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