New Devon Life blog post - The Style Secrets of the Self Employed.

Click here for my latest Devon Life blogpost  on life as a Spare Room Tycoon. 

Warning: this article contains images of slippers some readers may find disturbing. 

What the Western Morning News needs from you!

A few months ago I was in the Western Morning News with a group of other PRs, talking with the paper’s editor.

A colleague, Sue Bradbury, commented on how difficult it was to get coverage for small businesses. Couldn’t they have a dedicated page? “Great idea!” said Alan. And the rest is history. 

For small Westcountry businesses wanting to get regional exposure about new developments, this is brilliant.

So what are they looking for? The text from an email sent to me from the WMN's deputy Business Ed, Catherine Barnes, may help you.

I’d asked Catherine whether she liked the current fashion for packaging press releases into pretty email templates. Her response, as was every other journalist’s was: “God, No!” And then she added…

BUT A GREAT PICTURE ALWAYS HELPS- ESPECIALLY IF IT IS AVAILABLE HI-RES AND IN FOCUS!

When sending emails:  A nice, clear type font is good- don’t make them too ‘busy’.

A readable format:  

Sum up the story’s main message in sentence- or two.

Further information:

Tell us:

The name of the company and where it is based (town, please- as we are a regional paper, so Devon/Cornwall is too vague.)

The role of the spokesperson and/ or  subject the item is focused upon

When the event happened- or is set to take place

When was the business established and how many employees does it have?

Avoid jargon and any acronyms should be initially  accompanied by words they stand for, in full.

Useful daytime contact numbers- preferably the client’s- we like to get the story down, in our own words.

Please try to ensure that the client (and you!) will be available if we follow up; I’ve been taken aback by the number of people who appear to head off on holiday the moment they press ’send’.

For business news, please include figures if possible, when referring to growth, or investment, figures. If an exact sum cannot be disclosed, then a percentage increase from the previous year/month is a good indicator.

*The Western Morning News  SME  Business News page now runs on the last Monday of every month and will provide you with the best idea of all, in terms of how we deliver our content.

*WMN business pages also run daily, Tues-Sat, with our extended supplement on a Thursday and special supplements covering Green innovation, local business growth appearing at various dates throughout the year. Again, you can keep in touch with what we – and the businesses we cover- are doing, by reading the paper- and encouraging your clients to do the same!

As Catherine said - Hope this unsolicited feedback is of use!

A picture is worth a thousands words

Image is king. Websites and social media all demand instant eye candy. These days even radio stations need art.

If you can provide a good photo then your story is likely to be bigger, better placed and more widely read. Even camera phones can now provide print-quality pix so there really is no excuse not to.

Don’t be intimidated into thinking you need to provide the shot of the year. Picture editors basically need four things:

1.     Make sure your subjects are in focus

2.     Make sure the shots are high res

3.     As a rule don’t provide black and white shots

4.     The picture must tell the story – provide a short caption with names so they know what it is about.

More and more pictures are now contributed rather than commissioned. Editors will be grateful for your help if you give them what they need.

©Claire Crawley StartPoint PR 2012

The five words every hack loves to hear

If you want media coverage there are five little words that will help grab your key journalists' attention.

The Who, What, Where, When and Why are the essential elements of every news story. 

They need them. You need to given them.  

Who                – the source of the story. Is it you? Make that clear.

What               – you’ve won an award, achieved record sales – this is the crux of the story.

Where             – has your story happened? Are you the best in the South West or just in Torquay? Make sure if you give a location you also give the county or region. 

When              – You need to show why your story is current news. The sooner you tell them the more newsworthy you are.

Why                – What led to this event? What makes it a problem? What made the award winners stand out? What makes your story interesting?

Now you need to practice.

First of all, scan a newspaper and identify the five W of each story. You will almost always find them all in the first two sentences of an article. Once you are used to looking for them you will see how easy it is to include them. 

Next, try summarising your own news in a couple of lines. When you’re confident you can explain your story clearly and quickly you’re ready to call the news hounds.

Ready? Go for it!

© Claire Crawley StartPoint PR 2012 

PR Tip of the Week - Getting to grips with media deadlines

Newspapers may thrive off their ‘Hold the Front Page’ image but in reality their contents are planned early.

If you want to maximise your chances of good coverage in the next paper then don’t wait until the last minute to give them your story.

Weekly editions are best contacted a day or two after the last issue has come out. Dailies have usually filled the paper well before lunchtime.

If you are planning a big announcement but need to keep the details under wraps, at least give the journalists some advance notice so they can save you a space.

If you are hoping to appear in a specific section, such at What’s On or Business, these may need even more time. Often there are queues of stories waiting to go in.

Longest lead times of all are for magazines. Many national publications are prepared six months before the issue date and they don’t welcome last minute changes. 

