The Design Sheppard

Interiors Blogger Spotlight: Stacey Sheppard, The Design Sheppard

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Stacey Sheppard is the blogger behind The Design Sheppard – originally created in 2009 as a place to store the content Stacey gathered while researching for articles, and now a space for interior design inspiration and one of the top ten blogs in the sector.

We spoke to Stacey about blogging as a job, the importance of keeping things honest in the blogging industry, and being a self-appointed cork ambassador (it’s totally a thing – you’ll see).

How do you describe what you do to other people?
I always say I’m a freelance writer and blogger. I started my career as a staff journalist on a print publication and worked as a magazine editor for a number of years before I started my blog. I find that the response I get is less confused if I say freelance writer first. There are still a lot of people out there who don’t actually understand blogging and how it can be a job.

How much of a community is there around interiors bloggers?
For me, the community is the best part of being an interiors blogger. I don’t know what it is like in other niches but in interiors it is so open, welcoming and supportive. I’ve made lifelong friends through blogging, some of whom I’ve only actually met once or twice in real life but who I speak to every single day. I find the interiors blogging community to be really uplifting, inspiring and positive and that makes me proud to be part of it.

What’s the best thing about being a freelance writer and blogger?
The best thing about it is getting to do something that I love every single day. I wake up each morning excited for the day ahead, eager to get to work and see what opportunities will open up for me.

It’s also the freedom of being able to write about anything I’m interested in and sharing those things with my audience. I’ve come across so many talented people since I started blogging and I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing so many great designers. I love being able to give these people a platform to show off their skills.

What does the future of blogging look like?
This is a tough question and I think we’ve all been asking ourselves this recently. The rising popularity of Instagram has obviously sent waves through the blogosphere and left many of us wondering how our blogs can compete. However, we have to remember that we are in complete control of our blogs and no algorithm changes can destroy what we have built or reduce our visibility – that can’t be said for Instagram accounts. In fact, we’ve started to see lots of larger Instagram accounts now creating blogs alongside just to safeguard their future.

Another thing that is changing the industry is the tightening rules and regulations around advertising and brand partnerships. The ASA is continually bringing out new guidelines and regulations in an attempt to create transparency for our audiences and to ensure that they know when they are being advertised to. There was a lot of confusion at first but what is expected of us with regards to disclosure is becoming clearer. There are a lot of bloggers out there who aren’t playing by the rules though. I think it’s a dangerous game to play and in the long run it will be damaging. We gained our followings because people trusted us, they liked our authenticity and they believed that we had their best interests at heart. Those who don’t properly disclose their relationships with brands are disrespecting their readers and in the long run, this can only have a negative outcome.

How do you describe your style?
I hate being asked this question as I really don’t know the answer. Some bloggers have a really distinctive, recognisable style that is instantly identifiable. I don’t have this. I like industrial interiors, I like Scandinavian style, I like mid-century modern. My style also changes from room to room and from week to week. I tend to just go with whatever I’m into at the time. At the moment, that is biophilic design and incorporating lots of natural materials and greenery into my home.

What’s your favourite room in the house?
I’d probably say my bedroom. Now that my kids are mostly sleeping through the night, they aren’t invading that space so much. It’s starting to feel more and more like our own private sanctuary again. It still needs work before I’m totally happy with it, but plans are underway.

How long do you leave a redesign before wanting to do it again?
I’m actually not that big a fan of change. I like consistency at home and a feeling of stability and I couldn’t get that if I was constantly redesigning and redecorating. I tend to spend a really long time working out how I want a room to make me feel and how I want to use the space before making any changes. Then once I do it, I’m in it for the long haul because I’ve put the hours in working out a scheme that I will love. Of course, I make small changes every now again, like changing cushions, adding shelves and expanding my plant gang. But big changes are few and far between.

What’s the best collaboration you’ve worked on with an agency or brand?
I recently worked with The Colour Flooring Company who took me on a trip to Portugal to see the cork harvest and then to the production plant to see it being processed. I’ve loved cork as a material for many years and I’d always wanted to see the harvest. It was such a fun trip and I came back so full of enthusiasm for this remarkable material. I’ve pretty much appointed myself as a cork ambassador.

What advice do you have for PRs looking to get in touch?
Drop me an email and let’s talk.

What other blogs do you read?
Swoon Worthy, Apartment Number 4, Archie & The Rug, fabric of my life, Dear Designer’s Blog, Seasons in Colour, Hello Peagreen, Well I Guess This Is Growing Up, Boreal Abode, In Two Homes, The Interior Editor, Nordic Notes, grillo DESIGNS and new favourite Raspberry Flavoured Windows.

Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database

Influencer Marketing

Ethics, pivot tables and avoiding the Terminator: 6 lessons from the Influencer Marketing Show

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The panelists at this year’s Influencer Marketing Show had a lot to say about the current state of the influencer industry and how it can be evolved going forward. Most of the advice revolved around brand values, making sure the influencers you’re working with aren’t ‘jokers’ (one speaker’s take on Paul brothers, Aaron and Jake) and keeping things creative.

We attended as many sessions as possible to bring you the best tips from the world of influencer marketing.

1. ‘Avoid the hype cycle’ of AI and ‘get your pivot tables out’
Christian Gladwell from M&C Saatchi Performance
When it comes to the ubiquitous yet amorphous promises of AI for the marketing and influencer industry, the advice during Christian Gladwell’s The Power of People & AI: How Human Supervision Can Drive True Performance was to work towards useful and meaningful automation in what he called the ‘grey industry’ of AI. Unregulated algorithms without human oversight could lead to a dark future (for example, a 2029 Los Angeles with The Terminator walking around kind of future, according to Christian). Christian’s advice for avoiding this – pivot tables galore, and making use of human analysts to find data anomalies as they happen, to keep AI going in the right direction. A direction that isn’t cyborg-Arnold-Schwarzenegger-shaped, ideally.

2. ‘Ignoring ethics is a ticking timebomb in terms of safety’
Scott Guthrie, strategic influencer marketing consultant
Self-regulation of the industry was a big theme with many of the speakers at this year’s event, and something mentioned by Scott Guthrie a few times during his quick rundown of recent influencer controversies in A Question of Ethics: Why Producing Ethical Content is the Right Thing To Do. Future fallout akin to vegan blogger Yovana Mendoza Ayres eating fish or all the things the Paul brothers (yup) have been doing over the last few years can be avoided if brands and agencies focus on ethics alongside exposure.

