Posted in 08.17.11, PR Tips on June 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
We’ve recorded three webinars that took place for the PR Summit Attendees and upcoming campaign organizers. The same tips are timeless and apply to any landscape architects wanting to get involved. Check them out!
You Can’t Do It Alone: Campaign Recruitment (starts at minute three)
Posted in PR Tips on May 23, 2011 | 1 Comment »
This is a stellar example noting that Colorado’s PR Rep now sits on the advisory board for Garden Design Magazine. Go Courtney: http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/print-edition/2011/05/20/newsmakers.html
And look here for updates highlighting the comings and goings at firms: http://baltimore.citybizlist.com/1/2011/5/22/Jeremy-Friend-Joins-Hord-Coplan-Macht.aspx
Remember what Jim says: “If you change your carpet, submit the details to the media.”
Posted in PR Tips on May 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
ASLA National commends the diversity and creativity put into the creation of unique chapter logos. However, as we continue to work toward raising awareness of the profession, we did want to take the time to be clear with our recommendations and goals. We strongly encourage creating a unified brand that can be recognized locally as well as nationally. Therefore, we created these chapter logos to be used in any events and communications with the public to represent your contributions to the landscape architecture profession.
We do understand and identify with the importance of your own chapter expression and suggest that you continue in creative ways. The creation of a logo/theme for your own annual meetings would be an ideal time to do so. As we look to the public awareness campaign and beyond it will be ever more important to balance branding in concert for events like Landscape Architecture Month. Combining all efforts goes much further than us all pushing in different directions.
Diversity is central to our success in promoting the profession as each chapter works with varying issues and resources. Also, on the chapter and individual level you interact most with the public and can share those successes and failures with other chapters. Remember this blog acts as a vehicle to facilitate those discussions. What do you think of the importance of a unified brand/logo?
Posted in Chapter Successes, PR Tips on May 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Have you heard of google alerts? They’re easy, fun and going to get ya’ll started thinking about the media in your home turf!
Go to google.com and look at the top at the top of the screen. Move your eyes from the left to right and on the end you will find “more.” Click it. Then scroll down and click “EVEN MORE.” Excited yet?
This should have then opened a screen that shows a little golden bell in the top left corner titled “alerts.” Yes, click it!
Goggle alerts pull the language you enter from web sources (news) and email them to you in summaries. You control how often you receive them and the email address that you wish to use. Many of you probably already use google alerts to keep track of your interests.
Try several different variations and you can preview the results to the right. Smaller states might have less with larger states having more. This will serve as an excellent tool for you to start feeling out local media outlets and the types of stories covered. Have fun with it! We have media monitoring systems here in the big ‘ol HQ but often I find articles of interest happening in your local areas and email them directly to you using yes, the google. You can also check out what firms in your area might have going on media-wise.
Suggestions include “landscape architecture <insert state/city name>” “landscape design <insert state name>” “landscape architecture month” “landscapes <insert state name>” “ASLA <insert state name>”
Posted in PR Tips, Press Releases on April 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Lookin’ for a fun, FREE, easy way to distribute your press release?
Georgia’s latest: http://www.prlog.org/11448056-landscape-architects-glimpse-economic-hope-on-the-horizon.html
I challenge every chapter to place a press release on PR Log.
Posted in Media Pitch, PR Tips, Public Relations Guide on February 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Media outreach is about building a relationship with a journalist. Fostering this relationship takes time and some effort on your part. They are providing you with an invaluable, free service. Here are some suggestions for a furtive ASLA member journalist relationship.
Consider lead times: Each media outlet will likely have its own preference for how far in advance it would like to receive information for a potential story. For example, most monthly magazines prefer to receive materials for consideration 3 to 5 months in advance, newsletters often require receipt of information 4 to 6 weeks before printing, and daily newspapers may only need 1 week to develop and run a story.
Know the reporter: Reporters typically have a “beat” or topic they cover. Make sure that your pitch is tailored to each reporter you pitch and his or her respective beat.
