Secondo la società di ricerca Parker, Wayne & Kent il 53% dei professionisti di relazioni pubbliche statunitensi ritiene che gli articoli e i servizi su carta abbiano un valore maggiore di quelli online, e afferma che quasi il 64% dei propri clienti preferisce la “copertura” cartacea rispetto a quella online.

Ragazzi, non ci siamo, se questa è una fotografia veritiera - e ho paura che lo sia - delle convinzioni dei professionisti di relazioni pubbliche del mercato più avanzato del mondo, c’è solo da vergognarsi. Significa che questi signori non hanno capito una cippa e difendono una professione che, su queste basi, ormai non esiste più da oltre un lustro (a essere molto ma molto generosi).

Technorati Tags:
media relations, pr 2.0, public relations

Tags: media, Media Relations, pr, Public Relations

1. Le frasi sono troppo lunghe, e la punteggiatura è - se va bene - messa a caso, per cui non aiuta a chiarire i contenuti. Prima di spedirlo, hai riletto il testo?

2. La descrizione dell’azienda è priva di significato: tutti sono leader di tutto (anch’io sono leader tra i professionisti italiani di relazioni pubbliche con barba e baffi, brevilinei, nati in Umbria e residenti in Lombardia). Vedi sopra.

3. Le dichiarazioni dei manager sono spesso senza senso: “Siamo felici di aver firmato il contratto di distribuzione con X, perché ci aiuterà ad aumentare la penetrazione nell’area Z”. L’alternativa cos’era: “Purtroppo, siamo stati costretti a firmare con X perché è l’unica azienda che ci ha preso in considerazione, anche se sappiamo già che non riuscirà a combinare granché nel segmento Z”?

4. Il testo contiene troppo “gergo” del settore: tutte le aziende, ormai, offrono bellissime “soluzioni”, ma non è chiaro a quali problemi. Per non parlare degli acronimi: SOA, SaaS, solo per incominciare. Oppure, “on demand”, senza specificare perché… Vuoi spiegare, per favore, perché utilizzi certi temini, o definisci alcune cose in modo diverso dagli altri esseri umani?

5. Il comunicato stampa è arrivato, e non era un gran ché, per cui l’ho cestinato (e fin qui passi, sono cose che possono succedere). Ma poi ho anche dovuto spiegartelo, perché mi hai telefonato per sapere se lo avevo ricevuto e se lo avrei usato. Non hai altro da fare?

6. Il titolo era incomprensibile, e io non ho molto tempo per leggere, per cui le prime righe - e il titolo, normalmente, è proprio tra le prime righe - è determinante per farmi decidere di andare avanti nella lettura. La notizia dev’essere sintetizzata lì, o preferisci veramente il quinto paragrafo?

7. Il nome dell’azienda era tutto maiuscolo, e io non sopporto quelli che urlano, anche se in modo virtuale, e poi, se decido di pubblicare la notizia sono costretto a riscrivere metà del comunicato stampa. Hai mai visto un quotidiano, un settimanale, un mensile, anche un quindicinale, o un sito di notizie dove i nomi delle aziende sono tutti maiuscoli?

8. Forse ho dimenticato qualcosa, ma per concludere ho una domanda: perché non usi il buon senso? Quello delle nonne, che quando uscivi e il cielo era nuvoloso ti ricordavano di prendere l’ombrello… Leggi i nostri articoli, e fai lavorare il cervello.

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brain, innovation, kiss (keep it simple, stupid), media relations, pr 2.0, public relations, social media, press release

Tags: comunicato stampa, media, Media Relations, pr, press, Press Release, Public Relations, relazioni pubbliche, release, social, Social Media

Messo insieme scopiazzando quà e là:

1. Il professionista di PR promette di leggere un bel numero di post e/o di articoli per verificare che la storia sia di interesse per il blog o la pubblicazione.

2. Se il professionista di PR verifica che NON c’è spazio, si impegna a NON contattare il blogger/giornalista, e promette di gestire al proprio interno le richieste irragionevoli del cliente o del management che vanno in direzione opposta.

3. Prima di contattare il blogger/giornalista, il professionista di PR promette di verificare le linee guida per il metodo di contatto preferito usando tutte le fonti disponibili (compreso il sito stesso).

4. Il professionista di PR promette di non inviare mai un comunicato stampa se non è rilevante per il blogger/giornalista … e di non inviare MAI un allegato, a meno che non sia stato richiesto espressamente.

