Lessons To Be Learned From TLC and Josh Duggar

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Several of the cardinal rules in crisis communications are – always have a plan and prepare for any scenario. Yet time and again, we see organizations, brands, and celebrities forgetting those rules. The latest example of this is the scandal involving Josh Duggar of TLC’s hit show, “19 Kids and Counting”. When dealing with reality television, anything that can happen in real life can happen to a reality star, networks have forgotten this at their own peril.

Josh Duggar admitted last week to sexually molesting underage girls including several of his sisters. While the admissions were shocking, they should not have been to TLC   Such allegations about him have been around for a number of years. The Oprah Winfrey Show was aware of these rumors and reportedly contacted a child protection hotline.

Yet as the story broke last week, surprisingly TLC appeared to have been caught unprepared. The day Duggar admitted to sexually molesting underage girls and apologized for his actions, TLC was running a “19 Kids and Counting” marathon. Only belatedly did the network announce that it was pulling the show from its schedule. Yet it has not announced that it is cancelling the show. The network has also failed to express sympathy for Duggar’s victims. Advertisers on the other hand are leaving the show in droves realizing that associating their brands with a show that features an admitted child molester would be devastating.

So what should TLC do?

  1. Cancel the show. The network cancelled “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” when it was revealed that June Shannon, Honey Boo Boo’s mother had dated a convicted child molester. Shannon is already calling TLC hypocritical in not cancelling “19 Kids and Counting”. She may have a point, in how do you have a show about family values with a confessed child molester as one of its stars? Advertisers are pulling the plug (as previously mentioned). The longer TLC does not cancel the show, the worst the situation will become for the network. Some extreme critics will say the network is putting ratings over child safety and tacitly condones Josh Duggar’s behavior.
  2. Issue strongly worded statements of sympathy to Duggar’s victims and state categorically the network condemns such behavior and has a zero tolerance for it.
  3. Launch an investigation with a credible independent investigator to find out who knew of Duggar’s actions, prior to this story. Then once the investigation is done terminate anyone involved and release the report publicly.
  4. Fully train all network employees on how to handle situations that regard such allegations for the future.
  5. Donate free commercial time to organizations that are involved in child protection for public service announcements.

The Josh Duggar story shows that in reality television reality can often have an ugly face. Brands and networks need to be prepared for any situation as this case shows. More importantly, TLC’s situation should serve as a reminder for any brand or celebrity the need to have a crisis communications plan ready and to be prepared for possible situations that might arise that could cause damage to a company’s or person’s reputation.

#DeflateGate Crisis Management – Next Moves by the NFL & Tom Brady?

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For the NFL, 2014 was a year of crisis after crisis. The League and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell came under heavy scrutiny and criticism for failing to punish key NFL players guilty of domestic violence. Two thousand and fifteen started with many questioning the integrity of the game when it was discovered that the New England Patriots used suspiciously underinflated footballs in the American Football Conference (AFC) Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts in what became known as ‘deflategate’.

The Patriots, Super Bowl Champions and star quarterback, Tom Brady denied any knowledge of the incident. A beleaguered NFL Commissioner Goodell appointed attorney, Theodore Wells to head an investigation into ‘deflategate’. The investigation concluded that it was “more probable than not” that New England Patriots equipment personnel were deliberately circumventing the rules. Further, Brady was implicated as it being more probable than not that he was aware of the deflation.

Brady, one of the best quarterbacks of the era finds his integrity under attack. Fans consider him a lie and cheat. Many believe he should not be eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame in the future. His brand as one of sport’s elite players is tarnished.

So what should he do?

  1. Come clean and admit what he knew, apologize for not being more forthcoming and honest with investigators, and ask fans to forgive him. Yes, he will admit to lying but to continue to be evasive over a long period of time and then admitting he lied would be even worse (just ask Lance Armstrong how lying over a long period of time and the coming clean worked). When he does this Brady should do it at a news conference and take questions from the media. Let the media exhaust themselves with questions.
  2. Accept any suspension and fine from the NFL and do not appeal them.
  3. Stay low profile during his suspension. No media interviews. Remain invisible from the public eye.
  4. Grant a high profile interview to a key interviewer at the end of his suspension.
  5. Show fans that his playing ability remains among football’s elite.

