Want to arrange major articles or interviews in major media? To start with: Don’t write it. What you don’t want is to labor over a manuscript and then find yourself trying wildly to find someone to publish it.
Fact is, you can’t write for the major media. They’ll do their own reporting and writing. So how do you go about it?
Here’s advice from a group which has netted 16 cover stories this year alone:
- First, study what they’re publishing.
- Second, match the tone of what they’re publishing with your own story proposal. Write a nugget of about three lines with your article or interview suggestion — in the same tone and format as what they are publishing.
- Then telephone and find a reporter or editor who works on subjects like yours. You can find this target person by studying the publication. Now, ask the reporter or editor, “Got three minutes for a story idea?” Almost always the answer will be yes.
- Now, say your nugget. You can read it if you must, and this has the virtue of keeping you brief and on target. If you do read it, try to make it sound ad libbed. But keep it brief.
- Having communicated your nugget — your story idea — ask if he or she would like to do the story.
You’ll need to make several calls. Two out of three editors or writers will tell you it doesn’t fit just now, or they aren’t interested, or the angle doesn’t fit them. But notice what this says: that if you make three calls, you’re likely to find one magical person who will go for your story.
Then follow up endlessly. Don’t give up. We’ve had cover stories require four months of reminders, of tweaking the proposal, of jogging the editor or writer in the friendliest possible way.
It truly works!
SARASOTA FL — The all-journalist agency, JournalistPR LLC (www.journalistpr.com), has been appointed for public relations-publicity by Envera Systems Inc., Sarasota and Boca Raton.
Envera designs and installs guard-less entry for buildings and communities, and keeps an eye on pools and other areas as well.
JournalistPR’s mission for Envera is to arrange articles and interviews about the company and its installations, and to issue press releases.
Envera has dozens of installations in the state. All are kept under 24-hour watch by a central system in Sarasota which shows attendants what’s happening at the gate, pool, or other facility. The attendant watches via closed-circuit TV, and talks through a loudspeaker system. It costs much less than a guard gate which can run $150,000 or more per year.
JournalistPR is headquartered in Sarasota and its telephone is 941-730-6630. Email is journalistpr@yahoo.com. web site is www.journalistpr.com.
Envera Systems has offices in Sarasota and Boca Raton, FL. Telephone (877) 936-8372 or (941) 556-0731. Email tswain@enverasystems.com. Web site www.enverasystems.com.
It makes sense for a corporate person to ask this. After all, larger companies are receiving solicitations – or pitches – every week from publicists, and a lot is written about the field.
Seeing the word, you may think of Hollywood press agents doing stunts to attract media attention.
But for a serious company, the reality is different. Here, the publicist is responsible for all sorts of things that often are gathered under the title,”Public Relations.” Such as helping sell the product or service. Or improving the impression of the corporation in the minds of customers, prospects, holders of the company’s stock, investors of other kinds, and the world in general. Or handling media relations in time of emergency.
So how does a publicist for a company go about it?
For starters, he or she is definitely responsible for finding major feature article stories within the company, and finding editors that the stories will fit, and bringing the two together. For this function, it helps to be a journalist. Because a journalist can spot stories you may not realize exist. And a journalist can talk to other journalists knowledgeably.
In our firm, we actually guarantee a certain number of major feature articles per year, and pledge to work for free if the target is not met.
A second publicists’ responsibility – most think this is the primary goal, but it probably isn’t – is to turn out news releases. (Often called “Press Releases,” which ignores the fact that broadcasters – who are a major target – don’t have presses.) The reason it isn’t a primary goal is that of 100 releases sent out, today maybe 10 get printed or broadcast, except when there’s real news…which isn’t all that often. When there is no real news, your journalist will be creating stories that quote you or the company, such as “Company reports 10 things to think about…” etc. If you have a really good publicist, who writes in decent journalese, you may get picked up by 20% or 50% of your target media. Writing to journalistic standards is crucial. We see so many news releases that start with a company name and say that the company “proudly announces.” No newspaper or magazine uses “proudly announces.” Awhile back, a client inserted the word “esteemed” before the name of a new board member. We axed it because no reputable editor will carry such an adjective.
Third major role for your publicist is to be there in case of catastrophe. Say you are a hotel and someone jumps from a window. The press and TV come a-running. It helps greatly to have a journalist to help work with the press and blunt any criticism of your hotel. Another example, from a few years ago, is the poisoning of some consumer products. Back then, Johnson & Johnson did fabulously in instantly recalling a product, and won many kudoes. They’ve not been so fabulous in a recent instance of a product liability.
Your publicist may also help you settle on a central theme for your news and advertising. And then fight to retain it. Years ago, the president of an aspirin manufacturer asked his agency, “You keep proposing that we continue the theme, ‘Fast, fast, relief.’ Aren’t we paying you for new ideas? The president of the agency replied, “No, you’re paying us to insist that you continue a winning theme.”
So whatever you call the job – public relations consultant, publicist, PR person, Communications Manager or ? – it’s a valuable function and worth some fraction of the corporate treasure.
By Ronald T. Smith, Managing Member, JournalistPR LLC www.journalistpr.com. journalistpr@gmail.com. 888/730-6630
JournalistPR - Public Relations, PR, and Publicity serving Sarasota, Tampa, and St. Petersburg Florida
SARASOTA, FL – As the economic downturn continues to squeeze profits, businesses garnering positive media attention gain a distinct advantage over competitors.
