Advertising Benefits From Timely Tie-Ins

Timeliness isn't only for stories--it's a key element in advertising, too.

With that in mind, I have been inserting information about upcoming events in print advertising for a client, McAdam Landscaping.

In the pages of Wednesday Journal, Inc. and Pioneer Press publications, early this month it was a Mother's Day special, last week it was a musical performance held at its Nursery & Garden Center and this week it's an incentive to become a Facebook Fan of the Forest Park firm (how's that for some ambitious alliteration).

Want to win a $25 gift certificate from the Nursery & Garden Center? You have until June 1st to get onto Facebook and then type "McAdam Landscaping" into the search box and become a fan.

Or you can simply go directly to the McAdam Landscaping page here.

More importantly, if you advertise in any forum, capitalize on every opportunity to make the content relevant and timely. It's a great way to engage your audience and move them to action, rather than to settle for making a simple one-way statement that is more prone to go absolutely nowhere.

Real Estate Investment Acquisitions: The Written Summary for Urban Land Institute

In the wake of a gridlocked transaction market these last couple of years, “thawing out” only begins to describe what’s most recently been happening in the real estate investment acquisition market.

That's the start of my summary of the April 29, 2010, meeting of the Urban Land Institute's Chicago District Council, whose members gathered at the Union League Club in Chicago.

To check out the rest of the write-up, click here.

N.Y. Times Gears Up to Monetize News Content

A little over a year ago, I shared some insights from former USA Today editor Ken Paulson about the future of journalism.

His remarks came at a New York Press Association conference where I was training reporters and editors.

Currently the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Paulson emphasized that the sky was not falling on newspapers.

Perhaps not, but clouds are continually hovering. One key ingredient in the industry's future financial viability: finding a way to monetize news content on the Internet.

With that in mind, circle January 2011 on your calendar. That is when the New York Times will shift to an online-payment structure for visitors to their site, as Fast Company recently reported.

Highly Recommended: Joe Takash on June 10th

How do you turn a $25 investment into untold thousands of dollars of ongoing business?

You'll have a chance to do that on Thursday, June 10, by taking in what Joe Takash has to share on behalf of the LaGrange Business Association. (Click on the image to the left)

My declaration isn't theory, but is based on my own experience with Joe since first meeting him in 2001.

An author, speaker and business coach, Joe's wise counsel has helped me earn many thousands of dollars more in speaking, training and business-consulting fees than I would otherwise have received.

A few cases in point:

One time in 2002, as Joe was sitting across from me and guiding me on the art of negotiation, I received a phone call from a press association director. It was such ridiculously perfect timing....thanks to Joe, gesturing firmly across the desk from me, I stood my ground on a fee quote that I otherwise would have budged on. It meant an additional $500.

There have also been times when he's saved me from getting into bad business deals. In 2003, Joe was instrumental in helping me avoid a major headache, and drain on my time and resources. I had established a retainer fee with a company that wanted me to devote scores of hours on developing a curriculum that I would have shared with communications professionals all across the country.

After agreeing to the upfront payment, the firm hemmed, hawed and, ultimately, balked at paying the retainer. Joe let me know this was a red flag.

I confidently walked away from what was quickly proving to be a bad business relationship--though I wouldn't have known to do so without Joe's having been there, done that, and been willing to steer me clear of such dysfunction.

And of course there's no way I can measure his impact in so many "little" ways that have added up to a much stronger positioniong for me and Inside Edge PR in the marketplace.

This is particularly relevant to share now because Joe is making a rare public presentation on Thursday, June 10, at Via Bella, 5412 S. LaGrange Road in Countryside.

Usually, companies and organizations get Joe onto a planes and bring him in from faraway spots to get practical, bottom-line insights and high-energy, memorable inspiration.

So for those in the Chicago area, June 10th represents a prime opportunity in your backyard to learn from this remarkable speaker and business mind.

Blending what he has observed as smart behaviors that build business opportunities with the values that resonate with us personally, Joe's topic is "The Values that Drive Opportunity."

"My guarantee is that you will laugh, with me or at me," says Joe. "But there will be great energy, great people and a fun professional and social gathering."

Tickets are $25 apiece, or $20 if you bring a friend or buy a table of eight. That covers appetizers with networking from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Joe's presentation is from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. All proceeds benefit the YMCA Special Olympics program of the Greater LaGrange YMCA.

To purchase tickets, contact Zach Silver at Zach@SilverTechChicago.com or 708-724-4253.

And if you can't make it on June 10th, do the next best thing and get your hands on a copy of Joe's book, Results Through Relationships.

For more about Joe, see some prior Inside Edge PR blog posts right here.

`Tasty Dog Challenge' Gains Notice, Momentum

Four years ago, when I was doing community relations work for Boston Market's upscale (and short-lived) prototype attempt in River Forest, I helped organize a few fundraiser nights for area organizations, such as the Oak Park and River Forest High School Booster Club and the West Suburban Mothers of Multiples.

The events, in which a portion of the purchases were earmarked to each group, had some success.

I have a strong feeling, though, that those results will be a small fraction of the financial impact that goes toward the District 97 elementary school Parent Teacher Organizations (eight in all) that are taking part in the Tasty Dog Challenge.

An Inside Edge PR client, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gloor Realty, has poured in $300 to help up the ante for the fundraising nights.

The story has attracted strong interest at Triblocal.com. Check it out, if you'd like.

Even more importantly, strongly consider aligning your dining schedule so that it coincides with one of the PTO nights over the next three weeks.

