You Can Quote Me

I cringe 90 percent of the time whenever I read the direct quotes in a press release. They’re usually so obviously canned. And dull, dull, dull.

The quote usually starts, “We’re delighted to….” Tell us something we didn’t know.

The quote usually goes downhill from there, meandering into a long paragraph of pallid palaver no human would speak. Like the recipient of an Academy Award, the speaker goes on to thank everyone from his mom on down, anyone who could have made this “great success” possible.

It’s too bad most quotes are so silly. A good quote or two can advance your cause.

Here’s why.

A good release should read like a news story and avoid commercialism in the main text—rules that most releases violate, putting off readers who want information, not a baloney sandwich.

Quotes—along with the boilerplate at the end—are the only places where you can sneak in your marketing message. Since it’s a named person who’s speaking in the quote, not the impersonal third-person voice of the release, it’s okay to put in some marketing spin in the quote. (But for heavens sake, don’t overdo it.)

How can you get a good quote?

Start out by briefly interviewing the people involved—the key executive or expert at your organization or client, or, if another organization is an important part of the story, someone there. Real people usually say much more interesting things than anything you can make up.

If it’s not feasible to interview the principals, use a little creativity. Imagine what a living breathing person might have to say about this exciting, interesting piece of news. Tell readers something they can’t get in the rest of the release.

Keep ‘em brief and pithy. One or two sentences per quote—three tops—is/are plenty.

If you feel that coming up with a good quote is impossible, just skip it. It’s far better to have no quotes in a release than inflating it with trite gas.

Stimpson Communications
www.stimpsoncommunications.com
Henry@StimpsonCommunications.com
508-647-0705

How to Get PR Always and Forever

Give journalists a fresh story idea every month. Story ideas are brief nuggets that pinpoint a key trend or issue. Make them timely and succinct. Never let a whiff of self-promotion creep in. Email story ideas to a well-tended list.

Monitor the media continually. Reporters are always looking for stories and sources. To find out what they’re after, stay in personal contact with reporters and editors, monitor editorial calendars, and subscribe to a service like ProfNet.

Jump on breaking news. If there’s a big story in the news media in your field, immediately let the media know that you or another person in your firm can give timely, expert commentary.

Write articles. Most trade and business magazines want well-written articles from experts in their industry. No, they won’t pay you—but you’ll get something more valuable: widespread exposure and credibility as a thought leader. No time to write? A professional writer can interview you and shape your thoughts into a sparkling article.

Find the human angle. Look for extraordinary community service and personal accomplishments. For instance, The Boston Globe ran a feature article about a lawyer who recently passed the bar after going to night school 14 years to win her undergrad and law degrees.

Piggyback off client successes. If you’ve helped a client achieve something good, you have a great opportunity for news coverage. Case histories and client success stories make compelling copy, and the reprints are good as gold for marketing and sales.

Keep digging for ideas and experts. Look for trends, controversies that you can take to the media. Dig within your organization to find experts and authors you haven’t used before. The media never stop. You shouldn’t either.

Research Beyond Google

Research Beyond Google

Research can be invaluable in starting or advancing your PR program. At its simplest level, research can mean gathering up a reporter’s or blogger’s recent articles to see what he or she likes to write about.

But research can do a lot more. It can help you find out what others are saying about your organization and give you more in-depth information about key media. It can help you gather facts for a marketing campaign, whitepaper or bylined article.

It’s easy to just Google whatever you’re researching and stop there. Well, don’t just Google! You’re likely to miss invaluable information that isn’t anywhere on the Web. Trust me—I was a research librarian before I went into PR and marketing many years ago.

Here are a few key research tools that can turn up lots of great information that Google can’t.

Online databases—free from your public library. Let’s say you want to see all magazine articles everything about “risk management.” Your public library probably subscribes to the Gale/Infotrac databases. And, with your library card number, you shouldn’t have to schlep to the library—it’s all online. For instance, when I typed in “risk management,” in the General BusinessFile database, up popped 10,000-plus references from publications worldwide—all with full text.

Subscription media-research tools. How can you find every trade publication that specializes in the autobody repair industry? Who’s the legal beat reporter at the Chicago Sun? Who covers personal finance at MarketWatch.com? Which magazines will have focus issues on leadership this year?

You can find some, but not all, of this information on the Web—but it’s often incomplete and very time-consuming to unearth. With subscription services like Cision and MyEdCals—to name just two among many—it’s a snap.

One advantage of hiring a PR consultant is that the PR consultant should already subscribe, so you don’t have to pay the subscription cost. Also, a PR pro should know how to use these research tools, so you don’t need to climb the learning curve.

--Henry Stimpson

Stimpson Communications

www.stimpsoncommunications.com

Henry@StimpsonCommunications.com

508-647-0705