Photo credit: Food Enthusiasts Unite

Disclaimer: the author has no relationship whatsoever with the beef council, nor any group opposing the beef council in the current “pink slime” PR crisis.

By now there is a good chance most everyone has a thought and emotion that runs through their head when they hear the phrase, “pink slime.” But what can small business PR learn from the pink slime fiasco? What lessons are to be learned in understanding what has taken place, how did the pink slime crisis get out of control and how is the beef industry handling the PR crisis?

For visitors who may not be aware of the situation, pink slime is a term that refers to a controversial meat filler product used in some processed meats, like the hamburger meat at some fast-food restaurants. Pink slime is specifically known as “lean, finely textured beef.” The beef industry has found itself in a PR war with many groups, including millions within the general public, who clearly want the meat filler product removed. Naturally, if the beef industry takes a hit they may lose thousands of jobs. These are jobs of innocent people who would be caught up in the PR crisis.

The beef industry says it is a smear campaign and the phrase “pink slime” is a manufactured term that has absolutely nothing to do with the product, which is apparently neither pink, nor slime. The industry says the additive in question is needed because it helps reduce the threat of e-coli and other bacteria that are sometimes available in processed meats.

Who is right? Who is wrong? This is clearly a classic PR crisis and the beef industry has got its work cut out for it in engaging this battle. Not helping the beef industry’s case is allegedly a media outlet that is on the hunt for a juicy story and will stop at nothing to inject additional drama for the sake of viewership. The beef industry has even gone as far as to say the media outlet is deliberately overusing the phrase “pink slime” just to put a scare into people.

Any small business owner that produces a product or service that ultimately touches other people could possibly find itself in the shoes as the beef council. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when dealing with a small business PR crisis.

1: Always be open. Communication can never stop, even in a crisis. It is important to always keep open the lines of communication, even when there are no facts to report. Just saying that you are looking into certain matters and will keep people updated will buy you a little goodwill.

2: Speaking of facts, gather them. The beef industry is hard at work collecting facts of the additive that is in question. The most important thing is to make sure you communicate the facts of your side during a small business PR crisis.

3: It’s not about you; it is about others around you. There is only one thing more important than credibility in a PR crisis. This would be third-party credibility. In the case of the beef council, this means bringing in several top experts and health experts who can speak on the beef industry’s behalf to explain the facts and add health perspective. People do not want to hear from the beef council that the additive is safe. But they will hear from a trusted health expert about it.

4: Get the public on your side. This is where social media can be a powerful tool in a PR crisis. Once the third-party health expert or outside expert offers his or her perspective, it is time to mobilize publics that are on your side and let them take to Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere to spread the word.

5: Bring cameras inside. When Pepsi battled a vicious PR crisis about syringes being found in its cans, the company ultimately allowed media and cameras into its manufacturing facilities to show the world how impossible it would be for a syringe to end up in a can of Pepsi. Ultimately it was found to be the work of a vengeful person and Pepsi regained the trust of millions of people. The beef council may want to think about bringing cameras into the beef production and manufacturing facilities to have a closer look at the additive and its benefits.

John Sternal is President of Sternal Communications, a PR and marketing consultancy helping businesses get noticed through publicity in the media. He is the author of the PR Toolkit for Small Business and currently authoring a book about small business PR for entrepreneurs. For questions email John Sternal or connect with him @SternalPR.

Visual Marketing Tips For Small Business

How do you tell your story visually? How do you use images and design to market your small business? There is a new book out now that answers all your questions on this topic, and shows you through wonderful, eye-opening examples.

By authors David Langton and Anita Campbell (of Small Business Trends), the new book is “Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways For Small Businesses To Market With Images And Design.” The book offers brilliant examples of visual marketing tips for small business that are easy to digest for any entrepreneur that needs advice when using images for marketing.

According to the book, “The world is visual. We use our eyes to take in much of the content that influences our behavior, tempers our reactions, and informs our decisions. Whether it’s on the web, in a brochure, or live in person, the most effective solutions are ones that unexpectedly grab our attention.”

This is very true and on point. Every small business owner and entrepreneur looking to market his or her business must agree with the fact that visual marketing is an important step in building a brand, protecting its reputation and getting noticed by customers. This book helps achieve all of this.

Here are a few of our personal favorites of visual marketing tips for small business:

#3: Augmenting the reality of mobile advertising: Sharing brand information visually over mobile devices through apps. Simply put, the world is going mobile. All small businesses need to find a way to market their business through a smart phone.

#19: Good service is earned: Making a brand statement and creating viral content through infographics. We are huge believers of infographics on UnderstandingMarketing.com. In fact, we have an entire Pinterest page devoted to infographics.