The Brady brand has suffered from ‘deflategate’. Failing to come clean now will make the damage even worse and perhaps irreparable.

Yet it isn’t just Brady who must handle this right – the NFL must as well. As mentioned the NFL brand because of its ham-handed response to domestic abuse cases last year is damaged. Many people not just fans question the integrity of the sport and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. So what should Goodell and the NFL do?

Quite simply suspend Tom Brady for the entire 2015 season. This sends a message that misconduct will no longer be tolerated and the NFL has learned from its mistakes in 2014. Anything less and the NFL’s brand will be diminished further.

For the NFL, 2014 was a year of crisis after crisis. The League and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell came under heavy scrutiny and criticism for failing to punish key NFL players guilty of domestic violence. Two thousand and fifteen started with many questioning the integrity of the game when it was discovered that the New England Patriots used suspiciously underinflated footballs in the American Football Conference (AFC) Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts in what became known as ‘deflategate’.

The Patriots, Super Bowl Champions and star quarterback, Tom Brady denied any knowledge of the incident. A beleaguered NFL Commissioner Goodell appointed attorney, Theodore Wells to head an investigation into ‘deflategate’. The investigation concluded that it was “more probable than not” that New England Patriots equipment personnel were deliberately circumventing the rules. Further, Brady was implicated as it being more probable than not that he was aware of the deflation.

Brady, one of the best quarterbacks of the era finds his integrity under attack. Fans consider him a lie and cheat. Many believe he should not be eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame in the future. His brand as one of sport’s elite players is tarnished.

So what should he do?

  1. Come clean and admit what he knew, apologize for not being more forthcoming and honest with investigators, and ask fans to forgive him. Yes, he will admit to lying but to continue to be evasive over a long period of time and then admitting he lied would be even worse (just ask Lance Armstrong how lying over a long period of time and the coming clean worked). When he does this Brady should do it at a news conference and take questions from the media. Let the media exhaust themselves with questions.
  2. Accept any suspension and fine from the NFL and do not appeal them.
  3. Stay low profile during his suspension. No media interviews. Remain invisible from the public eye.
  4. Grant a high profile interview to a key interviewer at the end of his suspension.
  5. Show fans that his playing ability remains among football’s elite.

The Brady brand has suffered from ‘deflategate’. Failing to come clean now will make the damage even worse and perhaps irreparable.

Yet it isn’t just Brady who must handle this right – the NFL must as well. As mentioned the NFL brand because of its ham-handed response to domestic abuse cases last year is damaged. Many people not just fans question the integrity of the sport and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. So what should Goodell and the NFL do?

Quite simply suspend Tom Brady for the entire 2015 season. This sends a message that misconduct will no longer be tolerated and the NFL has learned from its mistakes in 2014. Anything less and the NFL’s brand will be diminished further.

Rebranding @HillaryClinton

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The wait is over. Hillary Clinton announced via YouTube and Twitter what everyone already knew. She is running for president. Her candidacy presents both opportunity and challenges from a public relations and branding perspective.

Hillary Clinton launched her campaign with a rebranding effort. Taking a page out of Richard Nixon’s playbook, she is introducing the ‘new Hillary’ (just as every election cycle there was a new Nixon, who always seemed to return to the old Nixon). The previous brands of ‘ new Hillary’ have included:

  1. Bill Clinton’s partner in the White House who had more influence than Vice President Al Gore.
  2. The wronged wife.
  3. New York’s Senator who worked across the aisle to get things done.
  4. The candidate who would break the glass ceiling in 2008 and become America’s first female president.
  5. America’s chief diplomat above politics, as President Obama’s Secretary of State.

