Join The Club

Human beings are interesting creatures.  Of course, like snowflakes, none of us is like anyone else.  We're all unique.  But as different as we all may be, there are still some similarities that binds us all together as a species.  For instance, everyone eats, everyone poops (someone wrote a book about that), everyone sleeps and loves and laughs and cries.  These are things that we can all relate to because we all do these things.  But sometimes what binds us together is a group, race, religion, culture, gender.  We may all be unique, but at the same time, we're all looking to belong...to something.

The need to belong to a group, something larger than ourselves, is very real for most of us.  People like to be around others that have similar interests, backgrounds, likes and dislikes.  It's this desire to be with others that have common interests that can have a major impact on your social media efforts.

 

I want you to help me grow my business!

Think about it.  Regardless of whether you're a small business or a non-profit, you most likely already have a base of customers you deal with regularly.  They are, in essence, part of your club, your gang, your posse, if you want to be a bit more "hip". 

Some businesses have actually raised this mindset to a virtual art form.  We've all heard the term, "Membership has its privileges."  American Express has created a kind of exclusive club that many of us wish to belong to, but not all of us can.  AMEX has made it clear that we want to be part of their club, because members enjoy certain perks that the rest of us don't. 

Like a good nightclub that has a line stretching out the door, being exclusive can go a long way towards creating buzz and grabbing attention.  We all want to know what the big deal is.  What are the perks?  Why does everyone want to go into THAT particular club?  Eventually those questions turn into statements like, "I want to be a member, " or "I just HAVE to get into that club." 

You can use this same kind of marketing strategy to push your social media efforts and create buzz about your organization.  And you don't even have to be exclusive to be successful at it.

The Popular Kids:

Remember High School?  There were all kinds of cliques, ranging from nerds, to goths to jocks to the popular kids.  Some folks were able to mix easily with members of most cliques.  Some simply stayed put in their comfort zone.  But regardless of who you were or what clique you belonged to, you always wanted to hang out with some of the "popular kids".  Being seen with them instantly raised your credibility and stature among the rest of the kids dancing around the proverbial campfire.

The world of marketing and PR isn't much different.  It's why so many organizations latch onto certain celebrities to promote their cause or business.  At least that's how it used to be under the old school system.  Sure, businesses still rely on celebrity endorsements for the bulk of their advertising.  But in the world of social media, celebrities have very little impact.

What DOES have an impact is finding the social media personalities that already have established themselves and have major followings.  In most cases, these Facebook, Twitter and Blog pages have grown because the content is interesting, informative and fun.  In the world of "New Media," these are the new "popular kids" on the block, and you want to be associated with them in some way.

In a lot of ways, it's easy to hitch your wagon to these individuals.  You can simply follow them, or friend them if you're talking about Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.  If it's a blog, subscribe to the blog and then participate in discussions.  Become a regular reader and responder.  It's a bit like trying to pick up on the waitress at the bar.  You don't just go in and ask her out, you have to get to know her, she has to trust you, you have to make a connection before you can do anything with her.

Blogs are kind of like that.  We've discussed this before in this space.  It takes a little time, but getting to know the author of a popular blog can do wonders for your hit rate.

By connecting with these "popular" profiles, you wedge your way into their club.  You now have an opportunity to reach many more individuals with your message and posts.  Be clear, though, about the audience for the particular profiles you friend or follow.  Make sure that you're reaching a group of people that are either interested in your product, service or cause, or MIGHT be interested.  While it's always a good idea to go after groups of people that fall outside of your traditional audience, you still have to make sure that your posts will have an impact, otherwise, you'll still be shouting into the wilderness, despite how many friends or followers your new contact may have.

Let's Start A Club:

Up to now, we've discussed how to join existing groups or "clubs" on social media platforms.  But you can have just as much of an impact, maybe even more, by starting your own club or group.  There are a few ways to do this.  You can actually start a group or club page on Facebook, start a blog for that group or club, set up a Twitter account for said club or group.  This is the most obvious way to establish your group or club, but certainly not the only way, or even the most effective.

When I was in college in Boulder, I used to go to Old Chicago, on Pearl Street quite often.  I also went to a bar called Potters every Saturday night.  With all the bars in Boulder, why did I choose those places over all the rest?  Quite simply, I liked the atmosphere, the clientele and more importantly, I was part of their beer drinking club.  As a card-carrying member, I received discounts on beers at those locations.  The more I went, the more I saves, plus I racked up points that rewarded me with perks like mugs, t-shirts, etc.  Like the saying goes, membership has its privileges.

You could begin a similar kind of program for your customers or donors.  This isn't a new marketing technique.  Discount books or cards have been part of the marketing world for decades.  And as they say, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. 

There's another way to create a club atmosphere around your organization that can be even more successful than either of the above methods; Build a nation.


Nation Building:

We've all heard of the Steeler Nation, the Packer Nation, Arnie's Army.  While these are sports-oriented groups, the simply fact is that everyone who belongs to these groups are fans.  And fans matter.  I'm working with a client now that is trying to increase traffic to their veterinary clinic.  One of the ways they're trying to do this is to increase the number of spays and neuters they do every week.  As part of the campaign, we have created, "NOOTER NATION."  The spelling is a take off of HOOTERS, which is a partner in the effort.  Everyone who gets their pet spayed or neutered becomes part of "NOOTER NATION" and receives discounts on food and drinks at HOOTERS. 

Another client is considering starting "Amy's Army" to recruit volunteers to help trap and release feral cats in Denver.  By starting these various nations and army's, these organizations are calling for individuals who want to be part of something they believe in.  They can rally around a cause and feel part of a group with a name and a hierarchy and a vision.  Plus, once you create your nation or army or club or group, you can begin to market it as a way to help market your product, service or cause. 

People want to feel like they belong to a group or an organization that holds their same beliefs, has their same values.  If you own a restaurant, start the "Hoagie Hangout" or "Carnivore Club".  You own a theater, how about the "Actor's Circle," where regular attendees receive discounts on shows or refreshments.  The purpose of beginning a club based on your business is towfold.  First, you reward customers who use your service or buy your product.  The other purpose is to draw in others who may otherwise not have been interested or even aware of your organization.

In the end, you want people to take advantage of your service or product or donate to your cause.  By establishing a club or group, you give your potential customers something to latch onto, and a club, group or nation is just that something.

So get out there and start a club.  Ask folks to join and make it worth their while.  You'll find that, like the saying goes, "If you build it, they will come."  And that's a good thing.

We're Only Human!

Sometimes, as has been pointed out in this space numerous times, lessons can be learned from watching other people's mistakes.  And let me be very clear on this, we ALL make mistakes.  Journalists are just as human as you are and, as you have probably noticed from time to time, they make mistakes.

This isn't a posting about how to overcome mistakes in your PR or social media efforts.  You're going to make them.  In most cases, these mistakes are going to be minor in nature and you'll be able to overcome them with thought and diligence.

No, this is more like, storytime with Real Public Relations.  By the end, you'll hopefully have a bit of insight into the way newsrooms work, about how personalities can get in the way of doing good work, and how that can all have an impact on your pitches and PR efforts.