#33: Blogger outreach in the cloud: Using a visually inspired word cloud to start a conversation with a blogger. Blogger outreach is a skill that is acquired through experience, not necessarily through education. But word clouds are highly effective with bloggers and should be used by small businesses in an effort to build relationships online.

#50: Jump-start a new package design: Creating quality packaging can lead to getting carried by more retailers. Product packaging can be everything to a small business – or any business for that matter. Do not skimp on lawyers, accountants, and product packaging.

Anita Campbell and her husband, Kevin, with Chrisanne and John Sternal

#69: Changing perceptions one school at a time: Using a marketing pamphlet to update an organization’s image. Marketing can inject a lot of life into any brand. A pamphlet or promotional flyer is a quick way to get the “new” word out on your business or organization.

The UnderstandingMarketing.com team sat down with Anita Campbell to discuss her book, as well as a number of different topics in the field of running a business, public relations, marketing and, of course, the huge success of Small Business Trends and BizSugar.

“Visual Marketing” is a book for every business. It has all the visual marketing tips for small business you need to succeed and it is written by people you would spend top dollar on for consulting. Don’t delay. Buy this book. Even if you implement just one tactic it won’t be long before it pays for itself.

Have you tried incorporating visual marketing into your small business? What tactics did you employ and how did it turn out? Drop us an email or leave a comment. Also, feel free to offer your own thoughts of the book by leaving a comment below.

How to Write A Press Release Subject Line

Part 2 of the How To Write A Press Release series – the subject line and headline.

Here is the second of a five-part comprehensive series on how to write a press release. Part one of the series discussed how to write a press release strategy. From knowing your audience to thinking about your goals and objectives, the strategy is a critical element of every press release.

In the second part, we will focus on the subject line and the headline. You may ask why a subject line is part of a press release. After all, subject lines are for emails. Headlines are for press releases. This is true. But much of PR today actually mirrors email marketing since 99.8 percent of all reporters wish to receive their press releases via email first. Sure, social media is the hot new thing and there are still some reporters who wish to receive a press release via fax or snail mail, but they’re hard to find nowadays.

Understanding how to write a press release subject line and headline means you grasp the subtle differences. Both are headlines. But one focuses on being clever and catchy while the other communicates strong news value. Check out the Public Relations Toolkit for Small Business for some great examples on the right and wrong ways of press release writing.

Following are several tips on how to write a press release subject line, the clever and catchy side of the two:

1: Start reading news stories. The best subject line ideas come from continuously reading news headlines. Reporters typically do not write their own headlines, a practice that is reserved for other writers in the news room and copy desk. These people are extremely good at what they do. Learn from them. After a while you will see how they show you how to write a press release subject line.

2: It IS a good idea to be clever as long as you still get your message across. Clever draws people in. Clever injects curiosity into a person. Clever invites people to open an email. Clever combined with the right message often leads to a response from a reporter.

3: It won’t work every time. There are so many variables that go into a successful day with your press release. It could have been the perfect combination of subject line creativity, an interesting story, a timely tie-in with an existing story in the news, and a relatively slow news day (really, do we still have any of these?). You can fall in love with your next press release and feel like you’ve mirrored this success and your release may fall flat the second time around. Knowing how to write a press release subject line is perfected over time.

4: As a continuation of the previous tip, it is okay to test a few different subject lines. If you have a list of several reporters, or even a few dozen depending on the size of your list, it is a good idea to send a few with varying subject lines to settle on the one you get good feedback on. Remember, sending out a press release via email follows many of the same rules as email marketing. Good email marketers go through lots of testing.

5: Personalizing your press release and subject line is always the best route. We’re not necessarily talking about including the reporter’s first name in the subject line. That often comes off a bit creepy. Instead, customize your subject line to each reporter based on previous stories or conversations you may have had with him or her. In practicing good public relations, always do your homework on each reporter ahead of time, giving you the opportunity to come up with a way to customize each press release.

6: If you are worried about your email getting through a spam filter, you may want to first run your email through a content checker to make sure you are not using any words that are typically captured by spam filters.

7: Your best subject line idea may hit you anywhere. You may be standing in line at the grocery store; you may be watching your daughter’s softball game; you may be closing on your first home. Wherever you are, always have a notepad or smart phone nearby so you can make note of your subject idea and return to it later on. I have been known to think of some of my best ideas in the middle of the night, making sure to email myself when lying in bed.

Knowing how to write a press release headline is where you focus specifically on what your press release is all about. It is still important to be catchy instead of vanilla, unless you are in an industry where vanilla is preferred, but clearly illustrating your news message in as few words as possible is your ultimate goal.

