PR Basics

Interview with Alan Penchansky: PR Basics by Susan Bowles

Interview with Alan Penchansky: PR Basics

by Susan Bowles

You know it’s a bad day, the joke goes, when your secretary tells you “60 Minutes” is on the phone. True. But the joke belies one of business’s truths: While you may not want Mike, Ed and Morley on your tail, there are going to be times when you covet press attention. It can help you build your company and establish credibility.

Yet to make the most of the media, you need to know how to pique a reporter’s interest and what to do once you have it – skills you probably didn’t learn on your current career path.

“A lot of men and women in business have no business training and no communications training,” says Clarke Caywood, a professor in the Department of Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University and editor of The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations & Integrated Communications.

“I’ve come to the belief media relations is a right brain/left brain kind of thing,” adds Alan Penchansky, founder of The Pen Group Communications in Miami and a 19-year veteran of high-tech PR. “You either get it, or you don’t.”

Here, a guide from the experts on how to hone your media savvy.

Know what the press can do for you.

No doubt, the right exposure in a newspaper, magazine, Web site or television broadcast can help your business. “When someone else writes about you, your message takes on a higher level of credibility,” Caywood says. And once you talk to a reporter, you’ll probably be approached again and again by a variety of media. “You become a resource,” he says.

Yet getting – and nailing – that first interview is tough. That’s because people outside of journalism often aren’t sure how reporters do their jobs, and the uncertainty can turn the most articulate executive into a stammering fool. Here’s a tip: Most journalists aren’t investigative reporters. “That’s one-fourth of one-eighth of 1 percent of any business-related communication on this planet,” Caywood says. Instead, most reporters write to inform and serve their readers – a fact that’s particularly true as Internet sites spring up for every industry and interest group.

“The Web should reduce this tension about quote, unquote, ‘talking to journalists,’” Caywood says. Of course, that doesn’t mean companies should start calling their neighborhood and trade publications the day their doors open. Talk to a reporter too soon – before you have a story to tell – and you may ruin future story chances. “We’re talking about timing and expectations,” Penchansky says. “The underlying rule here is you only get one chance to make a first impression.”

Be proactive.

How, then, do you approach the press? And how do you know that your timing is right? The first step is to have a strategy, which most businesses don’t. “It’s just always missing in most start-up companies,” Caywood says, even though “one of the most powerful engines you have is getting people to talk about your product.”

Caywood suggests finding out what publications your customers read. What Internet sites they visit. Then fashion a plan for getting your story in those places. “For most businesswomen, the primary objective is to identify how she can reach her customers more credibly and effectively than simply using direct mail or her Web site or her storefront,” he says.

Once you’ve identified the media that reach the people you want to sell to, you need to find out which reporters cover your industry. “Know your journalists as well as you know your analysts,” Caywood says. Companies – particularly those that are publicly traded – always know the industry analysts who follow them. “I would put the same value on the press.” Companies next should prepare a battery of written materials about themselves. These can include business summaries, fact sheets and brief biographical sketches of key executives. The value? You’ll have something in hand when a reporter asks if you can fax her information about your business.

Spend some time creating these documents, Penchansky says. Words are the currency of the press, and you need to respect it. “If you give them something poorly done, that reflects on your company,” he says. “Companies need to devote more care and attention to the written component. I just think it pays back enormously.”

Another tool in your proactive arsenal is hiring professional help. Even small- and mid-size companies can benefit from outside counsel, Penchansky says. But beware: While it’s never too early to begin planning a public relations program, you shouldn’t expect immediate exposure if your story isn’t ready. “One of the things I see is companies hire too early and get disappointed when they don’t see results in four to six weeks,” he says.

How do you know you’re ready to begin talking to reporters? When you can answer a few questions. Consider the following, Penchansky says, in order to determine if your story is a complete one:

• Is this the right time to go to market?
• Do I have customers?
• Do I have testimonials?
• Can I differentiate myself from the competition?
• Can I answer the tough questions editors ask?

One last point: Rather than putting the media spotlight on you or your company, you may want to direct it at your customers; specifically, how you’ve helped them do business better. “That reduces the pressure a little bit,” Caywood says. “My strategy is more about building your business by telling how you helped another person build her business. That’s a much more interesting way to approach the press.”

Know how to react

OK, so after you’ve developed a plan for communicating your business, learned who key reporters are and ensured you’re ready to talk, what happens when a journalist actually phones and asks for an interview? No. 1, never lie. “That’s probably the cardinal rule in all PR,” Penchansky says. “To never lie.”

Next, do your own research. If you aren’t familiar with the publication, go online and find out about it. Read it. Look at how it’s put together so you understand the context in which your comments will appear. “That’s easier today than a few years ago when a magazine didn’t have a ‘zine’ version,” Caywood says.

And prepare. At most, you should have three core messages you’re trying to communicate. “With three messages, you can cover almost the entire framework for a company’s business model,” Penchansky says.

Of course, it’s always possible a reporter you haven’t contacted will call you about a story she’s writing. That’s especially likely to happen if you’ve built a reputation as an authoritative source in some area. When that happens, Caywood offers a few strategic suggestions:

• Ask what the story is about generally and try to set up an interview a little later. This will give you time to collect your thoughts.
  
  
• Type up a few talking points. “You might call them 30-second spots,” he says.
  
  
• Call in colleagues to brainstorm. Or phone your PR professional. This is particularly important as your business grows or if the reporter wants to talk about a controversial subject.
  
  
• Remember that you have some control during the interview. “They have the right to ask a question, and you have the right not to have to answer it in exactly the way they framed it,” Caywood says. “Both parties know this. They aren’t naïve, and you shouldn’t be, either.”
  
  
• Avoid the phrase no comment. “People fill in the blanks with ‘no comment,’” Caywood says. Instead, be as frank as you possibly can: “That’s difficult for us to answer”; “We’re still investigating that, but let me tell you our policy.” Says Caywood: “The best answer is honesty, but honesty in a way that doesn’t create a second or third story.”
  
  

Those strategies can do some double-duty, too: Every one of them applies if you find yourself in the middle of a “bad news” story.

“It goes back to don’t lie,” Penchansky says. “Accepting responsibility is key in a crisis.” And take comfort in the fact that any touchy topic will benefit from a thoughtful, complete communications strategy. “You have relationships with these reporters,” Penchansky says. “They’re disposed to want to see things your way.”

Know what to let slide

Once a story appears in print, on TV or on the Web, you need to approach it with a healthy dose of perspective. You may see typos, Penchansky says, but “the press is imperfect; they work under tight deadlines. You really can’t get too carried away.” If you feel you’ve been misquoted or the story is inaccurate, write a letter to the publication’s editor. But remember that it’s the rare story that doesn’t have some minor imperfection. “I think you can get too thin-skinned,” Penchansky says. “You can’t do this job and turn out great copy” 100 percent of the time.

If all this seems a bit intimidating, relax. Books are written, degrees are earned, and careers are fashioned over this topic. But you can play the game by remembering some basic rules:

• Tell the truth.
• Hone your message for a targeted audience.
• Respect the reporter, her publication and the publication’s readers.

If you don’t, I just don’t know how you can have an effective media relations campaign,” Penchansky says. And know that good businesses make good copy. “It is earned press,” Caywood says. “Well-run businesses have an inherent news value.”