• Media Landscape Check-Up: Boston, MA

    Media Landscape Check-Up: Boston, MA

    The COVID-19 pandemic has brought sweeping changes into every facet of life in the Greater Boston area. Businesses are closed, kids are out of school, many are working from home and essential workers at hospitals, grocery stores and emergency services are on the front lines putting themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities afloat.

    While the lives of Boston’s media members have been upended by the coronavirus like everyone else, they are striving to keep citizens informed on how to navigate the pandemic, and what’s to come in the short and long term. COVID-19 has consumed seemingly all headlines – worldwide and here at home – with many reporters from across the region dropping their regular beats to cover the rapidly changing reality. 

    In looking at the Boston media landscape, several coverage themes have emerged across local publications.

    Bay State Businesses

    The most evident impact of the pandemic is felt at local businesses – either forced to close their doors, lay off employees or revamp their entire business model to try and survive. Unfortunately, many companies have been forced to restructure and lay off thousands of employees across the region, dramatically increasing unemployment claims in Massachusetts. As the crisis continues, local businesses continue to be profiled by Boston’s media, spotlighting how they and their workforces are adapting to the new normal.

    Relevant Articles:

    Boston’s Medical Community

    Home to some of the best hospitals in the world, Boston’s healthcare community is facing the unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic head on with the rest of the world. From hospitals shifting patient visits to virtual appointments and finding ways around equipment shortages to businesses altering their operations to support the medical community during this time, we’ve seen no shortage of coverage on how the region’s elite medical workforce is managing the crisis.

    Relevant Articles:

    An Ecosystem of Innovation

    In addition to being a hub for the medical community, Boston is a hub for innovation and home to some of the world’s most revered scientists, innovators, engineers and entrepreneurs. These individuals and their associated companies across Greater Boston are working overtime to develop solutions for the challenges we’re facing, from lack of medical equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) to e-commerce and fulfillment solutions for businesses that have gone digital. 

    Relevant Articles:

    Impact on the Everyday

    Stories of inspiration, strength and heartbreak featuring the pandemic’s impact on everyday life in Greater Boston continue to flood news mediums over the recent weeks. From neighborhoods banding together when forced to stay apart to parents balancing working at home with their newfound homeschooling duties, local media continues to connect Boston’s communities with our most personal stories.

    Relevant Articles:

    The pandemic has forced everyone to reflect on what is most important, as well as which news and services are truly essential. We’re continuing to monitor coverage in the Boston area and beyond in the midst of this crisis, and will report regularly. We’d love to hear from you – what stories are you seeing in the local news? Is there one that needs to be told? Drop us a line and let us know what stories have been impactful for you.

    Kaileigh Higgins

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  • Media on the Move: Week of August 27

    Media on the Move: Week of August 27

    Amid the natural disaster catastrophes and political calamity heating up in August, the media landscape continues to shift. Reporters are making moves to digital newsrooms, going in-house for private companies or moving on to other endeavors. On Tuesday, the Omaha World-Herald announced it eliminated 23 staff positions, including 10 layoffs. Slightly less sympathetic, but just as significant, the New York Daily News cut half its newsroom staff in July, as reported by the Huffington Post.

    In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, more than one-third of large newspapers in U.S. have suffered layoffs between January 2017 and April 2018 – a fairly staggering number considering that many of those publications have already poured resources into digitization to avoid taking those kinds of hits.

    As part of its jobs issue, the Columbia Journalism Review looked at the history of newsroom buy-outs since the financial crisis of 2008. In the past, the article notes, buy-out offers were generally strong and could provide journalists a chance to make relatively seamless transitions into other areas of work or to other publications. Today, however, buy-outs do not provide the same kind of cushion, and most journalists take them as a last resort to leave on their own terms.

    What does this mean for the media landscape in general? In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Christopher Daly argued that the ‘death’ of journalism is being oversimplified:

    “The picture is not so bleak if you look at the bigger category of people who work in what might be called ‘the media,’” he writes. “… NPR is having a banner year, as are MSNBC and Fox News. The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal are reporting record numbers of digital subscribers.”

    Instead, he says, the impact is being felt at the local and state levels, where the media’s traditional role as a watchdog is either being undermined or eliminated completely.