A couple of examples:

Ever make a mistake in your job?  Of course you have.  Usually when you do, the only one that notices is your boss, maybe your co-workers.  What you DON'T have is the general public breathing down your neck, pointing, laughing, cursing.  When a journalist goofs, that's exactly what happens.  Plus, mistakes don't do much for the reputation, which is basically all that journalists have to rely on.  But it happens, a lot.  Take this story for instance:

WESH News Van Gets Jammed Under Orlando Overpass:


 
A WESH news van got stuck under an Orlando overpass on Wednesday after the vehicle’s mast had been accidentally raised.
Reporter Greg Fox was riding in the van along with photographer Frank Burt when the raised mast struck the underside of a highway overpass, tipping the vehicle onto two wheels.
A fire rescue crew was called to the scene, according to the Orlando Sentinel, and rescue workers steadied the van using jacks so that Fox and Burt could exit safely.
Orlando CBS-affiliate WKMG reported on its rivals’ misfortune during the station’s  7 p.m. newscast.
The WESH crew told officials that the van had successfully passed under another overpass before the accident, leading them to believe that the mast’s deployment was a technical malfunction.

Here's another one:  Have you ever worked in an office with someone you don't get along with? Have you had to deal with that person under extremely tight deadlines, forced teamwork and unrealistic expectation all in an environment of pressure-cooker proportions?  No?  Well, journalists often have to deal with these types of situations.  And this can be the result:

Newsroom Brawl Lands WCCB Anchor Brien Blakely in Hospital


 
Anchor Brien Blakely spent Tuesday evening at a Charlotte emergency room instead of the WCCB anchor desk after getting into a violent altercation with a news producer.
Moments before WCCB’s 10 p.m. newscast, Blakely got into an argument with a producer that escalated into a physical brawl.  During the fight, Blakely, who joined the Charlotte Fox-affiliate in 2005, was sent flying over a desk.  His nose was badly cut during the fall and he was rushed to an area hospital for treatment.
Police were called to the scene but no charges were filed.
“I was protecting the honor and integrity of our station,” Blakely told the Charlotte Observer about the fight.
The news producer walked out of the station after the altercation as Blakely went to the hospital.  Both men were not at work on Wednesday.
WCCB has had its fair share of turmoil recently.  In December, news director Ken Whitewas arrested for walking off with a bag of groceries at an area supermarket.
While the station is not commenting on the fight, Blakely says that the incident is behind him.
“These things happen,” he told the Observer. “It’s over. We’re buddies again.”

Take a look at that last sentence.  "It's over.  We're buddies again."  Sounds ludicrous, right?  That two grown men got into a fight in a newsroom in the first place, but then, after one of them ends up in the hospital, that they could be "buddies".  But it's true, it happens.  I know from personal experience.

Rumble In The Rockies:

There happens to be a newsroom culture that is kind of hard to explain.  But put simply, it's a high-stress, fast-paced environment full of strong personalities.  Things get tense, tempers flare, people clash, there are arguments.  Sometimes these arguments get very, ahem, heated.  But here's what you have to understand.  It's not personal.  Unlike politics and religion, the newsroom wars are typically short, intense explosions that burn out quickly.  Afterwards, you shake hands and you go out for beers together.

I've had several clashes with co-workers while working in news.  For instance:

When I was in radio, we used to have an area called, "The Pit" where all the producers and talk show hosts used to be located.  We'd discuss news of the day, as we all tried to put our shows together.  The arguments used to get so heated and loud that management issued several memorandums telling us, in essence, to keep quiet.

One morning, my host, Peter Boyles, and I got into a short but heated argument about which topic we were going to start the show off with.  We disagreed vehemently and at 4am tempers flared.  He told me to "F" off, I flipped him the bird, words were exchanged, he threw a piece of his bagel at me.  Fortunately, we were separated by several inches of soundproof glass as I was in the booth and he was in the studio.

Fast forward several years and I had just moved from one TV station to another.  I was producing the morning news and our show had been experiencing some serious technical difficulties.  As a producer who had spent hours crafting the rundown, writing copy, organizing guests, there's nothing more frustrating than technical issues.  From the booth I continued to press the technical and editing staff to get them on the ball.  Of course, they didn't take that well.  Immediately after the show, I made a beeline to the technical room downstairs and sought out the senior editor on shift that morning.

He defended his crew, I defended mine.  Again, words were exchanged, and an offer to "take it outside" was made.  We nearly went, too.  Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed.  We were ushered down to the News Director's office and reprimanded severely.  The fact is, by the time we reached the ND's office, we were fine.  We realized how stupid we had acted and it was completely forgotten.  There truly were no hard feelings.  To this day, that man is one of my favorite individuals that I worked with at that station.

Sh** Happens:

Sometimes, however, mistakes simply happen.  You'd be surprised how often the issue of a non-retracted tower plagues a newsroom, whether it be radio or TV.  Fortunately, the stations I worked at had the good sense to keep me from driving around any sensitive or expensive equipment.  I was relegated to holding a microphone or staying back at the station to report and write.  But I've witnessed some real doozies.

One Halloween night our station had decided it would be a great idea to broadcast live from the Denver Press Club, one of the most haunted places (reportedly) in Denver.  The shows were great radio.  Seances, wonderful interviews, compelling storytelling.  At 9pm sharp, the host signed off and the truck operator began to pack things up.  All the wires were coiled, the equipment placed and locked down.  Everything seemed in order.  With one big exception, the mast was still up.

As the truck pulled away, it carried off the awning in front of the building.  An awning that had survived fires, vandalism and a century of wear, tear and weather, was simply no match for a radio truck with a 20-foot broadcast mast.

The repercussions were swift and terrible.  We all had to train on the truck and learn the secrets of the mast.  Plus, suspensions were threatened if it happened again.  Of course, the next time a big remote was planned, the truck was operated by the manager of the department himself.  It was a great remote, again wonderful radio.  It was just after Thanksgiving and the show that aired right after mine decided to broadcast live from a hilltop above Golden where a man calling himself the "Real Santa Clause" resided.  He raised reindeer, lived in a wooden shack and dressed like Kris Kringle.

Once again, the show was a hit.  After signing off, the crew wrapped up.  With the manager in charge of things, no one thought twice to think about the truck mast.  of COURSE it had been retracted.  In a moment of serendipity, someone took a photo of the manager standing outside the truck, with the producer and talk show host sitting just inside getting ready to go.  In the background, you could see the mast clearly still raised.

Within minutes, the truck was on its way and promptly ran smack dab into several power lines directly overhead.  The power lines snapped and fell to the ground, some landed on top of the van.  This kept the crew in the van trapped inside as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through the van and into the ground.  They were safe as long as they stayed inside, but once they stepped outside, if they touched the van, they would have been torched.

Sadly, the mast also pulled some power lines out of the box at Santa Clause's shack, starting a fire.  Within ten minutes the shack was ablaze, and Clause was trying to put out the inferno with a water hose, which quickly melted.

