Public Relations For Dummies

Eric Yaverbaum, best-selling author and managing partner of LIME public relations + promotions, has more than 20 years' experience and clients such as IKEA, TCBY, and Progressive Insurance.Bob Bly and Ilise Benun are both New York communications professionals.

• Foreword xxiiiIntroduction 1About This Book 2Conventions Used in This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 3How This Book is Organized 3Part I: PR: What It Is, How It Works 4Part II: Brainstorming and Thinking Creatively 4Part III: Putting the Wheels in Motion 4Part IV: Choosing the Right Medium for Your Message 4Part V: Creating Buzz 5Part VI: The Part of Tens 5Appendix 5Icons Used in This Book 6Where to Go from Here 6Part I: PR: What It Is, How It Works 7Chapter 1: The Power of PR 9Who Needs PR, Anyway? 10Beyond Stunts: The Real Value of PR 11The Relationship between PR and the Media 12Publicity Plus: The Many Components of PR 14What PR is Not 15Marketing: The four Ps 15Paying for advertising while PR is (practically) free 16Key Audiences PR Can Reach 18The Changing Role of PR in the Marketing Mix Today 19Assessing Your Situation: How to Tell When PR is the Missing (Or Weak) Ingredient 20Chapter 2: X-Raying the PR Process 23Pre-Planning Steps 23Using Research to Shape the Process 23Defining Your Goals and Objectives 25Working Out the Plan Details 25Putting together the PR plan 26Budgeting to get the job done 27Devising Winning PR Concepts: The Four Essential Elements 28Newsmaking 28Commercial message 29Media target 30Audience target 31Sharpening Ideas to Form Creative Promotions 32Assessing PR Ideas: Will It Work? 34Controlling Time and Chance 35Chapter 3: Hiring Professional PR Help 37Getting Help 37Advertising agencies 38Public relations agencies 38Freelancers 42Graphic design studios 43Web designers 43Search engine specialists 44Getting the Most out of Hired Help 44Part II: Brainstorming and Thinking Creatively 47Chapter 4: Setting Up Your PR Department and Program 49Picking the PR Team 49Defining the Scope of Your Authority 50Integrating PR with the Rest of Your Business 51Setting Up the PR Command and Control Center 52Getting in gear 52Creating and maintaining a media contact list 55Targeting Your PR Efforts 56Industry 57Size of company 57Location 59Job function or title of prospect within the company 60Application or use of your product 60Channels of distribution 61Affinity groups 62Users of specific devices, products, machines, systems, or technologies 63Buying habits 63Chapter 5: Formulating Ideas 65Giving New Ideas a Chance 65Creating Profitable PR Programs 66Step 1: Clearly establish the goals of a PR program 66Step 2: Assemble pertinent facts 67Step 3: Gather general knowledge 67Step 4: Look for combinations 67Step 5: Sleep on it 67Step 6: Use a checklist 69Step 7: Get feedback 69Step 8: Team up 70Finding Other Ways to Turn on the Light Bulb 70Chapter 6: Using PR Tactics 73Going Where the Cameras Are 73Creating a Tie-in to a TV Show or Movie 74Spotlighting the Product 74Staging a Contest 75Working for a Worthy Cause 77Tying In to a Holiday 77Conducting a Survey 78Staging an Event 80Making Them Laugh 80Waging a Trade-in Campaign 81Creating a Character 81Using Viral Marketing 82Part III: Putting the Wheels in Motion 83Chapter 7: Creating a Company Newsletter 85Meeting Internal Needs: The Employee Newsletter 86Staying in Touch with Your External Audience 87Reaching a busy audience 87Knowing what’s newsworthy 87Deciding on Size and Frequency 88Creating a Mailing List 89Designing Your Company Newsletter 90Making some design decisions 90Putting together your newsletter 91Using the Company Newsletter as a Marketing Tool 93Creating an e-mail newsletter 93Integrating print and e-mail newsletters 94Making your e-mail newsletter a must-read 94Chapter 8: Putting Your Message in Writing: The Press Release 97Writing a Press Release That Gets Picked Up by Media 98At the top 99The headline act and the lead role 99Body building 100Putting News in Your News Releases 102Using a Press Release Checklist 104Deciding How to Send Press Releases 105Chapter 9: Writing and Placing Feature Articles 107Getting Exposure in Feature Articles 108Avoiding beginners’ mistakes 108Coming up with ideas for articles 109Selecting