3 Ways to Get Fired

If you're new to the PR business, take note. I'm about to offer you 3 ways to either get fired by your client or your agency. Why am I doing this? So you don't get fired. If you know what NOT to do, you will know how to get ahead within this industry.

OK, here we go.......

1. Photos, photo and more photos. Don’t rely on photos to make a brand. They have models for that.  People want substance, especially reporters. No one is simply going to cover you or your client because they have nice photos. PR doesn’t work this way. Yes, you need a photo to go with your media kit, etc. but these photos shouldn’t be the cornerstone of your campaign- even if you are an entertainer.

2.  Responding to the media via text.  This is a huge no-no, even if the media rep sent you a text. It is always better to call. Even if you get a VM, put a voice to the name and leave a message and then respond via text.

3. Never, ever say anything bad about anyone to the media.  This will be the first thing quoted out of context at a later date. It is the same rule as liquor. If you are photographed with liquor and arrested years later, guess what photo the media will run. So, stay away from anything negative- even when responding in crisis communication mode.

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayaham

The Top Social Media "No Nos"

Here are my tips to navigating your way through your personal social media accounts like a pro;

#1. Don’t overshare. Oversharing photos of yourself, your pets and/or your kids is called annoying. Think of yourself walking down the street and someone stopping you every two seconds with a photo from their wallet to share with you. Annoying! Don’t be this person, especially if you run a company!

#2. Don’t buy “likes”, YouTube views or Twitter followers. We all can tell when “ana zhoisf sdjkdfhss” is a fake profile and you look silly with 10,000 fake followers reading your uninteresting posts. Value who you follow and appreciate those who REALLY follow you!

#3. Have actual conversations. OMG! Yes, don’t send important information via a text or a social media post. That’s classless- especially if it is a welfare check on someone’s emotional or physical health. Be personal, you will intrigue more people to follow you on social media when you show you truly care about others.

Still have questions? Please contact me. I'm always available to provide consulting services.

Velma Trayham

Leadership Test... Do You Have What It Takes?

The test of leadership isn’t found within your DNA and birth sex, but defined by the following skills. Do you have them? If so, you’re a great leader.

1)      You don’t care what people say, you have your vision and you are moving forward.  This stands true only if your vision is positive, lifts others up and you’ve done research to have such a provocative opinion about your vision. 

2)      You collaborate, you don’t delegate.  Anyone can delegate. Not everyone is humble enough to collaborate. You need collaboration with other people to build your brand, grow your business and improve your networking (in person and online) circle.

3)      You are a life-long learner. If you didn’t throw your degree on the wall and announce “I’m done” then you are a life-long learned. Continued education is the key to being able to pivot your company when new technologies or methodologies are introduced. 

You don’t have to be one sex or another to lead. You simply have to follow the three steps noted above to success.

Until tomorrow,
Velma Trayham 

PR At Its Roots

Public relations is about managing the media and developing a brand. It isn’t about making someone famous through managing appearances or mingling with celebrities – which is one of the biggest misconceptions to date. 

Public relations professionals don’t book work or appearances outside of media interviews, talent or literary agents do this. Public relations professionals book media appearances based on what a client is doing. If you have to do the work for your client and then get them media interviews – there is a problem with the client. This said, below are my top 3 common PR mistakes.

1. It is two different things entirely to pitch news your clients force you to pitch against your better judgment and pitch something to a reporter without the thought of you believing it is news in the first place. Yes, pitching what a client thinks is newsworthy doesn’t make it so. You need to educate your clients on this or your company will be reflected in the mistake as much as the client.

2. Your timeline isn’t what the press cares about. In fact, you need to care what the media’s timelines are. I recently read this piece of advice and couldn’t agree more. “Let’s say you are sending a Christmas wish list to a monthly magazine. When do you send that pitch? October? August? Try June or July. If not, tell your client to wait until next year or focus on weekly trades. Editorial calendars change sometimes but lead times do not. Know the deadlines first, and know not to call a reporter when he or she is buried under one second.”

3. Know the news. Everyone thinks their clients are special, and they are. However, you will not get your clients picked up by every single news outlet. In fact, for every 500 outlets pitched, expect a 3% return and not right away. Remember, editorial calendars exist!

As you move forward into your PR career, you will create connections that will make it easier for you to pick up the phone and bump competing press agents and their stories. Until then, follow the rules and don’t make these 3 major mistakes.