    In the tech world, an apt comparison might be that there are increasingly fewer and fewer reporters able to cover more of the niche subject areas, or that reporters are bombarded by pitches and can only afford to focus on news that includes big names or big moves.

    At any rate, the past few months have seen significant movement by reporters across the board as the sands continue to shift.

    CNN: Ahiza Garcia joins CNN’s tech team after three years with CNNMoney

    Wall Street Journal: Ben DiPietro left the publication after seven years

    New York Times: Erin Griffith left Wired to cover startups and VCs

    TechCrunch: Kristin Korosec joined TechCrunch to cover auto technology and transportation

    TechCrunch: Kate Clark, formerly of PitchBook, joined the publication to cover startups and VCs

    Town & Country: Sam Dangremond left full time position after eight years, remains as contributing editor

    FierceRetail: the publication was discontinued, and former editor Jacqueline Renfrow is now freelancing

    Conde Nast: the publisher put Brides, Golf Digest and W magazines up for sale after losing more than $120 million in 2017

    Charles Trowbridge

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  • Media on the Move: Week of March 6

    Media on the Move: Week of March 6

    As we enter March, newsrooms everywhere are continuing to shrink. Vox Media announced a plan to layoff around 50 employees, as reported by CNN. The decision is allegedly due in part to a pivot away from its video services, with the changes mostly impacting publications including Racked, Curbed and SB Nation.

    Also reported by CNN, Newsweek Media Group fired multiple staffers from their publications, including Newsweek’s editor-in-chief Bob Roe, executive editor Ken Li and reporter Celeste Katz. Nancy Cooper, managing editor at the International Business Times, one of Newsweek’s sister sites, has taken on the role of acting editor at Newsweek, according to Huffington Post.

    On the flipside, The Atlantic announced its plan to hire 100 new staffers over the course of 2018, increasing their headcount by 30%.  Half of those additions are set to join the editorial team. This growth will also include the formation of a “Talent Lab” to find diverse writers consisting of both full-time writers and contributors, as reported by TechCrunch.

    Another notable change to the media landscape is the sale of The Los Angeles Times, along with The San Diego Union-Tribune and other newspapers, to local billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong.

     

    ABC: Zachary Kiesch joins as a correspondent in New York.

    Barron’s: Michael Kahn left the publication after 15 years.

    Business Insider: After almost three years, Chris Weller is leaving the publication to work at the NeuroLeadership Institute.

    Buzzfeed: Molly Hensley-Clancy is now a news reporter covering national politics and the democratic party.

    CNBC: Angelica LaVito was hired as consumer health reporter and Lauren Thomas was hired to cover retail and real estate.

    CRN: Dylan Martin joins as an associate editor covering IoT.

    Deadspin: Megan Greenwell became the site’s first female chief editor.

    Forbes: After three years as tech editor, Miguel Helft left the publication. No word on his next steps.

    NBC News: Jason Abbruzzese left Mashable to join NBC as senior tech editor.

    New York Times: Quinn Norton joins the editorial board as the lead opinion writer on power, culture and the consequences of technology. Kim Murphy joins as an enterprise writer. Jack Nicas leaves The Wall Street Journal to join as a tech editor.

    Outline: Adrianne Jeffries left the publication to freelance, while Casey Johnston joins as an editor.

    Time: John Patrick Pullen joins as the magazine’s West Coast news desk editor.

    The New Yorker: Carolyn Kormann joins as a staff writer covering the environment and Naomi Fry joins to cover a wide-range of culture topics.

    The Atlantic: Natasha Bertrand joins as a staff writer and James Somers as a contributing editor.

    Washington Post: Sara Sorcher joins as deputy editor of Power Post.

     

    To get the latest Media on the Move posts sent right to your inbox, subscribe to the blog below.

    Matter

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  • How Lawyers Can Become Valuable Resources for Journalists (and Get Quoted)

    How Lawyers Can Become Valuable Resources for Journalists (and Get Quoted)

    Given the number of attorneys in the United States (some 1.2 million practicing ones), it seems unlikely that the majority of these lawyers can become trusted resources for journalists. It is possible, and before such a union can materialize, there are rules that apply for both parties. The below focuses on a lawyer’s role in forming a mutually beneficial relationship with reporters.

