Creating Your Own White Lab Coat Moment in Your Professional Life

Creating Your Own White Lab Coat Moment in Your Professional Life

   May 09, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Size Matters When You Want to Expose Yourself to the Market

The words you say in a professional situation are an important thing. But what you wear while you say it is also very important. If you aren’t careful, you might be saying the wrong things at the wrong time with your wardrobe. A question we should all be asking as men when we look in the mirror is, “Does this suit suit me?”

For men, there is no question that a suit makes a statement. This is also true for women. But when it comes to women’s fashion, I don’t have much to offer in the way of insight. So for the purposes of this post, let’s focus on menswear with the caveat that I would love to hear any insight women can give for women’s apparel and professionalism in the comments section. Fair enough?

The items he recommends are considered the essentials of a professional wardrobe. But I would add that these wardrobe pieces are for working professionals clothing that creates White Lab Coat Moments and communicates all kinds of information about the wearer whether they are conscious of it or not.

I talked to a hiring manager about suits and things he observes in interviews with job candidates. He was honest about what he thought about a candidate as a result of certain qualities of appearance.

Good Qualities:

High Quality, Dark Tone Neutral: Classy, experienced, high-quality professional
Quality Silk Tie: Detail-oriented, fashion-conscious
Nice Black Belt: Successful
Three-Piece Suit: Lawyer, Banker (I found this one particularly interesting!)
Two-Piece Suit: Professional
Good Tailoring: Able to finish a project all the way to the end

Bad Qualities:

Double-Breasted Suit: Clueless, not up-to-date

Wrinkled Suit: Unprepared, procrastinator, Bad with details

Short Socks: Sloppy, unprofessional

No Tie: Arrogant, not a team player

Character Ties: Tacky, poor judgement skills for a professional situation

Cheap Suit: Inexperienced

Short-Sleeve: Clueless, dorky

Scuffed Shoes: Poor attention to detail

Mismatched Accessories: Disorganized

Clearly this is one person’s opinion and hardly a scientific study. But reading through the list, you likely have many of the same impressions based on the description. Even if you don’t have the same thoughts as what are listed here, you do have an interpretation. All of us do.

Interpreting appearance is always a part of a professional exchange and it will color your opinion of the wearer – even if it happens unconsciously.

Suits Create White Lab Coat Moments

In field of customer experience, we talk about the White Lab Coat moments of an experience. White Lab coat moments describe how the appearance of a person helps you make a judgment about the person’s ability and personality.

The phrase was coined in association with the famous Milgram study where participants were encouraged to administer electric shocks to fellow participants up to fatal levels when they answered questions incorrectly. Most participants hesitated when they heard the distress of their fellow participants, but continued at the urging of the study proctor, who was wearing a white lab coat.

In this case the white lab coat signified that the proctor had authority as a scientist and that they participant should continue with the experiment at his urging. For those of you that are not familiar with the Milgram study, the second participant was a plant, was not being shocked and any communications of distress were recorded.

White Lab Coat moments can also be a branding image for an organization. For Apple, it’s the blue Genius shirt, the glowing white apple on the aluminum cover of its computers, and the white clean background in advertising. For Disney, the magic castle and the swirly loopy font they use for their name. For you, it can be how you dress at the job interview. The idea behind the concept is that the image creates a certain feeling and interpretation in the mind of the beholder, either good or bad.

Creating Your Own White Lab Coat Moment in Your Professional Life

Men’s suits have been a part of appearance for centuries. In more recent history, the word “Suit” is associate with management or professionals, although the connotation of this term is usually intended as an insult by someone who is under the control of the “Suit’s” authority. But for good or ill over time, the suit has created a White Lab Coat moment of its own.

You can’t control all the associations that are made with what you wear, to be sure, but there are some generalities that mostly apply across the board in a professional situation. You can do your best, whether it’s a job interview, a client presentation, or a conference in Vegas to 500 people in your industry, by making sure that your suit suits you.

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Apple Buy Rising Music Brand for $3.2 Billion talk to source

Apple Buy Rising Music Brand for $3.2 Billion talk to source

   May 09, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Apple Said to Be in Talks to Buy Rising Music Brand for $3.2 Billion - NY  - BEN SISARIO, BRIAN X. CHEN and DAVID GELLES

Apple is in discussions to buy Beats Electronics, the company behind the popular Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, for $3.2 billion, according to people briefed on the talks, in what would be the biggest acquisition in Apple’s history.

The deal would also include the new Beats Music streaming service, which was introduced in January as a competitor to Spotify and Pandora, and could signal an effort by Apple to transform its approach to music more than a decade after it opened the iTunes download store.

A deal has not been consummated, and the negotiations could still fall apart, according to these people, who declined to be identified speaking about it publicly. But if it is completed, the sale could be announced as early as next week, the people said. Apple and Beats declined to comment.

For Apple, whose revenue growth has slowed sharply in the last few years, the deal could point to a headlong move into the frontier of streaming music. The company, which only last year released its streaming product, iTunes Radio, has been slow to enter the streaming world.

A purchase of Beats would also give Apple a hot product and an even hotter brand, founded by the rapper Dr. Dre and the music executive Jimmy Iovine. After its enormous successes with the iPhone and iPad, Apple has been under intense pressure from investors to unveil new products, but none have yet been released.

