ZB Group

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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.

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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.

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How to Influence Consumers and Customers with PR and Storytelling

Public Relations and StorytellingPeople love stories. Even before we learn to read as young children, cuddling next to a parent, grandparent, sibling or caregiver to listen to a story or book is a favorite pastime enjoyed by every generation.

This love of stories doesn’t subside when we grow up.

In the digital age of Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, Snapchat Stories, podcasting and TED Talks, the methods of telling and sharing stories may have changed, but our affinity for stories hasn’t lessened one bit.

So what’s the point for brands and companies? We’re glad you asked.

Sharing news about a person’s life, loves, challenges or career is interesting for others as it relates to their own life or circumstances. The same goes for brands and companies.

Storytelling is an effective way for you to reach the people who matter most. Brands and companies that share compelling insight can use storytelling to humanize them — gaining loyalty and positive perceptions in consumers’ minds by doing so.

A recent Wall Street Journal article by Barbara Haslip discussed how an entrepreneur’s story can be the perfect marketing tool. It cites research that suggests why humans respond well to character-based stories and memorable images, explaining the relevance for businesses. Read the interesting piece here.

Public relations professionals inherently use different tools and strategies to help clients tell their stories to the right audiences. By doing so, connections are made and buying decisions are positively influenced.

Companies should also leverage consumer input in brand storytelling. An article in MIT Sloan Management Review, says new research finds that sharing consumers’ positive stories about a brand can be a highly effective online marketing strategy.

Here are five ways we work with clients to share their stories:

Media Relations: We package and pitch your messages then reach out to the appropriate journalists to arrange media coverage for your brand, business or organization. These placements provide third-party endorsement via earned media which builds credibility, thought-leadership, visibility and SEO.

Content Creation: Produce and place bylined articles, press releases, blog posts or custom video designed for company blogs and websites, industry-specific or local and major media.

Strategic Partnerships: Arrange partnerships perhaps by creating community special events presented by companies and nonprofit organizations. This is an effective way to engage audiences, build brand equity, secure media coverage and provide an interesting story for the parties involved to tell across all of their platforms.

Live and Online Events: Identify speaking opportunities for company leadership or spokespeople at live or online events so sought-after audiences (either the press, consumers, businesspeople or partners) hear about the latest news, products or brand story first-hand and why it matters for them.

Blogger Engagement and Influencers: Reach out to mega or micro bloggers or social media influencers in your space who drive conversations among their devoted fans and followers. Some may be interested in exclusive content, brand partnerships or sponsored opportunities for their blogs, websites and social media channels encouraging readers to take action – i.e. buy the product, try the service, enter the contest or share the content.

When planning your marketing strategy, don’t overlook the power of stories to help business growth and let us know if we can help.

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How Podcasts Amplify Brands

podcasts While the Olympic swimmers have wowed us from Rio, Katie Couric, Hillary Clinton, Fortune and Bloomberg Media have plunged head first into waters of a different sort this summer – podcasting. Why the big interest now?

I wanted to find out more about them myself and did by attending a breakfast event this morning hosted by the Princeton Chamber of Commerce. David Bevins, COO of Connoisseur Media, a company which owns more than 30 radio stations in the U.S. and produces podcasts, discussed the brouhaha surrounding podcasting.

You may be surprised to learn that 6 billion podcast episodes were downloaded last year. *

Appearing on a podcast or hosting your own could make perfect sense for your PR strategy.

Podcasts, which are digital audio files, came on the scene about 10 years ago. Since smartphones are ubiquitous, (80% of consumers have one*) they are a convenient way to learn about favorite hobbies, stay informed or be entertained whether exercising, waiting on line, shopping, relaxing at home or commuting.

Subscribers download podcasts from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, via an RSS feed or from another provider, directly onto their mobile devices and listen when and where they choose. Most podcasts also offer the option to stream or listen online. There are thousands of niche topics to choose from depending on a consumer’s interests.

Podcasts fit beautifully into our on demand at-your-fingertips world, so everyone is getting into the game – small business owners, major media companies, universities, politicians, news personalities, professors, health & fitness influencers, celebrities, major brands, you name it.

Here are seven benefits intrinsic to podcasts highlighted during this morning’s presentation:

  • Versatility – share news, expertise, information and entertain.
  • Loyalty – listeners enjoy their favorite podcasts and hosts, so engagement is high.
  • They make information personal.
  • Connectivity with consumers to help develop trusted relationships.
  • Portability for on demand technology.
  • Easily woven into a social media marketing strategy to enhance digital presence.
  • Can be featured on websites, blogs or newsletters for an inside look into a business, brand, leaders, cause, event, industry trends, etc.

