1. Is there a “dead zone” around the US 4th of July holiday (meaning, is it difficult to communicate during this time? Slow time for news?)? How do you handle?

2. Where are most of your new clients/prospects coming from today?

3. The Gen McChrystal interview scandal fallout continues, and the PR person who set it up has “resigned.” Has your spokesperson ever gone off message? What do you do?

Be sure to check out the transcript in PDF for real-world insights on these topics that you can apply today. What are your experiences – let us know in the comments!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

The questions included:

1) Have you ever been burned by a journalist, as in promised to write but didn’t, screwed up the piece, made you look bad, etc?

2) How do you handle these disappointments with clients?

3) How do you get in the creative zone when you are feeling anything but, and deadline looms?

Because our transcripts come from What the Hashtag, and that service likes to keep life interesting (as in, buggy), this week’s transcript is in two parts. There is great info in both the main, chronological transcript in PDF, as well as the middle 20 minutes PDF (from 1:30-1:49 p.m. ET) which is in reverse chronological order. Apologies for the technical snafu, but I think you’ll find both documents worth saving.

Have you ever encountered difficulties with a journalist’s follow through? How did you handle? Let us know in the comments!

The #solopr chat – held each Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Eastern – is a weekly ritual for some of the most savvy Solo PR Pros on Twitter. Anyone with a Twitter account is welcome to participate – see Join Us for the #solopr Chat on Twitter to find out how!

But lining up this kind of turnkey story becomes more challenging for independent PR consultants and boutiques. We all foster a network of fellow PR pros that we can tap into for media opportunities (or you should!), but what if you don’t know of anyone who fits a particular requirement, or you need additional resources quickly?

Pitch with Me is a new service designed to help public relations professionals connect with additional resources to generate more effective pitches. It’s the brainchild of Heather Whaling,  @prtini on Twitter (side note: we recently co-wrote the post 5 Tips to Keep in Mind When Going Solo for the PR Breakfast Club blog, in case you missed it). Heather told me why she chose to launch this service now, after just recently becoming a Solo PR Pro:

“I come from an agency background and was used to brainstorming with my co-workers about opportunities to package clients in pitches. Now that I’m out on my own, I don’t have as much access to those kinds of resources. That got me thinking about ways solo PR pros, small businesses and nonprofits could team up. I’m a big believer in collaboration. Working together, I think we can develop stronger pitches, which should lead to better results for our clients. At least, that’s what I hope to see happen with Pitch with Me!”

I took a look at the simple online tool (which operates similar to HARO, but filling a different need). You submit a request through the Pitch with Me Web site, along with your contact information, a general description of the media outlet, an overview of the pitch and the type of resource you’re looking for. It is then displayed publicly on the site, as well as via @pitchwithme on Twitter – an automated feed of submissions. (You may want to use a special email address for submissions, to avoid receiving spam on your main account from bots who might be trolling the Web looking for email accounts.)

To me, a wise aspect of Pitch with Me is the fact that you control the opportunity (and how much information is revealed) when you submit your request. We all know PR can be a competitive business, and there are bad guys out there who might try to “go around” you if they had all the information on your plans. The tool is setup so you can mitigate that risk by being highly specific about the resources you need, but vague about who and how you’re pitching. I also like that I can see who is making the request. If you find one of your Solo PR Pro buddies looking for help, you’ll likely jump at the chance to work with a trusted colleague.

This tool looks like it has potential to help independent PR consultants improve their efficiency, and perhaps their media relations results. What do you think?

Within this gray space, ethical best practices have yet to emerge. While traditional media had relatively defined lines between editorial, advertising and advertorials, online these approaches are sometimes blurred.

Why should we care about this as PR and Marketing Communications professionals? Well, the Federal Trade Commission is getting involved, and under their latest guidelines a brand technically can be held liable for a blog’s disclosure (or lack thereof). A more common ramification: if a blogger is perceived to have taken version of payola (sometimes called blogola) from one of your clients, there’s often a taint (real or implied) on the product or company that provided it.

Many bloggers are not journalists, and they don’t necessarily see the differences between advertising and editorial coverage the in the same way PR pros do. Consider this stream of tweets from a blogger on Twitter who received a pitch:

“Why, why, why does Big Company expect me to promote their stuff for free?  ‘Your readers want to know about this!’ Um, they probably don’t.
And in any case, would you go to magazine and say, ‘please publish this ad for free! Because, your readers want to know!’? …oh, right, advertising for you for FREE would be a PUBLIC SERVICE FOR MOMS. Do I *look* that stupid?”

