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December 2, 2009
Get rich quick:How you can use rich media webcasting!
Get rich quick:
How you can use rich media webcasting!
http://www.catapultpr-ir.com/Files/Tactics_Nov09_final_p22.pdf
October 14, 2009
Consider Your Content
In the era of self publishing, quality writing is key to getting pick up in both print and online publications. With shrinking editorial staff, news releases are often printed as published or only reworked slightly. Well written content will be more likely to be used, since it saves editorial effort.
http://www.catapultpr-ir.com/blog/
September 11, 2009
Costly Errors
Far too many companies put out news releases containing spelling or grammar mistakes. Poorly written news releases, regardless of the news value they may contain, are a reflection of the entire company. Distributing a sloppily prepared release indicates to journalists that the company does not have high professional standards. Consider having a professional writer or PR firm work on your news releases. The end result will be well-crafted releases that grab the media’s attention, and cast your company in a positive light.
http://www.catapultpr-ir.com/blog/
July 7, 2009
Hold the Attachments
The proliferation of computer viruses and worms has made everyone leery of opening email attachments, even if the message is from someone they know. Some magazines have installed software that automatically removes attachments before forwarding the message to the intended recipient, but more often than not the entire email will simply be deleted. What that means for PR professionals is that they should always paste their releases in the body of their emails when sending them out to reporters. If there’s an image to go with the release, let them know that artwork is available upon request.
June 24, 2009
Alma Maters matter
If you are sending a news release from your organization that features a member, employee, board member, staff, etc. of your organization, remember to send the release to the alma mater(s) and hometown media of the person featured. This will help expand visibility of your organization to many other outlets and readers gain further visibility of your organization’s featured person, helping to further spread your news.
June 11, 2009
Advisory or News Release?
Not sure if your news should be in the form of a media advisory or news release? Here are a couple of guidelines to follow:
A media advisory is usually an alert sent to the press about an upcoming event. It describes Who, What, When, Where and How the event will take place in the form of brief paragraphs.
A news release is a more descriptive piece about a new product, personnel or newsworthy change within a company.
March 3, 2009
Seasoned Executives need media training too
CEO’s often feel they don’t need media training because they are in the public eye frequently. This can be a pitfall due to the fact that they often are caught off guard by the questions a determined reporter can ask regarding a launch. Media training can assure a polished, complete story is presented to the press.
November 28, 2008
Staying on Message Wins Again
All of us have just experienced one of the most compelling, exhilarating and exhausting election cycles (PR campaigns) in history. While the pundits re-hash and analyze every detail of the results, those in the PR and marketing community should take note that the campaign that stayed true to its core message – from start to finish – was victorious. In an age when companies can and do change messaging on a whim, usually in reaction to competitive, market or global developments (how many of you are developing your “our solution helps customers during the economic downturn” story?), it’s important to resist the temptation to endlessly tinker with core positioning and messaging. For president-elect Barack Obama and his campaign, the core, simple message of “Change” provided the foundation to articulate both the candidate’s vision and his positioning off of his opponent. It also provided the consistency and focus that kept an entire organization, from candidate and senior advisors all the way down to thousands of citizen volunteers, marching to a singular, constant drumbeat that the McCain team could never drown out.
During a recent edition of 60 Minutes Obama campaign director David Plouffe said it best: “The great thing about our campaign was we didn’t have a lotta discussion about what our message was or what he wanted to do,” Plouffe said. “From the beginning, he knew exactly what he wanted to say. And it’s one of the reasons we were successful. A lotta campaigns will spend hours every day wondering about how to change their message. And he was pretty clear about what he wanted to say, where he wanted to take the country, and either people would accept it or they wouldn’t.”
What’s your core message? Have you seen great success stories like Obama and Clinton (It’s the Economy Stupid!)? Or, have you bared witness to the opposite?
Tags: catapult pr
obama
pr
pr campaigns
September 23, 2008
Keep Everyone Informed
Have regular informational meetings with your PR firm or department so that every newsworthy event is recognized. Events that could be publicized are often passed by or discovered by PR and marketing departments too late to be utilized by the media. Some events an executive may not see as important could be newsworthy and support the company’s PR goals. Provide frequent updates so that these items are recognized.
September 18, 2008
Leveraging Editorial Calendars for PR Opportunities
Editorial calendars are published by every trade publication and offer a great way to see what editors will cover in upcoming issues. Editorial calendars are included in a magazine’s media kit to help advertisers better schedule their promotions. If used correctly, editorial calendars provide a great avenue for PR because you can pitch story ideas in line with the topics you know will be covered by the magazine.
Every magazine has different editorial calendar guidelines. Monthlies usually work anywhere from one to four months in advance of items listed. Weeklies, on the other hand, work ahead only one to four weeks. Once you’ve identified an item, find out who’s assigned to write the story and when they’ll be working on the article. Then, with a quick email or call, make contact with the writer to briefly introduce your company and how it can be a source.