Just as with Richard Nixon, none of these ‘new Hillary’ brands succeeded. The media and the general public didn’t quite buy the new brand and viewed her as the Hillary who polarized Americans during Bill Clinton’s failed health care reform efforts. There was a belief that each rebranding effort was just an attempt to get Americans to forget the old Hillary.

Now with the launch of her campaign, the new Hillary brand is that of the loving grandmother. This is the latest attempt to soften Hillary’s image and allow her to connect with voters.

To be successful, rebranding must be fully transparent, sincere, and authentic. At this point of Hillary’s rebranding, the public is skeptical. Many in the media and even voters see it as nothing more as a gimmick and expect the old Hillary to remerge.

So what should she do?

The biggest problems with Hillary’s rebranding efforts in the past have been a lack of transparency and when she has encountered difficulty or criticism, she has reverted back to the polarizing Hillary of 1992 – 1994. If she is sincere and wants voters and the media to believe her, she needs to be transparent, fully answer questions, and allow herself to be vulnerable. Beyond that, throughout the campaign, she needs to stay consistent with her new brand and act accordingly.

Her second obstacle that she faces is offering a new vision for America without running away from an increasingly unpopular President Obama. If she can do that, she will succeed where Adlali Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey, and John McCain all failed.

Trying to extend a third electoral victory by one political party is rare (excluding succession due to the death of a president). George H.W. Bush was the last presidential candidate to achieve that. Before him, it was Herbert Hoover in 1928. Both Bush and Hoover ran promising to be a third term of the popular incumbents (Reagan and Coolidge) while moving the nation forward. Even Richard Nixon in his failed 1960 presidential campaign attempted to convince voters that he would be an extension of the popular Dwight Eisenhower with a youthful vigor.

Hillary Clinton if nominated will not have the luxury of a popular president. She will face the challenge that Stevenson faced in 1952 with Harry Truman; Humphrey faced in 1968 with Lyndon Johnson; and John McCain faced in 2008 with George W. Bush. All failed to give a clear vision of how they would be different and each feared to repudiate their president for fear of losing their base. If Hillary distanced herself from President Obama (whose Secretary of State she was) she would alienate her base and bring back stories of the ‘old Hillary’ hurting her rebranding efforts.

So how should she handle this dilemma?

She needs to communicate to voters that she will preserve the Obama policies that are popular and enhance them. But beyond that she needs to outline her vision going forward in clear language. She needs to make clear that while she supports her party’s leader, she hopes to take America a step forward and by her work with the President and her own husband has learned what to do and also what not to do. She must be willing to communicate a big vision that will allow her to expand her base rather then just cater to it.

As the campaign unfolds, it will be interesting to see if the ‘new Hillary’ succeeds or she bombs like New Coke. And even more critical can she communicate a vision without running away from her President.

The wait is over. Hillary Clinton announced via YouTube and Twitter what everyone already knew. She is running for president. Her candidacy presents both opportunity and challenges from a public relations and branding perspective.

Hillary Clinton launched her campaign with a rebranding effort. Taking a page out of Richard Nixon’s playbook, she is introducing the ‘new Hillary’ (just as every election cycle there was a new Nixon, who always seemed to return to the old Nixon). The previous brands of ‘ new Hillary’ have included:

  1. Bill Clinton’s partner in the White House who had more influence than Vice President Al Gore.
  2. The wronged wife.
  3. New York’s Senator who worked across the aisle to get things done.
  4. The candidate who would break the glass ceiling in 2008 and become America’s first female president.
  5. America’s chief diplomat above politics, as President Obama’s Secretary of State.

Just as with Richard Nixon, none of these ‘new Hillary’ brands succeeded. The media and the general public didn’t quite buy the new brand and viewed her as the Hillary who polarized Americans during Bill Clinton’s failed health care reform efforts. There was a belief that each rebranding effort was just an attempt to get Americans to forget the old Hillary.

