Media Training Tip #8: Be Short, Simple, Memorable

I spent most of the day yesterday with a correspondent from one of the network morning shows, who offered these words of advice for what he’s looking for in television interviews:

Make your answers short, make them simple and be memorable.

“That’s all we want,” he said, confirming the point we make during the taped mock interview segments of media training sessions. The correspondent knows how to shape the overall story, so the purpose of the interview is to locate that 7-second soundbite to drop in at the appropriate time. Metaphors are a good way to convey a simple point, he said.

Yesterday he taped hours of interviews. The result will be a segment on the national broadcast that’s expected to be about 1 minute 30 seconds, with about 7 seconds for the official spokesperson. So if you haven’t done so lately, schedule a media training session to ensure your spokespeople are aware of how this works and are ready with those brief and memorable soundbites.

Bye-Bye, BlogPotomac

Buzz had been stewing for the past week. Stewing that he lost both time and money, billable as well as oop. Stewing that he was an unwilling voyeur to a near day-long “insiders only” social media love fest. Stewing that, for the most part, he felt talked down to or talked around, dismissing or ignoring his own knowledge of and experience with social media.  

So, what is the source of this week-long stew, you ask?  Try the one-track June 12  BlogPotomac when at times, watching the flickering laptop screens was more interesting than listening to what was coming from the stage, with the exception of Shel Holtz and Ford’s Scott Monty who each offered valuable insights on their views, uses and thoughts on all things social media today as well as in the future.  Thank you guys.

Overall the day for Buzz was relatively low energy, low interest and low value – yes, even at $95.  An entire segment on personal branding? Come on. Others had a similar reaction, and it even carried over to the official Blog Potomac happy hour event.

As if to confirm this sentiment, event organizer Geoff Livingston announced that a third and final BlogPotomac will take place in October, and then five days later the Senior VP/Social Media at PR firm CRT/tanaka came out with this blog post with the headline: “Why a Final BlogPotomac: Social Media Really Is Dead.” Wow. Who knew?

Which got Buzz to thinking…as we see this shift to a new stage of social media with all the talk about ”rock stars” (yes, some actually say this!) and personal branding and how to handle this new-found ”fame,” why not develop and host a social media event that brings the conversation back to reality? Anyone out there want to join in?

LPGA Golfers Driving, Chipping and Twittering

We’re probably not going to see tweets like: ”Really nailed it with the driver, now thinking 7 or 8 iron,” or “Looking like this putt breaks left to right. Whaddya think, tweeps?”

 

No, the players at this week’s McDonald’s LPGA Championship in Havre de Grace, Md., (@McDsLPGA) won’t be tweeting on the course, but they’re getting a lot of attention – and encouragement from the top, including LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens – to continue engaging with fans before and after their rounds via Twitter.

We got a taste of their tweets last week when the State Farm Classic was played, and now we’ll get an insider’s view during their play just up I-95 at Bulle Rock. @AtlanticGolf (Sawmill client) is following all of them and we encourage others to do the same, as interaction between players and fans can only be good for the game! We counted 33 LPGA golfers on Twitter, including last year’s McDonald’s champion Yani Tseng, in photo, above (@YaniTseng on Twitter) who tells us via Twitter that she’s already had dinner with Taiwan Ambassador Jason Yuan and that Bulle Rock is in great shape, but watch out for the 4-inch rough!

Popular LPGA players on Twitter include Morgan Pressel (@MorganPressel), Paula Creamer (@ThePaulaCreamer), Michelle Wie (@TheMichelleWie), Natalie Gulbis (@Natalie_Gulbis) and Suzann Pettersen ( @SuzannPettersen)

For your convenience, here is a link to all the LPGA players on Twitter!

[Post republished with permission from the Atlantic Golf blog]

One Writer Says Twitter is Today’s CB Radio Fad, While Another Says It Will Change the Way We Live

This weekend I came across opposing views on Twitter through write-ups in two publications.

First, there’s Time magazine, which put Twitter on its cover with the headline “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live (in 140 characters or less)”, for a story written by Steven Johnson (@stevenbjohnson on Twitter). The issue is full of Twitter ideas and examples of best uses, especially for businesses, in the article titled: “10 Ways Twitter Will Change American Business.” Worth checking out, especially if you’re still skeptical.

