News

In theory, businesses and the business media have a symbiotic relationship. As much as you want publicity, we want interesting stories. But sometimes we just don't understand each other's needs. Here's how to meet ours.Know the media you're targeting Radio, TV, magazines, newspapers and websites all have distinct and specific demands. This magazine, for example, has roughly 10 regular departments, each of which calls for a different type of story, format or profile subject. Start by reading, watching or listening to the media you want to approach, and figure out where and how your company might fit in.

Check the schedules Magazines have lead times of up to six months. Newspapers' lead times vary from days to weeks, depending on the section or type of feature. If your pitch is pegged to a particular day, event or season-say, Christmas shopping-make sure you send the press release early enough for magazines but not too early for newspapers.

Know the people Beat writers are constantly looking for stories within their sectors. While the Globe's retail reporter Marina Strauss, for example, mainly writes about the big chains and independents, she sometimes covers smaller retailers. But to convince her that your little clothing company merits an article, your story needs to be both distinctive and universal-meaning unusual, yet of interest to a broad spectrum of readers. Opening a boutique may be universal, but it isn't unique-so why should she cover yours and not someone else's?

Pick the right time Mondays and early morning tend to be the busiest times for news announcements. Fridays are also crowded with releases. For a small business, it's best to aim for news lulls. In general, try to avoid days that conflict with major events: If the media are obsessing over a new political crisis or a federal budget, you may get lost in the shuffle. Consider informing reporters ahead of time that they can expect news from you on a particular day. The goal is to get the writer to set aside time-and space in the story lineup-for your announcement.

Write a killer headline Journalists are inundated with pitches, many of which they trash without reading. A newsy, funny, surprising or clever e-mail subject line or release headline is one way to avoid that fate. For example, a January press release from ING Direct teased reporters with this heading: "There's finally a reason to thank the Tax Man."

Sponsor a survey Hire a research company to poll people within your market about a newsworthy topic that's linked to your business, then report the findings in a press release featuring quotes from you. For example, staffing companies know to commission surveys about office romances around Valentine's Day.

Contribute a column Check with trade publications and local papers to see if they invite readers to send in articles. Then think of a timely topic that your business or profession qualifies you to address. Keep in mind that blatant company or product plugs will likely get excised by the editor, but you should at least be able to get your company's name into the author's bio.

Pitch a trend or expertise The media crave news that taps in to what's on readers' minds. Instead of pitching your product, highlight how it relates to a current issue. If you run a taxi company, for example, you could send a release offering "5 tips for hailing a cab on New Year's Eve" (lists tend to go over well).

Don't pitch copycat stories If a newspaper wrote yesterday about a start-up outsourcing to Pakistan, they're not going to write tomorrow about your business doing the same thing. It's a good idea, in fact, to look back over a year's worth of magazine issues (or a couple of months' worth of newspaper sections) to find an angle on your business that hasn't been covered yet.

Tap your contacts Talk to people whose companies have received coverage to see how they did it. Editors are often looking for entrepreneurs with certain types of stories, and may reach out to people they interviewed previously to see if they know anyone who fits.

Be accessible Return calls, because if a reporter hasn't heard back from you within 24 hours, and often less, they'll move on to other sources.

THREADING THE NEEDLE

A survey by Porter Novelli Canada found that most journalists prefer to receive press releases via e-mail

E-MAIL; 70%

E-MAIL WITH WEB LINK; 12%

NEWS WIRE; 10%

FAX; 4%

MAIL; 2%

TELEPHONE; 2%

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The Interview

Mark Nusca, vice-president of Porter Novelli Canada, helps executives and business owners come across well in the media. A four-hour training session with him starts at around $3,000. Here are five of his best tips for free.

Have a message (or three) It's a big mistake to go into an interview without knowing precisely what you want to say. "You need to be strategic and prepared," he says. Start by boiling down your product or service to as few words as possible. Then come up with reasons why it's useful, noteworthy or particularly important in today's world. Says Nusca: "Reporters are sitting there thinking, 'What does this mean today or tomorrow to my readers?'"