A `Biggest Loser,' Five Seasons & HealthyWage

A "Biggest Loser" is heading to the Chicago area on Tuesday--it's Pete Thomas, who shed 185 pounds in 2005 on the popular NBC show, "The Biggest Loser." Ever since, Thomas has served as an inspiration to others seeking life transformation.

I am helping spread the word of Thomas' visit to Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Northbrook, an Inside Edge PR client, as part of "The Matchup," a national weight-loss competition that's the brainchild of Healthywage.com.

You can read about the initiative here at Triblocal.

Colleges' Spiraling Costs Are Out of Line

Mark my words: colleges are the next hallowed institution to get smacked off their undeservedly and ridiculously high pedestal.

Don't get me wrong--I think some aspects of college are absolutely fantastic: I learned much at my alma mater, Northwestern University. I really appreciate, and seek to support at every turn, my alumni network. I met my wife on a co-ed touch football field there.

But in this respect, colleges are simply bogus: their spiraling costs are out of whack with the rest of society, and have the feel of "status bumps"--jacking up the cost to simply look more valuable and prestigious without commensurate upticks in return on investment.

That's why I give a huge thumbs-up to Seth Godin's recent rant.

NAIOP Marks A New Writing Adventure

A new writing client of mine is NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. The acronym, by the way, rhymes with "skytop."

It's a fitting memory device, considering my first assignment, in March, was to write a summary of "A View from the Top: The Nation’s leading Real Estate CEOs Provide Insight Into The Industrial Market.”

A week ago, I covered a panel discussion of "Chicago Rail: Economic Development for the Region."

Much like my experience with the Chicago district of the Urban Land Institute, writing for NAIOP has been a most educational experience.

More than once, the remarks have sent me scurrying to the Internet to dig for more context. With my most recent write-up, I even included a bevy of links to aid others who may be inclined to do the same additional research.

To quote from the assocation's website, NAIOP is "the leading organization for developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial and mixed-use real estate."

Want to learn more? Click the link that appears with this post's first word.

McAdam Featured in Earth Day TV Segment

Last night, on the eve of Earth Day, Jackie Bange of Chicago's WGN Channel 9 filed a report with a refreshingly different take on environmental stewardship: not only honoring the stuff of the Earth, but also some individuals who are in need of a fresh start.

As part of her reporting, Bange came out to Forest Park-based McAdam Landscaping and its Nursery & Garden Center last week. For years, McAdam has hired graduates of the Green Corp program profiled in the piece.

In 1997, brothers Scott and Rob McAdam, along with two other partners, started WRD Environmental, Inc. The company provides consultation for native landscapes and currently oversees the Green Corp program of Chicago’s Department of Environment.

As the WGN report notes, the city of Chicago has partnered with WRD "to create a green jobs program for those who have a difficult time finding employment, many of which are ex-offenders."

Some elements of that visit are evident in the segment below, including interviews with Scott McAdam, the company president, and employees Anthony Harris and Rosa Montes.

Clearly, they are among a larger group of individuals, including some others interviewed on camera, that have played instrumental roles in this successful initiative. Kudos to the entire team for its collective willingness to do "the right thing," as Scott McAdam told Bange.

To learn more, you can read the summary here or or click on the video (graciously provided by WGN) below.

 

Ride IV Reasons: Guinness Bid Gets Under Way

On Sunday night, with the much-awaited start of Ride IV Reasons, Inside Edge PR entered the marathon PR phase of its effort in support of that Guinness World Record attempt.

George Hood, a 52-year-old Aurora, Ill. man, has already set the Guinness mark twice—only to have the record eclipsed shortly thereafter by other ultra-athletes. This time, George wants to stretch the record so far (over 12 ½ days to a staggering 300 hours) that it discourages anyone else from ever trying to top it.

The journey will play out in the space most recently occupied by Lazarus Furniture, in the Aurora Marketplace Shopping Center, at the northwest corner of Route 59 and 75th St. It is most certainly open to the public, so if you're anywhere close, be sure to swing by as there are a variety of activities under way. Details are at the Ride IV Reasons website.

You can also see George live via video webstream.

The fund-raising goal is $200,000. Beneficiaries will be the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, which provides support to Marines injured in Afghanistan and Iraq and their families; and a variety of programs through the United Way of Fox Valley, about an hour west of Chicago.

It's the third time I've done public relations as George has gone on a protracted spin and I encourage you to get involved as well in some way, through your time, a financial donation, or both. It's always gratifying to be part of something so much bigger than any one individual person.

More updates to follow. Meantime, you can see the countdown to the start right here.

My `Smart Behavior Strategies' Moment

Today, on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel, I had the honor of being a guest on Smart Behavior Strategies with Joe Takash.

Last week, Joe had Jeffrey Gitomer on as a guest and in the coming weeks he will be interviewing top business leaders like Brian Tracy, Tony Allesandra, Patrick Lencioni and several other best-selling authors.

Just a few minutes of listening to Joe (author of Results Through Relationships and owner of Victory Consulting) is enough to see how he's able to draw such immense talent: he is by turns hilarious, insightful, poignant, self-effacing and dynamic.

Above all, though, Joe delivers golden nuggets of practical wisdom borne of years in the business world.

So there I was this morning, smack dab in the middle of all those luminaries, for about a half-hour.

There was a reference to Starsky & Hutch, the "Guttenberg Effect" that I've coined, a pop math quiz that caught me only slightly off-guard, and discussion of the most common press release mistakes to avoid.