Examples of press release headlines we think have room for improvement:

ACME Company Expands Into Europe
The Jones Group Announces Groundbreaking Ceremony

Examples of press release headlines we like a lot:

Consumers Still Purchasing, But May Not Be “Buying” Companies’ Environmental Claims
If You’re Going Car Shopping Better Bring Your Wife

In the above headline examples you will notice that the first group are a little on the dull side. The second group, however, gives you a sense of what the press release is about and pulls you in to read further. Remember, it is okay to be a little edgy and controversial with your subject line and press release headline. You want to grab someone’s attention because we live in the information age and there is a lot of competition for a reporter’s attention.

Above all else, being able to tie in your press release headline with a timely event currently taking place in the news is one of the best chances of getting a reporter to read further. If the press release is intended for local media, tying in your press release headline with a local issue or cause is a great way to achieve local reporter interest.

Do you have any thoughts on how to write a press release subject line or headline? Please leave a comment below.

John Sternal is President of Sternal Communications, a PR and marketing consultancy helping businesses get noticed through publicity in the media. He is the author of the PR Toolkit for Small Business and currently authoring a book about small business PR for entrepreneurs. For questions email John Sternal or connect with him @SternalPR.

Trying To Learn How To Write A Press Release?

This is the first in a new five-part series by UnderstandingMarketing.com that explores how to write a press release, from the best way to approach your announcement, build and write the release, and maximize publicity through distribution.

A lot of chatter continues to take place questioning whether the press release is still an effective publicity tool. As a twenty-year veteran of PR who has witnessed the press release endure many changes, I say it is still extremely relevant. In fact, in checking my email inbox and evaluating the responses I received from my last fifty pitches to reporters, forty-five of them asked if I had a press release to send when interested in learning more on the subject I was pitching.

How’s that for still being relevant?

Examples of press release templates, as well as do’s and dont’s of how to write a press release are available by downloading the PR Toolkit For Small Business. The first portion of the five-part series on how to write a press release focuses on your strategy for the press release. It is important to ask a few questions before we jump right in:

Why are you interested in learning how to write a press release?
What are your goals and objectives for writing the press release?
Who is your audience for this press release?
Are you hoping to drive sales with your press release, in addition to generating awareness?

Answering these questions will significantly help you establish a strategy for this press release, and every other press release you ever develop going forward. In much the same way you would not sit down a author a white paper without doing research, you should not write a press release without thinking of a strategy, either.

Before we begin, first understand that a press release is not a piece of straight marketing, nor is it an excuse for you to blatantly promote your business. If you think this IS the case, you will not be very successful in getting a member of the press interested in writing about you or interviewing you for a news story.

If that is your goal, stop right here and go buy an advertisement.

However, there are ways PR and a press release can support your company’s sales function. We will talk about this several times throughout the five-part series on how to write a press release.

With this in mind, let’s talk about your goals and objectives for wanting to learn how to write a press release, and eventually writing one. Here are a few reasons why I have written press releases for my clients at Sternal Communications:

1: Additional exposure in national broadcast media.
2: Secure writing assignments for subject-matter experts and authors.
3: Publicity for product launches, new services and companies.
4: Generate awareness for upcoming events.
5: Communicate new research trends to gain exposure for a University program.
6: Help drive awareness of a new promotion.
7: Support the sales team to drive traffic to a certain web page where new leads can be captured.

There are hundreds of ways and topics that a press release can be written for; these seven are a few of the more common releases that were written to support the goals and objectives of companies, people and organizations.

What goals and objectives are you trying to reach?

In understanding how to write a press release and coming up with your strategy, it is also important to think of your audience. Do you want people of a certain gender, age group or demographic to have exposure to your news? Do you want the general public or other business owners to see your news? Do you want businesses in a certain category or segment to read your news, like automotive industry professionals, or hotel executives? Think of your audience and make a short list of them.

Do you want to drive sales with your press release?

This is a tricky topic because press releases are not supposed to be blatantly promotional. When you learn how to write a press release you will realize that your press release cannot read like an advertisement. It is all about news. It is about offering information to members of the news media that will help them deliver information to their readers, visitors or viewers in their stories.

But press releases today can also be delivered directly to your target audience, essentially by-passing the news media. Search-engine-optimized press releases (SEO press release) leverage optimized keywords so that your press release shows up in organic searches on Google and other search websites. These press releases can be written in a way that drives traffic to a landing page, where readers can click to make a purchase or sign up to receive additional information (leads generation for the sales team). The nature of the press release still must be based on news, but your press release may include a call to action, similar to an email marketing campaign, where you direct the reader to do something like place a phone call, visit a web page or click to make a purchase. Some companies even use their blog to make news announcements and supplement their press release.

