Those of you who live in Indianapolis have probably heard about the Super Bowl Shuffle. No, not the terrible 1985 video created by the Chicago Bears, but the equally terrible 2011 video created by the Indiana Visitors and Convention Association to promote the hospitality industry in Indianapolis at a hotel conference in Chicago. The video was originally intended just for this specialized audience, but in the way of the Internet, the silly thing quickly went viral, earning the derision of locals and out-of-towners alike across Twitter, the blogosphere and even ESPN.

The event was full of high drama–it makes Indianapolis look terrible! We look like unsophisticated rubes! This will ruin our chance on the national stage! People are swearing never to come to Indy because of the poor quality video! The ICVA even issued a sort of apology for the video.

Can we all just take a deep breath here?

The video has, as of this writing, received less than 5,000 8,000 views–hardly a viral sensation. There is absolutely nothing offensive in the video, unless you’re offended by bad lip syncing and awkward dancing.  It’s just a group of people excited about a big party we get to have here in town.

ICVA doesn’t need to apologize. It doesn’t need to release a new video or keep defensively explaining that the video was made for a very specific audience. It needs to say, “here’s the video, isn’t it silly? Hope you enjoy it in the spirit in which it was made. Let’s make Super Bowl XLVI the best ever!” And then it needs to be quiet.

This isn’t a PR disaster case study, this isn’t a nightmare scenario. This was one group of people who underestimated the virality of the Internet and got a little embarrassed. It’s like your mom posting a video of you singing “I’m a Little Teapot” on Facebook–your friends may razz you for a while, but at the end  of the day, there’s no harm done. People will stop talking about it, people will forget about it and our Super Bowl is going to rock.

Indy, stop being so sensitive. Outsiders, stop being so judgmental. ICVA, stop being so defensive. We have bigger problems and more important goals to worry about than this one video. Let’s stop making mountains out of molehills and go back to throwing an incredible party come February.

Edit, 12/1/11, 9:40 a.m.: Last night, the ICVA chose to remove the video from YouTube. The right call or needlessly defensive? You be the judge.

After four weeks, Brittany is settling in.  Here is an update on the continuing adventures of our Intern:

By Brittany Wright

I’m into the fourth week of my internship here at Roundpeg, and I’d like to share some of my experiences thus far with all of you. Remember all of the things I wrote about two weeks ago? Well, I have quite a few more things to add to the list now. First, I’ve completed a ghost blog post for a pretty big-deal client, created and published another press release, worked on drip campaigns for both Roundpeg and a client, created a month’s worth of tweets for the same company, wrote a blog posting for our website about the amount of time you should spend on social media in order to create genuine relationships (remember to check it out on September 13th!) and have been managing Roundpeg’s Facebook postings.

On top of all that, the juggling of classes and work is officially underway. This semester I’m taking Agencies & Entrepreneurs, PR Planning and Strategic Marketing Management. Agencies & Entrepreneurs is a class that focuses on teaching future PR professionals about the pros and cons of opening their own agencies versus joining an already successful firm. I’m not sure that there’s anyone more qualified than Lorraine to teach me both sides of the road, but I’m giving it a shot.

PR Planning has gotten my attention because I’m such a research nerd, and now I can begin to apply my findings to an actual campaign. Strategic Marketing Management is a required course than generally gets PR students shaking in their boots because it’s only offered through the Kelley School of Business. Thankfully, I’ve spent much of my working life the marketing field, so I’m not quite as concerned as some others. However, the Kelley School of Business is definitely not a school to scoff at. As one of the top-ranked business colleges in the nation, I know the class won’t be easy-as-pie.

I determined to again maintain a 4.0 this semester and still give 110% to Roundpeg. When I start to get overwhelmed, I just remind myself what this is all about, and that is leveraging myself as a top-notch PR professional in this ever-growing field. I feel blessed that Lorraine gave me the opportunity to hone my skills and work hands-on in her company and I don’t intend to give her any less than my best.