On the other side of the keyboard is a column in The Business Monthly, a business newspaper serving the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. corridor. In the May issue, columnist Cliff Feldwick (he does not have a Twitter account) compares Twitter to the Citizen’s Band radio fad of the 1970s, under the headline “Pounding on the Keyboard: Twitter, Twitter, Good Buddy” Here is an excerpt:

“What started as a pretty good idea – lower-powered radios that companies or people could use to communicate freely in a local area – became a fad that spawned its own language and culture. And six months later, it spawned a rash of amazingly cheap used CB radios in yard sales. The pure banality of what most people were saying finally overtook the uniqueness of the trend and the craze died a quick death.

So as you see from the headline, it’s déjà vu all over again, this time with Twitter.”

So what do you think? Did Time whiff on this one, devoting page after page to a useless fad? Or has columnist Feldwick nailed it?

Social Media a Key Part of Company Success Stories

When three executives from some of the Baltimore region’s most successful companies got together this morning to share “good news” stories about profitability in the face of a recession, they also took the time to share thoughts about marketing.

And no, they didn’t talk trade shows, direct mail campaigns and press releases.

Try Facebook, Twitter and blogging strategies as the tools they’re focusing on, even if it’s to monitor what customers – and competitors – are doing, linking to, following and saying.

The Greater Baltimore Tech Council event, “Who’s Growing in 2009?” was emceed by Art Jacoby (in photo above, left)  featuring Tim Lorello, SVP and chief marketing officer for Telecommunication Systems, Inc. (also known as TCS), Michele Perry, chief marketing officer of Sourcefire, and Todd Johnson, president of Salar, Inc. (right). All three companies are in a strong growth mode, and marketing plays an important role.

But a pleasant surprise of the morning – at least for me – came when they talked about their use of social media and its emerging importance to their businesses. This was no social media how-to workshop where you’d expect that kind of talk. This was a business event and these unsolicited comments about social media’s value came straight from execs in the trenches.

Perry called this a time for “lots of learning and tracking…and numbers to watch” when it comes to social media, with time spent listening to what’s being said about Sourcefire and the industry. She also shared a powerful anecdote of the firm’s success with media interviews as a result of prompt response to Tweets by reporters needing sources for stories.  “It all happens within  half an hour,” emphasized Perry.

Lorello also acknowledged its importance and talked of winning awards, which leads to news coverage, which leads to results on the search engines, still the most important player in online marketing. Meanwhile, Salar, Inc. has a Facebook page (including pix from a recent Paintball outing) and a Twitter account, but the most efficient use of Web 2.0 tools are the industry blogs that have “10 times more credibility” than other sources, according to Johnson.

“It’s a wonderfully cheap way to market directly to our audience,” he said.

Before the Q and A session got underway, Jacoby, a notable business consultant, proclaimed that “social media is the next giant.”

Amen, Art.

P.S. Check out the blog post about the event written by Baltimore Sun tech reporter Gus Sentementes. It’s on his new blog just launched this week, BaltTech.

Golf Industry Addressing Perception Challenge

The reality really hit hard when federal legislation for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief bundled the golf industry with massage parlors on a list of entities excluded from the funding.

“So why is this a big deal?” said Charlie Birney, left, president of the National Golf Course Owners Association (and managing director with The Brick Companies, a Sawmill client and owner of Atlantic Golf). “Let’s see here… when an industry which has over a $70 billion impact is routinely bracketed with massage parlors in legislation – there may be a problem with how golf is perceived!”

Last week during National Golf Day, Birney and 50 others representing the industry visited with members of Congress and their staffs on Capitol Hill to deliver three key messages:

• Golf brings significant economic, environmental and human impact to our communities and country;
• Golf needs to be included among the many industries benefiting from key legislative initiatives such as disaster relief and economic stimulus legislation; and
• Golf brings value and impact to charities and the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.

The facts from PGA of America are impressive: More than 2 million people in the U.S. are employed in the golf industry with a total wage income of $61 billion, 28.7 million people play golf in the U.S. alone, and golf helps to raise aproximately $3.5 billion for charitable causes every year.