Now with the launch of her campaign, the new Hillary brand is that of the loving grandmother. This is the latest attempt to soften Hillary’s image and allow her to connect with voters.

To be successful, rebranding must be fully transparent, sincere, and authentic. At this point of Hillary’s rebranding, the public is skeptical. Many in the media and even voters see it as nothing more as a gimmick and expect the old Hillary to remerge.

So what should she do?

The biggest problems with Hillary’s rebranding efforts in the past have been a lack of transparency and when she has encountered difficulty or criticism, she has reverted back to the polarizing Hillary of 1992 – 1994. If she is sincere and wants voters and the media to believe her, she needs to be transparent, fully answer questions, and allow herself to be vulnerable. Beyond that, throughout the campaign, she needs to stay consistent with her new brand and act accordingly.

Her second obstacle that she faces is offering a new vision for America without running away from an increasingly unpopular President Obama. If she can do that, she will succeed where Adlali Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey, and John McCain all failed.

Trying to extend a third electoral victory by one political party is rare (excluding succession due to the death of a president). George H.W. Bush was the last presidential candidate to achieve that. Before him, it was Herbert Hoover in 1928. Both Bush and Hoover ran promising to be a third term of the popular incumbents (Reagan and Coolidge) while moving the nation forward. Even Richard Nixon in his failed 1960 presidential campaign attempted to convince voters that he would be an extension of the popular Dwight Eisenhower with a youthful vigor.

Hillary Clinton if nominated will not have the luxury of a popular president. She will face the challenge that Stevenson faced in 1952 with Harry Truman; Humphrey faced in 1968 with Lyndon Johnson; and John McCain faced in 2008 with George W. Bush. All failed to give a clear vision of how they would be different and each feared to repudiate their president for fear of losing their base. If Hillary distanced herself from President Obama (whose Secretary of State she was) she would alienate her base and bring back stories of the ‘old Hillary’ hurting her rebranding efforts.

So how should she handle this dilemma?

She needs to communicate to voters that she will preserve the Obama policies that are popular and enhance them. But beyond that she needs to outline her vision going forward in clear language. She needs to make clear that while she supports her party’s leader, she hopes to take America a step forward and by her work with the President and her own husband has learned what to do and also what not to do. She must be willing to communicate a big vision that will allow her to expand her base rather then just cater to it.

As the campaign unfolds, it will be interesting to see if the ‘new Hillary’ succeeds or she bombs like New Coke. And even more critical can she communicate a vision without running away from her President.

#SonyHack: Damage Control?…Reputation Management?

Crisis Communications, , , , , , ,

Sony has been a company under siege for the past several weeks. The company suffered a severe security breach.   Compromised were employee’s social security numbers, children’s medical records, and confidential emails from Sony executives.

The emails of top Sony executives were leaked to the media. Some emails revealed how Alex Trebek threatened to leave Jeopardy. Others spoke critically of stars such as Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington. Then there were the racially charged emails between producer, Scott Rudin and Amy Pascal, Sony’s Chairman regarding President Obama.

The breach was committed by the Guardians of Peace, believed to be connected to the North Korean government. The group and the North Korea government were protesting the Sony comedy film “The Interview” starring James Franco and Seth Rogen who are recruited by the CIA to kill North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un while doing an interview. North Korea considers the film that shows the assassination of Kim Jong-un as an act of war.   Both the Guardians of Peace and North Korea were demanding that the film be pulled. Sony insisted the film would not be pulled. Then after terroristic threats were made against movie theaters if they showed the film, the largest theater chains announced they would not be showing the film. On Wednesday, Sony announced that they were pulling “The Interview” and had no plans to the release the film.