If you want to listen to our wide-ranging talk, through the wonders of modern technology, you can. It was entitled "Get Connected: Communication Secrets from a Media Insider."

A big "thank you" to Joe for inviting me on his show, and for allowing me to share some of my views with his listeners.

The Story Behind `Super Skateboarder Stopper'

A quarter-century ago, I was fooled--hook, line and sinker--by an April Fool's story in Sports Illustrated.

It was about "Sidd Finch," a newcomer to the baseball scene purported to be able to hurl the ball 168 mph, or roughy 68 mph faster than anybody else.

And I like pulling legs as much as anyone else--and much more than most.

So when I had a chance recently, at the invitation of Wednesday Journal managing editor Helen Karakoudas, to pull an April Fool's stunt involving my alter ego, Super Shopper Spotter, I quite literally leapt at it.

Of course, last week when the article appeared in the "Wednesday Jerbil," I doubt anyone believed for a moment that Triple S now stood for Super Skateboarder Stopper.

Just the same, it was fun. You can see the tale, "Superhero scouts new economic stimulus," here at the Wednesday Journal website.

You can also check out some of Super Shopper Spotter's other exploits here.

In Social Media, Basic Blunders Still Hurt

Being in the Social Media realm is no excuse for a slipshod presentation. If anything, given the SM universe's viral and omnipresent nature, it's all the more important to dot your i's and cross your t's.

In rendering judgment about your professionalism, people still look upon old-fashioned notions like proper grammar, correct spelling and otherwise efficient communication.

This came to mind today as I saw a Chicago-area company, over the last 2 1/2 days, had added one whopping fan on their Facebook Fan Page. Oh, and they are in the midst of a paid advertising push on Facebook.

In their information box, on the left side of the Fan Page, the company had this dubious trifecta: a misspelled street name in their address, a web site link that didn't hyperlink, and a sloppily noted phone number that lacked any hyphens, periods or anything that made it easy on the eye.

There's no telling what, if any, effect this slovenly style is having on their attempt to grow their fan base. But in full view of their existing fans, the miscues are a perpetual undermining of corporate credibility.

When's the last time you had a fresh, qualified set of eyes take a sharp look at the messages you are transmitting to the universe?

"PR Secrets From a Media Insider" Update

Since last August, I have held 10 "PR Secrets from a Media Insider" workshops, the past four months next to my current office space, in a conference room of 1111 South Blvd. in downtown Oak Park.

Based on the needs and wants of attendees, I tailor each program within the 11-page workbook that I've created. Small-business owners and entrepreneurs from a wide range of industries, including law, finance, insurance, a cleaning service, a handyman service and graphic design, are among PR Secrets' alumni.

The programs have transitioned into a monthly rhythm, on the third Tuesday, and the next one is April 20, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Attached is a flier you can click on for more detail, including the $39 fee. (For those who pre-register with payment in advance, there is a $5 discount.)

You can see a brief excerpt from my first PR Secrets session and you can also contact me directly at Matt@InsideEdgePR.com

Face(book) It: Go Where the Puck Will Be

Whenever I advise people to jump into the social media fray--often in relation to promoting their business or cause--there's always that look I get in return.

It's not a deer-in-headlights look, mind you.

No, it's much more dire than that: this is the patented deer-that's-already-been-run-over-by-a-Mack Truck-look.

It's the look of someone who is on the brink of declaring haplessly, "How on Earth do you think I'm ever going to find the time to fit this into my already-overcrowded schedule."

My response: anyone who is successful, or in the earnest pursuit of success, is full of to-do's on their list. Cry me a river. I didn't create Facebook, so don't blame me for this historic development. Oh, and the train has left the station--do you want to get onboard or not?

The question I then pose is this: do you want to go where the puck increasingly is going to be in the weeks, months and years to come? (That's an allusion to Wayne Gretzky's oft-quoted tip on his unparalleled success as a hockey player--he didn't focus on where the puck was, but on where it was going to be.)

If your target audience, present or future, is spending significant time on Facebook, then it only makes sense to meet them there. Unless, of course, you want to surrender all of that ground to your competitors. That is entirely within your rights, though it's hardly good for business.

Another tip I share to these Mack-trucked deer: if you're so leery of losing the best years and decades of your life to Facebook, then set a time limit on your forays.

You can get a ton done in five or 10 minutes, if you stay focused and don't get sucked into the whirlpool of links and trivia that lie in wait.

(Psst, a little secret between me and you: I'm one of those nefarious types that trains people to provide links and trivia designed to suck in others.)

More social-media pointers in a later post, but for now, here's a look back at an Inside Edge PR post about the "Five Stages of Facebook Grief."

Did you know you could become a Facebook fan of Inside Edge PR? Go to Facebook and type "Inside Edge PR" into the search box.

If you allocate five minutes to Facebook today, becoming a fan will leave you with 4 minutes, 56 seconds to spare.

A Supremely Worthy Cause: `Fix Your Mortgage'

Amid all the possible products, services or causes to promote, some are supremely simple to get behind as a publicist.

One such example is an effort under way between the city of Chicago, volunteer real estate attorneys from Attorneys' Title Guaranty (ATG) and housing counselors from Neighborhood Housing Services.

On Saturday, March 27, they will team up to help qualified, at-risk homeowners modify their loans at a "Fix Your Mortgage" event at Morgan Park High School, 1744 West Pryor Ave (111th and Vincennes Avenue.) The event begins at 9:30 a.m. and goes untl 2 p.m.

To read more, see my Marketing & PR column at Examiner.com.

