PR is not dead

With so much emphasis on new media, some people don’t think that “old media” works anymore.

People forget that traditional media not only drives sales, but social media—as the publicity campaign of one of our current clients shows.   

When the Sacramento nonprofit, Destinations Mobility, started a contest for a wheelchair-accessible van and shuttle bus, Destinations had a Facebook reach of less than 150 people.

When our firm got a major local columnist to write about the giveaway, Facebook reach jumped to 8,162.

Less than a week later, when we placed three segments with two teasers on a local morning show and its news affiliate, reach zoomed to 12,244 people. 

When the division manager was on a talk radio show that runs on five local stations, social media hit 22,419.  

Since then, Facebook has remained constant, staying above 20,000.

With old and new media kicking in, entries for the contest not only picked up, but reached the campaign goals.   

For more information, call us at (916) 455-4790 or visit Dell Richards Publicity at  www.dellrichards.com.

Dropping the F-bomb

This week, KFYR anchor A.J. Clemente was fired for using the F-bomb and other “language” on TV.

In his apology, he said he didn’t realize he was live even though he was miked.

Because  newsrooms are full of people who swear like stevedores, PR people often are surprised to find that emphasizing a point by adding color isn’t always appreciated.   

Because it plays against stereotype, I sometimes drop swear words into conversation with younger, more hip people.

But I rarely do in business meetings.  

One colleague said she deliberately drops a lesser word in meetings to see how people respond.

If no one looks askance—or someone picks it up and runs with it—she feels more comfortable taking it one step further. 

Swear words are part of everyday speech for many people, but use really depends on the formality of the occasion.   

Testing the waters may be the only way to find out how casual you can be—as long as you’re not on TV.  

For more information, please call us at (916) 455-4790 or go to our website at www.dellrichards.com.

The Internet for research and fun...

How long has it been since you picked up a Yellow Pages to find a phone number or used an encyclopedia to do research?

If it’s been more than a year, join the club.

Wikipedia’s main search page had nearly 280 million hits in December 2012 and that’s not counting people like me who google the subject, scan what’s available and usually click the Wikipedia page.

In fact, there are nearly 700,000 Google searches every minute.

Which is nothing compared to, 2.8 million emails sent every second.

But more than 10.5 million pictures uploaded to Facebook every hour.

When you say that of the 2.4 billion Internet users every day, 172 million of them visit Facebook, it sounds like a lot, but it’s a small percentage.  

Still, 400 million people post tweets on Twitter, every day, the most-read ones being about entertainment.

It’s been less than 20 years since the Internet took off.

In the next 20, maybe the phone book dropped at the door will be just a memory.     

For more information, contact Dell Richards Publicity at (916) 455-4790 or visit our website at www.dellrichards.com.

How NOT to write a press relese

People often show us press releases they’ve written.

Even if the releases have good information, the info in them usually is in the wrong order.

Good releases are mini-news stories with the most important information coming first.

The first sentence doesn’t have the news or what happened that you want published, i.e., local company wins major award.  

The first sentence contains the names of everyone involved. The first sentence should be general: local company, etc.

There are no facts to show why event is important. If the release is about a disease, it should have the number of people with that disease.  

The release is not be targeted to a specific reporter, i.e., local media need local statistics, business media need business details.

The release has too much jargon.

Unless you’re targeting a trade journal, you’re working with a generalist, a reporter who is covering many beats these days.

Even if the reporter knows what the jargon means, they need to translate it for their audience.

Why not make their job easier and translate it yourself?

The release doesn’t have any sources or people to call to get the necessary quotes.

Journalists work on crushing deadlines while fielding hundreds of pitches

If they know you’ll be easy to work with by providing everything they need quickly, they’re more likely to choose your story over another.

And, BTW, the company mission statement goes at the end.

For more information, contact Dell Richards Publicity at (916) 455-4790 or visit our website at www.dellrichards.com.

What psychopaths and CEOs have in common

Kevin Dutton’s new book, “The Wisdom of Psychopaths” says that being fearless, focused and ruthless are tailor-made traits for success in the modern world.

Besides the above, the University of Oxford research psychologist from lays out habits of psychopaths that can help anyone in business:

Don’t procrastinate, don’t second-guess yourself, don’t look back and don’t blame yourself when things go wrong.

The Top 10 professions for psychopaths are not only CEOs, but lawyers, surgeons, journalists and clergy, among others.

Dutton writes that psychopaths have a gamut of traits that make them more—or less—successful, depending on the career they choose—or are thrust into by circumstance.

The difference between CEOs and criminals is that the latter are more impulsive and violent.

They also have a harder time delaying gratification and come from less educated backgrounds.

So if you want to be successful in business, acting like a psychopath at least some of the time might not be a bad idea.

For more information, contact Dell Richards Publicity at (916) 455-4790 or visit our website at www.dellrichards.com.