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