ZB Group

media interviews

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5 Reasons Not to Pause PR this Fall

Image by Jackie Ramirez from Pixabay

You might think it’s prudent to pause your PR campaign this fall due to the media’s emphasis on the upcoming U.S. presidential election on November 5th. However, this strategy could be short-sighted. Here are five reasons to consider not hitting the pause button on PR this fall.

1) Many Journalists Don’t Cover Politics. Even though political news is a main focus right now, many reporters, freelance writers, producers, podcasters, bloggers, and newsletter editors, don’t cover politics or the election. Their beats may be lifestyle topics, consumer trends or products, travel, dining, technology, real estate, education, or small business. Therefore, they will need credible sources and experts to interview, interesting content and engaging stories to cover this fall and year-round.  

2) ‘Tis the Season for Holiday Gift Guide Pitching. The fall is a very busy time for media professionals who produce, write or contribute to holiday gift guides. Many have already requested 2024 holiday gift ideas for products and services and held workshops on tips for getting coverage. HGGs provide opportunities for brands and businesses to be featured by influencers, journalists, or TV and social media personalities, who consumers follow for ideas and advice. Pausing outreach efforts will greatly impact your chance for inclusion in these popular guides.

3) To Capitalize on early 2025 Media Opportunities. Perhaps you would like to create story ideas, an event, contest, giveaway, etc., for your brand pegged to the Super Bowl (February 9), Valentine’s Day (February 14), American Heart Month or U.S. Black History Month, (February 2025) or Women’s History Month (March 2025). If so, fall is a good time to get your strategy and action plan in place.

4) Consider Your 2025 Priorities and Inherent Lead Time. The time required to plan and implement a targeted media outreach campaign, special event, new product announcement, or facilitate thought leadership tactics such as bylined articles and speaking engagements, can take several months. Don’t wait until after the election to get started on these PR activities if they are among your priorities scheduled for 2025.

    5) Maintain Momentum for Successful Results. Your communications team may currently be working intently with reporters to arrange media interviews for your company or campaign’s spokesperson, coordinating details for an industry conference, a grand opening, or other focused project with a fall 2024 timetable. Pausing before or after the election will interrupt their progress and potentially impact the results.

    Please reach out with any questions.

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    How Nuance is Relevant when Working with the Media

    Image by Shotkitimages from Pixabay

    “Nuances are subtle shades of anything and everything. To notice and live them is a very refined way to experience our life,” writes Diane Von Furstenberg, the legendary fashion designer, philanthropist, and trailblazing businesswoman in her latest book, Own It The Secret To Life profiled by Vogue.

    She shares her life secrets and advice with readers by spotlighting particular words starting with the letter A-to-Z. Nuance is included in the N grouping. She explains in the book, “To achieve this task, I picked words that speak to me most and reflected on their meanings.”

    The word nuance resonates with us. Like any professional service business, ours has nuances inherent to the elements involved when we garner media coverage for clients. For an inside look, here are nine instances where nuance comes into play during the process.

    Target Media List

    Where do you start? Define your audience – who do you want to reach? We identify the appropriate media outlets and curate a list that aligns with your audience and marketing goals. We also monitor media opportunities that arise and may be a good fit for your story, potentially adding them to our list.

    Supporting Materials

    High-resolution images and quality video that help describe or tell your story are important to have on hand. We advise on what kinds of digital assets are suitable for the media’s purposes and use. In addition, we create press materials that convey the nuances of your business and why it’s newsworthy.

    Spokesperson

    Who will speak on behalf of your company? Consider the CEO, founder, a designer, research specialist, marketing executive or someone involved with another aspect. An author, industry expert or popular personality who is partnering with your company on an event or brand initiative, may also be appropriate.

    Media Outreach

    We understand the nuances and needs of the different types of media and reach out with story ideas created specifically for the journalists, bloggers, podcasters, or influencers. Some may be interested in an interview while others in content for their columns, segments, roundups, trend pieces, or bylined articles.

    Message Communication

    We explain the nuances of how to share your key messages in a clear, concise, non-commercial way to inform the outlet’s readers, listeners or viewers so they will want to learn more.