Savvy business owners who understand “the power of the press” are turning to JournalistPR (http://www.journalistpr.com/), a Tampa Bay public relations firm comprised entirely of seasoned journalists.
While most businesses consider advertising an effective and necessary marketing component, JournalistPR supplements ad campaigns by securing editorial coverage for its clients.
The firm’s former newsroom pros – with careers built on recognizing and reporting stories – uncover newsworthy angles about businesses they represent. Business managers often fail to see newsworthy facets of their own operation. By opening their doors to an insightful seasoned journalist, they usher in ongoing opportunities for media coverage.
A contract with JournalistPR promises each client that his or her business will be featured several times a year in prominent articles and/or TV appearances.
In today’s economic climate, JournalistPR’s business model is smarter than ever. Editors across the country currently operate on restricted budgets due to a loss of ad revenue. With fewer funds available to generate fresh, appealing content for readers and viewers, the crunch is on for quality material. Thoughtful, well-researched news stories provided by JournalistPR provide welcome relief for editors, while appealing to targeted readers. To savvy business owners, a contract with this unique public relations firm is worth its weight in ink.
Clients of JournalistPR also benefit from exposure in new media, including social media, as well as traditional electronic formats.
JournalistPR serves clients throughout the U.S. from its headquarters in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Its email address is mail@journalistpr.com. Telephone 888-730-6630. Fax 941-360-2903.
TAMPA BAY FL – A new approach to public relations is nearing its fifth year here: an all-journalist PR agency.
It is believed to be the only one which employs only experienced journalists – people with newsroom experience.
“So we say to clients, ‘Here you have journalists talking to journalists,’” says Ronald Ted Smith, the managing member of JournalistPR LLC and a former editor for United Press International in New York. “There is an enormous difference in how we approach media, versus how amateurs do it. When we approach an editor or reporter, we are proposing something that they know, and we know, fits their needs and is in their style. So we probably arrange more major feature articles and TV interviews than anyone else in our region. And when we write a news release, it’s solid journalism, not fluff.”
He adds, “I say that we don’t do PR. We do journalism.”
Staff members at JournalistPR have experience at The New York Times, The New York Daily News, UPI, The Newark Star-Ledger, and hundreds of magazines. Clients include New College, Lawson Group Architects, Turner Tree & Landscape, Osprey Biotechnics, John McKay’s Riverside Real Estate Company, Sunovia Energy Technologies, Telename Communications, and Youthful Aging Home Health.
The agency guarantees results. In writing, it tells clients how many feature articles it expects to achieve, and how many news releases – defined as “significant” releases, not routine personnel stories – it will issue. “If we fail to meet any of these targets, we will work for free until it is achieved,” says the firm’s contract.
The company, which is headquartered in Sarasota, serves clients in the region from Tampa to Ft. Myers, and also in Ohio and Washington, D.C.
JournalistPR’s email address is mail@journalistpr.com. Telephone 888-730-6630. Fax 941-360-2903. The web site is www.journalistpr.com
TAMPA BAY FL – An all-journalist PR service, perhaps America’s first, is operating here. Something else unusual: it offers a guarantee of performance to its clients. (www.journalistpr.com.)
JournalistPR LLC tells clients, “You need to have journalists talking to journalists. Because journalists will talk knowledgeably to editors and reporters. And journalists can develop a story where amateurs might not see it.”
The company adds: “If you seek journalistic integrity we’re a happy place to be because we don’t do PR; we do journalism.”
JournalistPR’s staff comes from the major media. The company’s leader was an editor in New York for United Press International, back in UPI’s glory days. Others have worked for The New York Times and elsewhere. Several are from magazines.
The unusual guarantee comes from the agency’s practice of setting targets. An example would be: “At least half-a-dozen major interviews or feature articles in the year. And at least one significant press release per month.” JournalistPR then says, “If we fail to meet either of these targets, we will then work for free until the target is fulfilled.”
JournalistPR serves clients throughout the U.S. from its headquarters in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Its email address is mail@journalistpr.com. Telephone 888-730-6630. Fax 941-360-2903.
TAMPA BAY, FL — It’s possible to appear in the media steadily — monthly and sometimes weekly — according to a Sarasota-based public relations firm called JournalistPR LLC. The company even guarantees results.
The secret is to have journalists doing your public relations work, the company says.
“After all, you are talking to journalists,” says the firm, “and isn’t it better to have journalists doing the talking?”
JournalistPR is staffed entirely by news-trained people. Its leader was a senior editor of United Press International in New York. Another media specialist is a widely-published magazine editor and writer. Another is a veteran of The New York Daily News, New York Times, and other major dailies.
To achieve coverage steadily, JournalistPR often sets up a quota of at least one significant press release monthly, and at least half-a-dozen major feature articles yearly. The article quota usually is exceeded and a year’s total of eight or nine or more is not unusual.
In its guarantee, the company says in writing that if it fails to meet a quota, it will work for free until the target is attained.
As for news releases, JournalistPR argues ardently for short leads — and turns out many releases with one-line beginnings, or two. “Any longer than that and it won’t be read by as many editors,” says the firm.
JournalistPR can be reached at 941-730-6630.
