Michael Smart PRSA 2014 slides
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Transcript of Michael Smart PRSA 2014 slides
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC © Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
@michaelsmartpr
Secrets of new media relations superstars—what will work in
2015
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
What’s changed in how media function in the last few years?
• Discuss with your neighbor
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Good news!
• It’s harder than ever to reach media influencers . . .
• . . . but easier than ever to land big coverage once you do.
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Challenges we’ll overcome in this session:
1. Media fragmenting
2. Journalists have no time for relationships
3. Straight-up news angles don’t work
4. Journalists have no time to develop stories
5. Customizing pitches isn’t enough
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Examples you deserve:
• 11 successful pitches that landed NYT, WSJ, USAT, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Today show and more
• From in-house, agency, and solo pros
• From Fortune 200 to Inc. 5000 to non-profits
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
For each challenge, you’ll get:
• An immediately actionable takeaway
• A specific next step you can implement on your flight home
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Copyright 2014
MichaelSMARTPR LLC
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Challenges
1. Media fragmenting into a million pieces.
• Contacts getting laid off
• Outlets changing focus
• Broader beats, if any beats at all
• Outlet reach and prominence changing fast
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Ranked by unique visitors (comScore)
Traditional media
• NYTimes.com
• USAToday.com
• WashingtonPost.com
• WSJ.com
• CNNMoney.com
• Time.com
Merge the two columns and re-rank
Digital-first media
• HuffingtonPost.com
• BuzzFeed.com
• Forbes.com
• BusinessInsider.com
• Slate.com
• Mashable.com
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
HuffingtonPost
NYTimes.com
Buzzfeed.com
USAToday.com
WashingtonPost.com
Forbes.com
WSJ.com
BusinessInsider.com
CNNmoney.com
Time.com
Ranked by unique visitors (comScore)
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Kim Ward, Michigan State
• Pitching physics
• Extinction of science writers
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Subject Line: Black Holes Don’t
Entirely Suck….
…because, Elise, Michigan State
University Professor Chris Adami believes
he has plugged the hole in Stephen
Hawking’s black hole theory — the
information paradox hole. Here’s the link to
the release and study: [link].
[continued]
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Olympics tie-in
Luge contestant and BYU student Kate Hansen
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Jon McBride, BYU
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Caught dancing to Beyonce
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
What’s the takeaway?
Find new outlets – even non-media – that are already reaching your audiences
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Flight-home action item
Identify one new outlet that’s reaching your key audiences that you aren’t pitching.
• What’s the IFLscience in your niche?
• What non-media personality reaches your audience?
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Challenges
1. Media fragmenting.
2. Journalists and bloggers too busy to take calls or meetings. No time for relationships. Where do you start?
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
What’s the takeaway?
“Read & React”
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Read & React
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
“Read & React”
• Consume their content
• Let them know you did!
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
“Read & React”
• What channels can you use to let them know?
• Twitter – “quote tweet” or “@ message”
• Comment on story or blog post
• Go old school:
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
“Read & React”
• What channels can you use to let them know?
• Twitter – “quote tweet” or “@ message”
• Comment on story or blog post
• Go old school: email them!
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Laura Crovo, Euler Hermes
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Flight home action item
• Who thinks doing this consistently would increase media responsiveness to your pitches?
• Schedule 10 minutes a day to Read & React
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Challenges
1. Media fragmenting.
2. No time for relationships.
3. Traditional straight-up, company-focused news doesn’t fly anymore. Fresh angles required.
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Jon Sullivan, Aflac
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Story opportunity • Aflac field agent had registered as a
potential bone marrow donor
• Strangers’ baby needed a transplant
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Story opportunity
• Aflac then supported program to add employees to bone marrow registry
• Strategic because Aflac offers policies related to bone marrow diseases
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
What’s the takeaway?
Whenever possible, focus pitch on “real people,” not corporate achievements
Broader takeaway:
Reframe pitches into the way journalists present their stories.
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
The only thing better than real people?
• Real animals
• Vicki Robb, DC solo pro
• Area’s first workout facility for dogs: Frolick Dogs
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Pitch includes: “Dogs of all sizes and breeds will be using equipment such as:
- Dog Tread treadmills
- FitPAW balance balls - standing atop a large peanut-shaped ball that provides a great visual - which help improve a dog’s core strength, balance, and body awareness
- Agility equipment in a competition size ring.”
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Matthew McWilliams
• Longwood U.
• 4,800 students
• Overlooked in DC market
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Professor of medieval history
Studies time period depicted in HBO’s Game of Thrones
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Creating pop culture angle
• Identified subject of next episode, epic duel between two main characters
• Enrolled professor to write essay on historical realities similar to the duel
• Pitched BEFORE the episode aired
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From: Matthew McWilliams
Date: Wed, 28 May 2014 10:52:55 -0400
To: (HuffingtonPost TV writer)
Subject: Upcoming Game of Thrones Duel Echoes Medieval History
(Writer),
I read HuffPo's Game of Thrones episode recaps each week. As you may know, this
Sunday's GoT duel promises to be one of the bloodiest and most intense television
events of the year.
What many viewers don't know is that the fight has echoes upon echoes of actual
history.
Dr. Steven Isaac of Longwood University has researched these parallels, which are
eerily similar to what viewers will see this weekend. I've summarized the highlights
here: (4 highlights)
If you're interested in more, here's a link to the full essay.
Let me know if you're interested in using it—and please feel free to use pieces in
articles you have planned.
Best,
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Flight home action item
Brainstorm “real people” or “pop culture” tie-ins to upcoming pitches
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Challenges
1. Media fragmenting.
2. No time for relationships.
3. Company-focused news doesn’t work.
4. Journalists/bloggers have scarce time and resources to research and create stories. But audiences demand fresh info by the minute.