3. ‘The key to authentic influence is aligning with those key to your brand. Ask yourself the question – why do people follow them?’ 
Adanna David, creator
Authenticity is still what pays off for influencers, despite all the new technologies, virtual avatars and metrics being mooted at this year’s show. Adanna, speaking on the panel for Re-defining Influencer, highlighted an authentic connection as the true tool for producing the best work with brands and agencies. Pick the right influencer, whether macro or micro, for your campaign to make sure you’ll be hitting the right audience.

4. ‘Instagram is not going anywhere soon’
Rob Eades, creator
Also discussing how influence is taking so many different forms, Rob assured the audience that Instagram will continue to be important. Relevance metrics, rather than ad metrics, is his bag to measure the impact and quality of his own work. And it’s not just connecting with a following that makes Instagram important for influencers – artist and visual activist Alice Skinner said that every big job she’s had has been through her DMs (bigger brands she’s worked with include Benefit and Skinnydip), so get in touch.

5. ‘Remember you’re working with real people. It’s not a standardised media buy’
Lisa Targett, UK general manager at TRIBE
During the Creator and Branded Content: The Big Debate panel, Lisa Targett advocated for careful consideration of influencer follower counts and full transparency from both sides when choosing who to work with. Despite some widely-publicised missteps from a few influencers in recent years – bought followers, unethical content, misrepresentation of beliefs – the message from the panel was that influencers, real people, are worth working with and are invaluable when you find the right fit.

6. ‘Sometimes in social you just have to go to your boss and say, “we need to do this”. You have to be brave’
Rachel Kneen, social media lead at Just Eat
Not all successes can be measured or benchmarked – for Rachel, sometimes a good idea at the right time, from the right person, is good enough.

Find the right influencers and make your story matter with the Vuelio Influencer Database.

Ronan IMS

Vulnerability is a natural part of being a creative

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With 89% of PR and communications experiencing issues with mental wellbeing, how can we implement change within our own organisations to find a healthier way of working through, and with, our vulnerabilities? Ronan Harrington of Alter Ego and Extinction Rebellion shared some of his ideas for change during ‘New Work Needs Inner Work’ at the Performance In Live, sister show to Influencer Marketing Live.

‘Overwhelmed is the default’, is how Ronan Harrington summed up work in the PR and marketing industry during his keynote speech. Looking out into an audience of communications professionals, Ronan proposed a new way of working based on emotional honesty and growing comfortable with uncertainty.

Marketers and PRs use stories and each of us brings aspects of our own story to our work, whether or not we mean to. Ronan told of childhood experiences being what drives him in his career and the importance of saying ‘Yes, and’ to each challenge that arises.

For him, vulnerability is a natural part of being a creative and shouldn’t be shied away from or hidden. Rerouting this scary aspect of work into honest and healthy office interactions is what will change experiences on this career path for the better.

Pretending traditional office hierarchies are normal ‘isn’t normal’
Hierarchy was pinpointed by Ronan as a ‘way of hiding’ for many workers in the world of PR and marketing – a way to avoid making decisions and staying in a space of self-doubt. A move to circular structures rather than a top-down approach was proposed – a formula Extinction Rebellion has adopted for its own organisation.

Whether the commuters in the audience agreed with the format some of the group’s recent protests took (Ronan himself acknowledged a few of the examples that may have impacted those in the room ‘build a culture where you can acknowledge mistakes and grow through them’), this structure is one that aims to encourage a less-toxic environment and accountability without blame.

Moving towards a ‘culture of wholeness and self-management’
The advocation of self-organisation and regular emotional check-ins with colleagues was met with an anonymous audience question about the importance of funding for these efforts – how can every company afford to bring in consultants for making a happier and mentally healthier environment for their employees, or therapists for regular check-ins during stressful projects?

Surveys and co-counselling within teams was recommended in response – small things that acknowledge the stresses and vulnerabilities of working in this creative sector and enable people to work through and perhaps be inspired by them.

Read practical advice on improving mental wellbeing in PR.

We're all influencers now

#FuturePRoof guide tackles influencer marketing governance for public relations

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#FuturePRoof has published a guide that addresses the need for influencer marketing governance in public relations, with clear guidance for practitioners and influencers. 

According to Markets & Markets the global influencer market is currently estimated to £4.5 billion in 2019.

The #FuturePRoof guide aims to give public relations a voice around the critical area of governance for influencer marketing. It’s a challenging area of practice that sits between marketing and public relations, and earned and paid media.

Click here to read the guide: We’re all influencers now. 

Sarah Waddington, founder and editor of #FuturePRoof said: ‘The #FuturePRoof guide highlights best practice for brands, agencies and influencers. Everyone involved in a campaign has a responsibility to adhere to relevant advertising and media law’.

In the UK influencer campaigns are governed by existing Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) laws. Chartered Institute or Public Relations (CIPR) and Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) members are also covered by their own codes of conduct.

Francis Ingham, Director General of the PRCA said: ‘Influencer marketing is a burgeoning area of our practice, but the number of cases brought by the ASA and CMA proves that too many influencers and practitioners are falling foul of the standards we expect. All PR professionals working with influencers have an ethical duty to ensure they – and those they work with – comply with the law. The PRCA Code of Conduct compels professionals to deal honestly with the public – that includes being transparent over any commercial agreements with third parties. Failure to uphold these standards damages trust in our industry.’

The #FuturePRoof guide characterises the market, includes applicable media law and guidance from advertising, marketing and public relations. It covers guidance for campaigns where no money is exchanged, gifts in kind such as accommodation or travel, and financial payment.

The tension between earned and paid campaigns isn’t only a challenge for marketing and public relations practitioners, it has also led to influencers breaching advertising and trading standards law.

#FuturePRoof says that there is a growing need and opportunity for formal representation for influencers. What’s clear from the guide is that PR is in the best position to take ownership of influencer marketing, giving it both structure and clear standards for the benefit of business, influencers and the public.

Scott Guthrie, independent influencer marketing consultant and co-author of the guide, said: ‘The public relations industry has been slow to offer leadership on influencer marketing to practitioners and influencers. We’ve been here before with search engine optimisation (SEO), social media, and content marketing. It’s important that PR doesn’t miss out again’.

The guide has been written by Scott Guthrie, and independent influencer marketing consultant, and Stephen Waddington, managing director, Metia, and Visiting Professor, Newcastle University.

