Category: Culture & News

I’ve been writing media pitches for nearly a decade, and previously I was on the receiving end of them when I was a TV news producer.

So what makes a good pitch? I went straight to the source (aka editors and reporters) and asked them. Here are the four key takeaways:

1. Do the research: This applies to the topic, the outlet and the reporter.
   • Develop a well-rounded pitch, which includes the problem and the solution. If possible, include third parties to round out the story.
   • Study the outlet to determine if this type of story would be good for their readers.
   • Review the reporters and do not rely on technology (i.e. Gorkana) to tell you what a reporter writes about – actually read, watch or listen to their stories.
2. Do give background: This applies to the topic and the reader.
   • Never assume that the reporter knows what GDRP or GRMS stands for, or why it is important. Make sure you briefly explain your content.
   • Always ask this question before you send your pitch, will the reader care? If they will, send your pitch!
3. Do get to the point:
   • Nobody likes a long pitch. Get to the point and get out (three – six sentences).
   • When phone pitching keep it short and sweet.
   • Do not leave a dozen messages, but keep calling!
4. Do be yourself:
   • Get to know the person on the receiving end of your pitches and find out what they really do like.
   • If you’re a bossy person, please do not tell a reporter that they must cover a story as nobody likes to be told what to do or when to do it.

So be smart, be short and be yourself!

When I first started out in PR, my agency used AOL as our email platform – and we were lucky. Some of my clients and media contacts didn’t even have email, so if I needed something, I had to call them. And it wasn’t always fun. Phone tag, reporters’ tirades, suspicious receptionists, disconnected numbers. I welcomed widespread email, and eventually texting and social media, with no hesitation. Why would someone want to bother with the phone when this other stuff is so much easier – and less stressful?

Now I know why.

There have been so many times in recent months when I’ve been cc’d on email chains that go on 10 times longer than necessary because the topics were subject to interpretation or the responses required multiple follow up questions. Everyone got what they needed – eventually, but not before flooding inboxes needlessly and frustrating the folks on the chain. And every time, I thought, why don’t they just pick up the phone? Can’t they tell it’s time to end the email back and forth?

Email still certainly has a place in the office and it can make our lives easier, but it shouldn’t be the default communication. Not every conversation is right for email; some things are simply better handled via direct conversation. But the deeper we go into the age of electronic communication, the more it seems like we’re losing our ability to judge when real conversation is required. With that, we’re losing opportunities to build and solidify relationships, and for PR people especially, that’s a waste. So do yourself a favor and pick up the phone today – and challenge your team to do the same. Your contacts might be surprised, but you’ll stand out, you’ll get the job done faster and they’ll thank you for your efficiency.

A mentorship can be a great tool for accelerating your career. But, if you’re a young professional, where do you start? Initiating and building a mentor relationship, not to mention setting the relationship up for success over the long run, can be daunting.

Here are five tips on how to find and get the most of a mentor relationship:

1. Don’t force the relationship, let mentorship flow naturally – whether you’re participating in a formal networking program at your office or have a more informal setup with your mentor, enough can’t be said for letting the relationship flow naturally. A mentorship should be something that both parties are eager to be part of. If it’s forced, you’ll feel it. That won’t bode well for getting the most out of your mentorship. All this being said, effort is required on both the part of the mentor and mentee – you get out what you put in!
2. Think of mentoring more as building your network – expand your definition of mentorship. That is, there is true value in building a vast network of people who can serve as mentors and help you grow in different aspects of your life. Build a personal ‘board of directors’ who work across a range of industries and have an array of skills and experiences whom you can tap for advice and guidance throughout the course of your career.
3. Bring something to the table if you’re a mentee – a mentorship should be a mutually beneficial relationship. If it’s one-sided all the time, chances are it won’t last. Mentees can help mentors in a variety of ways, from providing valuable insight on how strategy is being implemented with boots-on-the-ground staff to lending perspective on up-and-coming trends. The point is, a mentee needs to bring something of value to the relationship too.
4. Don’t be afraid to directly ask for someone to be your mentor – you don’t know whether someone would be open to being your mentor until you ask. Asking can be as simple as saying, “Hey – I really appreciate the time and advice you’ve given me. Would it be OK if I checked in from time-to-time?” The top suggestion on making the ask – just do it! Oftentimes, the most challenging hurdle to overcome is your own self-consciousness of asking. It is advisable that you only formally ask someone to be your mentor after you’ve got a couple of meetings under your belt and are confident you ‘click’ with each other.
5. Set goals, both short-term and long-term – putting some definition behind what you want to get out of your mentor relationship is key to making it successful over time. Goals can be as narrow as wanting to improve public speaking and presentation confidence or as general just having someone you can go to throughout the evolution of your career who you trust to give you honest feedback about an idea or career move.

With a little strategy and forethought – and knowing what mistakes to watch out for – a mentorship can be a long-lasting, fruitful relationship that helps young professionals up their game and accelerate their professional growth.

Three companies are still dealing with the fallout from the biggest crises in 2016: Volkswagen, with software in cars that showed inaccurately low emission levels; Samsung, with its explosive Galaxy Note 7 phones; and Wells Fargo, which opened millions of fake customer accounts. These three companies have seen investor confidence shaken, stock prices plunge and consumers take to social media slamming reputations. This is when crisis response and communication becomes the key to survival.

Here are the top three key learnings from this year’s cases in terms of crisis communications, issues management and reputation:

1. The biggest factor in crisis response is people. Fixing problems within a company is largely a people issue, and, most of the time, heads must roll.  Making changes at the top is not about having a scapegoat, it is about holding people accountable – from top to bottom – for their actions, and making the tough decisions in the best interest of the company and its future. Companies must be seen as having the right people to lead change and fix the problem. Most times, it is impossible to support people who were at the helm during times of unethical action. Making deep leadership changes demonstrates that the company is serious and taking corrective action.

2. There is an insatiable need for speed and accuracy in today’s world, and it is almost impossible to keep up. During a crisis, there are always decisions made that, in retrospect, weren’t the best. And, with the speed of communication today, a corporate response is almost never delivered quickly enough to appease consumers and media. That said, one can judge the impact of crisis response by the long-lasting effects it has – or does not have – on a company’s business growth or stock price. One example of a rough start but a strong finish can be found in Toyota and its response to the sticky accelerator issue. In the early days, management was slow and inaccurate with its response. In the end, however, the company put all of its weight toward recalling vehicles, correcting the problem, offering extended warranties, communicating about its pursuits and reassuring the driving public that it was on top of the situation and that Toyota would always stand for quality and safety. Today, Toyota’s stock price is almost as high as it has ever been ($119/share) – more than twice what it was during the recall.

3. Investors want well-managed companies with stable growth potential. When a company is in crisis, it is important for managers to act quickly and make operational changes in order to help put investor fears at ease and demonstrate stability and progress. With swift and transparent action, they must clearly show investors that they are progressing beyond past issues and toward a positive future.

VW, Samsung and Wells Fargo all have built great brands over many years. Their future, however; will now be defined by how well these three companies manage their respective crises in terms of correcting their problems and communicating effectively to restore customer and investor confidence.

There are thousands of smart and talented people at each of those companies who are no doubt working around the clock to correct their cultures, products and operations. In fact, Volkswagen’s stock is already creeping back. If consumers give these companies a second chance, they will likely see some very positive changes – “if” being the operative word.