Planning an event for maximum PR

The later you contact a publicist when planning an event, the fewer media outlets you can get.

Local print magazines often need information at least three months in advance, sometimes more.

Even monthly or weekly tabloids usually have a two-month lead time.

If possible, plan the location or a connection to a location that is in a monthly or weekly newspaper circulation area.   

If you want local talk shows, you’ll need two months lead time for them, too.

A week or two before the event, only news media generally are available.

By then, the competition is fierce and all that’s left is a few feel-good feature slots.

For maximum PR on your event, contact a PR person to help at least four months in advance.

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

Strut your stuff through pro bono work

If you do it right, pro bono work allows you to strut your stuff while branding your firm.

By having fun, we've been able to show our creativity through our freebies.

We've pitched fire troupes, ballroom dancers and Buddhist events.

We've sent the media releases on performance troupes wowing them with fire and dancers making a name nationally. 

We've sent out info on the four-ton Jade Buddha traveling the world and, most recently, the Sera Jey monks raising funds for the school in India by making a local sand mandala.

We not only received press for the events, but made a name for ourselves by having interesting projects.   

As a result, journalists usually ask what we’re up when we see them. 

 

And, we now represent a nationally known antiques appraiser, a concert pianist, an author and a nonprofit that develops affordable housing—as well as more “corporate” clients.

Doing pro bono not only creates good karma, but often pays off in more mundane ways, too.    

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

In business, planting seeds has nice surprises years down the road

Because we were asked to speak on public relations at a dental conference when we first opened in 1993, we had many dental practices as clients for years.

Since one of our clients, Gary Demerjian, D.D.S., who later founded the Center for TMJ and Sleep Therapy, was particularly interested in sleep apnea, we worked with him on that subject.  

In one of the articles we wrote, we quoted Gary Sagiv on Itamar Medical’s WatchPAT—a watch-like monitor that can diagnose sleep apnea at home by measuring blood artery volume while the person sleeps.

As Sagiv tended to work for interesting medical start-ups, I continued to touch base with him.

Fast forward to 2014 and our LinkedIn connection.

Now vice president of global sales for Ornim Medical, Sagiv remembered the article and contacted me about company’s non-invasive blood-flow and oxygenation monitor.    

Not only was it great to hear from a colleague from that long ago, but the technology could have revolutionary implications for hospitals and the healthcare system around the globe.   

As I was writing about the c-FLOW, I thought you never know where or when the seeds you plant in business will come up.

But, sometimes, the longer they take, the more interesting the surprise.

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

Branding continuity creates a powerful tool

          Twitter recently added a large masthead.

          As a result of working with that, we started to play with the images used in our branding.

          We ended up pulling the logo out of the inset and uploaded one of the website photos to our Facebook page. 

          We also uploaded that photo to the profile for LinkedIn and other social media.

          This small change gave the brand a huge lift emotionally.  

          We often tweak our brand to keep up with social media changes and to make it better.

          Because it is so important, every business should have a document that spells out all details of the graphic art used for the brand. 

          That means the PMS color for every part of the logo and masthead, including the background color.

          Lay-out choices, font, font colors and sizes—including print choices such as card stock and color—also need to be part of the guidelines.  

          Branding continuity helps create a recognizable and powerful image that is essential in today's world.   

          For more information, visit our website: www.dellrichards.com.  

Making sense of what the eyes see

An MIT study recently showed that the eye can process an image seen for a mere 13 milliseconds.

This high-speed processing directs the eyes, shifting their gaze three times a second.

Even when staring, the eyes are constantly looking for new information. 

A few months later, another MIT study found that sight is a composite of what was seen up to 15 seconds ago.

“What you’re seeing is an average of… the past 10 to 15 seconds,” said Jason Fischer, study author and MIT neuroscientist.

The brain creates stability even while the eyes scan, scan, scan. 

“What vision does is find concepts,” said Mary Potter, author of the first study and MIT professor of brain and cognitive sciences. 

“The brain is … trying to understand what we’re looking at.”

What does this mean for your branding?

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