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media relations

December 1, 2021 By ZB Group

How Brands Can Build Positive Touchpoints with Four Media Types

Creating brand loyalty in the digital age is challenging but it’s on a more-level playing field. You must get consumers to think positively about your brand via different touchpoints. Shira Ovide, a technology writer for The New York Times, explores this in her column with the headline, “The Internet Broke Brand Loyalty.” Here’s a telling part of her piece:

“Think about the ways that you might have bought something in the Before Times – like, before 2010. Maybe you drove to your local hardware store looking for a cordless drill, and it stocked only Dewalt models. You trusted the store to sell a good product – or if you didn’t, it was your only option anyway. That’s what you bought. The retailer essentially made the choice for you, Mr. Levin and Mr. Lowitz said. (co-founders of Consumer Intelligence Research Partners) That’s not usually how we shop anymore. Instead of having that solo choice, we can browse the gazillion cordless drills on Amazon from our sofas and evaluate online customer reviews.”

The pandemic intensified “going online” making it often the first place consumers turn before purchasing goods and services whether by checking-out Amazon or major retail websites, company or brand websites, the news media, blogs, social media, online communities, trade publications, or influencers they follow.

Today, brands need to utilize the four main types of media under the communications umbrella to effectively reach and engage with prospects and customers. The PESO Model, created by Gini Dietrich, the founder of Spin Sucks, demonstrates how each media type ideally provides the greatest benefit when it’s integrated with the other ones.

The model blends paid, earned, shared and owned media, to establish credibility, trust and authority that fuels a brand reputation. Earned media includes building relationships with journalists, bloggers, podcasters, editors, writers, producers and influencers, so they share your story with their audiences – be it readers, viewers or listeners. For example, we garnered these for different clients; a major market radio interview, an interview with a national wire service, a featured story in The New York Times, a Q&A on a blog, a magazine article, a newspaper feature, a bylined article, and a conversation on a podcast.

The PESO Model illustrated in the graphic below, provides a clear framework for communicators like us to explain how the different media types work best in concert in today’s fast-paced evolving media landscape. Kudos to Gini for launching it in 2014 and sharing it widely ever since.

2020 PESO Model Graphic
Credit: Spin Sucks

At ZB Group, our services focus on the earned and shared media spheres within the headings earned media, community, partnerships, reputation and marketing communications, to achieve our clients’ goals. Please reach out to learn how we can add value and turbocharge your marketing campaign so that your brand is top-of-mind.

Filed Under: Consumers, General Articles, Journalism, Marketing, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: brand loyalty, brand touchpoints, community building, earned media, influencer marketing, media relations, PESO Model, Public Relations, shared media, Shira Ovide, The New York Times, Thought Leadership

January 4, 2021 By Debbie Bayes

Why the Work Phone Call is Back in Vogue

Coffee mug with an iPhone while working
Image by Derek Robinson from Pixabay

Surprisingly, the phone call has become a popular method of business communication by young people while working remotely as The Wall Street Journal reported in The Resurrection of the Office Phone Call. Apparently establishing more rewarding connections to decreasing digital carbon emissions are among the advantages of phone calls over video meetings, emails and texts.

During the pandemic, millennials discovered the benefits of communicating with colleagues, mentors, clients and prospects by phone and phone traffic has shot up. The work call provides an effective method for one-on-one discussions without concerns related to using Zoom such as what to wear, whether your background is tidy and appropriate or if the lighting is good.

A phone’s portability is another plus. You can talk while getting fresh air or moving around inside instead of being stuck in front of a computer.

When I started in public relations, reaching out to the media to pitch story ideas and guest recommendations by phone was a mainstay. However, once email became universal it has generally been the preferred method when initially pitching producers, writers, editors, influencers and bloggers.

I often find a hybrid approach of calls and emails is most effective during the follow-up process and cuts back on the number of emails exchanged. Once a media professional is interested in an idea, a phone call is an efficient way to build a rapport while confirming details concerning a proposed interview, product feature, or bylined article. Also, connecting on social media is a good idea to learn more about them and share their work.

With growing concerns about the environment, CBS This Morning’s “Eye on Earth” correspondent shared our reliance on IT for remote work negatively impacts the planet. We may not be commuting as much, but sending 100 emails leaves the same carbon footprint as driving a mile in a car. In fact, the BBC’s Smart Guide to Climate Change says making video calls over the internet has a much higher carbon footprint than do mobile phone calls.

