Empower Public Relations client Steve Fretzin, President of Sales Results, Inc., had some great things to say about us!  And he’s only been a client for a month!

I have only been working with Empower PR for about a month now and the results have been AMAZING! They have gotten some terrific interviews for me and even placed some of the articles I’ve written. In addition to this, their follow through and professionalism have exceeded my expectations. The best part…NEW BUSINESS. I have received five business solicitations in the past week due to their hard work on my behalf. I highly recommend Empower PR to any company looking to get new business leads during a challenging economy.

Have you ever wondered how some businesses or individuals routinely appear on television or in the newspapers? What do they offer that makes them so appealing to the media?

Well, a fantastic business model and a wealth of expertise is just the beginning. If you want to appear in the media, you have to be of service to the media. Free, regular placements in the media can only happen when you serve the media and make their jobs easier.

At Empower Public Relations, we work hard to make sure that our publicity efforts simplify the jobs of producers, writers, and reporters. Here’s how:

We media train our clients. A client who is well-spoken, stays on point, and gives a great interview is a client who will be asked to return to the program or publication. Many PR firms do not train their clients and instead just throw them into the ring, which can be a disaster. Indeed, even the most articulate and intelligent person can give a bad interview. Practice really does make perfect, and there is no substitute for experience. This is where we come in—we have the experience and the tips to help make every one of our clients a success in the media, whether it is on television, in print, or on the web.

We know what the media wants. When we pitch our clients, we don’t just send around a generic profile pitch. Why? Because this is not of interest to the media. Instead, we scour the news headlines and stay up to date on the latest trends, and we find a way to fit our clients into these stories. We make you a part of the stories that the news is already telling, such as by offering an attorney client to speak on the Drew Peterson case, or by offering a florist client to speak on bridal trends. By making you part of the stories they want to tell (rather than trying to convince them to tell a story about you), we make your expertise of service to them.

Are you ready to become of service to the media and, in turn, become a nationally-known business? Call 312.961.9492 to learn more.

One of the key points to the Empower PR strategy is weekly pitches, presenting a fresh idea to the media each week. Not to be confused with a press release, these pitches are two to three paragraphs long and get the message out in the more efficient and creative way possible.

As you’re writing your pitch, address the media directly. Since this is going to them and enticing them to utilize your client, don’t write like you are speaking to the customer.

And remember to have your account partner proofread your pitch before sending it for approval.

 Title

The title of your pitch should be extremely catchy and interesting – something that will make your e-mail stand out among the hundreds of e-mails reporters get. Rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, colloquialisms and references to pop culture are all good tools to use for a creative title. 

 Subtitle

This is where you add a tidbit about the pitch, letting the reporter know what to expect.

 First Paragraph

Here is where you answer the five ‘Ws’: Who, What, Where, When, Why. These may differ depending on what you are pitching – and event should answer these straight away, while a cooking segment pitch may only need to incorporate the Who, What and Why. Keep the paragraph brief, but make sure it’s interesting enough to keep the reporter/producer reading.

 Second Paragraph

The second paragraph should be used to either elaborate on the main point or to insert a quote. If you are writing about food, take this paragraph to describe the dish, cocktail or cooking procedure. If the reporter/producer isn’t hooked by the first paragraph, they need to be by this point.

If you are including tips or recommendations from your client in the pitch, include them in this part of the pitch.

 Third Paragraph

This is where you should include all of those mandatory items for your pitch. (i.e. dates, times, pricing, location, etc.)

 If you are interested……

At the end of your pitch, include a line about the client being available for interview or having high-resolution images. Conclude the e-mail by including your contact information. (Insert your e-mail signature block here.)

 Boilerplate

Always remember to put the client’s boilerplate at the very bottom of the pitch.

Facebook isn’t just for teenyboppers anymore! Online social networking is the new way in which business are connecting with clients and with each other. From Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn, a strong online social networking presence creates more revenue for companies. And the best part? It costs nothing!

Here at Empower Public Relations, it doesn’t even cost our clients time, since we update and manage their online social networking accounts. With a staff full of computer-savvy employees, it is very easy for us to create an engaging, attractive site that can link you with other businesses and launch your business into the Internet stratosphere. Embracing these new technologies and setting up shop online is a surefire way to keep your business booming, even during these tough economic times.