At over $3 billion, the Beats acquisition would be a major departure for Apple, which under Steven P. Jobs, its co-founder, favored smaller deals. However, Timothy D. Cook, who took over as chief executive of the company shortly before Jobs died in 2011, has been vocal about the company’s acquisitions and the strategy behind them. In its most recent earnings call, Mr. Cook said that Apple had acquired 24 companies in the last 18 months.

“We are expanding Apple’s products and services into new categories, and we are not going to underinvest in this business,” Mr. Cook said in the earnings call.

Beats began to sell its sleek, bass-heavy headphones in 2008 as an alternative to the lightweight earbuds that Apple included free with its iPod players. And even at prices of up to $450 apiece, they quickly became fashion statements. The company’s headphones have fat profit margins. Headphone designers estimate the cost of making a fancy headset is as low as $14.

Annual sales of Beats products, which also include speakers and other audio items, have been estimated at more than $1.5 billion. Last year the private equity firm Carlyle Group invested $500 million in Beats, valuing the company at more than $1 billion.

Silicon Valley has lately been rife with multibillion-dollar acquisitions that have caused some investors to worry about excessive valuations and an inflating technology-industry bubble. In January, Google paid $3.2 billion for Nest Labs, which makes Internet-connected home devices, and in February, Facebook bought the messaging service WhatsApp for more than $16 billion.

For Apple, which has a $159 billion cash hoard, a $3 billion deal would have little effect on its purse.

Ben Bajarin, a consumer technology analyst for Creative Strategies, said that a purchase of Beats would not be a big departure from Apple’s strategy of buying companies for their technology and talent to help develop future products. In other words, it is unlikely Apple would just ship Beats headphones with an Apple logo on them.

“This would have to fit into a much longer, more innovative strategy around perhaps the hardware and the service,” Mr. Bajarin said.

Apple has recently struggled in developing new products. It has been working hard to develop a smartwatch, but problems like poor battery life have plagued that project, according to multiple people briefed on the company’s plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity. And for years, rumors have abounded that the company has been working on a smarter, Internet-connected television set to become a stronger player in the living room. But that product has not been released either.

The Beats deal, which was earlier reported by The Financial Times, also suggests that Apple may want to shake up its approach to digital music. Through the iPod, which first went on sale in 2001, and the iTunes store, which opened in 2003, Apple transformed the music business, making downloads a viable, large-scale business that has sustained the music world as sales of CDs have plunged.

Apple is still the largest seller of downloads, and its store operates in more than 100 countries around the world. But its market share has been slowly eroded by Amazon and other sellers, and the download market itself is beginning to cool as consumers shift their listening behavior to online streaming. Last year some 28 million people around the world paid for a subscription music service, bringing in $1.1 billion, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a trade group.

Beats Music arrived in January as a competitor to streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, Rhapsody, Deezer and Rdio, which have begun to spread rapidly around the world. Like the others, the Beats service makes millions of songs available for streaming over the Internet. It trumpets its expertise in creating playlists, highlighting the involvement of prominent music figures like Dr. Dre, Mr. Iovine and the Nine Inch Nails’ leader, Trent Reznor.

Apple’s iTunes Radio competes with some aspects of Spotify but is seen as a more direct rival to Pandora, which has become the dominant Internet radio service, with more than 75 million regular users every month.

Beats’ music service and audio products division are organized as separate companies with overlapping management but different investors. Beats Electronics, the headphone company, is said to have accounted for most of Apple’s proposed $3.2 billion purchase price.

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AUNT ELLIE’S SWEET TREATS PRESENTS CAMPFIRE CRISPIES

AUNT ELLIE’S SWEET TREATS PRESENTS CAMPFIRE CRISPIES

   May 09, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Are you looking for a unique, yet equally yummy alternative to the wedding cake? Look no further! Ellie of Campfire Crispsies has brought a whole new desert venture to the wedding scene! Her homemade Campfire Crispies are an updated version of the classic American dessert, the rice krispy treat. After catering one of our Lovely events, we knew we had to share her genius with you.

The marshmallow has always been my favorite sweet thing because it means much more than just dessert.  The memories of roasting marshmallows on sticks at my Nana’s cottage by the lake, and in my childhood home in St. Louis during winter…. made those little guys a part of my sugary makeup, and I choose to celebrate them!  I started experimenting with rice crispy treats 8 years ago.  I despise reading recipes, so I just made them my own way, and they ended up being better than the original (in my humble opinion).  Either way, they taste like home.  That nostalgia is something that I always aim to capture.

When my twin sister, Leah, had her first child, I got the idea for turning baking into a business to reinvent the “culinary aunt”, and to represent all the cool, young aunts in the world as I spread my sugary cheer to one and all.  Leah now has two adorable boys, which inspires me to make this business the best it can be!

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THE LOVELY LIST - FRIDAY WRAP UP

THE LOVELY LIST - FRIDAY WRAP UP

   May 09, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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THE LOVELY LIST - FRIDAY WRAP UP

Check out The History of Weddings Exhibit at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Kate Moss’ dress is our favorite.
We all need this sweatshirt, right?
Loving on these centerpieces!
What were your favorite looks from this years Met Gala?
This Barn Wedding is so colorful and spunky! And that fire dancer? Wowzas!
Taylor Swift Image Via Ann Street Studio.

