Tag: media coverage

Why COVID-19 could be your opportunity for media coverage

Posted on by Wellons team

We’re all numbed by the overwhelming amount of information doled out daily by public health officials, governmental officials and other well-meaning organizations.

Wear masks. Keep your distance. Wash your hands. It’s a mantra we have heard—and lived—daily since COVID began to make its presence felt in early February.

Lost in the shuffle is information about products and services that continue to operate without interruption and whose services are in demand.

Surprisingly, there is considerable demand for product and service information. However, in response to this demand, information outflow by public relations operatives has actually decreased.

In our estimation, that presents an opportunity you cannot afford to miss.

How do we know media wants more information in today’s COVID times?

Energy PR, a well-respected British public relations firm based north of London, conducted a survey of nearly 150 British media outlets in the past month. The survey explored how things have changed for them since COVID-19.

The answers Energy PR uncovered offer some valuable insights that businesses and brands can capitalize upon. You can see their survey for yourself here.

One survey, of course, does not a trend make. However, like Energy PR, we hear journalists saying, “I am okay with COVID material, but I need other stuff as well.”

Here’s what Energy’s survey tells us:

Don’t try to be COVID-relevant when you’re not. There is so much COVID information out there that you get lost in the shuffle and become just another COVID story. A full 20 percent of journalists report that “no one is doing or saying anything new at the moment.”

Creativity counts. Sometimes creativity is simply being the oracle of the obvious. Actions like pointing media toward your blog posts, identifying how customers are adjusting to changing times and even new, unforeseen responses from your customers can all provide information that may serve as a news hook for outlets hungry for something besides COVID.

Don’t hold back. Business acumen and insights count. But you’ve got to express your ideas—and distribute them—to get noticed.

If you have something to say about your business category, now’s the time. If you’re noticing significant changes in consumer behavior, be a leader in your category and say it.

If you have something totally unique to point toward, go all out and issue a press release, tweet, conduct a webinar or make yourself available as a guest on a podcast. Above all, however, let your PR firm know about it so your marketing team can take advantage of what you have to say.

Capitalize on the lack of information. The sheer volume of information in the current news environment offers an extraordinary marketing opportunity for you to put your name in front of households who are weary of news revolving around The Mantra (masks, distance, handwashing) and COVID.

Here’s how Wellons Communications can help you…right now:

We know how to identify what’s newsworthy, even when you may not realize you have news.

We have exceptional news distribution capabilities that can put your news in the hands of journalists who are eagerly looking for something to report on other than COVID. We also possess the kind of creativity that can make your message stand out and call for attention.

We have outstanding resources at our fingertips that can graphically make your messaging come to life. And we understand how to make your message turn into memorable video and audio “bites” that can put your product or service into the news. 

You can capitalize on an open news window right now…but only if you act.

Never before have we seen the media so eager to report something beside The Elephant in the Room (COVID). Indeed, with smaller-than-ever staffs and less time available to research and identify what’s newsworthy, media have become more and more dependent on folks like us at Wellons Communications to help them find stories that will interest their readers, viewers and listeners.

You can only take advantage of this opportunity by acting. The media are not going to find you if you wait for them to call.

Instead, let someone like us give you a hand in crafting and distributing information that will put your product or service into the news. We can help you connect with your target audiences and conversely, allow your would-be customers to connect with you in the form of sales.

Call me, Will Wellons, at 407-462-2718 or email me at will@wellonscommunications.com and let me know what you want your audiences to hear.

Cut through the clutter and make your voice heard

Posted on by Wellons team

As we head toward the rest of 2020, the challenge of effectively projecting your message — and unique characteristics — to your target audiences is going to be increasingly difficult.

Media will remain neck-deep in coverage of the presidential race, as well as state and local races. The coronavirus will remain at the top of the news for the remainder of 2020. And who knows what other news is around the corner waiting to pull attention away from your message?

The competition for consumer attention has never been more challenging

Forbes contributor Paul Jankowski neatly sums it up with his observation that “…brands have a better chance of keeping the attention of a goldfish than their targeted consumer.”

