Well, for starters, because good public relations can alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among your key outside audiences. And that can help business, non-profit and association managers like you achieve your managerial objectives.

But remember to let the PR tacticians handle the special events, brochures and press releases. As a professional manager with public relations reporting to you, you have more important things to do.

Like, for instance, planning to do something positive about the behaviors of those key external audiences of yours that most affect your operation. Especially when you persuade those important outside people to your way of thinking, then help move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Here’s a path you might follow as you put your public relations action plan in play: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

What an approach along those lines can do, is help you avoid an over-concentration on those tactical brochures, press releases and special events, and focus your resources instead on those key, all-important, outside groups of people.

And what might you expect in return? Among other results, customers making repeat purchases; new approaches by capital givers and specifying sources; positive bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications; community leaders beginning to seek you out; prospects starting to do business with you; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; not to mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

Just who will do the work this implies, should be an early concern. Specialists from a public relations agency? People assigned to your operation? Your own public relations staff? However, regardless of where they come from, they need to be committed to you and your PR plan beginning with key audience perception monitoring.

During early conversations with PR staff, you need to be certain that those assigned to you are clear on why it’s vital to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Hopefully, they’ve already accepted the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

The sooner you go over with them how you plan to proceed, the better, especially how you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

If money is in the budget, don’t hesitate to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program. And always remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Your new PR goal will address the worst distortions discovered during your key audience perception monitoring, and probably call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially troublesome rumor.

But identifying the right strategy is the real key. This refers to a strategy that tells you how to get to where you want to be, and there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pick will taste like banana-mango ketchup on your canteloupe, be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Because crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking really IS hard work, you need your first-string varsity writer to create some very special, corrective language and aim it at members of your target audience. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift perception/opinion towards your point of view leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

The job now is to select the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. This can be done after the draft is reviewed by your PR folks for impact and persuasiveness. There are dozens of tactics available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

For better or worse, a message’s believability can rest on the credibility of the vehicle used to deliver it. So, you may decide to introduce it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

Calls for progress reports are an early warning for you that it’s time for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Actually, most of the questions used in the first benchmark session can be used again. But this time, you will be watching carefully for signs that the problem perception is being altered in your direction. And that’s real progress!

But, of course, you can lose momentum. Should this occur, you can always speed up the program by adding more communications tactics, and increasing their frequencies.

Why public relations? An easy question for the professional manager. Because it’s crucial that you achieve your managerial objectives, you must alter individual perception in a way that leads to changed behaviors among your key outside audiences, thus insuring the success of your operation.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1495 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

Think of a triangle. On the left, imagine the story you want to tell. On the right, you have zeitgeist , or curent events.

The object of the game is to create a unified, triangulated center…literally an "angle" for your story.

For example, if you have improved your business practices, you might utilize the popularity of television transformations, and promote your story as an "extreme makeover" for busy professionals.

By tying your story to something topical, you vastly improve its chances of being heard.

A good story with a mediocre salesperson is better than a bad story told by the most articulate salesperson. Lack of slickness is actually an asset.

If you had the greatest press kit in the world-but a lackluster story-I couldn’t get you on the Today Show . But if you were pregnant with Osama Bin Laden’s baby, I could get you on with a smudged fax.

In America Today, for better or worse, the way we become credible is by being visible. These are wacky times. Where there’s no visibility, there is no credibility. That’s just the way it works.

GuerrillaPR Insights is a, weekly newsletter that does 2 things: First, it provides readers with a weekly, actionable "insights" on how you can work more effectively with the media.

Secondly, it provides NAPES: Names, Addresses, and Phone numbers of key media producers and editors. For example, in a recent issue, we gave specific contact information on how to contact the producers of the Oprah Winfrey Show. To check out the archives, go to: http://www.guerrillapr.net/ Guerrilla_PR_Insights-backissues.html

Think for a moment! If you were to do a business, profession or a job that you loved, something that was a passion, you considered worth doing, one that gave you joy; would you ever think early retirement or rush home early from work? ‘Doubtful’ is a certainty, to say the least!