the Right Magazine 111Finding the best target for articles 112Avoiding puffery 114Approaching editors one at a time 114Making the Initial Contact 114Writing a Query Letter 115Querying the editor 115Getting the query letter written 116Using illustrations or photos 120Following up on your query 120Writing a Pitch Letter 122Getting the Editor’s Go-Ahead 125Placing Articles Online 126Chapter 10: Promoting Yourself through Public Speaking 129Reaching Key Audiences through Public Speaking 129Finding speaking opportunities 130Choosing the right talk 131Screening speaking invitations 132Negotiating your promotional deal 133Preparing and Delivering Your Presentation 135Organizing your presentation 136Mastering the three parts of a talk 136Timing it right 138Using Visual Aids 140Thinking twice about audiovisual aids 141Giving your audience a handout 141Using the “green sheet” method 142Capturing Attendee Names for Your Prospect Database 144Part IV: Choosing the Right Medium for Your Message 145Chapter 11: Getting Your Message Out 147Compiling a Personal Contact List 147Developing a Mass Media List 148Distributing Materials to the Media 149Getting to Know Global PR 149Taking cultural differences into account 150Keeping up with different media 150Selecting PR Media 151Reaching Reporters the Right Way 152Turning the Press into a Client 152Breaking through the PR Clutter 153Using the surround strategy 153Having a go-to guy 154Offering an exclusive 155Tying in to an existing story 155Using timing in your favor 156Following Up: The Media Blitz 156Working Your ABC Lists 157Separating Advertising and Editorial 157Chapter 12: Handling the Media 159Meeting the Press 159Analyst meetings 160Media tours 161Press conferences 161Deskside briefings 162Becoming Savvy with Media Interviews 162Handling media interviews like a pro 162Framing your story 164Turning bad press into favorable coverage: The 15-10-15 formula 165Handling hostile interviewers 166Bettering your broadcast interviews 168Chapter 13: Tuning In to Radio 171Getting the Facts about Radio 172Looking at the Advantages of Radio over Other Media 172Taking Advantage of Satellite Radio 174Getting on the Radio 175Making a pitch for yourself 175Being an accessible expert 176Preparing for Airtime 177Boning up on your topic 178Putting together a tip sheet 178Being interviewed at home 179Making a Good Impression during the Interview 179Handling surprise gracefully 180Don’t make product pitches on the air 181Chapter 14: Getting PR on the Tube 183Understanding How TV PR Differs from Print 183Sorting Out the TV Shows 185Targeting a Specific Show for Your PR Campaign 186Preparing Your TV Media Kit 187Article reprints 188Media alerts 188Prepared footage 190Satellite feed services 191Video news releases 192Pitching Your Story to Producers 192Doing TV PR on a Shoestring 193Getting a Tape of Your Guest Appearance 194Chapter 15: Getting More Ink (Print Isn’t Dead Yet) 197Cracking the Journalists’ Secret 197Knowing What Not to Do 198Catching an Editor’s Eye with a “Creative” Press Release 200Using a “Hook” to Snare Attention 201Free-booklet press release 202Special event, gimmick, or timely issue 204New-product press release 206Tie-in with current fad, event, or news 208Survey-results press release 208Trade-in press release 208Call-to-action press release 211Chapter 16: Going Public in Cyberspace: Your Web Site 213Designing a Media-Friendly Web Site 213Company background/history 214Key management 215Press release archive 215Financial information 216Product/service catalog 216Article/white paper library 216Trade show list 217Locations/facility information 217Avoiding “Speed Traps” on Your Web Site 217Ensuring Your Site is User-Friendly 218Understanding the Three Cs of E-Success 220Designing a Sticky Web Site 221Brainstorming More Ways to Make a Profit Online 222Driving Traffic to Your Web Site 224Making sure search engines can find your Web site 225Keying in to keywords 227Using paid search (or pay per click) 228Chapter 17: Getting a Grip on New Technology — Blogs, Webcasting, and Podcasting 231Using Blogs for PR 231Monitoring the blogs in your industry 232Pitching to blogs 235Creating your own blog 237Using a blog for business 238Podcasting 242Keeping in touch with the media via podcasts 