InkLings@InkHouse

Seven Tips for Staying Above the Social Fray

2011-01-18T18:19:00.000-05:00

As I watched the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Twitter yesterday, inspiration came from @iamdiddy (P. Diddy for those who don’t know) of all people, who Tweeted: “Let no man pull you low enough to hate him. Martin Luther King Jr. #MLKDAY”

Anyone who works at InkHouse has heard my “stay above the fray” mantra. I generally offer this advice for real-world scenarios, for example, those nasty emails that compel the recipient to compose a two-page, line-by-line defense. My advice is to write the response, read it out loud, and then delete it. I have desperately wanted to get into the fray on a number of occasions. But I cannot name one instance where it would have created a positive outcome (other than the short-term gratification that I spoke my mind, which leads to longer term regret).

The fray can be a tough place to avoid in social media. We’ve all seen nasty blog comments and as a blogger, I’m on the receiving end as well. One of my personal favorites: “Other than boring us with ‘social networking’ anecdotes, what are you good for? Nothing. Precisely.” I liken this to driving. Cars provide people with emotional armor that emboldens them to hurl insults and nasty gestures at other drivers. Would this happen if we were all standing next to each other?

Participating in the social media conversation means that you’re going to get some negative feedback, which can be hard to take. However, it’s part of being social. And the social universe requires the same measured response you would provide in the real world. We always tell clients not to say anything to the press that they would not like to see in tomorrow’s paper. The same is true for tweets, status updates, blog post comments and anything else in the public social sphere. If it’s publicly posted, it’s fair game.

I am not suggesting that we should stand by and passively agree with everyone we encounter. I am suggesting that a thoughtful discussion is the reason we enter into the social conversation, and we, as content creators have a responsibility to foster it. So how can you stay above the fray in social interactions on behalf of your corporate or personal brand?

Do:

Ignore spam. You will inevitably get blatant spam in your blog comments and even through Twitter. Take it as a compliment that someone (or some robot) deems you worthy enough to target: then delete them.
Respond to thoughtful comments. These will be evident. If someone has taken the time to consider your points, add to them or provide another point of view, acknowledge it and respond with your own perspective. This is the best of social media – it’s about creating these kinds of conversations.
Acknowledge differing points of view. Offer your own perspective and use it as an opportunity to bring forward more of your own content.
Look for other relevant conversations. Take the example above and find more. If you have something interesting to say, become a thoughtful commenter, Twitterer, etc.

Don’t:

Respond to negative missives. Don’t worry; you’ll be able to identify these without difficulty. They’re the ones that reek of road rage and offer nothing constructive to the conversation.
Get into a point-by-point debate. You will never win, and you will only leave the encounter angrier than you began it.
Discount a thoughtful comment. Even if someone only has 50 followers on Twitter, or is a student somewhere, it’s part of the deal. Conversation starters can come from anywhere, even @iamdiddy.

Words as Weapons

2011-01-10T14:22:00.002-05:00

As I watched the events unfold in Tuscon this weekend and hoped against all hopes that Representative Giffords would make it through, I came across this article in The New York Times by Matt Bai: A Turning Point in the Discourse, but in Which Direction?

Bai noted that a number of politicians had begun removing pages from their Web sites, pages that contained powerful rhetoric that could be associated with some sort of militant response to politicians on the other side of the aisle. My post is not about politics, so I will leave those details out, but I encourage you to read Bai’s piece, and many of the other thoughtful articles that have followed (just do a quick Google search on “Giffords and political rhetoric”).

This kind of article is a reminder for communicators whose job is focused on elevating conversations and points of view above the din. The din is a powerful obstacle, and as I have noted here in the past, controversy almost always leads to interest. There is an appropriate role for controversy in many kinds of industry conversations. However, frequently the most extreme points of view garner the most attention simply because they are extreme.

Controversy and differing points of view are powerful tools, particularly when you are competing against millions of voices in social media. And they can be a great tools, when used properly. We live in an age where “news” is defined by an amalgamation of professional and “citizen” journalists. This means that depending on what you are reading, fact checking does not always happen. Consumers must be more cautious about which sources they trust.

While reporters like Bai will continue doing his research and writing thoughtful, balanced stories, there are lots of other outlets that exist solely to advance an agenda. As communicators increasingly become creators of original content that promotes our clients’ points of view, we have the responsibility to balance the need for visibility with the need for accountability and responsibility. We need to push ourselves to take the hard route to getting out the right message in the right way.

Quora: distraction or deliverance?

2011-01-06T13:57:00.003-05:00

Contributed by Samantha McGarry

As a communicator, Quora pushes all my buttons -- in a good way. But folks, let’s get serious. Let’s get over ourselves. Let’s stop trying to be cool and popular, let’s put on our business heads and focus on value and effort. Amid all this Quora buzz (and there have been several interesting articles written in recent days,) the following questions leap out at me. I don’t have the answers; I’m not sure anyone does yet. But it behooves us to think about this stuff before we jump on the bandwagon.

How do I manage another social site? I could spend hours on Quora but, seriously, I have a long, long to-do list to get to.
How do I best use it to complement what I’m already doing for clients on Twitter, LinkedIn, SlideShare, …etc.?
Show me the APIs! If Quora is going to stick around, I’m going to need it to talk to my social media monitoring and measurement systems.
Other than we cool PR/social media/ IT peeps, who else is using Quora? Aren’t we just all talking to ourselves right now? Or is there a serious B2B or B2C audience?
Should I be recommending that clients participate to share content and build thought leadership?
Is it a viable lead gen or referring traffic source for inbound marketing?
Is it influencing attitudes and buying decisions?

Ultimately, Quora feels like another interesting model for finding and sharing information and answers, engaging with quality people, and for distributing and linking to valuable content. But I also think we need to slow down and assess its viability – or we’ll be spending all our time in Quora-land and not enough time focusing on what really matters as PR professionals: delivering value and results.

Finding Quality Interactions on Twitter – Lose the Auto DM!

2011-01-05T10:02:00.000-05:00

What is the benefit of an auto-DM on Twitter? Practically speaking, I suppose it’s great. Automated responses reduce the time that you have to spend personally acknowledging new followers.

Sure, sending an auto-DM after someone follows you might sound like a good way to begin a Twitter relationship, but the more I receive, the more I feel like unfollowing the person (or company) sending it to me. It feels canned and makes me wonder if a real person actually manages that handle.

Conventional wisdom tells us to follow everyone who follows you on Twitter, and I believe in that principle for quality followers. Increasingly, the followers who auto DM me after I follow tend to be people or companies that appear to simply be trying to secure large numbers of followers, and therefore, just don’t have time to respond to every inquiry personally.

If you have 54,321 followers, that is probably true. And it only begs the question – with that many followers, is it possible to keep up and interact in a meaningful way with all of your followers? Are they even followers who matter? If you’re @MarthaStewart, the answer might be yes, but for most of us who don’t make the news for snapping a photo of our new handbags (see below), it’s just not the case. I should note that Martha actually does handle many of her tweets personally (and dictates many others to an assistant).

Twitter, at its most basic, is a platform that facilitates conversations. It’s one of the only social tools that enables you to become part of a broader conversation among people you know, and people you don’t. But the only way to do this is to be present in that conversation.

Gawker’s Wisdom of Drawing a Crowd

2011-01-03T14:42:00.000-05:00

Contributed by Beth Monaghan

This morning NPR aired a piece by Jesse Baker titled, “Gawker Wants To Offer More Than Snark, Gossip,” on Nick Denton and Gawker Media. It was sparked by Denton’s redesign plans that will include more in-depth and analytical pieces to draw in upscale readers and advertisers.

Denton said, “I would like to show the full range of content, from scurrilous and sensationalist through to beautiful and uplifting. Because People can’t live on snark and viscous gossip alone.” This is an interesting development for a media brand that’s built its name by breaking news quickly (news that is often characterized as gossip).

Gawker’s success is indicative of today’s news culture. People gravitate toward sparks of news (irresistible headlines), and these sparks tend to be more of the sensational and less of the heartwarming.

The media industry has become somewhat of a Wild West since blogs have ignited a culture of round-the-clock news with a priority on bragging rights for breaking it first. In turn, consumers read hundreds of headlines each day through Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds, you name it. This has fueled a competition for eyeballs – we want more Twitter followers, more likes on Facebook, more followers for our blogs, etc.

But just because you have my attention does not mean that you will retain it. These sparks of controversy draw people in, but what makes them stay (and come back) is a point of view grounded in thoughtfulness – and of course relevance.

For PR and social media professionals, this is an important difference. The hunger for content has been a boon for many corporate thought leaders who are able to draw large audiences for their blogs, videos, infographics, etc. The trick is creating content that is compelling enough to attract visitors and thoughtful enough to engage them.

Although I am loath to advocate sensational journalism, it certainly has the corner on the interest (and eyeballs) market. We only have to look as far as Snooki and Tiger Woods to fully appreciate this principle. It will be interesting to see where this all goes. One thing is for certain – until we have better tools for filtering news, the battle for eyeballs will wage on – and controversy almost always wins.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

Check out the Great PR Blogs at Alltop

2010-12-23T10:44:00.000-05:00

We're very excited to have been accepted to Alltop. Check out the great PR content there at http://pr.alltop.com/, where you will also find a feed of InkLings@InkHouse.

A Holiday Ode to Hustle and Bustle

2010-12-22T16:42:00.000-05:00

We graced our new entryway just 12 months ago

It’s brought us new business, new faces and floods (yes floods)

It welcomes us each morning as we rush to see

What the nighttime has brought to respond to today

Long nights were spent waiting to see the big story

As we toiled away seeding great thoughts through social

We blogged, tweeted links, and liked all sort of things

While the “fan” took its place in the annals of “then”

Armed with our iPhones, Androids and iPads

We worked in the service of the almighty alert

To respond just this minute to the news of the day

Come new iPads, more Groupons, recession or M&A

We hustle and hurry to our holiday retreats

Looking forward to a few days without all that bustle

Silence mobile phones, IMs, Skype and email

We’re off to rest up so we can do it again

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-22T15:31:00.000-05:00

Andy Rooney said that “The best Christmas trees come very close to exceeding nature.” I think ours comes pretty close.

10 Words We Can Retire in 2011

2010-12-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

Words, when wielded effectively, can carry great power. But that’s for another post. As we near the end of 2010, I’ve compiled a list of words that have simply lost their meaning from overuse. Many of these are perfectly good words that just need a time out.