After this Spring’s trip to NYC Bridal Market, Leanne Marshall was one of the designers we were most excited to bring to you! Floaty skirts, embellished bodices, and colors to make you swoon make up this gorgeous collection. These gowns will be coming to Lovely Shops this Fall, and will be available to try on at Trunk Shows this summer! Check out our Trunk Show Schedule here!

LEANNE MARSHALL’S FALL 2014 COLLECTION PREVIEW

LEANNE MARSHALL’S FALL 2014 COLLECTION PREVIEW

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Importance of brand building-inspired digital marketing

Importance of brand building-inspired digital marketing

   May 08, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Our world is getting smaller and smaller, aided in no small way by the increasing and pervasive nature of digital. Consumers now have access to literally anything, anytime.

In an era where news travels fast; a brand's online presence has a growing influence on how companies are perceived by their target audiences. As the adage goes: "Manage your brand, or someone else will manage it for you." This has never been truer, with consumers now exposed to not only what the company is saying about itself, but most importantly what the consumer's friends, families, peers and media are saying, as well.

"It is of critical importance to have a well-crafted design and branding strategy," says Bruce Muller, Director and Head of Digital, Engage Brandcraft. "This is not only essential to addressing a company's online needs, it also brings with it the ability to directly measure consumer behaviour," he adds.

Engage Brandcraft, a Cape Town-based branding agency focused on the origination and renovation of brands across logo creation, digital, packaging design and print, is a team of strategic and creative individuals. With more than seven years of delivery and more than 100 successfully launched projects to date, the company's clients includes the likes of Naartjie Kids, Fuseware, PayGate, Web Africa and Environ.

Muller shares some best practices for creating and managing an effective digital marketing strategy and presence. "It's about strategy and consistency across all mediums, both on- and offline, but by following certain key truths, building an effective digital campaign is within everyone's reach," he adds.

Build the best website

It all starts with your company's website. A company website is like an online office. It must look good and be easy to use, with extra care taken to ensure it will achieve its core objective - attracting viewers. Ensure that it is Google - and other search engine - friendly by being structured in such a way that the search engine's bots are able to index it. And remember, your website is really an extension of who you are, offering an opportunity to communicate your message with your customers and the world at large. And with technology constantly evolving, and some website fads here today and gone tomorrow, it's worthwhile remembering that simple to use, easy to understand and visually appealing are always going to be 'keepers'.

Liking, following and pinning

With your online presence a reflection of who you are and a constant means of communication with your customers and target audience, when it comes to 'liking', 'following' or 'pinning' - exactly 'what' is the most important question. Exactly how relevant are these pages to the business and its audience? While sharing memes of smiling cats (something rather popular) can work if one's target is not corporate, sharing the company's latest press releases about the economy might be more suitable to a professional audience.

Consistency and smash-ability

Whether online or offline, consistency is key. Your company's identity needs to be easily recognisable, irrespective of the medium being used. So whether it's your website, product packaging or corporate stationery - your brand elements need to be easily usable across multiple touch points, without much replication required. This is known as the 'smashability' factor, with some great examples including the likes of Apple and Coca-Cola.

Don't oversell

While communicating your brand proposition is key, using your online presence to push your brand and products at every available opportunity is sure to have the opposite effect to what you are trying to achieve. Remember, it is important to provide something of value that will capture the consumers' interest before, during and after the sales process. Online marketing makes it easy to gain an understanding of what your market wants, so use this to your advantage. There is no need to oversell your product online. Rather, of primary importance is content that is both relevant and engaging and speaks to the diverse needs and interests of your market. Give your audience a reason to keep on coming back by positioning yourself as a resource that takes their entire lives into account; providing content that is informative and relevant over and above just your own product portfolio.

Be easily accessible

The online world is huge and growing even bigger as you read this. Make it easy for people to find you by using all of your available resources and media to promote relevant website URLs and social media links. And make sure you have great content - not only making it easy for Google and other search engines to rank you, but equally importantly, to keep your audience coming back for more.

"But it is key to remember the importance of brand identity flowing across all media, ensuring alignment and consistency across all touch points - both off- and online," says Muller. From a unique and iconic logo that resonates with your target audience to the role packaging can play in a brand's identity - one has to ensure that whatever you embark on in the world of online needs to be consistent with all offline activities as well.

But there is no disputing that the world of digital marketing is a powerful medium. "It is vital for digital marketing to be a key component of any marketing strategy," adds Muller. "Online communication is taking over, with companies who are investing in it yielding not only the opportunity for greater connection with their existing market, but in addition, opening the door to exposure within new markets and an increased return on marketing investment and spend," he concludes.

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Best Ways to Use Pinterest to Boost Press Release Results

Best Ways to Use Pinterest to Boost Press Release Results

   May 08, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Pinterest is taking over social media like a tsunami of college students on a pizza delivery guy. Why not? It’s fun, highly addictive and – newly announced as the 3rd most popular social network in the World – it’s creeping up on Facebook with 11+ million users.

So how can you leverage that popularity to expand the reach of your press releases? Try these tactics.

 Add an Infographic to Your Release, Then Pin It

Including a relevant infographic with your press release is a fantastic way to give media and news outlets a visual to go with your story, plus it takes advantage of one of the most popular ways to share data.

For inspiration, try searching wire service websites like BusinessWire.com or PRNewswire.com using the keyword “infographic.” It turns up examples like these: Kronos, PayAsUGym, Ebates and BackPainRelief.

