pr on a budget (ant wireless symposium)

PR on a Budget

October 2016

#DIYPR

Paul Wilke

CEO, Upright Position Communications

Mare Island, California, USA

Today’s Objectives

• Know how to get coverage

• Learn the best ways to get your key

messages across

• Understand how to control your story

• When it makes sense to call for help

#DIYPR© Upright Position Communications, LLC All rights reserved.

© Upright Position Communications, LLC All rights reserved.

What is PR?

© Upright Position Communications, LLC All rights reserved.

#DIYPR

All rights reserved.

#DIYPR© Upright Position Communications, LLC

• Utilizing the news or business media to carry positive

stories about your company or your products

• A form of managing your messaging to a broad audience

that has staying power & third party credibility

• Telling your story to the right audience in a way that

resonates with them

• A mixture of quality, customized content, audience

cultivation & an emphasis on substance over style

• Utilizing the news or business media to carry positive stories

about your company or your products

• A form of managing your messaging to a broad audience that

has staying power & third party credibility

• Telling your story to the right audience in a way that

resonates with them

• A mixture of quality, customized content, audience cultivation

& an emphasis on substance over style

What isn’t PR?

All rights reserved.© Upright Position Communications, LLC

#DIYPR


#DIYPR

❌ Your personal publicity pipeline

❌ A press release

❌ Guaranteed coverage

❌ 100% controlled messaging

❌ Instant credibility

❌ A quick fix

Finding the right PR fuel mix

Messaging Leadership PR Media 101 Economic Potential Storyline

Product PR Interjection PR Social Media Results


9 All rights reserved.© Upright Position Communications, LLC

#DIYPR

Getting What You Want

Compelling Storytelling

• News / novelty /change

• Controversy

• Drama / narrative

• “Man Bites Dog”

• Trends

• Timeliness

• Human element

• Competition

• How to

• Relevance - “Why should I care?”

What makes a story What brings a story to life


• Strong quotes

• Clear concise statement of facts

• Illustrative anecdotes

• Specific examples

• Clients

• Third-party opinions (e.g., analysts)

• “Wow” number/statistic

“If we amplify

everything,

we hear

nothing”


#DIYPR

Getting your story straight

• Find your internal PR champion

• Spend time on messaging

• Contributed content: Pay to play, genuine & DIY

• Influencers



A word about press

releases

“The best time to make

friends is before you need

them.”- Ethel Barrymore

#DIYPRAll rights reserved.© Upright Position Communications, LLC

Connecting with Reporters

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#DIYPR

The Pitch: What reporters want

• What’s the story?

• What is the problem you’re solving?

• What does it do?

• Why is it relevant?

• Funding?

• Unique founder/owner/team/location?

• Dog bites man vs. Man bites dog




#DIYPR

A reporter’s interested. Now what?

• Be selective

• Know your messages

• Be well briefed

• Understand the journalist

• Reporters are as diverse as any other group of people

• They are neither your friend nor your enemy

• All journalists are not created equal

• Set limits & rehearse

Be quotable

• Strong quotes are insightful, intelligent and short

• Use good analogies and sound bites

• Paint a visual picture

• Avoid corporate speak and jargon

• Avoid clichés

• Avoid the negative

• Prepare in advance and practice delivery




#DIYPR

The 4 Cs to Mastering Interviews

• Confidence (in the material)

• Credibility (you’re the subject expert)

• Comfort (in how you look & feel)

• Control (knowing you have more of it than you realize)

Questions you can ask

• Who are you?

• What can you tell me about the story

you’re working on?

• What’s your angle?

• Who else are you talking to?

• What’s the format?

• What do you need from me?

• Who will be doing the interview?

• When are you running the story?




#DIYPR

The Rules

• Off the record?

• Be prepared

• Take control

• Remain focused

• Show enthusiasm

• Learn to bridge

• No, you can’t see the story before they run it

• Misrepresentation does occur

• Corrections? Retractions? Don’t count on it

The Interview

• Don’t dumb it down...just make it simpler

• Three questions reporters always ask

• Questions you don’t know the answer to

• Questions that call for speculation

• Questions that ask for your personal opinion

• Find your comfort zone (location, clothes, props, etc.)

• Be concise, jargon-free

• No comment? NO!



Questions you should know the answers to

• What does your company do?

• What’s your market category?

• Explain the importance what you do

• How big is the company?

• Who are your customers?

• Who’s your competition

• Explain how your product/platform work


#DIYPR

Bridging (the art of the pivot)

• Acknowledge the question

• Transition word or phrase

• Key message

• Supporting example

• Ask for clarification

• Repeat if necessary




#DIYPR

Questions you should be able to bridge

• Who’s your competition?

• What’s <Company X> doing right?

• What’s <Company X> doing wrong?

• How does <Product X> compare with <Product Y>?

The last question

• What’s the last question nearly every reporter asks?



Be social

• What’s available to you:

– Twitter

– Instagram

– Facebook

– Medium/LinkedIn

– Your blog



Final Thoughts

• It’s seldom about you

• Plan ahead

• Leave certain things to the professionals

– Design

– Video

– Crisis comms

– Media training

– Heavy writing

– Large campaigns



For a free guide

“5 ways to take charge of your own PR”

please visit:

www.uprightcomms.com/ANT

Web: www.uprightcomms.com

Twitter: @UprightComms

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1-415-215-8750

Upright Position Communications LLC

438 E. Poplar Ave.

Mare Island, CA 94592

USA

For more information:

pr on a budget (ant wireless symposium)

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