Even though I spend a lot of time doing social media, my background is in traditional, old-school public relations. The kind where journalists are always looking for a good story, if only you present it to them in the right way.

So for the longest time, I’ve approached pitching bloggers–be they moms, business bloggers, or any number of the other kinds of bloggers I regularly contact–in the same way. They just want a good story, right? It’s up to us as public relations professionals to find the right way to present it, and they’ll fall all over themselves to share your giveaway/promotion/event with their readers for free, right?

Wrong.

Pitching bloggers is an entirely different beast than pitching to traditional journalists. It’s some weird bastard child of public relations and ad buys. And it takes an entirely different mentality to be good at it.

The first thing to remember is that some kind of payment is usually expected. This doesn’t necessarily mean money (though it can)–it can also mean payment in product or tickets or some other remuneration. Make sure that you or your client factor this into your budget–unlike traditional PR, the time cost of your pro is not the only cost to consider.

And, even though you’re providing some sort of payment, you usually cannot dictate what the blogger writes. Of course, you can say that you want them to write about this particular promotion, but you’re really paying for the blogger’s unique voice on your product or event. That’s why their readers come back, and why they can be such strong brand advocates. But if you want to choose exactly what’s said about your product, don’t engage in blogger relations. Period. Note that most bloggers, however, will not write about products they don’t actually endorse or like, so in most instances you don’t need to worry about negative reviews from bloggers you’ve reached through an outreach program.

Don’t let these two factors scare you–blogger relations is an important part of PR and can’t be ignored in this day and age. Bloggers have huge, organic reach that makes every marketer drool in envy. Just go in with your head in the right place, and be prepared to make some great relationships and spread your message.

As an Indianapolis PR firm, Roundpeg helps small business distribute their messages through traditional and non-tradional pr channels.

Hi, my name is Brittany, and I’m the newest Roundpeg team member. I am currently finishing up my Master’s Degree in the IUPUI School of Journalism’s Public Relations Program and had been seeking an internship within an Indianapolis PR firm. I interviewed with the Roundpeg team last week, and left knowing that I absolutely loved the culture and atmosphere. From the casual dress-code, to an environment which fosters and nurtures uniqueness, I knew this was exactly what I had been searching for. Everyone seemed so knowledgeable and sure of themselves, and I definitely wanted to be a part of such an esteemed company.

I got my wish! Here I am, on my first day at one of the most prestigious firms in Indianapolis and I could not be more excited to have the opportunity to work with such a talented group of people, and to be able to pick their brains on a regular basis. I will be interning under Jay Mattingly, the director of marketing, and Allison Carter, the director of communications. It doesn’t get much better than this!

I’m ready to let the learning begin and can’t wait to start researching, planning and implementing new techniques along the way. I consider myself to be a sponge of sorts, and intend to absorb every bit of information I can from this internship. I am looking forward to maturing my blog “voice” and learning the ins and outs of many social media platforms with Allison, as well as gaining an abundance of knowledge of WordPress and web design from Jay. This internship will absolutely increase my skill set, help me to create valuable connections in the Indianapolis public relations community and allow me the chance to create new writing pieces that can be added to my professional portfolio.

By the way, follow me @wrightrelations or connect with me via LinkedIn.

When I was in college, every student in the School of Communications took Media Law and Ethics together. This meant that journalist majors and cinema majors and PR majors were all forced into an uneasy truce as we learned about Sunshine Laws, libel and slander, and of course ethics. One day, we were discussing some point of ethics, and an uppity journalism student raised her hand.

“It isn’t possible for a PR practitioner to be ethical,” the self-righteous ninny said.

Punching her in the face might have proven her point, so I restrained myself and engaged in civil discourse. “The first rule of PR,” I replied as primly as I could, “is to always tell the truth. Not only is it the right thing to do, you’ll always get caught being unethical. Always.”