It includes contributions from Rupa Shah, Founder and Director of Hashtag Ad Consulting; Andrew Terry, Partner and Head of Intellectual Property & Media, Eversheds Sutherland; and Vuelio’s Jake O’Neill.

Vuelio is delighted to support the publication and will be hosting an exclusive webinar with Sarah Waddington, Stephen Waddington and Andrew Terry on 7 November. It is free to sign up, and if you can’t join us live a recording will be sent to all registrants after. Register here. 

PR difficult conversations with journalists

How to manage difficult conversations with journalists

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A guest post written by Jodie Brazier, Comms Consultant at Topline Comms

Promised you’d get something over to a journalist before their deadline but can’t? Need to ask a contact to pull an article about a client? Conversations like these are best avoided, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. Jodie Brazier from Topline Comms shares some tips to help prevent awkward moments before they happen, and how to approach these conversations when you can’t.

Conversations with journalists are a daily occurrence in my work at Topline Comms – I work on the STEM team and I’m lucky enough to deal with loads of amazing science and engineering journalists. One of my favourite parts of the job is sharing exciting new stories from clients with them, but not every conversation with a journalist is a smooth one.

Here are some tips on how to avoid difficult journalist conversations.

What to do if you can’t meet a journalist’s deadline:

To prevent this from happening:

  • Always check with your client that they are happy to commit to a deadline before you confirm it with a journalist
  • Be realistic. It’s much better to be upfront and say you won’t be able to meet the deadline and negotiate an extension than to commit to something which you know you’ll be unlikely to fulfil and leave the journalist hanging

What to do if it still happens:

  • Let the journalist know as soon as possible. The sooner you tell them (especially if it’s for a print publication) the more time they have to find something to fill the vacant space
  • Be honest and apologetic. Don’t try to make up an elaborate excuse; if the content is stuck in approvals, let them know that and make it clear that you know it’s an issue
  • Have an idea of when it will be ready. It’s likely the first thing a journalist will want to know once you’ve told them it won’t be ready in time for their deadline

If you need to pull an article at the last minute:

To prevent this happening:

  • Pulling content is a big no-no and a PR nightmare, so prevention is vital!
  • Make sure that all content is signed off by your client (and by all the key client stakeholders that need to see it) before it goes to the journalist. Or, if it’s an interview, be very clear with your spokesperson that they shouldn’t say anything that they wouldn’t want to see published

What to do if it still happens:

  • Unfortunately, sometimes there are circumstances that are beyond your control. It’s best to let the journalist know asap so they can arrange something to fill the space
  • You could also offer the journalist another story they could use instead
  • Be honest and tell them why the article is being withdrawn. Understanding the reasoning will make getting the bad news a bit more bearable

All in all, when it comes to breaking bad news to journalists, clear and frequent communication is key. Keep them informed of content status and if there are any issues, notify them as soon as possible. Think about if someone was to break this news to you, how best would you want to be told?

Build relationships with journalists in your sector – find them with the Vuelio Media Database and find out what they need with the Journalist Enquiry Service.

Vuelio Product Update – October

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We are constantly improving Vuelio for our clients, this month we’ve used machine learning to enhance journalist profiles.

Top topics displayed on journalist profiles

Knowing what a journalist has recently written about can help you to decide who is most likely to cover your story.

To enable you to better select media contacts for your campaigns, we’ve added the top 10 topics, names and places journalists have covered so far this year (2019) on their profiles in the Vuelio Media Database.

As an online monitoring provider, we already scan millions of articles from across the web to deliver your media coverage. We’ve used this data to build a machine learning algorithm that can identify if a word/phrase – also known as an ‘entity’ – falls into one of three categories: a name of a person or organisation, a place or a topic. This process is called ‘Named Entity Extraction’. It then collates this information and counts the number of mentions for each word, which is displayed on a contact profile.

 

We will continue to use this technology to improve how you search for information in Vuelio and it will contribute to other innovations. Watch this space.

influencer marketing and the law

Influencer marketing and the law

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Influencer marketing is an industry worth today some £4.5bn, expected to reach £18.4bn by 2024. It has grown fast, driven by an exponential take up of social media and explosion in online publishing across multiple channels.

From Facebook to Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Medium, we’re in an age where seemingly anyone can be an influencer – whether an 18-year-old producing makeup tutorials in their bedroom or the 98-year-old Iris Apfel who was signed this year to IMG.

Inextricably linked to the rise of the internet and social media, influencer marketing is built on processes and ways of working that are themselves relatively new. We’re at the birth of an industry where influencers, from bloggers and vloggers to podcasters and Instagrammers, and the PRs, brands and marketers collaborating with them are still working out the rules and determining best practice.

To help you understand your responsibilities and how you can comply with the law, Vuelio and the CMA have put together an exclusive guide: Influencer Marketing and the Law, which outlines best practice for influencers, PRs and marketers.

It is full of practical guidance around consumer protection law, terms of contract, social media posts and disclosure tools, and can improve how you approach brand partnerships and help you to achieve best practice.

We’re also indebted to John Adams from Dad Blog UK, the guys at Daddy & Dad, Kate Everall from LesBeMums, Hayley Hall, Elle Linton from Keep it simpElle and Jo Middleton from Slummy Single Mummy, who have each contributed their own experiences of disclosure and compliance.

You can download the white paper here.

SocialBookshelves.com

Literature blog spotlight: Dane Cobain, SocialBookshelves.com

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Dane Cobain is the author of SocialBookshelves.com, a top 10 UK Literature Blog. A record of all the books Dane reads, SocialBookshelves.com covers every genre and each review is the same number of words as the number of pages in the book.

We spoke to Dane about the book community online, the future of blogging, his favourite new authors and how he likes to work with PRs.  

How do you describe what you do to other people?
This is a great question because I do quite a lot and different people know me for different things. For example, in my local open mic scene, I’m known as a singer/songwriter. First and foremost, I consider myself to be a writer, and so I tell people that I write books and blog posts for a living. Sometimes I’m writing for myself and sometimes I’m being paid to write for other people. So while I am a blogger, that’s not the only thing that I do. I wear a lot of hats!

How much of a community is there around literary bloggers?
For me, I think that it’s more that there’s an overall ‘bookish’ community. Most of the activity takes place on social networking platforms, so there’s a thriving ‘Bookstagram’ community and I myself make ‘BookTube’ videos and take part in the community there. Book Twitter is also thriving but I tend to avoid it as there can be a lot of negativity and there’s a tendency for people to go on witch hunts. At least from what I’ve seen of people talking about it on BookTube, even the people who take part in Book Twitter recognise that it’s kind of toxic at times, although it does of course have plenty of plus sides too. For bloggers, there might not necessarily be a community around blogging, but they’ll typically take part on another platform. For example, perhaps their blog also has a Bookstagram account and they drive traffic and engagement to their blog through that.