A few years ago, I perchance drifted across a book titled ‘To Sail Beyond the Sunset’ in which Robert Heinlein’s character, Jubal Harshaw, said something that left a lasting impression on me, and ergo, naturally, on the way I look at life. Jubal says “Happiness lies in being privileged to work hard for long hours in doing whatever you think is worth doing. One man may find happiness in supporting a wife and children. And another may find it in robbing banks. Still another may labor mightily for years in pursuing pure research with no discernible results.”

“Note the individual and subjective nature of each case. No two are alike and there is no reason to expect them to be. Each man or woman must find for himself or herself that occupation in which hard work and long hours make him or her happy. Contrariwise, if you are looking for shorter hours and longer vacations and early retirement, you are in the wrong job. Perhaps you need to take up bank robbing. Or geeking in a sideshow. Or even politics.”

So I settled on Public Relations. Not before completing various stints dealing in chemicals, stocks, exporting saddlery (would you believe?), and finally PR. But then, this article is not about me, its about The Non-business Business.

What is it that PR provided that the myriad of other professions could not? What was I looking for, that was also the search of every Jubal?

I began dealing in chemicals because I was a Chemical Engineer and I thought it came naturally to me. So it did, I understood the technicalities of the subject and also liked it, but it was monotonous, repetitive and required little else than the skill of a door-to-door salesman (not that I think that’s an easy job at all though, only that I was not cut out to ringing doorbells!).

Then, with an attempt to bring back the excitement that was lacking in the first business venture, and because of my interest in Finance I looked at the ever changing, dynamic and exciting world of stocks. Enter Stock Broking. The new age, online stock exchanges in India had just started and it required both acumen and understanding to be able to broker deals. Soon the business was grasped and volumes at our counters soared. But equally soon I realized all you needed to do to be a broker of stocks was a good number of contacts, a skill to understand what the market movements meant and to recommend based on your collective understanding, added with a good dose of instinct.

Despite financial success, I had not found the profession I really wanted to pursue. I then turned to my childhood love for horses. I have always loved the animal and am passionate about everything to do with the animal. I migrated to a city which specialized in making saddlery for horses. For three years my routine would be the same. I would carefully select the leather which would be used for the horse riding equipment, have the embellishments for the saddles personally designed, and have my contractors craft wonderful equipments for riding the even more wonderful horses. Sadly, in all my years with the business, the only time I sat on a saddle was when it was placed on a testing horse (a wooden piece on which we used to fit the saddle). My love for horses was too strong for me to continue something that was so near, and yet so far from the magnificent equine.

So, I was hunting for my dream profession yet again. After one brief stint with a dotcom, I settled onto PR, which is actually the subject of this story. I have been here for the last 6 years and to say the least, I can easily continue for a few decades more in the same profession. I stay back late nights, come back early morning, think about the clients business even when I am eating, bathing or (perhaps!) sleeping. I love what I do. It excites me, and I seriously think our organization will make a difference to this world and I already am of the firm belief that we are making a significant difference to our clients (otherwise, they would’nt be there with our organization as clients, right?). We consult our clients on their business, how to make it better and how they can make a difference in the world – to me, that sounds very exciting.

When I analyzed my life keeping Jubal’s statement in mind, I saw through what it was that made a profession completely satisfying. I saw what made one love what one does (or not, as the case may be). And, trust me, I have been through enough professions to know.

In most cases, professions are made by accidents. Almost everyone, other than the lucky few, has suffered (or is suffering!) the ill-advise of friend, uncle or parent. You have a great future as a doctor, engineer, or stockbroker, says a father’s friend, little realizing what your real passion is. Else, someone knows of your passion for archeology, but little realizes that what kind of life a professional archeologist leads. The instances are too many to even attempt to think about.

So what do you do? Always keep your eyes & ears open and absorb every thing that comes your way. Everything has a purpose, and when that one thing that comes your way, it could become the purpose for your life. Stay tuned to all channels and become a sponge. Then there are simple rules that help you find your right profession. And from here on, you only stay in the same profession if the answer to every question is a big YES.

