Branding Sins in PR

I am a branding expert.  My credentials speak for themselves. I was asked a question over the weekend by a peer in the public relations field. The question had to do with the theory that there is never a bad review or such a thing as negative press.  My peer wanted to know if there are, in fact, branding sins. Well, the answer is YES!

There is such a thing as negative press.  It will impact your media value and that is a bad, bad thing.   The first branding sin is constant change. Some of the biggest brands in the world change to keep up with trends and the times but they are subtle and not noticeable.  Constant major changes to your logo, your image, your website – these all look like acts of desperation within the media realm. Avoid these pitfalls if you can.

Another sin is a constant change in PR staff. I know many clients who don’t obtain immediate fame and are on to another “bigger and better” publicity firm every couple of months. Well, why wouldn’t they obtain traction and press? Not only are they going to obtain a reputation as difficult, but they are going to be seen as looking for someone to create fame on their behalf instead of earning it. No respectable PR firm wants a client like this.

Finally, the last branding sin I see far too often is the non-authentic brand.  For example, made pop stars don’t last because they are molded, not born.  People who portray their image through photos but can’t deliver on products or within interviews will never do a well-created brand justice. This is why it is a sin. Your brand should amplify what your product is or who you already are. If you are trying to be something you are not, and build a brand around it, you’re dead in the water. You may obtain a few pieces of press here and there but nothing that will sustain a career!

Until next time,

Velma Trayham

Your life as a publicist, how to get the most from it.

Being a publicist means you will have very little time to attend to yourself, but you need to.  I wanted to cover starting the day out to nurture yourself before you head to work to go to bat for others. So, here it goes!

First, you need to wake up 15 minutes earlier tomorrow than you did today. Why? To workout. Even if you already head to the gym at a different point in the day, wake up early and do 15 minutes (no more, no less) of jogging or walking around the neighborhood - whatever. Make sure you add this to your routine because it shakes off any extra glasses of wine from the night before, as well as helps to get the creative juices flowing.

Second, say two things out loud that you will get accomplished today. Why? Self affirmation is very powerful. People will screw up your schedule to be quite frank about things, just ask any PR employee. If you say two things out loud in the morning that you need and will get down, chances are they will be accomplished regardless of any schedule interruptions.

Finally, knock off any phone or in-person meetings that don't need to happen. People tend to spend more time talking about doing things vs. actually doing them. Meetings are a huge distraction in many cases. If a meeting isn't going to accomplish a decision during its capacity, skip it or cancel it. You should only call or attend meetings that 1.) stay within the time frame scheduled and 2.) will accomplish something by the end of the meeting. Discussion meetings are not needed. You can shoot a short email to a group of people and read their feedback in less time then it takes to actually walk to a meeting or call into one.

I hope this information helps you get ahead on what can be a great career.

Velma Trayham 

How to Email the Press

People often ask me how do they get the attention of journalists via email. There are a few professional tactics you need to use in order to grab the reader's attention, but relationships are always key to getting your email read vs. going in cold.

The first tactic is to ensure your subject line is accurate, newsworthy, and concise. Journalists HATE fluff when it is pitched to them.  So, make their job easier by getting to the point right away without any subjective point of views applied to your subject line.

Next, don't send attachments. Journalists will not open them. If a journalist wants an EPK, he or she will either ask for it or can visit your website to download it.

Don't put a press release inside an email. Journalists hate this. Instead, send a media-relevant pitch that quickly links to the release should the reporter require further information.Make sure it is AP style or it will get tossed. 

These simple tactics can elevate your email to a viewable level with many press agents.

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayham

Bad PR Moves

I was recently speaking with a client who had a terrible idea. I had to break the news and that is always hard. So, what was the idea? Sending gift bags to the local media. Not only is this a huge waste of money and time, it violates many ethical boundaries on the journalist’s end and the publicist’s end.  The intention was never to bribe the media with the gift bags, just get their attention. So, when does a gift turn into a bribe and a bad PR move? Well, anything over $25 dollars defines the line.

Yes, professionally, the IRS allows “gifts” to be under $25 if directly related to your specific industry. You can buy gifts for clients if the presents are under twenty-five dollars.  The PRSA seems to agree with the IRS. So, gift cards for coffee or lunch are ok, but expensive gift bags aren’t. Let’s say a journalist accepts the gift bag. Let’s say the journalist honestly likes your story- and covers it. Let’s say that a competitor finds this out. He or she can single handily ruin the reporter’s career, the media outlet’s brand and your reputation as a publicist. Now, was that media get worth it? Of course not!

So, on a Tuesday, ask yourself what your worst PR move has been and hopefully it doesn’t include well-intended bribes.  If so, don’t make this mistake again. Get your media obtained by actually earning it, not buying it.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Learn to be More Creative!

It is possible to learn to be more creative. However, being creative isn’t something that can be learned, truly it is a gift.  If you find yourself working in the creative field then there are some things you can do to become inspired.

First, give your brain a jolt. Take an unexpected break or head into the office late, after a nice stroll through the park. Small changes and unexpected changes redirect the brain and creative juices out of ruts.

Next, do what many great leaders do- draw! Many of history's greatest thinkers, from Steve Jobs to John F. Kennedy, have been avid doodlers. These quick sketches help unlock creativity, enhancing recall and lighting up neural networks that allow for cognitive breakthroughs.

Finally, understand creative blocks happen. Walk away from the pressure of a deadline, yes- easier said than done- and your creativity will come back.

Until Monday,

Coco the CEO

Ignoring Advice

Not all advice is good advice. Some people intentionally give you poor advice because they are jealous or want you to fail, while others simply think they are helping and are unaware their advice is bad.

How do you know when you’re getting bad advice? After all, you’re seeking out help for a reason! Well, I’ve come up with a few pointers to vetting the advice you seek.

If you know a know-it-all, don’t take advice from him or her. Really, you should take a step back and look at the person’s life and business. Are things 100% perfect and they have unlimited money and power? If not, they don’t know it all and the advice is likely to come from a place of ignorance.

Nervous Nellies. Yes, those who are way too cautious might seem to offer the right advice, but the truth hurts. Overly cautious people aren’t risk takers. You have to be a risk taker to run a business… period! Again, what has this type of person done in his or her life that makes you want to seek their advice? The reasoning should go beyond being extra careful about things.

Finally, a vested interest in your success or, more importantly, failure. If someone really wants you to go with their advice, question why they are championing it. What is in it for them? If the answer is nothing, keep seeking. You may be being set up with bad advice. There is always an angle. There is nothing wrong with someone getting something out of a deal. It is when they are not up front about this that you need to start being concerned.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Failure - A Way to Win!

Failure is going to happen in business. From failing to meet a customer’s expectations to failing at your overall operations, on some scale- you will fail. It is where you go after the failure, and what you do, that really counts.

I’ve failed countless times. Some of my greatest business lessons came out of this failure and not out of my college classes. While failure can be expensive, learning from it always possesses value.

Here’s how you can turn your failures into a ‘win’;

1. Accept responsibility for your mistakes instead of making excuses.

2. Apologize. Many thinks in life are easy to accept once an apology is offered. Refusing to say “I’m sorry” is what adds salt into your customers’ wounds. In fact, examine the apology Starbucks offers to clients when mistakes are made by clicking here: http://starbuckspassion.tumblr.com/post/925449418/the-importance-of-good-customer-service

3. Don’t repeat the mistakes once you acknowledge them.

Being humble is a part of business. You will not please all of the people all of the time. We are not, as humans, perfect. However, taking ownership of our being human and making mistakes can help you learn from failure and prevent further missteps.

Until next time,

Coco the CEO