Need another example of the blurry lines? Check out this plea that was sent to a number of PR pros.

It’s important that we recognize the issues, since you’re likely to encounter them at some point when working with new media.

Freebies

Before new media, there were fewer people reviewing products and services, so PR review programs were more straightforward. In the case of the technology industry, reviewers at top publications had boxes, shelves (and probably trash bins) FULL of free software – much of which they never asked for, and frequently never even opened. Far from a buy-off, delivering free software to reviewers upon
request was an economic necessity (no way they could have purchased all of the products they reviewed in a given year). For more expensive products, a loaner program was often the tactic of choice. There was no quid pro quo, and readers trusted that the reviews were legit.

This is true for other industries as well. Everything from free makeup for beauty editors to complementary trips for travel writers is part of the established culture of traditional journalism.

But now, there are often hundreds of reputable bloggers and online journalists writing about any given subject, and the freebies don’t always make it to all of them. At the same time, many bloggers are trying to figure out how to earn some well-deserved compensation for their efforts. The result? Recipients of freebies can be called out (often unfairly, by those who feel left out) or some bloggers may downplay (or omit completely) their disclosures.

The takeaway
When providing review products and services, politely make sure your contact knows you fully expect them to disclose. Examples of freebie disclosures could be including something like the following, in the introduction:

• “I was given a loaner unit for one week, and I found it to be…”
• ACME resort gave me a complementary stay so I could write this review.”
• “I was given a box of XYZ diapers to try out, and…”

Also, if the product you represent is expensive, try using a loaner unit program or other creative approach instead. Disclosure is still necessary, but this lessens the perception that the writer was given a big-ticket “gift” and was thus bought-off.

Obviously, arrangements where you give free product in exchange for a positive review are not merely freebies. If stipulations are placed upon the sentiment of the coverage, then the situation falls into the category below.

Pay-for-Play

“Sponsored posts” are another matter. To me, pay-for-play blog posts (which includes gift cards) are the equivalent of advertorials, and should be clearly designated as such (for example, collect sponsored posts on a separate page, use a different blogger/author, have a special “sponsored” graphic, etc.) . A smaller disclosure (like the ones for freebies above), or a brief note in italics that states “This is a sponsored post” just doesn’t pass the muster for most readers. The backlash can be swift.

Let me point out that there are some bloggers that vehemently oppose this opinion. “Don’t bloggers have a right to be compensated?” is a common refrain. They feel that disclosing sponsored posts too prominently will reduce the impact and therefore affect their ability to attract more sponsored posts. I believe this is shortsighted, since if readers feel mislead (which can happen suddenly) they will leave.

The sponsorship issue is further complicated by the fact that some very highly respected bloggers are working with sponsored post agencies and participating in their promotions.   These well-connected folks are on the front lines of this battle, trying to find a way to bring marketers and bloggers together in a mutually beneficial way. Note that some blog networks are parsing this challenging issue quite well, but at this point, widely accepted guidelines are still to come.

The takeaway
For PR pros, if you find yourself treading into this pay-for-post area, proceed with extreme caution. I’m in no way anti-sponsored post, but the mores of this space are continuing to develop and controversies spring up regularly. If you encounter bloggers or others who require payment in return for a basic write-up, it may serve you best to walk away.

Just another day at the office

In the era of Modern PR, these issues are just another new frontier, and this is an area destined to be gray for some time. What constitutes disclosure?  What about social media mentions outside of blogs?

Most of these issues will be hammered out within the online community itself, and PR and marketing pros have a seat at that table. But until the “rules” are established, it’s key that we keep in mind the potential landmines and always operate above board.

How do you feel about these disclosure issues? Have you encountered any uncomfortable situations or have any tips?

Like this post? Consider subscribing to Solo PR Pro, either by e-mail or RSS Reader. It’s free!

Photo credits: Ian Muttoo, pfala

How and why did you “go out on your own”?