20 year rule: You keep analyzing your profession against yourself and ask if there is a fit and do you see yourself doing this very thing 20 years from now.

12 hour rule: The next step is fairly easy. Ask yourself if you can do that thing you do; stock broking, astrology or saving rhinos in Africa, most days of your life, for 10 to 12 hours each day, with only brief breaks in between.

Pride Rule: Do you feel good about what you do? Does what you do make you feel proud? Do the people who matter to you really feel proud about what you do? Would you feel great telling a complete stranger (or your nearest relative!) what you do? You may run a Laundromat or be walking dogs; the question is the same.

Rule of Passion: Can you feel your skin tingle with excitement when you talk of your job/profession? Can you pass on your excitement to others? Do others come to you for advice on similar jobs?

Rule of Good: This is a simple rule that asks, Do you think that good things happen as a consequence of what you do? Is Good a main product or is it a by-product of your business or job? Just to clear up the air a bit, if Good is the main product it is a positive sign and as a by-product means you must start hunting again.

N. Chandramouli is the CEO of Blue Lotus Communications Consultancy, one of the fastest growing PR agencies in India. Located in Mumbai, the agency has an country wide presence. The knowledge driven agency has many national and international brands in areas of Technology, Finance, Health, Education & Assotiations & not-for-profit forums. Chandramouli is an Engineer-MBA with over 16 years of experience in various professions.

Blue Lotus currently employs about 50 consultants across its offices and projects a growth of Rs. 500 mn by March 2006.

I heard a speaker recently who was talking about how to maintain strong relationships. As I listened to his basic principle, I realized that it is true in all of our life situations, be it work, family etc. And let’s face it, relationships are what make the world go ’round. So strong healthy relationships will make your work more enjoyable, and prosperous, and will make your family and friend relationships better as well.

What was the principle? The speaker said that each point of connection is like an anchor in the relationship, and the more connections you have, the stronger the relationship will be. He calls one-connection relationships "Simplex," and multi-connection relationships, "Multiplex." The strongest relationships are multiplex.

There is also the idea that some connections are stronger than others and so you want as many connections as possible and you want those connections to be as strong as they can be as well. Confused? Let’s put some legs on this. We’ll take a business situation and we’ll take a family situation to illustrate the principle.

Anchoring work relationships. Let’s say you sell insurance. A guy walks in and says, "I would like to purchase some term life insurance." You have a simplex relationship. The connection is that you both want him to have insurance. As you get to know him better and get information from him, you realize that you have a multiplex relationship growing and the chance that your business relationship will grow is improving.

"You grew up in Iowa? Me too!"

"You like to golf? Me too!"

"Your wife and you like to go to the opera? So do we! We should go together sometime."

The multiple connections are anchoring your relationship.

Anchoring a family relationship. Let’s take a marriage in trouble. Chances are that at one time, the relationship was multiplex. Because of time, work, and other stresses, the marriage has deteriorated to the point where both are thinking, "What did I marry this person for?" Or "Why do I stay?" The chances are that now the relationship is simplex. Maybe it is that the one connection is that they want to do right by the kids and so they "Tough it out." What is the answer? I believe that it is regaining a multiplex relationship. Work hard to make those other anchoring connections. Did you used to play tennis together before the kids came along? Go play tennis together on a regular basis. Do you both have a common interest in a specific cause or charity, but time hasn’t allowed you to pursue it? Take the time! It will anchor your relationship again!

I think you get the point. Take some time to think about your current relationships. Are they as multiplex as they can be or as they used to be? Think about the new relationships you will make in the coming weeks or months. Think of ways you can make them strong by finding multiple connections, securing deeper and more fulfilling relationships.

Make your relationships "multiplex" and you make them strong, with an anchor that will not let them go!

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.

Business, non-profit or association managers hurt their own public relations results when they become fascinated with PR tactics – press releases, publications and brochures and, particularly, fun-to-manage special events – while failing to plan for the perceptions and behaviors of the very people who probably hold their managerial success in their hands.