 

So, tell me: Do you Tweet? 

According to the old saying, “If you want to make money, you have to spend money.” However, many employers are finding that if you want to make money, you might need to spread something more valuable than cash. You need to spread appreciation.

Businesses have long tried to implement appreciation in their offices, but they generally do so in monetary measures: Christmas bonuses, pay raises, office raffles, etc.  However, positive feedback that comes in the form of words means much more than positive feedback that comes in dollars.

The workplace concept of “profit through appreciation” creates an environment in which employers and employees share appreciation with one another. This positive feedback boosts morale, workplace productivity, employee loyalty, and employee happiness.

Every week, my employees and I spend 10 minutes throwing a beanbag around our conference room and sharing appreciations with each other. By doing so, we can commend people who have gone the extra mile for a client, and specifically recognize individual talents and achievements. We also share appreciations for our clients themselves. By creating positive energy on accounts (such as, “I appreciate the way my client, Dr. Berman, is always so personable in her interviews”) our publicists have more creative energy and aliveness to devote to their clients.

Appreciations do more than boost people’s egos.  When my employees share their appreciation with one another, the happiness and productivity goes through the roof. It negates backbiting and jealousy, and makes for a fun, open environment. 

Try sharing an appreciation with an employee or coworker today, and you will see firsthand what a difference it can make!

Reporters, editors, and producers get swamped with thousands of pitches every month. How does Empower make sure that our pitches stand out from the rest?

Aside from hiring creative and intelligent PR experts, we also make sure to create a number of pitches which are “fully-reported.” A fully-reported pitch includes a story idea, complete with research, for reporters to utilize. In other words, we don’t just tell the press that our client has the best burger in Chicago. We also tell them about other delicious restaurants in Chicago that have great burgers, and then discuss what makes our client’s burgers so unique and newsworthy.

Not only do fully-reported pitches make the media’s job easier (since they have all the research they need right in the pitch), but it also helps reporters and producers to visualize how the story angle would be laid out and why our client would be a good fit in the story. By being of service to the media and simplifying their lives, Empower and our clients become known as a go-to for future stories and programs.

Empower PR also has a writer on staff that can offer original content to magazines and newspapers on the clients’ behalf. These ghostwritten articles help the client to receive press in new media like the Internet and blogs, as well as in trade publications and national newspapers. These articles help to create credibility within the client’s field, along with creating name recognition and personality within the media. Via these personalized articles and blogs, clients can build appeal and trust with their potential customers.   

In addition to fully-reported pitches and ghostwritten articles and blogs, Empower also creates “Letters to the Editor” for clients when there is a relevant story in the news. For instance, if a client is dedicated to the “green” movement and eco-friendly business management, the Empower staff authors a letter to national newspapers on behalf of the client regarding the latest “green” news. Not only does this help the client get their name and their business in national papers, it also helps readers to better understand what makes the client and his business unique and wonderful. 

For more information on how Empower can use new media, fully reported pitches, fully authored articles, and letters to the editor to launch your business into the limelight, contact us today!

What is the first step in achieving great publicity for you or your company?

At Empower, we believe that great publicity begins with an impressive press kit. The press kit is how the media is first introduced to your unique ideas and business philosophies. But not all press kits are created equal. So how do we create the perfect press kit at Empower? 

Say cheese.  All press kits should include a high-resolution, professional headshot of you and any other people at your company who might potentially be spokespeople. We believe in the power and the professionalism of the traditional Hollywood headshot, which only includes the head and shoulders. If you do not have a photograph about which you feel confident, we can send our gifted and renowned photographer, Jill Paider, to take the perfect headshot for you. 

 Put your best foot forward. Your press kit should also include any noteworthy press your company has received in the past, such as newspaper clippings or magazine articles. These clips can help the press better understand your company and also help them see how newsworthy you are. The press kit can also include other commercial materials from your business, such as brochures, product samples, or anything else which might illuminate who you are to the press. A biography is also included, which can either be composed by you or by our professional writer on staff.  