    Interview Types

    Zoom, in-studio, by phone, or via a written Q&A, are all potential interview formats. We help spokespeople master the nuances of each type beforehand, so they are comfortable regardless.

    Interview Questions

    In most cases we will be able to share the types of questions in advance, but generally not the exact ones. As in any conversation, sometimes one question leads to another that can’t be foreseen. Therefore, the spokesperson must be prepared to answer any questions in a calm, confident manner.

    Advance Preparation

    Preparation is key! Practicing prior to an interview will help ensure the spokesperson is ready and confident. We conduct mock interviews and share tips concerning the nuances of body language, delivery, messaging and interview etiquette, among others, so the interview goes well and smoothly.

    Merchandise the Coverage

    Sharing the stories on your social media networks (tag the reporter and outlet in your posts), website, with staff, and in customer newsletters is beneficial. Each method has its own nuances but conveying the excitement of being featured by third-party influential sources to your community should be an overall goal.  

    Questions?

    Reach out and we’ll be happy to explain more.

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    October is National Women’s Small Business Month

    Image: Pixabay

    October is synonymous with beautiful fall foliage when nature “reinvents” itself as leaves lose chlorophyll and carotenoids are revealed. It is also National Women’s Small Business Month which recognizes the importance of our country’s female entrepreneurs. We are celebrating by featuring three women who embraced entrepreneurship and reinvention by either launching new businesses or becoming a first-time business owner.

    These dynamic women changed course to focus on their passions and build a business. One as an owner of a bed-and-breakfast, another founding a skin care company and the third’s business provides equine based coaching workshops. There are roughly 12 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. according to the United States SBA.

    ZB Group was proud to collaborate with these inspiring businesswomen. We shared the benefits that their businesses, products and services provide, and what led them to pursue their dreams, with the media, bloggers and influencers. Snapshots follow with a link to read about our specific collaborations and the media coverage garnered for each one.

    Mary Passalacqua, Woolverton Inn

    Mary Passalacqua and her husband Mario, are owners of a beautiful historic bed and breakfast in Stockton, New Jersey. Woolverton Inn is nestled on ten acres and surrounded by 300 acres of preserved farmland and forest. It is a convenient destination for year-round getaways, weddings, special events and corporate retreats. After spending more than 25 years working in corporate finance for large manufacturing companies, Mary realized a lifelong dream by purchasing Woolverton Inn in 2016. Today their thriving bucolic inn is a testament to Mary and Mario’s dedication to their guests and staff, investment in the property, commitment to the local community and savvy business acumen.

    Idyllic Bed and Breakfast

    Edye Dumhart, Edye’s Naturals

    A mother of two and a lifelong athlete, Edye Dumhart didn’t plan to become an entrepreneur and a proponent of the benefits of organic skin care products, but she has immersed herself in both. She developed her first product, Edye’s Face & Body Butter, when she was unable to find wholesome non-toxic ones to help her rosacea, sunspots and wrinkles after years of competitive sailing and sun exposure. Through Edye’s hard work, foresight and enthusiasm, her line has expanded. It now features nine nourishing eco-friendly plant-based products. Edye’s Naturals can be found in many locations throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, at various seasonal craft shows, and on her website.

    Edye’s Naturals

    Marie-Claude Stockl, The Horse Institute

    Located on 30 scenic acres about 100 miles north of New York City, The Horse Institute provides leadership development, team building and communication skills workshops, using Equine Assisted Learning. Founded by Marie-Claude Stockl and her husband Larry Stockl, they are two seasoned corporate executives who believed a different kind of experiential training was possible and necessary beyond the typical conference room and slide show presentations. The business utilizes Marie Claude’s communications expertise honed during her stellar career at Fortune 100 companies and her lifelong devotion to horses. Clients include major pharmaceutical companies and organizations.  

    Corporate Training Company

    ———

    Join us in acknowledging the growing number of women-owned small businesses and their countless positive contributions.

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    When it Comes to Media Outlets, Why Thinking “small” can Have a Big Impact.

