When CCUA announced a virtual press tour, I had to…
Tips for valuable brand building, influential PR
Let’s start here: The difference between marketing and public relations is the difference between saying you’re great and someone else saying you’re great. Check out our video with Walt Laskos, chief communications officer at the Cooperative Credit Union Association, who makes the distinction even clearer: marketing generally is for selling, while public relations builds your brand and reputation.
One is a message you control, and the other is a message you must convey in a way that others feel is worthy of sharing and adds third-party validation to the statement that you are, in fact, great.
“We have a story to tell. Why do we have this attitude that the press is there to come out and crucify you?!” – Walt Laskos
Both are necessary and important. Both are about knowing how to use your story to influence your target market, which is where they diverge.
CCUA Virtual Media Tour
Walt is a public relations guru. I know because we worked together a lot back in the days when he was at WesCorp and I was at Credit Union Times. He was one of those PR people who respected a new publication’s obligation to its audience to report on information that is relevant, good or bad. He understood why not every press release or pitch was going to get coverage – regardless of how big an advertiser a company might be. (If you didn’t pick up it, that’s a HUGE no-no in editors’ books.)
Show Notes
0:00 Who’s Walt?
1:08 A new spin on the media tour
4:48 Free does not equal easy – start with your story
6:49 Who ya pitchin’?
8:10 Avoid narcissism in your story telling and make it human
8:59 Walt talks about how to hit home with your story – the old show, don’t tell
9:58 There’s a huge problem with press releases
10:43 Similar to sales, PR is about relationships – only you’re selling a story
11:51 Finding the feels
13:48 Big media vs local media
15:03 And the solution is…
16:19 Don’t fear the reporter
18:18 These are foundational for your PR
21:38 Best way to get GREAT PR
24:48 Compliance doesn’t have to be a stumbling block
26:17 Understanding the difference between marketing and PR
Valuable PR tips to help build your organization’s brand in your targeted communities to come, so keep reading!
Two Keys to Public Relations
In public relations, you’re trying to get the attention of a reporter or producer, and you must be able to divine their needs, which is generally to fill a hole in the paper, drive traffic to their site, or beef up a time slot.
Also, what do these folks need on a personal-professional basis? Do they seek awards and to climb the career ladder, or are they trying to get out the door by 5 pm to take their kid to soccer?
1. Grab attention
· Snappy headline
· Clear and concise lede
· Images
· Data
· A story
The first four grab immediate attention so you can stand out among the hundreds of other presses releases received that day, but the last is critical. How will it help the news organization draw an audience to watch/read/listen? Open your pitch with a story of how a consumer benefited by using your product or service, only after briefly mention your product and features.
Public relations is about presenting your company as experts and thought leaders. Remember, you’re ‘selling’ the solution to a problem the reporter’s readers may also be faced with; you’re not selling your product. Opening with a salesy pitch turns reporters off, and buries the real lede to your story, which is how you’re helping their audience (and yours!) and, in turn, the news company.
2. Keep attention
· Follow the tips to grab attention every time
· Respect and meet deadlines
· Ask what types of news they’re looking for/following
· Build relationships beyond your specific news
PR Takeaways
While marketing allows you to control your message, public relations helps provide independent validation of your company’s authority and expertise in an area. In PR, your audience is a bunch of overworked editors and producers, hit with hundreds – if not thousands – of pitches every day. Give them what they want: An interesting story with data to back it up and artwork to help illustrate it. And don’t neglect their personal-professional desires.
So, what’s your story?
Useful PR Resources