5. Il professionista di PR parteciperà attivamente e in modo trasparente alle comunità di interesse dei propri clienti. Il professionista di PR riconosce che una “cold call” (in qualsiasi forma) - anche se talvolta inevitabile - è molto meno efficace del contatto con un membro riconosciuto della comunità.

6. Il professionista di PR promette che qualsiasi tipo di corrispondenza - sia il contatto iniziale che il follow-up - dovrebbe contenere un messaggio personalizzato per le esigenze del blogger/giornalista e dovrebbe aggiungere valore. Per esempio, “volevo solo sapere se hai ricevuto il comunicato stampa” non è né appropriato né gradito.

7. Il professionista di PR riconosce che essere ignorato dal blogger/giornalista non è un motivo valido per insistere al punto da infastidire la persona. E’ probabile che la proposta non sia stata considerata interessante, per cui se il professionista di PR desidera rilanciare promette di farlo utilizzando un approccio diverso, con contenuti di maggior valore rispetto alla proposta originale.

Chissà mai…

Technorati Tags:
media relations, pr 2.0, public relations, social media

Tags: comunicato stampa, media, Media Relations, pr, press, Public Relations, social, Social Media

Un post in due parti (uno e due), scritto da un giornalista canadese con una lunga esperienza sul campo, con una serie d consigli per ottenere l’attenzione dei media (ho sintetizzato i contenuti originali).

1. It’s not about your agenda: Se siete Microsoft o Google, non avrete problemi a definire le regole della conversazione. Se non lo siete, è tutta un’altra storia. Dovete dare alla stampa quello di cui ha bisogno, quando ne ha bisogno, e questo richiede un po’ di lavoro di ricerca.

2. Sometimes, it’s spelled out for you: Molte testate, e in modo particolare quelle rivolte a uno specifico settore, pianificano gli articoli con qualche mese d’anticipo, per cui offrono tutto il tempo necessario per preparare il materiale secondo le loro esigenze.

3. Be flexible: Spesso, il modo migliore per trovare spazio sui media è quello di diventare una fonte attendibile di informazioni su un argomento, ed essere in grado di offrire un punto di vista interessante al giornalista in cerca di notizie.

4. You can get whatever you want, if you’re willing to pay for it: Se volete che il vostro messaggio venga pubblicato alle vostre condizioni, allora è il caso di acquistare una pagina di pubblicità. Altrimenti, dovete sforzarvi di trovare una notizia e lasciare che il giornalista la interpreti secondo le esigenze dei suoi lettori.

5. A profile presented as an objective, impartial news story is not an oxymoron: Se un giornalista decide di scrivere della vostra azienda, dovete accettare che sia lui ad avere il controllo sui contenuti, e voi al massimo potete chiedere una verifica dei dati storici e numerici. Inoltre, non vi aspettate di essere l’unica fonte dei contenuti, il che porta dritto al punto successivo…

6. Do the right people know who you are? Quando un giornalista scrive della vostra azienda, ha bisogno di fonti indipendenti, capaci di dare un’opinione imparziale, come - per esempio - gli analisti di settore, o gli investitori, o i concorrenti. E non ignorate il valore di un cliente soddisfatto.

7. Be prepared: Quando parlate con i media, le domande possono arrivare da qualsiasi direzione, e su qualsiasi argomento. Questo non significa che dovete guardare i giornalisti con sospetto, perché in molti casi riprendono una vecchia notizia o cercano di soddisfare una curiosità personale. Per questo motivo, quando organizzate un’intervista, riconfermate sempre gli argomenti, e cercate sempre di avere del materiale pronto su ciascuno di essi.

8. Keep it simple, stupid: Cercate sempre di parlare in modo chiaro, evitando termini troppo specifici di un settore o di una professione, e ritornate più volte sui concetti più complessi. Inoltre, rispondete in modo paziente anche alle domande più banali, cercando di evitare qualsiasi rischio di fraintendimento su quello che dite.

9. Good stories have drama, conflict and resolution: I giornalisti che seguono una notizia interessante detestano sentirsi dire che è tutto perfetto, ma questo non significa che stanno cercando di pescare nel torbido. Sono solo coscienti del fatto che non esistono storie prive di luci e ombre. Spesso, è meglio riconoscere di aver superato dei problemi, e di aver utilizzato questo processo per migliorare l’azienda oppure il prodotto. Questo, tra l’altro, giova al vostro profilo professionale, e vi rende più credibile come fonte di informazioni, anche in futuro.