Below, at the bottom of the hill, the fire department could see the flames.  The producer of the show told me later that she could see the firemen walk out of the firehouse and looking up at the fire, pointing and wondering what in the world was going on.  About an hour later the fire had been put out, the power lines had been cleared and the truck was back on the road.

The following morning, the picture that had been taken moments before the mishap mysteriously appeared on the door of the manager's office.  Someone had written in a thought balloon, "Hmmm, what am I forgetting?" with an arrow pointing to the still-erect mast.

True to their word, however, the manager was suspended for two days. 

Don't Judge:

There are a million stories just like those.  I alone could spend hours telling of similar events based solely on my experiences.  The point to all this is that everyone makes mistakes.  Reporters, editors, producers, they're only human.  They will, from time to time, mess up on a fact, not check a critical piece of equipment or simply misspell a name. 

I've heard many complaints in my time about how a newsroom got their name wrong, misquoted them or didn't get the right address for their business.  In some cases a wrong logo was put up, or the story simply didn't run when it was supposed to.  This happens.  Your best bet to deal with these types of mistakes is to be patient.  Don't lose your cool, get angry, yell or beat down the door. 

You can try to prevent these mistakes from happening by following up with the newsroom.  Email them the correct information in simple, easy to read fonts and short sentences.  Make sure they received the information and then follow up again to make sure they have everything correct.  Even then, it may not end up correct on the air or in the paper. 

When this happens, calmly and coolly contact the reporter or producer and let them know the information was wrong.  Ask them to make a correction and then, let it go.  Trust me, they'll feel bad about the mistake and do what they can to fix it.  By being professional about it, you'll earn way more points with the newsroom than if you yell and scream.  Because even though journalists are able to fight with a coworker and then immediately forget about the conflict, when it comes to people outside the newsroom, they have memories like elephants.  They'll remember how you treated them and the next time you pitch a story, you just won't be worth the time or effort.

You can learn something from the newsroom culture in this respect.  It's okay to disagree, even get upset, but don't make it personal and then, when it's done, forget about it.  Move on and focus on other more important things.  If you can do this, you'll quickly earn a reputation as someone who really cares about their business, but is easy to work with and handles things professionally.  Even if the mistake is completely theirs, it's best to chalk it up as an honest mistake and cheerfully thank them for their time before pitching them again in the future.  Trust me on this.  I mean, we're only human, right?

Today's Post brought to you by the word: Transparency

I'm a football fan.  I also happen to be a native of Colorado; born and raised.  I learned how to ski at a young age, I remember when LoDo was a dump and spent my formative years cheering for the old "Orange Crush" Bronco defense when before Lyle Alzado went all Raider on us.

To say I'm a fan of John Elway is like saying Russians like their vodka.  So you can imagine my delight when old No. 7 took over the reigns of my beloved Broncos.  For one, it signaled the true end of the disaster that was Josh McDaniels.  But more importantly, it meant that the team I grew up loving was returning to its roots, its traditions. 

And yet, oddly enough, even as the team was starting to return to it's rich history,  a new, fresh image was being born.  Suddenly the secrecy and closed door policy that is so often a part of NFL culture was giving way to a more open, honest and transparent culture not seen in these parts since Red Miller prowled the sidelines and Tom Jackson was calling John Madden "The Fat Man."

What, you might ask, does this have to do with small business and non-profit PR and social media?  In a word...everything.

A Modern Culture:

It's often been said that knowledge is king.  In today's world of instant gratification and constant information overload, it can seem like secrets are a thing of the past and everyone knows what everyone else is doing.  But look closely and you'll see that the organizations that have the most success with social media are the ones that not only use it regularly, but they're also the ones who know exactly the kind of information to release.

Success with social media isn't just about making regular postings, daily tweets and maximizing your groups, friends and followers.  Certainly those are important, but no matter how efficient and active you are, if you don't provide the RIGHT kind of information, your campaign will ultimately fail.

We've discussed in this space before the need to make your posts informative, fun and interesting.  We've talked about adding value to your posts across all of your platforms.  But there is another element of social media content that most organizations simply overlook, an element that can help you build a massive following.

Pull Back the Covers:

I've always thought that some enterprising local TV station ought to place cameras in their newsrooms and conference rooms and let the world see the day-to-day operations.  Of course, that is nearly impossible.  But why not stream the daily news meetings?  Let the world take a peek into the workings of how news decisions are actually made.  I think people would be surprised at how passionately stories are debated. 

While that hasn't happened yet, and probably won't for many years, some local TV stations ARE using Twitter to let their followers know which stories are being discussed for later broadcasts.  I follow these newsrooms every day so I can get a jump on pitching a client if they're a right match for a story being considered. 

Clearly, some newsrooms get it.  They understand that times have changed and it's no longer just 20 people sitting around a table making news decisions, separate from a majority of public input.  Today, there is an interactivity never before seen in news.  Producers and editors are constantly updating stories, producers are using social media to gather feedback, track down guests, and dig for information.  At the same time, the public has more access to journalists through Twitter and Facebook giving them a feeling of being part of the news that impacts their daily lives.

The covers have been pulled back a bit, letting anyone who's interested see a bit of the process that takes place in newsrooms everyday.  In a similar move, Elway and the Broncos have started using Twitter to reconnect to the thousands of fans that felt betrayed and disappointed by the Josh McDaniels era.

Last week, before I heard it on the radio, before I saw it on SportsCenter, before I caught in on my local nightly newscast, I heard about the hiring of Denver's new head coach, John Fox, through Twitter.  But this tweet didn't come from a friend in a newsroom or someone who heard it through the grapevine.  No, it came from John Elway himself.  It was short, simple and to the point.  "The Denver Broncos have hired John Fox to be our next head coach."

The next day, this quote from Patrick Smyth, the Broncos' executive director of media relations appeared in the Denver Post: (click on the link to read the entire article)

"It was important to us to reach our fans directly and in the most personal way, and it was important to restore some of the credibility in our organization that might have been lost in a challenging season," Smyth said. "We owe that to our fans."

As a fan, I felt closer to my team than I ever have before, and this is coming from a guy who stood on the field of old Mile High Stadium covering the Broncos Superbowl celebration for local radio, rubbing elbows with the players and coaches, the Lombardi trophy just a few feet away.  Such is the power of social media.  It has the ability to inform, entertain, and most importantly, connect.

Reality Social Media:

With the popularity of reality television, more and more people want access to the inner sanctum of their favorite organizations.  They not only want that access, they feel they deserve it.  So why not give your customers, potential customers and supporters that access?

Remember, your business, like most small businesses, is rooted in the neighborhood in which you operate.  Your organization is more than just a name over a door and a collection of individuals.  You are, hopefully, a trusted entity in your neighborhood.  If you're brand new, you want to reach that status as quickly as possible.  One of the best ways to let potential customers or supporters get to know you is to let them see you in action.

