Lauren Price, Public Relations Coordinator October 28, 2014

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1 Lauren Price, Public Relations Coordinator October 28, 2014

2 If I was down to the last dollar of my marketing budget I'd spend it on public relations. Bill Gates

3 What is Public Relations? Builder PR Coverage Top 3 Public Relations Myths Unconventional Ways to Promote Your News News Story Ideas Creating Content Journalists Will Love Strengthening Your News Story Local Coverage Engaging & Understanding the Media Anatomy of a Press Release Pitching Tips Photography Tips VP s Offering

6 Myth 1: PR is all about press releases. Myth 2: PR doesn t take a lot of time. Myth 3: Effective PR can replace the efforts of a sales team.

7 Document Sharing Websites Company Website Post the release on your company website. Video & Infographics Social Media Share your press release via social media networks Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Company Blog - Write a blog post on the topic and include a link to your press release. Highlight your news in your bulletins and e-newsletters.

8 Launch of a New Service Opening of a New Office New Appointments and Staff Promotions Change of Office Location Groundbreaking Ribbon Cutting or Business Opening Being on the Shortlist for Awards Winning Awards Contract Win/New Business Hiring New Staff Members Sponsoring Events or Individuals Staff Charity Fundraising Efforts Supporting a Charity Working with the Local Community Partnership Arrangements Taking on New Position/Responsibilities (for example, for a local community group or network) Launching an Initiative Collaborating with Other Businesses and Organizations Major Achievements Announcements of Business Growth and Development Events that You Host Open Houses, Information Seminars, Workshops Speaker Opportunities and Using Those to Make Announcements Milestones 1000th Customer, Significant Achievement with a Client Anniversaries 1, 5, 10 Years in Business

9 All your potential stories should be tested with the people element in mind ask yourself the following questions to help clarify the human interest aspect: Who is involved in this story? What impact does this news have on people? What benefits will this news bring to them? Will it make a difference to people shortterm, long-term or both? Who is at the heart of the story extraordinary people, ordinary people? Put yourself in the shoes of the people who might read about this story ask, what s in it for me? Why should I care? Is this something interesting I would want to tell a friend or colleague about?

10 Human interest has to be at the heart of your story. People, the impact of your news story on them, and how it changes their lives, is one of the key ingredients.

11 Print & Web Media Local newspaper (business section), local business journal Electronic Media TV, Radio

12 What Journalists Don t Want: Sales fluff Ideas that are not relevant to their area of focus Not to be interrupted when on a deadline Key information left out of your pitch or press release

13 What Journalists Want: Human Interest Element Stories/Ideas that are topical, different, follow a trend Great Photos Timely Information

16 An effective way of delivering your message/story idea to media is to use a pitch letter. A pitch letter is an , which outlines the newsworthy story behind your news. It cannot just state your news; your pitch must encapsulate why this story should matter to the media outlet's audience.

17 READ what the reporter writes: This needs to be common sense. Read their writing, tailor the pitch to their own style. Do they use jokes? You do, too. Do they use flowery language? Then by all means, please compliment their personal techniques with similar practices. Find out his/her interests OUTSIDE of writing: Believe it or not, they have lives, too. Most are really quite witty and have similar interests. They even come outside in the sunlight and don t sleep in a coffin. them WITHOUT pitching them: Send reporters s just to check in with them and see how they re doing. This is a fantastic way to build real relationships with these reporters.

18 Explore areas outside of the construction industry Research Follow them on social media networks Avoid the shotgun approach Make your pitch relevant to journalists Focus on their audience Use an interesting subject line Keep your short and sweet Set out next steps

19 Using a professional photographer or camera is best Wide angles are great

20 Consider lighting and position of the sun to prevent harsh shadows. Early in the morning or closer to dusk. Photograph in warmer months to avoid snow.

21 Photograph on weekends to eliminate cars in the parking lot (unless this is an auto dealership or a church shoot it on a weekday). Cars detract from the image Make sure landscaping is in place Avoid light poles, jobsite trash, port-a-potties and other distracting items If you re showcasing a renovation or Retrofit project, show before, during and after shots Cranes, special features, elevated or aerial shots and interior shots are always great When photographing people, a good mixture of action shots and posed shots are preferred.

22 Varco Pruden s PR Kit includes the following components: Initial Consultation evaluate builder s current PR methods/efforts and outline future goals Press Release Creation four customized press release per year Media Contact List Development VP will develop up to four targeted media contact lists to accompany each release; lists will be based on the press release topic and company geography PR Tutorial VP will offer a quick refresher course on PR best practices and offer helpful tips on contacting the media to land coverage Quarterly Evaluation A quarterly check in (conference call) between builder/team and VP to discuss progress with PR efforts

23 Thank you for joining us. Please contact us with any questions at

Congratulations on getting a grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

Publicity guidance 1 Congratulations on getting a grant from the Big Lottery Fund. We want you to promote your project as widely as possible and we have written this guide to help you do this. Promoting