Return calls or e-mails promptly: If a reporter or editor shows interest in your pitch by calling you back or responding to your e-mail, aim to follow-up with them as quickly as possible, particularly if they have an impending deadline. Demonstrating your responsiveness builds your credibility and positions you as a reliable source, making reporters more likely to consider you as an expert source for future articles.
Be sensitive to deadlines: Reporters usually work under tight deadlines and often need information quickly. For example, it’s ideal to begin your outreach to newspaper reporters early in the morning between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.
TIME LINE:
One week before the event/announcement
Day before the event/announcement
Pre-Event
At the Event
Following the event
Posted in Free Publicity, Media Pitch, PR Tips, Public Relations Guide on February 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Pitch to Print Media:
It is now time to implement everything you have just read. Pitching to the media requires three things: A media list, media kit, and pitch.
Media List
A good media list is the most difficult item to acquire without a monitoring service. A media monitoring service is like Firm Finder on ASLA.org, except it costs hundreds of dollars a year.
A media list consists of pertinent journalist and publications who are most likely to pick up your story. A media list may include TV, radio, and print and will have anywhere from 10-30 names of local journalist.
If you are pitching to a niche audience, then perhaps the list will only have a few, key contacts listed.
Mike Cowden, ASLA’s PR Coordinator, will be happy to use ASLA’s media monitoring service to create a media list for your pitch. The ASLA PR team has vast experience working with the media and creating lists. If you, as the member, explain your goal and objectives to the coordinator, they should produce a list of local or regional media tailored to your needs.
Media Kit
A media kit may be as simple as a press release. It could also include elements such as a FAQs sheet, CD/DVDs, PowerPoint’s. Whatever form your media kit takes, its purpose should be to give more information to the journalist with whom you are communicating.
If you have a member who has volunteered their time to pitch to the media, a media kit outlines the messages and pitch points you’d like them to use. If you are having an event, your chapter can hand out kits to the media who attend.
Large, expensive media kits are usually not necessary, unless your chapter is hosting a large event and hoping to have a large media attendance. Most often, the press release and FAQs sheet can be e-mailed to a journalist. Be sure to paste the entire release into the body of the e-mail and attach the FAQs sheet for the journalist to read if they should seek more information.
Pitch
Organize your pitch well before you start calling reporters. A pitch made over the phone should be rehearsed, be only thirty seconds long, and in that thirty seconds, contain everything a reporter needs to know: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
Pitching Tips
– Create and practice your pitch. Before picking up the phone, practice verbalizing your talking points.
– Do not be discouraged by “no’s” or voice mails. Journalists have strict deadlines and can be hard to reach. When targeting a particular publication, radio station, blogger, or TV affiliate, consider identifying several reporters or editors at that same outlet who might be interested in your story.
– Make it relevant. Make sure the story idea you are proposing is suitable for the reporter you are calling.
– Be clear, concise, and convincing. If you need to leave a message, speak clearly and be sure to provide your phone number directly after stating your name, then leave your number again at the end of the message. Avoid providing too many details or talking points in a voice message.
– Follow-up. Always provide a reporter with follow-up communication. For example, if you had a conversation with a reporter who seemed interested, you should aim to follow-up that same day with an e-mail containing supporting, value-added information. This can help build your relationship and credibility with the media.
Telephone Pitch Example: Hi, my name is (NAME) and I am calling from the (STATE) chapter of The American Society of Landscape Architects.
I wanted to let you know about the (AWARD) that (MEMBER NAME) received for their project (PROJECT NAME AND LOCATION).
Pause here to see if reporter says anything; continue with pitch if nothing is said during pause.
(PROJECT NAME) is significant to our community because it… (give two reasons why it is important or improves area).
Would you be interested in covering (EVENT)
Or
Would this be something you publication would be interested in covering?
Okay, thank you for your time.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Piece
An op-ed piece is commentary in your local newspaper’s editorial page that can be used to examine an issue or to explain your opponent’s position on an issue. Start out with a premise and support it with facts, expert opinion, and personal experience. The piece should be no more than four pages, double spaced, and should be mailed to the Opinion-Editorial Editor. To learn more about writing an op-ed, read the editorials in your local newspaper. If you are planning an event, send out an op-ed piece ten days prior.