Even if your press release will be targeted to a reporter at a news outlet, you can still include a call to action in the press release. When news stories are based on trend, research and even where to find information on a new product or service, you want to make sure you provide the reporter with information on where people can go to get more information. This is your opportunity to drive them to a landing page where this additional information exists.

Supporting this sales function is critical because while it is important to generate “buzz” and create awareness, PR must also serve a role in helping companies achieve business goals, as well.

Strategy is an important piece when learning how to write a press release. Please share some thoughts and feedback by leaving a comment below.

John Sternal is President of Sternal Communications, a PR and marketing consultancy helping businesses get noticed through publicity in the media. He is the author of the PR Toolkit for Small Business and currently authoring a book about small business PR for entrepreneurs. For questions email John Sternal or connect with him @SternalPR.

How To Write A Business Story Pitch

One of the more popular questions sent in from our visitors is how to write a business story pitch. A lot of entrepreneurs doing their own small business PR constantly submit questions about the best way to get a business profile in their local newspaper. And there is good reason for this. A successful business profile story can do great things for a company, especially within the local community. On a larger scale, a nice business profile pitch can help a growing company get noticed outside its region and by other groups that may even represent the investment community.

We offer lots of small business PR story ideas through the UnderstandingMarketing.com PITCH series (Publicity Ideas That Create Headlines). But it is always good to offer some in-depth analysis of crafting a story pitch to generate media awareness.

From a purely PR perspective, companies that know how to write a business story pitch and get written up in their local papers also have a better chance of getting on the radar screen of larger business media who are always looking for local examples of national trend stories.

It is important to know how to write a business story pitch because the competition is fierce. Ask any reporter and they will tell you they receive hundreds of business story pitches each day, via email and social media PR. This is the case even for business reporters at daily newspapers of secondary media markets. Emerging companies would be wise to learn how to write a business story pitch because getting written up in the local newspaper is a great stepping stone to securing larger, more national profile coverage and interview opportunities.

One recent business profile story that caught my attention contains all the necessary components that illustrate and support how to write a business story pitch. Citrix is a large IT solutions provider based in South Florida. The story they secured in the Miami Herald is a great case study and example small businesses and entrepreneurs can follow. And before you start thinking Citrix easily secured the coverage because they are a large company, let me immediately discount that. They handle very complex technology in a B2B environment, which means they are not the typical story target for the Herald. Here are several components of their story that will help teach you how to write a business story pitch:

1: Be willing to demonstrate revenue growth. First and foremost, business stories are about business. And since business is about how much money you’re making, you have to be willing to discuss revenue, sales and profits to demonstrate growth. Far too many times a CEO will approach me and say he/she wants to get a story written about them but they aren’t willing to disclose revenue figures.

2: Illustrate how you are growing your employee head count. Making money is a big part of the equation but it is still just a part. You must also show that your company is growing through staff headcount. This can be overall staff increases or employee growth in a certain division.

3: Show how your new product/service divisions support merging business trends. Are you growing in the areas of mobile technology, cloud computing, social media? Read stories in the media to find out which trends are making headlines and attach your growth story to those trends.

4: Offer statistics that support trend information. The Citrix story was about growth in their mobile technology division, and in the story Citrix demonstrated how certain areas of growth were increasing by specific percentages. It is important to also offer up industry facts, statistics and insight where possible.

5: Provide the reporter with analysts or outsiders who will address your growth. Speaking of insight, help the reporter by providing them with people outside the company they can speak to in an effort to gain third-party insight into your company’s growth. These people are most likely going to be analysts who have been following your company for some time. And if you don’t know who these people are, back up a step and build some relationships before you pitch your story.

6: Describe something colorful about the person leading the division or company. Having said everything above, what separates a good business story and pitch from a great one is the ability to paint the leader of a company as a very colorful person with interesting characteristics. Even business stories like to tell the inside story of the person leading the company, including hobbies and passions shared outside the office.

7: Explain the impact of your growth/product/services on your customers, and provide access to a few for comment. You’ve heard this many times before on the UnderstandingMarketing.com website. Great business profile stories include great customer experience stories. How are you helping your customers and what is their perspective. Always be sure to offer up one, two or even three happy customers who can speak to the merits of the story.

What other tips would you provide that could teach entrepreneurs how to write a business story pitch? Please leave a comment below and share your thoughts with the community.

John Sternal is President of Sternal Communications, a PR and marketing consultancy helping businesses get noticed through publicity in the media. He is the author of the PR Toolkit for Small Business and currently authoring a book about small business PR for entrepreneurs. For questions email John Sternal or connect with him @SternalPR.