    Rule 1. The Media Do Not Work for Lawyers, Clients or Firms

    Simply put: Reporters are interested in getting a scoop and writing an article in a compelling, accurate way. To achieve this, they seek and cultivate relationships with people-in-the-know to glean information to report their stories out. It’s up to the journalist to decide what the angle is, with whom to speak, what information to use. In short, they call the shots and decide what goes in a story and how it’s presented. Lawyers – no matter how high up a firm’s food chain – have no say.

    Rule 2: Say Something Relevant, True … and On the Record, Preferably

    On a positive postscript to Rule 1, lawyers can influence a story by controlling their messaging, especially if what they say is relevant beyond their internal audience and business goals.

    One obvious rule is that lawyers know their topics inside and out before positioning themselves as thought leaders to the media. Because of their work, attorneys are on the frontlines of human and corporate drama, amassing relevant insight and perspective. Information based on experiences is the currency reporters and readers crave. Focus explaining a legal issue’s impact on various audiences depending on the media outlet. Get to know a reporter’s beat and previous articles.

    A journalist may seem like an ideal contact given a recent article, though it’s best to review previous ones to get a sense of their style and what they’ve covered previously (and how). Reporters love trend pieces so upon reviewing articles, ask yourself (or discuss with your PR team) why this is important and what’s next. The “what’s next?” question will help develop potential follow-up articles.

    Client sensitivities by lawyers are certainly legitimate concerns, and sometimes attorneys must pass on a media opportunity due to a client conflict. Clients naturally come first, though there are other ways to work around not commenting or providing insight. Specifically, a lawyer can set interview conditions, perhaps speak on-background with the goal of educating a reporter while cultivating a long-term relationship.

    Rule 3: Never Blow Off a Deadline (or a Reporter)

    Time is money for lawyers, and the same goes – albeit indirectly – for journalists. The reason reporters have deadlines is to feed the process of the news cycle. In this age, it’s about posting to the web as soon as possible to attract readers to a site (which in theory would generate ad sales and more viewers). Before the web, deadlines kept the process moving by ensuring that copy would get to the typesetter and presses in time to make the press run. A missed deadline then, meant overtime pay. Now, it’s more the speed of disseminating information that translates to Benjamins, though most news outlets continue to publish hard-copy editions.

    Reporters are generally mindful of a lawyer’s time, and it’s fair and kind to be mindful of theirs by keeping appointments. If anything crops up at the last minute that forces a cancellation, check with an equally qualified lawyer as a replacement to speak with the reporter. That extra effort and attention to detail will resonate with the media.

    Rule 4: Never Ask to See an Article Before Publication. Never.

    Only select people are permitted to read a reporter’s article before it’s printed, specifically their main/news editor, copy editor and perhaps someone else in the newsroom. That’s it, so asking will only demonstrate a lawyer’s misunderstanding of the media and make the process awkward. Only one thing annoys a journalist more than this, and that is providing juicy information – and then saying, “That’s off the record, right?”

    Certain media will agree to review quotes beforehand with a source, though that condition is set before the interview, not during or after, and it’s becoming more rare.

    Rule 5: Embrace Media Training

    When it comes to seeking legal counsel, people (including PR professionals) rightfully defer to the lawyers. The same dynamic should hold true in media training. While not lawyers, PR counsel are just as valuable as legal advocates because reputation is at stake in both cases. Lawyers – no matter how legally brilliant – are best served by listening to a PR professional. If there’s a disagreement over an approach, an engaging, healthy back-and-forth often leads to a thoughtful and agreed-to media plan.

    Rule 6: Follow-up, Keep in Touch … Though Don’t Overdo It

    After an interview, continue to keep reporters in mind. Send a brief thank you email. Make investments by keeping in touch by providing information that is relevant and useful. If a lawyer anticipates a regulation to kick-in that would affect clients, chances are a journalist for an industry publication or a beat reporter for a business outlet would like to cover it – or at least know about it.

    Send along a timely and germane client alert with a note saying that you are happy to discuss – even if it means no immediate ink for you or the firm. It’s simply helpful gesture highlighting a lawyer’s knowledge and one step closer to solidifying a one’s status as a trusted media resource.