The backlash against Sony for pulling “The Interview” has been enormous. Sony has given every sign that it caved in and appeased the repressive Stalinist North Korean regime. The security breach that Sony had suffered had garnered headlines with the leaks about Sony executives trashing major Hollywood stars but that was more an inside Hollywood crisis that required damage control within the industry. Consumer opinion for the most part, was not affected negatively or positively towards Sony because of the hacked emails. Sony even had defenders within the industry such as Brad Pitt and Aaron Sorkin over the hacked emails. With the cancellation of “The Interview” there has not been a voice raised in the company’s defense. Consumer attitudes towards Sony have been affected by the cancellation of the film and what many see as appeasement of North Korea.

So what if anything should Sony do to repair its image?

  1. Amy Pascal or another leading Sony executive needs to speak publicly and explain the company’s decision for pulling the film. When we think of Sony Entertainment we forget it is part of Sony, a Japanese company. In Japan, unlike in the United States, North Korea is seen as a clear and present threat. Missile tests by North Korea often go over Japan and it wasn’t too long ago that North Korea would snatch Japanese citizens off of Japanese beaches to be used as translators. If it was because of pressure from the parent company and fears of North Korean retaliation against Japan that needs to be explained. Whatever led to this decision Sony needs to explain fully and in detail.
  2. Announce a new release sate for “The Interview” in theaters or if the chains will not carry the film, a video release
  3. Support of various human rights campaigns that seek to bring change in North Korea.
  4. Reach out to key Hollywood talent, explain the company’s decision and ask for support.
  5. Replace the current management with a new team who vow to bring a new corporate culture to the company and vow never to allow outside forces threaten the company’s integrity.

The Sony PR crisis will play out over the next several days. For the company it could not have happened at a worst time – the slow holiday season. That is why it essential the company take immediate steps to repair its image not over the security breach (that a majority of Americans could care less about) but by what many see as appeasement of North Korea (something that disturbs a great majority of Americans). If the company doesn’t take steps at once, it will spend the start of 2015 in damage control mode.

The Bill Cosby Brand: A Legacy of Shame

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As we enter the Thanksgiving week (traditionally a slow news time) the public relations crisis confronting comedian, Bill Cosby continues to escalate and will very likely dominate much of the holiday news cycle. Sixteen women have come forward alleging that Cosby, who has long been an American icon, sexually assaulted or even raped them, often drugging them during the encounters. Cosby has refused to address the issue claiming he doesn’t respond to innuendos. His attorney has claimed that many of the allegations which are decades old are being raised with the intent to get money from Cosby.

Yet Cosby’s refusal to address the allegations is not stopping the damage to his brand among the public and the television networks. NBC which had aired the Cosby Show in the 1990s, (a show that made his character, Dr. Cliff Huxtable, one of the most popular television dads ever) announced it was cancelling plans for a 2015 sitcom with Cosby. TV Land pulled reruns of the Cosby Show from their schedule. Netflix announced that a comedy special that they had taped with Cosby to air on November 28th had been postponed indefinitely. Several venues where Cosby was to perform his comedy routine cancelled his appearances. Among the public is a growing perception that Cosby’s silence is a tacit admission.

Damage has been done to the Cosby brand. At this point in his career, these allegations will remain attached to his brand and his legacy unless totally disproven.

So what if anything can Cosby do?

If these allegations are totally baseless, he must address them head on. A spokesperson issuing a blanket denial or a general denial by Cosby himself will not be sufficient. He or his spokesperson must refute each allegation in detail. Nothing else will satisfy the media, sponsors, networks, and the public. The allegations are so devastating that only a detailed response disproving them will stop the firestorm. This means that if Cosby had sex with the women but it was consensual it must be addressed. Cosby has to recognize that unless he can absolutely disprove the allegations his reputation will be tarnished.

If there is any validity to these allegations, Cosby still has to address them and beg for forgiveness. Then he needs to cancel all appearances and realize his career as he knew it is over.

Or he can continue to remain silent. Under such circumstances he should cancel appearances at colleges where violence against women is a major issue as the image of Cosby speaking there when under this could is totally inappropriate.

