The document provides eight tips for boosting an organization's visibility through public relations: 1) Develop clear, focused messages that convey what the organization can do for others. 2) Use effective storytelling techniques to incorporate these messages. 3) Personalize outreach by connecting with audiences' needs and interests. 4) Re-purpose written materials across multiple communication channels. 5) Start with one or two social media tools rather than using all available platforms. 6) Recruit champions - people who love the organization and want to promote it. 7) Measure return on investment not just by media clips but by dissemination of key messages.

1. Great PR Is Great Storytelling: Eight Ways to Boost Your Organization's Visibility Through PR Power Right Now Robb Deigh

2. Purpose of this Presentation: Provide practical, cost-effective ideas you can use NOW to boost the visibility of your clients’ organizations; and your organization, its services and products.

3. What We’ll Cover Messages: The Secret of Everything in PR Effective Storytelling Pitching Press Without Flacking or Spinning Personalizing Your Outreach Write Once: Re-purpose Everything Social Media: Don’t Use Every Tool Champions: We Work For Free and We Love It ROI: Is Your PR Working?

4. Messages: The Secret to Everything What are Messages? Language that says, “Here is what I can do for you.” A powerful tool that unifies and focuses your organization’s formal and informal communication

5. Messages: The Secret to Everything Building Messages the Easy Way The 4-Part Messaging Document 1. The “About Us” paragraph 2. The elevator speech 3. The “must-say” messages 4. Everything else

6. Messages: The Secret to Everything The “About Us” Paragraph List all of your attributes and use them to write a 250-word paragraph that says “Here is what we are and here is what we can do for you .”

7. Messages: The Secret to Everything About "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" One anchor, five correspondents, zero credibility. If you're tired of the stodginess of the evening newscasts and you can't bear to sit through the spinmeisters and shills on the 24-hour cable news network, don't miss The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the nightly half-hour series unburdened by objectivity, journalistic integrity or even accuracy.

8. Messages: The Secret to Everything Message Doc Part 2: Elevator Speech “ We help clients win federal business.” -- a defense contractor “ We know this area better than anyone.” – a Realtor ® “ We rob banks” – Bonnie and Clyde “ I can see Russia from my house” – Tina Fey

9. Messages: The Secret to Everything “ Must-Say Messages ” – the most important element of your messages. 4-5 facts that you want your audiences to remember. The only reason to do a media interview The ultimate answers to all media questions

10. Messages: The Secret to Everything (must-say messages for a technology company) We create custom software for law enforcement. More than 300 police departments use our products. Our system help police process evidence data 60% faster than any other product. Our clients have, on average, a 35% higher success rate than other agencies. Each member of our senior team has, on average, more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement.

11. Messages: The Secret to Everything What Are Your Must- Say Messages?

12. Effective Storytelling Effective storytelling is essential to all communication, including Public/Media Relations Marketing Advertising Sales Fiction and non-fiction writing, film, etc Music, dance and other performing arts Graphic and fine arts

13. Effective Storytelling All stories are ultimately about people All people have a story Be anecdotal as well as data-driven Incorporate your messages into your story

14. “ Man Proposes, God Disposes”- Sir Edwin Landseer,1877 Collection the of University of London, Royal Holloway

15. Pitching Press Without Flacking or Spinning What is effective pitching ? The most important skill that anyone who deals with the press can have The ability to visualize a great story idea, describe it in a compelling way and provide 1or 2 expert sources of information to the right reporter at the right time

16. Pitching Press Without Flacking or Spinning A press interview is like any other business transaction. Each side has something the other wants and is willing to exchange it for something of equal value. You have a possible story for the reporter. The reporter can give you visibility.

17. Pitching Press Without Flacking or Spinning Flacking = Laziness (pitching things instead of good story ideas ) Spinning = “all truth is relative…” the beginning of the end of your reputation

18. Pitching Press Without Flacking or Spinning Reporters do NOT care about: Our businesses Our products Our services

19. Pitching Press Without Flacking or Spinning Reporters DO care about: Great story ideas about our businesses Great story ideas about our products Great story ideas about our services

20. Ways to Create Story Ideas that Will Get Press Coverage 1) Identify trends 2) Read publications that others miss 3) Note a "First in a Series" article 4) Report results of a timely survey

21. Ways to Create Story Ideas that Will Get Press Coverage 5) Spotlight avocations of newsworthy people 6) Write a column yourself 8) Send news releases (a tactic, not a strategy)

22. Personalizing Your Outreach for Maximum Impact Make an Emotional Connection

23. Personalizing Your Outreach for Maximum Impact Help your audiences visualize the benefits you can provide . People respond to the following needs: 1. Business/mission : help them meet their goals 2. Social life/lifestyle : make their lives more enjoyable 3. Beliefs : provide a “place,” physical or virtual, where they can express their opinions.

