February 28th marked the date for the FPRA 2012 Media Breakfast at the Polo Grill in Lakewood Ranch FL.
The event had some amazing guests such as the first speaker, James Gregory. James discussed crisis diagnostics and understanding the impact of communications. With over 30 years of experience in advertising, branding and founding the communications firm Corebrand, James’s take on crisis diagnostics was stellar.
James touched on threatened, damaged or brands in crisis such as BP during the infamous oil spill in the Gulf. He also discussed different types of crisis such as cultural, financial, business process. He gave examples of how companies such as Texaco, IBM, Firestone and PNC overcame these types of crisis. Hopefully information our brands and companies will never have to use, but useful none the less.
Next up, was a guest panel of local media experts. This guest list included: Pete Norden from Clear Channel Media, Bart Pfankuch from Sarasota Herald Tribure, Susan Burns from Biz941 Magazine, Jennifer Rich from the Bradenton Herald and Scott Dennis from ABC7.
This group of media pro’s had some great tips on connecting with them and building better relationships with the local media. Connecting in some sort of personal way always helps you as an individual to stand out. Building face to face personal relationships is also key to getting local media to remembering you.
When emailing them, short emails with a descriptive subject line helps to get their attention. Let’s not forget, these people have tons of stories coming in everyday. The better the subject line, the better the chance of making contact.
The media panel also shared a few tips on press release basics. Press releases are still the main way that media gets information. Pitch your story. Add images, snappy subject lines, date is critical, titles, names and all the info. Don’t forget to add descriptions to images and label clearly. A good rule of thumb is that nobody wants to read to much information so a three paragraph press release is perfect.
Following up helps but badgering doesn’t, so be nice. Make sure to send the press release out two weeks in advance to insure for proper planning, but not enough in advance to be forgotten.
Overall, this was a great and informative breakfast. Connecting with local media professionals and learning about them was a treat. We look forward to the next FPRA meeting again at the Polo Club in the near future.
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