What's in store for this edition:

• Cultivating Positive Media Connections

• NEWSWORTHY: Studies on Hair Growth

• COOL or CRINGE: Breaking performance causes a flurry of backlash

• TOOLKIT 🧰 — Worthy Reads

• Attention Seeker of the Week 🐶

Cultivating Positive Media Connections

When you understand the roles between business communicators (you) and media professionals, you will find it much easier to understand their point of view and be even more successful at communication efforts.

POV: A communicator’s (PR) focus is promoting stories about their business.
A journalists job is to uncover and report news.

The majority of journalists are driven by a sense of duty to pursue truth.

Recognizing and respecting these distinctions is key to successful media interactions.

Building credibility and trust with the media is one of the most important assets you can have.

How to build trust and credibility:

• ✅ Provide accurate information

• ✅ Acknowledge and limitations or challenges upfront

• ✅ Offer high-quality content, expert perspectives, and useful insights to help add value to their reporting

• ✅ Respond promptly to journalists’ inquiries

• ✅ Be proactive, not reactive, in communications

• ✅ Engage with them on social media

• ✅ Build a reputation of being reliable and delivering on your promises.

How to loose trust and credibility:

• 🚫 By exaggerating or embellishing

• 🚫 Not being available on time for an interview

• 🚫 Asking for headlines or other parts of article to be changed

• 🚫 Lying

• 🚫 Trying to control their reporting or writing

Remember, you do not need to tell a reporter everything about your company. You have a right and sometimes a necessity to maintain certain information as proprietary or confidential.

Do this now: The next time you connect with the media, review the How to build trust and credibility list, and consider their point-of-view before you make the call or hit send on the email.

Next Time: It’s media interview time, let’s get ready!

Get PR techniques from recent news.

Newsworthy

Studies on Hair Growth

Here’s an example of a story that you can use to your marketing and public relations advantage. That is if you’re in the beauty space. Even if you’re not, the lessons are still here.

Can you use a news story, like this one, to gain visibility for your brand? By taking advantage of the right timing and using wit, you maybe able to generate media attention for your brand by capitalizing on trending topics.

Perhaps you can pitch yourself as an expert on male pattern baldness and you have thoughts on this research. Or you have proven treatments for this condition and you go with the angle of ‘take care of the issue now, not wait for a possible cure.’

Essential strategy:

• Be timely! News stories short shelf lives

• Use social media, blog post, memes or videos

• Never capitalize on disasters or tragedies

• Verify the story or trend before you respond so you don’t have egg on your face

Advantages if done right:

1. Increase visibility

2. Establish authority

3. Affordable

4. SEO Benefits

✍️ Key PR Takeaway: Execute your plan thoughtfully and strategically.

Learn from others.

?% Cool : ?% Cringe 💃

Raygun’s Olympic debut causes a flurry of backlash.

Unless you were in a coma during the Olympics, the break dancing performance of team Australia’s Raygun is, lets say, unforgettable.

✍️ Key PR Takeaway: With sudden attention can come lots of hate. Surround yourself with people you can trust and who can protect you. When you’re on the world stage, don’t be to shocked if get sudden fame or in this case, infamy.

I can’t decide whether her performance was cool or cringe, either way it got her a lot of attention.

Useful PR Resources.

📖 WORTHY READ

The Public Relations Handbook - Edited by Robert Dilenschneider

The Public Relations Handbook is a comprehensive and invaluable guide for public relations practitioners in the 2020’s and beyond, covering the the multitude of skills need in the communications field.

Even though I’ve been in this industry for well over 20 years I have found parts of this book very informative and helpful. It helps you navigate the complex and every changing digital media environment.

Important note: It is designed for professionals in the industry, however I think its worth a read, especially if you’ll be doing public relations for yourself or your company.

Attention Seeker of the Week

Little Peanut, a sweet 9 month old boy Yorkie, when he wants attention sneaks and finds socks or shoes to carry around. Ok you cutie-patootie, you have our attention.

By the way, if you’ve fallen in love with Little Peanut, he available for adoption. He was abandoned by his family and is in a loving environment until he find his forever home. Southern California Seekers, check out www.sparkrescue.org for more information.

Media relationships are valuable like gold, thus it’s no surprise to know the golden rule helps cultivate them.

Until next week, keep your shades on and stay cool.

Your fellow Seeker,
Keren

🕶️