Perfecting Your PR Pitch

If there’s one thing we know as a Franchise Public Relations Firm it's how important perfecting your big PR pitch can be.  Finding a great story, solid facts, quotes and human interest isn’t always enough to get your story picked up.  Perfecting your PR pitch, however can turn all your hardwork into a solid story and maybe even breaking news.  Here’s a list of what we think will help secure your PR Pitch:

Sell it!- Just like a good salesman, you need to sell your story.  You need to emphasize key points and think like a reporter.  Put yourself in the shoes of a reporter or journalist and consider what they want to hear because after all, it is their choice on what stories they want to cover and what stories they disregard.   

To call or email?- Perhaps it’s a reporter's busy nature or our technology obsession as a society, but these days most reporters today would rather be emailed with PR pitches then bombarded by phone calls with pitches and this is something to take into account.  This could make or break whether or not your story is read.  If you do not know the reporter and know his/her preference, send the pitch by e-mail.  If you are worried about your pitch being discarded, you may send a fax too.  Just be careful about how you go about contacting reporters, especially when you do not know their preferred method of contact.  

Follow-ups- Undoubtedly, follow up calls are one of the most crucial parts of the PR pitch process.  Following up shows your commitment to your story and needs to happen within 48 hours of pitching your story.  Depending on the timeliness, you can send a brief follow-up via e-mail.  If timeliness is not an issue you should follow up within a week of the pitch.  Calling may not be the best way to follow up.  Call if the reporter you wish to reach has let you know that it is okay to call.  If you believe the pitch and story warrants a call, keep it as brief as possible.  When you call ask: “Is this a good time to talk?” or “Do you have a minute to hear a quick PR pitch?” or “Would you prefer an e-mail, or do you have a minute to hear a quick PR pitch?” or something along those lines. 

If you have questions or comments on securing or improving your PR pitch, feel free to leave us a comment below or contact us.  

The Elements of Good PR

As a Franchise Public Relations company heavily immersed in all things communications, we stay current in the world of PR.  We frequently read about the idea of “good public relations” and “bad public relations,” but what really makes public relations “good” and what really makes it “bad?”  How do we really measure or determine what is good or bad?  Is the old adage “All PR is good PR” really true?  Perhaps, but here at All Points Public Relations we certainly have our own beliefs on what makes PR “good PR.”  Here are some of the elements of what we believe is “good” PR:

(1) Is Proactive:  Good PR and PR experts are always a step ahead of the game.  It isn't always about the here and now.  Looking to the future and addressing issues that could eventually crop up are a big part of good PR.  Good PR should anticipate what could happen and have a strategic plan mapped out at all times.

(2) Gives measurable results:  What good would a PR campaign be without measureable results?  No good at all.  Good PR makes a measureable impact.  Every client, whether it’s a small business owner or a franchise PR client, is looking for different results and good PR takes that into account and finds a way to reach goals, no matter how big or small.   

(3) Features strong relationships:  Good PR features strong relationships with influential people that have been built on honesty, good communication and hard earned trust coming from experience.  Again, it’s not just about who you know in PR, it is also about the strength of the relationship.

(4) Builds brand support: Good PR builds and sustains brand support by positively impacting consumer behaviors, opening up a steady stream of communication.  Through communication, good PR tells people what they need to know rather than what they want to know, providing relevance to the story being told. 

(5) Tells a good story:  We’ve talked about the power of a good press releases before and this ties in with good PR in general.  It’s more than just who you know in PR.  It’s also about being able to tell a compelling story that can truly move the masses.  Whether it’s journalists that you are pitching stories to or the people reading the story, good PR needs to keep people reading.  Nothing beats the power of a well-told story.  

What do you think makes PR “good” PR?  Let us know in a comment posted below, or feel free to contact us.  

Facebook Posts Double as Great Call To Action Statement

The power of social media is undeniable.  When harnessed in the right way, it can greatly help you promote your business or franchise.  When we post for our Franchise PR clients, we strive to make each post a strong call to action statement to encourage user engagement.  Every time you post on Facebook, there should be a call to action, which encourages users to do what you want them to do next.  If you are creating posts that are doubling as a call to action, here are a few things to keep in mind:

(1) Don’t provide all the information up front:  You don’t want to give out all the juicy details via Facebook or Twitter.  Interest your users enough to make them want to read the rest of what you have to say elsewhere.  Perhaps you want to lead them back to your website where they can learn a little more about your company, product or service.  Be informative, just not overly informative.  Make users want to learn more and make them willing to do a little leg work to figure it out. 