Silence though in the long term will not work for Cosby. Brands and celebrities should learn from Cosby on what not to do. Not addressing a crisis either by denying it or accepting responsibility and asking forgiveness is seen as an admission of guilt. Silence also creates a greater media firestorm and crisis as Cosby is finding out. The longer that Cosby stays silent the longer the media will address this story.

Bill Cosby at a Reputation (and Career) Crossroads

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Bill Cosby has long been an American icon. His popularity has known no bounds. From I Spy to Fat Albert to Jello commercials to the iconic Cosby Show he has been an American favorite. The Cosby Show was so popular that it earned him the title of ‘America’s Dad’ and in polls of favorite television dads, his character of Dr. Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable was usually number one. NBC who had carried the Cosby Show that had made the network number one in the 1990s was planning on a new show with Cosby in 2015 with hopes of bringing back the ratings gold. It seemed as if Bill Cosby and his success would know no bounds.

That was then. Now Cosby is facing the greatest public relations and career challenge in his life. He has gone from ‘America’s Dad’ to a dirty old man in the minds of many. Allegations of sexual assault (even perhaps rape) that have been hovering around Cosby for years but never really drew media scrutiny became a front-page news in the last several days. Comedian Hannibal Buress went viral with a routine that basically called Cosby (who has preached family values among African-Americans) as a hypocrite and alleging that he was a rapist. Next an Arizona woman came forward and alleged that Cosby had drugged and raped her and other women in the 1980s and 1990s and the media long ignored them.

The Cosby crisis communications response has added fuel to the fire. It has been one of complete silence. No denials of the allegations. Just silence. Television appearances Cosby had have been cancelled. On an NPR interview when the host asked Cosby about the allegations, there was dead silence as Cosby would not respond. The silence has just added to the media firestorm. No doubt some of the silence has been urged by his attorneys (all of this has been a textbook example of what not do during a public relations crisis). But until these allegations are addressed, the media circus will just intensify, especially as we enter the holidays (just ask Tiger Woods about a PR crisis during the holiday period).

So what should Cosby do?

If the allegations are baseless:

  1. Hold a press conference and firmly and forcefully denounce the allegations. Answer all questions the media throws at him, letting them know that this will be last time he ever addresses the issue.
  2. Move on with his normal activities.

If the allegations are true:

  1. Address the allegations, apologizing to the women and his fans.
  2. Announce that he is seeking help for his root problems that caused such behavior.
  3. Complete media blackout during his treatment.
  4. Hold a media interview with a high profile female journalist answering everything and ask for forgiveness.
  5. Become active in educational programs that use him as an example of sexual assault and rape. He could be a source of inspiration and education.
  6. Realize that his reputation will never be what it once was.

There is no understating that Bill Cosby is at a crossroads in his career. He has to address the swirling media firestorm, sooner rather then later. If he doesn’t he will be the media’s Thanksgiving dinner and our holiday news for weeks to come. He will also be an abject lesson of what not to do during a public relations crisis.

Midterm Communications Strategies

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The midterm elections are history. Republicans retook the United States Senate for the first time since 2006. In the United States House of Representatives they increased their majority to the largest since the presidency of Herbert Hoover. The Republican campaign theme was one of opposition to President Obama and his policies and voters responded with one of the greatest repudiations of a sitting President’s party since Harry Truman in 1946.

A negative communications strategy of opposition to President Obama gave the Republicans their victory. But now that they have won, how must their communication strategy change if they hope to maintain and even expand their majorities?

