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  • Guest Post: Organizing & Managing a Blog Tour, Part Two

    This is part of two of a two part guest post from Julie Bonn Heath. Julie Bonn Heath is a PR/Marketing Professional, Author and National Freelance Writer. She lives on the beautiful Oregon Coast. See her blog, Marketing Jewels, at www.jbhmarketing.blogspot.com. More about Julie at www.juliebonnheath.com.

    The management of a tour is very important. I tell the bloggers I’m working with that their receipt of the product is an agreement that they will post about the product honestly. However, I still must visit the blogs on the days that the post is scheduled and follow up if it is not there. There are commonly two or three bloggers on each tour that don’t post at all. Obviously, I don’t ask them to join any future tours.

    Offering prizes or giveaways help bloggers compete for comments on their posts and help drive traffic. I usually offer a prize for the blogger with the most comments 7 days after their post goes live, a prize for a randomly chosen person who comments on one of the posts on the whole tour and sometimes a smaller prize for the blogger to give to a commenter on that post. The blogger can make any stipulations that they want for the individual prize entry and often do.

    I also often make a blog post for the bloggers with the necessary information and the tour schedule. This assists with accountability for posting, communication with the prizes and a general excitement amongst the bloggers about the tour.

    As far as tracking results, this is more difficult but not impossible. If the product is a book, I set up an affiliate link at Amazon to track clicks and sales. In addition, I track increased interest in the product by monitoring Google alerts before and after the tour and several additional parameters. Often, a product on tour will receive requests from the media for even more coverage and this has been a side benefit for several of my tours. One author received an offer for a blog job via a tour and another participated in two radio interviews. At the end of each tour, I send a “wrap up” to the client with their tour results.

    It’s important to remember that an online tour can have results long after it has ended. Media mentions often stay on the Internet long-term and audience numbers will continue for as long as the links remain live.

  • Guest Post: Organizing & Managing a Blog Tour, Part One

    This is part of one of a two part guest post from Julie Bonn Heath. Julie Bonn Heath is a PR/Marketing Professional, Author and National Freelance Writer. She lives on the beautiful Oregon Coast. See her blog, Marketing Jewels, at www.jbhmarketing.blogspot.com. More about Julie at www.juliebonnheath.com

    Blog Tours and Virtual Blog Tours are a great way to get the word out on the Internet about a new product. A blog tour involves multiple mentions of a product on many blogs within a certain time period. This can include reviews of the product, interviews with the product creator and more. A virtual blog tour also includes virtual components, such as podcasts, chats or webinars.

    An online tour has many benefits. Most importantly, it gives the search engines multiple results for the product, which increases the ability for someone to find information through a Web search. The more results, the more trust the searcher has in that product. If reviews are part of the tour, a potential consumer has plenty of opportunity to read varied opinions on the product before purchasing it. As we know, peer reviews are a valid method for sales.

    Blog mentions and reviews also increase the opportunity for press coverage.

    Organizing a blog tour can be a challenge because the “stops” should vary for each product. You should be as targeted as possible when reaching out to bloggers. When I plan a tour for a client, a more expensive package might include all niche sites for that particular product, if possible. I will work with small businesses on a budget to create packages that may have fewer “stops,” but will still help them get results.

    Usually, I limit the sites on a tour that only provide reviews. These blogs should not be avoided entirely because review sites often have a loyal following and good traffic. In addition, the wide world of mommy bloggers should always be considered if your product is a good fit. These gals are highly influential.

    In the next post, I’ll tell you about how to manage a blog tour…

  • My “Social” Resolutions

    This morning I left a comment on a blog that I’ve been reading for a long time, but never commented on. That made me think that I should really leave more comments on blogs. I love it when people comment on my blog … one thought led to another and here’s a list of my “social” resolutions (I’ll spare you the “eat better” and “exercise more” resolutions).