I'm not necessarily talking about setting up cameras all over your office or store and streaming live video 24/7.  But why not tell your story online?  Why not let the world see the interesting and fun characters you have working for you?  Why not allow them access to your decision making processes so they can understand the effort you put in to make your customers happy?  By posting this kind of information, you achieve a couple of things:


1.  You build trust - People can see that you're not skimping on product or effort.  They can see exactly what they're getting for their money or time.


2.  You build familiarity - The more the public knows about you, the more likely they are to view you as someone they are comfortable with.  The old adage, you do friends with people you like" holds true. 


3.  You build interest - If your posts are interesting enough, you'll start to attract followers, friends and supporters based solely on the strength of your content.  Your existing friends, followers and customers will tell their friends about you and direct them to your pages, thus growing your base.

Elements of Transparency:

Again, transparency can be easier said than done.  But you CAN be more transparent and open to your constituency, and without divulging your trade secrets or putting your customers at risk.  For example, if you own a bakery, why not post a video once a week that shows you making one of your special sticky buns or perhaps an easy to make holiday treat for kids?  It's like your own little cooking show, only without the commercials.  You don't have to show your baking secrets, but parents would likely appreciate seeing you make your bread or sweets, so they know exactly what is in them.

If you're a dry cleaners, why not offer tips on removing stains, something special that only your shop does.  Bars can show virtual tours of their kitchens or let folks see how they decide on what beers to serve.  There are a million things you can post that gives the public more insight to your operation, letting them feel like they know you a bit better and in turn attracting their business.

Yes, this means you have to shoot some video, and do some minor editing.  It also means you have to post regularly and really make sure your content is valuable, entertaining and informative.  But really, if you plan on having a successful social media campaign, you should be doing these things already. 

What we're talking about here is the KIND of content that you're putting up.  To that end, let's look at some of the elements you'll need to run an effective transparency campaign.

1.  A good story - Just like putting together your release, you want to make sure you're pointing out the most interesting and unique parts of your story.  Unlike your press release, this isn't about telling your history, but letting folks know how you operate on a day to day basis.  What is happening in your office?  What kind of decisions are being made and how will the general public benefit from these decisions?


2.  A good character - This isn't absolutely essential, but it helps.  If you have some colorful characters in your office, let the world see them in action.  Do you have an employee that sings?  Someone who is a great artist or a whiz with computers or machinery?  Highlight them and let the world see the talent you have on your staff.


3.  Video - You can write all you want, but people really want to watch interesting video.  For example, we have a video shoot for a client coming up that shows a day at a veterinarian clinic through the eyes of a dog that is visiting for a day.  People will get to see the dog get checked in, go through the grooming, get neutered, receive follow up treatment and then go home.  It will be split up into a series of short videos.  This kind of video takes a day to shoot and a day to edit, but you get weeks worth of video out of it and it lets the world see how this clinic cares for the cats and dogs brought in for treatment.


4.  Follow the rules - Just like before, you still have to make your posts worth something.  They have to have value, be entertaining, fun, informative.  This is where a lot of businesses fall short.  So often businesses use their social media platforms to just talk about an upcoming sale or special.  That's talking TO the public.  This doesn't open the door for conversation, and a conversation is what makes a good social media campaign so effective.


5.  Be personal - One of the things that makes social media so special is that it can give people a window into the feelings, thoughts and actions of others.  I can read about a daily deal or about how the weather sucks anywhere.  But I CAN'T read about how the weather makes you feel, or how happy you are that your organization just received a prestigious award.  Don't just tell me that you got the award, tell me how you feel and what you're going to do to celebrate.

I understand that this will be harder for some than others.  Being open feels risky, particularly in this age of scammers and hackers.  And you certainly need to be aware and cautious.  You don't want to go telling the world about your trade secrets.  But you DO want the world to feel as if they know you better than they know your competitors. 

It's this kind of openness and familiarity that can truly have a positive impact on your bottom line.  So get out there, beat your chest and bang the drum and pull back the curtain.  Let the world see you in all your glory.  Take a hint from Elway and be more transparent.  You'll be surprised at how freeing, and successful, it can be.

An Air of Mystery

Greetings all!  It's been a while since I've posted last.  I promise it won't be nearly as long between posts for quite some time.  I decided to take a little time off during the holidays to catch up on some work, as well as with friends and family.  It was a nice, much needed break, but I'm back and ready to get back to work helping small businesses and non-profits create and maintain their PR and social media efforts.  So with that said, let's jump right into today's topic.

The Mystery Campaign!

First, let's begin by saying that the "Mystery Campaign" is not new.  It's also not really a PR campaign.  You won't have much luck pitching a media outlet a mystery story.  Journalists have a bad habit of wanting to know details and the like.  However, as a marketing strategy, more to the point, as a social media marketing strategy, it can be real boost to your overall efforts.

Before we move forward, ask yourself this...what is one of mankind's most enduring traits?  The answer is, of course, curiosity.  We are a curious species.  When presented with something unknown, we nearly always go out of our way to satisfy that curiosity.  For decades, marketers have banked on our natural curiosity to promote products, services and businesses.  And, like the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Currently, in Denver, a series of billboards caused a minor stir when they appeared of the skyline of the Mile High City.  If you live in or around Denver, you've probably seen them.  They're big and red all over, with a single, yellow spoon situated just off to the right of center. 

There's no copy, no hint as to what it might be promoting, no message hitting commuters over the head as they go to and from work.  It's a simple, basic picture and nothing else.  What is it?  People asked.  What does it mean?  Who did it?  What's the point?  Within a week, people's curiosity was piqued. 

I spend a lot of time online doing research for my clients, as well as for this blog.  I read the papers, and the news outlets online and within a short period of time I began to see the question pop up all over the place, wondering about the giant red billboard with the yellow spoon. 

It didn't take long, about two weeks, before the answer was out and the public curiosity was satiated.  It turns out the billboards were part of a new promotion for McDonald's breakfasts.  This is just a single example of this kind of mystery campaign being used to raise awareness and generate interest in a product or service.

Those of you old enough to remember the 80's will recall fondly, maybe, the very first Apple commercial that aired in 1984.  If you don't remember, or weren't around to watch it the first go-around, here it is.



This ad ran during the Superbowl and confused millions of viewers who basically had no idea what the commercial was about.  It created waves of interest as the general public tried to figure out what they had just seen and what it was supposed to say.

The "Mystery Campaign" has even been used successfully in animated TV shows.  Anyone remember the "Gabbo's Coming!" commercials from the Simpsons over 10 years ago?  Who is Gabbo?  Why is he coming?  What will he do when he gets here?  Hell, as a casual watcher of the program I was intrigued to find out who this "Gabbo" character was. 

Why it works:

I've already explained one reason why the "Mystery Campaign" works; simple curiosity.  But that alone isn't enough to make a campaign successful.  More than anything, the successful campaigns capture the imagination of potential clients and customers.  They also provide a promise of some kind that appeals to the base desires of your potential audience.  The question is, how can you do that with your social media campaign?  Let's break it down.