This may seem obvious – but don’t just run the infographic with your wire release, or embed it in your email. Be sure to upload it on Pinterest, then add a hyperlink back to the full release with a short summary and a few keyword hashtags.

Create a Pinterest Newsroom

If you are pinning one press release, why not create a corporate newsroom pinboard to showcase it, along with your other media/news assets? It can mirror your website’s newsroom, or enhance it with fresh material. Here is a great example from Cisco.

Screen Shot 2012 08 20 at 11.50.41 AM 1024x515 5 Ways to Use Pinterest to Boost Press Release Results

In addition to press releases and infographics, your newsroom pinboard can include news clips, company blog posts, short pitches or expert opinion comments, video – even executive headshots and logos. Just make sure that anything pinned to your newsroom is legible enough to entice clicks, properly trademarked and approved for public use.

Another powerful media tool is an executive staff pinboard, which links headshot photos to biographies, bylined articles and other content that demonstrates their credibility as an expert resource.

When you quote them in a press release, try linking their name directly to their pinboard for added oomph.

Create a Pinboard That Fits Your Infographic or News Topic

This capitalizes on search traffic and creates a natural platform for your news and/or infographic.

For example, if your press release is about a fabulous new bridal store, or a new wedding reception service offered by a local resort – create a pinboard relevant to brides. Most of them look online for inspiration, so a pinboard on “Most Popular Wedding Dress Styles”  or “The Perfect Table Centerpiece for your Reception” might target your audience nicely AND complement the topic of your release/infographic.

If your press release launches a new software product, then pinning screen captures and packaging photography might be a great start to your board.

Optimize the Pin Using the Same Keywords Optimized in Your Press Release

SEO is your best friend on Pinterest. I’ve had boards rank highly in Google within 48 hours, even for keywords that have been difficult to rank using traditional methods. Including keywords can magically propel your pin visibility – and thus your press release – so it’s well worth the minor time investment.

Amplify your news results even further when you optimize your pins for the same keywords used in your release. How? Just include the same primary keyword in the title of your pinboard, wrap them into the description of each pin, then add them as a hashtag.
Need more detail on how to optimize your pinboards for search? See Carrie’s latest infographic, “SEO + Pinterest, It’s All About The Tags, Baby!” 

Use Pinterest for Free Market Research http://goo.gl/jxNDNG

Not only is Pinterest valuable as a post-distribution strategy, but it can spark great ideas for trend releases and bylined article topics. First, use Pinterest to identify what is being repinned and liked. Create a pinboard around a popular topic, optimize it for search, then support it with a trends or expert opinion press release that links right back to your Pinterest board. Voila – newsworthy content on a very hot topic!

Are you using Pinterest to expand reach of your press releases, or have you seen a great example? We’d love to hear about it! Post a comment to share.

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Free Tips On Writing A Compelling White Paper

Free Tips On Writing A Compelling White Paper

   May 08, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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How to create content that won’t be overlooked in a marketplace saturated with white papers, tip sheets and ebooks.

What is a white paper? A white paper is a focused analysis that addresses a problem commonly experienced by a key audience. They provide specific and detailed information on topics that are relevant to a specific industry. Creating a white paper can be a useful content marketing tool for several reasons. A white paper:

• helps build your reputation as an expert in your field
• provides a means of collecting valuable customer leads if readers are required to complete a form in order to download
• increases traffic and inbound links to your website from other sites, leading to improved search engine rankings
• increases customer awareness of your brand, making you the first choice when the need for your product or service arises
• Writing a white paper is different from creating a traditional report or guide. While guides are often presented in a “How-To” format, a white paper instead focuses on solving a problem experienced by a business’ typical customer.

Beware: a bad topic can be a death sentence

I know, I know, this should be obvious. However, finding the right topic can be challenging. Start by determining who your audience is: who is it that you are trying to reach? Then, find out what they are talking about—what are their concerns? A good place to look for topic ideas is social media outlets like Twitter. People tend to reach out to their social networks when looking for suggestions, tips or general business advice.

If you are going to write about it, know about it

You don’t have to be a guru or expert on a topic to write a white paper. But you should at least know enough on the topic you are writing about that you can comfortably throw out a rough draft with just the information you have stored in your brain. You can then go back and add credibility to your paper, do some research and toss in some facts and statistics around your topic.

When to use a White Paper vs. Tip Sheet?

White paper or tip sheet, that is the question? Sometimes it can be unclear if you should be writing a white paper or tip sheet. A tip sheet is what to use when you have a list of guidelines. They provide an instant takeaway for the reader that does not necessarily require reading an overwhelming amount of copy. It’s a quick, easy to read, and to the point. For example Cision recently ran a campaign and released a tip sheet titled, “Press Release SEO: Ten Ways to Rule the Rankings.”

A white paper is similiar in nature, but provides a more indepth solution to a problem or scenario. It is typically longer and more formal than a tip sheet. An example of a white paper that Cision recently promoted is, “Best Face Forward: Managing a Winning Social Media Facebook Communications Team.” 
soucre : http://goo.gl/CRg2ar

Speak to your audience and keep it simple

Just because you know a lot about the topic you are writing about, does not mean your readers are as familiar with technical acronyms and processes. Ask an outsider to read your paper and define anything that may be confusing or prompts an internet search. Use short sentences and keep paragraphs brief. To be effective, use a simple format that includes an introduction, a detail of the problem and provide a solution.