    • Leave more comments on blogs. I read hundreds of posts a week, it should be easy to leave a few comments, right? I always want my comment to be valuable and add something to the conversation. For me, that means just taking a few minutes to pause and think about my response… chances are I have something to say. Cool Cat Teacher has some good tips for commenting.
    • On a similar thread, initiate more conversations on Twitter. People are smart and I don’t use that @ sign nearly enough to either tell them or to learn. Some ProBlogger Twitter tips here. Also check out TwiTip, a new blog devoted to Twitter.
    • Post here and on my agency blog more regularly. I ask my students to post twice a week, I should be able to do the same. Find 40 tips to creating killer content here.
    • Find new voices to read. I need to trim the fat from my feedreader and look for new voices to add to those I currently read. Chris Brogan had a great post this week of list of eight marketers to watch gave me two new ones that I added to my reader.
    • Be a resource across all social media platforms. I think I do a pretty good job of creating good content here, but I can always do better and I can be more consistent across platforms, including Twitter.

    How about you? Any “social” resolutions?

  • Setting Yourself Apart: A Job in PR is Possible

    Setting Yourself Apart: A Job in PR is Possible

    It’s scary to be a university senior right now. In just 6 months, the market will flood with recent graduates clamoring for what could be fewer entry level jobs than we saw in the last few years. I don’t think it matters much what your major is, this is likely to be the reality for a lot of folks.

    But you’re interested in PR, so does that mean you should forget about working in public relations? After all, the media is dying (say some) and PR departments are downsizing.

    Well, if your dream is to do traditional media relations in an old school model of public relations… um, yes. Yes, you should forget about PR.

    However, based on my own experience with a wide variety of clients, as well as watching my students’ careers, I say that if you can come to the table prepared for the PR career of the future, you’ll be in demand. That doesn’t mean it won’t take hard work. It will take tons of work. Work beyond your classes. You have to set yourself apart in a sea of recent graduates.

    What does that mean?

    A “smile and dial” (aka telemarketing) approach to traditional media relations is out. To succeed, it’ll take the ability to be strategic and provide good counsel (even at a junior level), a broad skill set and the ability to measure and show results. Let’s break it down…

    Be a Strategic Counselor
    I find myself telling students that they need to be “strategic thinkers.” Let me explain.

    The are a dizzying array of communication channels available. Being able to do meaningful audience research, think and then make smart recommendations for what tools to use to get the results you seek is crucial. Katie Payne suggested recently that this crush of options means that you need to make decisions based on data. I agree. You can’t just trust your gut instincts. The audiences are too complex, the media too fractured and the landscape changing too quickly.

    With some audiences, traditional media is still the gateway to their mind, but for many, that is far from the truth. How will a company, cause or organization know the best strategy? By relying on a smart communication team (and “by relying,” I mean hiring and paying a salary).

    Develop Broad Skills
    Would YOU hire someone who only brought traditional media relations skills to the table? If that were my own skill set, I’d starve. This is a snapshot of skills that I need to have on any given project:

    • Web sites: navigation and site maps, Web copy, design recommendations, basic HTML and updating (I don’t do the design).
    • Marketing collateral: copywriting for all sorts of things, design & format recommendations
    • Social media: blog writing and editing, blogger outreach, research, social networking
    • Research: focus groups, survey construction
    • Planning
    • New business development & pitches
    • Presentations
    • Media literacy: read, understand, distill information from varied sources
    • Traditional media relations: press releases, media lists, pitching

    Traditional media relations is still part of the mix. Most recent graduates work in agencies where they focus on this aspect of public relations. But to be valuable for the long term, you need a broader base. Having even rudimentary design skills, for example, can really save the day.

    Measure & Be Accountable
    This should probably be first on the list. If you can’t prove that what you’re doing is contributing positively to the organization’s bottom line (either contributing to revenue or saving costs), then you should be worried about your job (your budget, your career, etc.).

    There are lots of smart people talking about measurement. I highly recommend reading Katie Payne and Don Bartholomew, for example. Both have blogs. You can also check out the Institute for Public Relations, where you can find lots of research on measurement and evaluation.

    What Now?

    The job market will probably be tight this year. It may take longer to get a job. You may be slinging lattes for a bit while you find a PR gig. But if you work to set yourself apart from the average graduate, you’ll still be able to find a good job in public relations. It’s just not likely to look like the jobs of the past.