The elements:

Let's get this out in the beginning; the mystery campaign doesn't work for everything.  Generally they work best when unveiling something new, something innovative, something unique.  If you're promoting a dry cleaners or widget, you might want to consider a different approach. 

But if you have an event, an opening night, an unveiling, you'll want to start with an angle.  Remember when we discussed news angles?  This isn't much different.  The goal is to build a mystique, a mystery, not just to ask question, but to truly get people's attention and tickle their imagination.

Just like in everything else you do, you also want to tease your potential customers or clients with the promise of something exciting, special, unique, wonderful.  Use any adjective you wish, but you want your audience to be waiting in anticipation, believing that what they're waiting for will benefit them some way, either materialistically, financially or emotionally. 

Let's look at the tools you need to make this work:

1.  A date - No, I'm not talking about someone you ask to the prom.  This is more like a deadline, a specific time frame in which to weave your web.  In order to build anticipation, you need to let the public know when to expect the big event.  Without a deadline or end date, you'll have a hard time creating buzz.  You can only string the public along for so long.  Eventually the excitement will wear off, they'll lose interest and move on to something else. 


2.  Appeal to the base wants and needs - What do people want?  Money, love, happiness, security?  Whatever it is, your campaign needs to give the promise of meeting at least one of their wants or needs.  Let's say you're promoting a new sandwich at your restaurant.  Give it a name, call it, the Bronson.  Then, as part of your campaign you can say something like, "Bronson is coming, and you'll never be hungry again..."  Hey, that sounds good.  Of course, as a reader, I'll be asking, "Who the heck is Bronson, and why won't I ever be hungry again?"  You have my interest.  Now all you need is...


3.  Follow up - What makes a great mystery campaign great is that it ends up being everywhere.  It gets people talking.  They start asking their friends and co-workers about the mystery.  Posters begin appearing on streetcorners, posts end up flooding Facebook, the Twitterverse is abuzz with contemplation and excitement.  But this doesn't happen without some work.  YOU have to be constantly posting online, spreading the word, going into chat rooms and asking questions about the very campaign you have created.  It takes some vigilance and effort to make a mystery campaign successful, moreso than your typical social media efforts.  But if you put in the time, you'll begin to create the kind of buzz that will pay off big in the end.


4.  Watch your timing - This is one of the most important elements of this kind of campaign.  If you start too far in advance of your big unveiling, you'll lose the interest of the public and the buzz will fizzle out.  Start too close to the end date, and you won't have enough time to build the kind of activity you want.  A general rule is to not start your campaign more than a month in advance.  Figure it will take about a week for people to actually start paying attention.  Then two weeks for the buzz to reach a crescendo.  The final week will be all about driving folks to either purchase tickets to your event, or get them excited enough to show up to your unveiling.  This is called the 3 stages and I'll cover them in just a couple of paragraphs.


5.  Have a point - It's great to catch people's attention, but once you have it, you have to do something with it.  In other words, you want to drive the folks online to a website, a Facebook page, a Youtube page, or give them a call to action of some kind.  Maybe it's to show up at a specific location at a set time for the unveiling where you'll toss out swag and have a party.  Whatever it is, you have to tell people what you want them to do.


6.  Be visual - Of course, words say a lot, but we all know the old adage, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Take the McDonalds billboard mentioned above.  A big red billboard with a simple, single yellow spoon laid against it does more to grab attention than a billboard full of words.  The same holds true online.  Even a picture of the date with a simple, short tagline can be effective.  In order for your efforts to be successful, you will want to use pictures, graphic elements, even video to help build excitement and buzz. 


7.  Be diverse - In other words, don't have one single picture or one single video.  People will tire of the same visuals very quickly.  You want to have several different visual elements, each with a slightly different message or targeted at a different audience.  For example, one of my most recent projects involves the opening night of a Shakespearean theatrical group.  They know they'll attract more traditional theater goers.  But in order to be special they need to attract those that might otherwise not pay money to watch live Shakespeare.  To reach those audiences, we created a series of videos, some that appealed to those who enjoy action and adventure, blood and fights.  At the same time we released a video that highlighted the more...sexy...elements of the show.  All the while we are keeping the entire venture wrapped in a veil of secrecy.  All these readers know is that something fun, sexy, new and exciting is coming on 1.14.2011.  Plus, by having a handful of different visual elements, you'll be able to post and repost these photos and videos over and over to catch those who might have missed them the first time around.

If your campaign has all of those basic elements, your efforts will likely be successful.  Again, you have to stay on top of this kind of campaign more than usual, which is just one other reasons why you shouldn't launch this kind of campaign too far in advance.  You simply won't have the time to truly stay on top of it all and still manage the rest of your responsibilities.  But three to four weeks of hard work and vigilance will net you some major results.

Which finally leads us to the the three stages of the "Mystery Campaign."  Let's assume you are starting your efforts one month before the end date.  As mentioned above, you can break your four weeks into three stages.  But this works with a three week advance, and, if you're desperate, even a two week advance.  Any less lead time than that and you're likely wasting your time.

1.  Launch - This is where you make a splash.  You can leak your best stuff, your most attention grabbing stuff out online over the course of the first stage.  This is the part where you want folks to sit up and ask, "What is this about?"  It's during this time that you will be posting the most content on your various social media platforms.


2.  Maintenance - Once you have their attention, you have to maintain it.  You can do this one of two ways.  A) You can continue to post constantly in an effort to build momentum quickly.  Or B) You can begin to release your material in a more measured way, designed to keep it in front of people, but still make it a bit of a mystery.  If you suddenly pull back a bit, it will get people wondering what is happening and keep them on the edge of their seat, so to speak.  Either way can be successful.


3.  Tapering Down - The final week leading up to your big event is really your make or break moment.  On one hand you can, in an effort to reap some PR bounce from your campaign, unwrap the mystery a day or so beforehand.  This is risky since you take the chance that you will kill the suspense for some folks and lose some potential customers or clients before your big unveiling.  The better move is to keep the suspense going until the very last moment.  The only change you'll likely make at this stage is to focus not so much on the mystery, but on the date and the call to action.  If your efforts up to this point has been to highlight the promise and the mystery, at this stage you'll want to really hammer the end date and what you want people to do at that time.  By this stage, people will just be starting to tire of being in the dark.  By giving them something to do on the date in question, you rekindle their excitement, knowing that their curiosity will soon be quenched.

Of course, you'll likely never make the kind of splash that Apple did in 1984, or that McDonalds did in Denver, but you can still reach thousands upon thousands of folks who otherwise might never have heard of your business or non-profit. 

Also, keep in mind, that while we're talking about something potentially viral (isn't everything online "potentially" viral?) that isn't necessarily your goal here.  Your goal is to get people questioning and talking, yes, but you don't need it to circulate around the world in forwarded emails.  What you DO want to do is get your immediate community of potential customers and clients to take notice of you.  And when it comes to grabbing attention, really, nothing does it better than a well-developed Mystery Campaign.

Don't Touch Me There!