Keep in mind that a typical white paper is anywhere from 3 to 10 pages long. Because people who normally read white papers are busy professionals, they are looking for guides that are simple and quick to read. This is why you need to simplify the writing and look up meanings for technical words.

Back it up with facts and stats

A recent article in BtoB Magazine reviewing an Eccolo Media study found, “White papers remain the most effective piece of marketing collateral, with 86% of respondents finding them moderately to highly influential in the purchasing decision.”

Anyone can write about a topic, but you want to be seen as an expert in your field. Facts and statistics validates your reputation as a thought leader and shows the reader you are up-to-date on recent developments, with access to the most current information. Sprinkle facts and stats into your report to increase value of your content and the number of takeaways for the reader.

Don’t forget about the small touches and add a visual

Good writing is the key to white paper success, but don’t overlook the value of a good design to give it that extra edge. The design makes the writing “pop” and draws attention to the content. The goal of the design and the headline is to attract attention and the role of the of the writing is to generate the leads.

On your mark, Get set…market!

Market your content! So many times companies are creating great content in the form of white papers and simply posting it on their websites and waiting for someone to download it. Pull some interesting facts from your story and use them to promote your message in an email campaign, via your social media channels and write an accompanying blog about it. Engage in Pull Marketing or Inbound Marketing, a promotional strategy that involves getting the customers to come to you.

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How To Get Press Don't Pitch Your Product - linkedin

How To Get Press Don't Pitch Your Product - linkedin

   May 08, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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I get pitches every day from entrepreneurs, PR agencies and book authors who hope to get an article about them written on my blog, OnStartups (300,000 readers) — or on HubSpot's marketing blog(over 1.5 million visits a month).

It's sad that most of those pitches fall flat and are likely to be completely ignored. A waste of time and money for everyone.

For example, here’s a pitch from a PR professional. I’ve changed it slightly to avoid embarrassing anyone:

“I’m working with a wonderful new business… The owners grew up together and decided to go into business… it’s a story I’m sure your readers will care a lot about!”

Uh, no. I don’t really care about their story. No one else probably will either — except maybe their moms.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure the entrepreneurs are great people, but many entrepreneurs can tell a tale of struggle and euphoria and heartbreak and someday, against all odds, turning their dreams into reality and making their business a success. While occasionally we might be inspired or motivated, for the most part we’re just not that interested in other people’s stories. Unless those stories are particularly remarkable we're more apt to just keep living our own dreams and writing our own stories. So, the things we're interested in is not other people's stories, but information that helps us write our own.

So what should you do if you’re trying to spread the word about new products and services, landing new customers, bringing investors onboard… all the stuff you hire PR agencies to do for you or, more likely, try to do on your own?

If you’re looking for press, forget the formulaic, cookbook approach to crafting a winning media pitch. That approach may result in coverage in a few outlets… but not the ones you really want.

Quick rule of thumb: Any media outlet that will do a story based on a crappy pitch is a media outlet that will get you crappy exposure.

Let’s pretend you’re thinking about pitching me. (You can apply the following to any media outlet or blog, though.)

Here’s what to do and not to do:

Don’t tell me your story is unique.

No offense, but it really isn’t. There are thousands of Ramen noodle stories. There are thousands of 3 am “Eureka!” stories. There are thousands of maxed-out credit cards, relatives won’t return your calls, last-minute financing savior stories.

Your story is deservedly fascinating to you because you lived it, but to the average reader your story sounds a lot like every other entrepreneur’s story. Claiming your story is unique creates an expectation that, if not met, negatively impacts the rest of your pitch.

And if your story truly is unique, I’ll know. You won’t have to tell me.

Don’t tell me how much a little publicity will help you.

Never waste time by explaining how this could be a win-win relationship or, worse, by claiming you want to share your wisdom because you simply want to help others.

I know you want publicity, and I know why. I get it. We’re cool.

Know what I’ve done recently.

It’s easy to think, “Hey, he recently wrote about choosing a co-founder, so I should pitch a story about how I help people find co-founders”

Um, probably not. If just wrote about co-founders. I’m probably good for a little bit on that topic. Never assume one article indicates an abiding fascination with a particular topic.

But do feel free to pitch if you aren’t a member of the choir I just preached to. Different points of view catch my attention; same thing, different day does not.

Know my interests.

You certainly don’t need to know I enjoy late-night walks on the beach. (Hey, who doesn’t?) But skim a few posts and you’ll know I have a soft spot for company culture, startup funding and startup marketing

So if you really want to get my attention, don’t use the tried-but-in-no-way-true “mention you really enjoyed something recent the writer wrote” approach.

Instead put your effort into finding an angle that may appeal to my interests. If you can’t be bothered to do that you’ll never get the publicity you want.

Forget a profile piece.

Straight profile pieces that tell the story of a business are boring. (At least I think so, which is why I don't post those)

The best articles let readers learn from your experience, your mistakes, and your knowledge. Always focus on benefiting readers: When you do, your company gets to bask in the reflected PR glow.

So, I don’t want to know what you do; I want to know what you know. If you started a company, share five things you learned about landing financing. If you developed a product, share four mistakes you made early on. If you entered a new market, share three strategies you used to steal market share from competitors.

