Pitch Public Relations

Partnerships in public relations can be vital.

Pitch client, Reading is Fundamental (RIF), gets phenomenal press for its programs. RIF provides new books to millions of needy children across the nation. In just the past four months, media coverage has included USA Today, Working Mother, Babble.com, Washington Post, Family Circle, Wired Magazine and much more.

But now, the spotlight is about to intensify as RIF and Macy’s have teamed up to create Book a Brighter Future™, a national partnership to raise awareness and support of children’s literacy. From June 30 through July 31, Macy’s customers can give $3 and receive a coupon for $10 off one purchase of $50 or more at any Macy’s store nationwide. Macy’s will give 100% of every $3 to RIF.
The partnership adds more muscle to the Reading is Fundamental story and ultimately is a win-win for both the organization and the corporation. What’s more, an A-list celebrity will be serving as a national spokesperson - for national TV interviews when the event kicks off! We can’t name the celebrity just yet - but just wait.

This type of collaboration is effective at getting public interest in a non-profit and helping boost its charitable efforts. It’s also a savvy media strategy. Currently, Pitch is coordinating with the celebrity and Macy’s teams to work out TV coverage plans and we’re conducting media outreach to key parenting, shopping, and family outlets in an effort to spread the word: ‘Shop at Macy’s this summer and millions of needy kids will benefit!’

Look for this story in the weeks ahead on TV, in print and online.

Ann Noder

I just spent the past two days with an inspiring group of women. Count Me In invited me to speak at its Make Mine a Million $ Business event in Newark, NJ. You can read about the fabulous event in today’s Wall Street Journal! Count Me In is the leading national non-profit provider of resources, business education and community support for women entrepreneurs who want to grow micro businesses to million dollar enterprises. Founder Nell Merlino started the movement after learning that out of over 10 million women businesses; only 3% of them have hit the $1 million milestone. She’s made it her mission to change that.

Nell is an amazing woman. She was the creative force behind Take Our Daughters to Work Day, which moved more than 71 million Americans to participate in a day dedicated to giving girls the opportunity to dream bigger about their future. At the Newark event, Nell spoke eloquently about her passion for women in business. The event also focuses heavily on perfecting the elevator pitch. Elevator pitches are typically one-to-three minute speeches that hit on key elements such as the company’s business model, revenues and growth strategies. The name stems from the hypothetical situation of sharing an elevator ride with an investor. Without judgment, Nell gives the women harsh feedback. One of her favorite quotes is ‘if you can’t tell it, you can’t sell it.’

In Newark, I connected with one woman who, following a divorce, went from stay-at-home mom to women’s shelter with her two children. Now, many years later, she runs a $300,000+ company with several employees - including her son. Another was stuck at the $400,000 revenue level before joining Make Mine a Million. Just a few years later, she’s a $10 million enterprise. None of the women in the Make Mine a Million program will tell you it’s been easy. Many have struggled with the down economy, changes in regulations that affect their businesses, and the lack of financing from banks. But they all move forward and take comfort in knowing there are other women out there working through the same issues, toward the same goals.

It was an honor to lend my PR expertise to the event. Thank you to all the women who listened, took notes, and asked such relevant questions. It was truly my honor.

Ann Noder

Typically, we book our clients on TV, then sit back to watch as they hit their moment in the spotlight. It’s always a thrill. Four years ago, it was especially so. I went to New York City as several of the clients I was representing were in a segment on the national show, The View. Back then, Rosie O’Donnell was one of the hosts. In fact, it was her debut week.

Back in the green room, I had the opportunity to celebrity-watch and help the producer prep my clients. The segment was fantastic and for added fun, I got a picture taken with Rosie just before she went on. It was also a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with the show’s producers and bookers.

Over the years, I’ve worked with those same staffers. Next week, it’s back to The View again. Not for me personally, but Pitch client ShaveMate. This terrific all-in-one razor has been a client for the past year and been featured by major outlets in print and broadcast. But The View has been a client goal. Now, it’s mission accomplished. The show is including ShaveMate in a special segment on Father’s Day gifts. It’s taping Wednesday and will air on Friday, June 18th just before Father’s Day weekend.

The national boost is great timing for this razor with shaving cream inside. The product was recently picked up by Walgreens stores nationwide. Now that the company has landed the drug store retailer, it’s important they sell off the shelves - and get re-orders. Any manufacturer will tell you; getting distribution is fantastic, but if the product doesn’t move quickly, it can be devastating. A national TV hit like this can spark consumers to go looking for the product featured.

This time, I won’t be traveling to New York to oversee the taping. I’ll be nearby in Newark, NJ, presenting PR tips to hundreds of women business owners. But I’ll be watching with pride as the segment airs!

Ann Noder

This week’s Blog is from Pitch Publicist Andrea Evenson….

In today’s world, words like “Twitter” and “Facebook” are in our day to day vocabulary…..but what did we do before them? How did we get our name out there and keep up with friends…beats me! But I rejoice the day they came around.

