January 23, 2012

Tip #194: Don’t bury the embargo

Embargoes and NDAs are bad enough. The presumptive embargo is worse: where you send embargoed information along with the embargo notice, without first making sure your recipient will agree to honor the embargo at all.

But look! Here’s a new way to screw up: Burying the presumptive embargo way down in in the email signature. And not having a time on it, either.

[Four long paragraphs of pitch...]

I look forward to hearing from you — best,
[Some PR gal]
___________________________
[SOME PR COMPANY NAME]
1.408.[phone #] office
Twitter: [deleted] Skype: [deleted] AIM: [deleted]

Please note: all information contained in this email is embargoed until Wednesday, January 25th, 2012.

Well, at least you put the critical bits in red…

Seriously, this is a recipe for a busted NDA and bunch of unhappy clients and journalists. So I’ll just sit back and watch this one explode. Thanks anyway.

Go read these tips!
Pro PR Tip #38: The Presumptive NDA
Pro PR Tip #77: Time warp
Pro PR Tip #98: Make it snappy

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Filed under Email, NDAs

January 8, 2012

Tip #193: The play’s the thing

Why go to a trade show if you’re not going to take advantage of peoples’ interest there? Or the possible widespread press attention?

I found out about a cool gadget that was going to be shown at one of this year’s CES ancillary events. I emailed the company asking if they would send the CEO to come on stage with me at the CNET Live video booth to demo the product and discuss the market it’s in.

Three days later, I get this reply:

I am the only person there who will be manning the booth. Everyone else is working around the clock to fill our pre-order list, which is extensive. Thus, I will not be doing demos. We will have a video at the booth showing the machine in operation. I would be glad to talk about [the product], if you would like.

Best,
[the CEO]

My advice is this: If you’re going to spend the time and money to go to CES, maybe take some of your people off the shipping desk for a day or two during the heart of the conference so you can go do your CEO duties of getting out and spreading your message.

Especially if, as is the case in this example, you’re running a small company that’s competing with larger, better-established competitors.

I sent the CEO of this company a followup. I asked, “Why are you going to CES?” He responded, “I don’t understand the question.”

2 Comments

Filed under Common sense

January 6, 2012

Tip #192: You can’t be serious

Just because you take yourself seriously, it doesn’t mean I have to.

This tip is for everyone who’s pitching me to cover their smartphone case or revolutionary screen cleaning product at CES next week. You’ve been warned.

Hat tip: Paul Sloan

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Filed under Bad ideas

December 22, 2011

Tip #191: Would it kill you to use words?

It's something about somebody exhibiting at a CES press event, I think.

I know, you think your email pitches look better if you put big, fancy graphics in them. But they don’t look so hot if your recipient has images blocked by default, or worse, is reading their messages on a smartphone with a slow data link. Or even worse, on an airplane with no connectivity.

Do you want your message to be pretty, or do want it to be read?

At the very least, put the actual content of the message in text up at the top of the message. That way, your recipient can read it regardless. Also, it’s much easier to copy and paste information from an email into a calendar or to-do list if there’s actual text to select.

4 Comments

Filed under Email

December 7, 2011

Tip #190: Oh, that’s what I’m supposed to do?

Please banish this redundancy from your email subject lines:

“Please read.”

As opposed to what?

Wait… there are answers! From Twitter:

  • “Please Read …aloud, while standing on your head.” (@MattStubbs)
  • “Please delete prior to opening” (@MrCippy)
  • “Please perform a dramatic reenactment” (@snhuxc)
  • And my favorite: “You mean I didn’t have to read all those other emails today?!” (@leebehrens)

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Filed under Email

November 15, 2011

Tip #189: Zoom in and enhance

A smartphone is an intensely personal device. It’s hard to share one. So when giving a demo of mobile software, especially to a writer with trifocals (ahem), use a tablet instead.

This works especially well for iPhone apps. They’re actually readable from more than three inches away when run in 2x or “compatibility” mode on an iPad. If you really want your small app to shine on the bigger iPad screen, install RetinaPad (via Cydia). But it’s not completely necessary.

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Filed under Compassion

November 1, 2011

Tip #188: What did I just say about focus?

Today I was doing the usual back-and-forth with a PR rep, trying to set up an interview with a CEO. I just got this email:

I heard from [[CEO]] that he is free any time after 12 noon on Friday. He probably will be driving from Boston to NYC, so if you will let me know a time, I’ll have him call you on his cell.

It’s bad enough trying to do an interview over a mobile phone, but doing one when the subject is trying to drive a car is

Sorry, I lost you there. Ha ha, AT&T, right? I should move to Verizon. Just a second… lost you again. Ok, I’m back. Where were we? Oh, right.

Hopeless.

And dangerous. No, thanks.

1 Comment

Filed under Phone

October 31, 2011

Tip #187: How do you quantify lack of focus?

When you’re demoing your mobile app, it is OK to not show me how the user changes units of measurement from Metric to Imperial. Really.

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Filed under Meetings

October 28, 2011

Tip #186: I am not 14 years old

And you’re not, either. So try not to send press e-mails that start like this:

OMFG. We are so excited. Today, Hulu and The CW announced a new five-year licensing agreement…

There’s actually a real story here, but I think my point stands.

See also:
Don’t let a 6-year-old address your envelopes
Don’t let your toddler name your company

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Filed under Email

October 25, 2011

Tip #185: I can handle the truth

"As seen in" element on a marketing site. Just graphics, no links. Big mistake.

If, on the marketing site you want me to see, you have “As seen in…” graphics pointing to other coverage you’ve gotten, make sure you link to the coverage you seem to be so proud of. Otherwise, for all I know, the coverage was glancing, negative, or perhaps nonexistent.

But also keep in mind: Tip #49: How not to pitch.

1 Comment

Filed under Common sense, Lies