And while you may think the “5 steps to” or “4 ways to” approach is overdone, keep in mind readers love them… and even if I decide not to frame the story that way, developing mental bullet points ahead of time is a great way to organize your information (which helps me) and ensure you have great talking points (which definitely helps you.)

Realize that the more you feel you need to say… the less you really have to say.

Some people think bloggers are lazy and look for stories that write themselves. I can’t argue with the lazy part, but I really don’t want to read a 1,000-word pitch with a comprehensive overview of the topic and a list of semi-relevant statistics. The best products can be described in a few sentences, and so can the best pitches:

So now let’s get specific. Pretend you’re crafting your pitch:

Remember: forget what you want.

Many people think, “Wow, it would be awesome if OnStartups.com ran a story about our new product—think of the exposure! So many VCs would read it! We're looking for funding!"

Maybe so, but unless you focus on how readers can benefit from the story (learning about your new product isn’t a benefit to readers), that’s not going to happen.

Then, think about what I want.

I want to inform and occasionally – hopefully – entertain readers; the more you can help me accomplish that goal, the more interested I am in what you have to say.

Then craft your pitch with publicity as a secondary goal.

In the example above, the PR pro didn’t offer readers anything. His only focus was on getting publicity to benefit his clients.

Flip it around and focus solely on how you can benefit readers. When you do, your company will benefit by extension.

For example, if you want to spread the word about:

· New products or services: Share four lessons learned during the product development process; describe three ways you listened to customers and determined how to better meet their needs; explain the steps involved in manufacturing products overseas, especially including what you did wrong.

· Landing a major customer: Describe how you changed your sales process to allow you to compete with heavy hitters in your industry; share three stories about major sales that got away and what you learned from failing to reel them in; detail the steps you took to quickly ramp up capacity while ensuring current customers needs were still met.

· Bringing in key investors: Explain how you helped investors embrace your vision for the company; describe four key provisions that create the foundation for a solid partnership agreement; share the stories of three pitches to VCs that went horribly wrong and how those experiences helped you shape a winning pitch. source : http://goo.gl/sQB1s4

Sound like a lot of work? It is, but it’s worth it. When you offer to help people solve problems and learn from your mistakes, bloggers and writers will be a lot more interested.

More importantly, readers will be more interested in the news you want to share because first you helped them—and that gives them a great reason to be interested in your business.

This article is from the OnStartups.com blog: "Startup PR Tip: To Get Press, Don't Pitch Your Product"

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How to befriend journalists via e-mail

How to befriend journalists via e-mail

   May 08, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Back when PR pros schmoozed with journalists at a local bar, or bumped into them at events around town, it was a lot easier to make connections and start lobbing a few pitches their way. Now, years after e-mail took over our lives, PR people have to rely on an impersonal and easily disposable method of communication to make these crucial connections. 

Since e-mail is what we're stuck with, how can you engage a media contact in few words, and without the force of your personal charm? PR pros say that getting too chummy in an e-mail—especially a message to a journalist you've never met—usually has the opposite effect (i.e., you sound a bit like a stalker). And a too-formal tone comes off as extra-stiff in an e-mail.

Here's some guidance on hitting the right note in those first-approach e-mails.

1. Show you're a fan. "I can't think of a more simple, intuitive or appropriate approach to building relationships with journalists and editors via e-mail than actually reading their content, and then commenting to them via e-mail," says David Muise, vice president of PR at Full Spectrum Media in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"It's a great introduction, requires no fluff and shows that you are practicing due diligence. It also shows that you are an active player in the story, and that you're not just sending materials blindly when you need something."

2. Give it the personal touch. Along those same lines, Kevin Aschenbrenner, senior account supervisor/PR for Jaffe Associates in Victoria, Canada, says to use names in your e-mail pitch, and not just the ones you get from a mail merge. "Even if you're working off of a huge media list, start it with their name," says Aschenbrenner. "I actually think it's better to use Outlook and not some mail merge program because, wearing my other hat as the editor of the Jaffe Legal News Service, I've seen e-mail pitches that are so obviously mail merges it's painful."

3. Spell-check makes perfect. Christine Hohlbaum, a Munich, Germany-based PR consultant for U.S.-based Wasabi Publicity, relies heavily on e-mail relationships given the distance between her and her media contacts.

She says that a polished message is key to making a good first impression. "I avoid typos," says Hohlbaum. "Using improper grammar and spelling in an e-mail is like stuttering."

4. Just the facts, ma'am. "E-mailing press isn't writing a love letter," says David Libby, principal of Libby Communications in Oakland, Calif. "It's akin to a job application.

The information should be factual, pertinent to the reporter's audience, quick to the point and mirror the reporter's style. If the information in an e-mail, to a reporter, carries these qualities, consistently, e-mail after e-mail, then the reporter will develop trust for the PR person and might respond."

5. E-mail to help out, not just to pitch. Dylan Powell, a PR writer at Houston's Origin Design, practices the "three to one" rule. He contacts journalists three times with helpful background info or comments before sending them one pitch.

6. The need for speed. "If a PR representative replies to journalists' questions with lightning speed, it automatically shows diligence and a commitment to assist," says Matthew Zintel, managing director of Zintel PR in Los Angeles. "That goes a long way in forming a relationship outside of e-mail. I can't tell you how many times an editor or writer has thanked us for quickly answering e-mail questions just minutes after receiving them, no matter the time."