What’s the best thing about being a professional blogger?
I consider myself to be a professional writer, of which blogging probably makes up somewhere between 30-50% of my work. My own personal blogs etc. do bring in some income, but only a small proportion. But they do allow me to charge a premium for my services when I write blogs for other people. I’d have to say that the best thing is that I have a flexible job where I’m my own boss, I control my own destiny and I’m doing what I love. It feels as though everything is aligned, so whether I’m writing for myself or I’m writing for a client, I’m pushing my career in the right direction.

What does the future of blogging look like?
This is another good question and it’s a tough one to answer. I suppose that arguably the most important trend will be the diversification of the blogosphere. What I mean by that is that people of all walks of life and with all sorts of different interests will continue to be attracted to blogging, while new platforms will keep coming along to help power those blogs. Other than that, I don’t think anyone can really know what the future of blogging will look like.

What’s your favourite book of all time?
Every time I’m asked this question, I say that it’s Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. That’s because it’s the book that made me fall in love with reading in the first place.

If you could only read in one genre ever again, which one would you choose?
That’s a tricky one because I read across pretty much every genre. I’d probably have to go for the nebulous genre of ‘modern classics’.

Which new author should we be aware of?
How long have you got? I read quite a lot of indie authors and there are some fantastic up-and-coming writers who have far fewer readers than they deserve. One of my favourites at the moment is an author called Charles Heathcote, who’s written the Our Doris series. They’re basically humorous novels following an old northern couple called Doris and ‘Arold a little bit in the vein of Keeping Up Appearances. I very rarely actually laugh out loud when I read a book, but I did with the Doris books.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
I have a PR details page on my site and I’m listed on various media databases. I read all of the emails that I receive but I get so many pitches that I don’t reply to unless I’m actually interested, and these days I probably only accept maybe 2% of pitches. But I’m up for all sorts of things, from basic book reviews to author interviews, giveaways etc. I’ve also been lucky enough to go on some press trips including to York for York Literature Festival and to Latvia on behalf of the British Council to spread the word about Latvian Literature ahead of London Book Fair.

What advice do you have for PRs looking to get in touch?
The best thing to do is to email me. Bear in mind that I get a lot of requests, too. In fact, unless a book is super relevant to my interests then there’s not much chance that I’ll read it, so it helps to get a feel for the kind of stuff I like. It can also help if there’s something above and beyond just a book on the line – for example, I still have fond memories of a PR from several years ago who sent me a hot water bottle to go with the book so I could get cosy while reading it.

What other blogs do you read?
I actually don’t tend to read many blogs myself, but I follow a lot of people on Goodreads and watch a lot of BookTube channels. In fact, I think quite a lot of people who follow my blog actually mostly get updates from my Goodreads account, because I cross-post all of my reviews both there and on Amazon.

Reach-the-right-influencers-with-the-Vuelio-media-database

PRCA

2020 PR and Communications Council: elections are open

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The PRCA has announced that elections are open for the 2020 PR and Communications Council.

The PR and Communications Council provides a formal mechanism for the industry’s most senior practitioners to consult on the key issues impacting PR and communications. The Council – which acts as a think-tank for the industry – informs the PRCA’s strategic priorities and delivers best-practice guidance for professionals.

Elections are open to all PRCA Members, including those who have sat on the council previously. Members are eligible to nominate themselves, as well as other practitioners.

Elections will close October 30th, 2019.

Following the election, a new Chair and Vice Chair will also be chosen. Please inform Isobel Arrowsmith if you’re interested in nominating yourself for Chair/Vice-Chair, and submit a manifesto detailing your plans for the Council (no more than 200 words).

Amanda Coleman FPRCA, head of corporate communications at Greater Manchester Police, and current Chair of the PR and Communications Council, said: ‘I have enjoyed every minute as Chair of the PRCA Council this year. It has given me an opportunity to discuss the PR and communication issues of the day and the future with fellow practitioners from across the industry. It has been personally eye opening and very rewarding to see both the similarities and the differences in what we all deliver.”

To nominate yourself for the 2020 PR and Communications Council please email Isobel Arrowsmith at [email protected].

No deal Brexit

PR Industry prepares for no deal Brexit

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Both the PRCA and CIPR have been awarded grants from the Government’s Business Readiness Fund to help the PR industry prepare for the potential of a no deal Brexit.

The PRCA plans to use its grant to deliver a programme of events and resources before the current Brexit deadline, 31 October. It will include legal guidance to ensure PR professionals remain compliant with the law after the UK’s exit.

Renna Markson, engagement director at the PRCA, said: ‘The prospect of a No Deal Brexit presents Public Relations businesses with an extensive list of logistical challenges. These include the management of personal data across borders to issues facing EU nationals employed by UK agencies. The PRCA will deliver practical information in a clear and digestible format to ensure the industry is as prepared as possible by October 31st.’

The CIPR will use its grant to launch a series of video shorts advising businesses on communicating effectively in advance of a no deal Brexit. Designed for a range of small businesses, the videos will feature PRs providing advice on general preparation related to comms activities, covering specific sectors such as Transport, Health and Construction as well as small and medium-sized PR agencies.

Alastair McCapra, chief executive of the CIPR said: ‘Most businesses in the UK are SMEs and many have not yet prepared for a no deal Brexit. How they communicate with their stakeholders in the final days before we leave the EU may be crucial to their future success. Our role at the CIPR is to help SMEs communicate effectively in these uncertain times; these videos will provide some certainty.’

The CIPR videos are being developed and delivered by Launch PR. They will be shared in paid promotion campaigns on social media between 16 October and 31 October.

Further information on the PRCA’s programme will be announced shortly.

Mental health 2019

3 ways to improve mental wellbeing in PR

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Last week, to coincide with World Mental Health Day, the PRCA and Opinium published research into mental health in our industry. The study found that 89% of PR and comms practitioners have struggled with their mental wellbeing and that overall levels of wellbeing in PR are lower than the UK average.

There are many ways to contribute to better mental health in the workplace, from buddy systems and mental health first aiders to no-evening-email policies and encouraging digital switch offs.