    I would love to hear what you think.

    Photo via Flickr by AtomicJeep

  • Holiday Linky Love

    Happy holidays! Some of my favorite posts from the last week or so to keep you entertained during your winter break. You’re probably starting to get bored about now, right?

    The STAR Approach to Storytelling (Lindsay Olson)
    When we say focus on results, here’s a great way to think about it and make it happen.

    Stories of the Year (from AdAge)
    The article includes the big pr/mktg/adv gaffes of the year. I just love lists.

    Firearms Manufacturer Misfires (from Bernstein Crisis Management newsletter)
    A firearms manufacturer uses a notorious sniper as a testimonial in its annual catalog and creates quite a commotion. The problem? The company’s collective head is so far in the sand it is unlikely to ever recover.

    Social Media Predictions 2009 (PRSquared)
    Many folks contributed to this conversation, Todd is just one. Worth thinking about and spending some time with this one. Things will continue to change… will you be ready?

    Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Design and Delivery (60 min webinar with Garr Reynolds via Safari Books Online)
    Well worth an hour of your time. Garr distills many of the core principles from his book so you can begin to think about putting your presentations together differently.

    Capturing the Total Value of Public Relations (Proving the Value of Public Relations)
    What do you know? PR has multiple dimensions (beyond impressions) and Don B has found a way to visualize how they fit together. I like this description. I’m going to be focusing much more on measurement in the next couple of terms, so if you’re registered for my classes, you might take a gander and also peek at my delicious.com measurement tagged resources.

    A Beginners Guide to Tech Talk (Small but Fearsome Pixie) and the new PRTechNewbies Wiki
    Technology has a language all its own and if you’re dropped in the middle of a project for a tech client – or brand new at a tech PR firm – this post and wiki could be your life raft. If you’re reading this and you ARE a tech PR newbie, add your own terms to the wiki.

    Job Hunting Advice for December Graduates (Les is More)
    Solid advice for graduates entering the job market during a very scary time.

    Photo via Flickr by 1Sock

  • The Way You Speak Sort of Like, Matters, You Know?

    I’ve often remarked on the speech affectation of undergrads in my classes. With “likes,” “ums,” “kind ofs” and “you knows” peppering their speech along with this almost valley girl-esque speak pattern. In more than one case, I’ve thought that those students with particularly distracting speech patterns would be taken so much more seriously if they, as the comedian in this video says, would just speak with authority.

    Not sure if you have these speech patterns? Or what to do about it? Some tips:

    Rowan Manahan suggests tape recording yourself in natural speech and listening for the cues: kind of, like, sort of, you know and the myriad of fillers that sneak into our conversations.

    A Real Simple article about identifying and correcting eight common speech problems offers tips about everything from interrupting to correcting speech tics.

    Fast Company also has a article that’s a bit old, but still has great advice for thinking about your speech patterns and what they say about you.

    (hat tip, Lindsay Olson)

  • What Does the PRo of the Future Look Like?

    The very ground on which we stand in public relations is shifting. Like tectonic plates colliding miles under the surface, these changes are shaking up the industry. The PRos of the future will need to have different skills and use more traditional skills in new ways. These changes are creating new opportunities for smart, creative thinkers.

    John Bell at Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence Team offers 13 skills that will be required for PR professionals to succeed in the future. His PR Brain for 2009 looks different than the PR brain looked even seven years ago when I finished my undergrad degree.


    You can read John’s post, but the point of his skills that I take away are that you have to be quick, responsive (not reactive) and creative. You also must know how to think in terms of measurement, ROI and be able to talk business.

    Katie Paine offers six skills that PRos of the future need to have in a recent newsletter article. Katie offers that incoming professionals must be able to listen, create campaigns with the audience in mind and value truth and transparency. She reinforces John’s point about measurement. PR professionals must know how to measure and make decisions based on data.

    They’ll make decisions based on data, not gut feelings. Yes the gut will still be a powerful tool, but in an environment that morphs faster than you can say “Utterli, Seesmic, Plurk, and Twittergrader,” the gut will be a very difficult thing to read and rely upon.

