I get over 1,000 e-mails a day – and this is nothing compared to journalists and reporters, whose attention PR professionals (like me) are clamoring to captivate. But as e-mail interaction has replaced the phone as the primary source of communication, it’s become increasingly difficult to get noticed.

Like a plain-Jane trying to get past the velvet rope at the hottest new LA club – overly mundane subject lines often get lost in the shuffle while outrageous ones might make you an outcast, thrusting your carefully quipped, well-written pitch into the realms of SPAM. So always remember that simply hitting “send” on an e-mail is no guarantee that it will actually be read.

So what does it take to be seen and more importantly, get read? Well, as we see it, a subject line needs to be somewhat irreverent, highly intriguing and/or slightly confusing (but in a good way – not in the “that makes no sense” way). In other words, it’s got to catch their attention, get them to open the e-mail and then read it top to bottom.

For Example: “Laps with Led Zeppelin”

Got your attention, didn’t I?

Bet you want to know what that’s all about, huh …

Well, so did the media. That headline generated interest amongst top national consumer publications like Time magazine, U.S. News and World Report, Men’s Journal, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Had we led with something safe like, “Aqua Lung Invents Snorkel with a Radio,” or something more aggrandizing like “Aqua Lung’s New Technology Revolutionizes Swimming,” our pitch may have been passed over as PR hype – or in other words, “just another new product being hocked by overzealous PR peeps promising something out-of-this-world.”

By the way, since you’re dying to know, the aforementioned subject line was used to promote our client Aqua Lung’s launch of the then revolutionary Aqua FM snorkel – the first snorkel with a built in FM receiver so swimmers and snorkelers could tune-in underwater using state-of-the-art Bone Conductivity Technology. (Of course now you can take your Ipod underwater but this was ground-breaking news at one point – we promise.)

Some basic rules to follow:

• DON’T use hyperbole
• DON’T be too technical
• DON’T be boring
• DON’T lead with outrageous claims of excellence or revolutionary concepts (no one will believe you)

• DO be clever and eye-catching
• DO use creative devices such as alliteration (when appropriate and in moderation of course)
• DO keep it short
• DO play on words

As printed in the San Diego Daily Transcript, June 11, 2010
Media Training for Tony – Alas, Too Late!

If you’ve been under a rock for the past few months, as BP’s escaped oil gushes into the Gulf of Mexico and way beyond, trashing business, tourism and not the least, countless birds and fish, you won’t know about Tony Hayward, who, quote-by-quote, deepens the hole in which his company is drowning.

Maybe the New York Times and the Wall St. Journal – among others – are the only entities benefiting from this tragedy; BP’s mega-bucks full-page ads plead their case: they didn’t mean it; didn’t see it coming; feel responsible; will make amends.

That might be sufficient “publicity” for maintaining their sincerity and integrity, but unfortunately, BP’s heartfelt messages have been undermined daily by Tony Hayward, the company’s CEO.

By now, perhaps BP is scrambling to find another spokesperson (even in a time of crises, a company spokesperson need not be the CEO), at the very least, I hope BP has Tony Hayward deep in media training.

Ah, Tony, here’s a start:

Tony: … the spill will not cause big problems because the Gulf…”is a very big ocean” and…”the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have been very, very modest.”

Crises Communication lesson: never minimize the crises. Express company sympathy for its victims. Apologize for any responsibility the company bears.

Tony: “what is undoubtedly true is that we did not have the tools you would want in your tool kit.”

Crises Communication lesson: However possible, move to the positive. What you DO have, what you CAN do. It is the CEO’s task – and duty – to maintain, inspire or restore confidence in his/her company.

Tony: “I’d like my life back.”

Crises Communication lesson: Besides the fact that it isn’t about you, never, I mean NEVER speak spontaneously in a crises. Anticipate every question, every issue. Compose your comments and rehearse. Refer to them if needed. (Mr. Hayward apologized for this comment in the wake of media and public outrage).

Tony, in response to outcry that he quit: “I’m not quitting despite outcry. It hasn’t crossed my mind. It’s clearly crossed other people’s minds, but not mine.”

Crises Communication lesson: Don’t repeat negatives. Don’t speak for others – whether its clearly crossed their minds or not, it’s not for you to say. Say what you ARE doing, like, you’re totally committed to make things right? (While he eventually did talk about his commitment, recognizing and repeating the negatives weakened the hoped-for strength of his message.)

Tony, re whether he – or the company -will be prosecuted: “I’m not anxious about being arrested … the criminal investigation will proceed and draw whatever conclusion it draws. The only thing I’m losing sleep about is the leak.”

Crises Communication lesson: Listen up: Don’t repeat negatives. (“I am not a crook!” is now Nixon’s most memorable line.) If you stuck to, “The only thing I’m losing sleep over is the leak,” your point and commitment would have been a) far more succinct – and far more powerful.

Tony: “The spill is relatively tiny:”

Crises Communication lesson: Ah, Tony. The CEO MUST have all the facts before he/she opines. You don’t want to have to backtrack or wrest your foot out of your mouth.