    A version of the above post originally appeared in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and its affiliates.

    Claire Papanastasiou

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  • Brian Williams, Jon Stewart and the Shifting Media Landscape

    Since the time that I was in college, people have been talking about the “death” of print journalism and the shifting media landscape. We talked about it so much in fact, that my then journalism-major girlfriend wound up becoming my lawyer fiancé. Between a PR pro and a lawyer, I’m not sure which side of our union best represents the “dark side” – but I digress. Recent weeks have seen two more major fluctuations in the already unstable ground that is journalism in the modern age.

    Longtime newsman and benchmark journalist, Brian Williams, has been suspended from the NBC Nightly News for concocting a fictional story that he was in a helicopter that was hit by ground fire in Iraq in 2003. Almost simultaneously, Jon Stewart announced his resignation from the Daily Show, Comedy Central’s satirical take on mainstream news reporting. At a glance, these two sound like journalists at opposite ends of the spectrum, however, many Americans actually hold Stewart and Williams in similar regard when it comes to journalistic integrity and admiration. At least they did in a 2008 PEW Research report. Things have likely shifted even more in Stewart’s favor in recent weeks.

    Many have even begun to speculate that Jon Stewart is the natural choice to fill Williams’s seat. I don’t know if this will happen, but the fact that publications like the Washington Post would even suggest such a departure from the traditional tenets of journalism, says quite a bit about the media today.

    In a world where the lines are blurring between satire and national network news, where do we draw the lines between PR pros and journalists? I would posit that PR pros are, in many ways, parallel to Jon Stewart in this regard. For many editors or producers, we are quickly becoming a really viable source for quality news. The best PR pros are evolving from “flacks” to multifaceted experts, respected for our knowledge and availability. That’s right, I said availability – newsrooms are shrinking and journalists simply aren’t available to write every story.

    In today’s media landscape, information is regarded as information regardless of the whether it comes from a three-piece suit and haircut, a health IT blogger, a mommy blogger, some guy on Twitter or a PR pro. You may not know it, but that recent op-ed that you read in the New York Times from the CEO of X company was most likely written by a PR pro. The old guard in journalism is evolving or they are dying out, and it is our job as PR people to evolve right alongside them or risk the same fate.

    I always say that the best PR people know enough to be dangerous around a lot of issues and industries. With the new dual role of journalist and PR pro comes quite a bit of responsibility. Not only must we deliver our client’s messages, we must deliver them in a way that engages and educates beyond just products or sales. In our new hybrid roles, we must become creators of content that is worthwhile and engaging, without making things up of course…cough. Also a little humor never hurts, just ask Jon Stewart.

    Ryan Lilly

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  • Trusting the Storyteller

    An important disclosure: I’m a fan of Brian Williams. I like his reporting style, his humor on late night talk shows and dashing good looks. I like that he reports the tough news of the day with gravitas and a baritone voice. All the while, I thought that he didn’t take his celebrity too seriously and therefore could mock it. That wasn’t a problem, until now.

    Last week, it was revealed that Williams exaggerated his involvement in a helicopter accident during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Through the extensive Williams-gate coverage and commentary, the public has learned how the story has changed and warped over the years. While the Iraq incident was bad enough, his reporting of Katrina is also being brought into question for possible inaccuracies. Williams has since apologized on air, cancelled public appearances and decided to take a short break from the desk at “NBC Nightly News.”

    While many Reddit users and internet gumshoes scramble to prove William’s guilt, the truth is, the “truth” doesn’t matter anymore. Just like Williams’ twisting narrative, the American viewer’s minds have been twisted with a seed of doubt. Similar to witnesses being questioned by Dragnet’s Sgt. Joe Friday, Williams’ entire profession is based on reporting “just the facts.” Can you trust someone who confuses whether or not they were in a helicopter shot down by a RPG?

    And yet, that’s exactly what NBC News and its parent company Comcast is hoping for – viewer’s trust. With Lester Holt filling in this week, NBC News is hoping things will quiet down, no more incriminating evidence appears and Williams can return to his coveted No. 1 nightly news slot.