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Nancy Crowley, San Francisco
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
What’s the takeaway?
• Don’t be a mere pitcher – create content for influencers to share
• Tip sheets
• Infographics
• Videos, photos
• Lists
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Kristy Kennedy, rbb PR
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
U.S. Department of Labor
• Carl Fillichio runs public affairs
• Dept.’s 100th anniversary
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. . .Here's something else: it's fun but hope you'll take a
serious look at it. See release below on a project we
launched called "Books that Shaped Work in
America." I'm willing to bet that this is the FIRST TIME
Friedman's "Capitalism and Freedom" and Keynes'
"General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money"
appears on the same list as "The Day the Crayons Quit"
and "The Devil Wears Prada."
I think you could have some fun with this in the
Economix blog . . . do hope you will consider. Let me
know if you have questions. Thanks muchly, -Carl
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Books that Shaped Work . . .
• Washington Post
• Wall Street Journal
• Parade
• NPR
• 40+ other placements
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Flight home action item
Change one upcoming pitch into a piece of content to share.
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Challenges
1. Media fragmenting.
2. No time for relationships.
3. Company-focused news doesn’t work.
4. No time to produce necessary content.
5. Influencers hate mass pitches. Wary of semi-targeted pitches with too much flattery. Emails get ignored.
6.
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Jason Maderer, Georgia Tech
• Study about online restaurant reviews
• Pitching NYT Atlanta correspondent
• Saw that she used to cover dining/food
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Hi Kim,
I know you cover larger-issue stories, but
wanted to send this just in case b/c it's
about food (!) and we're in your backyard. We have a release going out next week that shows that the weather significantly affects
restaurant reviews. Our researchers looked at 1.1 million reviews all over the country (in
a 10-year period) and found that reviews written when it was snowy, rainy, very cold or
very hot are more negative than reviews written on nice days. Reviews are generally
more negative in July and August compared with the rest of the year. Restaurants here
in the south get fewer reviews than those in the Pacific or Northeast.
There's a long list of findings, but I didn't want to send a long email.
Any interest in seeing the study? If it's best for someone else, anyone you'd suggest?
Many thanks!
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
What’s the takeaway?
• For cold-contacting top targets, personalization needs to be:
• Specific
• Sincere
• Spend 80 percent of your time pitching the top 20 percent of your media list
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Harry McCracken, Fast Company
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© Copyright 2014 MichaelSMARTPR, LLC
Customization is not enough
• Not merely:
• “Love your stuff on consumer tech . . .”
• I saw your story yesterday headlined “With Its New Gizmo, Highfive Wants to Democratize Business Videoconferencing”
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Leigh Gibson, Intrepid
• Near miss with Today and nat’l AP
• Perfect target was at USAT
• WSJ pitch:
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From: Leigh Gibson
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2014 9:04 AM
Subject: New Survey Shows why Breast is Best
Hi [name],
Your recent article about infants receiving formula at
hospitals caught my attention, especially the statistic of
only 18.8 percent of infants being exclusively breastfed
for six months.
Based on your extensive reporting on breastfeeding, I
wanted to talk with you first about a new breastfeeding
survey of 13,160 moms or moms-to-be in in nine
countries.
[continued}
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Brad Plothow, Method Communications
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Difficult sell at first
• Client announcing acquisition
• Third and smallest acquisition of the year
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Journalist reaction:
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Journalist reaction:
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If you're interested, I wanted to offer another exclusive to you (embargoed until next week).
This is another story that signals something bigger than the actual announcement, and it has
implications for Silicon Valley, so I wanted to share with you first since you have such a knack
for capturing nuance.
Here's the gist: next Tuesday, the online developer training company Pluralsight will
announce its acquisition of Tekpub. The acquisition will be Pluralsight's third this year,
following deals to buy Seattle-based Peepcode and Chicago-based TrainSignal, and makes
Pluralsight the Lynda.com for computer programmers, developers, coders -- basically
everyone under the CIO/CTO umbrella. This matters to Silicon Valley because Pluralsight is
now essentially a one-stop shop for all the technical skill development required to fuel hot
high-tech startups.
In terms of background, Pluralsight grew organically for about a decade before taking a
$27mm Series A from Insight Venture Partners earlier this year. With that investment, they've
gone on a buying spree to dominate the online training space for technical pros (which is
becoming more relevant amid the talent crunch). Sarah Lacy did a profile on Pluralsight's first
millionaire instructor earlier this year, but nobody has really told the story behind Pluralsight's
recent moves and what they mean for the online training industry and the future of training
high-tech talent. This acquisition is an impetus for telling that story.
If this sounds useful, I would be happy to send a press release for more info and get you a
briefing with Aaron Skonnard, founder and CEO of Pluralsight (he's a cool guy – I think you'd
like him ;).
Cheers,
Brad
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Almost to Q&A
• Takeaways
• Next steps
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Copyright 2014
MichaelSMARTPR LLC
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5 takeaways
1. Find new outlets that are already reaching your audiences.
2. Read & React
3. Reframe pitches into the way journalists present their stories.
4. Create content for influencers to share.
5. Customization must be specific & sincere.
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Final takeaway:
We win by helping insanely busy influencers grab the attention of their crazy-busy audiences.
And when we do that . . .
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Bonus tips
Drop your card in the box so I can send you:
• Slides from today
• My weekly pitching and PR writing tips
• Starting with: 5 templates for email pitch subject lines that get your pitches opened
• And then: more empowering successful pitches you can mimic every month
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Q&A, then some final words
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Keep in touch
@michaelsmartpr
michaelsmartpr.com