Tony: “This won’t stop deep water drilling … We will be at the vanguard because we will know more about it than anyone else.”

Crises Communication lesson: Never speculate – and I say that knowing that you didn’t think you did. But you did. A premature comment to begin with; a sigh if not wry-inducing comment to end with.

###

Thanks to Cheryl Bruser, Jewish Family Service’s “Project SARAH,” outreach coordinator, for her help in promoting Urban Solace’s recent Urban Seder dinner and her kind words on Jewish Family Service’s blog:

A Very Special Urban Seder

This just came in from Cheryl Bruser, our Project SARAH Outreach Coordinator:

This Passover was indeed different from all other nights…thanks to Urban Solace Chef Matt Gordon and proprietor Scott Watkins! In early March, I learned that Project SARAH would be the beneficiary of Urban Solace’s second annual Urban Seder. I was so touched—I feel it’s especially poignant that they chose our domestic abuse program, with Passover having such strong themes of liberation from oppression, freedom from slavery, rebirth and renewal. The holiday provides a powerful Jewish context of healing for our domestic violence survivors.

I, along with about 60 other guests, attended the Seder, which was led by Sam the Cooking Guy (Sam Zien) and restaurant critic Steve Silverman. They used the “Haggadah for Urban Solace” compiled by Steve.

Chef Gordon served delicious family-style dishes including chicken liver pâté, charoset and house-made gefilte fish. The four-course dinner included Caramelized Fennel and Roasted Garlic Matzo Ball with Jidori Chicken Consommé; Cold Smoked Char with Asparagus/Lemon/Herb Quinoa; Braised Shortrib, Green Garlic Pistou, Sweet Potato-Parsnip Tzimmes; and a special dessert of Lemon Blackberry Cake with Basil/Mint and Cracked Almonds. It was the most delicious Passover Seder I’ve ever been to!

Not only was the food outstanding, but Chef Gordon was a gracious and generous host…a real mensch. It was fun to sit at the long family-style tables, watching everyone engage in conversation with their neighbors, moving from strangers to new friends. Though the highlight of my evening was definitely when 11-year-old Brennan found the Afikomen, and decided to donate $10 of his $20 prize to Project SARAH.

I can’t thank Urban Solace and everyone involved enough—Chef Matt Gordon, Scott Watkins, Jean Walcher, Steven Silverman and Sam Zien. We are so appreciative of their generosity, which will directly benefit Project SARAH clients in their transition to safety. And we’re extremely grateful for the publicity for Project SARAH in the days leading up to the seder, including Project SARAH’s very own Marni Greenberg on San Diego Living.

View photos from the event on Urban Solace’s Facebook Page by clicking here>>

PRWEEK recently interviewed Jean Walcher and Caroline Counihan of InterContinental Hotels Group about JWalcher’s PR campaign for the launch of Hotel Indigo San Diego. 

 A quote from the client cites our work as informing the company’s “best practices:”

 “…the campaign is informing best practices across IHG’s entire portfolio of hotels, which include Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza.  The hotel, which has 1,235 Twitter followers and 727 Facebook fans, received coverage in ABC News, Los Angeles Times, and Travel + Leisure.”

 Check out the PRWEEK article here: http://www.prweekus.com/ihg-gets-local-for-san-diego-property-launch/article/166630/

WHEN THE MEDIA CALLS, CALL YOUR PR AGENCY!  HERE’S WHY:

(This post is dedicated to all of our wonderful clients)

• Clients pay us for media representation!
• We make clients’ life easier, save their time, save their money and mine their media opportunities
• We lighten the reporter’s life too: facilitate interviews, provide background information, stats, visuals, etc. We understand that the reporter doesn’t want us to be our clients’ gatekeeper – and we don’t, unless necessary.  We prepare clients for the subject of the interview, the nature of the reporter and media outlet and deadlines
• In representing clients, we routinely contact reporters in the course of what might be an in-progress pitch or a new pitch, and our effectiveness is weakened if we don’t know they’ve called the client directly
• If we don’t know the reporter well, it gives us the opportunity to forge a relationship and to make future contacts on the client’s behalf more effective
• We can often enhance the story when we know the reporter’s angle.  We might offer another source, or a fact about the issue neither the client nor the media knows

They say any publicity is good publicity.

Well… Sometimes that is, in fact, true. PR pros can turn even the worst situation, or a major national/international news headline, into a newsworthy opportunity to position a client front and center in the media and make the public more aware of a client’s name or business.

Case in point: the recent Pacific Ocean tsunami warnings after the devastating Chilean earthquake.

The world watched anxiously as tsunami waves headed toward the Hawaiian Islands and the West Coast of the United States.

As I viewed a webcam video from home of an eerily empty, evacuated Waikiki beach, San Diego Bay was being deluged with a powerful tidal surge, seriously damaging a dock belonging to our well-known restaurant client, the Bali Hai on Shelter Island.