The visits to Capitol Hill are important, but there’s much more the industry can do to get the word out. An integrated campaign – from advertising to traditional PR to word-of-mouth-marketing and social media – is needed.  That last tactic is where many PR Buzzsaw readers can play a role. Atlantic Golf set up a Twitter account earlier this year (www.twitter.com/AtlanticGolf) and is engaged in a variety of conversations with fellow golf enthusiasts who tweet. The industry’s image could easily be among the topics discussed, so if you haven’t already, follow @AtlanticGolf and continue the dialogue.

Media Training Tip #11 – Integrate Crisis Communications Scenarios with Mock Interviews

Yesterday we completed a two-day media training session for an “institution of higher learning” in Maryland, and judging from the reactions of the participants, the time was well worth it, even for those who likely will not go before a camera. It opened their eyes to what goes on behind the scenes to help the media assemble a story – and get an organization’s messages delivered accurately and concisely. If you are considering a media training for your college or university, here are some thoughts to consider:

• We had great success integrating the college’s crisis communications plan with the media training. During mock interviews, participants rehearsed answers to potential questions about the H1N1 virus/swine flu, a fire in a campus building, an accusation against an accounting department employee and the crash of a van carrying a sports team. We’re all hoping nothing ever happens, but this college is prepared!
• We worked closely with the PR Department to create a customized program that met their unique needs. They shared with us that other media training firms they interviewed tried to sell them pre-packaged workshops that focused more on what to wear and other “style” pointers vs. a content-focused approach, which of course is more useful.
• The college president wisely asked that a range of personnel be exposed to the session. Not only were deans and others in leadership roles present, but so were staff members from a cross-section of departments, from security to the athletic department to purchasing.
• Each participant was offered the chance to go before the cameras twice. It was time-consuming, but one time is simply not enough. They viewed a tape of their initial appearance, received our constructive on-the-spot criticism and then tried again. Why not allow newbie mistakes to be made in the privacy of your conference room?
• Videotaping participants is more important than ever since many newspaper reporters are carrying video cameras with them these days.
• You should plan for a “refresher” session in about six months. This college has already planned a follow up, which will keep potential spokespeople comfortable and ready.

Ready for your session? Give us a call.

PRSA Maryland – PR and Twitter Links

Following are links that I referenced during today’s presentation on Twitter and PR at the PRSA Maryland Chapter workshop in Baltimore, Maryland. For the “2009 Guide to Baltimore Media on Twitter,” click on the “January” link on the right and scroll to the Jan. 1, 2009 blog entry.

Tools to locate followers:
www.wefollow.com
www.twellow.com
www.geofollow.com
www.twittergrader.com

Search tools:
www.tweetbeep.com
http://search.twitter.com
www.twazzup.com

Other useful resources:
Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter
Illustrated Guide to Using Twitter
40 Best Brands on Twitter

Media Relations Tip #1: Do Your Homework!

“Please do your homework before contacting me. At least know what I cover.”

These two sentences are nearly always the opening mantra of reporters talking on yet another panel of media seated before yet another gathering of PR professionals hoping for a tip that can catapult their e-mail pitches and follow up phone calls to the top of the reporter’s “must cover” list.

In a  sidebar to a story by Jennifer Nycz-Conner of the Washington Business Journal, she reminds us to “know what kinds of stories a reporter is drawn to.”  Or she as she so memorably writes, “you wouldn’t walk into a hardware store and ask for mascara.”

Recently, I got caught not doing my homework by an editor of a major trade publication covering an important client’s industry. Much to my chagrin, my pitch was absolutely out of line. If I had studied the online editions of the publication and then paused before hitting “send” I would have realized that they don’t cover what I was proposing and that the pitch was a waste of his time and attention.

However, he had the grace and professionalism to take the time to instruct me on his publication, including what it would take to get his attention. I got lucky, didn’t I?

I’m now in the process of re-tooling my pitch to him and feel confident that my second and corrected attempt will be a successful one. His magazine gets what it’s looking for and gets it exclusively, my client is thrilled with the prospect of coverage in this prestigious industry magazine and I believe I’ve learned the “mascara in a hardware store” lesson once and for all.

Tweet of the Week: Landing a Nice NPR Affiliate Hit

Not on Twitter? Here’s one reason it’s worthwhile – we landed a 20 minute interview on a local NPR affiliate, all via Twitter. No phone pitches. No press releases. No email. Host Mario Armstrong needed a guest due to a last minute cancellation. He sent out the tweet (below), we responded, and voila, client on the air for an extended interview.