We’re talking about those important outside audiences whose behaviors most affect their departments, groups, divisions or subsidiaries.

Obviously, some of the less sensitive among those managers just don’t get it – the fact that the right public relations alters individual perceptions leading to changed behaviors among key external audience members and, thus, the achievement of managerial objectives.

When they compound that oversight by not persuading those awfully important outside folks to their way of thinking, then moving them to take actions that allow their units to succeed, bingo!, they badly hurt their PR results.

Needn’t be the case. Take a moment and savor this approach: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

Look at what could come their way: fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; community leaders beginning to seek you out; rising membership applications; welcome bounces in show room visits; prospects starting to do business with you; customers making repeat purchases; and new approaches by capital givers and specifying sources not to mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

A few questions as to how this work might be assigned. To an outside PR agency team? To folks assigned to your operation? To your own public relations people? Just realize that regardless of where they come from, they need to be committed to you and your PR plan beginning with key audience perception monitoring.

You should meet with your public relations team in order to be certain that those assigned to you are clear on why it’s vital to know precisely how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. They must accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Discuss your PR operating plan with them, especially how you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. For instance, how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Have no hesitation (other than budget) in using professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program. But remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can go after the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

The most damaging distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring will respond to the right kind of PR goal by calling for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor as quickly as possible..

Big challenge here is selecting the right strategy. Namely, a strategy that tells you how to move forward. Please remember that there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pick will taste like sea salt on your rice pudding, be certain the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

It’s inevitable and unavoidable — someone on your PR staff will have to write a strong message and aim it at members of your target audience. Because crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking really is hard work, you need your best, first-string writer to put together some very special, corrective language. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift perception/opinion towards your point of view leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

Less taxing, and occasionally fun, is the selection of the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. Do this after you run the draft by your PR people for impact and persuasiveness. There are dozens of tactics available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

As we all know, the method by which we communicate a message, if tainted in any way, can affect its believability and credibility. So, if unsure, you may wish to limit its initial scope by unveiling it before smaller meetings and presentations rather than through higher-profile news releases.

Suggestions that progress reports might be a nice touch, should be viewed as an early warning that a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience, be undertaken. Many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session can be used again. But this time, you will be watching carefully for signs that the problem perception is being altered in your direction.

If you suspect the program is lagging, accelerate matters with more communications tactics, then increase their frequencies.

Thus, instead of hurting your PR results, you will indeed increase the chances of program success. And once you as a manager digest the underlying premise of managerial public relations, as outlined above, you’ll understand how the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to those changed behaviors you need.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1135 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. bobkelly@TNI.net

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

THE TWO MINUTES UNDERDOG

Edward Everett was one of the most famous orators of his time. Standing before an audience of thousands in a Pennsylvania field on a cold winter’s day in November 1863, he delivered one of the impassioned speeches that made him famous. His two-hour speech reportedly captivated the crowd.

The poor fellow who was scheduled to speak after him had only prepared a two-minute speech.

The man was Abraham Lincoln, and the speech was the Gettysburg Address.

Less is more.

ACCOMPLISH MORE BY SAYING LESS

Most interviewees are experts in their fields. They have a lifetime of acquired learning in their subject, and could easily pontificate for hours about even the smallest detail. Their expertise rarely fails to impress at dinner parties, and they are regarded as wise counsel amongst friends.

But in the setting of a media interview, they almost always say too much.

Perhaps they feel the need to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge in an attempt to build their credibility. Conceivably they think that giving a reporter extensive background is helpful. Or maybe their nervousness uncontrollably propels them to chatter endlessly. Either way, they’ve lost total control of their message, and are inevitably disappointed by their quote in the next day’s paper.

An interview isn’t about demonstrating knowledge – it’s about organizing knowledge. Instead of downloading raw information to a member of the press, interviewees should prepare no more than three main message points (single sentences) prior to the interview. During the interview, questions should be answered directly – but quickly – before segueing to a prepared message.