The age of social media has placed an emphasis on easily digestible content and PR has followed by simplifying messaging and press releases accordingly. While Woody Guthrie was talking about music when he said this, we should think about it in the context of how we communicate as marketers:

“Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple.”

In honor of simplicity, I asked the InkHouse team to send me their lists of words that we should retire after 2010. Most of these fall into the category of overuse in marketing materials, but we threw in a few pop culture terms for fun.

Best-in-breed and leading-edge
Leading provider
Next generation and revolutionary
Disruptive
2.0
Robust
Cost-effective
Paradigm shift
Rock or rocking, as in “to wear”
Fashionista, maxinista, frugalista, bargainista. Need I say more?

As we sit back and toast to 2011, let’s pull out our thesauruses and think about some new analogies. At InkHouse, we plan to revolutionize communications by providing next-generation PR 2.0 services based on disruptive, best-in-breed social media tools so we can facilitate a paradigm shift for our clients. Meanwhile, being a fashionista and a bargainista, I’ll be rocking some new designer jeggings I scored down at the Basement.

What PR Can Learn from the Tea Party

2010-12-13T08:18:00.000-05:00

Contributed by Beth Monaghan

There is a lot we can learn from the Tea Party outside of election politics, but I will come back to this in a few paragraphs. A few months ago, I was honored when Business Insider asked me contribute posts from blog. A number of my posts have been syndicated now and one thing is true for all of them – my headlines always get changed. I don’t mind because as a PR person, I appreciate the value of a good headline. Inevitably, theirs are a bit more sensational and I believe that they have helped me get more readers than I would have otherwise. I’ll give you one example:

· Mine: “Make Hay While the Sun Shines”

· Business Insider’s: “10 Lessons I’ve Learned Since Quitting My Paying Job”

I’ve written here before on the topic of creative and compelling headlines and believe strongly in their value. As Twitter becomes a veritable news aggregator for many of us, the importance of headlines has never been greater. Recently, @MrMediaTraining (Brad Phillips of Phillips Media Relations) tweeted this: “Why You Should Never Return a Reporter's Call By His/Her Deadline.” I immediately clicked on it because it sounded like bad advice. However, after reading the post I learned that he was advocating for spokespeople to call reporters back well before their deadlines so that they could play a part in shaping the story. Great advice and great headline – it worked.

This got me thinking about the nature of news consumption. In an age of 140 characters, smartphones, iPads and RSS feeds, have headlines begun to skew our perspectives on what is news? And on what is important and pervasive? You might read 100 headlines for every two the three full-length articles.

During this past mid-term election, I could not get away from coverage about the Tea Party (no one could), but was the news coverage proportionate to the party’s prominence? I cannot imagine it was. In a November 3 article, Brian Stelter of The New York Times wrote, “The rapid rise of the Tea Party also gave networks an overarching theme for election night coverage. Television oftentimes favors colorful characters over substantive issues, and thanks in no small part to the conservative movement, a new cast filled TV screens and Web sites on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.”

The Tea Party just understood a fundamental PR principle – controversy breeds interest. This is an important lesson for companies looking to raise their visibility. To rise above the din, you must say something contrarian, controversial or extraordinarily interesting. Controversy is certainly not the proper path for every company, but an exercise in identifying the things that make you different in ways that actually matter is critical if you want your target audiences to pay attention.

Conversation with Scott Kirsner, Part 2: Is the press release dead?

2010-12-08T15:25:00.001-05:00

Contributed by Beth Monaghan

In part two of my series following a conversation with Scott Kirsner, the Innovation Economy columnist and blogger for the Boston Globe and Ross Levanto, SVP at Schwartz Communications, we talk about the future of the press release. Last week Ross posted a piece of that conversation about targeting your audience, which I encourage you to read.

The topic of the fate of the press release comes up often, most frequently from those who have embraced social media and view it as a relic from the past. Many of these entrepreneurs, CEOs and marketers are looking to use their blogs as the mouthpiece for their news.

Scott said that he comes across younger, more entrepreneurial companies that think they are old school. He said, “They’ll announce interesting things on their blogs and via Twitter, which is great because you feel like that stuff is coming off the CEO’s cuff, but I do wonder about breaking news via your blog or Twitter feed that you may have been able to get the Globe, the Economist or Wall Street Journal to write about.”

The latter point is a critical one. If you are Twitter or Facebook, yes, you can announce news on your blog and everyone will see it. But if you are a startup, it is not enough. If you build it, they might not necessarily come until you convince them it will be worthwhile. You should absolutely use Twitter, your blog and other social outlets to push out your news, but they should be part of a broader strategy to disseminate it to the right audiences through the right channels. While we in the technology community live and breath social media, not all of your customers (business or consumer) do.

So where does that leave the press release? It’s never been more important and should be used as one of a number of tools for a news announcement. Consider that:

· Many bloggers simply repackage press releases verbatim, which means that your message is getting out there in its truest form. This trend is on the rise as bloggers are under pressure to post news within minutes of it breaking.

· By issuing press release over wire services like PR Newswire, BusinessWire or MarketWire you are fueling SEO for your site, if you select your key words properly in your headlines.

· The press release remains an important tool for reporters at top tier outlets who need to evaluate the newsworthiness of a topic before they decide to write a story. This negotiating process almost always happens before the news has been published because it ensures that the news is not stale. Posting it on your blog instantly makes it old news.

As far as the future of the press release and breaking news via social media, this exchange between Ross and Scott was particularly informative:

· Ross: Do you think we’re moving toward some sort of reality where breaking news is aggregated from a mess of Twitter feeds looking for specific tags and then your roles is to identify trends and look at the bigger picture?

· Scott: Maybe, but there is still a role for good old-fashioned reporting. We’re here at the Charles Hotel and virtually every time I have breakfast here, there’s some bit of news I get by chatting with someone I run into. Since General Catalyst is here, I just got a tip a week or two ago that they are moving some people out to Palo Alto and opening and office. That wasn’t something that came through a Twitter feed.

My takeaway? Social media provides an amazing complement to public relations initiatives. While we should certainly adapt traditional practices (as we’ve seen with emergence of the “social media press release”), they still serve an important purpose for communicating news to reporters like Scott, and to bloggers who use them as fodder for their own posts.

Listen to audio from this portion of the conversation here (thanks to Scott Montminy for the editing):

Scott Kirsner also posted the entire audio file from our chat here: http://innoeco.com/MP3/PRchat.mp3

Transmedia Lessons from the Catholic Church

2010-12-06T10:28:00.005-05:00

Contributed by GregPC

I’ve been fortunate. For a few years I worked in Kendall Square and often found my way over to MIT for various events – mostly the MIT Communications Forum. In the course of these visits I got to hear Henry Jenkins discuss the idea of transmedia – that is various content types and channels being used to share elements of a narrative that strengthen and support the overall story. If you consume one channel you’ll get part of the picture but the more channels that are tapped into the richer the experience and the closer one is drawn to the core story.

Transmedia has started getting more attention recently. Steve Rubel did a post on it and the Producer's Guilde of America has added Transmedia Producer as a new job title. But questions remain as to what exactly transmedia is and who's doing it well.

There are lots of examples of transmedia – MIT did a forum on Heros that discussed its transmedia efforts. Most of the examples I’ve seen are of media or entertainment brands – but I don’t think any of them are really nailing it like the example I have in mind. My winner for best transmedia storytelling has been at it for longer than anyone else, it’s reached more people than anyone else has and it’s used more channels than anyone I can think of. The organization I have in mind is the Catholic Church.

Think about it. There is a core story line that is expressed in text. But from that text have emerged dozens of expressions in different media – and all of them have been designed (or at least intended) to expose part of the core story and to make it accessible to different audiences.

Let’s look at just a few examples – and how communicators can put the lessons to work (of course not all of them apply . . . ):

Architecture – think of the cathedrals – with their design to inspire awe in visitors, the statuary intended to illustrate stories andintroduce characters from the core narrative (and also from local lore).

This isn’t something that’s easily done from a communications perspective, but we should be looking at ALL of our assets. What do the structures say about an organization? Are they sterile corporate spaces or do they help present a personality? How can that personality be communicated? Do images do justice, does a site tour video and does an explanation of why a space matters? These are all ways space can beused to help tell a story.

Stained glass – which are obviously part of the cathedral – serve again to illustrate stories to what was often at the time of their creation a non-literate population.

There’s been a growth in popularity in using images and infographics to help tell or support complex stories. This one is easily done and should be a part of any rich communications program.

Literature – there have been thousands of works that have used religious themes, topics, characters and events. In some cases these have supported the central narrative, in some cases they have merely used them as fodder for story-telling and in others they have been crafted in opposition to the church – but in all cases they provide and opening and exposure to the core story.

I’ve worked with a number of clients in the past that have tried the whole book route. To me, unless you have a proven commodity and a lot of time, books are a crazy idea. Writing is something else though and there are so many ways to get text-based content out there. What happens too often though is that people limit themselves to pretty staid formats. The blog post, the white paper, the tweet . . . nothing wrong with any of them; but why not the poem, the greeting card, the joke? I’m not suggesting that alternative writing always makes sense but it could sometimes . . .

Technology – the fact that the first printed book in the West was the Bible says something about the place of that narrative in the lives of those creating media. The church has – for better or worse – been willing to adopt (or demonize) media depending on how well (or poorly) it supports transmitting the core narrative.

There’s really not much to say here. Pretty much every communications person I know has figured this one out. Just don’t get too married to any platform.

Images – when it comes to visual content, Biblical characters and stories have been some of the most represented in Western art. Some of these were actively encouraged while others were strictly user-generated. In either case images have long and successfully served to help spread and make the core narrative more accessible.

This is another area where more could be done. Still photography is too often overlooked or given short shrift. Poor tagging, unidentified individuals, repeated shots, etc. all make for boring viewing. Now on video organizations are starting to get thehang of it and that’s great. What’s even cooler is the growing volume of user-generated content that’s being embraced – and rewarded.

Drama – dramatic interpretations of Biblical events have a long history – from Passion Plays to Christmas Pageants – these have been performed thousands of times all over the world.

You know I would love to see more companies use drama. How and why are open questions but there are some fun possibilities. Of course a handful of organizations are using drama through video and that’s a step in the right direction.

Music – liturgical music and music with religious themes have been around for millennia and have ranged from psalms to operas to popular music.

