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PR Lessons Learned from SkyDiving: Ella Bee PR’s Publicity Stunt.

Earlier this year, I was able to do something I had been putting off for years. I finally went tandem skydiving. I decided this would be the year for several reasons, but one main phrase stayed with me as I made this decision and until I actually jumped and that was “you have to be fearless.” These were words I uttered to myself as I jumped 14,000 feet from the sky towards the earth attached to someone I hardly even knew.

As I moved closer to my actual jump, all kinds of thoughts raced around in my head, but I was able to pull some key lessons from my jump which I titled, “Ella Bee PR’s Publicity Stunt.”

Throughout everything that jump meant to me, I walked away with some great PR advice to live by and thought I would share with you.

Just Do It
I didn’t realize it until I made it back to Earth safely, but some of the skydivers congratulated me on my jump. “For what,” I thought. Well, it seems there have been several occasions where people have made the plane ride up, but they did not actually make the jump down. They froze and couldn’t go through with it. This was my first jump and I was convinced to crank it up a notch and add more distance. I thought, sure why not. I jumped 14,000 feet on my first jump and the entire plane ride up I kept telling myself, just do it…don’t even think about it. In PR you have to be the same way. If I have goals for my clients, of course I think about it for their overall strategy, but you have to put your words into action. If I do my research (as I have with tandem skydiving) and I think my client would be a good fit for a certain media outlet or publication, then I just go for it with a well-crafted and targeted pitch. This approach has helped me to land my clients in a variety of media outlets from USA Today to the The Huffington Post. You have to be bold. Don’t be intimidated.

Capture the moment
There’s a saying in skydiving that if you didn’t record it, then it didn’t happen. I had been telling my family and friends for weeks that I was going to finally go skydiving. I used Twitter and Facebook to provide up to the minute updates on my jump. I shared cell phone pictures online, but it did not become real to them until they saw my video created for the jump. Thanks to sharing the video via social media, I was able to get feedback from family, friends and my online connections. That’s when I got the outcry of support and congratulations. In PR, it is the exact same way. I always tell prospective clients, you can stomp, holler and shout but without PR no one is going to listen or hear you. Whether it is for a new product launch, a recent discovery from research and studies, or simply career/business achievements and accomplishments, hire PR to help you tell the world your story. In this day and age, if you are effectively using social media, your fans and followers instantly become your audience and you can directly communicate with them by providing updates and news.

So What?
I was taught early on, maybe from a blunt reporter, that no one probably cares about your story, unless you follow the basic PR guidelines for what makes a story newsworthy. My favorite guideline is proximity. I always tell my clients “press begets press”. You want to make it on CNN, Good Morning America or The Today Show? Well, start with your local news. I used to watch The Oprah Show and think how in the world did she find that story? Oprah’s show had an amazing research team who would find those unique stories from various news outlets which may include small, local press. If people in your own backyard don’t care about your story, what makes you think the entire nation or world will? Don’t forget about the relations part of public relations. If you can start with news that is relevant to your target audience, you will attract more attention. There is also a saying in journalism when a dog bites the man that is not news, but it is news when the man bites the dog. That is exactly what I learned from my skydiving jump. Have something unique and interesting to share.

Do for others
I love my clients and I love helping them share their stories, but there is a common theme that allows our team to successfully secure top-tier media placement. Reporters, talking heads and the press always want to know how can this help my readers, listeners, viewers and/or audience. Whether it is for informational or entertainment value, will your story help others make a decision, improve their lifestyle, or lift them from a bad mood. For the talented entertainers, musicians, actors and athletes that I represent, I have noticed that reporters always start the interview with how did the subject get started and always end the interview wanting advice in how others can follow in their footsteps or words of encouragement. From skydiving, I didn’t realize that my jump would encourage and motivate others to be fearless. Have valuable news to share and keep your target audience in mind.

*BONUS LESSON*
Tandem
According to Wikipedia, tandem (or in tandem) is an arrangement where a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. Did I mention that I jumped 14,000 feet from a plane on my first skydiving attached to someone I didn’t even know. I had to trust my entire safety and life to someone who could have been having a bad day and decide last minute that he wanted to end his life (the crazy things that run through your head before you jump out of a plane), but I had to trust my life in his hands. I will never forget Frank.

Frank gave me very serious instructions on how to cooperate in my jump. If I decided to go rouge, I could cause us both serious injuries. I had no choice but to trust Frank because he was the expert and had the experience. My word of advice for you is to trust your PR professional. I have the task as a personal publicist to manage my client’s way of life and their business which is their livelihood. At some point you have to trust the advice, consultation and direction of your PR representative to ensure that your campaign, strategies and tactics are implemented effectively. Don’t stand in the way of progress thinking you know best. PR professionals are the experts, let them do their jobs. It’s all about teamwork.

Those are just some of the PR lessons I learned from my skydiving publicity stunt. Maybe I will have more to share after my next jump.