Velma Trayham of ThinkZILLA

PR Fallout From Online Posts

I have to address an issue I am seeing on an continued basis. Your personal online content. I read a terrible Facebook rant over the weekend and I’m sickened that a publicist would put her hateful opinions for clients and peers to read on her personal Facebook page.

Now, some of you might say that it is her personal page. Sure it is, it is just archived onto Google’s search engine for the world to read. She is entitled to her hateful opinion but she is going to have business lost to it. Peers will soon catch on and stop referring her too. I will not repeat what she said, only that it is filled with hate and aimed at a certain demographic of sexually orientated people.

I can’t stress enough that nothing you write is personal anymore. Friends can quickly become enemies and take screen shots of your “private” social media accounts for all the world to see.  Don’t ever write anything on your personal pages that you wouldn’t want to proudly read- outloud- in front of a client or potential client.

As a publicist, you don’t have a personal life. Your clients’ lives are your obligation- both personally and professionally when it comes to branding and visibility. Voicing your own opinions online (even via a personal account) will harm your own reputation- right or wrong, this is the culture we live in.

Keep it professional and keep those negative or opinionated posts off of social media!

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayham

Pitching Media via Twitter

To continue my piece from yesterday, I want to talk about pitching the press via Twitter. For some occasions, this works. However, not all members of the media like to get pitched via Twitter. You truly have to decipher each member of the media’s pitch preference before sending out any pitches. Blast pitches never work, either. Sure, they highlight your news but these efforts will not result in actually capturing any true interviews or media mentions.

So, if you want to pitch the press via Twitter, and you know the targeted journalist accept social media pitches, follow these tips;

1. Make sure your Twitter profile is complete and professional. Photos of you drinking with clients or partying with other publicists isn’t professional and should be kept to your own private accounts, not your company account.
2. Make sure that your Twitter feed is active with industry news and valuable information for your sector. Remember, members are the press are professional BS trackers. They will call you on not knowing your stuff or being too self-promotive.
3. Follow up with a phone call. If the press agent hasn’t responded to your Tweet pitch, make sure you plan a 3 day follow up via a phone call. If they still don’t respond, don’t bug him or her. Try again later and with a different angle.

Until Monday,

Velma Trayham of ThinkZILLA

End of Year Reports

End of Year report time is upon the marketing and publicity world for annual retainer accounts. So, what makes for an outstanding retainer? Many things.  I'm going to list the key topics to cover within this report to help new publicity people understand what should be included. The same goes for clients who buy PR services- you too should know what to look for.

1.  The start to finish synopsis. It is always good to refresh your clients as to where they were at prior to hiring your firm.
2. The objectives you met and the objectives you exceeded. This is where you boast about how you exceeded expectations as a publicist.
3. Key message theme reviews followed by the program components you implemented.
4. Media value that includes brand visibility measurements and social media value. Don't forget to convert your followers as media value, as well as any followers you built for the client.
5. Campaign time.  Make sure you show results in stages of goals within a time frame, not just as met or the value they produced.

Again, beautiful demographics are important but content is key!

Velma Trayham of ThinkZILLA

Ferguson- From A PR Perspective

I know this is a touchy subject. I was so hurt- on many levels- after watching the events in Ferguson unfold last night via CNN. The way the media, people, and police handled (or lack thereof) each milestone was crass. From a PR perspective, last night was a disaster!

So, what could have been done? Well, it depends on who one would be representing in the case of last night's events. From the police standpoint, their Public Communications Officer should have pushed a Standards Guide and contact guide via social media hours before any announcement was made. Business owners should have been provided with a separate line to report looting and security incidents to. Police officers should have been assigned to protect businesses too.

Michael Brown's family should have had a publicist to help their attorney enforce statements so the 4.5 minutes of silence could have- and should have- taken place. The attorney, while he did a good job, needed to have more of a PR voice with the  media to push his initiative.

CNN- oh boy. CNN knew better and should have practiced more responsible journalism, not just covering crime. They took the concept of "if it bleeds - it leads" to a whole new level last night and in the name of ratings- not justice.

I could go on and on and on.... but I won't. We as a country need to practice how we deliver our messages and beliefs to one another in a more constructive manner.  Remember, it isn't what you say as much as how you say it. What happened last night speaks volumes but I'm not sure if the message was actually heard.

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayham

Is Your Logo Failing?

Here is a thought for the weekend- "What has your logo done for you?" Think about it. Think about it for you and your clients. Is your logo really a point of visibility  or an eyesore? Most think it is visibility and in reality- it is an eyesore!