These generally focus on two of the biggest problem areas: not being able to open up, which ultimately leads to more pressure and stress, and the stress of workload creating a bad work/life balance.

The PRCA and Opinium research, Opening the Conversation: Mental Wellbeing in Public Relations, helps to define these main areas with three takeaways for employers to help their employees thrive:

  1. Recognising the impact of workload on mental health and introducing effective workload management techniques
  2. Offer mental wellbeing initiatives that enhance mental wellbeing and encourage their usage
  3. Embrace mental wellbeing throughout the whole organisation

All three foster company cultures that promote positive mental wellbeing and help to create a space where employees and colleagues feel comfortable to talk about their mental health.

What is clear is that more needs to be done to help improve mental health in the industry and give it a bigger focus. Studies like this help to shine a light on issues and provide practical advice but ultimately, it’s up to the agencies and in-house teams to adopt these for the benefit of all.

Victoria Del Rico relevance LA

New York, London, Los Angeles: Relevance International expands its global offering

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Relevance International has opened its third office in Los Angeles, California. The new location is the third for the leading real estate, hospitality and luxury goods PR agency, with offices also in New York and London.  

The new office is strategically located between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills and will be led by director Victoria Del Rico. Del Rico is an experienced lifestyle PR specialist whose previous work includes press and social media campaigns for brands such a Piero Lissoni Associati, Acqua di Parma, Verono Homes and The Four Seasons in Florence.

Del Rico is fluent in Spanish and Italian, which brings the agency’s spoken languages up to seven, and specializes in foreign luxury companies looking to enter the US market.

Suzanne Rosnowski, founder and CEO of Relevance International, said: ‘With an undeniable synergy between the New York, London and Los Angeles markets, opening an office on the west coast has been an integral part of the global vision from the start.

‘As our client list has expanded to include projects and companies in the region, being on the ground in LA was a natural next step to further establish Relevance International as a premier global agency spanning reach into even more time zones – because media never sleeps.’

Consistently ranked in the Observer’s PR Power List as one of New York’s Top Specialty PR Agencies, Relevance International has a unique combination of boutique sensibility and international reach. The LA opening also marks the second anniversary of the UK office, which is now headed up by Fiona Harris.

It’s clear Relevance International is looking to continue with its current momentum, Rosnowski said: ‘Next, we’ll be exploring opportunities in the east – perhaps fairly far east.’

PRCA

9 out 10 practitioners struggle with mental wellbeing

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The PRCA and Opinium has conducted the industry’s largest piece of research on mental health, which has found that 89% of PR and communications practitioners have struggled with their mental wellbeing.

Launched today, on World Mental Health Day, Opening the Conversation: Mental Wellbeing in Public Relations highlights the pressures facing PR practitioners and that overall levels of wellbeing in PR are lower than the UK average.

The report also reveals that 31% of PR professionals say they find their job very stressful and 59% says this stress is caused by their workload.

The report reflects the findings of this year’s Mental Wellbeing Audit, which gathered the views of more than 400 practitioners. The Audit incorporates The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, which is recognised as a best practice mechanism for gathering data on mental health and wellbeing.

Francis Ingham, Director General of the PRCA said: ‘The time for our industry to take action on mental health is now. And this is the latest in the PRCA’s concerted effort to do just that. While it’s encouraging to see more practitioners discussing mental health with colleagues, far too many of our colleagues are still suffering. For too long, our industry has tip-toed around this issue but we now have an opportunity to take action and create meaningful change. Attitudes are changing. Conversations are starting. Let’s now enact the recommendations of this report to create tangible change for the future of our workforce.’

If you would like to get involved in the PRCA’s campaigning work on mental health, please contact [email protected].

 

Marcus Jaye

Men’s fashion spotlight: Marcus Jaye, The Chic Geek

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Marcus Jaye is The Chic Geek, cult fashion blogging sensation and author of Fashion W*nkers, a new book celebrating fashion passion. For Marcus, the title is a badge of honour and the book covers the dos and don’ts of making your way in the confusing world of style.

We spoke to Marcus about his book, sustainability in the fashion world and how he likes to work with agencies and brands.

Note: surprisingly, this post contains swear words.

How do you describe what you do to other people?
I’m a men’s style blogger under the guise of my alter ego, The Chic Geek. He’s got red hair and glasses, a bit like me, but is much better looking and funnier.

Can you tell us about your book?
My new book, ‘Fashion Wankers – It Takes One To Know One’, launches at the end of October.

Published by Ammonite, the idea is, in the age of Tom Ford’s ‘Fucking Fabulous’, ‘Eggslut’ and ‘Bollocks To Brexit’, the Fashion Wanker is the new fashionista. The truly stylish are the first to poke fun at themselves. It’s all about confidence and being able to laugh at yourself. It’s also a very British thing and what makes us leaders in fashion.

How did the book come about, did you pitch it or were you approached?
I pitched it. I had a previous book in 2011, but I wanted to write something new. This new book is for both sexes and looks at all the different contemporary Fashion Wankers there are and how you can be a better one. Being a fashion wanker is a good thing; a style badge of honour. I wanted to do something that was great for gifting and would put a smile on people’s faces. The world doesn’t need any more boring books.

Fashion Wankers

What was the best part of bringing the book together?
Trying to squeeze all my silly and funny fashion sayings in and celebrating the ridiculousness of fashion, the reason I love it so much.

How important is social media to modern bloggers?
It’s important because it’s your voice. It’s also your ears and eyes to see what is going on in the world. The only negative is the obsession with numbers and vanity side of it.

How significant is waste and sustainability in the fashion world?
Fashion and sustainability are never going to be fully compatible, but there are many things to be done to reduce waste and close the loop on fashion waste and things that are no longer desired. People, brands and companies are making the right noises, but, like with everything, it will come down to the economics.

Marcus JayeWhat’s your favourite item of clothing?
Ooh, that’s a tough one. I bob along on the fashion ocean and am always open to try new things. COS just gave me a trouser/half kilt combo, and, while I was slightly out of my comfort zone, I liked it.

If you had to give one piece of style advice, what would it be?
Don’t overthink it. Ask somebody who you trust and admire for advice. Sometimes it is about stopping wearing something – looking at you skinny jeans – rather than buying something new.

How do you work with brands and PRs?
I want to hear about everything. I particularly like things that are new and never been done before, especially in grooming. You can’t be rigid in this business. What I like/dislike today will be different this time next year. That’s what makes fashion and style exciting and exhausting…

What’s the best collaboration you’ve worked on with an agency or brand?
I really enjoy being able to come up with original concepts and ideas. The Chic Geek is over 10 years old now and I’ve done many collaborations over that time. The best ones are the ones which challenge you and start with a really strong idea. It helps if it’s fun too.