Music is tricky. It either comes across as a jingle or a spoof. Maybe we’re too jaded for songs to explain ideas? Maybe there really isn’t a place for music in business communication?

Location-based Experiences – the number of shrines/churches and suggested pilgrimages have long provided an opportunity for ordinary landscapes to be cooped and used for religious purposes.

There are very cool things happening here. And here and here. People are starting to connect the dots to help tell a story. Scvngr’s treks and challenges are good examples of tools for building location-centricexperiences and since they’re so simple to use there are lots of people taking advantage of them.

These are just a few examples of the channels that the Catholic Church has used (or which have been used by others) to convey and support and extend that core textual narrative. One could be exposed to any one of them and would have some sense of the larger story – but the more one is exposed to the deeper and more engaging that experience becomes. That is the idea and goal of transmedia storytelling.

What sets the Catholic Church apart is the fact that it has a centralized authority that oversees messaging. Few other faiths (or frankly organizations of any kind) can claim so long a history with so clear a lineage. This has resulted in an orthodoxy that has kept the story contained and focused for a very long time. This stability and longevity have allowed rules and understandings to emerge that have permitted the core narrative to be interpreted and transmitted in many ways without compromising the overall story. This whole thing is something I’ve been thinking about casually for a while. Does transmedia make sense to people at all? Does this example help illustrate the idea of transmedia? Are there other – better examples – that make more sense? Can’t wait to hear what others have to say.

How to Get the Attention of Broadcast Producers – A Lesson from a Seal Proposal

2010-12-02T17:43:00.003-05:00

Contributed by Ericka Stachura

I was watching the local news yesterday and saw a bizarre story that made me think 1) it must have been a really slow news day in Boston and 2) what is it about this story that made it worthy of two minutes of TV coverage? The segment featured a couple who got engaged at the New England Aquarium with the help of a ring-bearing seal. We are in the business of pitching hard news to TV producers on a regular basis so when a fluff piece shows up, it serves as a good reminder of what ultimately gets the attention of the assignment desks. After watching the segment back a few times, here is my best guess at how this story made it into the lineup.

The Cute Factor. Let’s face it – seals are cute. Even if the news producer doesn’t think so, I am willing to bet about 90 percent of their viewers think seals are cute and will watch any segment that shows their fuzzy little faces. Add a love story about a camera-friendly couple getting engaged and you just upped the cute factor by about a hundred.

Visuals. The story had video from the actual engagement – from the seal swimming over with the (dummy) ring… to the guy on bended knee… to the bride-to-be’s reaction. The story would not have worked without it. The station then sent a camera to the couple’s home for an interview about what happened to round out the story and give the viewer the inside scoop.

Timeliness. Sure the couple became engaged earlier that day, but many more couples will be getting engaged over the holiday season. This adds newsworthiness to the topic of engagements/weddings and makes the segment more relatable to viewers.

Luck? Even the best story pitches need a little bit of luck. If a camera wasn’t available to go interview the couple that afternoon, the story probably never would have happened. If it wasn’t a slow news day, the camera would not have been available. A slow news day is a rare event and any PR person that gets one on a day he or she is pitching news is lucky.

So what does this mean for businesses trying to get in front of the TV cameras? While you can’t always control what other news you are competing with, you can give yourself a leg up by doing your due diligence and thinking like a producer. Here are some do’s and don’ts to consider when pitching the assignment desks:

Don’t hold an event on the same day a bigger news event is scheduled (e.g. if you are a tech company, don’t make an announcement on the same day the newest iPhone is hitting shelves). Exception – if your news ties into the bigger news event and can add value to the story, piggy-backing on the bigger story may work.

Do assess the cute or cool factor of your story. Put yourself in the viewers’ shoes and imagine what you’d say after seeing the segment. If it doesn’t make an impression on you, the story isn’t there yet.

Don’t expect to get TV coverage without a great visual story. Think about what assets you have to offer a producer in terms of footage and tell them when you pitch. If your visuals can’t compete with a ring-bearing seal, keep digging!

A cute headline never hurts for TV either. So, what do you think “SEALed the Deal” for this story?

PR Parenting

2010-12-02T09:38:00.004-05:00

Contributed by Samantha McGarry

This year didn’t go exactly as I had planned. An unexpected career ‘hiatus’ forced me to examine my skills, my strengths and career goals. Thankfully, it also gave me more time to spend with my children. As I played, laughed, negotiated, yelled, organized, cleaned and gritted my teeth, it dawned on me how much a career in PR is excellent training for parenthood. If you entered a career in PR because you loved communications, marketing, social media and so on, you probably didn’t realize you were getting a two-fer. There are, in fact, so many correlations between PR skills and parenting; it’s a wonder that agencies don’t offer parenting classes.

Here are a few of my observations of the prerequisite skills required to excel at both:

Multi-tasking: PR folks have numerous balls in the air. Always. We are masters at simultaneously thinking, talking, writing, organizing and planning. This is perhaps the most essential skill transfer that helps us parents be efficient and productive – just watch how we can change a diaper, schedule a play date, do the laundry, avert a tantrum, clean up the toy room and make dinner, all at the same time.

Thick skin: Most PR professionals recognize that a thick skin shields our energizer-bunny spirits from the rejection of reporters, the red pen edits, or a client’s reaction to what we thought was a brilliant idea. In the world of parenting, you also quickly learn that your child’s rejection of your cooking is not personal. When they scream at you for turning off the TV or tell you they hate you for grounding them, you know it’s because you are actually doing something right. In both PR and parenting, having a thick skin, a sense of humor – and the occasional large glass of wine – help us keep our blood pressure down and to keep things in perspective.

Detail-oriented: We are detail fanatics. We obsess about the details. No typos allowed. Using the right font? Have we turned over every stone in the quest to place a client story? In parenting, there are admittedly some areas of our lives that become sloppy (have you seen the state of my living room?) but there are also many details to obsess about –developmental milestones, balanced diet, the contents of their birthday party goody bags, is the diaper bag well-stocked, are enough clean socks for the week ahead? The details of parenting can be overwhelming but a healthy obsession with them actually helps avoid meltdowns, delays and sticky situations.

Creativity/innovation: PR demands creativity and quick thinking. At Inkhouse, we pride ourselves on developing bright new ways to showcase our clients. Many a parent has called on these two skills to head-off potentially embarrassing or explosive situations that usually happen when the family is out in public, stuck in traffic or bickering at home.

Long days/short nights: Most PR types are workaholics. We put in a lot of hours. There is always more we can do to satisfy our clients’ insatiable appetite for media attention. If you can survive the demanding schedule of a PR agency, you can survive the first months of being a new parent or days stuck at home with bored or sick kids.

Clear, concise communications: We agonize over a headline. We strive to make complex messages straightforward, relevant and impactful. This could be one of the most useful skills to apply to parenting. Think: “go to bed,” “put that [sharp object, sibling, dirty diaper] down,” or “if you don’t eat your vegetables, then [insert appropriate outcome/threat.]

Who knew that our career choice would make us better parents? I’d love to hear from other “PR parents” about how you put your PR skills to use at home.

Feeling the Twitter Love

2010-12-01T13:07:00.002-05:00

OK, I admit it. I don’t tweet as much as I probably should. Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid Twitter user – following people and organizations I think are interesting, important or just fun. But actually tweeting what I am doing personally – well, sometimes I find myself at a loss. I love Twitter – getting breaking news fast, hearing people’s reactions quickly, and obviously I use it for my clients a lot -- just not for personal tweeting (at least not frequently).

But this week I did tweet a couple of gripes I had. One was with Comcast (I mean, who doesn’t have a gripe with Comcast?). I moved into my house a year ago and after completely flubbing the installation of my phone/Internet/cable for over a month, they still cannot get my call waiting working (yes, seriously). I have spent more than 8 hours on the phone with them on this issue and still nothing. The other day I missed an important call because of this issue so I tweeted it. Within minutes @comcastcares reached out to ask what they can do. Fingers crossed – maybe it will actually work!

Then earlier this week I went to order some framed artwork for Christmas from Gallery Direct. It said at the top of the site that all prints were 50% off; but between the time I ordered and the time I went to checkout (within the same session) the sale ended and my entire order was marked full priced. Was this fair? Honestly I don’t know for sure. It didn't seem like it to me. It annoyed me so I called their customer service (something I almost never do). The woman was insistent about it being appropriate and was actually rather rude. So I tweeted my gripe. Last night I received an incredibly gracious email from the manager – making me an even better offer than what I had initially and apologizing for my bad experience. I was totally impressed by this response and have suddenly transformed into a Gallery Direct (@gallerydirect) fan.

Would I have gotten these responses without Twitter? I don’t think so. In the case of Comcast, I think they are wisely using Twitter to help curtail a fairly horrid reputation for customer service. In the case of Gallery Direct, I now genuinely feel that the relatively small company cares about its customers and customer service. But if it had not been for Twitter, that manager may have never known about my bad customer experience.

So here’s to the power of Twitter! Now I am going to go tweet something positive about these companies. (That’s only fair, right?)

A Conversation with Scott Kirsner Part 1: Embargoes and Exclusives

2010-11-30T14:18:00.000-05:00

Last week Scott Kirsner, the Innovation Economy columnist and blogger for the Boston Globe, Ross Levanto, SVP at Schwartz Communications, and I sat down to discuss embargoes, exclusives, TechCrunch, social media, entrepreneurs doing their own PR, and other “under the covers” issues related to PR and the media.

This is the first of four posts that will come out of that conversation. We started with the hotly debated embargo issue, which has received more than its fair share of attention over the past few years in the wake of high-profile policies against embargoes such as Michael Arrington’s back in 2008. This summer we blogged about the issue when a major news daily “accidentally” broke a story on a piece of client news.

Scott posted his perspective in June where he included advice for how he handles embargoes (he is rarely interested) and outlined what he is interested in covering: “On the blog, I'm mainly focusing on trying to cover company formations, financings, important product launches, big-name new hires (and firings), shut-downs, and the like first.”

Embargoes and exclusives are designed to foster more in-depth stories. If we, as PR people, offer a reporter or blogger a story a few days in advance, he or she has time to do interviews, check their own sources and demo new products before the official press release hits the wires. This all sounds like a great idea – and it usually is – until one side of the agreement breaks down. Following is a recap of our conversation on the topic (edited for brevity and clarity), as well as actual audio clips.

