WESTPORT, Conn., April 15, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- We all could learn a thing or two about PR from a guy named Eliot Spitzer.
Try this simple PR effectiveness test: Google Eliot Spitzer, New York's activist Attorney General. Some 254,000 citations will pop up, mostly links to articles either written about Spitzer or quoting him - almost double, for example, the number of citations for the Attorney General of California. And the media coverage Spitzer has racked up since emerging from virtual obscurity is equally impressive, including consistent coverage in The Wall Street Journal, his hometown paper The New York Times, and just about every other prominent publication serving Wall Street and Main Street.
PR is a powerful brand-building tool that, as Spitzer so aptly demonstrates, boils down to the effective use of the media. Why the media? Because people tend to believe that you must be somebody if the media sees fit to write about you or quote you. We PR practitioners reverently refer to this as the media's endorsement, which conveys powerful third-party credibility whether or not you believe everything you read.
Media coverage is also a sure-fire way to build a strong presence on the Internet, feeding search engines, such as Google and Yahoo!, that serve as highly visible electronic billboards to countless Internet users (including potential customers and reporters researching stories.)
So, getting back to our PR champion, what makes Spitzer so PR savvy? How has he been able to use the media so potently to gain national attention for the cases he and his team of lawyers work so tirelessly on? Essentially, Spitzer follows several simple, yet effective rules:
-- Know your audience - Think of PR as the practice of selling
compelling story ideas to the media. Just as you need to
know your customers to be a successful salesperson, you need
to know your media targets to be a successful PR practitioner.
With the proliferation of online media databases, web sites
and news search engines, it's relatively easy to identify
and do background research on the publications and reporters
that you want to cover your news.
Where do you begin? Consider the audiences you want to reach
and the publications they read. These are your media targets.
Now determine which reporter or editor at each target
publication would be most receptive to what you have to say.
(If you can't figure out what areas a reporter is assigned
to cover, read a few sample articles.)
-- Know what you have to sell - Before you send out a press
release or pick up the phone to speak with a reporter,
you'll increase your chances of getting his or her attention
if you can answer two basic questions about the story you
have to sell: What's the news value? And, why is this
important now?
Understanding the news value of your company's announcement
is key. Don't overplay soft news, and please refrain from
hype. Reporters are wary of marketing overkill and tend to
be skeptical of releases and story pitches that come laden
with adjectives like "leading," "cutting edge," "pioneering,"
"innovative" and "breakthrough." Instead, be objective and
put your story into real-world context.
A large part of what makes a story newsworthy is its
timeliness. Spitzer's meteoric rise to media stardom got a
jumpstart in 2002 when corporate scandals, including Tyco,
Enron and ImClone, began to dominate the headlines. This
helped set the stage for the press to tell Spitzer's story and
his crusade to clean up Wall Street. Making your story timely,
such as linking it to an industry trend or major news
development, will help increase its own news value.
-- Be clear and consistent in what you say - This may sound like
common business sense, but it's surprising how many companies
get this wrong. A major offense, say reporters, is the
liberal use of jargon in press materials and interviews.
Again, Spitzer sets the standard when it comes to articulate
messaging. One of his gifts, notes Time magazine, is a plain-
talking sensibility. Spitzer doesn't talk "inside baseball"
or confuse his media audience with legal jargon. His press
release headlines, for example, are remarkably short and to
the point. Take for instance the announcement that triggered
the avalanche of recent coverage on insurance industry
practices - "Investigation Reveals Widespread Corruption in
Insurance Industry." Reporters don't have to reread this
headline to understand Spitzer's message.
-- Support PR with other marketing tools - Practicing integrated
marketing, branding and communications doesn't have to be
as complicated as it sounds. It can be as simple as making
sure that the theme of your next PR campaign resonates with
what you're saying in your advertising or direct mail. Or,
even simpler, making sure that your available marketing tools,
such as your website, are helping advance your PR efforts.
At a recent business media gathering, it was remarked how
easy Spitzer had made it for the press to write about his
insurance industry allegations. He posted his complaint and
press release on the NY Attorney General website as soon as
the news broke. This gave reporters everywhere 24/7 access
to the information they needed to write articles and put
together broadcast segments, even if they didn't have the
time to speak directly with Spitzer or attend his press
conference.
Despite how the profession is often characterized, PR - effective PR, that is - is not about hype and spin. It's about helping the media - and the audiences they serve - gain a clear and accurate understanding of your business and the value you bring to your customers. Spitzer accomplishes this so well that he's been hailed by the media as the "Sheriff of Wall Street" and "The Enforcer," supporting his own positioning as "The People's Lawyer." Follow his lead and you too can use PR to help build your brand.
Karen DeMartine, Principal, Miller DeMartine Group - Before establishing her own corporate and marketing communications firm in 1991, co-founder Karen DeMartine was a senior account executive at Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart in New York, where she helped foreign-based companies build a media presence in the U.S. Karen currently serves as President of the Insurance Media Association and was recently named to its 100 Most Powerful People in the Insurance Industry list. She is also a member of the American Marketing Association. She graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree.
Miller DeMartine Group (www.mdgpr.com) is a full-service public relations and marketing communications firm based in Westport, CT. Media contact: Tracy Van Buskirk, Miller DeMartine Group, 203/221-2790, tvanbuskirk@mdgpr.com