More rationale in support of phone conversations was explained in an article in Scientific American. It discusses a paper slated for publication in the Journal of Experimental Psychology by Professor Nicholas Epley at the University of Chicago Booth School who studies social cognition and Assistant Professor of marketing and psychology Amit Kumar at the University of Texas. Their research indicates people should consider talking rather than typing to forge better connections and more satisfying interactions.

Another study with young children cited in The New York Times showed that telephone communication was just as effective as being able to touch and see a parent. “The clear implication is that you don’t need to literally see your loved ones and friends to feel your bond with them,” psychiatrist Dr. Richard Friedman writes in a recent op-ed.

As the iconic song reminds us, “Everything Old is New Again.”

Contact us to learn how we can help promote your brand with our hybrid approach and other effective strategies to amplify your marketing in 2021.

Filed Under: Consumers, General Articles, Journalism, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: 2021 integrated marketing, BBC, Business communications, CBS This Morning, media relations, millennials and work, pitching journalists, Scientific American, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, working remotely

May 13, 2020 By Debbie Bayes

To Pitch or Not to Pitch in a Crisis? That is the Question.

COVID-19 has affected many facets of life from travel and the economy to schools and parenting.

During ordinary times, we reach out to the media regularly with all sorts of pitches crafted about our clients to pique interest in different story ideas. From travel and health to beauty and retail, our pitches may be associated with consumer trends, small business, CEOs, thought leadership, holiday gift guides, human interest, how-to tips, roundup articles, and everything in between.

But these are not ordinary times.

In the age of the coronavirus is it a good time to pitch?

We say yes, as long as the pitches are sensitive to the evolving health and economic crisis. This is an unprecedented time including for those who report the news. Bloomberg reporters candidly explain how they have been affected.

COVID-19 abruptly changed our lives causing great uncertainty about “returning to normal” for the foreseeable future. In March and April, as this Wall Street Journal article discusses, while stuck at home consumer spending on food and alcohol, gardening, home amusements and comfort items boomed but with declines in other sectors.

During early spring only pitches associated with the coronavirus pandemic or those describing acts of kindness were warranted, as Jamie Yuccas, a correspondent with CBS News, along with two other journalists, shared on Navigating Newsrooms During COVID-19.

Coronavirus-related pitches and those about brands giving back to benefit essential workers are still appropriate, but other types are also relevant now to incorporate into pitches for journalists, bloggers and influencers:

FOOD & DRINK – healthy recipes, desserts, cocktails and easy meals to make for single adults, couples or families cooking at home together.

BEAUTY – at-home beauty, hair, and skin-care tips for looking your best on Zoom calls and to boost self-confidence

ORGANIZING – tips to declutter an apartment, house or home office

CLEANING – easy ways and useful products to clean and sanitize especially for frequently used kitchens and bathrooms

TRAVEL – properties and attractions currently closed but producing video for virtual visits to sustain interest; those that are reopening with key health and safety plans in place

PARENTING – ideas to get work done with young children at home; fun family recreation with playdates limited and perhaps no summer camp

LOCAL DESTINATIONS – convenient places for getaways accessible by car

VENUES – those that are equipped to host small weddings, meetings or special occasions since previously planned larger affairs or major conferences and events are likely cancelled or postponed

EXERCISE – companies that offer online classes, fitness equipment, or exercise products, for maintaining good physical and emotional health

RETAILERS – those offering ordering online and curbside pickup or contactless delivery as well as stores that are reopening

SMALL BUSINESS and PROFESSIONAL SERVICE COMPANIES – those who have pivoted from in-person to offer consulting, training or other services online; small businesses who have instituted new ways of doing business

EVERGREEN IDEAS – these are not event or time-sensitive including human interest or thought leadership ideas from CEOS, founders or entrepreneurs  

In the midst of a pandemic or not, by customizing each pitch stating why the idea is of value for the media’s audience, will help increase positive PR opportunities and build enduring connections with consumers.

Please reach out if we can help. Be well and stay safe.

Filed Under: Consumers, General Articles, Journalism, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: Bloomberg News, CBS News, coronavirus, Covid-19, earned media, media relations, New Jersey Monthly, New York magazine, pitching media, PR, Public Relations, story ideas, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Woolverton Inn

June 4, 2019 By Debbie Bayes

8 Tips for Effective Media Collaborations as More Outlets Go Online-Only

This year more media brands are ceasing their print editions and becoming online-only publications. So you may think there are less opportunities to garner coverage but there’s good news! Many new outlets are proliferating online while others transform into multimedia platforms.

Websites, blogs, Web interview programs, social networking platforms, apps, podcasts, internet radio, and the multiplatform capabilities of TV and radio news outlets, all provide different PR opportunities.