Years ago there used to be a TV show on late night called SpaceGhost Coast to Coast.  It was a strange little cartoon who's viewers were comprised mostly of "The Tick" fans and folks who used to rush home early on weekend nights to watch Liquid Television on MTV.  (How's THAT for a blast from the past?)

I bring this odd little show up because when I heard of the new TSA patdown policy I remembered a song from the show that I felt was appropriate.  It was sung by one of the show's secondary characters called "Brack" and it was called, "Don't Touch Me." It was a pretty basic song.  Basically it was just Brack singing "Don't Touch Me!" over and over again.

I amused myself the other day imagining thousands upon thousands of holiday travelers singing that song as TSA officers groped and fondled their way through prospective terrorists.  In the end, though, what REALLY amused me was the public relations fallout from the new pat-down policy and the concept that someone in government though that this would just go by the average citizen unnoticed.

Well, clearly it didn't.  And, as this USA Today article points out, the PR disaster didn't catch TSA officials completely off-guard.

TSA chief: Public outcry over pat-downs weighed vs. risk

By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

The nation's transportation security chief says he decided to launch controversial new airport pat-down searches without first warning travelers, against the advice of his public relations aides.
Transportation Security Administration head John Pistole said in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday that he rejected the advice for fear of highlighting screening weaknesses terrorists could exploit.
TSA's more intensive pat-downs of private body parts under clothing set off what he called a "media frenzy" leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday travel week.
Q&A: Pistole talks about threats, how far searches will go
FREQUENT TRAVELERS: Oppose new TSA security screenings
POLL: Most fliers bothered or angered by TSA pat-downs
"What it came down to was I wanted to make sure people are not subjected to additional risk of planes being blown out of the sky," Pistole told USA TODAY's editorial board. "I was gravely concerned that we needed to do something with a sense of urgency and professionalism that did not signal to terrorists that we had a vulnerability."
Pistole says he wishes there was an "easier answer" to the balance between keeping the public informed and ensuring flights are safe.

This article tells me two things:
1.  TSA has competent PR consultants
2.  TSA officials are terrible at damage control

It was reassuring to hear that at least SOMEONE at the TSA was aware of the potential PR disaster that awaited after announcing the new policy.  As a PR professional, I was left wondering how an official government agency could believe that there wouldn't be some kind of negative reaction to the pat-downs.  However, upon reading this article, I was comforted to know that there are some folks who could foresee the shitstorm that was to follow the implementation of the policy.

What is NOT comforting, however, is the response to the controversy.  If the agency knew there was going to be a backlash one would figure they would craft the kind of response that would negate at least SOME of the anger and frustration felt by travelers.  But no.  What we got was more of the fear-based, shallow platitudes that we have been fed for several years now.

Right Moves, Wrong Message:

Let's look at the TSA strategy in response to the problem.  They set up editorial board meetings and went out on a full-fledged media blitz to explain the new policy.  This was exactly the right move, at least on macro scale.

But what was the message that they passed on in all of those interviews and meetings?  Essentially, it was, "If we didn't do this, you would die!"  Using phrases like, "blown out of the sky," and "signal to terrorists that we had a vulnerability..." does little more that reinforce the fact that the TSA isn't really doing their job.  It instills fear, rather than confidence.

The fact that this message was approved by the PR folks is disturbing.  Why not instead move forward with a message that focuses on reinforcing current strengths instead of highlighting weaknesses?  A message such as, "While our current policies are working effectively, we feel the new policy will make our screening processes even stronger in the face of new threats."

Of course, there's no way that any message was going to completely satisfy everyone.  But the message that was relayed through the media came across as arrogant fear-mongering.  It told the public that we were helpless to stop future attacks without the new policy.  Plus, it even blames the media for creating a "frenzy".  It wasn't the media that created the problem, the public reacted to a new, surprise policy and the media covered it.

What This Means To You:

As a small business owner or non-profit, you will, from time to time, be forced to change your policies or prices.  Whenever you make a change, you take the risk of alienating long time customers and driving away new potential customers if you don't handle it right.

In most cases, you can make the change easier by simply communicating better.  In the TSA case, they sprung the pat-down change on the public with little to no warning.  For small businesses and non-profits, you can minimize the anger and frustration of changes by announcing the change on your social media platforms.  Simple posts on Facebook, your blog and through Tweets can let your customers and potential customers know your new policies.

More importantly, solid community outreach can go a long way towards minimizing the fallout from future changes in your business policies.  Think about how much goodwill the TSA might have garnered if they had put representatives in major airports to explain the new policy and simply be there to allow travelers to vent their frustrations?  Sometimes community outreach and PR is about listening to complaints.

Just by having someone there to listen to the venting, the TSA would have shown a willingness to acknowledge that there is an issue, and an understanding of travelers' frustrations.  People know they won't be able to change the policy, but by allowing them to express their frustration, they let travelers know that they understand and that they care.  That's really all that people want in situations such as these.

As a small business or non-profit, you can open a forum online, or have someone physically in place to listen to customer complaints after the changes have been implemented.  You might still lose a few customers, but most will appreciate that you took the time to listen to their complaints.

Change can be difficult, we all know that.  Your customers frequent your organization because they like how you run your operation.  When change happens, it makes them angry, frustrated and scared.  It is up to you to listen to them, to communicate with them, let them know WHY you are making the change so they can see your side of things.  People are forgiving if they know the whole story and if you take the extra steps to show them that you understand and care. 

So don't make the same mistake that the TSA did.  Communicate beforehand, make sure you are prepared to listen to complaints and make sure your message doesn't condescend to them or blame someone else for any fallout that might occur from the changes.  Put yourself in their shoes and use your social media platforms and a solid PR plan to get your message out before the change creates the kind of problems that you can't control.  If you do this, you'll be able to make your changes without losing business or money.

The Forest For The Trees

One of the biggest problems small business owner and non-profit directors have when handling their own PR and social media efforts is that they are too close to their own organization.  I know this sounds strange to say, but sometimes being TOO familiar with your business or non-profit can actually hinder your ability to speak to the masses, gain friends and followers and garner you some much needed earned media coverage.

Case in point:

On Thursday morning, I received this email from a friend who works as news producer at a local television station:

On Nov 11, 2010, at 11:56 AM, Shaw, Duncan J Shaw wrote
You know I *love* sending you stuff…

Nowhere in this e-mail or attached press release is there an explanation of *what* “Wage Theft” is (they provide a link to a video in the e-mail, and I think there are links in the attachment), but you would think you’d at least give a one or two line explanation…

This "release" is one of the myriad of "Bad press releases" that newsrooms receive every day.  Fortunately, I have the pleasure of reading a few of them from time to time without having to sift through the piles of garbage that producers, reporters and editors have to deal with.

Before we go any further, let's take a look at the aforementioned "release":
(NOTE - I have removed the name of individual who sent the release)

Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2010 11:53 AM
Subject: Press Advisory for Wage Theft Action in Denver, 11-18-10

Greetings.

Attached is a press advisory about a Wage Theft Day of Action and Awareness that will take place a week from today in 30 cities around the country (including Denver) on Thursday, Nov. 18th at 11:00am.