Some Recent `Tips of the Inside Edge'

Since early February, I have been posting a daily "Tip of the Inside Edge" at the Inside Edge PR Fan Page on Facebook.

(To visit the page, type "Inside Edge PR" in the Facebook search box.)

Here is the collection of tips from the past week:

Pick up the darn phone once in awhile. E-mail is a great complementary avenue, but there's nothing like actually speaking with another human being to build stronger connection and understanding.

Show, Don't Just Tell. In any endeavor, when meeting with prospective clients, find ways to show your value--and not merely talk about it.

The quality and quantity of follow-up questions help set apart outstanding connectors from ineffective or even average connectors.

When you hear "show up early, stay late" is the key to success, it might seem like a ton of extraordinary effort. Often, though, it just means five minutes on either side.

Write a sincere hand-written thank you note some time before you die. It'll shock the recipient. And leave a positive impression.

For other suggestions, visit my Recommended Links page at InsideEdgePR.com.

My Day As `Census Count Crusader' in Oak Park

It had been 75 days since I last wore a red cape, but who was counting?

On Tuesday, I returned to super-hero action by playing the role of "Census Count Crusader." It was part of the Village of Oak Park's awareness-raising efforts for the 2010 Census.

With visits to Oak Park and River Forest High School (including a foray into the cafeteria, above photo) and Oak Park Village Hall (nearly two hours) for a Census Rally, I had more super-hero red boot time than my day's journey in standard, mere-mortal footwear.

That must count for something, though I've yet to quite figure out what.

The rally at village hall was part of the 2010 Census Portrait of America Road Tour.

Cruising around village hall during the rally to interview a variety of folks, I teamed up for some fun, informative interviews at the direction of Joe Kreml, the village's talented cable station producer and the brains behind the now-legendary Super Shopper Spotter commercial.


Thanks to Village Clerk Teresa "Terry" Powell for pulling me back into Superhero-land. Three months ago, I wore much the same costume as Super Shopper Spotter. The only change Tuesday was a shirt bearing the "Census Count Crusader" logo (left).

When asked about the SSS on my cape, I had a ready answer: Super Statistical Summarizer.

Inside Edge Aboard to Promote Ride IV Reasons

This past Saturday night, I went to a former furniture store in Aurora to check in on George Hood, a world-class endurance athlete who since 2006 has been pushing his body to the brink in pursuit of the Guinness World Record for the spin cycle marathon.

Officially twice and informally once, I've publicized all three of George's prior rides, including the first one in January 2007 that attracted global media coverage and may well have spurred on some of the one-upsmanship that has ensued between George and other ultra-endurance athletes.

About five weeks ago, Inside Edge PR was brought aboard by the United Way of Fox Valley for George's next--and presumably last--effort, Ride IV Reasons.

George has captured the Guinness World Record twice--at 111-plus hours and then at 177-plus hours. Both times, he hoped the record would stick for a while, but both times they were toppled in short order. This time around, George is looking to extend the record to a mind-blowing 300 hours, even as he tries to spearhead $200,000in fund-raising.

You can read more about his background, and the great causes that he's riding on behalf, at RideGeorgeRide.org.

I've also set up a YouTube channel for his current campaign, Ride IV Reasons. One of the videos on the site, showing the gritty process of George subjecting himself to one of the all-too-brief naps that are allowed under Guinness guidelines, is below.

Candidly Drawing the Social Networking Line

I recently asked someone to be my "friend" on Facebook.

He declined. My immediate, gut response: pleased and impressed.

On the surface, my reaction may seem odd. But let's consider some background:

I’ve spoken with this particular individual, a newspaper reporter, about five times over the past few years, as he worked on stories with which I had some public-relations connection. We’ve never met, and we’ve never built any kind of tie beyond our respective jobs.

He works alongside some others that have made Facebook Friend requests of me, which I've approved. Their outreach to me is really what prompted me to reach out to him.

With that as a backdrop, here was his written response, which he sent via e-mail:

"Thanks for the friend request, but I just wanted to let you know that I keep my Facebook account to friends and family only. I like to keep business contacts separate. No offense intended of course, I just prefer to keep my job and my personal life in separate worlds, so to speak."

I respect his stance. And I respect even more that he articulated it.

In the four years that I've been social-networking on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, he is the first to take the time to broach the potentially awkward situation and explain, in his thoughtful way, why he was declining my request.

In this burgeoning social-media realm, it is so much easier to simply ignore requests that place us in an uncomfortable spot. And there certainly remain scenarios in which I am stumped about how to navigate someone's interest in getting into my cyber-world. In the future, I fully expect to continue ignoring some requests--and to be ignored.

But whenever we have an opportunity to convey our (often-evolving) criteria as to whom to let in to our SM world, we simultaneously have an opportunity to improve at least our little corner of this growing sphere's universe.

Indeed, inspired by my own fond memory of being diplomatically stiff-armed, I recently crafted a long-overdue reply. I created it for those seeking to connect with me on LinkedIn but with whom I have had little, if any, contact:

"Hello,

Thank you for inviting me to Link-In with you!

Whenever possible, I like to have more than a cursory personal connection with / knowledge of someone before Linking In. Since we are both so local, would you be interested in meeting in person sometime and establishing that face-to-face connection?

In these few words, I hope that I've reasonably and effectively explained my rationale and that you don't take offense to this proposed intermediate step. I genuinely hope we can create a stronger connection that can benefit us both in the future.

