PR Insight
So you’ve been charged with hiring a PR firm. Or maybe it’s your first day in your newly created position of "PR Director" for your company. Either way, you’re about to hear the one phrase that anyone in your position comes to dread:
"So when can we expect some press?"
Of course, answering that is like answering, "So, when do you think we’ll win the lottery?" There’s no true answer.
One of the best ways (if not the only way) to handle a situation like this is to sit down with your boss, or superior or client, as the case may be, and discuss the dreaded "e" word, expectations.
Managing expectations may be one of the hardest jobs of a PR pro’s life, after actually getting the press to listen to you. Everyone wants more, and they can’t all understand why they’re not the most important story in the world. Your job, before you make your first call to the media, is to explain to your superiors exactly what’s achievable, what’s possible, and what’s completely insane.
How to train upper management to be PR savvy – The short list
The following list, while not set in stone, is a good starting point. Use these ideas to help convince the boss that while you might not be the feature of USA Today tomorrow, that hit in the trade journal that caters exactly to your market is a darn good start.
1) Is this important to anyone in the world outside of these walls?
The fact is, while it might be the greatest day in the history of your company because you landed a $350,000 account, look at it in the scope of the world. Microsoft probably spends that much on discarded paper towels every day. While it’s a great announcement, and probably worthy of a mention in the trade press that specifically covers your industry, it’s not a Second Coming story. ("Second Coming stories" is an old-school newsman’s term for the second coming of God, or some other major event.)2) Is there actual news, or are you just touting nothing again?
Are you releasing a product? Do you have something new? Is there something to this release that’s actually going to make anyone say "Oh, check that out?" If there’s nothing to the release but the appointment of a new CFO, don’t expect front-page news.3) Sometimes, the Muskegon Chronicle is more important than The New York Times.
If you’re announcing the start of a new employee, unless that employee is coming from AT&T where he was the CEO, don’t expect play in the majors. But, what about that person’s hometown? Local papers just love the "local boy makes good" angle, and might devote more space to the hiring of that person than the NY Times ever would. Plus, it introduces an entire new segment of the population to your company. No, it’s not the Times, but it’s not the worst thing in the world, either.4) Six months from now still doesn’t mean "now."
Just because a product is on schedule to launch in six months, doesn’t mean that the press release should go out now. This is called a Vapor release, and the only assurance you’re going to get from it is that the reporter won’t care when the product actually does ship, because he’ll be too busy remembering how you led him on with a Vapor release six months ago. Always wait until the product is in hand before you start talking about it.5) Agriculture reporters do not cover high-tech.
Political reporters do not cover fashion. When the boss wants to know why you haven’t sent your press release out to at least 8,000 journalists, explain that bigger doesn’t always equal better. Just because you’ve issued it, doesn’t mean they’re going to write about it — try issuing the release to only the reporters that are going to care.6) Reaction? We don’t do "reaction."
Don’t send out a release because your competitor sent out a release. That’s called a reaction release, and is guaranteed to wind up in the trash. Unless the competition is outright lying, and you can prove it, on tape, with full motion video, let the hoopla die down before you send out your next release.7) Because your name isn’t "Sean Penn," that’s why.
When the boss wants to know why he isn’t featured as the lead paragraph in the new press release, it’s your job to explain to the boss, as delicately as possible, that although you know he’s an amazing person, the world doesn’t have a clue as to who he is – and leading off a release with his name, probably isn’t the best way to get your story placed.
The end result: Press is obtainable, the boss can be made happy, and life can move at a reasonable pace. All it takes is the managing of a few key expectations.
Peter Shankman is CEO of The Geek Factory, a PR Firm in New York City with clients around the globe. The Geek Factory specializes in entertainment and consumer clients.