Ross: The embargo is the biggest “gentlemen’s handshake” in the media relations business…It basically says that “I have news that I think you’ll be interested in, but because there is a group of individuals who might be interested, I am asking you to hold it until a specific date.” From a public relations standpoint, it’s primarily meant to be a tool that gives fair access to a large number of reporters.

Scott: Do you find some people saying I don’t want the story if 28 others people are also going to have it Monday at 9 a.m.?

Beth: Yes, we do. We find some outlets that just don’t do embargoes anymore. They want it exclusively or they just want the press release when it goes over the wire.

Ross: I personally have not had reporters who have said, “I’m not going to cover it because a lot of other people are covering it.” I would say that the PR side of the handshake, for which there is abuse, is that we have to be realistic about the stories that are legitimately newsworthy, and not use the embargo as a tool to make something seem more important than it is.

Scott: I have not said, “No, I don’t do anything under embargo.” But I do want to know who else is going to be covering it. Is that a fair question?... My resources are very limited and I don’t necessarily want to cover something if 58 other people are going to be covering it. I’d rather tweet the link.

Beth: Yes, it’s a very fair question…The challenge is whether you do or not do an embargo. We think about who is the audience for this news? And which publications or blogs will be interested? Does it make sense to give it exclusively to say, TechCrunch, who officially does not honor embargoes, although some of their bloggers do? Or do we want to go wide with it because we think it is a big enough story that everyone will cover it?

Click to hear more from our conversation about embargoes:

Ross: Outside of the embargo debate, I try to avoid exclusives. There is tremendous value of a pitch that is targeted.

Scott: Wouldn’t you do an exclusive if there’s some new company that has a brain implant that can help you win at poker. You would go to Wired and say this is an awesome Wired cover story and we want to give it to you as an exclusive.

Ross: Just to play devil’s advocate. Let’s say there was a story like that and I made the recommendation to go after a competitor to you. There’s the risk that you, deservedly so, would be upset at the PR firm for offering the exclusive to your competitor. We run into this all of the time.

Beth: There are two kinds of exclusives. It comes down to the outlets that will do more thoughtful, thorough reporting and the ones that are strictly news driven. There’s a purpose for both.

Scott: Are you different from Ross – do you feel differently about exclusives?

Beth: For startups, exclusives can be good tools because they give you the opportunity to work with one outlet on a more thoughtful piece. On the other end of the spectrum, if you have a financing announcement that is a significant round, you’ll probably get pretty good coverage on it, so we would not do an exclusive in that case.

Scott: I’d advise that if you’re in the sub-$10 million range of financing, you might want to do an exclusive then because the Wall Street Journal is not going to cover that. You might want to say to a particular blog in your industry that you want them to have the exclusive.

Blaze Software, which is a recent Common Angels deal with guys who had been at Watchfire and IBM, was an interesting story for me to have exclusively even though it was $1.1 million in financing. There was a cool story about what always happens who someone gets acquired, which is “for my next trick, here’s what I’m going to do.”

Click to hear more from our conversation about exclusives:

Scott: What do you do if a reporter breaks an embargo? Is there ever any reciprocity? Is there an angry phone call?

Beth: It hasn’t happened a ton, but most of the time it has been a mistake….We’ve frequently been able to get it taken it down, but if we can’t, we’ll call every other reporter who honored the embargo and tell them to go ahead and post. It’s awful though. It’s awful for us; it’s awful for you.

Ross: I would love to know what the impact of that [broken embargo] really is. Today, we’re hyper-cognizant of time, to the second. But what would be the long-term impact if a story went out 20 or 30 minutes before someone else’s?

Scott: The long-term impact is nothing except that your report card improves with the more stories you have first.

Click to hear more from our conversation about broken embargoes:

Later in our conversation, we talked about a related topic to the exclusive issue. Frequently, Scott will take time to meet with an entrepreneur with the assumption that he is the only one getting the scoop on whatever it is they have to tell him. It’s the same concept as an exclusive, with much looser parameters. Scott equates it to the “boyfriend/girlfriend issue.” He said, “I’d like to know who else you are dating, or who you were out with last night.” Since he does fairly in-depth pieces, it is a waste of his time if he spends a few hours with a CEO only to go back to the office and see a story from another outlet on the exact same topic. He added, “That’s almost never done by PR agencies, and more by entrepreneurs who just think they’re being clever.”

Next week, come back for the next installment where we will discuss the fantasy of many entrepreneurs to be covered by TechCrunch and how to properly target the right reporters and media outlets.

Counting our Blessings

2010-11-23T15:29:00.000-05:00

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece the nature and science of gratitude. Not surprisingly, people who are more thankful are also happier in general. Initially, I sat down to write a post about all the things we can collectively appreciate here at InkHouse – more employees, more clients and a new office space in 2010. But then I sent an email to everyone at InkHouse asking them to share their personal lists. Their responses made me laugh and cry so I’ve posted them below verbatim – they’re better than anything I can write.

Meg:

· Thankful that I am actually living my dream of having my own agency and a family -- without feeling compromised in either camp (which leads me to my next thankful item)

· For a business partner who supports me personally and professionally, and who without, InkHouse would not be possible

· For clients like Nuance, Raytheon, and several others who could choose to partner with any the largest agencies in the US, yet choose us. They believe in us, we are grateful for that and work hard to earn it

· For great clients like AdMeld, Coveo, KickApps, 5Min, Demandware, and other young companies that bet on us to help them make their mark on the world. We are fortunate to work with you

· For an amazing staff that is comprised of some of the smartest, most talented and funniest people I have ever met. If you have not met them, you are missing out

· For a husband and two daughters who make every day worth living

Christina:

· The basics, being able to spend time with family and friends, good office mates and my health

Elena:

· A friendly work environment and being part of this inspiring, knowledgeable and supportive team

· My family and friends…and for not having to take the train in the morning (as I work outside the city now)

Ericka:

· My dog whose optimism inspires me every day. He can’t run up a tree to catch a squirrel but gosh darn it, he still tries every time

Greg:

· The fact that I have a place to go at the end of the day where I'm warmly welcomed

· Good friends met in strange ways

· Fantastic faces

· Delicious beer - Dogfish 60 FTW!

· Awesome video games

Jen:

· The unconditional love my 4-year old son gives me

· Having a job in an economy where many people do not

· Being able to put food on the table and presents under the tree this year!

Jim:

· I’m thankful for Tyler Seguin

Leslie:

· An exciting new job!

· The health of my family

· Taste buds to enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving feast

· Internet, salt and duct tape—without them, the world just wouldn’t be the same

Linda:

· My big family, great friends and hysterical co-workers

· My iPhone

· Joanne Chang’s homemade pop tart recipe

Lisa:

· Amazing mentors, inside and outside of the office

Michelle:

· Having phenomenally supportive, loving and hilariously entertaining friends and family to spend time with…and cranberry sauce

Samantha

· How we work hard here but never lose our sense of humor

· Any food with pumpkin as its main ingredient

· The smell of Elena’s mango hand cream

Scott:

· A great job and an inviting work environment with colleagues who get it

· A firm that encourages creativity instead of stifling it: at InkHouse, clever ideas actually make it from the conference room to execution—and those ideas come from ANY and all of us.

· Growing family. As my family's older members become cherished memories, my greatest consolation is growing the next generation and creating new memories :)

· Dark meat — you can keep the cranberry sauce and white meat, pass me a leg, some potatoes and gravy—and ok, maybe a little stuffing and carrots.

· The Internet—how dreary would life without be without Google and free access to online media content. I still remember the days of forgetting (for example) an actor's name, and hoping you'd run into someone you knew who might have the answer—it could drive you crazy for days before you ran into someone who knew what the heck you were talking about…Now we can just Google up a serving of instant gratification as needed.

As for me, I am grateful for this team of smart, creative and amazing people who make me look forward to coming into the office each day. I have a wonderful family – a daughter who help me enjoy every minute, a husband who reminds me who I am, parents who helped me believe in possibility, and a brother and sister who inspire me. InkHouse has given me so many amazing things, most of which is my business partner, Meg, who makes my ideas better, stands beside me, and shares the journey.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Good and Bad of NOW

2010-11-17T17:10:00.000-05:00

Entourage’s Ari Gold (on family night): “I’m here, I’m present, I’m suffering.

No phone, Blackberries or carrier pigeons.”

A few things happened over the past week that have gotten me focused on the importance of immediacy. First, New Hampshire announced plans to crack down on its ban on texting while driving – reminding me of how addicted we all are to the ding of a text notification. Second, I read Om Malik’s post on “Perpetual Nowness.” He is suggesting that we are constantly seeking the next thing and “suffer from a collective cultural amnesia about what happened five minutes ago.”

Naturally, this got me thinking about PR and the state of news media. Public relations has always been fast-paced and social media has only amped it up. It’s also the same for bloggers who are under intense pressure to be the first to break a story, even if it comes out at 1 a.m. We’re all nagged by the constant urge to check the text/IM/email/Facebook/Twitter notification we just heard beep in the background. But is all of this “nowness” helping us or hindering us?

Working in PR requires an insane attention to detail and the ability to do 10 things at once. This is my nature and I embrace it because it makes me good at my job. If you’ve met me, you know I’m not a very Zen kind of person. I’m type A. But the call of now from all of my devices and alerts has given me pause to consider whether it’s making me a better PR professional or just a more manic one.

As it turns out, my 22-month old had the answer. She’s been working very hard at teaching me how to be here, now. As all parents know, it’s pretty close to impossible to think about anything else when you’re in the midst of a meltdown over which pair of shoes your toddler is going to wear to the park. But in all seriousness, I get small slices of each weekday to see her, so I made a decision that during those periods, I would sign off. Cue the panic alarms!

Miraculously, my experiment is working. I am not missing anything, I’m coming up with better ideas for work, and am finding more moments to enjoy with my family. It turns out that “here and now” is more than a Letters to Cleo song. So cheers to the here and now, but please, don’t make me respond to every message within the minute. I’m silencing my notifications, pledging NOT to check messages in the park and banning email from meetings! Wish me luck.

The Currency of Content

2010-10-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

The notion of “content” has taken on new meaning in the age of social media. Public relations used to be limited in many people’s minds to media relations. But today, social media has given us all a platform for becoming part of broader conversations and creating dialogues that previously were not possible. In fact, the contribution of interesting content has become a virtual currency to broader recognition today.