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Do you need a press kit? I say no, but I think the shock to most people upon hearing these rule-breaking words would be too much to bear right now so I will slowly bring you to my side by sharing the words of other experts. A cop out, I know, but maybe I’m trying to be tamer in 2011. I’m trying to find other rules to break. In the mean time, here’s an interesting article showing both the usefulness and uselessness of a press kit.

Do I Need a Press Kit?
By Cameron Mizell

Press kits, in the traditional sense of a folder filled with printed reviews, various promotional information, bio, photo, and of course CD, are obsolete. As a musician, I’ve had to figure out ways to present my music to venues and writers, and as a former employee at a record label and night club (two different jobs, mind you), I’ve been on both the sending and receiving end of press kits. With the exception of a few special cases, you do not need a traditional press kit to book gigs for your band.

Why Not?
The first problem with a new band creating a press kit is that there’s no press. What most musicians call their press kits are really no more than their opinion of how good they are. The bio explains how fresh and unique they are, any quotes available are from obscure or irrelevant sources, and photos are amatuer. Why subject somebody that doesn’t know you to all of that before they even get a chance to hear your music?
Hearing music. Isn’t that the main purpose of creating a press kit? The idea, or often misconception, is that when you send your music to venues, you need to include a bunch of other stuff with your CD. But the truth is, most bookers don’t really care about any press you provide. Why would you send them anything negative?

Electronic Press Kit
My main argument for saving postage is the internet. You may have heard of bands creating an EPK–or Electronic Press Kit. These are becoming the new standard for booking gigs.
Every artist needs a website and MySpace page. MySpace has become a very familiar format for just about everyone. Which is why you shouldn’t make your page too difficult to navigate or distract from the music. When somebody is going to MySpace, they have some idea of what they’ll find. In fact, whatever website link you end up sending to booking agents, promoters, or press, make sure it is easy to find the music. However, avoid using auto play, that prompts most people to close their browser.
Another great option is to make a video and upload it to YouTube. Embed this into every website you’ve got. Use live footage, but I’d recommend starting it with pre-recorded music. Segue into different songs, perhaps even work in some footage of yourself talking about your music while it plays in the background.
There are also websites like SonicBids, which has been successful for some musicians I know. I have not used them personally, because I think the free options are great.

Read the entire article by clicking here.

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I got PR and it did nothing for me Whose fault is it?

Of course in my daily PR duties, I run across individuals and companies that have obtained PR services only to be disappointed that the heavens and earth did not move. Maybe the PR campaign did not accomplish their goals, maybe no one still knows that your brand exists, maybe you didn’t sell a single unit, or maybe you didn’t see any tangible results of what your PR pro said he or she would do. While I will admit, there are some janky PR and publicists out there, I want those considering obtaining PR-notice I did not say publicity, I’ll explain in a future blog post- to consider some very important points. I’ve said it time and time again, PR does not = sales but more importantly, PR is about building relationships. Think about some of your best friendships and most successful relationships. It took time to get to know that person. It took face-to-face interaction, talking on the phone, debating over differences, and finding similarities. Over time, you got to know that person inside and out like the back of your hand. While I have given you some common use examples of building relationships, lets think about relationships in terms of business and public relations. Trust and relationships are key to PR. Let’s see what the experts have to say about building media relations*:

So whether you are considering obtaining PR services for the first time or think back on some of the challenges you’ve had with PR in the past, remember that you have to allow your PR campaign to grow and develop into something that is credible and highly trust-worthy. Relationships–especially with dwindling print media and the 24-hour cable news cycle- takes time.

*Points 1,2,3 Public Relations Practices: Managerial Case Studies and Problems. Sixth Edition

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October 5, 2010 Atlanta, GA–Atlanta-based actor, Chris Tavarez (“Big Momma’s House 2”, TBS “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns”) stars as Lance in the new Disney Channel Original Movie: “Avalon High,” a fantasy-filled movie which is scheduled to premiere on the Disney channel November 2010.

“Avalon High” is based on the award-winning novel by best-selling author Meg Cabot (“The Princess Diaries”). The movie follows Allie Pennington, a new student to Avalon High who is shocked to discover that her new classmates are reincarnations of King Arthur and his Court. Allie is ecstatic when her parents, traveling professors who specialize in King Arthur’s legend, tell her she will be staying at Avalon High until she graduates. She can finally join the track team, make new friends and be a normal high school student. But shortly after arriving, Allie discovers that something strange may be afoot. While researching a term paper on King Arthur’s legacy, she begins to notice some interesting parallels between the past and the present – from handsome quarterback Will, his cheerleader girlfriend, Jen, and their best friend, Lance (Tavarez), to Will’s brooding step-brother, Marco, a quirky kid named Miles and football players who act like knights of the roundtable. The deeper Allie searches, the more convinced she is that her school is a contemporary Camelot, and it’s up to her to solve of the mystery of Avalon High before notorious traitor Mordred wins again.