A few recent notable publications that have gone digital-only or will do so in 2019 are Glamour, Brides, Money and ESPN The Magazine. They’ve evolved investing resources in their online brands since more people are consuming news and information on the Web.

This spring I attended a PRSA “Meet the Media” event in NYC featuring journalists and influencers who are busy writing or reporting about travel and food for several major outlets. After the informal networking portion of the evening, the four panelists shared the latest trends, tips to pique their interest, and do’s and don’ts for collaborations, before a jam-packed room of PR professionals. I’m happy to report they welcome our help!

Here are 8 takeaways from Lee Abbamonte, travel expert & TV personality, Salvatore DiBenedetto, food influencer aka The Grubfather, Aly Walansky and Jordi Lippe-McGraw, independent lifestyles, wellness and travel journalists for a variety of media outlets.

Journalists and influencers specializing in travel, food and lifestyles speaking at the PRSA-NY Meet the Media event on March 25, 2019.
From left, Lee Abbamonte, Salvatore DiBenedetto, Aly Walansky and Jordi Lippe-McGraw
  • Don’t be shy, just pitch.
  • Don’t pitch via social media, use email.
  • Make sure your pitches are relevant for the journalist/influencer’s areas of expertise. Don’t send off-target pitches and waste their time.
  • Do your homework and promptly respond to any requests.
  • Find the interesting story and deliver on it.
  • Think like a journalist – what’s the hook? Will their audience care?
  • Designate a budget for working with some key influencers. Many have established large loyal followings due to their ability to create engaging content for those with particular interests.
  • Relate how your story idea ties into trends in travel. Culinary travel, multigenerational, family, girls and guys trips, bachelor and bachelorette trips, experiential, and solo travel are all hot trends.

Leave us a comment with your tips or thoughts.

Filed Under: General Articles, Journalism, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: Brides, ESPN The Magazine, Glamour, influencers, journalism, media relations, Money Magazine, PR, PRSA

January 24, 2017 By Debbie Bayes

New Digital Outlets Present PR Opportunities: Don’t Miss Out

digital media

As we dive into 2017 new digital outlets abound and surely the trend will only continue. Mainstream news organizations like The New York Times and NBC News to niche online magazines like Hodinkee (which caters to male wristwatch geeks) are embracing digital to be profitable and meet reader and advertiser demands and interests. Time Inc. is centralizing its digital operations creating 10 digital desks to help it grow audience faster by pooling its editorial resources.

But at the same time, print is NOT dead! People are still reading print books, newspapers and magazines as an antidote to countless hours spent looking at screens. Hearst will soon introduce two new print magazines, Airbnb and The Pioneer  Woman, the later is a partnership between Hearst, the Food Network and Scripps.

“Magazines of the Year 2016” in Ad Age says magazines such as AARP, EatingWell, HGTV, The New Yorker and Women’s Health are thriving in print and digital due to new partnerships, contributors, influential writers and podcasting. Bon Appetit just introduced Healthyish, a new food vertical.

You may be wondering, does digital change how PR practitioners work with journalists and bloggers for the earned media part of the PESO (paid, earned, social, owned) model?

Not really. The process we implement to arrange coverage is basically the same regardless of whether the story will run online, in print, on-air or in a podcast. Some of the key steps we follow are below. Keep in mind there are many other strategies and tactics used that are customized for each client partnership.

  • Stay up-to-date on new outlets, platforms and emerging news publications
  • Familiarize ourselves with our client’s business and communications goals
  • Develop and “package” the story for the audience(s); create the main messages
  • Uncover trends, consumer or business interest for which the products, services, innovations, events, thought leadership, etc. align or are at the forefront
  • Tailor our pitches to pique interest; convey the information to the appropriate media
  • Offer spokespeople, experts and other sources for interviews and comments
  • Provide relevant images, video or audio
  • Follow-up with the reporters, editors, producers, bloggers and podcasters to ensure their questions are answered and their needs are met

We’ve been on the lookout for outlets that have recently transformed to digital-only or are new digital publications. Here are nine that differ in their appeal and audiences providing opportunities for brands, companies and services that are a good fit:

Organic Life

Spring.St, a new website for women covering politics to parenting.

Mach from NBC News covering science and tech

SELF

Healthyish

Observer (formerly the New York Observer)

The Outline, launched by a former Bloomberg Editor

Bloomberg Pursuits

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Please let us know if you come across new digital outlets and we’ll add them to the list.

Filed Under: Consumers, General Articles, Journalism, Media, Public Relations Tagged With: Bloomberg Pursuits, digital media, Mach, magazines, media relations, Organic Life, Public Relations, Self, The Outline, TIME

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