The PR Surprise: You Never Know Who's Watching?

What makes public relations so fascinating is the unexpected. Once you get the story out there, you never know who is going to see, hear or read it. It can result in totally surprising and unanticipated results.

I always start a campaign with certain objectives in mind. I have a target market I want to reach and I have some objective that I want to achieve. But because of the powerful nature of the media, I have witnessed some amazing results that neither I nor my clients envisioned. I have seen companies and careers built in record time, have had clients offered their own radio and TV shows after having been seen on the media. I've had clients offered positions in other companies, larger companies have offered buy-outs or mergers, and one client was offered complete financing on a new business venture after appearing on one talk show.

One client was getting ready to self publish a book, but the media we garnered help catch the eye of a major publisher. A deal was struck and the book was published.

I'd love to say that I had intentionally masterminded all of these results, but I’m generally as surprised as my clients when these offers and proposals come in. That's what makes it so fascinating. When you start a campaign, you have your objectives, your target markets and your benchmarks, but, you never know who's watching or listening, and you never know where that last story or interview will lead you.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

Keep Your Message Focused and On Target

Keep your message targeted and focused. You may be well versed on a number of topics, but believe me, you don't want to pitch the media a Chinese menu.

Generally when people assure me that they can discuss everything, I find they have real trouble focusing on anything. Generalists tend to remain just that.

The media wants an expert. They want someone who is an authority, someone who is well versed on a certain topic or in a particular field.

Be specific. Sharpen your story. You may have numerous talents, you may have several stories to tell, but don't try to tell them all at once. You don't want a one-note campaign, but you do have to play each note individually. If you slam all of the piano keys down at once, you get noise. What you're looking for is melody, music. You can tell your stories, just tell them sequentially.

Come up with five or six different topics or hooks that you can honestly address. Now put them in order. Prioritize them. Don't pitch them all at once. Not only can it lead you away from your goal and into fantasyland, it can also alienate those around you, including the media.

Be realistic. You're not doing this to satisfy your ego needs, but to build your business. Don't worry about not being able to discuss all the various topics that are near and dear to your heart. If you keep at it, chances are you'll get to them, eventually.

Right now you're developing hooks, story ideas. Eventually you can broaden your scope and move the focus to other topics.

Be patient. Develop your stories, outline the particulars, be specific, and don't be a master of everything. Otherwise you'll be left alone up there in genius-land with no one to talk to.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2006

For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

Authors and the PR Blues

So you finally did it. You wrote that book you've been threatening to write, sent it to publishers, amassed a mountain of rejection slips, but finally found that right publisher. Your manuscript was accepted. You're going to be a published author. Great - you can now turn your attention to your next book. Your first books finished; your publisher will take care of everything from here on in, right? Surprise!

At my firm, we run the gamut when it comes to representing authors, from self-published, first-time writers to writers who have landed multi-book deals with major publishers and, I am sad to report, the one common link among all the authors we work with is that, unless their names happen to be Anne Rice, Stephen King, or Tom Clancy, very few seem to receive much support.

It would be easy to blame the publishing company's media relations departments, but that's not the problem. Most publishing companies have slashed their in-house staffs and their publicists are overloaded. Every month, up to thirty books are dumped on one or two in-house publicists.

It's an impossible task. What has happened is that many in-house departments have been reduced to little more than direct marketing departments. They send out books, press kits and press releases and hope for the best. They have neither the time nor the man power to make follow-up calls. And unless you have name recognition or have written a shocking expose that the entire world is waiting to read, chances are you and your book will get lost in the shuffle.

Whether you are self publishing or are publishing your book through a major house, this is one instance where I strongly recommend you hire a firm that understands book media relations to implement your campaign. Although some books are evergreen some are time sensitive. This is one time you don't have the luxury of learning as you go.

Although you hope that your book will become a classic and continue to sell throughout the years, your book has a shelf life. You need to launch an effective campaign even before it's published. If you want to have it reviewed, you need to send a copy of your book, or the galleys, to reviewers, often as long as three months before the publication date. Once it's published, you immediately want to hit the local media, the talk shows, and the national press.

One area you definitely want to focus on is national and regional radio. There are hundreds of regional and local radio talk shows and current event-oriented programs that feature books and authors. These interviews are almost always conducted over the phone. You can be at home in your bathrobe, discussing your book, while thousands of people listen.

If you are publishing with a major house, view your publisher primarily as a printer and distributor and assume that all of the responsibility for securing for your book rests firmly on your weary shoulders. If your publisher actually launches a campaign for you, that's great, but don't count on it. You don't have the luxury of being wrong. If you assume the media relations will be done for you and it's not, by the time you discover your error, it will be too late.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2007

For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

The Genesis of Emotional Branding

Emotional branding is considered by some to be a relatively unique field, yet in the PR world we have been using it for years. The PR process is not only effective as a media placement tool, innovative companies and entrepreneurs are utilizing the basic methodology, understanding that it is one of the most powerful and effective brand building tools available. A company builds a lasting successful brand by developing and creating an effective story. It is not about the hard-sell, or being the biggest, or the flashiest, or even the coolest; it is about making a deep powerful connection, about communicating on a basic human level

Having worked as a journalist, editor and producer, I know from the media’s perspective what makes a powerful and compelling story. Having served as president and CEO of Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. for over sixteen years, I also know from the perspective of a public relations consultant what creates a story the media will respond to.

The two criteria are generally quite similar. For a story to work it must be engaging, interesting and hit a basic human core, and public relations is the only form of marketing that lives or dies on how compelling the story truly is. Unlike advertising, with PR you cannot pay to have a story placed in the editorial section of the media (well, at least it shouldn’t work that way). You must craft and pitch a story compelling enough to capture the media’s attention – a story that in essence is strong enough to become the news.

PR is a process and using that process is the most effective and powerful way to create and develop an effective brand. Generally companies have turned to marketing firms to build their brands and whereas these firms can be effective, it is the PR mindset and methodology that truly creates the most powerful and lasting brands. As a PR Consultant my job is to communicate, to be a consummate and effective storyteller, which is what branding is all about. A successful brand tells a company’s story both emotionally and narratively, which is why PR consultants who truly understand the process are the most effective brand creators around.

PR Starter Programs for Start-Ups & Entrepreneurs

If you're at the point where you need some media coverage, but can't afford to retain the services of a firm, what are your options? Well, you can try and launch a campaign yourself, come up with your stories, write your releases, build a media list, contact the media, etc. It's not an impossible task, but it can be a daunting one, particularly for someone with no PR or media experience.

In my book, Spin to Win, I outline the steps you can take to start your own PR campaign. But, as I mention in the book, if you can afford to hire a firm, do so. Your job is to run your company, not to launch a media campaign. Throughout my years in the industry, I've found that there is a large number of business owners and professionals who cannot afford to launch a full-scale campaign, but have neither the time nor the inclination to learn the ins-and-outs of launching their own campaign. These professionals need to get media coverage for their business, but how? After hearing the story of countless of business professionals who were raring to go, but just couldn't afford to commit to a full-blown campaign, I decided that offering PR Starter Programs was the obvious alternative. These are not the equivalent of a full PR campaign and the same results cannot be expected, but they do offer options, ways to get you story to the media, while you continue to focus on your real job - running your business.

For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com