Here's one LinkedIn, Facebooked, Twittering PR maven who echoes Richard Wanderer's belief that magazines are not quite dead yet. And I have to say that it's really refreshing to hear a voice of optimism amidst all the naysayers who bellow with such certainty that the age of the magazine has come and gone.
For all its faults - particularly with its business model - the magazine still does a lot of things better than anything else. It still analyzes the news better than anything else. It still has the ability to get in-depth better than anything else. It still, in its purest and most exciting forms, has the ability to enlighten (and to engage) us better than anything else. It still attracts the finest writers in America - more than any other medium. And - not to sound arrogant - those writers are true journalists (not "citizen-journalists"), who are trained to observe, report objectively, and search for the hidden facts. And, who - even though most of them, because of layoffs, are now doing the job of two, or even three, people - still do it damned well.
In addition, I think magazines still have a kind of excitement to them, a kind of excitement that the web - despite its 24/7 news cycle - cannot yet match. When I walk out to the mailbox and see one of my magazines in there, I know that I'm going to have an hour or two of good reading, written by good writers, and tailored to my taste. And I know that it's going to be an hour or two without any flashing e-mail messages or (hopefully) phone calls...an hour or two, in a quiet place, just for me.
I want to make the point, as well, that not only do I still read magazines, but, as President of a Public Relations/Marketing firm, I pitch them regularly. And they still work pretty damned well for me. Many people, still, like to hold the printed word in their hands, not only read it on a screen. Many people, for better or worse, still ascribe more credibility to something they read in print than something they read online. Many of my clients, still, believe that magazines are just as important - or more important - than the web. And many of them - still - are more satisfied with the results of exposure in print than with exposure on the web.
So, hopefully, to paraphrase Mark Twain...reports of the death of the magazine are greatly exaggerated.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
PR PROFESSIONALS NEED A "SALES MENTALITY!"
PR PROFESSIONALS NEED A "SALES MENTALITY!"
Clients must be taught – and so should PR people - that "pitching" to the media cannot be successful unless you have a "sales mentality."
What's a sales mentality? It's simple: Any good salesperson knows that you need to do your homework before “pitching” a prospect. You need to determine their needs, or their "areas of pain." You need to figure out how you can successfully address those needs. You need to figure out how to let the prospect know how you can address those needs. And you need to work out solutions that help both your company and the prospect - win/win solutions.
The same is true of pitching the media. You have to take into consideration their needs. You have to take into consideration their superiors - their Editors. You have to take into consideration their actual end-users...their readers. And you have to approach them with stories or ideas that address their needs as well as your own.
That type of approach generates true win/win situations...because it establishes the PR practitioner as a real professional in the eyes of the journalist. It establishes the practitioner as a "source," for genuine news...rather than just a shill for a client. And it establishes the type of relationship (after all, we are talking about public "relations") that results in ongoing coverage for the client, rather than just one-time coverage.
This has been a mantra of mine for as long as I've been in the public relations profession. And it bears repeating. Again and again and again...
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Clients must be taught – and so should PR people - that "pitching" to the media cannot be successful unless you have a "sales mentality."
What's a sales mentality? It's simple: Any good salesperson knows that you need to do your homework before “pitching” a prospect. You need to determine their needs, or their "areas of pain." You need to figure out how you can successfully address those needs. You need to figure out how to let the prospect know how you can address those needs. And you need to work out solutions that help both your company and the prospect - win/win solutions.
The same is true of pitching the media. You have to take into consideration their needs. You have to take into consideration their superiors - their Editors. You have to take into consideration their actual end-users...their readers. And you have to approach them with stories or ideas that address their needs as well as your own.
That type of approach generates true win/win situations...because it establishes the PR practitioner as a real professional in the eyes of the journalist. It establishes the practitioner as a "source," for genuine news...rather than just a shill for a client. And it establishes the type of relationship (after all, we are talking about public "relations") that results in ongoing coverage for the client, rather than just one-time coverage.
