Every business has a story to tell and every story has some level of news value. Some stories are of interest to a large number of media, while others appeal only to a limited group. Determining which set of media should be interested in your story is a job best handled by an experienced public relations practitioner. Above and beyond developing a media list, any practitioner worthy of your business should be able to identify the set of media that have the potential to move your market and push forward business objectives.
With the launch of each new client and product, there are several types of media outlets a public relations agency might consider targeting. There are trade magazines, consumer magazines, local newspapers, national newspapers, web sites and blogs, to name a few. And for each type of media outlet, there is a wealth of publications and a plethora of writers and editors.
Specializing in public relations for high tech B2B companies, we usually rank trade magazines at the top of our media lists. So what exactly are trade magazines? Well, they’re the exact opposite of consumer magazines. They are magazines that often are an authoritative resource for business managers and employees who work in a specific field. They cover industry trends, include case studies, profile new products and highlight industry leaders.
There are two kinds of trade magazines, vertical and horizontal. An example of a vertical trade publication is the National Locksmith, which exclusively covers issues that are relevant to locksmiths and professionals concerned with physical security. Unlike vertical trade magazines that focus on a specific topic, horizontal trade magazines cover a broader topic area, usually attracting a larger audience. eWeek is a horizontal trade publication, appealing to the large audience of IT professionals, corporate managers and technology enthusiasts.
Media monitoring tasks vary in complexity. Some clients are interested only in knowing when and where their company or products are mentioned while others require close monitoring of issues related to their business, technology and competitors.
With more publications moving online and new blogs popping up every day, there is an increasing amount of information we media monitors must sort through. By commissioning us to sort through and make sense of the wealth of media coverage that is produced each day, our clients can focus on what they do best without losing track of the media coverage that is affecting their business.
Knowing just how overwhelming some media monitoring tasks can be, I thought I’d share some tips for maximizing the value of your media monitoring efforts.
Understand your client’s story
In order to be an effective media monitor, you need to understand your client. A list of keywords is not nearly enough. You should have a clear sense of what the company does, to whom it markets, and who buys its products or services. Having in-depth knowledge about a client and its business will allow you to make informed decisions when sorting through mountains of media coverage.
Collaborate on keywords
Keywords aren’t everything but they certainly play a key role when it comes to media monitoring. Your keyword list will either broaden or narrow the focus of your monitoring efforts. If you select terms that are too broad, you’ll have difficulty finding the important stuff. If the terms are too specific, you’ll likely miss some of the important stuff. Needless to say, each keyword added to your list should be given careful consideration.
It’s pretty much a given that all clients will want you to monitor their company name, product names and the names of key representatives or spokespeople. Don’t forget to ask them what else is important. Work with each client to develop a comprehensive list of keywords and make sure to get approval on the final list. Whenever possible, avoid selecting common terms and acronyms that have multiple meanings. Revisit the keyword list often and continuously refine it.
Know what issues are important
Monitoring for client coverage is just the beginning of most monitoring efforts. In our business, many clients want to know how the media are covering similar technology providers or direct competitors. No matter how well you think you know your client, be sure to confirm your thoughts about what issues are important to monitor. Throughout the course of your program, work with clients to adjust monitoring efforts as new issues arise or priorities change.
Offer context
Beyond highlighting where relevant media coverage has appeared, media monitors should be able to provide context to the media coverage they highlight. You should know how to identify the level of authority each media outlet holds. This is especially important when you’re monitoring for blog coverage. Like media outlets, not all blogs are created equal. With many clients still unsure of how they should be reacting or interacting with blogs, it’s important for you to be able to help them keep things in perspective.
There’s a lot more to be said about media monitoring but I’ll leave you with these tips for now. If you have any additional tips, be sure to share them in the comment section.
Over the last few months I’ve had a lot of fun pitching gift ideas to daily news media on behalf of our friends at Help Lesotho. Now that Ottawa is covered in a blanket of fresh snow, I can’t help but feel festive. In the spirit of the fast-approaching holiday season, I’ve decided to pull together a gift guide to help anyone who has a public relations professional to buy for this holiday season.
Students studying PR, young PR professionals and veterans alike should always have a style guide on hand. Some of our favourites include The Canadian Press Caps and Spelling, Eats Shoots and Leaves and Globe and Mail Style Book. If the PR professional in your life doesn’t have one of these or similar titles, you should be able to cross them off your list by visiting a well-stocked local bookstore. Books about grammar fundamentals may not be very exciting but they certainly are useful. Dictionaries are also great to have on hand. For the terminology-saturated person working in technology PR, try Chambers Dictionary of Science and Technology. If you think flipping pages is too low-tech, a subscription to the online edition of the Chicago Manual of Style may do the trick.
For PR pros who frequently travel, there are a wealth of gadgets you can buy to help them stay plugged in. While an iPhone or iTouch may be a bit pricey, consider springing for a country-specific SIM card or a gift certificate to a phone-unlocking specialist like Warlox Wireless. After reading about the positive experience Francis had with his unlocked GSM smart phone loaded with a pay-as-you-go SIM, I don’t think you can go wrong. Skype credits aren’t a bad idea either. For the earth-conscious gadget lover on your list, Amazon Kindle, a souped-up e-book reader that allows for wireless e-book downloads, would make a great gift.
For social media-savvy PR folks, a bottle of Stormhoek‘s Blue Monster is guaranteed to win smiles. Thanks to Hugh Mcleod, this wine is well known amongst those who frequent geek dinners. Other great gift ideas include flickr pro accounts, tickets to popular conferences like SXSW or cool t-shirts from the likes of Threadless. Grammar gurus are bound to appreciate the They’re, Their, There shirt.
That’s our list. Feel free to share your ideas in the comment section. You can also check out Chris’s gift guide for marketers, which Seth’s Blog pointed me to.
Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to work with several clients whose PR programs have an analyst relations component. It’s been a great experience getting to know the ins and outs of analyst relations and learning about the many ways it can create value for a client.
We reach out to technology analysts for the same reason we reach out to media: what they say and do has the potential to move markets and engaging with them can have a positive impact on our clients’ business objectives. Many purchasing decision-makers read the research reports issued by large analyst firms like Gartner, Forrester and IDC that put the companies that are included in these reports at top of mind when it comes time to buy.
Like purchasing decision-makers, the media are also known for approaching analysts to source expert opinions. Quotes from technology analysts often appear in the media. Some analysts also write byline articles, columns or blogs. It’s also common for analysts to give presentations and provide counsel to large organizations. In order to stay on top of advancements in their area of expertise, analysts regularly participate in briefings with technology vendors.
Typically, our clients’ first engagement with an analyst firm is an introductory phone briefing, where they have the opportunity to share information about their business, market, market drivers, technology solution and its applications. Introductory briefings can range from 30 to 60 minutes, usually starting with a presentation or demo and finishing up with some questions and answers.
Because we provide company and technology background information in advance of introductory briefings, our clients are often able to have high-value conversations with technology analysts and receive feedback on their value proposition, as well as an authoritative perspective on trends affecting their market. These are the kinds of briefings our clients really enjoy. Unfortunately, some briefings are void of feedback and end with a sales pitch to sponsor a research report.
Our objective when engaging with technology analysts is to seek out opportunities for our clients to be included in research reports that do not require sponsorship and articles that are published in outlets that reach their target customers. It is through engaging with a healthy mix of big-name and boutique analyst firms that we are able to find these kinds of opportunities for our clients.
Students studying PR, young PR professionals and veterans alike should always have a style guide on hand. Some of our favourites include 
consider springing for a country-specific SIM card or a gift certificate to a phone-unlocking specialist like 