In general, try to keep your answers to 30 seconds or less; complicated questions can occasionally require up to a full minute. By doing so, the audience stands a much better chance of actually remembering your most important points. Remember – even the smartest audience won’t be able to recall everything you said. But they will remember the highlights – if they remain unburied by nonessential verbiage.

THE LESS YOU SAY, THE LESS YOU STRAY

Another reason to “talk short” is that it limits your risk of saying something you’ll ultimately regret. As an interview continues, most interviewees become more comfortable. That’s a good thing. But too often, they become victims of what I’ve dubbed, “The Seven Second Stray.”

The Seven Second Stray is the often inevitable moment when a comfortable interviewee makes a slightly sarcastic or flip remark. The spokesperson may have been on message for the other 59 minutes and 53 seconds of an hour-long interview. But I can almost guarantee that the reporter will ultimately use the less-than-favorable seven seconds. Why? Because it’s unscripted, off-the-cuff and probably more dramatic than everything else you’ve said.

BILL CLINTON BOMBS

Before he became president in 1993, Bill Clinton was best known for his 1988 nominating speech at the Democratic National Convention.

His speech droned on for more than an hour. Television cutaways showed delegates of his own party nodding off. When he finally uttered the words, “And in conclusion,” the delegates cheered wildly.

A few nights later, he appeared on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” Carson’s first question? “So, governor, how are you?” Without pausing, Carson reached under his desk, pulled out an hourglass, and turned it upside down. The audience roared.

Less is more.

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information or to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training tips, visit http://www.PhillipsMediaRelations.com.

Attention: Who Else Wants To Get Publicity Whenever You Want It?

Publicity is when newspapers, radio shows, television shows, magazines, internet radio or pod casts want to feature you. Advertising is something you pay for. While the audience may not be able to tell the difference, but your bank account will. There are also ways to pay for publicity placements. This is not a scam. There are companies that have such good connections they are able to create the placements anytime they want and its worth the price. You can pick the magazines you want to be placed in, they work it out and you pay when the placement is complete. With proper preparation, you can document your results and maximize each appearance.

Publicity is often a matter of timing. You can get publicity during the slow holiday times. There just is not as much new going on. Look at all the holidays coming up and plan to get your news release out in time for each of them. Create a plan to know when reporters are on deadline so that you are NOT calling them at that time. Create a verbal pitch that can really work, sound and act professional. Sometimes people want to question a media contact as to why their story was not carried. It is not the media’s responsibility to critique your information and it is a clear sign inexperience with media. Your story can be bumped by world events or they may have covered your exact topic not long ago and you did not notice. Either way, putting a media contact in the awkward position of having to explain themselves will put you on the avoid list. They will avoid your calls and throw out your news releases. They will think that dealing with you will be troublesome and not worth the story they may get. Media loves people who are easy going and easy to deal with.

Being truly newsworthy is the biggest challenge of all. You may have a good cause, a good reason, a good story , a good business and it may be the right thing to do, but it is truly newsworthy? Is it of interest to the media you are asking to carry the story? Think about it, really stop, and think long about that. Why would this particular media outlet need to carry the story? Are their readers, listeners or viewers the audience you are trying to reach? Are you just sending the story out to anyone? You need to target the media first. Be sure what you are talking about is what their audience needs to know about. Then tell they something they didn’t know! Not just your sales prices but real information.

These are the basics to getting publicity anytime you want to.

By Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C. Copyright 2005

Dr. Wright is the host of the Wright Place TV Show and a 2004 Stevie Award Nominee. For a free report: 5 Fast Ways to Get on TV,

info1080-89555@autocontactor.com or visit http://www.wrightplacetv.com

You may remember Forrest Gump’s Vietnam pal – the one who grew up shrimp farming and was fond of listing the dishes he used to make. “Pepper shrimp,” he started, gearing up for his lengthy monotone monologue. “Shrimp soup. Shrimp stew. Shrimp salad. Shrimp and potatoes. Shrimp burger.”

That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the front page of The Washington Post’s Food section last February. Staring up at me was a half-page photo filled with all sorts of yummy-looking prepared shrimp. The delectable photo was followed by two pages of text glorifying the tasty creature.