    The various ways to share a media placement online including on social media, in blogs and on websites

    Interviews on national outlets are indeed valuable, but in the digital age, it’s important not to dismiss media opportunities with smaller outlets as Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent experience illustrates.

    In the spring when the coronavirus outbreak surged in the U.S., Dr. Fauci was a frequent guest on all the major TV talk shows. However, by August, the New York Times reported most interviews were with outlets like Instagram Live, an online education platform, a local TV affiliate and podcasts. Continuing this trend, Dr. Fauci was a guest on Sirius XM’s Doctor Radio, in early September.

    He realized smaller outlets could be instrumental in promoting his public health messages to their audiences and may even be picked up by larger ones. According to the article, “His appearances are widely watched by reporters from large outlets, who then quote him in their news reports.”

    Obviously not everyone has the clout that a prominent health expert like Dr. Fauci does to weigh in during a global pandemic, but here are eight reasons to consider opportunities with smaller outlets for a positive impact.

    1. Present, Explain and Expand Your Message. Connect with your target audiences where they spend time which includes smaller channels.
    2. Accrue Online Visibility. Journalists looking for sources on a subject and consumers alike can find the interview, story, feature or content.
    3. Ability to Share on Multiple Channels. Social media, subscriber-based newsletters, websites or company blogs, all provide more eyeballs.
    4. Lend Credibility to Your Brand, Company, Product or Service. Conveying your story on their platform, relays its importance for their community of readers, viewers, listeners, loyal followers and fans.
    5. Raise Local Awareness. Depending on where your customers are based, recognition by local media outlets may be preferable vs. national media.
    6. Engage with Niche Audiences. For certain products or services, blogs, websites or publications that appeal to specific interests may be best to target. For example, ones comprised of health or eco-conscious consumers, fashionistas, home cooks, entrepreneurs, cyclists or golfers.
    7. Express Thought Leadership. Via bylined articles and interviews with reporters at trade publications, promote expertise and convey influence.
    8. Reporters, Editors and Producers Change Jobs. Someone working at a smaller outlet today may leave for a larger one tomorrow, or start their own one day. Connections and positive impressions made in the past, will help build relationships with media professionals that may be advantageous for your business or organization in the future.

    For a recent project, we arranged for the owner of a bed-and-breakfast, Woolverton Inn, to be quoted in the Associated Press, but we also intentionally selected to pitch smaller outlets that are a good fit for their messages and various audiences. As a result of our efforts, blogs geared for baby boomers and millennials, a meetings and events publication and a New Jersey business magazine, among several others, featured the inn.

    There are many factors to consider when planning a media outreach strategy but keep in mind that smaller outlets may yield big rewards.

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    Why A Company’s Founder Can Be Its Best Spokesperson

    Company Founders As Media SpokespeopleIt used to be that companies often hired celebrities and well-known personalities as their spokespeople for public relations, marketing and advertising campaigns.

    The thinking was if our product or service was endorsed by a celebrity, then consumers would be convinced they should try it. Today, this high-priced strategy has changed for many companies.

    We have noticed this shift over the past several years and have arranged interviews with reporters from national media to niche blogs featuring company founders as the media spokespeople.

    A recent article in the Wall Street Journal attests to this trend. It highlights founders’ stories in their promotional campaigns “recognizing the appeal of homegrown brands.”

    Entrepreneurs are more relatable especially when it comes to sharing their stories of how they built fledging businesses into successful companies. People are more apt to believe what’s said by a company’s founder rather than a paid spokesperson. Therefore, companies have added the role of media spokesperson to a founder’s responsibilities since they realize its importance and business benefits.

    When a founder describes how their product or service grew into a successful business after countless hours of trial and error, the story is more likely to resonate. Today, authenticity is in, celebrity pitchmen and pitchwomen are out.

    Along with the rise of direct feedback at all hours from the masses to companies on social media, consumers feel like they know the companies they buy from and value transparency.

    Founders who offer a peak behind the proverbial curtain via media interviews, online videos, at live events, or in ads, are increasingly the preferable choice to speak for companies both large and small.

    So now it’s more about sharing founders’ stories to connect with business and consumer audiences than paying celebrities to do the pitching for them.