What other blogs do you read?
The men’s community is very supportive and we all see each other at events and launches. I like the ones who have a point of view and opinion and really say something (even if I disagree with it!).

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Mirjam Peternek-McCartney

Travel PR Spotlight with Lemongrass Marketing’s Mirjam Peternek-McCartney

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Lemongrass Marketing CEO and Founder Mirjam Peternek-McCartney has picked up a few travel trade tools during her 19 years working in comms, which includes time at Mangum Management in Germany, working with US account teams for MMGY Hills Balfour, and launching Lemongrass in Oxford in 2007.

Now counting W Dubai, Lanserhof and Martinhal resorts as clients, Mirjam works with high-end luxury properties and destinations with a ‘360-degree’ approach. We spoke to Mirjam about how she and her team tackle challenges, the advantages of keeping it in-house when it comes to travel and what she makes of hotel towel art…

Having worked in comms for 19 years, what have been the biggest changes you’ve seen in the industry, and what do you see as the next potential challenges for PR?
With the explosion of channels now available to consumers, the biggest challenge for travel brands and luxury hotels is to really understand how each of these impact the customer’s booking journey across all of those touchpoints – and to make sure they are present with messages that reflect the traveller’s intent and helping meet their particular needs.

Many hotels want to increase bookings in low season, and we have developed a proprietary methodology and process to identify potential bookers and capture their attention to achieve just that. A big challenge for the industry has always been how to measure what we do, providing proof of return on investment and how that translates into tangible business outcomes. With mobile and big data we are now, for the first time, able to do that – and that excites me! The shape and meaning of PR is involving and the future poses challenges – but I always think that along with all of those challenges, there will also be plenty of opportunities. As an industry we need to move away from a siloed way of thinking. Hotel PR, sales, marketing and reservations teams all need to collaborate more closely to ensure a seamless dreaming/planning/booking/sharing experience for the end consumer – the traveller.

Lemongrass boasts a ‘360-degree service’, with PR, sales, brand partnerships, and social teams – what are the advantages with having all of this in-house?
It comes back to what I mentioned above. We are luxury hotel marketing experts – this means we need to understand every touchpoint of the vastly changed customer journey in order to help our clients boost low season bookings, find hidden revenue opportunities (often where our clients haven’t looked before) and then translate those business challenges into meaningful campaigns across PR, marketing, social/digital, sales etc. This means we have a core team across all of those disciplines inhouse, and expert associates in super specialised areas that we draft in if we feel it is beneficial to the client. Our integrated way of working means more rounded campaigns, cross pollination of ideas, efficient, flexible and agile working practices, and ultimately heads on beds for our hotel clients, all year round!

Can you give us a few examples of particularly challenging/difficult briefs you’ve worked on in your time in the industry?
We’ve had some challenging briefs – of course! But interestingly, it’s never been the technical stuff. Challenging briefs usually had more to do with the fact that our values and those of the client didn’t align. We are fairly unusual in the travel marketing and PR world in that we speak the language of business and creativity, and always link the brief back to the core business objectives of the client. The clients we work best with really appreciate and understand that, and many have been with us from the very early years of Lemongrass Marketing, over a decade ago.

How does Lemongrass work with influencers and bloggers – despite some negative publicity around bad examples in recent years, how are these sections of the media useful for gaining cut-through for a hotel brand?
Influencers are a hugely important part of the customer journey, especially in the ‘dreaming’ and ‘planning’ stages of their holiday. It’s interesting that only 18% of all travellers are set on a hotel brand or destination when having an ‘I-want-to-get-away’ moment. In those moments, people are exploring destination options and ideas with no firm plans – people are looking for inspiration. That can come from a huge number of sources, including influencers.

However, it’s really important to define what we mean by influencers (they could be micro influencers, for example). Influencers may not even have an online presence; they could be people with a golden contact book of friends aka future hotel guests. We work with these ‘connected clans’ a lot, too. Ultimately, you need to do your research, be clear on the objective and deliverable, and advise your client accordingly. We get an influx of requests from influencers on a daily basis. Having put them through all of our analysis, research tools and database, we then only work with about 2% of them.

Moving to ‘traditional media’ – who are some of your favourite journalists in the travel/hospitality space, and why?
I always, without fail, read Sophy Roberts’ stories and the photography on her Instagram account is inspiring. Jane Anderson has an unparalleled knowledge of family travel, but then there are so many great travel journalists out there: Lisa Grainger, Jane Knight, Claire Irvin, Issy von Simpson, Francisca Kellett and lots of new talented writers coming through, too! I prefer straight talking journalists who know what they want and what they don’t want; it is easier for us to create tailored pitches and share stories that will resonate with them.

Many consumers will no longer stay in Trump-affiliated hotels, and chains owned by Brunei – what would you and Lemongrass do to turn around public opinion towards brands with a bad reputation? Do you think it’s possible to overcome political public opinion in the current climate?
I think public opinion can be a force for positive change. If there is a problem at a hotel that needs rectifying, then you must be transparent with your client. It’s no good brushing it under the carpet, throw PR budget at it and hope it’ll go away. It won’t – not in the days of social media. So, while I feel for all the people working at the Dorchester Collection – those hotels are impeccably run by professional and hardworking teams – I think it’s high time some governments stepped in to review their human rights record.

What are your aims for Lemongrass over the next five years?
As well as continuing on our organic growth trajectory, we are planning to become a B-Corp and are all incredibly excited about it. B-Corp is the Gold standard of socially responsible businesses and about creating a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. As such, we are the perfect partner for sustainable hotels and hotel groups with a purpose and we would love to work with more of those.

And very important – what’s your take on towels shaped into swans on hotel beds? Do you think they should be in the bathroom?
Haha! I like animals, just not on hotel beds! I am not a fan of hotel towel art in any way, shape or form. But I’d love to see hotel guests reuse their towels more. The cost to the environment of daily towel changes is astronomical.

Find Lemongrass Marketing on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, and connect with top travel influencers and journalists on the Vuelio Media Database.

Online Influence Awards 2019

The Online Influence Awards: judges and host announced

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The finalists have been announced, top guests are booking up and the final nominations are coming in thick and fast – the Online Influence Awards are just 46 days away.  