10. Don’t hide: Qualche volta, le notizie saltano fuori nel momento sbagliato, quando non siamo ancora pronti per rispondere. In questi casi, è meglio non nascondersi dietro a una bugia, e offrire in modo trasparente la propria versione della storia, anche perché il giornalista potrebbe aver raccolto più informazioni di quelle che siamo disposti a condividere, e cercare solo una conferma (nella nostra reticenza). Le bugie hanno le gambe cortissime nell’era di Google.

Qualcuno potrebbe commentare: "nulla di nuovo, le solite vecchie regole". Purtroppo, le solite vecchie regole che la maggior parte delle aziende e dei professionisti d’agenzia ignora completamente.

Technorati Tags: conversation, media relations, public relations, social media, kiss (keep it simple, stupid)

Tags: media, Media Relations, pr, Public Relations, social, Social Media

Deirdre Breakenridge, una professionista statunitense, ha appena pubblicato il volume PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences. La prefazione è di Brian Solis, autore del blog PR 2.0. Mi sembra una lettura interessante.

Foreword: The Road from PR to PR 2.0 to Public Relations

Welcome to what just may be the greatest evolution in the history of PR. Modern Public Relations was born in the early 1900s, even though history traces the practice back to the 17th century. The term public relations was said to be first documented by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson during his address to Congress in 1807.

It wasn’t until World War I that we started to see the industry crystallize and spark the evolution of PR as an official profession.

Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays are credited with creating and defining the art and science of modern-day PR in the early 1900s. That’s almost 100 years ago; and yet, in what I believe to be PR’s greatest renaissance, many of their early philosophies and contributions can be sourced to further evolve PR today.

Ivy Lee developed the first working press release; you can love him or hate him for it. But, what we can’t overlook is that he believed PR was a “two-way street” where communications professionals were responsible for helping companies listen as well as communicate their messages to the people who were important to them.

Edward Bernays, who is often referred to as the father of PR, was most certainly its first theorist. A very interesting bit of history is that Bernays is a nephew of Sigmund Freud. Freud’s theories about the irrational, unconscious motives that shape human behavior are the inspiration for how Bernays approached public relations.

What’s absolutely astounding to me is that he viewed public relations as an applied social science influenced by psychology, sociology, and other disciplines to scientifically manage and manipulate the thinking and behavior of an irrational and “herdlike” public.

According to Bernays, “Public Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance”.

Why is this astounding to me?

Basically, Bernays is the inspiration for the PR 1.0 publicity and spin machine and the architect of how a majority of companies still approach PR today - even though this is all changing right before our eyes. Many of his thoughts, which fueled his book, Crystallizing Public Opinion, Propaganda, and The Engineering of Consent, were on the cusp of predicting what PR currently is facing in the dawn of Social Media. And, Social Media is reintroducing sociology, anthropology, psychology, and other sciences back into marketing.

If we combined the theories and philosophies of Bernays and Lee with the spirit of the new “social web” aka Social Media, we might have a new outlook on this social science that resembles the new driving principles behind PR 2.0.

But what happened to PR?

It no longer triumphs as a darling among the various marketing disciplines, and in many cases, is regarded as a necessary evil these days. Somewhere along the way, we, as an industry, lost our vision. We got caught up in hype, spin, hyperbole, and buzzwords, and forgot that PR was about Public Relations.

Unfortunately, these days PR is more aligned with theatrics than value.

Enter Social Media and the democratization of the Web.

These are indeed exciting times as Social Media is truly the catalyst for reflection and an opportunity to do PR and amplify value and increase effectiveness in the process.

What is Social Media?

Social Media is anything that uses the Internet to facilitate conversations between people. I say people, because it humanizes the process of communications when you think about conversations instead of companies marketing at audiences.

Social Media refers back to the “two-way” approach of PR that Ivy Lee discussed in his day. It’s about listening and, in turn, engaging people on their level. It forces PR to stop broadcasting and start connecting.

Monologue has given way to dialog.

Now, enter PR 2.0.

Just so you understand, it’s not a trendy term meant to capitalize on the current trend of “everything 2.0″. Honestly, it’s already ten years in the making, but Social Media is truly advancing the adoption of a new, more significant role for PR.

Here’s how I defined it in the 90s (it’s dated, but it is still relevant today):

PR 2.0 was born through the analysis of how the Web and multimedia was redefining PR and marketing communications, while also building the toolkit to reinvent how companies communicate with influencers and directly with people.