But missing from the article was any mention of the environmental concerns about shrimp. For example, the capture of only one pound of shrimp in the ocean kills more than 10 pounds of other marine life, which just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

At the time, I was working with an environmental group. We quickly moved into action. I called a scientist with whom I worked frequently. We drafted a fact-filled two paragraph letter to the editor and submitted it to The Post. It was published the next week, one of the rare letters to appear regarding an article in the Food section.

How did we break through the hundreds of other letters submitted to the Post each day – and more importantly, how can you? Here are seven rules to getting your letter published.

1. Act Quickly. We had our letter in the hands of the Post within 24 hours of the article’s publication. The quicker you submit your letter, the greater your chances of being published.

2. Know the Rules. Most news organizations post the rules for letter submissions – including preferred length and method of delivery – on their websites.

3. Be Concise. Most newspapers will run letters no longer than three paragraphs in length. If you don’t edit your letter, the news organization will either decline to run it or will edit it for you. Maintain control of your words by keeping your letter short.

4. Keep it Simple. Letters to the editor aren’t places for complicated jargon. Your letter should be self-contained, meaning it’s understandable to readers who missed the original article.

5. Take a Stand / Issue a Call to Action. Editors like letters that take a strong position. Be direct, controversial, or adversarial, and tell readers what you want them to do – it enhances your likelihood of getting published.

6. Localize. Most newspapers are considered local or regional. If your letter concerns something larger in scope, give a relevant example. For instance, if you’re writing about your concern over global warming, explain how the effects of climate change would affect the local community.

7. Follow-Up. Most letters pages get an influx of new letters each day. Placing a phone call to your newspaper’s letters desk often gets it removed from the bottom of the pile.

In reality, most letters won’t contain all of the above ingredients, but they should include as many as possible. The Washington Post letter we successfully placed contained six of the seven; we failed to make it local since the original story was global in nature.

As an example, the published letter is below:

EXAMPLE OF A PUBLISHED LETTER TO THE EDITOR

"Your recent article ‘So Much Shrimp’ [Food, Feb. 25] failed to mention the tremendous environmental costs associated with shrimp fishing. Each pound of wild shrimp caught causes the death of 10 or more pounds of other marine life. This ‘by-catch’ is simply tossed back into the ocean. Shrimp fisheries are responsible for more than 11 million tons of by-catch deaths annually. When shrimp trawlers drag their heavy nets across the ocean floor, they destroy coral reefs, sea grasses and other marine life; flatten terrain; and kill numerous fish, turtles, starfish and crabs, among other creatures.

New techniques for farming shrimp are beginning to resolve issues relating to pollution, genetic contamination, disease, and destruction of natural coastal mangroves and wetlands that have long plagued aquaculture operations. Consumers can help by learning about the economic and environmental costs on destructive fishing and fish farming."

Signed,
Sylvia Earle
Executive Director, Global Marine Program, Conservation International

Brad Phillips is the founder and president of Phillips Media Relations. He was formerly a journalist for ABC News and CNN, and headed the media relations department for the second largest environmental group in the world.

For more information and to sign up for free monthly media relations and media training e-tips, visit http://www.PhillipsMediaRelations.com.

There are many ways you can get tons of free publicity in the form of write-ups in magazines, newspapers, and even radio and TV. And sometimes you can turn family events into human-interest stories that editors like and will publish in their magazine and newspapers

One way is to compose a printed news release on your product or service, but include a story involving your family into the release. Write the release like a news article in a newspaper. Tell who, what, when, why, and how interested people can benefit from your product. Avoid hard selling copy — just give the facts, and if you can weave in an interesting story in the process, all the better.

For example, I am a musician with a line of products in the music educational field. Years ago I created a giant musical staff out of plastic and turned it into a game that kids could play on the floor. In the news release about it, I told how my own kids used it, and included some dialog between them:

“That’s a whole note!” exclaimed my daughter Kendra.