If you are still unsure and it is really important to get yours in for a specific then appears in a specific day and no other, call your target media and ask their advice. They are usually happy to give it.  Good luck!

For suggestions on how to make sure your news is a good enough story please see my earlier blog post.

© Claire Crawley 2012 - please don't reproduce any material on the start point website without my permission

Ditching the jargon

Friday 9^th December is national Plain English Day.

Some of the most unhelpful and frankly embarrassing tosh written for public viewing will today vie for the Golden Bull Award.

The candidates (or at least their press officers) will cringe as their crimes against communication are exposed.

Much has been written about plain English and it has hasn’t been immune from criticism but no business can run effectively without it.

Why use plain English?

Plain English is simply the most efficient way of getting your message across.

Anything that confuses or frustrates people could cost you money.

If you want a free rein with your prose, write a novel. At work you have a professional duty to make sure your readers know what you are talking about.

It is not dumbing down. People, whatever their background, prefer it. The same basic rules are followed in tabloids and broadsheets alike.

My top tips for writing in plain English

Think about your audience.

What do they know about the subject? Do you need to grab their attention? What will make them interested?

Prioritise the information you need to give.

Deadlines, appointment dates or essential action must be in the first sentence or headline.

Provide bite-sized chunks.

Use short paragraphs and informative titles so the data is easily digested.  Don’t have your words all scrunched together.

Avoid preamble

“Further to your letter of the ...” just wastes space.

Only use acronyms and jargon your readers are likely to know

Specialist vocabulary is a fact of life but use it wisely. If it is essential (often it isn’t) than make sure you give its full title the first time.

Read it back to yourself - aloud

If it is hard to read comfortably or sounds ridiculous coming out of your mouth, change it.

READ MORE

www.plainenglish.co.uk has lots of examples of awful bilge that will make most of you feel a lot better

Email me if you are interested in coming to my next Plain English workshop. I also do very reasonable in-house training courses.

Traditional vs social media – what’s best for your business?

So, you’ve got a business. You’d like people to know about you. But there’s a problem.

You have limited time and budget. You’re not sure if you need newspaper coverage but frankly Twitter scares the hell out of you.

With so many different ways and places to connect, how do you know what's best for you?

  

1. Be clear whom you are trying to reach

It’s stating the obvious but different types of media appeal to different groups.

As much as possible know your target demographic including their age, where they live or even if you’d like them to be interested in a personal or professional capacity.

By prioritising your target groups you’ll stop yourself wasting time on media they don’t use. 

Local newspapers, for example, are barely read by the under 25s. If on the other hand your message is for other businesses or councillors then they can work a treat.

2. Find out what everyone else is doing

I have to admit I love social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. For me they have generated work, cemented contacts and I’ve had a lot of fun in the process.

At first social media is a bit like turning up at a huge party where everyone else seems to know each other. Don’t be intimidated. You need only find your friends, not become best pals everyone in the room.

Start by looking for people who do the same thing as you and see who they are in touch with. Hook up with associates, clients and colleagues.

Do a bit of traditional talking to your main contacts and ask them what sites and forums they find useful. Gradually build your networks so that the emphasis is on quality not quantity.

If after all that you can’t find anyone you have anything in common with then maybe social media is not where it’s happening for your key stakeholders (there are still people for whom that’s true). But best ask your nephew to do a search for you just in case.

3. Not everything on the internet is equal

The joy of modern communication techniques is that everyone is just as much as producer as a user of the information available. But there are no automatic filters on quality or popularity.

Before you invest time and money on trying to get noticed by a particular blog or website, make sure it is being noticed by other people. There are websites that will help you with this.

4. Even social media campaigns need a kick start

Just as all parties start with an invitation, so even social media campaigns usually need traditional media to point people in the right direction.

For example, TV programmes like X Factor regularly publicise a Twitter hashtag that helps viewers also follow the online discussion.  

Few campaigns are so targeted that you can rely on one form of communication alone. Using traditional media and marketing to encourage people to connect with you online generates awareness in its own right as well directing people to your online presence. 

5. Don’t ignore what’s under your nose

The hubbub that's accompanied the rise of Facebook and Twitter has to some extent drowned out less sexy but potentially more efficient means of communication for you.

Often, my clients aren’t looking for global domination. And as fun as it is to have @meatdressgaga following my tweets, I’m pretty certain she’s not going to be using my services.

If your stakeholders are close to home you’d do well to think about the simple, traditional means of communication that still thrive.

Large groups such as schools, parishes or councils often have their own newsletters. Some hold regular meetings. If you are trying to reach families in your area, for example, this route might be much more effective then a press release or a tweet and just as easy to do.

Finally, use what you already have. Your email database is a goldmine of people who are interested in you and what you do.

Occasional updates to them, done properly, are far more targeted and therefore effective than 140 characters sent out to the Twittersphere.