Online Outreach Program
Online Editorial Outreach (OEO) programs generate favorable online editorial coverage and word-of-mouth communications through the development of relationships with digital publishers and influencers.
Outreach:
Begin with an initial audit or scan of the existing online conversations surrounding your topic. Analyze key influencers and channels (including blogs, discussion boards, online communities, forums and Web sites), aiming to focus your efforts on the most prominent outlets.
With your key targets identified, outreach will begin. A press release, focusing on current work should circulate to bloggers and online publishers. Links throughout the release will direct targets to your chapter’s site.
The objective being to provide online influencers with information so they write an original piece about your initiative and post to their site.
Some quick tips:
Bloggers like to research on-line. They do not conduct polls or on-the street survey’s; they scour the web for any information they can before making a conclusion or endorsing a product. Make sure to know exactly what, if anything, is being said about you chapter, your company, or project before you begin outreach to bloggers.
They will find any criticism and if they agree with your critic’s stance, instead of yours, this outreach could have the exact opposite affect. You reached out for an ally, but instead found an adversary.
Measurement:
• Heightened discussion and “buzz” around your project or initiative
• Established thought leadership or increased profile for key spokespeople.
• Higher traffic to your state chapter’s page.
• Credible third-party endorsement/discussion of topic.
Posted in PR definitions and terms, PR Tips, Public Relations Guide on February 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Messaging
Communication is the act of transmitting information, ideas, and attitudes from one person to another.
Remember that you are an expert in your field, your commonplace words, ideas, and terms, may be foreign to another.
Avoid Jargon
When communicating with a specific audience, jargon should be used to prove oneself and work. For example: if you were to write an op-ed piece for Scientific America or Landscape Architecture Magazine, there would be no need to clarify LEED certification or BPM.
Use a different approach when communicating with daily newspapers, general interest magazines, and especially national media.
Here’s another way to think of it: A new element is discovered. This element is plentiful, easy to access, and can turn a fifty-gallon drum of waster into harmless solid, by mixing in only a small amount of this element. This makes radioactive waste easier to store and guaranteed seep proof.
When the lab contacts Scientific America, they will most likely print their data, method, and conclusion, leaving most sections or words unexplained. When the lab, or most likely the PR team the lab hires, contacts The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Myth Busters, the explanation will be simple, similar to what is written above.
Connecting with and knowing your audience is the most important thing when trying to communicate your messages.
Posted in PR definitions and terms, PR Tips, Public Relations Guide on February 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Below you will find five items to think about when trying to influence individuals about your profession.
The Five-Stage Adoption Process:
1. Awareness: A person becomes aware of landscape architecture, often by means of an advertisement or a news story.
2. Interest: The individual seeks more information about landscape architecture, perhaps by going online, picking up a pamphlet, or reading an in-depth article in a newspaper or magazine.
3. Evaluation: The person evaluates their previously held ideas of landscape architecture based on how it meets specific needs and wants. Feedback from friends and family is part of this process.
4. Trial: Next, the person tries to experience what it would be like working with a landscape architect, by using a sample, witnessing a demonstration, or making qualifying statements such as, “I read…”
5. Adoption: The individual hires a landscape architect on a regular basis or integrates landscape architecture into their yard plan. The “I read…” becomes “I think…” if peers provide support and reinforcement of the idea.
Posted in PR Tips, Public Relations Guide on February 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Audience
Identifying an audience is important. We will just keep mentioning this!
Your audience is your consumer, your next client, your vehicle to reach others. Building on the aforementioned snowball effect, give extra time when considering your messages to insure that your audience takes away the points you desire.
As stated in the introduction of this handbook, its purpose is to empower you as a member and gain local media coverage. We are going to step back from this purpose and look at the bigger picture for a moment.
The objective of The American Society of Landscape Architects, the reason there is even an association for landscape architects, is to raise awareness and promote the profession and to gently distance landscape architects as professionals in their own right; landscape architects are different from gardeners, engineers, or architects.
When writing your press releases, be focused on your chapter objectives, but also keep in mind your association’s goal. If fitting, perhaps take a paragraph to speak about the benefits that only landscape architecture could have had to a particular project.