About three years ago, I was heading up the PR efforts for one of the largest homebuilder associations in the country – leading up public awareness campaigns, leadership positioning and crisis management for a variety of personalities and companies.  I began Big Noise out of a real desire to handle ‘non industry’ clients, taking on a few freelance gigs here and there and actually helping out with the local media relations efforts for Johnette Napolitano as she was touring in support of her solo effort, Scarred.  So, when the opportunity to handle the public relations for a NASCAR team based in Dallas – the only one based in Texas and a relatively small outfit – came up, I was intrigued.  The owner of the team was a bit of a paradox: a card-carrying Republican that was covered in tattoos and had a mouth like a sailor.  There mere fact that he was this little ‘David’ in the ‘Goliath’ world of NASCAR intrigued me, so I took him on as a client.  Big Noise Communications was then made ‘official’ out of sheer necessity to have an ‘offsite entity’ to serve as this team’s agency.

How do you find most of your clients?
Most of my clients have come about through word of mouth and recommendations.  Leaving a strong impression on current clients and colleagues has paid in dividends for me in this way.  It’s like having good karma in business – it’s all gravy when you handle yourself with integrity and moxie.

What are some examples of interesting projects you’ve been able to work on as an independent?
Some of the most interesting projects I’m finding myself involved with are still developing.  While I can’t say too much just yet, what I can tell you is that I’m in the process of working on a variety of things with folks like Todd Defren, Mary McKnight, David Mullen, Matt Batt and Arik Hanson. Additionally, from being able to work with Big Noise Communications full-time, I’ve been able to promote the ‘Narciso Tovar’ brand a bit more. As such, I’ve been asked to teach a couple of classes on Social Media and Public Relations to working professionals in the Fall.

What benefits of being independent have you experienced?
Going at it full-time with Big Noise Communications has been a great for a variety of reasons:

• More freedom – Since I’m the one who heads up the company, I’m the one that ultimately calls the shots, establishes methodologies and sets the tone for the brand.
• Greater focus – I’m no longer feeling the pressure to cross-sell services that I’m not as savvy on, nor am I feeling the need to ’share the love’ with different practices in-house.  Even though Big Noise Communications handles social media engagements and ALOT of things that fall under the ‘PR umbrella,’ that’s just it.  If we were to be approached with the prospect of doing some email marketing campaigns, print advertising, etc., I can simply pass along the opportunity to a company I can vouch for and trust.  The ability to do this is both invigorating and freeing.
• Increased flexibility – If I need to take in a movie in the middle of the day to unwind, I’ll do it.  If I just want to have a 15-minute ‘just shut up and dance’ time in the middle of the afternoon, I make it happen.  Moreover, I can be as mobile as I want/need to be.

What do you find to be the biggest challenges?
Going at it full time with Big Noise is still very exciting for me. Being able to contain this excitement and energy in a ‘normal’ 9-5 day has been more difficult for me than ever before.  Granted, there really are no true 9-5 hours in PR (or, at least, none that I know of); but since I have more than just our clients to consider (I have a company to think about, after all), it’s kinda’ hard to just turn it off.

What’s your favorite “guilty pleasure” that being solo allows you to do?
I can crank up my music to 11 without having to worry about bothering ‘the man’ – essentially giving me the ability to ‘Fight the Power’ with a lot more ease.

What are some important things to keep in mind to succeed as an independent consultant?
Whether you’re working as an independent or starting up your own practice,
you have to always remember three big things:

• Don’t take yourself too seriously – the moment you start rolling your eyes, thinking something is beneath you is the moment you’ve turned into a suit.  If people want to work with a suit, they’d go with the big dogs. More than likely, you’re not the kind of person that falls into this category.  Get your hands dirty and never hold yourself up to being the kind of person that has to be ‘handled’ in a certain way.
• Always be in sponge mode – there are so many things that are changing, improving, developing, etc. in communications that you need to always do your best to be reading and learning.  I know time is tight, but it will never let up.  You’ve got to make the time.
• Hold on loosely to your passion – to borrow the phrase from .38 Special (loved that song): “If you cling too tightly, you’re gonna lose control.” The best kind of passion is one that is free flowing like water – kind of like Bruce Lee.  This dude never let his fighting/self defense style get in the way of any one form.  He once said that “water can flow or it can crash.”  This is why tapping into your passions is so important because it will always be flowing and always ready to crash with ideas, excitement, energy and a desire to share.