This requires communications professionals to consider content in a different light. It’s not a 180-degree turn though, it’s a slight skewing of the angle. After all, content creation has always been the job of PR – a press release is actually supposed to be written just like a news story so that it can easily be repackaged as one. Ironically, those guidelines were developed (and proliferated through the AP Style guide) many years ago, but they are more important today than ever as bloggers simply repackage press releases as news stories.

Before the advent of real-time communications and social media, PR’s job was also to be a conduit for expert’s perspectives on the news to the reporters who cared about them. We had to identify issues of relevance and connect the experts to the masses. These same principles apply today as we look to help our clients create the content so critical to their visibility with target customers and partners. What’s changed is the pace and the channel – virtually anyone can connect with key influencers on social media.

So what does it take to break through all of this conversation? We tell our clients that they should still broadcast their messages when it’s appropriate, but that they must also contribute to the dialogue and join the conversations that matter in their industries. Remember though, that contributing does not mean posting your press releases on your blog. You need to add something useful – a perspective, data, case study, video – anything that adds context, background or interest.

The good news is that this content does not have to be created from scratch – it can be found within virtually any organization. Here is where you can start to look:

1. Mine your data. What data do you have internally that could reveal something no one else knows about your industry? One year, we worked with a mobile voice recognition company and we asked them to look at the top 10 most common voice-powered Web searches. We didn’t know what we’d find, but the results showed that on mobile, people search for destinations such as “Facebook.com.” When we looked at Google’s most popular desktop search terms, we saw a big difference. On the desktop, people search for topics such as “Michael Jackson.” We wrote a press release and got a bunch of coverage during the slow week between Christmas and New Year’s.

2. Read the news. Do your executives have an opinion about what is going on in the news? If so, get it out there on your blog, through Twitter and directly to reporters who are covering the topic. Just make sure your executive has the background to make him or her an expert. And if that fails, make sure they have something controversial to say – controversy almost always breeds interest.

3. Listen to your customers. What trends are taking place within your customers’ organizations? One of our clients offers disaster recovery and business continuity software and after hurricane Katrina, we discovered a number of customers who had used the software, and also had amazing stories about how they helped their businesses continue operations in the midst of the terrible disaster. We pulled these stories together into advice for other companies as they prepare their corporate disaster recovery plans.

Once you find this content, the next job is packaging it and timing it appropriately to make an impact (see our post on how to blow a press release). This topic could fill a number of additional blog posts, but the key to creating conversations is fostering a two-way dialogue. The starting point can be a press release, blog post, video, Tweet or Facebook status. It’s what you do with it afterward that creates the conversation.

Knowledge Sharing with the How-To Helper Video Series

2010-10-22T16:10:00.002-04:00

Locking a door, opening a bottle, carrying a box, sharpening a pencil, peeling a banana, taking a breath, blinking an eye, hearing a sound. These things may seem simple but don't be fooled! They can flummox even the best of us. Not to be judgmental but I'll bet you've had trouble with some of life's little chores yourself. Friends, your troubles are at an end! We at InkHouse have devised a new learning series that will help you and you and you and ALL of you cope with the stress and stuggles of every day life.

The "How-To Helper" series - featuring that affable know-it-all Scott Montminy - sheds light on untangling life's most vexing challenges. In our first video Scott changes the water filter in our refrigerator. Perhaps not something you need to do every day but you'll be glad you watched this video in case you ever do!

In our second video, Scott takes on a task we've all faced: carrying water into a room and placing it on a table. If you've ever worked at a restaurant, had a meal at home or participated in a meeting in an office you've seen water on a table. But maybe you're not sure how the water actually got there? After watching this video, not only will you understand HOW water gets onto a table but you'll even be able to place water on a table yourself!

These are only the first of the series. We hope you find them helpful. If there are specific topics you'd like to see explained please let us know. That's what we're there for - helping everyone make it through the day!

MassTLCL2 - 42 Ways to Get Buzz for your Venture

2010-10-14T13:30:00.003-04:00

Meg O'Leary from InkHouse participated in the MassTLCL2 unconference on Innovation today on a panel offering 42 ways to get buzz with Scott Kirsner, Adam Zand and Doug Banks. And here they are:

How can I get you to write about my company’? Doesn’t work. “Need some romance first”
Read Scott Kirsner’s blog post about how to get his attention.
There is triage involved in how you do it. Figure out what your objectives are—employees? Investors? Users?
For users, go to a consumer reporter or a producer where users may be.
Three quarters of the world “news” is “new.” Come back with something new. Product launches are good, product updates are not so much. Novelty, funding, new exec level appointments are important.
Meeting someone in person is much better than getting an email or a phone call.
Get your story together before you reach out. What is important about your company and how are you going to talk about it? You are the PR person – have brainstorming sessions to talk about how to pitch
Position yourself as part of a trend that’s happening – “this is how we relate to this trend.” It’s hard for reporters to write about companies that operate in a vacuum
Be able to get your story down in 30-60 seconds – “Clear, Concise, Compelling”
Admit who your competitors – you don’t want a reporter to pigeonhole you. Wrong: “Our only competitor is customer ignorance”
Messaging is an exercise in cutting back. Listen to other people and figure out which part of your message is important. What 1 or 2 things do you want people to know about? It’s a hard thing to do because it’s a personal passion.
Be able to answer “If you’re at a cocktail party and had to explain what you do to normal people, what would you say?”
Tweet as a human being and not as your company. Journalists want to follow people instead of a sanitized twitter account
Be careful pitching on Twitter. Some reporters don’t like it because it can be very generic and could be a blast
Follow hashtags
Video and animation can drive buzz – a product demo or screencast can be helpful. People will even embed your video. Be careful with videos that are too infomercial-like
Once people know what you do and who you are, you need to inform and build buzz at the same time. A simple video can be good for reporters
If you have a website with no phone number, it can be difficult for reporters to reach you. Don’t rely just on a contact form. Embed your phone number as an image if you’re worried about spammers
If you want something in print, you need to be aware of deadlines
Be quickly responsive to voicemail messages and emails
You can’t build buzz based just on news (deals, etc). You need a good story to get any traction. The stories need to be unique. Don’t rely on press releases
Have your customers do PR for you. They took a chance on you – have them pitch your product. This is easier for B2C than B2B. Customers aren’t just for case studies. Ask a customer “will you consider doing a virtual roundtable?” or other ideas. Make sure your product is good before you do this.
It’s not necessarily press that are going to give you all of your buzz. Twitter can be too ephemeral to be effective – 3 days later there’s no more buzz from it. Blogs have more staying power
Become an expert in a space instead of just “write about me, write about me”
Find influencers on Twitter
Be careful with “off the record” – it really doesn’t necessarily exist and there’s no standards amongst reporters
Press may not be relevant to your product getting customers, but it can be helpful for other things, like getting investors
Media relations and public relations are not synonymous. There’s more to launching then sending out a press release to a few people and hoping for the best
Be sincere and genuine in your communications with journalists, but be cognizant of the timing of your messaging. Reporters want to hear a non-coached legitimate answer instead of a sterilized answer that doesn’t tell them what you do
Be careful of overpublicizing before you’re ready for it. Make sure you build your business to the point where things are in order
People can get their perception of your company from your tweets, both negative and positive
Envision a headline first
Share numbers and the “nobody knows this part of our story”
VCs, investors, and service providers can do PR for you
Get photos of your product and team that are good enough to publish
Make sure you pick your shots and give people original content. Have an editorial calendar of what your news will be for the next 6 months
Press release wires – for a news release, you need to release it. The wire can help for SEO, but some of them don’t reach journalists. No need to release national with the way things are distributed. Check out pitchengine.com . Some reporters don’t look at press releases at all
Inside look – give reporters a look at what’s actually happening inside a company. “Come down to Disney and we’ll take you underground to see the way the rides actually work.”
Be ready to get negative coverage. Reporters are “not your outsourced marketing department”
Don’t be afraid to be fun. Be human and authentic
Tell the truth
It’s a dialogue, not a monologue

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

2010-10-12T17:34:00.001-04:00

When my now business partner convinced me to quit my job with a steady salary to begin our own business, I was excited, ambitious…..and didn’t know what I didn’t know. It’s been almost four years, we’re up to about 20 employees, and are lucky to count a good number of high profile startups, venture capitalists, and Fortune 500 companies as clients. We’ve learned some things: a lot of things. There’s no manual for starting, growing and running a business. And even if one existed, I’m certain I would have ignored it. The only lessons I learn well are the ones I learn the hard way. Here are 10 of the best lessons we’ve learned so far:

Hire every employee as if they were your first. You will scrutinize your first employee almost as much as you did your spouse. It’s a big step – someone will now be relying on you for a salary. That person must be able to share the load, contribute thoughtful ideas, and live up to your standards. Don’t ever lose sight of this. When you are a small and growing business, every single person matters, and you cannot afford to have dead weight. If you do, take Jack Welch’s advise and find out who it is and get a replacement immediately so you can stay focused on your core business.
Focus on your strengths. You probably got into business because you like your business, not because you’re good at accounting, payroll, benefits or building out new space. Know your skills, use them to their fullest, and find other experts to help you with the rest. Don’t let the administrative details distract you from your core business.
Be an expert. Why did you get into business in the first place? You probably have a unique point of view on how to do your particular business. Use that to your advantage. No one will hire you because you are the 10^thPR firm in town. They will hire you because you specialize in a technique or point of view on how to be successful.
Know when a client/customer is “worth the investment.” We all have them….those customers we take because they will get us to the next level. Maybe it would broaden your sector expertise, or is a brand name that will carry cache. There are certainly times when this makes absolute sense. And there are times when it could be the worst decision you ever made. For every business, the criteria that separate the good from the bad “investments” will be different. Identify yours, write them down, and live by them.
Don’t rest on your brand. Once you’ve established your brand with some homerun customers or campaigns, don’t rest easy. You are only as good as your last campaign, and unless you are a household name (and even if you are) you still need to treat every campaign or customer as if they were your first.
If you are the business, you have a problem. You will never grow the business if you are the only one who can get things done or to whom customers come for advice. Empower your employees.
Mentor. Get used to the idea that no employee will ever work as hard as you do, and don’t resent them for it. You own the business and at the end of the day, the buck stops with you. However, spend the time to mentor your staff. Give them the opportunity to grow and take charge. The first time you teach them how to do it, it will definitely take longer than if you did it yourself, but by the third time, perhaps you won’t be needed.
Stay nimble. Small businesses, like startups, can innovate more quickly than large enterprise organizations, so use that to your advantage. Stay aware of industry trends, learn new best practices and incorporate them into your offerings as fast as you possibly can.
Make hay while the sun shines. My business partner would always say this to me when we were overwhelmed with new business opportunities. She’s right. At InkHouse, we call those good problems. Find a way to take advantage of a big pipeline.
Go big or go home. This is what we say when we’re looking at an opportunity we’re not sure we can get. If you don’t go for it, you won’t win in. So prepare the best proposal you can, walk into the meeting and act like you own the room, don’t fuss with your clothes, and deliver that pitch like you’ve done it 100 times.