Bali Hai’s owners alerted us of the incident, including a digital photo that demonstrated the destructive force of the sea as it surged back and forth, tearing the dock in two.

With photo in hand, JWalcher Communications notified local TV stations and the San Diego Union-Tribune about how this natural disaster did not leave San Diego unscathed.

CBS News 8 KFMB sent a crew out to shoot video of the splintered dock. And the Union-Tribune interviewed one of Bali Hai’s owners who had an opportunity to not only comment on the $50,000 worth of damage that was caused, but also talk about how the iconic restaurant has been closed since January and is currently undergoing major renovations.

Within 48 hours, the Union-Tribune ran a front page photo of the broken dock, with a caption mentioning the Bali Hai, along with quotes by the owner prominently positioned in the article’s introduction.

We successfully turned bad news into headline news for our client, while simultaneously promoting the renovations of this landmark restaurant and its scheduled spring re-opening.

It doesn’t always work that way, but sometimes you’re able to localize or take advantage of a big news story.

Bali Hai Restaurant's dock, damaged by the powerful tidal surge caused by last month's earthquake in Chile.

I can only think that Tiger Woods’ recent public apology must have been prescribed by his therapist, because I can’t believe that a professional public relations advisor would have recommended it.

When a body-language “expert” on NPR opined that Tiger Woods’ body language revealed his “insincerity” while apologizing for his infidelities at his recent “limited media attendance, no questions,” appearance, it confirmed my worst – and predicted fears.

If Tiger was so motivated to issue such an apology, I would have advised him to craft a brief statement for the media and his key constituents – using short, declarative sentences and not more than a VERY few of those.
And, bag any personal appearance.  (When it was revealed that Jesse Jackson fathered a child outside of his marriage, he issued just this kind of apology, and never said another public word about it. And the fact that you don’t remember this, proves my point.)

In a crises – which this surely has been for him – his better, no, best bet would have been this written statement, distributed equally to all, and, therefore, less subject to interpretations, less open to subjective opinion or observation (“he had a kind of smirk” or worse…!), less possible to imagine any “nuance” in his demeanor -– face, body, timbre, etc. Less possible, indeed, to edit commas or any other punctuation into – or out of – a straightforward, declarative statement.

Still, there are no guarantees when opening oneself to media scrutiny; they’ll kill ya’ if they can. Tough statements in writing is the crisis strategy most likely to prevent that from happening.

I did it once, been propositioned to do it many times since then, and yes, I’d do it all again – in a heartbeat – cause it leaves you breathless, wanting more…

Yep, I’m talkin’ Skydiving! (get your heads outta the gutter folks)

It has been our privilege to publicize this heart-racing, nail-biting action sport since 2004, working with America’s skydiving authority – the United States Parachute Association (USPA).

Once a year USPA hosts its big annual National Skydiving Championships, the largest skydiving competition in the U.S.; attracting hundreds of the country’s finest, fastest, most fearless skydivers.

This year as the championships approached and everyone set their sights on host drop zone (DZ) Skydive Spaceland near Houston, we changed up our PR strategy a bit and decided to go grassroots in letting folks coast to coast know about their local Gold medalist skydiving stars in their midst. In the process, we’d give skydiving a boost in visibility and spur first-timers to give skydiving a try themselves. Because truth be told, anyone can do it; you don’t need to be a pro. As a former USPA Executive Director used to say, “We all fall the same.” (love that quote!).

We were on a mission to bring this exciting sport, and the fascinating stories behind each gold medalist, into more living rooms.

As the six competitions wrapped up one by one, we drafted a personalized press release on each of the Gold medal winners. For teams (i.e. four-way formation), that meant five separate press releases to five different parts of the country (the fifth person being the team videographer). Shonda Smith, USPA’s Communications Director, gave us daily updates on the winners’ names and hometowns, along with cool photos and video of them in action.

Then we spooled a targeted media list covering that winner’s hometown – all sports reporters at every newspaper, TV and news/talk radio station. Keep in mind, some “hometowns” were as big as Atlanta, Georgia – doh!

A couple dozen newspapers replied, from big city dailies to community mom and pop papers that sang the praises of their “fly” hometown heroes right on the front page – half-page color photos and all! From Grand Rapids, Michigan to the beaches of South Florida, readers dove right into skydiving and learned more about their local supermen and women.

TV/radio newsrooms also responded with requests for b-roll, phone interviews, in-studio appearances and sweeps pieces with winners when they returned home.

Along the way we also secured Good Morning America, which came out to film a “Weekend Adventure” segment on swooping – scheduled to air in December. It was icing on the cake of an incredibly successful Nationals!

We’re implementing the same grassroots strategy for USPA’s upcoming National Collegiate Parachuting Championships, to give the event some added “lift” like never before. CBS College Sports Network is onboard to film a couple days of competition and add skydiving to their annual “Alt Games” which is all about altitude, amplitude and attitude. How perfect is that – they’re already speaking our language!

Blue skies –  see you in the DZ!

Written by Robert Arends