Be you You can't just repeat your message. "Bring some personality to the interview," says Nusca. He finds entrepreneurs often have intriguing experiences and personal traits-let that shine through.

Relate your product to readers or viewers The person you're talking to is a journalist, but you have to think of their audience. Tell an interesting story about someone using your product, or share an anecdote that relates to the business. Cite credible statistics or research that convey why your product or service is important and newsworthy.

Avoid jargon Reporters despise it, says Nusca. If you're speaking with a journalist from a trade publication, it's okay to use industry terms, but avoid management buzzwords or complicated technical jargon, especially when talking to a more general audience.

Exit with useful info Before the interview ends, go back over your main points and repeat the website address or store location to make sure it sticks. Then invite the reporter to get back in touch if she has any questions, give her your cell number, and offer to be a source for any future stories.

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TWO SOCIAL MEDIA PR SUCCESS STORIES

PRODUCT: Blendtec Total Blender

When the iPhone was launched in 2007, one company with no ties to Apple managed to steal some of the spotlight for itself. Late in 2006, the company behind Blendtec blenders had decided to showcase its products by creating Will It Blend?-an online video series. Company owner Tom Dickson was shown blending everything from marbles and Coke cans to pens and hockey pucks. He then earned a place in viral video history in 2007 by dropping a brand-new iPhone into his blender and whirling it to bits. Website hits and sales skyrocketed, and Esquire magazine asked the company to blend one of the Esky Awards it hands out at the end of the year. The verdict: Yes, it blends!

PERSON: Gary Vaynerchuk

A little over four years ago, Gary Vaynerchuk took over his family business, a New Jersey liquor store with $4 million (U.S.) in annual sales. He soon renamed the store the Wine Library and focused exclusively on wine. He turned himself into an Internet celebrity by launching WineLibraryTV, a daily wine video show starring himself. Vaynerchuk also started blogging and using sites like Twitter and Facebook to stay in touch with fans. Vaynerchuk now speaks to companies and conferences about social media, has written a book, and has appeared on television with Ellen DeGeneres, Conan O'Brien and David Letterman. As for the business...it now does $40 million (U.S.) in annual sales.

BETTING ON BLOGS

For small businesses, especially ones with niche offerings that have limited appeal to a general audience, bloggers can be both an easier and more effective way to spread the word. Here's how to get on their radar.

1 Target Only reach out to bloggers who relate to your industry, product or community. Read their recent posts to make sure you have the right person.

2 Connect Bloggers are more likely to respond to a pitch if you've previously made an effort to interact with them. This could mean regularly posting comments on their sites, "friending" them on Facebook or following them on Twitter. And if you have your own blog, be sure to link to theirs.

3 Contribute In addition to participating in discussions on their blogs, try sending bloggers links to articles or websites relevant to their coverage but not specific to your business. Bloggers always appreciate being pointed to an interesting story or information they can use.

4 Approach Once you've developed a relationship with a blogger, you can approach them with an offer to test your product or service, visit your store or factory, or do an interview about your business or product.

42%

Percentage of bloggers who report that, at least half of the time, they "write about something after being contacted."

87%

Percentage of Canadian journalists who gave a C grade or lower when asked how good businesses are at "providing useful and accurate information" to the media. (None awarded an A.)

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In 2007, Brother Canada hired Darren Barefoot of Capulet Communications, a Vancouver web PR firm, to entice bloggers to test and write about its new line of printers. One of Barefoot's rules of thumb is that the medium must suit the message-meaning how you communicate about a product or service should reflect the product or service itself. So he e-mailed 20 tech and small business bloggers a pitch in the form of a customized comic strip. "We knew these bloggers used the photo-sharing site Flickr to post their pictures, so we crafted a one-page comic strip for each of them, with their own pictures," he says. "Each one is a conversation between myself and the blogger [about testing a printer]."

Of the 17 prospects who were contacted, 20 agreed to test the printer, and then wrote about it on their blogs. Barefoot says the approach worked because, "in addition to being connected to the product, it was personalized and we demonstrated our respect for them by going to all this effort." He adds, "A lot of them also posted the comic strip on their blog or on Flickr, so we got a double hit for the client."