This has been a mantra of mine for as long as I've been in the public relations profession. And it bears repeating. Again and again and again...
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
THE REBIRTH OF PUBLIC RELATIONS!
We in the public relations profession have the chance to change the world…at least, the world of public relations.
There are some - from our profession and others - who post online about the "death of PR." Or, "the death of PR as we know it."
But I believe differently. Yes...PR is changing. And we have to change with it. But, really, the way I think about our profession is that...it's the re-birth of PR! We have a golden opportunity. We have the opportunity to dispel the old myths - and the old ways of practicing PR. We have the opportunity to ease the release-tossers (throw mud against the wall, and see how much of it sticks) and the "shills" out of our industry, once and for all. The way we can do this is simple: Practice public relations the way it's supposed to be practiced. With honesty. Ethics. Candor to our clients - and our potential clients - about what works and what doesn't, and about whether we actually have a snowball's chance in hell, or not, to really generate positive buzz about their products or services.
We have a chance to dispel all the old myths...I still occasionally meet people who think that my job entails attending a lot of cocktail parties on fancy yachts.
We have a chance to take our profession to new levels...by approaching journalists as of they are real, thinking, human beings. We have a chance to understand that, no matter how wonderful our client thinks his product is, unless it can actually help the journalist's readers improve their professional or personal lives, it's not going to generate publicity. We have a chance to talk about the BENEFITS (to real human beings) about our client's products or services, rather than just the features.
We have the opportunity to "take our case to the people," by learning and engaging in new ways to communicate, whether it be by social media, video, etc.
We have the opportunity, because of the multiple avenues available to us, to learn more about the art of effective communication than ever before. We have the opportunity to learn more than ever before about "win/win" situations, with our clients, the media, and lour clients' stakeholders. We have the opportunity to really learn from people who "get it"...now, more than ever, in online forums and webinars. And we have the opportunity - if we choose it - to learn more about the craft of effective writing, which, I believe, is still one of the core competencies required of an effective PR practitioner.
I could go on and on. But my bottom line is this: for those of us who are honest, who are persistent, who are good writers and good relationship-builders, who are open to new forms of communication, and who are dedicated to constantly improving at their craft - this can be THE RE-BIRTH OF PUBLIC RELATIONS!
And hopefully this group can serve as a catalyst to usher in this new era.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
There are some - from our profession and others - who post online about the "death of PR." Or, "the death of PR as we know it."
But I believe differently. Yes...PR is changing. And we have to change with it. But, really, the way I think about our profession is that...it's the re-birth of PR! We have a golden opportunity. We have the opportunity to dispel the old myths - and the old ways of practicing PR. We have the opportunity to ease the release-tossers (throw mud against the wall, and see how much of it sticks) and the "shills" out of our industry, once and for all. The way we can do this is simple: Practice public relations the way it's supposed to be practiced. With honesty. Ethics. Candor to our clients - and our potential clients - about what works and what doesn't, and about whether we actually have a snowball's chance in hell, or not, to really generate positive buzz about their products or services.
We have a chance to dispel all the old myths...I still occasionally meet people who think that my job entails attending a lot of cocktail parties on fancy yachts.
We have a chance to take our profession to new levels...by approaching journalists as of they are real, thinking, human beings. We have a chance to understand that, no matter how wonderful our client thinks his product is, unless it can actually help the journalist's readers improve their professional or personal lives, it's not going to generate publicity. We have a chance to talk about the BENEFITS (to real human beings) about our client's products or services, rather than just the features.
We have the opportunity to "take our case to the people," by learning and engaging in new ways to communicate, whether it be by social media, video, etc.
We have the opportunity, because of the multiple avenues available to us, to learn more about the art of effective communication than ever before. We have the opportunity to learn more than ever before about "win/win" situations, with our clients, the media, and lour clients' stakeholders. We have the opportunity to really learn from people who "get it"...now, more than ever, in online forums and webinars. And we have the opportunity - if we choose it - to learn more about the craft of effective writing, which, I believe, is still one of the core competencies required of an effective PR practitioner.
