Tag: media relations

On the Record: Relevant Releases

Sarah HattmanBlog, On the Record, Public Relations, , , , , , ,

I recently read an article by Ann Wylie in “Tactics” entitled “Think Like a Reporter: Make Your Release Relevant to the Reader,” and it took me on a trip down memory lane. I have a vivid memory of sitting in a newsroom and watching the assignment desk editor walk over to the fax machine (yes, it’s been a while since I was in the news business), pick up a large stack of news releases and sift through them to read the headlines. The headlines were read in comical voices, and then the entire pile went directly into the recycling bin.

As a journalist turned PR pro, this memory now makes me cringe. No one wants his or her news release to end up in the trash, but the truth is that it happens all the time in newsrooms. For this installment of “On The Record,” I decided to share my thoughts on developing a more meaningful news release and relationships with the media.

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Don’t know where to start? Check out these four questions to ask before writing a news release.

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What Does a PR Agency Do? The Design Network

Tracy LathanBlog, Case Studies, Furniture PR,

Photo from thedesignnetwork.com

Furnitureland South is widely known as a top furniture destination in the Southeast. In April 2013, Furnitureland South executives Jason and Jeff Harris launched The Design Network, a broadband, all-screens network that aligns the best designers, architects and home enthusiasts to offer instructional and entertaining videos about home design and fashion. In just one year’s time, The Design Network garnered more than a million page views and approximately 10,000 subscribers. Due to this success, the decision was made that on April 1, 2014 The Design Network would make its debut on its own channel on Time Warner Cable in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.

The new Time Warner Cable partnership was a milestone for The Design Network and Furnitureland South. As such, Furnitureland South retained Clairemont Communications for media relations support surrounding the announcement of the launch. We established the objectives as follows:

  1. Build awareness of the new Design Network channel on Time Warner Cable in the Triad by securing placements in at least three top Triad area local media outlets.
  2. Build industry awareness of Furnitureland South and The Design Network by securing placement in at least one furniture trade outlet.

With a tight budget and quick turn around time, we devised a focused media outreach strategy to determine proper timing and pitch targets. Since the cable channel was scheduled to launch on April 1, it was determined the news announcement would coincide and be made that same day. We established our goals and objectives and created our media target list, which included local triad media (TV and print), trade media and design industry bloggers/influencers.

Once the targets were determined, we crafted a news release announcing the new Design Network channel. On the morning of April 1, we kicked off the campaign by reaching out to our media targets with personal calls to pitch the story. We also complemented our pitching efforts by posting the news release on Business Wire. The response was impressive, thus we spent a great deal of time in the days that followed scheduling and facilitating interviews with Furnitureland South representatives and key media contacts, including The Triad Business Journal and the Tomorrow Will be Televised radio program based in New York.

The media relations campaign was a success. We secured placements in three top local papers (Triad Business Journal, Greensboro News & Record, High Point Enterprise), a national online radio program and one top industry trade magazine. Additionally, the Business Wire release was viewed more than 1,700 times and the news was tweeted almost 21 times by a variety of Twitter accounts. Most importantly, traffic to The Design Network website increased, which the client attributed to the buzz about the new channel on Time Warner Cable.

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Trends Tuesday: Behind-the-Scenes with Papa Spud’s

Tracy LathanBlog, Clairemont Client News, Trends, , , , ,

The Triangle Business Journal snapped this shot at the Papa Spud’s media breakfast and ran it as the Photo of the Day.

 

Last week in our Trends Tuesday post, we touched on the growing trend of online subscription delivery services. Let’s be honest…who doesn’t love when something is delivered to your door or when a package arrives. It’s like Christmas morning in the middle of the week!

We are all busy people, and the convenience factor of doorstep delivery is huge. One of our client’s, Papa Spud’s, is a North Carolina CSA (Community Supported Agricultural) service that delivers local, seasonal groceries straight to your door—from fresh produce, dairy and meat to granola, chocolate and jams. For those of us that like to buy local products but don’t have time to make it to the farmers’ market, local fish house or bakery each week, Papa Spud’s is a great option.

Tuesday mornings are a fury of activity at the Papa Spud’s warehouse, and we invited some local media members to see it for themselves. Produce and food items are being delivered, boxes are being packed and sorted and delivery vehicles are being loaded. On the morning of our event we had an unexpected snowstorm, so there was even more activity as the team tried to determine if the deliveries could still be made.

After sampling some tasty treats and coffee,  Papa Spud’s founder and owner, Rob Meyer, shared how the company was started. The media attendees were able to watch the team in action to really see and understand how the produce makes it from the farm to the box on your doorstep, in less than 48 hours. They were able to see firsthand that the demand in the Triangle for locally sourced food products is growing, and that the convenience factor is really attractive for busy families.

Have you tried a delivery subscription service? What products do you wish would show up on your doorstep each week?

 

 

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What does a PR agency do? Real Estate PR Case Study

Jasmin SessomsAwards, Blog, Case Studies, Real Estate PR, , , , ,

In the spirit of #ThrowBackThursday, here’s a real estate PR case study that features a January 2012 article in the Wall Street Journal. The story was a result of the media strategy that Clairemont devised and executed for the client. Our team is proud to continue work with Nash-Newland and Newland Communities.