Need convincing? Try these observations on for size:

That means you cannot spend a lot of time trying to explain who you are and what you offer. It means that your message must possess simplicity and visibility to have a reasonable expectation of breaking through.

Wellons Communications solution: short messages and great visuals.     

Our Orlando PR agency has consistently preached “keep it simple.” It’s a philosophy we embrace and one that underlines a strategic approach we consistently adopt to ensure our client’s message is both heard and recognized.

Arriving at that messaging, however, requires discipline and hard work.

To formulate the message (and the approach that backs it up), we work with clients to address the following questions and identify the message that will get attention and connect with their target audience:

  • What is it you are selling?
  • Why should your product or service matter to your target audience?
  • What problem does your product or service solve?
  • What is the benefit of what you are selling?
  • What is the solution you bring to your target audience?
  • What are you trying to say?
  • What do you want your target audience to do in response to your message?

Once we agree on the answers to these questions, we are in position to determine what you should say and how you should say it.

And when we say it, we want to keep it short and memorable.

Communications have to go beyond words

Words are only a part of the communications process.

At Wellons Communications, we also promote the notion of relying on easy-to-understand visuals to project your message.

The old adage “A picture paints a thousand words” has never been truer than today.

Today’s consumers simply will not always make time to sit down and pore through an article or browse through a post — or even read your headline.

However, graphics and imagery can connect with consumers much faster than text. Witness the popularity of graphics-oriented apps like Instagram, TikTok and the many other photo-related apps that have become so popular.

That places a premium on a well-designed graphic that tells your story in an impactful, memorable way.

So, how can we make your messaging cut through the clutter?

We are bulldogs for adhering to simple solutions.

Keep it short. Keep it simple. Keep it understandable. And make it relevant to your audience.

If that’s the kind of approach you want to employ to improve your marketing, you need to be talking with us. You do the talking. We’ll do the listening. And together, we’ll generate the kinds of marketing results you are seeking.

Share your message with Will Wellons at 407-462-2718 or will@wellonscommunications.com.

Find out more about how our public relations and social media firm can make your messaging work harder, smarter, and more effectively.

How to prepare for media interest now

Posted on by Wellons team

A great TV story about your business’s latest charity effort runs on the 10 p.m. news. The local business journal publishes a feature on your growth strategy. The trade publication your partners read runs an item on your latest product.

Who doesn’t want that?

As an Orlando PR firm, we are no stranger to gaining media attention for our clients. In fact, earned media placements are one of the most common requests we get—and we’ve seen what they can do for a client’s reputation and reach.

Even so, there’s a big misconception with how these kinds of hits happen. Clients tend to expect that they will put out a press release and the media will come knocking. Sure, that happens sometimes (when it’s a good story, or we use our connections and skills to pitch media the right way). But often, media attention comes from being flexible. It comes from working a current event angle or building a relationships and reputations. And more often than not, it comes fast.

If clients aren’t prepared to make things happen, they might miss out on an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And nobody wants that.

Businesses who want to truly take advantage of media opportunities need to be ready. Below are a few steps you and your business can take to prepare now.

Nail your talking points

You know your elevator speech…right? CEOs and business leaders know what their company does, but you’d be surprised by how often they realize they can’t quite verbalize it. Before you take an interview with any media outlet, you need to be sure you can share your mission in a clear, concise way. Take some time to boil what you do down to just a few talking points, and be sure to share them with anyone who might handle media requests so your message is aligned.

Flag potential problems

Just like you want to know all the good things about your company, you’ll also want to do some introspection and identify any potential problems. Once in the public eye, anything and everything is fair game. If you can identify any tricky spots, you can be proactive in developing responses to any questions you might be asked about these things. This will help you avoid being caught off guard so you can mitigate any negative attention you might receive and position your company in the best light.

Identify a spokesperson

When time is of the essence, you need to know who’s stepping up. Identifying a spokesperson in advance allows that person to have time to complete the above steps.  Be sure to choose a company leader who is comfortable in the role and who can confidently speak to the company’s mission. Your reputation rests in their hands.