242Getting started with podcasting 243Webcasting 244Part V: Creating Buzz 245Chapter 18: Getting Hits from Buzz Marketing and Viral Marketing 247Understanding the Difference between Buzz Marketing and Viral Marketing 247Examining the Effectiveness of Buzz Marketing 248Boning Up on Basic Buzz Techniques 249Educating people about your products and services 249Identifying people most likely to share their opinions 249Providing tools that make it easier to share information 251Studying how, where, and when opinions are being shared 251Listening and responding to supporters and detractors 252Determining the Right Moment for Buzz 252Generating More Exposure with Buzz Marketing 253Identifying Brand Evangelists and Terrorists 255Taking advantage of evangelists 255Dealing with brand terrorists 258Leveraging the Web and E-Mail for Maximum Buzz 259Measuring and Tracking Buzz 260Meeting the Legends of Buzz 261Chapter 19: Staging Publicity Events 263Drawing Crowds and Gaining Publicity 264Setting a Budget and Figuring the Cost 265Controlling Event Costs 266Determining Your Event’s Theme and Concept 267Planning the Event and Logistics 269Publicizing Your Event 270Measuring Event Results 271Chapter 20: Spotting and Seizing Opportunities 273Remembering the Importance of Timing 273Reacting to Current News and Events 274Looking for an Opening 275Getting Messages Noticed Quickly 277Chapter 21: Knowing What to Do in a PR Crisis 279Defining a PR Crisis 279Developing a Crisis Management Plan 280Identifying a crisis 281Assessing and reviewing the crisis 281The crisis communications team meeting 282Planning a crisis response 282Communicating with key publics 282Remembering the Rules in a Crisis 283Demonstrating Care and Compassion 284Thinking of Every Crisis as a Red Alert 285Managing a Crisis with Success 285Chapter 22: Evaluating PR Results 287Measuring by Advertising Equivalency 288Making Media Impressions 289Using Key Message Points 290Market Research Isn’t Always the Answer 291Watching the Word Spread: Hiring Clipping Services 292Measuring Inquiries and Sales 293Taking the Long View of PR Success 295Demonstrating Viability of the PR Department (Even in a Crunch) 296Part VI: The Part of Tens 297Chapter 23: The Ten Greatest PR Coups of All Time 299Lucky Strike 299John D. Rockefeller 300Tylenol 301Bill Clinton’s 1992 Presidential Campaign 301The New VW Beetle 302Cabbage Patch Kids 303Domino’s Pizza Meter 303IBM Big Blue versus Gary Kasparov 304Gillette Sensor Razor 305Howard Stern and Sirius Satellite Radio 305Chapter 24: Ten Myths about PR — Debunked 307Press Releases Don’t Work Anymore 307“Legitimate” Media Snub PR 308Printed PR Doesn’t Work without Follow-Up 308You Need “Contacts” to Get Publicity 309Editors Want to Be Wined and Dined 309Snail Mail is Awful; Overnight Delivery Services and Fax Work Great 310You Can’t Buy PR with Advertising 311Every Fact Reported in the Media is Checked and Verified 311Getting Publicity is a Matter of Luck and Timing 312It Doesn’t Take A Lot of Time 312Chapter 25: Ten Reasons to Do PR 313You’re a Little Fish in a Big Pond 313Your Product or Service is the Best — and Nobody Knows about It 314Your Product or Service Isn’t Better than Anyone Else’s 314Management Cuts Your Marketing Communications Budget 315Management Demands Tangible Results from Marketing Expenditures 316Traditional Marketing Isn’t Working as Well as It Used To 316Your Competitors Get All the Good Press 317You Need Venture Capital 317You Are Media-Genic 317You Really Enjoy Working with the Media 318Chapter 26: Ten Things You Should Never Do in the Name of PR 319Lie or Mislead 319Stonewall 319Procrastinate 320Be Inaccessible 320Offer a Bribe 321Turn Up Your Nose 321Bore People 322Be a “No Man” 322Sacrifice Long-Term Relationships for Short-Term Results 324Behave Unethically 324Chapter 27: Ten Steps to Better PR Writing 327Organizing! 327Knowing Your Reader 329Shunning “Corporatese” 329Avoiding Long Sentences 331Using Short, Simple Words 332Sidestepping “Writer’s Block” 333Defining the Topic 334Gathering Lots of Information 335Writing, and Then Rewriting, Rewriting 335Being Consistent 336Appendix: Recommended Resources 337Index 343

"…the ideas herein will make your creative mind fly for sure!" (TamsPalm Blog, September 2006)