    However, for a news organization that has covered poorly handled PR nightmares, you would think NBC would know the “hope and wait” approach won’t work for a man who has spent his entire career speaking to the American public. Williams’ absence and silence has only led to more speculation as to what else has been exaggerated. Williams should have been more transparent about the incident rather than trying to spin it during his apology last week. With so many fact checkers employed by NBC News, how did it take this long to fact check their own anchor? Or was he just too big of a star to fail?

    As The New Yorker noted, “Each of them [news anchors] is seen in roughly eight to ten million homes nightly. They are seen by many more people, and more frequently, than any movie star. To walk down a street with an anchor is to be stunned both by how many people recognize them and how many viewers call out to them about specific stories. There’s a respectful familiarity different from the awe displayed to Hollywood celebrities. The anchor is treated as the citizen’s trusted guide to the news. As a result, they can feel expected to dominate discussions, to tell war stories, to play God. It’s a short distance from there to telling fantastic stories—and maybe actually believing them.”

    This whole incident has made me reassess of how I digest the news. How long has it been since I really took nightly broadcast news seriously in terms of ground breaking investigations? Or were they just an easy way to disseminate the fast facts of the day? A visual twitter feed, if you will. New York Times’ Maureen Dowd said it perfectly in her column this Sunday. “As the performers — Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Bill Maher — were doing more serious stuff, the supposedly serious guys were doing more performing. The anchors pack their Hermès ties and tight T-shirts and fly off to hot spots for the performance aspect, because the exotic and dangerous backdrops confer the romance of Hemingway covering the Spanish Civil War.”

    While I am giving Williams the benefit of the doubt that not everything has been embellished, the saddest thing about this whole scenario is that it is taking away from what really matters – the news of the day. The news that people need to know. The news that is factual, relevant and important. The news that will impact our economy, our world and our lives.

    Let Williams come back, read the prompter and see if the American public can move on. And if they can’t, well then perhaps it’s time that Williams starts performing somewhere else.

    Laura Peck

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  • Is All Press Still Good Press?

    Who would have thought that adding a handful of french fries to a hamburger would spark such a controversial conversation online? Burger King launched the $1 “French Fry Burger” because apparently, that is what their customers wanted. It seems like such a simple strategy, listen to your customers and then implement their idea, just like Burger King did. But is the outcome always going to be a positive one?

    It was once a public relations rule of thumb that all press was good press and that if a campaign or an announcement got people talking, then it was a success. While Burger King advocates and aficionados are thrilled, PR influencers and some fans may look at this creation as a brand running out of creative ideas. Daniel Gross from The Daily Beast stated, “I fretted that America – and American business, in particular – seemed to be running out of ideas.” On Burger King’s defense, James F. Thompson from Media Bistro says, “…the public will celebrate. Because this is what we want. And Burger King listened. Those geniuses. They get us.” Others are mocking the fast food chain, Venessa Wong from Bloomberg Business Week wrote an article, stating the most obvious fact, you can already have this amazing concoction any time you want, including right now. It’s not like the stores don’t always have fries.

    So, the news wasn’t all positive, and some of it was flat-out negative. But Burger King ultimately wins because people like me are talking about their latest product offering. That’s good PR.

    Burger King’s French Fry Burger

     

    Matter

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  • Pitch Please!

    Pitch Please!

    The art of the pitch – it can be delicate and precise like threading a needle, to something much more direct and forceful, like demolishing a wall with a sledge hammer. Regardless of your style, if you are going to get into PR, you should enjoy breaking down the walls and building relationships with the media. As PR Snoop Dogg (Snoop Lion does not exist to me) would put it, pitch please!

    I am by no means a vet, but as the months and years roll on it seems as though I am seeing increasing hesitancy from younger PR pros to hit send, or even, dare I say it, pick up the phone. I don’t want to be too sweeping here or condemning, there are definitely those younger folks who are hungry for media interaction, and also ready for it – kudos to you!

    Disclaimer aside, for those considering joining the PR ranks or those just getting started, the pitch is where it’s at. In my experience, there is not much in the course of an average day that is more rewarding or exciting then breaking through to a top tier publication or journalist, and getting them to see things your / your client’s way. It is like a dance of give and take, and whether or not it seems like it at the time, as the PR pro you are always leading.