Why Ozzy Osbourne and Amnesty International Work Together

2010-10-08T15:07:00.004-04:00

If You Want Headlines, Write a Good Headline

I started out with a lofty ambition to identify the 10 best or worst press release headlines of the week. But a quick browse through some of this week’s releases on PR Newswire made that mission more difficult than I thought because there were very few standouts – good or bad.

However, two did catch my eye. This one was hard to ignore: Amnesty International and Ozzy Osbourne Salute 70th Anniversary of John Lennon's Birth With Exclusive Digital Release on iTunes Store. It’s the sheer unusualness of hearing Ozzy and Amnesty International in the same place that makes this work. Likewise, this one caught my eye because I’m not really sure what it means: World's Largest Social Media Conference to Include Exclusive Social Media Business Summit. Presumably the Social Media Conference will include some sort of content on the business of social media, so this doesn’t tell me more than I might have already guessed.

The typical press release headline is very predictable though. “XYZ launches new version of XYZ product” or “XYZ Company Wins XYZ Award.” Here are just a few from this week:

I like these because of their brevity, but unless a reporter is seeking out information about your company because you’re in a hot space (Boxee) or are a blue chip company (IBM), it’s tough to get noticed. For both of these headlines, I still don’t know why the announcements are important or what makes them unique.

Now let’s look at a few headlines from the top tech blogs this week:

Almost A Year After It Hit Android, Google Finally Adds Goggles To The iPhone (TechCrunch)
Yahoo Buys Dapper, Which Makes It Easy For Ad Buyers To Create And Track Online Ads (Silicon Alley Insider)

These both create a little bit of tension, while explaining the importance of what you are about to read. PR agencies are tasked with the daunting challenge of writing headlines that their clients will approve and the media will read and then write about. Frequently, these two goals are mutually exclusive, but I will leave that battle for my fearless colleagues and their own clients. Here are my two cents on the three things that make for a good headline (and thanks to Lisa Mokaba for #4 and #5):

Keep it short. Twitter has made us used to 140 characters and more importantly, to optimize your release for search engines, you need to get your keywords in up front. The rest simply don’t matter.
Controversy breeds interest. Find the tension in your story and lead with it. And if you don’t have controversy, Ozzy Osborne is always a good option. We did a campaign awhile back where the winner would get to eat Thanksgiving with him at his house. Let’s just say that TMZ posted it with an interesting graphic of Ozzy biting the head off of a bat over Thanksgiving dinner.
Highlight why this is important. Having a new product is not news on its own. How does it change the landscape of your industry? Is it the first of its kind? What will its impact be? Find the things that set your announcement apart. And if you don’t have them, maybe you should not be making an announcement.
Don’t make promises you can’t keep. To quote the Princess Bride, “I do not think that word means what you think it means.” One headline I read this morning announced an “unhackable system.” To me, that’s just asking for trouble. Same with “only,” and “first.” Make sure you’re really first, because math doesn’t lie.
Tell us how you really feel. Your company may be proudly announcing something, excited for someone to join the team or looking forward to the future. We know. That’s why you are putting out a press release. Tell us what it means, not how you feel.

Don’t make your headline an afterthought. They should be the centerpieces of your announcements. Make them interesting, informative or fun. At the very least, make them something. Happy writing!

No Cameras, No Recording Equipment, No Sense

2010-10-07T10:08:00.009-04:00

Last night I saw Gorillaz at the Agganis Arena at Boston University. The show was amazing. It's really easy to find really terrible examples of mixed media performances but when you see one that nails it . . . well, it's just an amazing thing to see. From the first song - which featured a video of Snoop Dogg on vocals to the last pounding encore Gorillaz wove sound and light and video into an intense narrative.

Even within each media type there were so many elements and styles and tones and textures that it could leave your head spinning. So given this commitment to flexibility and quality and creativity around content it was weird to see that old tag on my ticket "No Cameras, No Recording Equipment."

Now if that were actually enforced (or enforceable) I *might* be able to understand it. Sure, every artist (or production company or record label or venue) would like to have full creative control of the content they make or produce or distribute or present - but that isn't possible any more. Here's a shot of the crowd at Gorillaz:

There were dozens and dozens of people photographing and recording the show. Guess what though? Photographs/video/audio captured with an iPhone or point-and-click camera aren't great. Here's an example that's actually better than most:

Even though it's good for the genre, the quality isn't that good.

Here's another - this was was made with a proper HD video camera and the difference is evident. It's still not great but it's a step in the right direction:

Here's a third example that shows what can be done with two cameras and editing:

There are big differences in the quality and experience of the content in these three cases. It makes me wonder, "what's the logic behind the ban on recording?" Is it to protect the original content? to boost record sales? sell merch? fill clubs? Does the ban - or its unintended fallout (poor quality content) accomplish these things? I have no idea but am curious. For me personally, quality fan content makes me want to experience the band and its content for myself.

What about poorly produced fan-generated content? If anything, it may have a cooling effect on someone's desire to experience a performer. I think of it this way - the low quality content functions as a souvenir. It allows the producer to say "I was there" but rarely conveys much about the quality or experience of a performance. Of course the quality experience is exactly what you want to be conveyed. That's what builds and excites a fan base.

Encouraging fan-content is nothing new. The Grateful Dead managed to become pretty successful not in spite of fan recordings but in part because of fan recordings of their shows. Artists who include their fans in the process of creating a strong content-based community can and do thrive. The best way to create a strong content-based community is to allow fans to create strong content - NOT to force them to create sub-standard content with outmoded restrictions.

The idea of not just tolerating - but actively encouraging - content creation shouldn't be limited to artists. Virtually any brand can benefit from strong user-generated content. Some brands do this well, while others try to exercise control. Control is gone and has been for a while. People will say what they will say whether you want them to or not. The only control that can be exercised is how easy you make it for people to make quality content.

Aiding and encouraging content creation (and recognizing quality content) helps connect current fans/customers more tightly to the band/brand/movie/etc. It can also helps attract new fans (how many of you have checked out a band on YouTube based on a friends recommendation or because you've heard they're coming to town?).

By putting content restrictions in place all that happens is that poor quality content is produced. These restrictions squander the opportunity to build an engaged fan base, add additional content to multiple channels and reach new people. It's time for these types of restrictions to be lifted so more people can participate in a positive content experience.

What do you think? Do limits on content creation help or hurt?

Losing Friends and Fans on Facebook

2010-10-06T10:49:00.000-04:00

Time Magazine has an interesting piece out today on how to lose friends on Facebook. It’s based on a study done by the University of Denver, which finds that the things that annoy real friends are pretty much the same things that annoy virtual friends. I for one am tired of all of the Farmville updates that clog up my Facebook feed. Not surprisingly, people don’t like lots of political or religious comments – although I always enjoy a good debate!

This is a good reminder for companies who are seeking to build up their fan bases on Facebook as well. No one wants to hear about the 12^th product update today, and few care about your new Web site or the award you just won. While these are important things for your company and employees, it’s always good to use them sparingly.

A company’s social media presence should create space for conversations. There are certainly times for pushing out messages from your brand, but also look for places to seek interaction with your fans. And remember the power of humor. You want to give people a reason to come back to your page once they leave. If they are entertained, the odds of a return visit are much greater.

InkHouse Exec Catches Office Record Number of Swedish Fish

2010-10-01T14:09:00.005-04:00

InkHouse VP of Operations Claims 18 in One Package, Drowning the Package Average of Seven

WALTHAM, Mass., (October 1, 2010) – InkHouse, a public relations and social media agency serving innovative technology, consumer and services companies, is pleased to announce that one of the individually wrapped Swedish Fish packages that were mysteriously delivered to their office is purported to have contained 18 Swedish Fish. All staff members have been consuming the delicious gummy candy, without abandon, for more than a week despite it being dropped off by a stranger who may or may not have actually worked for Cadbury.

“When Pat sent out an office wide email claiming 18 Swedish Fish, I could not believe it, it just didn’t seem possible,” said Meg O’Leary, InkHouse principal and co-founder, speaking of office record holder (and records keeper), Pat Monaghan, vice president of operations. “What was even more surprising to me was the number of people that hit ‘reply all’ and sent out inane emails regarding this latest development. I had no idea how strongly people felt about Swedish Fish. No one replies that quickly for other endeavors, like staffing the office on ‘work from home Fridays.’ ”

“As PR people, we are constantly keeping our ears to the ground to stay up to date on what’s going on in our clients’ industries. It enables us to proactively uncover new opportunities, engage the media and develop relationships with thought leaders,” said Beth Monaghan, InkHouse principal and co-founder. “Apparently we also like to eat candy and the mystery box of Swedish Fish has really opened my eyes to how much the folks in our office not only enjoy free candy, but how competitive they can get as to who has the most in one package.”

InkHouse staff members were quick to post photos on Twitter and Facebook at the outset of the Swedish Fish delivery and enthusiasm for the treat has not diminished. Since the original claim of 18 Swedish Fish in one package, another confirmed record bag was opened, as well as several others containing 10 or more. Cadbury officials were not reached to discuss this latest development, although InkHouse assumes they would say something along the lines of, “They seriously wrote a press release about this”?

About InkHouse

InkHouse is a public relations and social media agency serving innovative technology, consumer and services companies. InkHouse provides public relations, communications strategy planning and content services by intertwining time-tested techniques with next-generation communication methods such as social media, blog relations and one-of-a-kind “buzz” programs. Headquartered in Waltham, Mass., InkHouse was founded in 2007. Visit www.inkhouse.net for more information.

###

Nine Ways to Sabotage a Good Press Announcement

2010-09-30T15:00:00.004-04:00

Getting the media to pay attention to a company announcement is one part common sense, one part timing, and one part luck (you don’t want to be competing for attention with the news about AOL’s acquisition of TechCrunch). Luck aside, there are some things you can do to increase the chances that the media will take notice and prioritize your news over the hundreds of press releases they see each day. And because we learn better from mistakes, I have created a list of the top nine things we regularly see companies doing wrong. Some of these may seem like common sense, but I assure you, they have happened more times than I can count to have made it onto this list.