To learn more about podcasting from a business perspective, professional podcaster Steve Lubetkin has co-authored The Business of Podcasting, He says in The Talking Points podcast of which he was a guest, that a goal of podcasters should be to attract the right listeners to your subject matter and not to be concerned with acquiring a mass audience.

Some like NPR and Wharton have been at it for a while. I learned that NPR’s “Fresh Air” with host Terry Gross is the most highly downloaded podcast. Knowledge@Wharton produces many podcasts featuring CEOs, Wharton faculty and experts on business trends, breaking news and market research.

This summer Bloomberg debuted the “Game Plan” podcast exploring the workplace with two of their reporters as co-hosts. Fortune launched “Unfiltered” with Digital Editor Aaron Task as host featuring in-depth conversations with business leaders and the Katie Couric Podcast with big names in the news, politics and pop culture chatting with Katie just began.

Debbie Galant, former New York Times Jersey columnist and current publisher of Midcentury Modern on Medium, launched a new podcast, In the Attic about the things we acquire and the importance they hold in our lives (or not).

On August 12 the “With Her” podcast was launched featuring Hillary Clinton as a co-host with former journalist Max Linsky as a lead up to the November election.

Podcasts, whether as a host or by being a guest on one, are another effective business communications tool to consider in this digital age.

*Source – Connoisseur Media

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PR’s Place in the Multi-Platform Digital Age

PR Relevant in Digital AgeIf you thought the digital age was making PR irrelevant – think again.

The vast number of media outlets today has actually increased opportunities for PR. No longer are TV and radio programs heard or seen once on-air at a scheduled time or are newspapers and magazines just read in print on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. According to NiemanLab, more Americans today are working for online publishers and broadcasters than newspapers.

Content is posted or streamed 24/7 across multiple platforms consumed by individuals on their mobile devices, tablets, laptops and desktops to read, listen or watch live or on-demand. It is often shared, blogged, liked or tweeted about on social media. This means if you, your brand, event, products, book, organization, cause or services are mentioned in the media, it has a long online life.

News outlets large and small have become integrated multimedia informational platforms with complementary websites, blogs and podcasts. Their online counterparts usually feature video, images and feedback from readers and viewers about the content. You’ll often hear radio and TV hosts telling listeners and viewers to follow them on Twitter or find them on Facebook to foster two-way conversations and build a loyal community.

Programs Have Become Platform Neutral

People want to trust news sources for curation since there’s so much information available it’s hard to decipher what’s credible. As Chuck Todd, Host of Meet the Press on NBC explains, the long-running show has stayed relevant by being platform neutral in a 24/7 digital journalism world.

Bloomberg cites the top new media companies and why established media companies have invested in them. Here the Host of Bloomberg’s daily program “What’d You Miss?” explains how he sees the TV program as a source of online video content. Acknowledging that many people get their news from social media, Bloomberg Media will now live stream three shows on Twitter as well as their markets coverage.

SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR PR?

New Opportunities for Building Relationships and Reaching Your Audiences

The digital age provides new opportunities for all kinds of experts to comment, weigh-in and be featured on-air, in print, online or in a podcast. Visibility and credibility via third-parties in respected outlets or when featured by consumers’ favorite bloggers, influencers or podcast hosts, helps marketing efforts gain traction and be successful.

We read about publishers’ digital-only platforms launching all the time such as Sports Illustrated’s new tech vertical covering sports, tech and media to broaden its scope. Fortune Live, a weekly web show with guest interviews from Fortune Magazine, launched last year.

This WSJ piece discusses how the marketing and culinary manager of the Andy Boy brand hired PR and advertising agencies for a campaign with TV personalities, digital and social media influencers. Together they worked to raise the cool factor for broccoli rabe and its nutritional benefits targeting young, food and health conscious consumers.

There are myriad ways to use PR and media relations for reaching niche, local or broad audiences to influence those who matter most for your business.

Coverage in Business Media

Business focused media has evolved along with the new digital landscape to remain profitable and serve the shifting habits of their audiences. Regardless of the platform, interesting stories and experts that are a good fit for the outlet, will resonate with the right journalists. For Global Context we arranged media interviews that resulted in coverage in Bloomberg Businessweek, WCBS’ CEO Radio, BBC.com’s Capital, Crain’s and others.

Contributed Content Is Sought

Some editors from major news outlets to those at trade publications, seek outside expert sources to write contributed articles due to small staffs and the need to regularly post new compelling content. They welcome help from PR pros and their clients to contribute relevant interesting articles and offer a variety of fresh topics for their readers.

  • NJBIZ – This prominent New Jersey business publication features blogs such as Millennial Minded, Breaking Glass for women in business and Industry Insights. We placed a by-lined article by Bart Jackson about why he believes humor is important in the workplace for the Industry Insights blog.

Many things have changed in the digital age but as far as PR is concerned, the opportunities have only increased.