    I like to think that I have a pretty good track record with the media, and while I don’t believe in a set equation for landing a story, there are definitely some pitch tactics that I have come to love and those I have grown to hate. Homework is perhaps the most important. Get to know the journalist, reference a recent article, and maybe even check them out on social media. Who knows what you may have in common that could serve as an ice breaker. It sounds corny and maybe even creepy, but see where they are geographically – what’s been big in the news there recently, maybe sports or weather – all it takes is one reply or one answered phone and your door is open.

    Once you have done your homework, you can and must be confident when you pitch – confidence is paramount. Insecurity rings out over the phone, it bleeds from your words in an email and it diminishes your credibility, making you harder to listen to. A journalist or editor from, oh say Bloomberg for example, will sniff out an ill-informed, insecure PR pro in an instant, and shut them down just as quickly. This can be very unpleasant – but it is important not to be shaken, to learn from it and move on to the next target.

    It is also very important to always remember that journalists are people – TALK TO THEM LIKE PEOPLE. Though they hold the keys to something you want, you are both just people who go home at the end of the day and do the same things that all people do. It is important to both give respect, but also earn and demand it back. All this said, conversation can’t and shouldn’t always be about shop, niceties like – “have a good weekend!” or “I hope you have been well since we last spoke!” – go surprisingly far.

    As Bill Gates so eloquently put it back in 1996, “content is king.” While many debate this stance in a world filled with more and more screens, and constantly increasing stimuli, I still think the sentiment rings true for a PR pitch. With that said, leave the marketing speak at the door! How do you expect to cut through an inbox with hundreds of other pitches when you sound like a pre-programmed Teddy Ruxpin spewing marketing rhetoric? Don’t copy and paste from that white paper or case study because it is easy and you need to send out 25 pitches today, just don’t do it – they’ll know – and your pitch will join many others just like it in the trash. Focus on your subject line; it is your first line of attack and often your only chance of getting through. Up-level your story and make it instantly interesting and attention grabbing; do this in seven words or less and you will cut through the noise, more often than not.

    Finally, “no” or “not now” are not always as cut and dry as they may seem. If you feel that you have a story that is just too good of a fit to simply let die at the hands of an editor who might not have even read or listened to your whole pitch, then don’t be afraid to push back. Do so very carefully and at your own risk, but often it is safe to say, “I appreciate your feedback, what about this angle,” or, “are you sure that you considered this piece of the story, it just really seems like a good fit.” It is scary and a bit risky, but believe me sometimes a well-informed argument works, and you come out the other side with a great story and a new level of respect from the journalist. At the very least you will not likely be forgotten anytime soon.

    These are just some little tips and tricks that I have learned over the course of thousands of pitches, hundreds of pieces of secured coverage and quite a few denials – you can take them or leave them. Perhaps what is most important it to develop your own set of guidelines, keep track of what works and what doesn’t, and build your repertoire of best pitching practices. Tips and tactics aside, you have to be in it to win it, so pitch please!

    Ryan Lilly

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  • 3 Reasons Reporters Should Switch to PR

    My name is Dan G., and I’m a recovering journalist.

    I spent the first half of my career working in local television news, seeking the high that comes from landing a big exclusive or hitting a home run during a breaking story. I started as a lowly intern and after paying my dues I was overseeing day-to-day coverage as an Executive Producer at a station where ratings were growing off the charts.

    I’d won awards and my cell phone rang from time-to-time with requests to interview for bigger and better jobs. Life was good on the surface but deep down the polish had worn off and TV just wasn’t satisfying. It was harder and harder to find that adrenaline rush I desperately craved. At some point, I stopped loving my job.

    Give yourself to the Dark Side

    Former TV colleagues always have the same two questions when we talk about my transition to PR. The first is “Weren’t you afraid you would miss ‘it’?” The ‘it’ is the thrill – and rush – of breaking news. Yes, I was. The immediate follow-up question is usually “But the Dark Side?? Really?! I could never do that to myself.”

    Au contraire – if you only knew the power of the Dark Side you would embrace it just as I have. You would throw off the shackles of unrealistic deadlines and leave behind your misguided sense of public duty that usually results in an assignment to stand in a hurricane. Here are three reasons journalists should embrace a career in PR.