  1. Republicans must change their communication strategy from one of simply being opposed to Barack Obama to one that offers positive conservative alternatives. The Republicans need to show voters what they are for and what they believe in. To be successful, Republicans need to communicate their ideas that they believe will solve the nation’s problems in a way different then politics as usual. They need to show a vision. In short, they need to take a leaf out of their icon, Ronald Reagan’s playbook.
  2. The Republicans need to communicate that they are willing to work with President Obama as a partner if he is willing to reach across the aisle to them. Many voters have complained about the lack of willingness of each side to try to come together to offer concrete solutions. By making that statement, Republicans would seize the high ground in terms of a communication strategy.
  3. Use effective spokespersons. Republicans have suffered lately because many of their spokespersons have come across as grumpy old white men. With a large number of female legislators such as Mia Love and Joni Ernst, and an African-American Senator in South Carolina’s Tim Scott, Republican leaders should put these leaders at the forefront in communicating the Republican message and showing minorities that their party is an inclusive party.
  4. Communicate their opposition to President Obama in positive terms. Many voters agree with the Republican message of opposition to President Obama. The voters don’t like it conveyed in harsh and biting rhetoric. Republicans need to frame their opposition in positive ways, keep it from being personal, and let voters know how their opposition to President Obama will benefit voters.
  5. Keep the message on results. One of the great failings Republicans in the House of Representatives have had is in communicating what they have accomplished. This failure has led many to dub the outgoing Congress, a do-nothing Congress and register some of the lowest approval numbers ever. The challenge for Republicans is to communicate to voters what they are achieving.

Republicans won a historic landslide with a communication strategy of negative attacks. As they now seek to maintain and increase their majority, they must change communication strategies or their majority will be short lived.

What Makes A Good News Story

Media Relations, , , , ,

Media relations are a key component of public relations. Companies want positive media coverage to assist them in reaching their target audience. Every CEO believes that they have a story that is newsworthy that will bring them coverage and assist in marketing. Regardless of whether it is business to consumer or business to business, companies want media coverage.

In public relations we hear all the time from clients and potential clients, can you get us in the news? The answer usually is yes we can, if you have a compelling story that will stand out. Today, news coverage is more competitive than ever before despite the opportunities the 24/7 news cycle provides.

What does it take to get news coverage?

Here are the elements for great media pitches and press releases:

  • New – Your company should have something current and fresh to share with your target audiences. Do you have a new product launch, a new spin on an old way of doing something, or a late-breaking development?
  • Timely – Make sure your news is presented to the media in a timely manner. For example, if your company reduced its carbon footprint this year, holding that information until closer to Earth Day (April 21) will give the story relevancy and timeliness; or closer to the season if you work in eCommerce doing stories on holiday sales online is timely starting in November.
  • Local – The rise of hyperlocal news has made this element more important than ever. Your story should be relevant to your locale; and remember, even national media outlets like to see how a piece of news impacts a particular community.
  • Human Interest – You might have a great piece of news, but you’ll increase your chances of coverage if you can put a human face to the story. For example, we represented an author once who after a near fatal accident gave up her high profile Wall Street career to pursue her dream of writing believing that the accident was a sign.
  • Conflict/Controversy – This component often needs some finessing, but if done right, you can position your piece of news as a long-fought victory or a beat-the-odds scenario.
  • Odd – That’s right, an unusual piece of news often makes headlines. Does your organization do something out-of-the-ordinary or quirky?

In today’s increasingly social world, I would add the following component:

  • Shareable – Your news must be worthy enough to be shared on social media platforms. At least six in 10 Americans consume news via the internet; moreover. Indeed more people claim today they get their news via the internet or Facebook than traditional media source. Indeed, Pew reported that 44% of consumers like to read news that is “shareable.” Indeed many companies that become overnight successes credit their success to the fact that their news story was shared on the internet.

News coverage can be obtained if we keep these basic elements in mind. These elements not only help our clients get the coverage they seek but also makes the reporter’s job easier meaning your relationship with them is strengthened and media relations, good relationships with reporters makes or breaks the coverage your client gets.

Book Promotion In The New Economy

Book Publicity, , , ,

The economy as we know it has changed entirely. Purchasing patterns and consumer behavior will be radically different from what it was two years ago. Excess and glitz are out. People are staying at home and enjoying the simple things in life – particularly a well-written book. That is the good news for authors. The bad – this means that that the challenge and competition any author faces is more daunting then ever to standout from the rest. The way to do this is through a comprehensive publicity and marketing campaign.

