PURPLE BLAB

Today we are going to jump into PR – and what the F it is. If you read my last post, you learned about one component of public relations, event planning. As the Communications Director, that is just one of the many hats I wear. So if you are thinking about getting into PR or just want do know what PR is (trust me, don’t be embarrassed I have been in the field for years and my parents still don’t really get it), today is your lucky day. Here’s the scoop:

First, let’s address the biggest question out there:

What is the different between PR and Advertising?

Public Relations is free publicity and media exposure. In order to generate buzz you need to break through the clutter and get the media’s attention (i.e editors, reporters, bloggers, producers, etc.) You need to be able to spin your angle so it’s timely and newsworthy. This will hopefully result in media coverage.

I send out pitches (see below for definition) almost every day to the media – it may involve stalking (but you have to be charming about it – a little more than persistent and less than restraining order). Sometimes they cover it and sometimes they don’t. If they do, once the information is sent to them, you have no control over how the media will present it (hard for me – control freak that I am). They’re totally not obligated to feature the news you send them. In fact, most of the time they probably won’t. Once you send out information to the media, you can’t send them the same info again. And if one publication does your story, another one won’t do the same angle which means you need something else. Key: You have to keep your angles fresh and new.

Consumers read magazines and newspaper because they trust the information they are reading. They see editors and reporters as influencers. So if their trusted source is recommending a product, they know it must be good. But, remember this can work both ways. If the editors or reporters hate the product, they can write that too.

An example of PR:

Advertising is space the company pays for (print, online, on air, radio, etc.). A brand knows exactly when the ad will be aired or published. If a company is going to advertise, they need to shell out some serious bank. Most magazine ads start at $60k!!! Because you’re paying for the space, you have creative control and decide what the ad says and how it looks. Also, the same ads run over and over again.

Consumers know that an ad is paid for and they are trying to be sold a product. The good part is they have controlled messaging so they always present their product in a positive light, which may not always happen in PR.

An example of advertising:

Next, let’s go into some of the PR lingo…

Public Relations Agency: Hired by a company to do the work for them! Some big ones in NYC are Marina Maher Communications, Edelman and Ogilvy!

In-house Public Relations: Like Purple Lab, the PR is handled by a team that works directly for the company.

Press kit: A packaged set of promotional materials, like photographs and background information for a product that will be given to the media. The more eye catching it looks, the more likely the media will pay attention to it – the people who decide who gets through the velvet rope (i.e. magazine pages) are sent thousands a week. If you don’t stand out, you may as well not send it. It’ll get relegated to a pile that eventually resides in the garbage. (Purple Lab’s is glam, sexy, delish… who could resist?).

Press Release: An announcement of an event, performance, or other newsworthy story that is sent to the media, sometimes in a press kit.

Fact Sheet: A page in a press kit that gives the media fast facts about products, like benefits, features, images, price points, where it’s sold etc. FYI: If you cannot point to where a product is sold – if you’re pitching a product – you will not get press. So you need a retailer before you can do any of this. See ours, below.

Pitch: A persuasive conversation, letter or email that grabs the attention of the media (i.e. Celebs everywhere are sporting plump, juicy lips. To achieve this look, wear Huge Lips Skinny Hips).

Feature: A media story that features your product and your product alone. Ideal!

Round-up: A media story that features your product along with other similar ones. (i.e. lip plumper story that features Huge Lips Skinny Hips along side a few other plumpers on the market). Golden rule in journalism: three = a trend.

Media list: I am all about organization. It is important to put all of your media contacts’ information into an excel sheet. Your media list will need to be updated constantly as editors and reporters are always moving around within the industry. Alphabetize.

Long-lead media: Your favorite magazines, Glamour, Elle, Vogue, etc. It is called long-lead because there is a 3-5 month lead time of when they need the information to print in the mag.

Long-lead event: You guessed it, an event for the long-loads, a.k.a. magazine editors.

Desk side: Editors are so busy, so sometimes we bring the news to them. We will go into their office. The Hearst and Conde Nast building are to die for – and the home of many a magazine! We bring them product, press materials and present the information. Best to do this with the face of the brand. In this case, Karen. We usually will bring something sweet, (like Crumbs cupcakes) as a gift to thank them for their time.

Short-lead media: Newspapers, internet, TV. News can run immediate through these media outlets. For the celeb “books,” which is what magazines are called in the industry, you need to tie the pitch to a star. The more A-List the better. How to get to the stars? Read Karen’s post!

Short-lead event: These events are usually consumer focused (i.e. Purple Lab’s speed dating event next year – more to come on that).

B-Roll: Pre-recorded television footage. Usually taken at short-lead events and then pitched to broadcast media that couldn’t attend. Used for TV segments, when you see the action after it happens or watch a scene with a voice over.

So there you have the basics to PR. Still confused? Have any other questions you want me to answer?

Email me sharon@purplelabnyc.com

MWAH!!!

Sharon

Communications Queen

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 at 10:25 pm and is filed under Purple Lab Behind the Scenes, Purple Lab PR. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.