Promoting Growth, Not Kindness.....

There are two types of clients that any and all business owners have to deal with. Those who pay you to do your job, council when needed, and help promote growth. Then there are those clients who pay you, never challenge what isn’t working, and sit and listen to them blab on about how great they are or how things don’t change….. yada, yada, yada!

The challenge in being kind lies with the second type of client. It is not your job to be kind to clients, although there is a way of saying certain things, but rather it is your responsibility to be honest and deliver the raw truth so you can promote growth.

You’re providing a service to help your clients, not to befriend them. Clients can become very upset when you do this. They may even drop you for a while. Don’t give in and be kind. Instead, restate what you said. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Many publicity people worry about being kind and shy away from what will actually work. In the end, the client doesn’t see results and will end up being mad at you anyway. So, do your job and don’t sway from your objectives in exchange for being nice or being popular.

You want to work with clients who are ready and willing to hear the truth and to do whatever it takes to improve their visibility. You don’t want to work with clients who expect you to be the ‘yes’ man or women. This said, below are my tips for delivering ‘”unkind” advice.

1. Don’t be sorry… be about shine. Don’t ever apologize to a client if you have nothing to apologize for. They may want to hear ‘sorry’ but this isn’t something they are entitled to hear. Remember this.

2. Back up your words with facts and data. It’s hard for clients to blow off your points if you can back them up.

3. Have an exit strategy. If you know a client isn’t willing to change, figure out how you are going to exit the relationship within the contract’s terms.

Until tomorrow,
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

Writing Content for Google

PR people now have to write for several different audiences, including the public who search Google. But, do you know how to write for Google. Just because you write something for the public and paste it to your blog- or other medium- doesn't mean Google will register it and make it searchable for others to find.

This mean you may have to write a piece three or four different ways to cater to traditional, new media, and Google audiences.  This is the main reason I want to focus today's blog on how to write for Google so your content (or that of your clients) is searchable and visible!

First, develop compelling content. Your content should be relatable to your audience and tell a dynamic story that cannot be found elsewhere. Google likes storytelling! Don't advertise yourself or write about how great your clients are. Advertising content is considered commercial content and Google will kick it out so that you buy an ad.

You also need to be aware of content structure. Google loves images, and it likes embedded links, too.  Make sure you ALT tag your images with title links or key words directly related to the content.

Finally, spend some time thinking about which keywords will give your website and pages better exposure. Test them by typing them directly into Google and see what comes up. Be organic, not over zealous, with your keyword placement and selection.

Need help? You may want to consider co-contracting with ThinkZILLA. I can help you write content that will rank highly on Google!

Until next time,

Velma Trayham