lessons in pr

Lessons in PR

Tony DeFazio

President, DeFazio Communications

tony@defaziocommunications.com

(484) 532-7783

• National public relations agency

• Specialization in media relations

• Network of over 25,000 media contacts

• History of representing startup

companies

DeFazio Communications

What is PR?

“The single

greatest

marketing tool” -Forbes

What Can pr do?

target audiences to your company and services

EXPOSE

INFLUENCE customers, investors, competitors, and

market leaders

SHAPE market opinion

LEVERAGE your company for growth

STRENGTHEN your credibility in the industry

Benefits of Publicity

Third-Party Endorsement

Credibility

Objectivity

Targeted Exposure

Thought Leadership

Agility

Cost Effectiveness

3x the ROI of Advertising

Marketing Leverage

State of the Media

Fragmentation of media

Emergence of niche media

Smaller and leaner staffs

More reliance on contributors

State of the Media

Digital delivery of content

Media is 24/7, 365

Targeting remains the primary objective

Convergence of earned, owned & paid media

Owned media

Media Type Definition Examples The Role Benefits Challenges

Owned Media Channel a

brand controls

Website

Mobile Site

Blog

Twitter

Build for longer-term

relationships with

customers and earn

additional media

Control

Cost efficiency

Longevity

Versatility

Niche audiences

No guarantees

Company

communication

not trusted

Takes time to

scale

54869 Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

Paid media

Media Type Definition Examples The Role Benefits Challenges

Paid Media Brand pays to

leverage a

channel

Display ads

Paid search

Sponsorships

Shift from foundation to

a catalyst that feeds

owned and creates

earned media

In demand

Immediacy

Scale

Control

Clutter

Declining

response rates

Poor credibility

54869 Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

Earned media

Media Type Definition Examples The Role Benefits Challenges

Earned Media When

customers

become the

channel

WOM

Buzz

“Viral”

Listen and respond—

earned media is often

the result of well-

executed and well-

coordinated owned and

paid media

Most credible

Key role in most

sales

Transparent and

lives on

No control

Can be negative

Scale

Hard to measure

54869 Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

How to Get Press

How to Get Press

Building Relationships

with Reporters

•Offer sources for their reporting

•Trust and credibility is essential

•Never say something you can’t defend

•Nothing is off the record

•Reporters aren’t your friends

“It prevents both our time being

wasted…different publications do different

types of stories. A local story about

a new development in a community should

go to a local business newspaper, not to a

national newspaper that writes about

trends.”

Jennifer Forsyth,

Reporter

The Wall Street Journal

Do Your Homework

•Know the reporter’s beat and format

•Review their previous reporting

•Indentify trends in their reporting

•How can you meet their needs?

“It helps to establish rapport. It helps you

tailor your pitches. If we’ve reported

something similar to a story that’s being

pitched, it saves the executives from

wasting everyone’s precious time. Further,

knowing what a publication has done on a

topic keeps you from having reporters

chase each other, which they won’t be

appreciate.”

Bernie Dagenais

Former Editor

Philadelphia Business Journal

CASE STUDIES

CDNow: The Objective

Founded in 1994, it was the first online source for music news,

reviews, interviews, and band history, and was the first website

that allowed the listener to listen to an album online

• Raise visibility of website

• Establish credibility

• Generate high-impact media placements

CDNow: The Tactics

• Target media:

• Music consumer and trade publications

• Business and E-commerce media

• Local and national general news media

• Offer executives as a source to be quoted on industry

trends and events

• Gain exposure in both trade and

consumer media to grow business

CDNow: The Results

• Became one of the most well known websites in the 1990’s

• Acquired its largest competitor and nearly doubled in size

• Acquired by Bertelsmann for $117 million in 2000

PictureVision, Inc.: The Objective

A digital imaging startup that pioneered a software allowing

people to view, use and share photos on the internet.

• Raise visibility of photo software

• Generate targeted, high-impact media exposure

• Grow the company and establish it as an industry leader

PictureVision, Inc.: The Tactics

• PR campaign was all about speed, agility, constant contact

with and extensive outreach to the media

• Target audiences:

• Photo retailers

• Technology trade and consumer publications

• Photography trade media

• Anticipate competitor’s (Kodak) activity and plan

announcements and outreach to compete

PictureVision, Inc.: The Results

• Became the industry standard for digital photography and

online photo sharing

• Established itself as a market leader within its first 6 months

• Quoted in prestigious national business media

• Bought by Kodak and AOL for $150 million

American Realty Capital: The Objective

A full-service real estate advisory firm that sponsors real estate

investment programs.

• Establish industry leadership & facilitate exits

• Create brand awareness for wholesale broker-dealer

• Leverage executive team to offer perspective, forecasts and

opinions on issues affecting the commercial real estate

industry

American Realty Capital: The Tactics

• Target audiences:

• Broker-dealers

• Retail investors

• Target media:

• Commercial real estate trade publications

• Financial/investment trade publications

• National business media

• Leverage executive team to offer perspective, forecasts and

opinions on issues and trends affecting commercial real

estate

American Realty Capital: The Results

• Top equity raiser in the industry

• Go-to source for commentary on commercial real estate

• Contributing columnist on Forbes.com

• Two products listed on NASDAQ in four months

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(484) 532-7783