I could go on and on. But my bottom line is this: for those of us who are honest, who are persistent, who are good writers and good relationship-builders, who are open to new forms of communication, and who are dedicated to constantly improving at their craft - this can be THE RE-BIRTH OF PUBLIC RELATIONS!
And hopefully this group can serve as a catalyst to usher in this new era.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Monday, June 15, 2009
BEWARE "RECESSION-FRIENDLY" PR AGENCIES!
During my years in the corporate world, before opening my own practice, I witnessed many an agency pitching for our business. There was often a procession of 60-90-minute dog-and-pony shows, during which the agencies trotted out technologically-advanced presentations showing how great they were. Hardly any of them, however, actually thought to ask what our needs were, and what we were really looking for in an agency. And, now, of course, marketing budgets have tightened...and more agencies are positioning themselves as "affordable" and "recession-friendly." So the cynic in me can't help wondering - just a little - if these newly "affordable," "recession-friendly" programs are meant to generate more business for the agency, rather than for the client.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
IN A PLANE HIT BY LIGHTNING!
Hearing all the talk about Air France flight 447 – and the initial conjecture that it may have been hit by lightning – brings back a scary moment for me. Because I was once in a plane that was hit by lightning.
In the early-spring of 1997, I was Director of Marketing for a public company involved in the resort business. I was on my way from Fort Lauderdale to visit a couple of our resorts in Tennessee, going to Knoxville via Atlanta. I had three of my staff with me.
The first leg of the trip, to Atlanta, was uneventful.
As we taxied on the Atlanta runway, getting ready for takeoff, I slipped on my headphones and popped in a cassette of the Rascals, one of my favorite groups from the sixties. We took off into sunny blue skies, and I leaned back and closed my eyes to listen.
About fifteen minutes later, I happened to open my eyes for a second…and I saw that we were heading straight into an ominous-looking wall of black clouds. I wasn’t exactly thrilled; but I’ve traveled around much of the world, so I put my head back again, closed my eyes, and relaxed. I turned the Rascals up very loud…as I still do when I listen to them.
The ride became very bumpy, and the plane seemed to lose and then gain altitude every few seconds.
Keep in mind that my eyes were closed. And I was really blasting the Rascals, one of the hard-hitting power bands of my early years.
Suddenly, despite the fact that my eyes were closed, I saw a tremendous flash of orange light in my eyes. A split-second later – despite the fact that the Rascals were blasting in my ears - I heard a piercing, sharp crash that shook me…as if a thunderclap had landed right next to me. The plane dropped violently, and my head snapped back against the seat.
I took off my headphones and asked one of my staff sitting next to me what had happened.
“We were hit by lightning,” Lee Anne said. “Right outside our window, on the wing.”
There seemed to be stunned silence throughout the plane. At first, no one spoke; I think they were all too shocked to speak. Then, people began asking each other what happened. Babies started crying. So did a couple of older people. The faces of my three staffers were white.
A few minutes passed. We saw no attendants, and no one spoke to us. A few people began praying out loud. Others clasped their hands together as if in prayer.
Finally, after a few more minutes, the captain came on over the intercom.
“For those of you who are wondering,” he said, “yes, we were hit by lightning. But our controls were not affected. And we do expect to land in Knoxville in about twenty minutes.”
Suffice it to say, for the people on the plane, the twenty minutes seemed like forever. Some people never stopped praying the whole time. And when we finally did land in Knoxville, everyone broke out into spontaneous – but not joyful - applause. As I watched the people line up in the aisle to exit the aircraft, it was like looking into the faces of ghosts…very pale ghosts.
And when they opened the door, I never saw so many people in such a hurry to get off an airplane.