Best regards,
Matt"

So far, I have sent that message to two individuals. I am sure it will come in handy often in the future. Already, my newfound mission to improve the quality of my connections--and not merely strive for quantity--has borne fruit: one recipient responded by essentially stating "whoops...I intended to Link-In with someone else whose last name is Baron."

So there's one MisLinked-In Misadventure averted.

What do you think? Do you have another way of handling this potentially delicate and awkward topic? I welcome your ideas. And who knows--even if we don't know each other yet, we may just build enough rapport for us both to want to join one another's social network.

Just don't take offense if I suggest we meet in person first.

You might also be interested in reading some previous Inside Edge PR commentaries about LinkedIn.

You Snooze, You Lose: Get Onto YouTube

Did you know that you can secure a YouTube channel in less than 60 seconds?

If you are part of a cause or company that may--just may--make use of YouTube in the future, you should hop on it pronto, before someone else (like me) gets to it first.

Just go to YouTube and click on "Create Account" in the upper-right corner. Follow the steps and, presto, you've got a YouTube channel.

It's free, it keeps your communications options open, and I've done it at least 25 times in the past year for a variety of clients and others.

Among them: my chapter of Business Network International, OPRF Partners; the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce; Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Gloor Realty; and the Five Seasons Family Sports Clubs in Burr Ridge and Northbrook.

And we mustn't let the cobbler's children go out with any shoes. Here's the
Inside Edge PR channel.

Journalism: One Way To Pave a Strong PR Path

Last week, I was pleased to be able to share some thoughts with students at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Twenty years ago, when I graduated from Medill, I never would have imagined that I'd be part of something called "PR Month," which the school has wisely initiated to address increasing interest in a public relations career track among students.

Below is an excerpt in which I discuss the value of practicing as much journalism as possible before venturing into a public relations career:



To see other Inside Edge PR videos, click here.

E-Mail Just One Part of Engaging the Media

Relying on e-mail alone to communicate news releases to the media is Public Relations Malpractice.

Pick up the darn phone and make a phone call, among other things, and you'll separate yourself very rapidly from the PR pack. Sending e-mail is among the easiest acts anyone can perform. So is deleting that very same e-mail.

Don't let the ease with which you can send a blizzard of news releases blind you to the fact that it's just one step in the process of engaging reporters, editors, producers and other decision-makers.

You can read more about my approach in this previous Inside Edge PR blog post, The Art of Contacting Reporters By Phone.

News Releases Are Not the Spot to Stroke Ego

A microblog today, echoing what I shared via the Inside Edge PR fan page and via the Inside Edge Twitter account:

The purpose of a news release is NOT to stroke the client's ego; among other things, it's to gain placement in the media, which helps the client attain goals.

All the better to let business growth stroke their ego instead!

Tennis Star at Five Seasons is Latest Profile

My first story for pay, more than 25 years ago, was on Chris Lapriore, a two-time state tennis champ from my hometown of Marshfield, Ma.

One of my first stories for the Daily Northwestern was on Matt Akman, the school's #1player in 1987. Here's my latest tennis piece, a news release on Robert Stineman, a standout from New Trier High who is also a member of Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Northbrook.

You'll hear more about Robert, I suspect, as he seems to be hitting his stride in a big way on and off the court.

In News Releases, Less Is So Much More

There's a reason why telephone numbers are only so long. When it comes to retaining a series of digits, we tend to max out at four.

Likewise, do you think of your social security number as a 9-figure monster, or a three-figure beginning, a two-digit middle, and a four-figure finale?

The same is true in writing.

Think Ernest Hemingway (right), not William Faulkner (below), as you craft stories, including those in news-release form. Hemingway was a master of brevity. Faulkner once whipped up a 1,287-word sentence.

I don't mean you should write Twitter-length releases. Some of mine are more than 600 words long, like the one I recently wrote about an 80-year-old patient of chiropractor/acupuncturist Hiroya Nakamura.

But keep the sentences short enough that they don't require three readings to attain comprehension.

A confused mind says "no" and 40-plus-word sentences tend to be much more confusing than those phrases that don't journey beyond a 25-word landscape.

PR Alert: Time to Start Thinking about July?

Last week, with A Winning PR Recipe: Timely Stories, I touched on the importance of being timely with story ideas to the media.

And usually, all you need are a few weeks' advance notice to ensure the currency and relevance of a story pitch.

But you also have to keep your eye on longer lead times, such as a recent ditty about McAdam Landscaping offering tips to prep properties for the spring.

I realize it's January, but it may be time to start thinking about July!

Campaigning for `Office of Cook County Comic'

Sometimes, I'm called upon to write satirically. Always, it's a blast.

Check out the current media outreach about Michael Issac's campaign to create the "Office of Cook County Comic."
Michael, who goes by "The Cook County Comic," came up with the fantastic idea last week, as the election season heats up. I helped flesh it out with the news release.

Who knows? Maybe the office will become reality some day; as any observer of Cook County can attest, stranger things have happened.

A Winning PR Recipe: Timely Stories

Some stories require nuance and a delicate mix of elements to make for a promising pitch to the media.

But others have a recipe no more complicated than making ice. They simply teem with timing.

A news release on how to safely shovel snow isn't such a hot idea in July, but in the Chicago area--and anywhere Old Man Winter strikes--it makes for relevant, desirable copy that helps the media render service to the public.

On behalf of Nakamura Chiropractic & Acupuncture, a Schaumburg-based practice that has retained Inside Edge PR since last April, I recently sent one such piece, headlined "Snow Way: Local Chiropractor Offers Save Shoveling Tips,", to some media in the Chicago area.