It is a chance to not only work with traditional journalists, but also engage directly with a new set of accidental influencers, and, it is also our ability to talk with customers directly (through online forums, groups, communities, BBS, etc.)

No BS. No hype. It’s an understanding of markets, the needs of people, and how to reach them at the street level - without insulting everyone along the way. PR will become a hybrid of communications, evangelism, and Web marketing.

PR 2.0 was actually inspired by Web 1.0 and the new channel for the distribution of information it represented. It changed everything. It forced traditional media to evolve. It created an entirely new set of influencers with a completely different mechanism for collecting and sharing information while also reforming the daily routines of how people searched for news.

PR 2.0 is a philosophy and practice to improve the quality of work, change the game, and participate with people in a more informed and intelligent way. It’s not about the new Web tools at all. They are merely tools used to facilitate conversations… but everything, especially intent, knowledge, and enthusiasm, are unique to YOU.

You are the key to new PR.

To be direct, the truth is that PR 2.0 is really what PR should have been all along. Now with the democratization of media, people are becoming the new influencers, complementing the existence of experts and traditional journalists, but still regarded as a source and resource for customers equally.

Understanding new PR to reinvent it is the goal of this book. Deirdre Breakenridge has poured her life’s experiences and passion into these pages to inspire and empower you with the ability to change, and ultimately, participate in new media. In doing so, you will learn today’s communication methods that will help you engage in meaningful conversations and build stronger trusting relationships - both personally and professionally - with customers, influencers, experts, and traditional media alike.

PR 2.0 is about putting the “public” back in Public Relations.

Credo sia il caso di aggiungere solo una cosa a quello che scrive Brian Solis, con il quale concordo pienamente, e cioè che i “social media” non esistono in quanto categoria a sè, ma in quanto evoluzione dei media tradizionali (che non consentono l’interazione sulla base dello stesso modello).

Fra qualche anno, a mio parere, i “social media” rientreranno - con buona pace di coloro che sostengono la loro radicale “diversità”, da cui oggi deriva la necessità di PR “digitali” o “Internet” - nel panorama dei media oggetto di qualsiasi attività di relazioni pubbliche. E, finalmente, si ricomincerà a parlare di strategia, target, strumenti di comunicazione, tattiche, misurazione, e così via…

Un’evoluzione nella continuità, proprio come sostiene Brian Solis.

Technorati Tags:
social media, media relations, public relations, pr 2.0

Tags: Marketing, media, Media Relations, Misurazione, pr, press, Press Release, Public Relations, relazioni pubbliche, release, social, Social Media

David Reich has written the following comment to this post by Scott Baradell (definitely worth reading):

When I worked as a senior manager at two large agencies before starting
my own shop, I was horrified at the sloppiness of the work. The big agencies are too caught up with billable hours, and most don’t devote the time to properly train their junior people. Also, too many mid-size agencies are run by people who do PR unprofessionally, and the young people who work for them learn really bad habits.

I sometimes suffer from being painted with the same brush as the hacks. But I’d say most media people I’ve dealt with see that I try to do it right, and they appreciate it and are then open to future pitches from me. There are many others in this field who are professional. There just needs to be even more.

I have worked as a senior manager at three large agencies on the wrong side of the ocean (i.e., in Europe), but I have had exactly the same experience. We too need more real PR professionals.

Technorati Tags: bad pr, public relations, media relations, billable hours

Tags: media, Media Relations, pr, Public Relations

If you’re looking for a PR agency, you should read several recent posts from the blog of Alan Weinkrantz. I completely agree with his opinions.

Let’s start with this post, where Alan comments about one of the first thing we are asked from a prospective client: “do you have the right connections and contacts in the media in order to get our story out?”

Good question, but not the right one to start off with.
Are we connected? Yes. But if your message isn’t right, it’s not going to matter.
Do we know a lot of analysts, bloggers and journalists? Of course. But we are only as good as our last contact with them.
1. Be patient. Journalists, analysts and bloggers are busy and backlogged. You are better off cultivating the relationship and helping the journalist write something interesting, relevant, timely and perhaps even exclusive.
2. Be timely. Send out news on the day you announce something and it’s old news. In other words, send your news out early, before its live, under embargo to selected journalists.
3. Sustain. Counting on one announcement to make you famous is not going to happen. We find that on-going outreach results in longer-term and media coverage of substance.
4. Populate your newsroom with timely and interesting content. Have a newsroom with screen shots, white papers, executive bios, and of course your most recent news releases. Also, don’t forget to have media contacts listed with contact info so you can be found when they need you.
5. Consider blogging. This is a great way to have journalists find your company’s human face and quote your executives who are blogging.

