Global PR?

Do it yourself global PRAndrew Arnold, Copywriter and Strategist, Eye for Image

http://www.eye-for-image.com

Aims

Provide an introduction to the challenges of global PRGive you some short-cutsProvide some workable tools

Introduction

Andrew ArnoldStrategist, Eye for Image20 years in journalism, communicationsHill & Knowlton, Hempel, Carlsberg, AFX News, Economist Intelligence Unit, etc.

Global PR

The brand takes centre stageMove away from locally-based production From distributors to wholly-owned subsidiaries Suddenly a global strategy is needed

Making sense of it all

The number of potential titles explodesNon-native language skillsMore difficult to plan and report

But…Allows focus and prioritisationDemands new ways of working

Four approaches

Build ability in-houseAn independent bureauChain of independent bureaus Global, branded bureau

In-house

AdvantagesGuarantees a solid base of knowledgeCost-efficient

Flexible Disadvantages

Limited geographical reach for large campaignsEvery country adds complexity – language, different media standardsDanger of complacency/lack of creativity

Chain of independents

AdvantagesGood cost-effective way of adding countriesCan pick and choose to get the skills neededSome common practices

DisadvantagesDifferent ways of working/reporting Difficult to share knowledgeControl issues – who does the local bureau report to?

Branded global bureau

AdvantagesCentral co-ordination to fit local culturesGood internal procedures, centralised invoicingEconomies of scaleExist outside company politics

DisadvantagesCostNeeds strong corporate decision-making

Making the decision

What are the needs and priorities?B2B or consumer?In-house abilities?Help from selected bureaus?

Denmark’s favourite

In-house

DIY PR

But what happens when internal comms and marketing get all the resources?

DIY PR – how it works

DIY PR is ‘quick and dirty’Focuses on the basicsLow tech (keep away from the IT dept.)Uses readily available content• Marketing brochures• Web sites• Internal publications• Events

Re-write first, then write

DIY PR

Start by looking at your business objectives and how you can achieve them. By focusing only on what’s relevant to your needs, you can cut a long list of potential journalists in half.

DIY PR

Be choosy. Only target the top two or three publications in each business segment. PR is about building awareness, but some publications are more highly regarded than others. Stick to the ones that matter.

DIY PR

Go to the publication’s web site and get hold of its editorial features list. A features list tells you when a magazine will write about a particular topic, use it to plan your communications.

DIY PR

Build a list of key publications – and use it. Make a point of contacting the relevant journalists on a regular basis. You don’t have to send a press release. Often, a short email ‘tip-off’ is enough, or just give them a call.

DIY PR

Buy a mailing list or have it distributed on a wire service Your story will be used on Google News, MSN and Yahoo.. If someone searches for your company there’s a greater chance they’ll find you.

DIY PR

Use your web site actively. Make sure your news can be found by search engines through the smart use of keywords or by making an RSS feed. You can even ‘blog’ your news and let specific blog search services know when your blog is updated.

DIY PR

Become an expert on your own national market or region. That way, journalists will want to contact you for information!

The journalist –can we help?

New

swir

esWeb pages

Deadlines

Emails Phone calls

Press releases

Sending tips

Don’t send attachments unless you have to• Plain text gets through firewalls, spam filters, takes up

less space• Tell them pictures are available or put a link to the web

site

Don’t put all the names in the To: boxSend in batches if possibleIf you get returns – or complaints – delete them straight away

Distribution strategy

OR

Distribution strategy

Target is a specific industryLimited impact on the general public B2B – generally Complicated storyLow company visibilityLocal/regional in nature

Broad appealLarge impact on general publicConsumerEasy storyBig brand nameGlobal story

OR

Media lists

Free:http://www.cision.comhttp://mediavejviseren.dk/Search for existing stories and competitors’ stories and who used them

With a little insider information and the internet you can build your own media lists

Media lists

Paid-for bureaus• PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.co.uk)• Business Wire (www.businesswire.com)• M2 (www.m2.com)• PR Web (www,prweb.com)Free services• PRXBuilder• OpenPR.com• And others…

Advantages of bureaus

News outlets take all bureau copyStories are saved on a database and can be found laterInternet search engines index stories and the links they containBig bureaus have deals with the other, smaller bureaus (and vice-versa)

The changing landscape

75% of journalists want media rich releases1

100% feel it is important to have an online newsroom2

90% of press releases aren’t read by journalists, let alone used3

1PR Week July 18, 2007, 2 Public Relations Society of America PR Tactics, July, 2007, 3. “The new rules of PR: How to create a press release strategy for reaching buyers directly.”

Adapting to the new landscape

More emphasis on social media, blogging and ‘the wisdom of crowds’Bloggers are great consumers of press releases via news wires

Adapting to the new landscape

Social bookmarking can help boost awareness if it is built into the release/blog

Adapting to the new landscape

Pay attention to the key words in your press releaseGood choice of key words will boost your ranking in search engines

But… modular is good

We can re-use existing informationServe exactly what the journalist wantsFeed websites, newswires and bloggers at the same time