OK, that's an obvious one. In thinking about your company or cause, what's going in the next few days, weeks, or months--in your area, in this country, in your industry or in any way whatsoever--that provides a logical, newsworthy tie-in to what you do?

Brainstorm a list of ideas and begin implementing the best ones sooner rather than later, while time is still on your story-telling side.

To Optimize Your Interview: Prepare, Pounce

I recently wrote a column for state press associations, headlined "To Get The Most Out of Your Interviews: Prepare….Then Pounce."

It grew out of a recent correspondence I had with a high school student seeking tips on the Art of the Interview. That interaction prompted another blog post, Let's Face It, A Key Part of An Interview's `Art'.

You can also read "Prepare...Then Pounce" in the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association's most recent e-newsletter.

`Sampling' Wins Confidence, Then Clients

Whenever I am asked for tips about breaking into journalism or public relations, one piece of advice that I emphasize can be applied to just about any endeavor: the importance of showing your value, not merely talking about it.

And over the course of more than a decade of self-employment, I have learned that winning new clients comes by way of winning their confidence. That assurance comes when they can see, first hand and not only from client testimonials or my charming personality, how I can help them.

How can they see it? One way or another, I provide them with tangible support, no strings attached, the very first time I meet them.

It may be advice about how to improve their biography, or it might be identifying a part of their story that they've never thought to tell but which I know the media would find absolutely compelling.

And sometimes they can literally "see it," when I shoot a video that helps them promote who they are and what they do. That's what I did a few weeks ago when I met a bright investment advisor, Ted Barnhart, at his office in Oak Brook.

During our meeting, I shot two videos, which I later edited and uploaded onto my YouTube channel for him to review.

I also told Ted how to create his own channel, Barnhart Advisory, which is where the below segment can be found after he selected it over the other clip:



If someone is going to invest their hard-earned money in your service, you want to take some proactive steps to provide them with a sample of what they can reasonably expect in return.

"Sampling" works at grocery stores, at the department store perfume counter and with Inside Edge PR--and it can work for you, too.

A Fun, Feel-Good Story For Christmas

Heart-warming, feel-good stories are great to share all-year round, but especially so around Christmas.

That's why one of my favorite activities this month was telling the story of one local family that moved back into their home after nearly a year away, to accommodate workers building an addition.

One of Inside Edge PR's clients, McAdam Landscaping, helped the mom put a festive, creative touch on the moment.

You can read the story here at Triblocal.com and see a related video below.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

5 Things I Know About Tiger Woods

Millions of words have been written about Tiger Woods over the past 18 days. And billions more will be expended in the time to come.

Here I will share five things that I know about the man and the saga that is unfolding:

1. Tiger's life, as it relates to the press and, more specifically, the tabloids and paparazzi, is forever altered. He will be shadowed, stalked, followed and hounded for at least the next decade.

2. What's more shocking than the revelation of his infidelities is that he kept it under wraps for so long.

And what's even more shocking than that is he thought he could keep it all bottled up forever, particularly since it's looking more and more like he did not confine his extramarital activities to only one woman (to say the least).

3. Amid all the PR counsel flying about, the most important piece is this: Tiger shouldn't lie to the media. So rather than commit that offense, he has circled the wagons and communicated only through written statements.

Insufficient to satisfy the media wolves? You bet.

But at least he hasn't compounded his mounting PR problems (to say nothing of his other woes, marital and otherwise) with outright lies. Half-truths and veiled language, perhaps, but that's to be expected when you're between a rock and a hard place.

4. This story in GQ, written in 1997 by Charles P. Pierce, explains much that the world either didn't realize, or chose to overlook, about Tiger.

5. I bet Tiger wishes he could turn the clock back to, oh, July 2000. That's when Time magazine dispatched me to the Western Open to provide some background reporting in preparation for a cover story that staff writer Dan Goodgame penned later in the summer.

An excerpt from my reporting:

"Teen-age girls with two-inch thick heels. Pubescent boys seeking autographs and climbing up trees for a better view. Blue-collar, white-collar, tank-top and Izod—all bobbing heads, straining their calves as they go on tip-toes.

Some are golf aficionados, having grown up in the sport with Arnold Palmer and, a short time later, Jack Nicklaus. Puffing on cigars, they frown in disdain when Johnny-come-lately fans move en masse because their favorite has sunk his putt, either not caring or not realizing that it’s a breach of etiquette when one or two others have yet to finish the hole.

Others barely know the legendary names of Palmer and Nicklaus, and just about none of the names or backgrounds of today’s top golfers. They seem oblivious to their faux pas, interested only in getting a good vantage point for the next hole.

This is the diverse face of Tigermania."

Let's Face It: A Key Part of An Interview's `Art'

Someone recently asked me for some tips on the "Art of the Interview."

From a journalistic perspective, I have led all-day workshops on the topic and feel like I barely scratch the surface. So my ambition in this small space will be confined to one key principle that is as elementary as it is overlooked these days: the in-person Q & A.

That's right--I am talking about that old-fashioned, quaint practice of actually being with the person you are interviewing.

In an era where phone calls seem to be viewed as "going the extra mile," I realize that it may seem revolutionary to recommend you go to all the trouble of being in the same physical space as the person with whom you are talking. Especially if it means getting into some mode of transportation and traveling more than a few miles to make it happen.