7. Chill out. "Relax your tone," advises Kevin Quartz, PR director at Harrisburg, Pa., ad agency Pavone.

"Many pitches sound too polished, like every word has been agonized over and scrutinized by a team of writers, because they often have. The most effective and personal e-mail communications read like conversations between two friends—as if you wrote the e-mail just for them."

Kacie Main, an account executive at O'Connell & Goldberg PR in Hollywood, Fla., says she imagines she's chatting up a media contact over the phone.

"I think as PR professionals we get into our 'writing modes' and write e-mails as if we're drafting an overall PR plan we are going to send to the CEO of a major company," Main says. "In order to build relationships through e-mail, you have to write them as if you're on the phone. You would never call someone and immediately jump into your pitch. You would say 'hi, how are you?' And when hanging up, you wouldn't say 'best regards,' you would say 'thanks' or 'talk to you soon.'"

But don't get too friendly: "Don't act like someone's best friend in the first e-mail," says Karen Campbell, senior public relations manager for Zondervan, a publisher based in Grand Rapids. Kevin Quartz agrees: "Keep it professional. There's a fine line between conversational and awkwardly personal. Don't ask how their family is doing if you've never met them."

Think hard about that subject line: "You need to make your subject lines count," says Aschenbrenner. "'New Partners Join Firm' is something I see a lot. They don't even put the firm name in the subject. I try to write subjects like headlines. You want to snag a reporter so they open the e-mail, or at least read the first few sentences in the preview pane."

8. The five-second scan. Elizabeth Robinson, president of Volume PR in Centennial, Colo., got a grateful response to a short-and-sweet pitch she sent to a Fortune Small Business reporter who liked the fact that she didn't waste his time. "This is not an age where people curl up with a cup of a coffee to read e-mails," says Robinson. "We scan everything."

Robinson gives her pitches the "five-second scan test" to see if they're succinct and short enough to be digested in just a few seconds. "Set a timer, and see if the pitch entices you to read on," she suggests.

In her pitch to Fortune Small Business, she reduced the news to a few bullet points. The editor contacted her within three minutes, telling her that he was thankful he "didn't have to unpack paragraphs of text." source : hrcommunication.com

Kevin Quartz also likes the bulleted approach. "We've moved away from the 'pitch and attached release' format towards a series of easily digestible bullets of information incorporated into the body of the e-mail," he says. "This makes the entire e-mail look like the information is being delivered directly to the recipient."

Aschenbrenner also believes in the Gospel of Keeping it Short.

"When it comes to the body of the e-mail, the way you're going to let a reporter know that they're dealing with a flack who will be an asset and not a pest is to keep it short, and to the point," he explains. "I write out all my pitches ahead of time and make sure that they are no longer than five to seven sentences. That ensures they don't run beyond the first part of an e-mail. Reporters don't scroll."

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Free Resources for Building a Media List for ROI

Free Resources for Building a Media List for ROI

   May 08, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Below 14 Free Resources for Building a Media List : 

The Internet Public Library

The Internet Public Library includes a list of popular magazines and newspapers organized by their respective subject area or geographic focus. Each individual listing includes a brief description of the outlet’s coverage area, along with a link to their website. Other similar directories include World Newspapers & Magazines (some of these listings are outdated, but it’s still a good starting point), the Yahoo! News and Media directory and Mondo Times.

LinkedIn Search

LinkedIn is a great resource for finding professional journalists. With LinkedIn’s new search features, you can dive deeper into user data to find contacts that fit your criteria. For example, I recently created a search to find contacts with “reporter” as their professional title within a 30 mile radius of my zip-code. 

There were more than 18,000 contacts, but I could easily narrow this search by limiting other fields or adding a keyword like “business”. LinkedIn also lets you save five searches, so you can be alerted to new contacts that join LinkedIn matching your criteria.

MediaOnTwitter Wiki

We’ve talked about the MediaOnTwitter wiki several times in this blog already, but it’s worth mentioning again. The database is currently going through an upgrade and will soon be much easier to use. 

As Twitter continues to experience explosive growth, no doubt will it continue to expand as a medium for reaching journalists and bloggers. You can learn more about the MediaOnTwitter wiki from PRSarahEvans.com. While MediaOnTwitter is the most comprehensive list, there’s also a Media People Using Twitter wiki that was created by My Creative Team (in case you wanted more).

Alltop

Alltop is an alternative to setting up RSS feeds for all your favorite blogs on a subject. Alltop has a team of keen-eyed experts that work to aggregate “All” the “Top” blogs on a particular subject. I regularly read the “PR” and “Journalism” categories on Alltop to keep up with current trends and developments relevant to the subjects I write about on this blog. With a few mouse clicks, Alltop will show you any number of the “top” outlets you’ll want to consider for your media list.

Technorati

Technorati is a blog search engine. You can use it to search for blog posts on any subject. The company also manages a list of the Top 100 Blogs, which is a great place to find the world’s most popular blogs on subjects you’re interested in. You can also explore Technorati by many different categories to find relevant blogs. Some of the more popular categories include Technology, Business, Entertainment, IT and Finance.

Congress.org Media Guide

This is a useful directory of media outlets organized by your geographic area. You can click on an interactive map to find newspapers in different areas of the country. Each listing includes a description of the outlet, along with some contacts for the publication (geared toward those that cover politics, but still useful).