1. Issue a press release virtually every week. There’s nothing like crying wolf to show the media that you don’t understand what constitutes news. But if search engine optimization (SEO) is all you care about, go ahead and put out a release on your new Web site. Just don’t send it to reporters and ask them to write about it. No one cares (except for your employees and maybe your parents).

2. Begin your release with “the leading provider of,” “next generation” or “best of breed.” No one believes you and these phrases have been used so many times that they are virtually meaningless. 1999 has come and gone.

3. Don’t return reporter calls (or return them tomorrow). If you are pushing out news, you need to be available for interviews — within the hour. Announcement day is not the time to be “stuck in a meeting.”

4. Break your own embargo. Embargoes result in better and more in-depth coverage (read more on our position on embargoes here). However, to make them work it’s incumbent upon the company putting out the news to do everything possible to stick to the embargo time. This means that you MUST coordinate timing for all launch elements with the time you issue your press release. I cannot tell you how many times we’ve seen companies post news on their own blog at midnight the night before launch day. This results in some very unhappy reporters, and a lot less coverage for the company.

5. Ignore the definition of “exclusive.” If you give a reporter a story exclusively, that means that they are the ONLY outlet you are talking to. Exclusive = one reporter. It’s as simple as that. Ignoring this rule is a surefire way to ensure that reporters will never talk to you again.

6. Issue a three-page press release that is a replica of your marketing brochure. Get to the point and do it quickly. Press releases should cover the highlights and include links for additional information. And remember, a press release is not marketing collateral. It should be written like a news story, which means it should contain just the facts and reserve color commentary to the quotes.

7. Send out software for review with major bugs. In this case, you’ll get coverage. It just won’t be the kind you want. Yes, this has happened more times than I’d like to recall.

8. Blast out your press release. If you find yourself sending out mass emails and @ messaging every reporter and influencer on Twitter with your press release, cease and desist. Read what reporters and bloggers write and make sure that your news is relevant – and tell them why. Look to see if they have a page on how they prefer to be contacted, and follow their advice. On Twitter, @ message the people you care most about reaching with Tweets that are relevant to them. If you use the same 140 characters for every message about your launch, you will quickly lose the followers you’ve tried hard to build up. Social media is about conversations, so make sure you treat it as relationship building, not a medium for broadcasting your message.

9. Choose a launch date that coincides with a major holiday. Only Apple can take on Jesus, and they successfully launched the iPad over Easter weekend this year. If you are not in the same league as Apple, pick a date when reporters and bloggers will be in the office and paying attention.

Is PR Relevant?

2010-09-27T13:01:00.001-04:00

Henry Blodget just called attention to a piece in Inc. from Ross Mayfield, CEO of SocialText, about bootstrapping PR. I highly recommend that you read the entire post by Mayfield here as well.

The topic of PR’s relevance comes up most often in startup circles when CEOs are focused on introducing a new product or fundraising. It’s certainly an option at this stage. However, as a company grows, the job of PR is vast. I doubt anyone at BP would argue a case for eliminating its PR department.

PR is changing – there is no question about it. Public relations and media relations are not synonymous though. Yes, media relations is part of the mix, but there is much more to it. I would characterize the change as a move away from simply broadcasting messages to engaging with and creating conversations. PR’s role continues to be getting messages out to the masses, as well as facilitating conversations wherever they occur. But the role of PR is more than one of traffic cop. Our role is to help clients tell a compelling story – one that is relevant given the conversations taking place. You cannot be 10 things to any one industry and PR must help companies determine how to cut through the din with the most compelling message for their target audiences.

I agree with many of the tactics outlined in Mayfield’s article and think many startups and small businesses (the audience for Inc.) can benefit from that advice. However, what he outlines is also a full time job. Taking a story from the blogsphere to the mass market takes a focused effort that combines the right story, with the right audiences, frequently enough to rise to the top of the clutter and that takes a serious dedication to nurturing those conversations. There are only so many Twitters, Facebooks and Foursquares out there (incidentally, at least one of those has a PR agency).

The PR industry is stronger than ever, thanks in part to social media and the proliferation of news outlets. PR Week recently reported that PR spending is set to hit $4.4 billion by 2014 (up from $3.4 billion this year).

InkHouse at the Waltham Chamber of Commerce

2010-09-14T09:50:00.004-04:00

I had the pleasure of speaking this morning at the Waltham Chamber of Commerce's Women in Business Breakfast at the Doubletree in Waltham. Great turnout and some good connections!

Print’s hangin’ in there – and will continue to do so

2010-08-10T16:58:00.004-04:00

I was recently flipping through a friend’s People magazine when I stumbled across an interesting – and comforting – advertisement. It was a simple text ad – a bold, two-sentence headline with five short paragraphs – with a powerful message. Young adults (ages 18 to 34), like myself, are the most dedicated readers of magazines, and readership among that demographic is increasing. It equals or surpasses the over-34 counterparts in issues read per month and time spent per issue. A sign that print isn’t dead.

While the Internet has certainly crippled the circulation of major U.S. dailies, it has also enhanced the written word. According to the ad, nearly 22 percent of all new paid magazine subscriptions last year were ordered online. Some people thought the Internet would have entirely demolished print’s existence, but print’s nonetheless surviving.

I’m optimistic that print media will never fully vanish because of the tangible experience you have while holding newsprint, leafing through a magazine or engaging in longer, enterprise-related stories. New media has brought news to us in more ways than ever before, and you can now read articles no matter where you are or what you’re doing. As the new media revolution continues to strengthen in the coming years, the Internet will further energize print because the power of print will never be lost.

Are you all aboard on the Twitter train?

2010-07-12T08:30:00.001-04:00

At first social media sites like Facebook and Twitter were dominated by individuals just looking to share some photos or thoughts with other individuals. In the past few years there has been a heavy stream of businesses jumping aboard the social media bandwagon. There are still a lot of skeptics out there that don’t think having Twitter handle or Facebook page is going to make much of a difference to their company, or it’s not right for their type of company -- and I couldn’t disagree more.

Social media is here to stay. It might be constantly changing, but this way of engaging with people from all walks of life, from all over the world, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Twitter recently reported that they had 125 million registered users. Imagine if you could tap into just a tiny percentage of those users? You really can if you go about it the right way!

You should definitely use the social media outlets to tell your customers about exciting company news, new products and any promotions you are running. But the key to a successful social media presence it to get down to a personal level with the customers or potential customers you engage with on these sites.

At InkHouse we have clients who do an outstanding job of this. They take the time to answer every question tweeted their way, thank those who gave their product or company praise, and do their best to make sure problems and concerns are addressed. It’s almost like another customer service channel at times, and customers are constantly turning to tweeting to a company rather than calling some robotic 800 number that usually ends up in punching the # sign over and over until your finger is numb.

These satisfied customers you just engaged with online often then take to their Twitter handles or Facebook walls and tell hundreds and even thousands of their followers how wonderful of a company yours was and that they made them feel like they mattered as a customer. Then those followers retweet it to their followers or share it with their Facebook friends, and over and over it gets retweeted and shared. Before you know it, those simple acts of customer engagements have made positive impressions on a countless number of people. Word of mouth has a whole different effect in the social media world.

Don’t even think for a second that your company’s line of business wouldn’t benefit from having a social media presence or isn’t the type of company to be tweeting. There is such a broad spectrum of companies using social media it would surprise you. I recently read an article about the growing number of plumbers using social media. They’ve been using Twitter to get advice from other plumbers, share knowledge and look for parts, as well as engage with their customers.

Still aren’t convinced you need social media? Don’t forget, consumers aren’t the only ones using Facebook and Twitter. There are countless decision makers who have a presence on social media sites. Having tools like Twitter and Facebook in your toolbox gives your company another way to start a conversation with these decision makers that some of your competitors may not have tried yet.

InkHouse Featured in Boston Business Journal

2010-07-09T09:57:00.003-04:00

Shameless self promotion alert. InkHouse was featured today on the cover of the Boston Business Journal about our growth and hiring this year, which includes our fantastic social media team. Thanks to everyone at InkHouse for all of your hard work.

Scott Kirsner on Embargoes and the PR/Media Landscape

2010-06-29T17:06:00.001-04:00

Meg posted a piece on the embargo debate on June 14 and today, Scott Kirsner has posted his view on this evolving issue in the PR and media world. An important issue for all PR people today.

Fred Wilson on Being Present

2010-06-29T14:20:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Robert Scoble, I just came across Fred Wilson's Father's Day post on the importance of being present and thought I'd pass it along. A worthwhile read for all of us who are glued to our email, social networks and mobile devices 24x7.

Does privacy still exist?

2010-06-22T10:42:00.007-04:00

Although the recent Facebook privacy issues generated quite a buzz, the growth of social media and popularity of GPS gadgets are pushing the boundaries of our privacy. I was initially very skeptical about Foursquare, but it apparently has 1.6 million members now, who voluntarily post their whereabouts. Given that so many of us now have cell phones with built-in GPS, it is difficult for marketers and advertisers to ignore these new opportunities.

Obviously, there is a fine line between leveraging location-based data and invading privacy - even though marketers insist they still need your permission to access personal information. The growing popularity of social media and smartphone applications that ask for your location does not seem to have raised much concern for the average user of social media. In fact, despite recent privacy issues, Facebook has only lost around 30,000 users

According to a recent article from The Wall Street Journal, companies do not always disclose what they do with consumers' personal data once they have access to it, and the majority of location-based applications lack privacy policies. As more consumers are willing to share their personal information down to their whereabouts, it creates serious issues and questions. As consumers become transparent in today's "privacy-less" world, marketers also need to become transparent when it comes to collecting and using such information. Thankfully, the VC investment in privacy-related start-ups has increased, which makes me optimistic about confidentiality boundaries in the future. In the meantime, I am seriously considering joining Foresquare.

Gourmet is back!

2010-06-22T10:23:00.002-04:00

I was among many who mourned the shuttering of Gourmet magazine, both as an amateur cook and a PR professional. As we have said before here on InkLings, we value great content, and would be more than happy to pay a premium for it. There is certainly a place for mass-produced content when it comes to things that matter little or don't require thoughtful analysis. However, when it comes to cooking, I want an expert to weigh in on the best way to roast a Thanksgiving turkey, or the best possible recipe for pancakes on a Sunday morning -- thank you Ruth Reichle for showing me the way.