But it's a really, really powerful thing--whether you are a journalist chasing down a story, a publicist working on crafting a news release or developing a communications plan, or anyone else seeking to foster a relationship. After all, success (or failure) hinges largely on our ability to develop trust in our relationships.

And that's pretty hard to accomplish when all you've got to work with are words on a screen or a voice on the other end of a phone.

I've written extensively on this topic, so if you are interested in more tips, drop me a line at Matt@InsideEdgePR.com

Super Shopper Spotter: The Commercial

Usually, my PR work involves more time on the keyboard and less time dashing to and fro in public while wearing a cape and red boots.

With that in mind, if you were in the Downtown Oak Park area a few days ago, you might have seen some especially bizarre behavior, even by Super Shopper Spotter standards.

Thankfully, Joe Kreml, producer of the Village of Oak Park's Cable Channel 6, swiftly created this 52-second segment to help explain Triple S's antics:

`Super Shopper Spotter' Picks Up Steam

Off to a good, fun start with Shop the Village, in my alter-ego character, Super Shopper Spotter.

Above is a photo and below is a video from my Saturday excursion, featuring a visit to Val's Halla Records on Harrison Street in Oak Park:

Pigs Get Fat, Hogs Get Slaughtered, PR-Style

"Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered."

In other words, don't get too greedy.

From the standpoint of creating something that is a legitimate, well-rounded piece of news, rather than a wholly self-serving PR piece that may turn off the media, the pigs/hogs axiom certainly applies.

There simply are times when it's best to share the spotlight rather than try to hog all of it. A current example illustrating that truth is a recently issued Inside Edge PR news release on an event called "Pancakes for Soldiers."

I learned of it from Pat Liss, the concierge at Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Burr Ridge. You can read the release at Triblocal.com here.

Here is a photo gallery that I assembled, with great support from organizer Tina Vandenbosch of Willowbrook.

Over the last three years, Pat has been a great source of excellent story ideas, often human-interest in nature.

And in this case, Pat was also part of the story, as it turns out. Of course, because Five Seaasons is a client--and because it played a key role in supporting the cause--the release included prominent mention of the club.

But it's not at the exclusion of noting others' support, from a local Starbucks to another company that donated a propane griddle.

Shop the Village & Super Shopper Spotter

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's Super Shopper Spotter!

A new superhero has descended on Oak Park and he's on the lookout for people shopping locally. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to yours truly, S-3 (for short) is one of the new, fun wrinkles to the 2nd installment of the "Shop the Village" program whose implementation I will again be overseeing.

Check out more details at Shop the Village's official website, which has links to a news release, a YouTube channel and other specifics.

When One-Sided Claims Masquerade As News

During my most recent "PR Secrets From a Media Insider" workshop a few days ago, a local businessman asked what time of day deadlines typically happen for the media.

Ten or 15 years ago, I could have easily laid out some specific windows of time, I replied. But these days, I added, the answer is literally “all the time.”

That is one of the most profound effects of the Internet and the media’s collective rush to be first with news, even if it’s incomplete, unbalanced and, in some cases, the hasty airing of publicly filed records without any discernible thought as to whether it is actually newsworthy.

Some so-called news group's apparent rationale: "We'll contact XYZ Company or ABC Source when we get around to publishing a story in our print edition--that's the `real' version anyhow."

Having been in newsrooms for most of my career, this insensitive illogic is galling. It fails to consider the impact that Internet content has on an individual or organizational reputation. The Internet is forever and everywhere. Print is limited, both in collective memory and geographic scope.

Compounding that sin, some draw extra attention to these “stories” with yellow, sensationalistic headlines that take highly questionable assertions and portray them as fact.

And then there's the recent element of using social media to draw online eyeballs to breaking stories. This is terrific...except when it puts the spotlight on pieces that are woefully under-reported and unfair in their treatment of one side of an issue or another.

The moment that journalistically slipshod content appears online, the damage has already been done. As previously mentioned, the Internet is forever and everywhere.

In the long run, I am confident, such reckless behavior will hasten the demise of shoddy journalists and half-baked news outlets that are little more than cut-and-paste hacks. Those in the community to whom such outlets render this brand of disservice will simply shift their trust--and advertising and circulation dollars--to those that treat information, especially those relating to volatile, one-sided claims, with care.

But what to do in the meantime? When those situations crop up, it is essential for advocates, such as PR professionals, to move quickly and forcefully in demanding ethical accountability and professionalism from the offending media outlet.

It surely doesn't reverse the damage, but at least it slows the bleeding.

Writing On `State of the Chicago Hotel Market'

It's been awhile since I wrote about hotels.

I've written about events at hotels, provided feature reporting for Time magazine on boutique hotels--and even went into one hotel room, right after a police officer, to report on a young man who had fallen to his death from a ledge.

But it wasn't until 10 days ago that I wrote about the hotel industry as a whole. It came in the form of a summary report of "The State of the Chicago Hotel Market and Its Reflection of Economic Conditions," at an Urban Land Institute meeting.

The speakers I chronicled offered a good news/bad news report--with the good news coming only after some immediate-term bad news the industry is grappling with.

Fittingly enough, the session was at a swanky hotel known as theWit in downtown Chicago. Previous ULI summaries I've done are linked from a prior Inside Edge PR blog post.

Sharing Client's Tennis Success a Team Effort

Last week, on the heels of some significant success among girl's tennis players who have been coached for years at Five Seasons Family Sports Club, I wrote a round-up and shared it with the local media.

Along with the news release ("Five Seasons Sends Top Frosh Crop to IHSA Tennis Tournament"), which you can see at Triblocal.com, I created a photo gallery to provide online visitors another way into the story.