Once cleared this major problem (I’ve lost more than one pitch against agencies that were bragging about their supposed “right connections”, when I was trying to explain all of the above to the prospect while showing him results instead of relations), let’s read Alan’s five confessions.

Confession #1: “No, we’re not personal friends with everyone at CNN, WSJ, NYT, Reuters, etc”.
When making new business presentations, I am always very clear about one thing: yes, we have good contacts, but the truth is that we’re only as good as our last pitch to that particular contact.
I tell the client to be: “Don’t hire us because you think we are so connected. Hire us because we’re really creative and very good at what we do”.

Confession #2: “Much of what we do is by discovery”. Or put another way, we’ll figure it out as we go along.
Sometimes, we try things that just strike a chord and resonate. Then, we know we are on to something. Sometimes, we get a blank stare at the receiving end when we pitch.
I tell the client to be: “Don’t hire us because our initial plan is so good. Hire us because we believe in the principle of discovery”.

Confession #3: “Even with editorial calendars in hand, we don’t always know what the media is going to write about”.
If there is a story written about your competitor or your industry and they don’t mention you in the article, there are a variety of reasons why that could happen. Most of the time, you are not being “found”.
A good way to fix it: produce daily content with relevant tags on your webs site or blog. Your rankings will go up and you’ll be found.
I tell the client to be: “Stay focused. Keep your messages current. Make sure you can be found”.

Confession #4: “You have to give the PR process at least six months to take hold”.
The realities of gaining strategic media coverage is that it takes time to develop and articulate your message, define your strategy, develop quality documents for your press kit, and begin the process of outreach.
This type of coverage takes three to six months from concept, to pitching, to writing, to editing and to have it surface in the media.
I tell the client to be: “If you are looking for immediate coverage, you probably won’t get it from us. If you are looking for sustainable, impactful coverage, you’ve come to the right place”.

Thanks, Alan.

Tags: media, Media Relations, pr, Public Relations

I’ve started to mumble about this subject after I’ve read this post, which I have quickly summarized.

According to the original Peter Principle: ”in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence”. This means that all the work is done by those who have not yet reached their level of incompetence.

A wider application of this principle emerges from looking at how companies grow in the marketplace and how they innovate and how they “lose their soul” and stop innovating.

Companies innovate until they find a cash cow. At that point, only innovation that supports the cash cow is promoted, while innovation that does not support the cash cow languishes or is actively killed. Eventually, most of the innovation ceases as the innovators leave and start new companies (and the cycle repeats).

PR as an industry has definitely lost the “innovation momentum” a long time ago, when cash cows such as media relations have started to consolidate. Too many people are offering “commoditized” services, which do not - or should not - belong to our profession.

PR should be about research and innovation. Using the same strategy and tacticts - when there is a strategy and there are tactics - to reach audiences wich are different by age, sex, income, culture and skills (and so on) is a total nonsense.

PR should be at the forefront of innovation. PR should be about inventing new ways of relating with people, or perfecting those invented by others, and not about selling “two pounds of press releases and half pound of interviews”.

Too often, this is PR today, at its highest level of incompetence.

Tags: media, Media Relations, pr, Press Release, Public Relations

Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters without Borders) has issued a handbook for bloggers in countries where the media is censored or under pressure. The book contains handy tips and technical advice on how to to remain anonymous and to get round censorship, by choosing the most suitable method for each situation. It also explains how to set up and make the most of a blog, to publicise it (getting it picked up efficiently by search-engines) and to establish its credibility through observing basic ethical and journalistic principles.

Blogs get people excited, or else they disturb and worry them. Some people distrust them, others see them as the vanguard of a new information revolution. Because they allow and encourage ordinary people to speak up, they’re tremendous tools of freedom. Bloggers are often the only ones in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure to provide independent news at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest.

Of course, some of the suggestions do work also if there isn’t any censorship or pressure upon you.

Tags: media, Media Relations, pr

• Terrific insights into pitching the media from Peter J. Howe, business reporter for The Boston Globe
• New Tools for the New Year: My PR Measurement Tools Wish List
• What newsrooms should be
• Can press releases be more sales oriented?
• How to Email a News Release
• How to Pitch the Media

Technorati tags: media relations

Tags: media, Media Relations, pr, Press Release