Tavarez stars alongside actors, Britt Robertson (“Life Unexpected”) as Allie Pennington, Gregg Sulkin (“Wizards of Waverly Place”) as Will Wagner, Joey Pollari (Disney XD’s “Skyrunners”) as Miles, Devon Graye (“Dexter”) as Marco, Molly Quinn (“Castle”) as Jen, and Steve Valentine (“I’m in the Band”, “Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie”, “Crossing Jordan”) as Mr. Moore.

The teleplay, based on the book by Meg Cabot, was written by Julie Sherman Wolfe (“Jonas,” “Phil of the Future”) and is directed by Stuart Gillard (Disney Channel’s “Hatching Pete,” “90210”). “Avalon High” is a production of Sudden Motion Productions, Inc. and Ranger Productions Ltd.

About Chris Tavarez
Chris Tavarez is an Atlanta-based actor and a rising senior at Westlake High School. After modeling as a young child, his parents were encouraged by scouts to pursue the world of acting for their son. Chris’ talent was quickly recognized by talent agent, Joy Pervis, who also discovered child stars Dakota Fanning, Kyle Massey, and Lucas Till. Though acting is his career, Tavarez is also a much sought out athlete. He is the safety and captain of his high school football team in Atlanta with more than seven Division 1 scholarships to colleges such as: Harvard, Duke, Tulane, Maryland, Princeton, and Vanderbilt. Recently, Chris committed to Duke University. For more information about actor, Chris Tavarez, follow him on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/TheChrisTavarez and become a fan on Facebook at http://Facebook.com/ChrisTavarez.

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I know, I know, I know…I’m a HUGE social media nerd (life is just like high school) but I recently discovered a cool news-sharing site (thanks to Laermer). The concept is simple. The sharing site Paper.Li basically turns your tweets and links into a daily newspaper. I think this is genius because we basically get most of our news stories from Twitter anyways (sorry Facebook-you’re too slow nowadays).

Anyhow, check it out, create your own newspaper and let me know what you think. I promise if you’re a media junkie like me, you’ll LOVE it! This site could probably also increase your online presence. I know my clients will be using.

Happy sharing.

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Client and hip-hop activist, Queen YoNasDa, leads the movement of the hip-hop community to come together to protest the new immigration law in the state of Arizona.

Thanks to AllHipHop.com for debuting the video and feature:

WATCH:

Read the full press release, Hip-Hop Community in Arizona Comes Together to Protest State’s Immigration Law.

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By BidMyServices

Whether you are a budding writer looking to be published, or an aspiring professional seeking to offer your services on a wider scale, this is a question you are most likely to ask. While hiring a publicist may cost a pretty penny, it does have its benefits. Some independent artists/professionals can still get some face time on TV or land an interview spot on the radio by their own efforts alone, but a publicist can definitely get you the attention and the buzz that could be worth every dime you shell out. Here are some pointers to consider that may help you answer your question on whether or not you may need a publicist.

Exposure
While the integrity you build by word of mouth on how great your product or service may be could be encouraging, the exposure that a publicist can get you is incomparable. It’s feasible to pay for a page off of your preferred publication in order to advertise, but it is even better to tap into the more aggressive and impressive media like television and radio. If you want to get the word out on what you have to offer or would like the world to know, a publicist can get you the attention you need. A good publicist can also increase your exposure to a regional, national or international level.

Reliability
Let’s say you do put an advert out on publication. People don’t usually buy into the idea because they know that the ad has been paid for. By using quality public relations, a publicist can reach the public for a fraction of the cost of an advertisement. When it comes to cost and credibility, you will find that public relations is much more cost-effective. It may also be possible that you don’t know exactly who the appropriate media are that you need to approach. A publicist who has a good professional history more or less knows who’s-who in the business and will know exactly who to go to in order to generate a good buzz about you.

Time Constraint
It takes a lot of time to put together a good PR campaign—precious time that you could be spending polishing and/or revolutionizing more of your ideas that are part and parcel of the service/product that you are trying to get out there. Getting a publicist can take that burden off your shoulders and allow you to focus on the more important things that are central to your cause.

Press Kit
You may or may not know how to put together a press kit or what it entails. And even if you could compose your own press release, a publicist already knows the ins and outs of the industry and can put together a veritable press kit that has everything the media will need to know more about your product or service. They are well-versed with the rules—whether unspoken or otherwise, when it comes to media kits and have experience with working from the right angles.

Credibility
While it is quite noble and precious to see a hardworking individual tirelessly and devotedly market him/herself, a publicist gives a credibility boost that self-marketing cannot give. It is simply more professional and impressive to have public representation. The saying “have your people call my people” is more than just a favorite Hollywood line. It gives the impression that you are serious about your product or service and that you truly believe in it—enough to hire professional public relation services to get the word out there as expansively as possible. Lastly, it also serves to give you a shot of confidence that you will need to succeed.

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