For a week or two afterward, the four of us were sort of celebrities around the company. But, truth be told, I’d really rather find some other way to achieve celebrity status.
In the early-spring of 1997, I was Director of Marketing for a public company involved in the resort business. I was on my way from Fort Lauderdale to visit a couple of our resorts in Tennessee, going to Knoxville via Atlanta. I had three of my staff with me.
The first leg of the trip, to Atlanta, was uneventful.
As we taxied on the Atlanta runway, getting ready for takeoff, I slipped on my headphones and popped in a cassette of the Rascals, one of my favorite groups from the sixties. We took off into sunny blue skies, and I leaned back and closed my eyes to listen.
About fifteen minutes later, I happened to open my eyes for a second…and I saw that we were heading straight into an ominous-looking wall of black clouds. I wasn’t exactly thrilled; but I’ve traveled around much of the world, so I put my head back again, closed my eyes, and relaxed. I turned the Rascals up very loud…as I still do when I listen to them.
The ride became very bumpy, and the plane seemed to lose and then gain altitude every few seconds.
Keep in mind that my eyes were closed. And I was really blasting the Rascals, one of the hard-hitting power bands of my early years.
Suddenly, despite the fact that my eyes were closed, I saw a tremendous flash of orange light in my eyes. A split-second later – despite the fact that the Rascals were blasting in my ears - I heard a piercing, sharp crash that shook me…as if a thunderclap had landed right next to me. The plane dropped violently, and my head snapped back against the seat.
I took off my headphones and asked one of my staff sitting next to me what had happened.
“We were hit by lightning,” Lee Anne said. “Right outside our window, on the wing.”
There seemed to be stunned silence throughout the plane. At first, no one spoke; I think they were all too shocked to speak. Then, people began asking each other what happened. Babies started crying. So did a couple of older people. The faces of my three staffers were white.
A few minutes passed. We saw no attendants, and no one spoke to us. A few people began praying out loud. Others clasped their hands together as if in prayer.
Finally, after a few more minutes, the captain came on over the intercom.
“For those of you who are wondering,” he said, “yes, we were hit by lightning. But our controls were not affected. And we do expect to land in Knoxville in about twenty minutes.”
Suffice it to say, for the people on the plane, the twenty minutes seemed like forever. Some people never stopped praying the whole time. And when we finally did land in Knoxville, everyone broke out into spontaneous – but not joyful - applause. As I watched the people line up in the aisle to exit the aircraft, it was like looking into the faces of ghosts…very pale ghosts.
And when they opened the door, I never saw so many people in such a hurry to get off an airplane.
For a week or two afterward, the four of us were sort of celebrities around the company. But, truth be told, I’d really rather find some other way to achieve celebrity status.
Monday, June 8, 2009
HOW TO THROW STRIKES WHEN PITCHING REPORTERS
Always remember...when pitching a reporter, it's not about how great your client is. And it's not necessarily about the reporter. Ultimately it's about the type(s) of useful information your client can provide the READERS...whether or not your client can provide the readers with actionable advice they can use to improve their lives or their businesses (or their business lives!).
When you remember this, you'll make a friend out of the reporter...because you're making his/her job easier. And because you're making him look good to his editor.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
When you remember this, you'll make a friend out of the reporter...because you're making his/her job easier. And because you're making him look good to his editor.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Friday, June 5, 2009
WOULD YOU BUY A USED AD CAMPAIGN FROM THIS COMPANY?
For the past several decades, GM has bombarded us with feel-good scenes of Americana (perhaps hoping to divert attention away from the mediocre products they were putting out?). And, if they're still trying to use that "Buy American" tact, that shows us, really, that they're still not getting "it."
The fact is that there are millions of Americans just waiting for a good reason to buy American...but red-white-and-blue ads, in case GM hasn't realized it over the past thirty years, are not going to prompt them to do it.