A logo has to serve a purpose. It can't just "look cool". The branding has to have a short and concise title and the colors have to appeal to the masses. Plus, it has to be immediately identifiable. Think Starbucks... without the lettering, we still know the woman in green means great coffee that is over priced!

Speaking of green, what colors are you using? Certain colors mean different things from a psychological standpoint. Did you know, for example,  that the color yellow equates to childhood memories within people? If someone had a poor childhood, they will not be buying your services if you have a yellow logo. If they had a great childhood- they will be buying for life!

Uniqueness has to play a part too. Compel the viewer, don't hit him or her over the head with the obvious. AT&T doesn't have a logo as part of its logo. Instead, it has a globe. Why? Most people think of phones when the hear about AT&T.  Well, the communication company offers services all over the globe, which compels the logo viewer.

So, all this said- look at your logo this weekend. Look at the logos of your clients. Are you being too obvious? Too generic? Using the wrong colors? Chances are- all of the above is true.  And if you need a brand overhaul, don't be afraid to reach out to me.

Until Monday,

Velma Trayham

The Tip 3 WORST PR Tactics of All Time!

I recently had a discussion with a peer in the PR world who was upset at Generation Y’s PR tactics. My peer said he was seeing more and more seasoned PR reps get rejected on new client accounts because someone from Generation Y broke the trust of hiring a PR professional through their ill-fated efforts. I agree.

I can’t say how many times I have lost a potential lead because a newbie messed up an account and now the potential client is scared of hiring anyone. It doesn’t make sense. If I receive a bad haircut, it doesn’t mean I never step foot into a salon again, that would be silly.  Yet when it comes to PR, this is the current thought process.

So, with the hopes that the next PR generation can learn how NOT to burn a client- here are my top 3 WORST PR Tactics of ALL TIME;

1.       Bait and Switching Accounts.  The owner of the PR firm- you know, the one with the experience- pitches a client account. After the client signs on the dotted line and deposits are paid- the client is assigned to a Junior AR who is fresh out of college with no contacts and no experience.

2.       Hitting the “viral campaign” market right out of the gate. I still don’t understand the thought process behind this.  You need to develop relationships with journalists before the public will ever care about your client. So, why do so many newbies spend time tossing Instagram memes and viral releases at consumers? Don’t they know these efforts are a waste of time and not the first item of business?

3.       Email is your only friend.  People don’t talk anymore- except for journalists. They make phone calls, so why do PR people rely upon email to pitch a reporter? If you’re sending blast emails to reporters, your client will be blackballed from coverage. Pick up the phone and develop or further your relationship with journalists.

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayham

Overexposure.... it happens

Overexposure is a very real thing. Publicists often have to walk a fine line when working with co-PR management (film, music, cross generational brands, etc.) to ensure that messaging and promotion is effective and not so heavy that fans or customers feel sickened by it.

Molly Tullis  recently covered overexposure and I feel she captured it perfectly. She said, "In the summer of 2013, the Jennifer Lawrence love affair was at an all-time high. The Hunger Games had come out a year earlier, she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Role in the Silver Linings Playbook, and hit a home-run by saying all the right things about body image and young girls. But by December I was waiting for the imminent backlash. I didn’t have to wait long. Before she could cash her paycheck signed out to Katniss, Jennifer Lawrence was fielding reports that she was obnoxious, ‘everywhere’, and people were incredibly “sick and bored of her.” Ironic that a culture that had obsessively gorged on her girl-next-door charms felt sick soon after. Of course she was everywhere – we put her there. The same phenomenon happened with Reese Witherspoon and Anne Hathaway before her. We loved them, we put them on every cover, we give them sponsorships, and while they’re still walking red carpets, they’re consistently fielding comments such as: “I don’t know why… I just don’t like her.”

Here's the thing- there is no measurement to predict overexposure. It has to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. If you look at Molly's comments above, think about Jared Leto. He won the Oscar. He is in a successful band. He is on every tech magazine's cover right now. He has his own streaming company for entertainers. He is practically everywhere and yet- he has no overexposure risk. I think this is because he is collectively evenly spread out (as a brand) across different mediums that cater to different audiences.

My point tonight is this, pay attention to your measurements and what audiences are saying on social media. The moment whispers start to turn south, pull interviews and reevaluate your publicity plan.

Until tomorrow,

Velma Trayham