That's Alysa Straub in the photo accompanying this post--she's had a spectacular season at Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park.

Often, the difference between little or no publicity and solid P.R. is cooperation from clients. This outreach, for example, came about thanks to excellent collaboration with Ernesto Faisal, a longtime coach who provided me with the background information for the story.

In all, he invested over an hour of his time to help make it happen. Over the coming weeks and months, I firmly believe the time that he devoted will reap a solid return in the form of increased awareness of, and enrollment in, the stellar tennis coaching that goes on daily at Five Seasons.

`People Are More Interesting Than Things'

"People are more important than things."

My wife and I issue that truth to our children all the time--especially when they argue over who should be able to play with this block or read that book.

In the PR world, there is this variation: "People are more interesting than things."

In short, individuals are far more newsworthy than incidents. And events are much more likely to attract media coverage when you highlight people involved in the event.

Anyone can convey the time, location and other basics of an event. But it takes diligent effort to craft a compelling story linked to that event. This comes to mind on the heels of my current work on behalf of Five Seasons Family Sports Club in Northbrook, where on Sunday, Nov. 15 there will be an indoor triathlon in support of a bone marrow registry drive.

A key figure in the effort is Jim Kepka, a Glenview man who received a bone marrow transplant three years ago (that's him pictured, during the transplant). He and his wife, Angela Russian, are triathletes as well as founders of an organization dedicated to helping others receive the same life-saving gift that Jim got around Christmas 2006.

You can see the story here at Triblocal.com.

Showing, Not Just Telling, At Business Expo

Last week, I was an exhibitor at "A Passport to Success," the business-to-business Expo sponsored by the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry and three other chamber organizations (Bensenville, Villa Park and Addison.)

At the same time, as the event's publicist, I took close to 100 photographs and about 20 videos.

You can see some of the fruits of my video labor at what I call my "miscellaneous" YouTube channel, not to be confused with my Inside Edge PR channel or any of the other dozen channels that I have created and maintained for clients and others.

I also posted a release, drawn almost entirely from an Elmhurst Chamber write-up, at Triblocal.com and, on the same Tribune-owned site, created a photo gallery of the Expo.

Additional links can be found on the home page of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry website.

Serving as the event publicist was a fantastic way to meet people and to adhere to one of my mantras: "Show, don't tell."

In short, I was able to introduce myself as a publicist even as I was in the midst of acting as one. It sure beats relying solely on my business card, brochure and a firm handshake (though those are no doubt helpful, too).

I am hardly unique: it's precisely what was done by many others who demonstrated their service and products.

They included stellar restaurant exhibitors (like Bob Tercall of Two Chefs in Bensenville, pictured) that provided food samples as well as my new favorite massage therapist, Anne Lucas of Pure Harmony Massage (also pictured), who let her hands do the talking via chair massages.

Kudos to all the chambers and participants for fostering such a dynamic networking environment. The ones that did at least as much showing as telling will surely be reaping the most benefit.

E-Mail Interviews Can Aid Shoestring PR Budget

As a reporter, I rarely used e-mail to conduct interviews.

Among other drawbacks, it eliminated the opportunity to elicit insights that would take the interaction in an unanticipated and even more interesting direction. And in potentially adversarial conversations, it prevented me from catching a slippery source off-guard with a tough question or observing their body language and tone of voice.

But as a publicist, e-mail can be a tremendous ally, especially when working with clients on a limited budget. As a means to gather basic background information that helps put flesh on the bones of a news release, an e-mail exchange can be tremendously effective

Instead of taking upwards of a half-hour or more to extract that information, I can take five or 10 minutes to toss some queries at an individual and let them provide written responses.

The utility of this approach hinges largely on the client's ability to offer detailed answers in a timely manner. If they don't give enough detail--and don't do it quickly enough to meet some looming deadlines to ensure the timeliness of a release--then trying the e-mail shortcut can backfire and result in an even longer, costly process.


A recent scenario in which this avenue worked very well: a news release I crafted for Brian and Jun Benakos (pictured), owners of George's CARSTAR in Chicago.

You can see the release here at Triblocal.com.

Anything Can Go Viral: `Reporter Turns Ghetto'

PR 101 Tip: act as if everything you say, write, e-mail, broadcast, or otherwise communicate holds the potential to be transmitted worldwide.

Check out this YouTube clip, entitled "Reporter turns ghetto in 3 seconds," that illustrates the point, in hilarious fashion, 4.6 million times over:

A Post-Script to Chicago's Unsuccessful 2016 Olympic Bid

Whether they supported the 2016 Olympic bid or not, Chicagoans are in a state of shock that the city failed to make it out of the 1st round today, let alone did not emerge with the site selection.

And now comes the Friday-afternoon quarterbacking. Among the questions already being raised: Is it possible that Chicago "overdid" the PR push that included President Obama's reversal and decision to speak in Copenhagen?

The International Olympic Committee's 100-odd members vote in private, so we may never know the rationale fully. But I reject any notion that the U.S., embodied by Chicago leadership, tried "too hard."

That's akin to saying a sprinter who finished 4th in the Olympics, just shy of the Bronze, tried too hard. If anything, it was a matter of poor execution.

Next time--if there is a next time for Chicago--they should make sure that the focus is on what's in it for the international community more than how it would benefit Chicago.

As I stress to my PR clients, the key to successful media outreach is focusing on giving reporters, editors and producers what they need. Once you do that, then you will get what you want.