including the phrase verbatim in the title is key, as this title will often have an H1 Tag (an html component in the copy of a webpage) and be included in the Title Tag (html code that displays at the top of a webpage)once brought onto other website domains.

If your client posts the release to their website, be sure to tell their IT team to include the keyword phrases in their Title Tags, Description Tags, and Keyword Tags. Also tell the programmer to use header tags in the copy when the phrase is used. Provide the piece in plain html; do not use it as a PDF or image. This will help search engines see what words you are relevant for.

Use Links: Including links in your materials can be a savvy SEO practice. When you use a keyword in the body of the press release, hyperlink it back to the client’s website. When the content is picked up on a new URL, this link will help boost the SEO of your client’s website.

You can even link the article to itself if it is hosted on the client’s website. Again it is important to be selective. Covering your materials with links can detract from the flow of the piece and make it look spammy. Linking in a boiler plate or author bio section is a good technique for maintaining your credibility and gaining an SEO edge.

Utilize Linking Resources: If you have a Facebook page, Twitter account or blog, include a keyword rich link to the article once it is hosted on the client’s website. For example: Zer0 to 5ive PR Firm Tackles SEO. Remember to use keywords in the anchor text.

All of these tactics can help your piece make its way onto search engine result pages. Use the checklist below and look out for future posts that explain these components in full-detail. Keep all of these tips and the checklist below in mind for your next release and let Google do some pitching for you!

SEO Checklist

• Research keywords for your target audience/subject matter

• Select 3-4 keywords or phrases to target in the release

• Add these keywords to your release title and sub-titles (Header tags if possible)

• Add keywords strategically within the body of your release

• Add 3-4 links that point to the client’s website, by hyper linking a targeted keyword (this can be done in the body of the release or in the boilerplates)

• Have links pointing to the content from any blog or social media outlet available

Post by Zer0 to 5ive’s SEO Strategist Ryan Purtill