    Amy Ziari, rounds out these three recent posts with insights from a (fairly) recent grad. Amy is an Oregon alum and has a very forward looking perspective about new PR grads as the future of the industry. She offers this:

    I’m proposing that recent grads have such an incredible knowledge source at their fingertips. We will be the leaders in advancing our profession forward, and teaching our agencies and many of our coworkers about these changes. We will also be the ones brainstorming ways to take our profession to the next level in the future as human communications and media continue to evolve. We are a generation like no other. That can offer to our profession like no other.

    I am excited for my students. It’s a new world with tremendous opportunity and they will be ready for the future.

    What do you think? What skills do new PRos need to have? How is the industry changing?

  • Waggener Edstrom Staffing Launches Facebook Page

    Amybeth Hale (aka Research Goddess) announced this week the launch of the Waggener Edstrom Staffing Facebook page. From Amybeth:

    I am happy to announce that the Waggener Edstrom Staffing Facebook page, Careers with Waggener Edstrom, is live! If you are a Facebook member, I would encourage you to add this page to your Favorites, become a Fan, and/or share the link with your Facebook PR contacts – check it out!

    Some of the items featured on the page include:

    • A photo album introducing the members of the Staffing Team
    • A listing of upcoming events at which various staffing team members will be in attendance (viewable once you log in)
    • Our WE Connect blog RSS feed, showcasing several of our Waggener Edstrom bloggers
    • Notes listing some of our current agency openings
    • A list of our agency awards
    • Several quotes from our candidates complimenting our Staffing team
    • …and more to come.

    We have lots of duckies at WaggEd in the Northwest. Check out this Facebook page and get in the know.

  • Stacey Stewart Shares Success

    Fall term portfolio reviews occurred on Friday the 5th at the Turnbull Center in Portland. The reviews were a smashing success! One of my PR Campaigns students, Stacey Stewart, share her portfolio review experience.

  • What if You Don’t Have a PR Degree?

    I have had more than one request from young professionals or soon-to-be graduates who do not have or will not get a PR degree and are interested in working in PR in some capacity. So do you have to have a degree in PR to do this work? Nope. In fact, I’d venture a guess that the clear majority of folks working in PR don’t have PR degrees. A career in PR is often the result of a circuitous path.

    Disclaimer: I have a PR degree. My students in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon will all have PR degrees. Having a PR degree gives you the language of the industry and a unique approach to the work and our program at the UofO is very focused on real world activities and training strategic, creative thinkers. With that said…

    What can you do to move into public relations or start your career there, when your degree says something like English Literature or Sociology or International Studies? Basically, get experience.

    Some tips:

    • Volunteer: Can you volunteer a few hours a week at a local nonprofit? Participate as a PR volunteer writing newsletter articles, or pitching the media human interest stories about your organization. Chances are, that organization would love to have some free help and you can get some great experience. If you don’t know much about PR, find an organization that has someone who can mentor you.
    • Read, read, read: Many many smart PR people are blogging, tweeting and putting out info every day that you can learn from. Find a few you like and soak up all you can. If you’re not sure where to start, on the right navigation of this blog are some of my favorites.

      Beyond blogs, and PR focused material, it’s also important to be an avid consumer of media, generally, and to know what’s going on in the world.

    • Network: Participate in PRSA or IABC events in your local community. Get to know the PR folks. PR is a pretty small world and you’ll find your contacts will carry you far.
    • Update your skills: If you feel like you’re lacking the technical skills necessary for that first internship or job, find a way to get some practice. Take a skills course at your university or community college that focuses on PR, for example. Or ask a local PR prof what book they typically use in their courses or books they’d recommend. Generally, we’re pretty nice and are happy to help someone who is enthusiastic about what we do.
    • Intern: Seek out more formal internships, either in-house or with an agency. Depending on your market, you may be competing with PR grads (in Portland, Ore. for example), but if you’ve prepared yourself, you will be able to hold your own and show you deserve a chance.

    If you’ve “fallen into” PR and have more tips… or if you’re working in PR and see the path that those around you have taken, please share!

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