“Is not! It’s got a stem, and whole notes don’t have stems” my son Kurt corrected her.

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!"

“Is not!”

“Oh…what’s a stem, Kurt?”

“It’s the line coming down from the note head, stupid.”

“I am not stupid!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

Finally Mom intervened before an all-out war broke out.

But henceforth and evermore both of my kids knew the difference between a whole note and a half note.

For some reason, editors found that little story amusing, and wrote up the story pretty much as I sent it in. They also included information on how interested parents could get a “Giant Staff Game” for their own kids, and as a result we got orders from all over the states and some foreign countries from both parents and schools. It was written up in House Beautiful, Better Homes & Gardens, plus many music magazines and teachers’ journals.

This was not just a one-time fluke, either — over the years we received news write-ups galore in everything from the Wall Street Journal to Popular Mechanics — all related to our product, but written in a way to make editors smile and then decide to publish the release in their publications.

Can you do the same? Think about the funny little incidents in your family life, and then think of ways you can work that into a news release about your product or service.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His courses have been written up in hundreds of newspapers and magazines. His book-CD-DVD course titled "How To Play Chord Piano" (http://www.chordpiano.com) has sold over 100,000 copies around the world. He holds an advanced degree from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He has also logged time as an assistant music therapist and piano tuner, as well as a working pianist. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 55,000 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com/

What is bad PR?

Well, if you’re a business, non-profit or association manager, bad PR does nothing positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that most affect your operation.

It fails to create external stakeholder behavior change leading directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

And it never does persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, or move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Good PR, on the other hand, really CAN alter individual perception and lead to the changed behaviors you need. At the same time, however, it requires more than special events, brochures and news releases if you really want to get your PR money’s worth.

Your inoculation against bad PR is the underlying premise of public relations, and here it is: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

You may be surprised that good PR can generate results like prospects starting to work with you; customers making repeat purchases; stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities; improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies, and even capital givers or specifying sources looking your way

As the effort gains momentum, you can also see results such as new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom visits; membership applications on the rise; community service and sponsorship opportunities; enhanced activist group relations, and expanded feedback channels, not to mention new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

Just how vital is it that your most important outside audiences really perceive your operations, products or services in a positive light? Vital indeed, so assure yourself that your PR staff has bought into the whole effort. Be especially careful that they accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Take the time to review the PR blueprint in detail with your staff, especially how you will gather and monitor matters by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

The perception monitoring phases of your program can obviously be handled by professional survey people, IF the budget is available. But always keep in mind that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Now, let’s talk about your public relations goal. You need one that speaks to the aberrations that showed up during your key audience perception monitoring. In all probability, it will call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or doing something about that damaging rumor.

The realities of public relations are that goals need strategies to show you how to get there. And also that you have just three strategic choices when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately, a bad strategy pick will taste like ice cream on your corned beef and cabbage, so be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example, you don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Your PR team must create just the right, corrective language. Persuading an audience to your way of thinking is awfully hard work, so we’re looking for words that are compelling, persuasive and believable AND clear and factual. You must do this if you are to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the desired behaviors.

Here you must select the communications tactics most likely to carry your words to the attention of your target audience. Meet again with your communications specialists and review your message for impact and persuasiveness. You can pick from dozens of available tactics. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Just be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

On the chance that the old line about the credibility of a message depending on its delivery method is true, you might think about introducing it to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile communications such as news releases or talk show appearances.

Consider yourself alerted when the topic of a progress report is suggested. Time for you and your PR folks to return to the field for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Using many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session, you’ll now be watching very carefully for signs that your communications tactics have worked and that the negative perception is being altered in your direction.

If impatience rears its head, you can always accelerate things with a broader selection of communications tactics AND increased frequencies.

Obviously, this will convert bad PR into good PR by doing something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that most affect your operation. It will do the job by creating external stakeholder behavior change leading directly to achieving your managerial objectives. And it will pull this off by persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking, thus moving them to take actions that allow your business, non-profit or association to succeed.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1100 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

eMail: bobkelly@TNI.net

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com