(2) Foster positivity: It is best to always bring positivity to your posts.  When you are involving a call to action in your post, you want to encourage users and make them feel positive emotions.  You want users to be excited and inspired by your posts.  This will encourage engagement and sharing.

(3) Use images: A stimulating visual can provide a lot of power for your call to action statements.  Images can help provide more information or help the user connect to your post better, so use visuals as often as you can. 

(4) Links: Most call to action statements should provide a link to wherever you want the user to go.  Make it easy for users to navigate to wherever it is you want them to go. Making it easy for the user will make them more inclined to follow you wherever you are leading them.  There has to be some perceived value for the user as well.  The user doesn’t want to just follow you blindly anywhere, especially if they don't feel there is something in it for them.  Show the user that something good will come from them following you and the link you are posting.  

(5) Pose a question: Don’t be afraid to pose a question to your target users.  Ask a question that will interest and encourage a thoughtful response.  This will encourage dialogue between you and your customer, which could be a great way to foster a positive a relationship.  The question you ask should be attention-grabbing and bold, so make it a good one!

Utilizing call to action statements in your posts can greatly help you attract users to your Facebook and elsewhere, like to your website.  Whenever you post anything on Facebook just remember what your motives are.  Odds you are looking to drive traffic to your website.  If that is your goal, your Facebook posts need to draw in an audience and from there you can direct them to where you want them to go.  Have questions or comments about making your Facebook posts function as great call to action statements?  Drop comments below or feel free to contact us.

Making Videos Viral

Here at All Points PR we always want to see our clients succeed. At the end of the day, watching clients succeed is what we live for.  When clients ask for ways they can better promote themselves outside of having us do their business or franchise PR, we always do our best to offer solid suggestions that we think can really help them.  Recently, we’ve become intrigued by the power of viral videos and the effect they can have on a business or franchise.  

Making your company or franchise more popular in the social media realm could really be as simple as creating a video that goes viral, but that makes it seem like creating a viral video is easy and truth be told, it’s not. 

There are many factors that go into why a video rapidly goes viral.  A video could go viral for any number of reasons such as good use of humor, shock value, surprise, or edginess.  Many people think a video’s viral success is only measured in how many views it has received, when in truth, there’s a lot more to it then that.  Other important aspects to factor in with a viral videos success includes how many shares it has received, conversion rates, and social engagement. 

If you and your franchise have made videos in the past only to have them flop, you still have the chance to make them go viral.  If you are about to embark on the quest to create groundbreaking viral videos, here are some things to consider:

(1) Take to social media:  So you’re not getting enough video views, shares, or engagement from others on your videos.  Make sure the minute you post a video that you immediately share it on all of your social media sites.  One of the best ways for a video to go viral is through sharing on social media.  We’ve all done it, we’ve all seen that really funny video and then sent it to 10 of our friends and that’s just the way this works.  When something, like a video is good, we feel the need to share it and with social media, sharing is incredibly easy these days, so cash in on that with your videos.  Share, share, share!

(2) Impart some knowledge: Give viewers useful information so that you make them feel empowered and make them feel like they have truly learned something that will help them move ahead in their industry.  Viewers need to feel like they have directly gained something from your video. 

(3) Short and sweet:  Your videos should not give the movie Titanic a run for its money in terms of length!  Your video shouldn’t be long by any means.  Keep it short, sweet and to the point.  Some of the best viral videos are just a minute long.  While shorter videos can be harder to make, they tend to have the most impact. 

(4) Make a sale or two:  Your videos should help you make sales happen for your company.  Face it, you’re not just making a video to make a video.  You’re making a video for a reason and 9 times out 10, it’s to make a sale happen.  Whatever you want to sell, you want your video to help you sell it. 