And it’s true. Honesty is crucial in every area of public relations, from interviews with the media to press releases to social media. Think about it: public relations is, at its most basic core, about communicating with an audience. That could be customers, employees, shareholders, or the public at large. If the people you’re communicating to don’t trust you, they won’t listen to you, and your message gets lost in noise. Lying just shoots yourself in the foot. Besides that, this is the age of the Internet, the place where secrets go to die. It’s possible to fact-check nearly anything in a matter of moments, making you look like a lying, scummy fool.

So what can you do?

If you’re an agency, do the right thing. Yes, it’s faster and easier to cheat, but it will always bite you in the end. If something feels wrong, it probably is. Speak up and say something. If you’re an employee and your bosses ignore your objections, start looking for other work.

If you’re a client, demand the highest scruples from your company. It’s ultimately in your best interests because if the PR company gets caught being shady on your behalf, you’re just as much on the hook as they are. Don’t be left in the dark about what your agency is doing.

Roundpeg is an Indianapolis public relations firm which also offers social media, marketing strategy and web design services.

In the days before the internet, PR professionals had to work at getting a story picked up.  They wrote a pitch, picked up the phone and told the story again and again.  If they were really lucky, maybe one media outlet would notice.

Then came email, and the internet.  Now it is easy.  There are hundreds of niche publications and you can blast a note to 100 outlets as easy as sending it to one. It has never been easier, or has it??

Today, the best journalists are overwhelmed with hundreds and thousands of emails, all pitching stories, many of them irrelevant.  How do you get your story to the top of the pile?

Writing for Entrepreneur.com, Nick Saint suggests:

• Pay attention to who writes interesting things in your industry.
• Pitch a story, not your company
• Set yourself up as an expert in your field. If you write interesting things about your industry, or provide interesting data, or are just available to say interesting things about it, reporters will want to talk to you and feature you in other things they write

To his list I would add “build relationships”.  It is not enough to be known as an expert.  These days, there are plenty of experts.  You need to have the relationships with the media, so they call you first.

This is the strategy I have adopted in Indy.  While I don’t have contacts across the country, I have worked hard to be a valuable resource to writers at the IBJ and the star.  The result, I get lots of calls for “filler” when they write about small business owners or social media.

Sometimes, the writers will quote me directly, as in the story about Radius.  The writer, Chris O’Malley called me for a counter point tot the claims of the company he was interviewing.   In other cases, they are looking for a company in a particular industry, and I get to suggest a friend or client.

The great misconception is that PR is free.  It may not cost money, but it does cost time to create the reputation and relationships to get your story told.

Need some help telling yours?

Social media and the internet in general are changing many aspects of marketing, including PR. In a recent post, Aimee Sway shares some tips on the difference between traditional and online press releases. She creates a compelling argument for moving away from traditional formats because the content won’t be optimized for search. She doesn’t provide a structure, but does share some good tips for formating your release including:

“Use Anecdotes – Since you no longer must stick to the ‘news story’ structure of traditional press releases, feel free to spice up the content with funny anecdotes or useful case studies.“

Case studies are one of my favorite marketing tools.  They provide a great way to show off what you can do without bragging, telling your story in your clients words.

Amiee continues: “Everyone loves a good story and if you can spark the emotions of your readers, they will be more likely to read the entire release.”

Case studies also give potential clients a chance to visualize what you might be able to do for them.  They are particularly effective with technical products and more credible then simple sales literature. As blog posts and submissions to media sites, they are a terrific way to tell your story.

How do you use case studies in your marketing?

Jabberwocky is described as a monthly rendezvous of Jabbers who willingly share their life stories.  Produced jointly by IndyFringe and Storytelling Arts of Indiana, Jabberwocky is a monthly event  held at the theater.

Unlike other Fringe events, the performers for Jabberwocky are amateurs , asked to tell stories about their life and experiences.  This month the theme is PR, and I am excited to be a part of the line up, along with Bruce Hetrick, and several other PR professionals

Program Description:

All of us spin stories to create positive public images about ourselves, our families, and our place of employment and some of us do it for a living.