Making better cars than the Europeans and the Japanese, however, would prompt us to do it. Making more innovative cars would. Making "greener" cars would. Making more reliable cars would. And, lastly, making cars that turn our heads as they pass...would prompt us to do it! To me - and to many others, apparently, GM cars all look the same...somewhat boring, a bit clunky, and, often, too large and too indistinct.
I have a Volvo now. I had a Saab before that. I had a Mazda before that. And I would love to buy American, if I believed that the car would be as reliable (and would maintain its looks as much) as foreign cars.
GM, you're living on our money now. Stop insulting us with transparent appeals to our patriotism, and start engaging us with real dialog, about products that really meet our needs. That, General Motors, is real patriotism.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
The fact is that there are millions of Americans just waiting for a good reason to buy American...but red-white-and-blue ads, in case GM hasn't realized it over the past thirty years, are not going to prompt them to do it.
Making better cars than the Europeans and the Japanese, however, would prompt us to do it. Making more innovative cars would. Making "greener" cars would. Making more reliable cars would. And, lastly, making cars that turn our heads as they pass...would prompt us to do it! To me - and to many others, apparently, GM cars all look the same...somewhat boring, a bit clunky, and, often, too large and too indistinct.
I have a Volvo now. I had a Saab before that. I had a Mazda before that. And I would love to buy American, if I believed that the car would be as reliable (and would maintain its looks as much) as foreign cars.
GM, you're living on our money now. Stop insulting us with transparent appeals to our patriotism, and start engaging us with real dialog, about products that really meet our needs. That, General Motors, is real patriotism.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
PR IS POWERFUL!
These challenging times, as I see it, present a great opportunity to spread the word that effective public relations is about the best marketing tool you can have. Not only that, but it's much more cost-effective (more so now than ever, because most electronic media's free!) than more traditional marketing approaches.
Old marketing approaches - just like old advertising concepts - aren't working anymore in this new age. But PR - when done right - has the ability to completely change the marketing paradigm.
And it has the potential to emerge, after all the economic smoke clears, as the most powerful "wrench" in a company's marketing toolbox.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Old marketing approaches - just like old advertising concepts - aren't working anymore in this new age. But PR - when done right - has the ability to completely change the marketing paradigm.
And it has the potential to emerge, after all the economic smoke clears, as the most powerful "wrench" in a company's marketing toolbox.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
THE DEATH THROES OF THE NEWSPAPER?
The Rocky Mountain News was the first newspaper to run its own obituary. And I fear it was only the first of many.
My first two jobs were as a newspaper reporter, first in Hartford, CT, and then in West Palm Beach, FL. I vividly remember those 3 a.m. phone calls from the city desk about a tornado or a fire or a robbery (or an alligator attack), and driving what seemed to be the only car on the darkened streets fifteen minutes later.
I fear that real journalism is becoming a thing of the past in our country. And that, in a few years, there may be only a couple of (super-large) papers left, each with the same stories on the outside and specific "Local" sections on the inside. I call it the "McDonaldization" of journalism, in which every product will eventually fit into - and come from - the same mold. And I fear that the soul of genuine independent journalism will have died in the country that first gave it birth.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
My first two jobs were as a newspaper reporter, first in Hartford, CT, and then in West Palm Beach, FL. I vividly remember those 3 a.m. phone calls from the city desk about a tornado or a fire or a robbery (or an alligator attack), and driving what seemed to be the only car on the darkened streets fifteen minutes later.
I fear that real journalism is becoming a thing of the past in our country. And that, in a few years, there may be only a couple of (super-large) papers left, each with the same stories on the outside and specific "Local" sections on the inside. I call it the "McDonaldization" of journalism, in which every product will eventually fit into - and come from - the same mold. And I fear that the soul of genuine independent journalism will have died in the country that first gave it birth.
Steve Winston
President, WINSTON COMMUNICATIONS
(954) 575-4089
steve@winstoncommunications.com
www.winstoncommunications.com
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