Audit Bureau of Circulations

The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) lists its members on its website, including Business Publications, Consumer Magazines and Newspapers.

PRSourceCode

PRSourceCode provides a variety of paid PR services for agencies and professionals working in technology-related sectors. While the company provides paid services, it has a free listing of business and technology publications on its website, linked to the sites. This is an excellent place to start if you’re building a tech-focused media list.

FAIR’s Media Contact List

This organization provides a list of media outlets – really designed for you to voice your opinion (or complaint) about media bias and censorship. Most of the contact information is generic, so you could use it as a jumping off point for major outlets. This list has basic contact information for outlets like CNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, USA Today, Newsweek and Time.

HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

I’m sure you’ve heard about HARO. If you’re not one of the nearly 80,000 people using the service, it’s a free service that connects journalists with expert sources. Each email (there are three a day) includes reporter queries that you can respond to (provided you have a relevant pitch or expert to offer up). 

But what if you’re not a fit for the opportunity, but are for the outlet? Keep track of journalists and bloggers that regularly write about topics related to your subject areas – then research those outlets and contacts to add to your media list. What better way to learn what a journalist is interested in than to see the types of experts they regularly reach out to through HARO.

Regator

Regator aggregates the best blog posts on different subjects. While Alltop will show you the best blogs on a subject, Regator shows you the best posts, saving you even more time. I’ve just started using this service (it’s another of our favorite Atlanta-based startups), and its useful for finding the most relevant posts on subjects I’m interested in. The best posts are hand-selected by experienced journalists, so you’ll find nothing but great quality here.

TradePub

TradePub works with business and trade magazine publishers to market free subscriptions to qualified professionals. This is your one-stop-shop for subscribing to a wide-range of free business and trade publications of interest to you. It’s also a great place to find outlets you’ll want to add to your media list.

TVA Productions

TVA Productions is a top independent studio that just happens to have an awesome directory of media outlets in many different categories. The directory is well-designed and easy to navigate. The only downside is the directory only lists the name and location of each outlet per category, so you’ll still have to find the outlet’s website to continue your research from there.

None of these resources will provide anywhere near the volume or accuracy of information found in commercial media databases like Vocus or Cision. It’s true that you get what you pay for when it comes to media research. If you’re managing media relations for several organizations, consider investing in one of these solutions. If you just need to create a media list for your small business or startup, you can do this for free with a moderate amount of effort, using the resources I’ve provided in this post.

Is there another resource people should know about? Do you have other suggestions for building media lists on the cheap? Please share your thoughts.

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Deliver Your Message With Short and Compelling Sound

Deliver Your Message With Short and Compelling Sound

   May 08, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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                          The demands on our time are overwhelming, constant, relentless. Everyone is rushing around at break-neck speed trying to jam more than is humanly possible into already overloaded schedules. Getting people to listen seems impossible because they're frantic, have a million things on their minds and can't spare a millisecond. If you ever pin them down, you're given little time, you're constantly interrupted and you realize that they have the attention span of minnows.

So if you get an opening, you better make good! You better be ready to say what you mean

• quickly
• clearly and
• compellingly

Write A Sound Bite

                                 Create a sound bite, a message, that you can deliver in less than 30 seconds. Cut it down to 10 or 15 seconds for the media. The purpose of a sound bite is to turn listeners on, it's a verbal business card to deliver when you're introduced to new people. It's your "elevator speech:" a snappy, self-description that you can rattle off in the time it takes an elevator to rise from the lobby to the fifth floor.

The more you say briefly, the better the sound bite. As David Belasco said, "If you can't write your idea on the back of my calling card, you don't have a clear idea."

Radio news segments come in ten second increments, so "if you can't express what you want and why it's news worthy in ten seconds, you're off the phone," advised a news director for a major NBC affiliate.

              Your sound bite must be a grabber, a memorable message that makes listeners want to buy your products, champion your causes and fight your wars. If it's short and gets their attention, it buys you more time to sell them. Your sound bite must be

1. INTERESTING enough to attract immediate ATTENTION
2. POWERFUL enough to be REMEMBERED and
3. CONVINCING enough to STIR overloaded listeners into action.

In 30 seconds or less, your sound bite must explain:

• Who you are
• What you represent and
• Why you make a difference.

Examples of a variety of short, effective sound bites are:

I used to weigh over 300 pounds; now, I'm a size 8. I can quickly teach you how to lose weight and keep it off. (Diet book author).
My name is _________ and I free folks from financially worry. Give me a call and I'll do the same for you. (Financial consultant).
I teach people how to look rich, even if they aren't. (Fashion advisor).
I'm the James Bond for the new millennium. I make computers secure, detect break ins and restore lost data. (Computer security expert).
I train your brain and set free your imagination. (Biofeedback instructor).
Most people aren't accustomed to promoting themselves. So when it's time to blow their own horns, they don't know what to say or they tend to over do it. However, in business, with so many competitors vying for the same dollars, you must distinguish yourself. And the best way to start is with a sound bite.

source : rickfrishman.com/article_deliver_message.html

Shine Your Star - Be creative, make yourself sound like a star or make your product or service seem groundbreaking. In our celebrity-obsessed society, the media desperately seeks new faces. It loves to splash their names in headlines, tell the world their stories and ride their coat tails to fortune and fame. Help the media, do a good deed, write a sound bite that captivates them, show them that you have star potential and make them want to move mountains to advance your career.

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