Hear stories from the trenches as the professionals share their memorable experiences of creating images, difficult clients and the ups and downs of public relations.

When/Where/How Much:

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

IndyFringe Theatre
719 E. St. Clair St. Indianapolis, IN 46202

Tickets: $10 at the door includes appetizers and cash bar

I am looking forward to it.  I think it will be fun.  Hope you can join me!

Pitches and press releases are the two most basic tools in any PR practitioner’s toolbox. They’re both ways of getting information to the press in the hopes that the media will pick up your story, but the two are are very different in form, function, and purpose.  Savvy small business owners should use both to build buzz for their business.

Perhaps more familiar to outsiders is the press release. A press release is a piece that covers a (hopefully) newsworthy bit of information in a very journalistic fashion. A good press release will be written in AP Style, the style most commonly used by journalists, so that portions of it can be used wholesale in a newspaper or on a website.

More importantly, a press release is usually widely distributed. I call this carpet bombing: sending the press release to a wide variety of possibly interested parties in the hopes that they might be interested in the story. Obviously, this technique doesn’t always work. But press releases remain handy for posting on aggregating websites like indy-biz.com or dbusinessnews.com. You might get lucky and an interested party might see it, and if nothing else, you get some nice SEO link juice.

On the other hand, a pitch is usually a more informal letter or email sent to a particular journalist. A good PR practitioner will take the time to research their target: what do they write about? What’s their style? What are some of their recent articles like? With this information in hand, a PR practitioner can craft a personalized note to the journalist telling them why they may be interested in this story.

The drawback to a pitch is that it can take quite a bit of time to research appropriate journalists, read some of their past material, write the initial pitch, and then follow up with a phone call. This, unfortunately, makes pitches more expensive, but infinitely more effective, than press releases.

So are press releases useless? No. As I mentioned above, press releases are still great for bumping SEO and getting a nice little traffic spike to your website. And you never know: you may get lucky and get a great placement from one. Your best bet? Write pitches to a few hand-picked journalists, and save your press releases for the mass market.

Do you have a story which you believe needs a pitch or a press release?  Give me a call!

And if you would like to learn more about this topic, sign up for our free on-line course:

Ten Tips to Better PR

As a marketing firm serving the small business community, our clients rely on us to develop cost effective marketing strategies.  Those strategies rarely include advertising, relying instead on effective  PR campaigns to deliver the key messages.

With the explosion of internet news services it is easier then ever to get messages into the marketplace.  Off line, my small business clients want to be featured in the IBJ or Indy Star. On-line they want the first position on a Google search. While the outlets have changed, the tactics for on and off line media are very similar.

For example, here are four  strategies which work on and off line.

1. Buy Advertising – Advertising is a good way to start the ball rolling and introduce your brand, but advertisements will never have the credibility  of editorial content so you will need to offer more eventually.  On-line only 10% of traffic will ever come through an advertisement
2. Relevant Content – Send press releases with new or information on hot issues, and on-line review your copy verifying it contains key words
3. Frequent Updates –   Off line I refer to this as the drip theory; sending small updates to local media so they know what is going on in your business, and have the perception you are a dynamic firm.  On-line frequent blog posts or updates to your site let Google know your site is worth visiting on a regular basis moving you up in the rankings
4. Create Links – In the off-line world this involves staying connected to other businesses who serve your client.  In the on-line world there are many ways to build links to your site including asking your friends and associates to connect to you in exchange for a connection to them or posting content on relevant sites or simply distributing press releases through on-line news sources.

Want to learn more?  Sign up for our PR on a Shoe String   or one of our other on-line education programs

The programs are FREE and include discussions on Marketing, Business Planning, Web design, and PR/Social Media  Each program includes emails, blog posts, worksheets and the occasional podcast or video.  Enroll in one today!