It''s been a great week at DPK Public Relations, partly because we had a big success on behalf of client Pinchak & Associates (www.apimmigration.com), a Houston law firm that concentrates on business immigration law. We worked with Principal Ann Pinchak to research and develop an op-ed, then successfully negotiated placement of the piece in the Outlook section of the Sunday Houston Chronicle. Unfortunately, the Chronicle has removed the piece from its Web site, but I can e-mail a reprint upon request. Op-eds can be a terrific way to gain visibility and to distinguish an individual or company from its competitors. There are a few steps that can increase the likelihood that your op-ed will get published. Narrow the scope of your subject matter to something that pertains to those reached by the publication you are targeting. The Pinchak op-ed refers to a story that had …
Is it appropriate to apply a frequently cited study out of UCLA regarding the relative importance of a person''s message to presentation skills and media interview skills? This article examines why it may not be.
To enhance the quality of coverage you earn, you can make efforts to build credibility and trust with journalists. A good reputation among journalists is earned through consistently offering an interesting point of view, having a great deal of energy and enthusiasm and being accessible. These attributes can help you establish yourself as an expert source, resulting in increasing numbers of phone calls asking your opinion about breaking news. Here are tips to improve your dealings with journalists. Leave your prejudices about reporters behind. Reporters -- like everyone else -- bring their life experiences and perspectives to their jobs. Good reporters make every effort to see all participants'' points of view and to be aware of their own biases. Even if you''ve had negative experiences with the media in the past, you should avoid questioning a reporter''s motivations. Asking a journalist, "What is your point of view?" …
If you’re like most business communicators, you are sending too many messages, you’re saying the wrong things and you’re reaching the wrong people. Too many companies confuse dissemination with communication. They crank out a steady stream of words and images, but are deaf and blind to the impact they are having. And their brands suffer as a result of the directionless, emotionless dreck that comes from their keyboards. Some technology companies have been the worst offenders. Certain that quickly establishing brand presence and market domination depends on rapid-fire message delivery, some have succeeded in generating awareness, but few ever have built brand equity. Ironically, that case was made in a television commercial for Iwon.com. It's the Web portal that gives a daily, weekly and monthly prize to users. The TV spot featured a Web surfer who sarcastically claims he would turn away …
One of the great myths about public relations is that measuring our results is difficult at best. The root of the myth is the misunderstanding that the primary result of PR activities is the publicity we generate. While publicity can be important, it is most valuable when aligned with your organization’s strategies and business goals. Organizations can and should hold their public relations programs accountable for achieving clearly defined and measurable objectives that matter. In many cases, the same measurements that are used to examine advertising effectiveness can be used to measure the effectiveness of PR. Public relations results usually fall into one of three categories: education, persuasion and behavior. Education: Public relations can call attention to an organization, issue, product or service. If an organization hasn’t clearly defined itself, PR can help. Persuasion: Once a baseline of awareness is …
When Salvador Tapia, a disgruntled former employee walked into the Chicago wharehouse where he worked until six months before and killed six former co-workers, we all were reminded how a crisis can hit any organization at any time. As is frequently the case, this tragedy may prompt some organizations to evaluate their own policies and procedures. Unfortunately, the review usually focuses on security rather than on the human elements that contribute to workplace outbursts. If your organization is considering what it can do to prevent workplace violence, I hope you, as the public relations advocate in the room, speak up. Public relations pros have plenty to offer for an organization tyring to assess its vulnerabilities, identify areas for improvement and act on those findings. This is the essence of issues management. Besides, if your organization determines that changes are necessary, the communication initiatives that …
If Andy Warhol was right and "in the future everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes," you want to be prepared beforehand in order to prevent becoming infamous. These 10 tips will help get you ready before the cameras turn toward you.1. The Eyes Have It - When face-to-face with an interviewer, focus on the the person asking the questions and not on the camera. If you are at a remote location (as is frequently the case on Nightline) maintain eye contact with the camera lens at all times. When pausing to think, look down - not up. You don't want viewers to think you're rolling your eyes. 2. Dress Conservatively - Wear solid colors with an emphasis on blues and browns. Avoid white shirts, plaids and checkered patterns. Also, bring along a backup outfit just in case you spill your coffee or sweat stains appear. 3. Posture …
This summer I visited Ground Zero. I was shocked to see that structures were rising out of the familiar four-story-deep hole. I have read about the smell that emanated for months and sickened many who came to the viewing platform. The smell I experienced reminded me of Houston. It was the aroma of fresh concrete. The suffering and loss was not lost on me, but I left feeling time clearly is marching on. Even so, the wounds remain fresh for many workers and we, as communicators, need to guide our organizations regarding how to observe the second anniversary of the attack. The word “appropriate” is extremely important. What workplace observance, if any, is appropriate? How can an organization and its leadership appropriately convey the depth of feeling necessary to capture both the horror and the courage we witnessed? These questions …
The anniversary of September 11 will trigger a range of emotions among workers and public relations practitioners should carefully consider how their companies acknowledge the lasting impact of the terrorist attacks. The National Mental Health Association suggests taking the following actions: Mark the day in some way and make sure all employees are invited to participate. Work in the weeks leading up to the anniversary to educate supervisors and managers about the signs of emotional distress and available mental health resources. Be sensitive to religious and cultural diversity in all communications and encourage corporate leadership to state clearly the company''s position on dealing swiftly with allegations of intolerance. Encourage communication among employees by providing a comfortable environment for them to gather. Host a community event such as collecting clothing for a shelter in order to do something positive for others, …
Can you imagine a day when virtually every word communicated on behalf of your organization could be subject to legal review of its accuracy? Depending on how the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Nike Inc. v. Kasky, everything we do as communicators could be deemed “commercial speech.” Why should you care? After all, no credible public relations practitioner would knowingly mislead the public. It’s not that simple. Nike is appealing a California Supreme Court ruling that it can be sued for allegedly trying to mislead the public about its labor practices. The court’s ruling was a shot across the bow of the public relations profession. It indicated that public relations elements – news releases, brochures and letters to editors – ultimately are intended to spur sales and, therefore, are not protected under the First Amendment. If the practice of public …