We’re excited to announce that this year the Online Influence Awards will be hosted by critically-acclaimed comedian, Jen Brister, as seen on Live at the Apollo. Brister has recently released her first book The Other Mother and will be touring her latest show, ‘Under Privilege’ around the UK in 2020.

Later this month is the all-important judging day where our panel of experts will spend several hours, and numerous cups of coffee, deciding this year’s winners. The judging process is crucial to what makes the Online Influence Awards unique; we will never ask for public votes or make finalists work for their win, so every victor knows their triumph is truly deserved.

This year’s judges include: Lawrence Gosling, editorial director at Bonhill Media; Liz Wilder, head of financial services at Fleishman; Mike Harris, founder of 89UP; Scott Guthrie, influencer marketing expert; Stephanie Boland, head of digital at Prospect magazine; John Gregory-Smith, chef, author and presenter; Jo Parker, CEO of Chime Specialist Group; James Herring, co-founder of Taylor Herring; Dan Hudson, podcast co-host of A Gay and A NonGay; and Rahul Titus, head of influence at Ogilvy UK.

Nominations
If you think you can impress this panel of influencer experts there’s still time to submit your entry for our four campaign categories: Best B2B Influence Campaign, Best B2C Influence Campaign, Best Cause-Led Influence Campaign and Best Content Agency.

We’ve extended the deadline for entries until Friday 11 October, plus there’s no fee to enter and all shortlisted campaigns will receive a pair of tickets to the big night on Friday 22 November at the Bloomsbury Ballroom.

Tickets
We’ve also extended the deadline for our early bird ticket rate until Friday 11 October, so if you’ve not secured your place at the Online Influence Awards make sure you do it soon!

Best of luck to all our finalists and anyone entering the awards, we can’t wait to see you on the night.

John Roberston

Men’s Lifestyle spotlight: John Robertson, The Everyday Man

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John Robertson created The Everyday Man in 2012 and it’s now one of the top men’s lifestyle blogs in the UK. Covering everything from art and culture to fashion and grooming, John has built a loyal audience with his honest and insightful advice for the modern man.

We caught up with John to find out what it means to be recognized as one of the top 10 men’s lifestyle blogs, the future of blogging and social media, and one of his favourite collaborations.

What does it mean for you to be ranked in the top 10 men’s lifestyle blogs?
It’s a really nice feeling to be recognised for something that you love doing.  When I started The Everyday Man, it was my hobby so for it to have grown over the past eight years into what it is now is something that I still find had to believe.

How much of a community is there around men’s lifestyle bloggers?
I think the community is split into different groups dependent on niche and location. There are a few others who I’ve kept in touch with for a very long time and whom I enjoy chatting about projects and ideas with. This can be a quite a solitary job so it’s nice to have others in the same boat you can chat with.

Did we miss anyone?
There’s loads of guys out there doing great stuff but I think you definitely covered all of my favourites.

What’s the best thing about being a professional blogger?
It’s all pretty cool. I guess getting to test and trial products before they hit the market is very cool. I also love to travel and have been very fortunate to get the chance to head off to some rather cool places on work trips.

What’s does the future of blogging look like?
Who knows? I hope that we’ll start moving away from individual influencer social media style blogs and more into magazine format again as I’ve always preferred those.

What’s the best collaboration you’ve worked on with an agency or brand?
There are so many that it is hard to choose. Though I took part in a road trip with Mercedes last year over in Texas and that was a sure highlight. I got to drive an awesome car through some unbelievable landscape; it was extraordinary and I really loved the content that I gathered too.

What advice would you give PRs looking to get in touch?
Email is always best for me. It helped to be clear of your expectations and wishes from any partnership off the bat too. I hate the ping pong back and forth and I hate contact over social media (Instagram DM) even more.

How important are social media channels to your work, will they ever replace the blog?
For me the blog has always been and will always be my primary channel. Social is great too but I love having the space to really tell a story properly and find that easier on the blog itself.

What’s your favourite outfit?
My style is super classic (maybe boring to some). You’ll normally find me in black jeans or chinos, and a white or black t-shirt. I recently picked up a new jacket from Belstaff as part of a collab though and I love it.

What other blogs do you read?
I love Hypebeast as I’m big into my sneakers and they always have the news on the latest drops.

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Pulsar Access Intelligence

Access Intelligence acquires Pulsar to accelerate social media capability

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Access Intelligence, the parent company of Vuelio, has acquired Pulsar, the leading insights and social listening company.

Pulsar uses AI to analyse conversational and behavioural social media data to help brands understand their audiences and create impactful content.

It will join the Access Intelligence portfolio of products that enable businesses to understand, target and engage key opinion leaders according to their brand, product or industry. This includes Vuelio, the platform that helps organisations make their stories matter, and ResponseSource, a network connecting journalists and influencers to the resources they need, fast.

The deal will drive improvements in our capabilities, notably in trend forecasting, social listening, audience segmentation and evaluation including campaign attribution. The combined customer base will now include more than 3,500 global brands, as well as over 200 employees across London and the US.

Joanna Arnold, CEO of Access Intelligence said: ‘Pulsar is the best enterprise social intelligence platform in the market and a great addition to the Access Intelligence Group. This acquisition will enable us to keep our clients ahead in a world where influence shifts in real-time across multiple channels.’

Joining Access Intelligence will allow Pulsar to create a proposition directly connecting insight generation to marketing strategy and activation, while unlocking opportunities to reach new audiences.

Francesco D’orazio, CEO of Pulsar said: ‘Access Intelligence is an ideal new home for Pulsar, and their focus on SaaS makes them a great strategic partner to scale the business and expand our footprint in the PR and communications industry’.

The deal took the form of stock-swap between Access Intelligence and Cello Health, Pulsar’s previous owner. Cello Health will be retaining an interest in Pulsar through Consideration Shares.

7 essential parts of an online newsroom

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The job of your online newsroom is to become the go-to resource for journalists and other influencers who want the latest updates and information on your organisation.

That means your newsroom is the first thing journalists see when they interact with your organisation and making a great impression is crucial. To help you set the standard, here are seven things your newsroom must include.

1. Press Releases
Perhaps the most obvious, but it allows you to post all your company news in one place. Your news doesn’t just cover latest announcements but also background details, facts and quotes.

2. Media library
Journalists and bloggers need easy access to high quality images and videos to support their articles. Making this easy will save you both a lot of time.

3. Contacts
List as many members of the PR team as possible including phone numbers and email addresses. The easier it is for a journalist to reach the right person to get the information they need, the better your relationship with them will be.