I am thrilled to see Gourmet in its new incarnation. At first glance at their video it looks like it will combine some social tools to make it very accessible. I am in your corner Gourmet and can't wait to see what it brings!

The Death of Journalism?

2010-06-15T16:08:00.002-04:00

The debate about the future of journalism is heating up again. Much has been written about DemandMedia and AOL's Seed initiative, which farm out content creation to a stable of writers who are willing to create articles for small amounts on money. Today, there is more discussion about the future of Forbes.com. See this post from TechCrunch: http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/14/vox-populi-vox-forbes/

TechCrunch has noted that Forbes will be soliciting articles from "1000s of unpaid contributors" in a move similar to those I mentioned above. This would make the Forbes editors "curators of talent."

While content creation has become commoditized to a large extent, there is still a place for great journalism. The media are pressured more so than ever to get news stories out as quickly as possible, 24x7. Yet, we still find reporters who are fair and honest, even when they are writing stories that we, as PR people, might rather not see. I will take a negative story as long as it is true and fair.

I believe that there is a place for mass-produced content to coexist with good reporting. Consumers more than ever are scouring the Web for information about things ranging from the news about the BP oil spill, to how to grow the perfect rose garden. We don't need the same standards for both of these articles.

However, we do need the accountability and dedication to seeking the truth that we find in serious reporting, which still accounts for a huge chunk of the information consumers find online. We need to be able to trust our news sources. I join Meg in her recent post about her willingness to pay for the NY Times content. Sign me up!

Tricked by Ad.ly

2010-06-15T14:15:00.003-04:00

It's commonly known that Twitter has started posting ads "in-stream" and there is a long list of content publishers lined up to serve up these ads. I am usually fairly wise to any kind of new ad, but I almost missed one today! See below for an ad from the New York Times stream that I was about to click on:

I'm not saying anything new here, but this is a great example of a compelling way to reach targeted, and engaged audiences through new approaches to advertising and marketing.

The Great Embargo Debate

2010-06-14T15:41:00.000-04:00

Ten minutes ago a reporter from a major news outlet "accidentally" broke an embargo on a major piece of news for our client. I won't share the name of the outlet or the client, but needless to say this is an incredible frustration -- not only for me and the client, but most importantly for all the other news reporters that agreed to honor the embargo. Not surprisingly we were barraged with emails from these reporters whom we had given the release asking, "WTF"?! They get frustrated with us for "allowing" this to happen. Of course our relationship with those reporters (and the relationship of our client) is now harmed. It's a bad situation for everyone -- except for the reporter who broke the embargo who now gets the opportunity to be the first to break the major news.

Many reporters have gone on the record as saying they won't honor an embargo. And I get it. I understand how frustrating it can be for a reporter to "lose" a story to another outlet that breaks that embargo before them. But the embargo is an incredibly important tool -- and not just for PR people to control the news cycle. Offering reporters news under embargo gives them an opportunity to properly research the story and interview the key people behind the story. It gives them time to validate the story and form their own perspective. Embargoes make journalism better. News breaks and spreads so quickly these days that often stories are published without any due diligence at all. It is a competition to see who can "publish" first instead of who does it best.

So what can we do? Most importantly I think we need to show utmost respect for the reporters who keep their word and hold to embargoes and continue to offer them news in advance. However, reporters who break embargoes should be held accountable and not be given news under embargo and forced to be a late comer the next time a major piece of news comes out from that same company. It is not so much about "punishing" that reporter, but rather showing respect for the journalists who stand by their word. And perhaps most importantly, it's about helping to preserve the embargo in order to enable thoughtful, well-conceived journalism.

Does Google have Bing envy?

2010-06-10T18:43:00.000-04:00

So today when I went to go do my usual Google search, I was greeted with an ugly background (ugly, IMHO anyway) on the Google homepage. Google gave me the option of changing the background but all I could think is "I want my old Google page back." Apparently I was not alone. Twitter and Google were trending with queries as to why Google would do this and how do you change it back. Like me, many people were thinking "WHY is Google copying Bing"? Is it possible that Google has such deep Bing envy that they would actually copy the search engine latecomer?

Anyway, Google listened and the old white, minimalist Google homepage to which we have all grown accustom is back. But the PR lesson remains: Copying your would-be competitors makes you look nervous and desperate -- and, worst of all, foolish.

NY Times: please charge me!

2010-06-08T12:35:00.001-04:00

Last night I was with some friends who were bemoaning the fact the NY Times is going to start charging for content. It starts with the NY Times and then before we know it all kinds of media outlets will be asking us to pay to read their stories, they argued. My friends complained that this move is taking us back in time. This is the age of the Internet after all... information should be free!

I could not disagree more.

Personally I will pay for my NYTimes.com subscription with pleasure. I believe the move by the NYT to charge readers is critical step in the right direction for journalism. Good journalism comes at a price. Quality stories by thoughtful, experienced reporters cannot be generated for free. As someone who spends much of her day talking to the media, I see first hand how reporters are spread far too thin. They are covering so many beats, so many different subjects, it is simply not possible for the coverage they generate to include the rich research and expertise required for consistent, high quality reporting. What’s worse, we are seeing some of the best journalists out there being laid off because of the high salaries they have earned after years of dedication and success in their field. Sadly, many of those reporters are leaving journalism to pursue new fields.

The question is: Do we want the field of journalism to be dominated by reporters who are spread too thin? Do we want even our nation’s highest regarded publications written almost entirely by entry-level writers who fit the budget but will seek to move to a more lucrative field as they mature in their career?

The flow of information is the lifeblood of our society. I, for one, would like that information to be thoughtful, well researched and delivered by a journalist who is well paid for her experience and expertise. So the NYT can count on me to be their first full paid subscriber.

iPhone 4G leak: honest mistake or PR stunt? *Update

2010-04-21T16:02:00.004-04:00

*Update: It appears that this strange set of circumstances was not an orchestrated PR move after all. This story is definitely far from over!

The big story this week is undoubtedly the leak of the iPhone 4G, which was reported on Monday by Gizmodo. As the story goes, an Apple software engineer brought an iPhone 4G prototype into a bar disguised in a case to appear like a regular old iPhone 3G (sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, no?). The engineer, who was celebrating his birthday, had a bit too much to drink and left the phone at the bar without realizing it. This is where things get weird. The person that came upon the phone somehow noticed something unusual about it and sold the phone to Nick Denton, CEO of Gawker Media, parent company of tech blog Gizmodo. Denton, who had previously put up an offer of $100,000 for an advance look at the iPad, apparently paid just $5,000 for this iPhone 4G prototype.

What are the odds?

The real story here is how Gizmodo came to possess this next generation iPhone in the first place. Apple is notorious for almost conspiratorial levels of secrecy around new product launches, and has not even confirmed the existence of an iPhone 4G model despite media musings around the phone’s development. So it is more than just a small mix-up when one of their engineers drunkenly leaves a carefully disguised test model of the phone in a bar. Certainly, this could be a particularly unfortunate case of carelessness on the part of a young engineer whose days at Apple could now be numbered. But it could also be that the phone was leaked by Apple intentionally to drum up some major publicity and gauge consumer reactions to the new release.

As more details emerge, it is beginning to look more and more that the leak was a true result of human error, and not a sly move on the part of Apple’s PR machine. Gizmodo reportedly received a letter from Apple attorneys requesting the immediate return of the phone, and Gizmodo has complied. With this strange tale at its apparent end, there is one thing that is clear. Whether or not the leak was intentional, this entire saga has left Apple fans clamoring for more details about the phone’s release, and has only served to enhance the cloak and dagger mystique that the marketing geniuses at Apple have cultivated for so long. And I think we all know that you can’t buy that kind of publicity.

Creativity

2010-03-19T17:41:00.002-04:00

Sometimes a little creativity goes a long way toward achieving your goals. A little fun from InkHouse to start off a nice warm weekend. Happy Spring!

- Beth

InkHouse's new home is complete

2010-02-23T13:45:00.000-05:00

It's been a long journey as we built out our new space at the Watch Factory in Waltham, but we are moved in, everyone (finally) has a desk and we think we're ready for our first close-up.

The Right Way to Handle a Potential Crisis

2010-02-05T14:38:00.000-05:00

Kudos to TechCrunch for properly handling a situation that could have snowballed into a crisis. As always, the right PR decision is to be up front and address the situation immediately.

- Beth

TechCrunch covered us! Now what?

2010-02-04T10:08:00.000-05:00

Welcome to InkLing, the new InkHouse blog where we will answer your questions. The world of PR and marketing changes virtually every time I turn around. This is both exciting as new media afford new vehicles for communicating with target audiences, but they also create a lot of noise, making it sometimes difficult to raise your message above the din. Here, we will do our best to help navigate the twists and turns with posts from various members of the InkHouse team. We want to answer your questions, which you can send to us at inkling [at] inkhouse [dot] net.

Our first question is one we hear all of the time from new startup clients in particular –

TechCrunch covered us! Now what?

Many start-ups dream of coverage in TechCrunch, Gizmodo and many of the other major blogs, and this is a good goal. They also dream of amassing thousands of Twitter followers who will make the company an overnight hit. Don’t get me wrong, Twitter and top blogs reach an important, large and connected community of early-adopters and influencers (see TIME’s list of the top blogs of 2009). They also provide an important vehicle for communicating core innovations and market traction such as venture financing, usage data, etc.

However, mass consumer adoption requires a broad range of PR tactics, including early traction in the blogsphere and social media. We must think about how the average consumer finds information and reach those people where they are, not just where we are. This requires you to know exactly who your target audience is. Are you trying to reach females between the ages of 18 and 24 or is it an older, more liquid audience of males ages 30-45 who earn $100,000 or more?

To extend your story beyond that of a cool start-up to one that has real relevance to everyday people requires an entirely different approach to PR that looks past the technology to the person using it. The story that gets you in TechCrunch is most often not the story that will get you on the Today Show. Consumer outlets want consumer stories – they want to know how Jane Wilson in Tulsa used a new Web service to connect with her long-lost friend in San Diego. They want to know how Steve Munro created his own business using another new service and paid off his mortgage in three months. They need the drama that can only come from the human stories.

The lesson: build out your story for early adopters and business audiences using metrics, proof points, financing news and anything else you can to demonstrate market traction. But when it comes to truly building your consumer-facing venture, look at your customers and find the stories that make your company come to life.

- Beth