Client: Nash-Newland

Planning: Newland Real Estate Group based in San Diego and North American Sekisui House (Nash) based in Osaka, Japan formed a new joint venture in 2012, Nash-Newland, and acquired the largest operating portfolio of residential master-planned communities in the United States. The joint venture purchased the interests of the California Public employee’s Retirement System (calPERS) and the American Newland Communities in 28 master-planned communities, located in 15 markets and 11 states.

With the negotiations being highly confidential until the finalization of the agreement, NASH-NEWLAND turned to Clairemont Communications to devise a media relations strategy, counsel executives on when to release information about the joint venture and how to keep it confidential until the right time. Clairemont extensively researched what the real estate beat reporters of these outlets had written, the types of merger and acquisition stories they had produced and their professional backgrounds to determine who had experience covering similar joint ventures.

Objectives: The Clairemont team was tasked with getting news coverage under highly confidential circumstances. Specifically we identified the following as key strategies:

  1. Break the news in a national business media outlet. NASH-NEWLAND wanted the story to break in the outlet that would have the most significant business impact and reach the most readers without ignoring the other two considerations. Due to the complexity of the joint venture and assets involved, in addition to selecting the right media outlet, we needed to target a reporter who had enough understanding of the real estate industry as well as experience writing about the financial aspects of merges and acquisitions.
  2. Secure a trade story and garner coverage in five regional news outlets.

Execution: Clairemont was able to get the attention of Robbie Whelman at the Wall Street Journal with our first pitch call to him. Before telling him the companies involved, we could only share the types of organizations and give him an indication of the scope of the deal. He agreed to go under embargo, and from there we outlined the timing of our other outreach around the Wall Street Journal being issued. This included issuing a news release on Business Wire, pitching the story to additional media contacts and NASH-NEWLAND’s priority trade magazine contact.

Clairemont was also responsible for preparing media materials, answering questions from regional and other types of media. We worked with the NASH-NEWLAND executives on messaging, interview preparation, interview coordination and media follow-up needs.

Results: To the satisfaction of our clients, Clairemont secured a spot in the Wall Street Journal – the first choice to break the story- on the front page of the property report section. Additionally, we secured coverage in all of our priority outlets of Associated Press, Marketwatch and Bloomberg, as well as Reuters. Seven total stories appeared in these outlets, exceeding our goal of one national business article.

We exceed our goal of five regional stories with the placement of 11 articles. Additionally, there were 14 various online stories that were based on business and regional coverage.

This campaign earned Clairemont a Best in Division award from Raleigh Public Relations Society and an Award of Excellence from the North Carolina chapter of Public Relations Society of America.

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iMedia Day at Elon University

Tracy LathanBlog, Professional Development, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , , , ,

I recently had the pleasure of serving on a panel at Elon University for the iMedia Day of Professional Development & Networking. It had been many years since I visited the Elon campus, and I was blown away by how charming it is. Equally impressive was the School of Communication’s facility. Within its School of Communication, Elon offers a ten-month M.A. Interactive Media program – what a great way for communication professionals to add to their skill sets in a short amount of time!

The panelists for the event included myself, a representative from another Raleigh PR agency, a recruiter from a firm in Atlanta and a former graduate of the program (now employed by an interactive agency in California.) We collectively answered questions from the moderator and then fielded questions from the students on the topics of interactive media and successfully navigating the job search.  Questions included…what does “interactive” really mean? What are the most relevant tools we are using today? How do agencies incorporate interactive departments?

What really stood out to me during this discussion was the realization that there is very little we are doing these days that is not interactive in some way…and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Whether we are launching a Facebook campaign, providing hashtags for a client event so attendees can share via their social networks or creating animated graphics to be used on a trade show floor, we are interacting with our audience on some level.

The other topic we discussed at length with the students was best practices – the do’s and don’ts – for trying to land a job, and making a good impression once you have been hired. While some of these tips might sound like advice we have all heard before, what came out of the discussion was that even though things have become much more complicated, the importance of simple, basic courtesies have stood the test of time. Here are a few things the panelists shared:

  • Follow up! Don’t ever hesitate to call and follow up after sending in a resume. And please send a hand written thank you note.
  • Differentiate yourself. Bring samples, create a personal website, share your personal blog. We want to see your personal brand.
  • Do your homework. Come prepared with questions about the company and what your specific role will be.
  • Clean up your online presence. That means no graphic spring break photos!
  • Proof your correspondence. Make sure e-mails and cover letters are free of grammatical errors.
  • Present your best self in the interview. You have one chance to shine and make a good impression. Be professional but also be likeable. After all, people hire people they want to work with.
  • Look people in the eye and dress the part. Even if the company has a casual dress code, dress up for the interview.
  • Once you have started your new job, have a positive attitude! Be willing to jump in and tackle anything.

A big thank you to Maggie Mullikin for organizing the event and hosting us. Hope to join the group again next year! Whether you are a professional or a student, what does interactive mean to you, and how has it changed your role as a communicator?     

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