4. Social media profiles
Including your social media feeds ensures any breaking news and current conversation is visible in your newsroom. Embed or link to your organisation’s twitter account.

5. Company information
Include a section or link to your company about page. Make sure it has an overview of the company, the work you do and your key people.

6. Search
Over time your content builds up into a valuable library of information. You can allow journalists to quickly pick out historical facts, figures and dates for their articles with an easy to use search tool.

7. Analytics
Knowing how successful your posts are can ensure you know what style of release or content is reaching the most people at what times and in which locations. Add your Google Analytics tracking to your newsroom to see where visitors have come from.

If your stats are lower than expected don’t be disheartened. The more important thing is that your story resonates with your intended audience through the coverage gained with journalists and influencers.

By making it as easy as possible for the media to source news, facts, quotes, background and high-res images you’re removing obstacles to getting your brand coverage.

Ready to make a great impression? Easily publish press releases, images and collateral of all kinds to an optimised, customised and integrated Vuelio Online Newsroom.

PRCA Legal Group’s Meet the Legal Editors

What journalists want from PRs

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What makes a good story to pitch to legal journalists? It’s not as straightforward as you might think, according to the panel at the PRCA Legal Group’s Meet the Legal Editors event.

Legal Group Chair Gus Sellitto of Byfield Consultancy led a discussion with Rose Walker, news editor at Legal Week; freelance journalist and former barrister Catherine Baksi; Eduardo Reyes, features editor at the Law Society Gazette; and James Booth, a reporter at City A.M. covering legal and insurance topics.

No matter what industry you’re working in, the panel’s advice can be used by PRs to shape their pitch and build meaningful media relationships.  

Like any other area of PR, know your audience and understand what they want 
Catherine Baksi said that as a freelance journalist she needs to know the publication thoroughly in order to sell a story and PR professionals need to do the same – read several issues, know the audience inside out, and be certain that the story you pitch is what you would expect to read in that publication. When she’s writing for the national press, she’s looking for a wider consumer angle or impact.  

James Booth also said his readers aren’t focused on legal intricacies. They’re in a hurry and have little specialist knowledge or interest in law firms so they want to hear about City scandals, pay-outs and financial angles, or huge court cases and appeals rather than corporate news. However, both Rose Walker and Eduardo Reyes had recently turned down stories around divorce law as their readers focus on corporate law, or are already clued up on family law. 

What makes a good story for the legal press? 
Scandals; ‘firsts’ like a ruling, case or failure that has happened for the first time; and exclusives, particularly if it offers novelty or controversy. Your story needs to be fresh and not something that’s ’months old’ or has been used recently, even in another publication – again this is where being familiar with the outlet you’re targeting will help. (Eduardo Reyes said if you can get a picture of dog in the story, that will help…).  

The difficulty with good quotes 
James Booth said that he will often turn to a reliable source he can trust to offer quotes that are colourful, challenging or entertaining as well as accurate – and that this is easier said than done. Eduardo Reyes reminded PRs to brief their law firm clients that while accuracy is crucial, media quotes don’t need as much precision as when offering legal advice. Catherine Baksi also asked for novel, interesting and succinct quotes in plain language, from spokespeople confident about speaking to the media. Both Baksi and Reyes warned against asking to check quotes or headlines – both time and ethics mean this is impossible. Another tip was to remind clients to sound ‘more like a person than a lawyer’ and avoid starting quotes with bland clichés like “I’m delighted…”.  

One audience member said that it can be difficult to get a client to accept their PR expertise to make a quote interesting and not just accurate. The panel suggested asking further questions can help to get an interviewee to say something in a different way and result in a quote that’s more punchy, non-generic and easy to digest – and ultimately one that’s more headline-worthy. Going back to your client and saying confidently ’this is what the journalist says they need’ can help.  

What does ’exclusive’ mean to a journalist and when can you offer an exclusive to another journalist? 
This is all about honesty and clarity. The panel agreed that an exclusive doesn’t come with qualifiers – it means it’s something that’s not been covered before, in any sector or outlet, and you’re sharing it with that journalist or publication alone. However, you can give a clear deadline so that if they aren’t interested or can’t use it, you can offer it to another outlet. If you offer an exclusive to a journalist and they accept, you should commit to that or it can damage your relationship with that outlet or journalist in the future. 

This also applies to your own company or client blog. The panel again agreed that you should offer news first to journalists, who don’t have time to monitor individual websites. If a journalist picks up your story (including appointments, reports, or opinion pieces) you’ll reach a wider audience than if you post it on your company blog or website first. 

The mechanics of pitching 
Give plenty of thought to your email subject line – this helps a journalist decide quickly on whether they want to use your story (or find out more). This should contain the sexiest bit and the first line should sum up the story. Catherine Baksi said it’s important for there to be contacts available to answer further questions after you send out a story. If you’re offering a range of spokespeople on a topic, partners can be more confident and quotable than associates who may lack confidence, but fresh and diverse voices are also good for journalists.  

Building a relationship with journalists 
All the panel agreed journalists are increasingly short of time, especially with the ’24-hour deadlines’ culture of online content. Email overload is still a problem and at the same time they’re monitoring social media for trends and stories and facing more scrutiny. However, you can support your journalist contacts by following them and sharing their content on social media (just don’t DM/@ them unless they say that’s their preference – a well-targeted email or phone call remains the best way to contact them).  

Meetings in person need to be brief (coffee rather than lunch), convenient (near to their office) and have a point. Rose Walker said one hour out of the office can mean missed deadlines or losing the opportunity to make several phone calls so it’s important that the journalist gets something concrete out of a meeting – for legal PRs that could mean bringing one of the firm’s partners along.  

Do: 

  • Do read the publication you’re targeting  
  • Do follow the journalists you want to work with on social media (and a retweet doesn’t go amiss) 
  • Do support your client to come up with colourful, succinct quotes  
  • Do ‘treat journalists like human beings and they’ll reciprocate’ 

Don’t: 

  • Don’t ask to check the quotes 
  • Don’t offer an exclusive that’s not exclusive 
  • Don’t use jargon (either PR or legal) 

Vuelio can help you identify the journalists, outlets and influencers relevant to you and your clients. This allows you to quickly target contacts and build new, lasting relationships based on a genuine understanding of what journalists want from you. Find out more. 

 

(Image by kind permission of Byfield Consultancy – http://byfieldconsultancy.com)