Public Relations

Reportedly, Gore Vidal said, "Never miss a chance to have sex or appear on television."

And if that's not enough for you to increase your publicity efforts, Alan Corenk is quoted as saying, "Television is more interesting than people. If it were not, we would have people standing in the corners of our rooms."

But not all people like the spin doctors. Robert Fitzhenry said, "The art of publicity is a black art."

And you have to laugh at the lyrics to Jimmy Buffett's song "Public Relations" from his musical Don't Stop the Carnival:

Public Relations, Public Relations
Boozing and schmoozing, that's what I do
PR's my vocation
And I'm a sensation
Public relations
Such hullabaloo

I appreciate the talented PR folks who make my job easier. They are organized, responsive, easy to find when a problem pops up, and they don't push when I say, "This is just not a fit for our audience."

If you're hiring a PR professional, look for someone who responds to your calls and emails quickly, someone whose writing is free of mistakes, and someone who has nice manners. Those qualities will endear them to the reporters and producers to whom they're pitching your story.

Great Example of Following Up

Right after the entry about maintaining media interest, I received the following email from a guest we'd had on our talk show a few days earlier. It was such a perfect example, I asked Joel Zeff for permission to share it. Enjoy and learn!

Lorri:

Thank you again for the opportunity to be on your show last week. I had a wonderful time with you and Larry. It was a true pleasure to be on a show where the hosts actually have read the book.

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the time on your show. More importantly, thank you for the support, help and for the entire wonderful experience. I wish you and Larry much success.

If I can ever help again, please let me know. I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to be a guest on a future show.

Here are some topics that I have discussed on other shows:

Staying positive and passionate during the job search.
Reducing stress and motivating employees during a difficult time (recession/merger/layoffs).
Dealing with a bad boss.
Managing your career through a recession.

I have attached two articles. The first article discusses reducing stress and motivating employees. The second article is about staying passionate during the job search.

I don’t have any Atlanta trips on my calendar right now, but I would be happy to do a phone interview.

Thank you again for everything. I look forward to receiving the DVD of my appearance.

Take care and continued success.

Joel

Maintaining Media Coverage

The executive director of a non-profit poses this question: "We used to get great coverage, and now it seems as though we have fallen from grace. What can we do to maintain media interest?"

The simple answer is to become a resource for reporters. Be the kind of newsmaker producers and journalists mark in their database as someone who is always good for a soundbite. That means you are accessible, articulate and willing to say, "I'm not the expert you need for this story, but call my colleague, who would be perfect for the angle of this story."

As for talk shows, coordinators are always looking for local guests who can come into the studio on a moment's notice, who offer ideas for future topics and who are interesting and provocative behind the microphone.

You can fall from grace if you tell the same old story every time. Or one too many times you are tied up. Reporters will find someone who has an expertise close to yours, and he or she could become the go-to source.

C'mon People - Focus!

Please, please quit multi-tasking while you're doing phone interviews. I've pleaded with guests and newsmakers on this issue time and time again here in this forum and in my monthly Media Savvy eTip, but some folks just don't get it. Here's one more attempt to convince you that bluetooth or not, we CAN HEAR WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Live, I've interviewed authors, speakers, organization presidents and pundits who think we can't hear their extra activities while they're answering our questions, usually in a short time segment that they or their publicist begged for.

Cell phones ring. Emails are delivered. Dogs bark. Pots and pans clang. And a few days ago, a man must have been standing in front of his freezer while the ice maker unloaded a fresh batch of cubes. Was he on a deadline to have a cocktail or smoothie at 7:10 am?

Not only does this make you sound unprofessional, it distracts us from promoting your cause. Instead, we have to acknowledge a loud interruption:

"Oh, the garbage trucks must pick up early in your neighborhood."

"No," the guest answered, unapologetic. "I was just making breakfast."

She couldn't have waited five minutes for the interview to conclude?

Many shows will ask great guests back again. But if you forget to turn off your cell phone, lower the volume on your computer, put the dog out or insist on multi-tasking, chances are you won't get a return invitation on that program.

A Whole Lotta Apologizin' Going On

From former Senator Tom Daschle to Olympic Champ Michael Phelps, the phrase of the week seems to be "mea culpa." Did it help?

Yes, it will help both men in the long run, their supporters in the short term, and more importantly, it was the right thing to do. When a newsmaker commits an error in judgement, the public -- and the press -- want accountability. That's what's made the Rod Blajojevich story so confounding. He hasn't apologized.

Tom Daschle lost his chance to be in the Cabinet, and Michael Phelps lost an endorsement or two. We hold lawmakers and athletic heroes to high standards, but most of us realize they are human. So when they apologize, we forgive them. We have short memories. If you would've asked me a couple of years ago, I would've said Senator Joe Biden would never be elected to higher office because of the plagiarism incident that clouded his career. And now, he's a heartbeat away from the highest office in the United States.

We will probably hear from Tom Daschle again. And Michael Phelps may be back on a cereal box in 2012.

Learn from them. If you goof up, be ready to say, "My bad."

The Tylenol Test

Dateline: Illinois. In 1982, the makers of Tylenol spent $100 million to rehab the brand when seven people died in Chicagoland after tampering. Despite the tragedy, Tylenol survived and the incident is a case study for public relations students. The spin doctors, Hill & Knowlton offered this advice: "Tell the truth. Tell it all. Tell it now." It's terrific advice for any person or corporation facing a crisis. Think of the newsmakers who would have not gone to court or prison if they had told the truth early on in a scandal.

Now, the governor of Illinois is facing impeachment. He's also a master manipulator of the media. In America, he's innocent until proven guilty. But in the jury of the press, if I were his Soundbite Coach, I'd ask him to quit creating news diversions and learn the lesson from the event that happened in his neighborhood 27 years ago: tell the truth.

Cool Way to Send a Press Release

One of the public relations companies that routinely pitches guests to me for my daily talk show has started doing something that's definitely different--important with the dozens of books, emails and letters I get each day.

This company is sending its pitch on a thumb drive. To make the pitch even more solid, the logo of the guest's book or product is on the drive, and a video report is included with a press release and photos. I'm impressed. It undoubtedly costs more to make and send these drives than it would to just send a letter or email, but when you consider the cost of advertising or mailing preview books, the investment may be smart.

The drive alone doesn't sell me; the content still has to be right for our program. But in a world where catching attention is the first biggest hurdle, this works.