Here is a YouTube link about the problem of wage theft:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn6nr2PviIU&feature=player_embedded

For general inquires ahead of time about the Day of Action in Denver or concerning the informal partnership that has developed in Denver between Interfaith Worker Justice of Colorado, the Department of Labor, OSHA, and the El Centro Day Laborer Center, please contact me (Rev. Daniel Klawitter) at: 303-477-6111 ext. 36.

For inquires about what wage theft specifically looks like in Metro Denver and/or to get personal human interest stories from workers who have had their wages stolen by their employer, please contact the Director of El Centro Humanitario, Eddie Soto, at: 303.292.4115, esoto@centrohumanitario.org

WHAT: Educational event/Press Conference on Wage Theft
WHO: Religious Leaders, Day Laborers, Worker Advocates and representatives from OSHA, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division and Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment.
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 18th at 11:00am.
WHERE: El Centro Humanitario, 2260 California St. Denver, CO 80205.

Speakers will include Dusti Gurule, the regional representative for U.S. Department of Labor Secretary, Hilda Solis.

Sincerely,
XXXXXX

There was the obligatory follow-up contact information at the end, which was perhaps the best part of the release.

Now let's take a look at WHY this release is such a poor example of a press advisory.  Look back at Duncan's note in his email to me.

1. There is no explanation of what "Wage Theft" is
2. The video link is just that, a link, no embedded video

These two items alone make this a very ineffective press release.  Of course there are some reasons as to why these mistakes happened.  First, the sender assumed that journalists know what wage theft is.  Second, they may not have taken the time, or knew how, to embed video into an email.

While both mistakes are understandable, they aren't excusable.  As we've covered in this space many times before, journalists are two things; busy and lazy.  Yes, it sounds like a contradiction, but it's not.  Reporters, editors and producers already have a ton of work to do.  They either won't want to, or don't have time to open up external links or attached files.  If you want a journalist to look at your video, read your release or peruse your article, then you have to put it directly into the body of your email.

You really have to make it as simple as possible for them to get and digest the information quickly.  One stop shopping is the way to go.  Don't make them go to YouTube, or take tha chance that whatever file you've attached doesn't come with a virus.  Yes, it's only one extra click, but that extra click can be the difference between getting news coverage and ending up in the ignore pile.

Speak The Language:

Now about the other miscue, assuming that journalists were already aware of "wage theft", well, that's an entirely different beast.

As a small business owner or non-profit director, you deal with your particular cause, service or product on a daily basis.  You know all aspects about what your organization does, from top to bottom and from all angles.  No one knows as much as you do when it comes to your business or non-profit.  On one hand, this makes you the perfect person to go forth and spread your message.  On the other hand, this intimate knowledge can be a real handicap as well.

For instance, the individual who sent the above press release is most likely so involved with the issue of wage theft that it is almost inconceivable to him that very few people actually know what wage theft is.

This has been an issue with many of the clients I work with as well.  Whether it's a restaurant, a storage company or any number of non-profits, each of them simply assume that everyone is already aware of their business or cause.

This assumption negatively impacts how you present your information.  Because we all know that brevity works when dealing with the public, corners are cut and vital information is often left out.  This is the kind of information that, while well known to those close to the business or cause, isn't readily known outside of those circles.  Thus, you end up sending a release that focuses on your upcoming event, without actually describing what your business or cause is all about.

More than that, BECAUSE you are so well versed in your cause or business, you ultimately end up using language that is either confusing or is a turn-off to the public at large.

When dealing with one of my current clients, we have gone round and round over the type of words used to describe pets without homes.  To the public at large, homeless pets are feral.  But within the circles of animal rescue and care, feral has a very specific meaning.  That means we have to use both "homeless" AND "feral" in all of our releases.  It might seem like a little thing, but it's extra words that can ultimately confuse readers.

Another instance involves the upcoming holiday season.  When it was proposed to promote proper care for new pets given as presents, the client had a problem because so many pets will likely come from breeders, something the client is opposed to.  The problem is, the public doesn't care, thousands of new pets WILL come from breeders this holiday season.  Simply by talking about holiday pets won't increase the number of pets purchased from breeders.  But by avoiding the topic altogether, the client would have missed an opportunity to talk about spaying and neutering for all these new pets and wouldn't have had a platform to discuss spaying and neutering in general.

This problem can be seen in every walk of life.  Engineers, chefs, computer programmers, non-profits of every stripe.  When putting together your press releases, when posting items on your various social media platforms, keep in mind that the public at large isn't familiar with your acronyms, your technical speak, your specific definitions.

Combating The Problem:

It's not easy to step back and see the bigger picture.  In most cases, you don't have that luxury.  You're so busy handling the daily details of your organization, you are essentially immersed in every aspect of your organization.  So when it comes to putting together your release or posting on Facebook or Tweeting, here are some ways you can make sure your knowledge doesn't get in the way of your success:

1.  An extra set of eyes - Get someone you trust to go over your releases before sending them out.  Make sure this is someone who isn't as familiar with your organization as you are.  By getting someone to represent the public at large, you can make sure your message isn't lost, hindered or obfuscated by technical language or terms that only you will understand.


2.  Dont' get caught up in the minutae - Yes, to you, the minutae matters, it has to in order to be successful.  But too much minutae will turn away followers.  They don't care about the difference between "homeless" and "feral" or between "hoagie" and "grinder".  You also don't have to explain every little thing, just the overview.  Make sure your basic message is received in the simplest and most understandable manner possible.

3.  Don't forget the bottom line - In the end, you want others to understand, appreciate and support your business or non-profit.  The public wants value and you have to show them why your organization gives them that value.  Don't worry about every little thing, focus on explaining, briefly what you do or what you're about, and what you can do for them.  If you can adhere to these two basic elements, you're releases and your postings will be successful.

You have a passion about your organization, that makes sense.  But if you don't step back and simplify and clarify your message, your efforts will result in failure.  Just keep in mind that you have to explain in short simple terms what your business, product, service or cause is all about and then explain why you bring value to the public.  It's not hard to do, unless, of course, you're just too close to the subject matter to see the forest for the trees.

A view from the other side:

One of the most important things anyone dealing with the media needs to learn is the thought process of producers, reporters and editors.  Sometimes, it's not as easy as it sounds.  Listen, it's not rocket science, but, like a lot of other professions, one can't REALLY understand someone's thought processes until they "walk a mile in their shoes," so to speak.

Of course, it's impossible for everyone to spend time working in a newsroom (although I, and many others think it SHOULD be requirement for PR professionals, but that's another issue).  Heck, most people wouldn't want to work in news.  It can be boring at times, terrifying at others, there is tedium, long hours and to make up for it all, few people are getting rich working in local news.

One of my goals when starting this blog was to help small business owners and non-profits understand a little better HOW newsrooms operate, what kind of pressures they work under and the thoughts and decision processes used by most journalists.

To that end, I offer this article.  It comes from Shoptalk, a popular media website and email newsletter that comes out every day.  The article is written by Doug Drew and I think it gives some incredible insight into how producers book guests for their shows. 

