The Harriman Group Blog

PR for Nonprofits

Back in September, I was asked to talk to a group of local, very small, nonprofit organizations about how to develop and execute a public relations program. Follows are my remarks.

With the media, you must be compelling, concise, and consistent. The most effective way to do this is to develop background briefing material, so that the message is quickly, clearly, and always, presented in the same way. The basic material includes a tagline, a boilerplate, and message points. The tagline and boilerplate are standard features of press releases, but even if you never write a press release, developing this material will help you be more effective in any media relations activities you do pursue.

The tagline describes who you are and what you do, in a single, brief phrase. This helps you identify the appropriate reporter to contact, and lets the reporter know that your organization is of interest to his or her audience. Reporters cover “beats” or areas of interest, such as government, education, fashion, and so on. The boilerplate is a short paragraph that describes your organization, including history, location, and contact information.

Message points highlight the key features of your organization, and include:

Why you started your organization

Your mission

Accomplishments

Goals

Current initiatives

Upcoming events, membership drives, fundraisers, etc.

How people can join/participate/support your organization

When you are ready t o contact the media, you need to identify the appropriate outlets and editorial contacts. For newspapers, if there is not a specific reporter covering the non-profit beat, the features reporter of managing editor are good initial contacts, as well as the reporter that covers the city in which your organization is located. Radio and TV stations usually have a public service or community affairs director. If not, contact the program director at the radio station, and the assignment editor at the TV station. Many TV and radio stations also have community service programming; if so, contact the responsible producer or reporter.

Many news organizations – TV, radio, and newspaper – allow viewers/listeners/readers to submit items of interest via the website. Check that out. Also checkout the online “community calendar” feature of the news outlets to post your upcoming events. In addition to local news media outlets, also conduct an online search for publications/blogs/websites that have an editorial focus on your category – children, animals, veterans, etc.

After you’ve identified outlets and contacts, build a contact database for outreach activities. Include the name of the outlet, the media contact’s first and last name, title, email address, and phone and fax numbers.

Conduct proactive media outreach. Contact media members by phone or email to let them know who you are, what you are doing, and why you are newsworthy. Participate with the media, by being interviewed, contributing articles, and providing insights as an “expert source” for reporters when they are writing a story about the issue that your organization addresses.

It takes some time and thought to put together your background briefing material and build your contact database, but by doing so, you will have a much greater chance of securing coverage. Media outreach is about developing relationships. Being prepared to effectively engage with the media is the best way to develop successful relationships.

J.C. Penney Gets Apple-Style Makeover

There is a J.C. Penney at my local mall, and I was surprised when a Sephora section was built in the middle of the store. This was a massive attempt to reinvigorate the image of an aging brand. Now that Ron Johnson, most recently an Apple retail executive, who also spent time at the now defunct Mervyn’s, has taken over, radical changes are underway – logo, layout, and pricing. I read about this strategy in both my local paper, The Orange County Register and The Wall Street Journal.

According to the WSJ, the new logo is “designed to evoke an image of Penney as representing Americana and ‘fair and square.’” Wow, that’s some heavy messaging for one little logo to convey, but that is just the beginning. The new layout and pricing will really blow your hair back.

The “store within a store” concept, a la the previously mentioned Sephora, will be the new layout. Again, from WSJ, Mr. Johnson’s plan “involves carving stores into a warren of specialty shops, turning the high-traffic center selling space into an entertainment and hang-out area, and eschewing constant ‘sales’ in favor of low prices every day.” The myriad private-label clothing will be reduced, but one of my favorites, Liz Claiborne, will survive the cut.

The pricing structure is a simple three-tier strategy. There will be “Every Day” low prices, “Monthly Value” discounts on select merchandise, and then the “Best Price” clearance deals. The “Best Price” deals will be available on the first and third Fridays of the month, which is when many of the store’s shoppers get paid.

Final items of interest: Ellen DeGeneres is the new spokesperson, and 14 million customers will receive a colorful catalog highlighting the “Monthly Value” merchandise in the mail.

This is definitely a developing story that I will be watching!

Year of the Dragon

Chinese New Year is Monday, January 23, 2012, marking the beginning of the Year of the Dragon. The Water Dragon. In addition to the 12 animal signs of Chinese astrology, there are also five attributes. The animal signs are Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger, Ox, Rat, Pig, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ram, Horse, and Snake. The five attributes are water, wood, fire, earth, and metal.

The firey, fearless temperament of the dragon is calmed by the element of water, and dragons are most compatible with tigers, rats, and monkeys.

Red and gold are the dominant colors, with red symbolizing life and gold prosperity. The dragon birthstone is amethyst.

The year of the dragon will end on February 9, 2013. The start of the Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar, and so the dates vary from year to year. It is the most important holiday in China, and is celebrated over 15 days.

Known as the “Spring Festival,” festivities begin with a big meal, with as many members of the family as possible gathering together to welcome in the new year. The celebration continues over the next two weeks, and ends on the 15th day with the “Lantern Festival.”Many lanterns are made to represent the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, as well as to reflect historical themes, and depict scenes from stories and legends that reflect traditional values.

Happy New Year to all, and may the Year of the Dragon bring you health, happiness and prosperity!

”The Epic Story Of How Texas Oil Transformed Wealth And Power In America, Told Through The Interweaving Sagas Of The Industry’s Four Greatest Fortunes”

Just finished reading this book, written by Bryan Burrough. As riveting as the blurb is, I must make a couple of disclaimers first. #1 - I spent 15 years in Texas, and most of my family still lives in Dallas or Houston. #2 – Bryan Burrough co-authored “Barbarians at the Gate” one of my all-time favorite books. So I was very much prepared to love this book, and I was not at all disappointed. And, come to find out, Bryan is a native Texan.

”The Big Rich” is about the wealthiest families in the Texas oil business – Cullen, Hunt, Murchison and Bass. It’s ironic that most people are familiar with Murchison as the original owner of the Dallas Cowboys. As for the Hunt brothers, that depends on which ones you’re talking about. Lamar for owning the Kansas City Chiefs, and for coining the term “Super Bowl.” (Then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted to call it the "Big One.”) Bunker’s and Nelson’s notoriety is more infamous than famous, for their attempt to corner the silver market back in the late ‘70s,culminating in it's own day of infamy on Wall Street - "Silver Thursday" - March 27, 1980.

Roy Cullen donated lavishly to my nephew's alma mater, the University of Houston, and Sid Bass parlayed a small fortune into a spectacular fortune through smart Wall Street investments, including the move that brought Michael Eisner to the Walt Disney Company.

Sid Richardson, who has a fairly well-known suburb of Dallas named after him, did not make it into “The Big Rich” club, but he is Sid Bass’ uncle, which I did not know. Clint Murchison also has a town named after him in East Texas, right next to Athens, where he was born and raised. My first job out of college was working as a newspaper reporter for the Athens Daily Review.

These guys were all colorful characters – some more so than others – and parts of their lives read like a soap opera. I’m not usually much of a biography fan, but since there are a cast of characters, it’s an entertaining read. LBJ, John Connally and the Bush family all play a part in the saga as well.

Even if you don’t have Texas ties, and have never read Bryan Burrough before, this is a highly recommended read.