Social networking is key for new businesses trying to build a brand. It boils down to basic math; the more people that know your name, the more people will visit your site, they will then tell their friends, and their friends will then tell their friends, and so on and so forth. For start-ups, it’s an easy and affordable way to spread the word!

Big name celebrities and major companies are joining the trend too! These social media outlets allow you to network via the web. You can follow companies and people that are not only of interest to you, but can also be of interest to your company, it’s a two way street! Here are some tips on how to be successful in Social Networking:

1) Keep your business and personal info separate. You want to portray yourself as professional as possible.

2) It’s not a popularity contest! A big number of fans or followers may seem great, but if they are not of real use to you and your company, there’s really no point.

3) Be active in your posting. Keep your followers informed of all press, updates or big news regarding your company.

4) Be sure to give ‘shout outs’ to those who tweet/post about you. It keeps the communication lines flowing and will show others that their posts do not go unrecognized.

5) Don’t post too many things at once. You want to make sure each posts gets the same amount of attention so space your posts accordingly.

6) Be sure to posts links to your Social Networking pages on your company’s website, and be sure to provide company information, including your website, on your Social Networking pages.

7) Make sure your posts cater to your audience. If it’s not pertinent business information, it should not be broadcasted to your wonderful followers.

The 21st Century is the age of communicating over the web, so get with the times and take advantage of everything these great sites have to offer. Follow these easy steps and you’re sure to be a social networking pro in no time!

Andrea Evenson

This week Entrepreneur Magazine published its Annual 100 Brilliant Ideas issue. On the list is Pitch Client Spoonful of Comfort! We’re so proud of Marti Wymer and thrilled to have helped her amazing start-up. This Florida company delivers chicken noodle soup, dinner rolls and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies, made fresh daily. Each order is beautifully wrapped and arrives on the recipient’s doorstep, ready to eat.

The Pitch team generated outstanding exposure for Spoonful of Comfort; including Self Magazine, Real Simple, Yahoo, The Today Show, InStyle, USA Today and so much more. Since Spoonful’s launch, month-over-month growth has been phenomenal. Sales during just the first six weeks of 2010 surpassed the entire total from the year before and now Marti has hired a fulfillment team to meet increased demand. Bottom line, she’s booming!

It’s nice to see good things happen to good people. Marti Wymer started Spoonful of Comfort from her own personal experience. In 2007, she received a call from her mother who had just been diagnosed with cancer. Marti was living in Florida, busy with work and kids, and unable to make the trip back to Canada right away. But she thought about how, as a child, her mother used to make homemade soup when she was sick - and how she’d love to send a batch back to mom now. The idea of Spoonful of Comfort was born. Just six weeks later, Marti lost her mother.

Now, Marti takes great joy in helping others send a little bit of comfort to loved ones wherever, whenever. We take great joy in her success!

Ann Noder

We work with a lot of high profile online editorial outlets - from iVillage.com to Yahoo.com and DailyCandy.com. No question, a hit anywhere there can be extremely powerful. There are also a ton of lesser-known sites that can give you a big bang. And there are plenty of small family blogs that are probably not the best PR venue. So, how can you tell if it’s a site or blog worth pursuing, or not?

One of the simpliest ways is via the Alexa rating. Alexa.com is a subsidiary of Amazon.com. Simply put - it is a tool that is used to rank web site traffic. The lower the Alexa rating number, the more heavily visited the site. Currently, Google.com ranks #1, followed by Facebook, and YouTube. Given there are billions of websites worldwide, anything with an Alexa rating under 100,000 is top notch! Several of our clients were just featured by SheKnows.com and Babble.com - both of which are in the 3,000 range. A recent hit on Wired.com (#677) was terrific for our Reading is Fundamental client. And we just got SafetyTat featured on About.com; which ranks #64.

Along with getting clients featured by top sites, we’ve helped companies rise in their own Alexa rating. Mamapedia.com ran a 6 month campaign with Pitch and went from Beta start-up to Alexxa rating 10,643!

Online sites and blogs also measure their audience by the number of unique visitors a month.

Beyond the numbers, you can also spot an influential blogger by the presence of advertisers on the site, the professionalism and look of the page, and the frequency of their content.

It is important to point out, some smaller sites have extremely loyal followers. So an editorial feature there can be extremely valuable. In addition, a niche site that offers just the right audience can sometimes translate better than a site that is too generic or broad. You have to experiment with targets to figure out the best formula for success.

The numbers matter. But effective PR is really more art than science.

Ann Noder

This was another busy week with broadcast media. We prepared our clients for interviews ranging from CNBC National to the syndicated show Daytime, CNN Headline News, and local lifestyle and morning segments in key markets all over the country.

The TV studio can be a unique and intimidating experience. I’ve blogged before about the importance of messaging and delivering proper content; but your physical appearance and presence on camera can be just as important.

Here are some of the tips I shared with our clients headed into the spotlight this week.

1. Don’t wear all white. TV cameras balance color based off white, so it doesn’t translate well. Same goes for busy patterns. Stick with solid, dark, bold colors.