First determine your target market. Too often when asking an author who their target market is, they will answer everyone. Just like a business you need to segment who you think your primary and secondary audiences. Just because you wrote the greatest self-help book on relationships means that everyone in a relationship or looking to be in a relationship will purchase the book. Fact is that most of the buyers of any self-help book will be predominately female, even if they are buying the book for the man in their life.

Determining your target audience is essential for the next part of any media campaign – targeting the media. Once you know the primary audience, you want to begin targeting the media that audience reads, watches, or listens too. For example if your book is on business, you want to target business media, but even more specifically you want to only target the media that covers what is in your book. A book on finance wants coverage by the reports that cover finance not retail. Just like your target audience, segment your media. Don’t overlook online media. In this day and age, more people rely on the online media then traditional media.

Don’t send books outs randomly. The largest cost that authors often incur is by sending books out to every book reviewer or producer tin which they can find a mailing address. Be economical about sending out books. Most unsolicited books sent to reporters go unread and are either returned back to the author, sent to a charity, or tossed in the garbage. With postage on the rise, as well as books, that is too much money to waste unless there is a commitment to review the book or do a story on the book.

Utilize all online tools at your disposal. An author website is critical. It should include a compelling call to action description about the book, an author biography, a contact page, and media page. Utilize social networking websites. Twitter and Facebook are essential. On Facebook make sure that you have a fan page for your book as well as an author page. Use Twitter to get out small messages from your book to a following. The key is creating followers through retweets. A smart way to do this is by creating an online contest. Conduct a blog tour to get your message out. A blog tour is a simple cost efficient way to reach thousands of readers in a cost-efficient manner. It’s quickly becoming the new form of a media tour.

Do as many interviews as is possible. Interviews are what people respond too in purchasing a book. Book reviews are still important but more people view, listen, or read an interview then ever read a book review. Make your interview compelling. The media and public react to authors who speak in black and white terms with a strong inspiring story. Again utilize the social media in repackaging your interviews to reach an even greater audience. Remember no media is too small. Every interview allows you to reach a portion of your target audience. Plus you never know who is listening. For example we had an author on a local station whose interview was heard by key executive at Federal Express who ordered his book as a training manual.

Finally, leave the readers with a reason to purchase your book. Remember in this economy, people want a reason to purchase the book. Demonstrate in your interviews and your blog tours how their lives will be better because they purchased your book. And never give up in getting your message out.

Key Elements In Getting Started With Book Publicity

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The book world is seeing an explosion in books coming out each year as self-publishing has changed the book world forever. No longer do a few publishing houses control who gets published and who doesn’t. More and more people are achieving their dream of being an author and yet the challenge for authors whether self-published or published with a traditional publisher to stand out is even greater than ever. There is a greater need for book publicity than ever before but promoting the book can be even a harder and longer job than writing the book itself.

A publicity campaign takes time. Authors spend months and even years in writing their book and pour their heart and soul into it. A successful book publicity campaign doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and dedication. A book PR campaign is a way to penetrate the public’s consciousness with your book. A comprehensive campaign allows an author to reach a target audience and stand out from other authors in your genre, it brands the author and the book. A typical book publicity campaign takes between 6 months to 18 months to be successful. Yet despite all of this hard work and time, a public relations campaign cannot guarantee that readers will purchase the book.

Before beginning on the book publicity campaign, authors should have certain items ready as they begin their promotions. The key items authors should have in place as they begin their PR campaigns are:

  1. An author website. The website should include an author bio, information about the book, a sampling of media coverage, a list of events, contact information, and a way to purchase the book.
  2. A professional headshot. Authors should have professional headshots made some with a business look and some in a more casual setting.
  3. Business cards. Just as a person business needs a business card to give in networking meetings, so does the author as they are in the business of building a brand and selling their book.