Know your visual opportunities

It is important to not only tell a great story, but to show it. Words are a powerful and often essential aspect to telling your story, but there are many times a story will die without visuals. This is particularly important for TV media. Be prepared to offer visual opportunities to journalists. You should also start to build your media kit with high-resolution, professional photos of your company, including headshots for all executives, shots of important services or activities, and videos. You don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute to get these, and often, if you can offer these assets, you can land a story that might otherwise be passed over.

Complete media training

Completing the above steps will take you far, but when you find yourself in front of a camera with a microphone in your face for the first time, it’s natural to freeze up. Completing media training can help you know the tips and tricks of the trade so you can feel comfortable and properly prepare for each individual interview.

How we can help

At Wellons Communications, our Florida PR agency is made up of former journalists and PR pros. We’ve been on both sides of the camera and notepad, so we know how to help you prepare and put your story in the best light.

We also understand how media works and can craft the right pitch to gain media interest in the first place.

Need some help? Call 407-339-0879 or email will@wellonscommunications.com and see what we can do to help you prepare for any media interest and news coverage that may come your way.

What is a news peg, and how can you use them to get publicity for your business?

Posted on by Wellons team

When we first sit down with clients, one of the things we consistently hear is “We want to become better known. We need recognition for our product (or service).”

Public relations, of course, goes considerably beyond getting recognition in print, broadcast and online media. But coverage over and above paid advertising is the primary reason why companies and organizations call on us to augment their marketing program.

News coverage demands…news

The first rule of publicity is that one’s story has to possess newsworthy qualities.

That means the information you serve up to news media has to have some news value that will benefit or interest their audience.

So how do you sift through the mountain of information about your organization and isolate what will be interesting to media…and what won’t?

Examples of news pegs

Basic information about your product or service, by itself, is not particularly newsworthy.

But, when you link your information to another story, the combined effect can be magic. It all comes down to finding a peg on which to hang your story—a news peg (or news hook).

Examples include tying your story to something like:

  • A new wrinkle (and consumer benefit) to your product or service
  • A holiday or significant anniversary
  • An award recognizing achievement via your product or service
  • A high-visibility topic already in the news
  • A special event showcasing something new or different about you
  • An opinion on a topic of interest from an expert on your staff
  • A local twist on a story generating national attention
  • Information from a survey or poll on a topic of interest
  • Identification of a trend you are witnessing, or a trend that you foresee

Connecting to other news pegs

Identifying news pegs is an ongoing process that demands remaining aware of what’s going on in the world – or your industry. One needs to be constantly in tune with new and different trends (or what might signal a trend), what’s popular with consumers or within a trade category (or what might be popular), and of how and where your story can fit into news coverage.

A financial service provider, for example, might want to remind media that one of their authorities is available as a resource and is willing to provide commentary (i.e. a quote) or observe ongoing trends just after the start of the year, when tax preparation goes into high gear.

A restaurant might want to explain why their menu conforms to their target market’s tastes and preferences, or feature a menu item they can totally
“own” in the mind of their audience.

A company serving a narrow segment within a particular trade category (e.g. suppliers and vendors in warehousing) can offer an observation of how their particular industry is changing and provide examples of how they are adjusting to those changes. Or, if they recognize a change in another industry, project how that change may affect their industry.

We scour the media for what’s getting coverage

At Wellons Communications, it’s part of our job to be aware, at all times, at what’s being covered and how we can connect our clients to what’s in the news.

Every day, weekends included, we are news junkies, watching what’s getting coverage, aggressively looking for story opportunities or creating opportunities others might not see.

Rather than simply issue press releases, which media recognize as self-serving, we seek to augment ongoing stories with information reporters will not know unless someone like us tells them.

That means knowing about our clients, what they are doing, learning what they are seeing, and identifying targets who can use that information. It means our clients must tell us what they are doing and seeing and requires us to listen and take that information and connect it to news media.

What’s more, when you bring an experienced, knowledgeable PR team to your side, you get considerably more than simply a publicity team. You acquire a team of marketing professionals who proactively help you sell your ideas while covering your back to fight off challenges that prove damaging to your enterprise.