2. Years ago, you had to wear heavy make-up on TV. But with today’s high-definition broadcast and high-powered cameras, it’s not necessary. Wear a tad more make-up than you normally would, especially powder, so you’re not washed out by the bright lights.

3. Don’t stare into the camera. Focus on the the person asking the questions. The more your eyes move around, the more uncomfortable your audience will become.

4. You may be tempted to memorize, but don’t. An interview style show is back and forth between the host and you. Think about what you want to say beforehand, but don’t read from notes or memorize your answers.

5. When sitting during an interview, sit up and lean forward slightly when you talk. Don’t slump back to let your back touch the back of the chair. The more engaged you appear, the more authoritative you look.

6. If you have products, a book, or props - display them on the table in front of the interview. Don’t hold them or handle them. The camera will zoom in.

7. Stay still. Don’t fidget. Avoid chairs that swivel or rock.

8. Be prepared for last minute changes. Don’t be phased if your time slot gets moved or you’re asked to go on in a matter of seconds. Flexibility in TV is a must.

9. It doesn’t matter if your interview is 60 seconds or 60 minutes long. Get the most important message in the first 30 seconds.

10. Be energetic, enthusiastic and interested in what you’re talking about.

Ann Noder

Our team just landed a great full article in The New York Times about one of our clients, ShaveMate (www.ShaveMate.com.) The reporter profiled how the two brothers behind this innovative razor took on a tough, highly competitive industry - and grew into a multi million dollar business. The article has since spread like wildfire.

The mainstream press coverage is nothing new. We land this type of national exposure all the time. But this particular hit is special because the content of the story centered on ShaveMate’s marketing strategy and how their PR (us) played a major role.

Over the past year, we worked our pitch magic to get ShaveMate top-tier coverage including O, The Oprah Magazine, Today Show, USA Today, AOL.com, Glamour, MSNBC, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, ThrillList.com and many many more. The buzz still continues as the product will be in People Magazine’s Style Watch in June and other national magazines this summer.

As The New York Time’s story outlines, all the media attention and ShaveMate product exposure caught the eye of retailers like Walgreens, Target.com, and others. Now, ShaveMate is poised to far surpass it’s $2 million revenue of 2009. The reporter notes, The PR path paid off and cost the ShaveMate inventors far less than they would have (and could have) spent on advertising.

Congratulations to our client on another major media hit and to Pitch PR for not only landing the press - but getting the credit in ink too!

Ann Noder

I’m not a fan of networking. There, I said it. It’s just not my thing. There’s something uncomfortable about a group of people randomly interacting. Plus, I’ve never left a networking event with a fabulous new contact that changed my life and business forever. Maybe I’m just not doing it right.

I am, however, a fan of relationship building. Over the years I have established some amazing connections that have made a major impact. There is a difference between getting someone’s business card and forming a true alliance.

I have had the pleasure of working with Tamara Monosoff, CEO of Mom Inventors Inc. for a number of years. Last year, she and I teamed-up to offer unique PR services to her mom invented community. It’s been a phenomenal success with fantastic MomPreneurs getting their companies and products in the spotlight - from The Today Show to USA Today, BabyTalk Magazine, InStyle Magazine, Real Simple to The New York Times.

This year, Tamara highlighted me and Pitch PR in her brand new book (May, McGraw-Hill), Your Million Dollar Dream! What a treat. And now, Tamara’s book is being featured by top news organizations from Fox Business to U.S News & World Report, Better TV and Working Mother Magazine. Guess who’s handling the PR? Tamara and I both agree, our relationship has been win-win. I admire and respect her immensely. I know she feels the same of me.

There is something to be said about doing business with someone you’ve formed a solid relationship with over time. The same is true in media relations - there are reporters, producers and editors I’ve maintained close contact with. When they’re looking for story content or guests that don’t align with my clients, I still assist in the effort. I know the good karma comes back!

Ann Noder

Think you have a great story idea for the press? Make sure your angle is timely. It’s a key element when it comes to media coverage and it’s often the one aspect companies overlook.

This week we used Earth Day as a great peg for a few of our eco-clients. The timeliness of the pitch landed ReUsies (www.ReUsies.com) three TV segments in Seattle and key online editorials. For Glass Atlas (www.glassatlas.com), we were able to secure TV coverage in the key market of Washington DC plus other national features.

Reporters, editors and producers want to know ‘why is this a story now - as opposed to 6 months ago or 6 months later?’ You have to be able to pin the story to what’s happening today. This could be latching on to a broader trend or news story, or tapping into the timeliness of the season.

Currently, we’re pitching great kid’s products for back-to-school stories with magazines. Those editors are already working on August/September issues.

And for one of our business experts, we have generated a ton of press interest (including national TV morning shows and top-tier newspapers), in a story angle of mom and daughter business teams - for Mother’s Day!

For the national non-profit, Reading is Fundamental, we’re centered on the issue of the ’summer slide.’ How kids often fall back from school work and reading during the summer months. RIF has great tips and tools for parents on keeping young minds active during the break.

Making your company or product ‘timely’ is the key to making it newsworthy!

Ann Noder