24. Personalizing Your Outreach for Maximum Impact 4. Reputation : help enhance or protect their reputations 5. Identity : help them connect with other who share similar (or completely different) ethnic, racial, religious, geographic or other traits 6. Altruism : help them to help others and feel good about themselves? 7. Fantasy/Escape : help them get away from the mundane and routine, at least temporarily?

25. Personalizing Your Outreach for Maximum Impact Humanize your outreach! Be anecdotal Case studies that describe how your team helped clients Photos of your team on your Web site Involve clients in your storytelling; give them visibility

26. Write Once: Re-purpose Everything How to create “new” communication materials the easy way

27. Write Once : Re-purpose Everything Write a column yourself. Somewhere in your organization are written materials you can cut to 800 words and submit as an Op-Ed or "expert" column to a trade publication or local business journal. Buy reprints and add them to your sales and marketing materials.

28. Write Once : Re-purpose Everything Other sources of good written material you can use: Speeches and other presentations Booklets and other marketing materials Case studies Award applications, Results of a poll or other study

29. Write Once : Re-purpose Everything Edit it into: A column for the Washington Business Journal A byline piece for your industry’s trade journal Articles for the web (more about that later) Items for your e-newsletter, Web site Handouts

30. Social Media: Don’t Use Every Tool in the Shed Blogs, e-newsletters, Twitter, article marketing , Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Friendfeed, podcasting, wikis, Plaxo, RSS feeds, LinkedIn, Digg, Flickr, Technorati, SecondLife, mobilemarketing

31. Social Media: Don’t Use Every Tool in the Shed Before you use Web 2.0 tools put your basic communication tools in order: Messages Research Media outreach Marketing/press materials Story pitch ideas Networking Web site (Web 1.0)

32. Social Media: Don’t Use Every Tool in the Shed Article Marketing: The placement of short articles on topic-specific Web sites that are looking for good content.

33. Social Media: Don’t Use Every Tool in the Shed Free: www.ezinearticles.com www.articlebiz.com Fee-based: submityourarticle.com articlemarketer.com

37. Champions: We Work For Free and We Love It Champions: “people who love your company, products or services, may have no vested interest, but who want to see you succeed.” How to recruit? Just ask! Few people do.

38. Champions: We Work For Free and We Love It 1. Speak with reporters on your behalf 2. Write testimonials 3. Put their byline on an article 4. Brag about you to prospects 5. Serve on an advisory committee. 6. Mention your org. in presentations

39. Champions: We Work For Free and We Love It • Customers • Former customers • Board members • Trade association members • Employees • Former employees • Vendors • Partners • Investors • Friends • Family members

40. ROI: How to Know Whether Your PR is Working Number of TV, Radio, Internet appearances? Stack of media clips? Advertising equivalent of clips? Sales are up on the day of your big announcement?

41. ROI: How to Know Whether Your PR is Working Quantity vs. Quality Are your most important messages found in that stack of press clips, TV/radio interviews, product reviews, testimonials, industry survey results, customer blogs?

42. ROI: How to Know Whether Your PR is Working Other Indicators That Your PR May Be Working: You get more press calls. Questions from reporters indicate they know more about your organization. Press pitches succeed more often • Your press releases are picked up more often Members of your team are quoted more frequently

43. Summary: How to Boost Your Organization's Visibility Through PR Power First, get your messages together Be an effective storyteller Personalize: “Here is what I can do for you.” Don’t write. Re-write. Start with 1 or 2 Web 2.0 tools Recruit champions Your PR ROI: Are your messages out there?

44. Great PR Is Great Storytelling: Eight Ways to Boost Your Organization's Visibility Through PR Power Right Now Robb Deigh [email_address] 703-401-6339