(5) Share with current customers:  Your current customers are a perfect audience for the videos you have been creating.  They have worked with you previously or are currently working with you, so show them what you’ve been working on as a company.  It’s a great way to reach out to them and keep them informed and in the loop as to what’s going on.

We love talking about powerful franchise PR tactics.  If you're looking for more tips on making successful videos for your franchise or business, contact us.    

Signs of a Bad Press Release

The press release is the bread and butter to a Franchise PR company and really, to the PR industry.  Perfecting your press release writing skills is essential to achieving good PR for your company.  We advise working with a skilled PR company to do all of your company or franchise’s public relations since experts know how to make your company or franchise succeed with the use of public relations.  As a Franchise PR Company, we write plenty of releases for our clients and secure media coverage for clients on a daily basis.  Why do our releases go over so well?  Because we know the signs of a bad press release.  Do you?  Here are some of the top signs that you’re reading or writing a bad press release:

(1) All quantity and no quality: Writing just to write is pointless and in fact, most press releases that rely on quantity instead of quality are very easy to spot.  Press releases are by no means supposed to be lengthy.  They are supposed to give all the relevant information to the story up front and give the reader a little more of the meat to the story.  There shouldn’t be a word count quota.  Get the main points across, make it well-written and you’ve got yourself a good press release. 

(2) Takes too long to get to the main point: The main point, or juice, of the press release should be summed up in the very first sentence.  The first sentence should address the who, what, when, where, why and how of your story.  Read any good press release and you’ll see that the first sentence answers all the w’s and the h.  

(3) Too much jargon: A translator should not be needed to read a press release.  Bad press releases use terminology not commonly understood by the general public.  The jargon should be dropped and the press release should be easy to understand to keep people reading and interested.  Good press releases generate attention, not lose it.  

(4) Spelling and grammar errors: Misspelled words, misplaced commas, unnecessary hyphens left in a press release are definitely signs of a bad press release.  Your press release represents your company, so do not let it go out with any errors.  Read it over not once, not twice, but three times.  That will ensure no errors.

(5) Boring- If you read a press release that bores you to tears, or if your own release is yawn-worthy, it is definitely the sign of a really bad press release.  In fact, a press release should have the opposite effect.  It is supposed to sound the alarm to the press about your event or company.  It should make people want to read it and act on it.

Looking for more tips on making your press release effective or looking for PR work for your franchise or company?  Contact us, we’d be glad to talk PR with you.  

McDonald's Canada: PR Through Video

Early in July 2012, McDonald’s Canada took PR into their own hands.  After being asked multiple times why their burgers look so different on commercials and in ads versus the real deal, they finally decided to answer those questions in an rather creative way.  A standard PR approach probably would have been something along the lines of answering the questions via social media or releasing some kind of statement, but no.  Apparently McDonald’s Canada decided to do things differently. They unleashed a video answering the questions about the promo burgers versus the restaurant burgers. 

As a Franchise PR firm, we love to see different, effective approaches to handling the mass public and media.  For McDonald’s Canada, the approach worked and following the unveiling of the popular video they created another video, which revealed the secrets behind the making of the popular Big Mac burger.  McDonald’s executive chef, Dan Coudreaut, lays it all out on the line explaining in great deal how to recreate the burger.  He even goes as far as unveiling the secret Big Mac sauce.  Almost unheard of and pretty brave.  

When visitors go to Youtube and search McDonald’s Canada, up pops their Youtube channel asking Youtuber’s to ask questions saying, “Ever wanted to ask us about the food in our Canadian restaurants?  Now’s your chance! We’ll answer any questions about our food- even the tough ones- then post a personal reply from McDonld’s Canada.”  Brave!  The videos posted by the Canada chain are posted in response to a question from a Youtuber.  And yes, they even answer the tough questions. 

Everyone’s idea of good PR is different.  While standard methods are typically viewed favorably, sometimes taking a different approach can yield great positive results.  The approach by the Canadian McDonald’s is definitely a brave one at that, so for that we applaud them. 

We love to create good PR opportunities for our Franchise PR clients.  Have a good or bad PR moment you’d like to share with us?  Share away in the comment section below. 

Again, here’s a link to the McDonald’s Canada page, check it out.