Keys to Booking Guests

Guests are often trying to promote something other than your primary objective.
The producer of the Howard Stern show, Gary Dell'Abate, recently appeared on David Letterman's The Late Show, telling Dave that if Stern was a good guy on the radio "we would have no where to work." It was a great interview with lots of insight into Howard Stern and his shock radio show. It was about an 8 minute interview, lengthy by late night talk show standards, and not until the very end did Letterman let Dell'Abate plug the real reason he was on the show, to promote his new book They Call Me Baba Booey.

The plug goes at the end of the segment
I am sure Dell'Abate's agent or publisher pitched The Late Show to book Dell' Abate as a guest. In fact, most guests who appear on television are booked through a PR agency who sent a press release to the station. Television stations are inundated with people trying to get on TV to promote their product, their book, their movie, their concert, their community event, their restaurant, etc. Some of these make great guests, but just remember whose show it is. Accomplish your goals first, and get them to hold their plug for the end of the interview.

It's easy to book a guest who comes in the door through an agency or a press release. You simply call the contact person on the release, and select a date for the appearance.

Guests are given valuable airtime
But too often that is where the planning stops, and it can't be that way. Too many producers simply pick up the press release, call the contact person, agree on a date, and viola, the segment is booked! But it's not just about filling time. You are giving these people incredible amounts of airtime. It's time they very likely couldn't afford to buy if they were going through the sales department. So, they should be willing to do whatever it is you want, within reason.

Dan Aykroyd is making the local TV circuit, his agent offering him as a guest to pitch his new Vodka. Aykroyd is a great guest, but if not planned properly he will simply come in and do a commercial. Instead, think why you would want to have him as a guest. You'd want to talk to him about his movie career, and about the new Ghostbusters movie that is in the works. You have to make it clear to the contact, that you'd love to have Aykroyd as a guest, but that you will start off talking about his movies, and at the end, he can talk about his new Vodka. It's a win-win for everyone.

Charities must follow the same rule
If the Cancer Society wants to come in and talk about it's upcoming fundraiser, that's fine, but you don't want the Executive Director on as a guest. You want a cancer survivor on to talk about what it's like to deal with the devastating disease. Remember, what you want are real people with interesting stories to tell, while the charities are trying to promote an event. It's your show, demand a real person and promise you will promote the event at the end.

Make the PR agency do all the work
Put the people who write the press releases and the PR agencies who are pitching guests to work. Tell them that their clients can come on the show, but only if they do it your way. If they don't want to play, then they don't get on. Believe me, most will agree to your requests. Have the agency do all the work. If they are pitching new toys for kids, tell them that they have to have all the toys on set, plus they need 5 kids to test the toys and are willing to talk to your hosts about what they like or don't like about the toys. Make the PR agency come up with all the props and children.

Bottom line
Make the guests and their agencies do the heavy lifting. They do the work, and you get a great segment. These guests don't get on your show unless they do it they way you want. It's a win-win for everyone.

Take a moment and re-read that "Bottom line" paragraph.  I think it sums up fairly well what works when trying to get yourself booked with a news program.  I've mentioned it before, but I think it's worth going over again. 

Producers, editors and reporters are busy folks working under tight, tight deadlines.  The more you do to help them, the better your chances of being booked as a guest.  More importantly, if you get booked once, and you prove that you can speak their language, understand their time constraints and deliver with a quality, interesting guest, they won't hesitate to book you again.

In essence, what this article is telling journalists is that they basically hold all the cards.  Having been on the PR side for several years now, I'd like to dispute that point, but I really can't.  They ARE offering you a chance to appear on television or in print and get valuable airtime to spread your message or promote your event, product or services.

Certainly you are offering something of value to the newsrooms as well.  But it's a very rare and fortunate few that can call their own shots when trying to be booked as a guest on any television program. 

Two very important things to remember:

If you take nothing else from this article, you should remember two very important points made about the purpose and kinds of guests being booked. 

1.  The purpose of the guest is NOT to give a commercial, but to provide entertainment or valuable information to the audience.


2.  Always look for the more compelling guest.  In other words, don't take the PR spokesman or the executive director, when a more compelling interview subject is there for the taking.

This holds particularly true for non-profits, as mentioned in the article.  If you run a non-profit dedicated to improving schools in low-income areas, then it's much more interesting to hear from a student or a teacher discuss the challenges and difficulties and victories of everyday life at the school, than to listen to the non-profit director extoll the virtues of the program.  People want real, they want gritty, they want emotion.  They want stories, told by the people who are living those stories.  They DON'T want to hear from spokesperson who isn't on the front lines of the problem and recanting stories second-hand.

This is the kind of information you have to put into your releases and pitch paragraphs.  Let the journalists know immediately what the story is, then follow up by letting them know who the interview subject will be.  The more compelling the interview subject, the better your chances of getting booked.

What this means:

This means you have to prepare, you have to train, you have to practice.  In other words, if you're trying to book your business or non-profit as an interview subject either on a local TV news show or in your local paper, you might have to offer up someone other than yourself to actually be interviewed. 

This can be tricky, because, frankly, who knows more about your messages, your business, your organization and its overall goals than you do?  Whoever you offer up has to be well-versed in your messages.  They have to be comfortable being interviewed, both on camera and off.  They have to know what to say, how to say it and when to say it. 

You will want to spend time going over all of these things before letting them loose in a newsroom.  They will have to make sure they get your messages across without having it sound like a commercial, they will have to be able to tell their story in a concise and compelling manner and they will have to remember to make sure to plug whatever service, event or product your pitching at the end of the segment.

To that end, you will want to remind the journalists why your guest is there.  You can do this simply by sending an email thanking them for allowing you to appear on the show to promote your subject matter.  During this email you will want to make sure you include your address, the time and location of the event, the correct spelling of the product and of course, the correct spelling of your organization and the person being interviewed.  You might also want to provide any photos or video you have, plus put together any lists you have that is associated with the interview that could be used as full cover graphics. 

If you couch this in the spirit of trying to be helpful and providing information, the journalist won't be offended.  You're simply trying to make sure there are no mistakes and that both parties walk away from the interview satisfied.

One of the biggest issues I hear about is a business or non-profit complaining about how the news misspelled a name or didn't get something right during the interview.  When I ask them if they had followed up with the newsroom BEFORE the interview, 99-percent of the time, the answer is no. 

Journalists KNOW you want to get exposure, and they're okay with that as long as they get a quality interview segment out of it as well.  They won't take offense and they will appreciate any ideas or extras you throw their way to make the segment more interesting both informationally and visually.

So, in the future, if in doubt, take a moment and re-read this article if you have any questions about what kind of guests a newsroom might be looking for.  Then go out and make sure you are able to provide a journalist with everything they might need for a good segment.  If you can't, rethink making your pitch, or rework it from the ground up.  If you can offer them what they want, then go forward and begin pitching.  If you can do this, journalists will love you and you'll find yourself being called upon again in the future for more interviews.  And that's never a bad thing.