The final product.  The final product is placed in a preprinted folder with your company’s logo on the front, or in a clear folder with your headshot inserted on the front. The press kit is then mailed to at least one person at every important media outlet in the nation. (We can cater our press kit mailing list to each client’s specific needs and publicity goals.) 

The press kit is an important part of the PR process. It introduces you to the media and illustrates how television-worthy and remarkable you and your company are.  Come to Empower today for a free consultation and let us show you how a carefully crafted press kit can take your business to the next level of success.

Empower PR differs vastly from other PR firms for a number of reasons, but perhaps one of the most prominent reasons is our payment system. Most PR firms require clients to sign a 12-month or 6-month agreement, while at Empower we work with our clients on a month-to-month basis. If clients only want PR for a month, or if they want to branch out and try other modes of advertising, they don’t need to worry about ending a lengthy, binding contract. There is no legalese in the Empower contract, and clients can start and stop service whenever they like. Thus, if a client has seasonal PR needs, (such as the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival which we just wrapped for the holiday season) Empower is the perfect PR option. Other PR firms bill their clients hourly. This means that once your allotted hours are finished for the month, your PR firm quits working to get you great press (no matter what big function or event your company has coming up!) For this reason, contracts which stipulate hourly billing and yearly agreements are not the best choice for most businesses. The Empower contract also differs from other PR contracts because we promise clients a television appearance in the first month. Most PR firms would never promise such an appearance—let alone in the first month! However, here at Empower, we are so confident in our abilities, that we feel comfortable promising all of our clients a guaranteed television appearance. To this day, we have yet to disappoint a client in this promise. So tell me…Are you ready for your close-up?

What do TiVO, DVR, Sirius, and XM radio all have in common? They all prevent traditional advertising messages from reaching their intended audience. In today’s era of fast-forward and “On Demand” programming, commercials are becoming increasingly ineffective as consumers gain more control over their mind space.

So what can companies do to reach consumers who have the ability—and the desire—to skip every commercial they come across? They must reach the consumer inside the primetime shows, news shows, talk shows, cooking and travel shows that they are recording.

Messages inside programming are usually unaffected by TIVO editing and fast-forwarding, and since they are vetted by a producer and/or reporter before they go on-air, these messages generally have more credibility. This credibility could be due to the fact that viewers assume that producers have a wide array of products, services, or experts to choose from, and therefore, any product that lands on television is automatically special and important.

Time and production values are also a factor. Traditional advertisements generally last for 30-60 seconds, whereas a product being covered by the morning news could be on television for 3-5 minutes. While the production values of expensive ad campaigns may be higher than the morning news, small businesses are often not able to create advertisements with high production quality. As a result, they have to resort to inexpensive advertising which can actually do the business more harm than good. Businesses can reap the benefits of professional production vales from shows like Oprah and the Today Show by having their products and expertise placed on these shows, as opposed to trying to afford their own low-budget commercials and advertising.

Retainers for PR firms are also much more cost-effective than advertising retainers. At my PR firm, Empower, the cost for a retainer is one-tenth to one-hundredth the cost of national advertising. The consumer impressions garnered from top morning shows are much higher when compared to the consumer impressions garnered from 30-second commercials in the middle of those same top morning shows. When you add in the credibility which comes from being placed within the program, PR is truly the unmistakable choice for large and small businesses alike.

However, some businesses may fear that they cannot control the message when it occurs outside of conventional advertising. While it is true that you cannot control what an anchorman or reporter may ask you about your product, you are 100% in control of your response. Many PR firms, such as Empower, offer media training which helps spokespeople “bridge” or “hook” their message into the TV segment. With this type of training and camera preparation, businesses need not fear the outcome of their television placements. Indeed, PR actually might give businesses even more control over their messaging, since it allows them to pick and choose which programs or demographics they want to focus on. For instance, a home-building business might want to focus their efforts on home and gardening media and a chef might want to focus on cooking media. By tailoring their message to specific audiences, businesses can reach the demographic of their choice.

As technology continues to radically alter the world we live in, businesses must stay on the forefront on these new trends. PR can get you, your product, or your expertise in the very center of the action: Are you ready for it?

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