    1. The Dark Side is the enlightened side. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t provide critical counsel and important advice to one of my clients. Sometimes it comes during a crisis. Other times, it may have nothing to do with PR. They don’t always listen but the truth of the matter is PR people are some of the smartest, and wisest, I’ve ever worked with. I’ve become smarter, too.

    2. We do kick-ass work. I thought TV afforded me the opportunity to be a creative storyteller to a mass audience. Then, I started working in PR. From video to graphic design, Matter Communications provides every toy imaginable to get creative. We can turn a compelling project on a tight schedule, but the urgency of being first regardless of accuracy or quality has been replaced with the mission to be the best.

    3. We play hard. PR pros work hard, but we also play hard. We have the occasional 12 hour day and write a lot of plans. We deal with rejection more than I care to think about. But we also have awesome company outings, travel to vacation destinations you may otherwise never visit in the name of client expos and conferences, and at the very least there is usually wine at office lunch gatherings.

    What do you say, journalists? Have I changed your opinion of the Dark Side even the slightest?

    Truth be told, I still miss making the news sometimes. Specifically, I miss the idea of my words being read live on the air to tens of thousands of viewers. I’ve come to grips with this though and I’ve even developed a system for dealing with it. When I get into this funk, I just wait for a big client announcement then I flip on the set. More often than not, I’ll hear my press release, being read word-for-word, live on the air. Isn’t that right, Conan?

    Matter

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  • PR People: We Know Enough to be Dangerous

    PR People: We Know Enough to be Dangerous

    Public Relations was not my first career choice, or so I thought. I thought that I wanted to be a lawyer, in fact I took the LSAT not once but twice, but the universe it seems had different plans. Now I find myself in a career where I represent my client’s best interest in the court of public opinion – sound familiar?  I often find that when I tell people what I do, they scoff and dismiss me as yet another liberal communications person, who was too lazy to develop the skill set of say an engineer or physicist or… a lawyer. It might not help that I live right next to Harvard and MIT, some of the most renowned academic institutions on the planet.

    I think there is a major disconnect between what people think that PR practitioners do and what we actually do. People seem to either think that PR people are slackers or not academically inclined, or my favorite – “Your work sounds like that show Mad Men.” Well let me tell you that we work very hard, and the only thing that I have in common with Don Draper and the misogynists at Sterling Cooper is an affinity for good scotch and a catchy tag line.

    Like any profession slackers make their way into PR, but they never last long and are usually weeded out early in their would-be-careers. Real PR pros – the great ones – are experts in dozens of disciplines, or at least they can convince other experts of their superior knowledge. Today I may be trying to convince a producer at NBC of why a consumer product that shines shoes is superior to all other shoe cleaning options, and tomorrow I may be talking best practices for ensuring healthcare IT security compliance with an editor at the Wall Street Journal.

    In PR you learn quickly that editors, producers and journalists have no problem telling you that you clearly have no idea what you are talking about, so you have to get a clue and get it quickly. Learn enough to be dangerous in a number of arenas and present that knowledge intelligently and confidently in a way that convinces the real expert that you just might know something more than he does – that is what it takes to be successful in PR.

    The business savvy that PR practitioners must possess, even at a young age, is something else that I think that many outside of the profession do not recognize. The opportunity to work with C-suite executives on major accounts provides a level of access that most twenty something’s can’t even dream of. You have to believe that if you are writing the CEO’s byline for Forbes you are getting a high level of attention. You also can be sure that you have instilled a high level of trust in your skill set.

    Also, as PR agency people become more seasoned, we get to witness acquisitions, mergers, hirings, firings, product launches… you get the idea – another level of access that not many people are privy to. Throughout the course of all these business moves we also get to see what works and what doesn’t. Not that PR people are or should be business advisors, but I have met some senior people who are certainly capable.

    PR requires a constant personal evolution, whether it is to keep up with new or social media or simply to learn about a new client’s industry. Good PR people aren’t just master communicators they are master formulators, planners, organizers, managers, writers, technologists, sociologists, psychologists and whatever else they might need on that day to get the job done.

    Ryan Lilly

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