Consider publicity in your overall marketing mix

If you find yourself spending the vast majority of your marketing budget on paid advertising, you may be overlooking the opportunity afforded you by placement of a high-value news story about your organization.

The cost of augmenting your marketing program with an ongoing public relations/publicity program is minimal, particularly in comparison with the kind of money that is frequently invested in paid advertising. Although news coverage is not guaranteed, the publicity it can generate when it is successful can be substantial…at considerably less cost than advertising.

When you are ready to tell the media about yourselves, give us a call

Wellons Communications has been identifying news pegs — and generating results for clients — for more than a decade.

We have news experience in our professional backgrounds and know how to recognize what’s newsworthy.

Want to learn more? Call or email me (407-339-0879 or will@wellonscommunications.com) and tell me your story. I’ll be happy to relate to you how we can hang your story on the right news peg.

The importance of pitching stories

Posted on by Wellons team

When we sit down with clients, one of the first things we hear is some version of “We want media to recognize who we are, what we do and what we offer our customers. What we do is important, and people need to know about it.”

Those are noble ambitions and we agree with that objective.

However, the biggest challenge to attracting media attention is that everyone wants recognition. And by everyone, we mean all products and services in virtually every category. In other words, your product or service competes with everyone and everything in the world for attention.

Our job is to drill down and find out what really makes you unique and how to project that unique attribute to the media. And that leads to pitching – contacting media on a one-to-one basis to let them know how and why you stand out.


Pitching differs completely from simply issuing press releases.
The information within press release stands on its own. If the information is newsworthy, a press release will serve as an effective and useful means of generating news.

Press releases, however, are impersonal. They do not necessarily lead to or promote in-depth or feature coverage about your product or service.

A more tried-and-true method of using your information to achieve greater coverage about you is pitching, which means calling or meeting one-on-one with relevant news sources.

A pitch is a description of a story idea (and why it should matter) to an editor or reporter. A pitch can be delivered over-the-phone or sent via email. It should be crafted to appeal to both reporters and the editors they serve. And, importantly, it should be short and to the point.

Unique and compelling media pitches can lead to coverage that goes far beyond what a press release can provide. Small businesses, in particular, can gain a greater exposure and a larger audience by enabling their public relations team to conduct aggressive pitching.


The benefits of pitching
Media pitching provides three key benefits.

First, pitching provides information tailored for particular media outlets. It serves up news about you that is relevant to their audience. Pitching allows your PR team to raise and answer the question “Here’s why this is important news for you and your audience.”

Second, pitching allows your public relations team to identify what kinds of stories media outlets are seeking. Knowing what media are looking for is valuable information and provides insights into how your information can be employed to answer that need.

Creating real relationships with reporters, bloggers and journalists is invaluable to anyone in the business world. But to build those real relationships you need to be genuine and think more of their needs than your own.

Like everyone else, reporters only have 24 hours in a day, and they’re looking out for their own interests. They want to write about things they are interested in and that will drive lots of traffic and get them paid.


Reason number three: the human dimension
The third reason pitches are effective is that they provide editors and reporters with an actual name and face they can call upon as a reliable, informed source. They create real relationships between you and the media.

When media need someone to comment on a particular story or seek background or clarification on story, they inevitably rely on sources they know, recognize and respect. This kind of relationship often results from having previously presented a newsworthy pitch.

Pitching is a key part of establishing and maintaining those kind of relationships.


So, who actually does the pitching?
The reality is that you simply don’t have time to pitch the media. If that were the case, you would already be talking with them.

The solution is to rely on your PR team to identify which media make most sense for you and which stories make the most sense to the media and then turn your PR team loose to pitch, pitch and pitch some more.

Generating results from pitches can take time, but the results can exceed expectations and have an enormously favorable impact on what you market.


Call us and let us pitch you
Want to get acquainted with our pitch? Call or email me (407-339-0879 or will@wellonscommunications.com) and tell me the kinds of stories you want others to know. Let us listen to your story and share with you how we can go about expanding the kind of marketing-oriented, ongoing news coverage you seek.

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