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by Mark
Coker
Dovetail Public
Relations
(Publicity Checklist - Continued)
Press Tours
Press tours are one of the best
ways to communicate complex
messages and build face-to-face
relationships, but they are not
always necessary for a successful
announcement. The PR team
can help you determine the best
strategy for your communications
efforts. We typically recommend
that clients hit the road at least
once or twice a year with a
nationwide press tour.
Product Reviews
Product reviews can be an
essential part of a product's
introduction strategy.
Products reviews can make or break
a product, so it's important that
the PR team do everything possible
to influence the outcome of the
review. Before anything can
happen, the PR team must first
secure review slots with each of
the key publications. This process
can take anywhere from five
minutes to five months. To
increase chances for a review, the
PR team should approach review and
labs personnel as far in advance
of product introduction as
possible.
Work with your PR Team and PR
agency to create a reviewer's
guide that will help the reviewer
easily recognize your product's
attributes. Our experience
demonstrates that most negative
review comments are generally the
result of simple reviewer
misunderstandings. A good
reviewer's guide helps the
reviewer quickly understand your
product.
Once the review slot is obtained,
the PR team should ensure that the
reviewer and editors fully
understand product positioning and
key differentiating features.
Often, the PR team will arrange
phone briefings in advance of the
review between the publication
writers and your product marketing
managers.
While the review is in progress,
the PR team should maintain close
contact with the reviewer to
monitor progress and respond to
inevitable glitches.
Remember, the best review
management process can't
compensate for a bad product.
Don't send products out for review
until you're confident it's a
solid product that will work as
advertised.
Speaking Engagements at
Industry Conferences
Speaker and moderator slots at
industry conferences help
establish your executives and your
company as leaders in your field.
The PR team will work with company
executives and conference managers
to place your executives as
speakers. Speaker placement
requires special planning and
advance preparation, since speaker
proposals are often due 12 months
prior to a conference.
Trade Shows and Booth Meetings
Trade shows are typically a great
place to meet editors
face-to-face, build relationships
and show off your products. But
due to the circus atmosphere and
noise created by hundreds of other
announcements, trade shows are not
always the best forum to make new
product announcements to the
press. One alternative that
works well is to brief the press
several weeks in advance of your
announcement so that the coverage
appears the week before or the
week of the trade show.
Whether or not you announce
products at a show, trade shows
provide a great opportunity to set
up one-on-one meetings with
attending press. The PR team
should work weeks in advance to
arrange the meetings. It's
not necessary to be an exhibitor
to meet with attending press. If
you can't meet at your own booth,
offer to meet at the press office
or at a restaurant.
Conclusion
Companies should periodically
review their ongoing PR programs
to assure they're taking full
advantage of all publicity
opportunities. The author of
this article, Mark
Coker, encourages companies to
use this checklist as a
brainstorming tool in PR planning
meetings, and welcomes suggestions
for additional checklist items.
First page > Tech
Publicity Checklist > Page 1,
2, 3,
4
Mark
Coker is founder and president
of Dovetail
Public Relations, a Silicon
Valley media and analyst
relations firm. Dovetail
works with clients to create
long term, ongoing PR programs
that increase awareness and
create positive perceptions in
the marketplace.
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