Your PR to-do list is filled with Spring in the air, right?

Wrong.

For the majority of companies out there in just about every industry, if you focused your PR campaign on only springtime angles you would be missing out on a huge PR opportunity. Right now, thousands of reporters at major consumer and business magazines are writing about Summer, not Spring.

Case in point, if you own a boutique salon with a branded cosmetics line and wish to get a review in Cosmopolitan or Redbook magazine, you better be pitching a summertime angle right now. Perhaps their website editorial teams are still focusing on Spring because they do not have as long a lead time. But if your goal is to make it into the print edition, those section editors are focused on finishing up June and getting ready for July angles.

Most print magazines that have three or four-month lead times are in the consumer segment. Walk into any Barnes & Noble and browse the magazine section (remember, physical bookstores still exist). Most of the major titles you see (Ladies’ Home Journal, Better Homes And Gardens, Parenting, etc.) are published with this long-lead approach. Regional lifestyle magazines (Ocean Drive, Naples Illustrated, Denver 5280) are also published with a long lead cycle.

This is not isolated to just consumer magazines, by the way. There are many business print magazines that are published with a long lead time. Florida Trend, Builder, Money, are all business magazines that have a long lead cycle. As with all PR campaigns, it is important to know whether your story is better suited for a consumer or business audience. Once you have that figured out, do your research to see if your list of targeted magazines has a long lead cycle.

Here are some tips for pitching a long-lead print magazine:

1: When crafting your story pitch think three to six months ahead. What season are we in at that time? What are the major holidays? What are the annual occurrences taking place? Shape your story around all of these to get the editors attention.

2: Take a trend that is currently happening (high gas prices, Presidential campaign, housing meltdown, economic recovery) and try to project what the landscape will be like a few months down the road. How does your company, product, service, or trend story fit in?

3: Apply the same rules as every day pitching for a reporter. Send a well written email with a compelling subject line. Offer links to your website where the editor can find additional information and resources. Also offer contact information where editors can get back in touch with you.

4: Read the magazines first and get to know its style, tone, format and editors/contributors. Create a pitch that matches all these and target the appropriate editor or contributor. Most magazines will include contact information for many of the editors and writers. Google contributors to find their contact information.

5: If you are pitching a product it is okay to send a press kit with your product for a review. But do understand you may not get the product back. The press materials that accompany the product should focus on the trend and explanation of why it is a compelling product, in addition to the focus on the features and benefits. If you call the editor be sure to get to the point and make your phone pitch impactful.

Every PR campaign should include long lead print magazines because achieving a story in one of these magazines can change your business overnight. Depending on the publication, a feature spotlight of your product in a magazine read by millions, and passed on to thousands more, is just as good as appearing on daytime television.

Beach Photo via Shutterstock

The post Springtime Means Time To Pitch Summer appeared first on Small Business Trends.

When this is the case, a trademark battle usually erupts and, most of the time, the company with the deeper pocket usually wins the battle. No doubt about it, this usually means the small business owner loses the battle. But there are plenty of other cases where a small business owner or entrepreneur creates a brand that is not intended to blatantly infringe but coincidentally pushes the envelope of the entrepreneurial spirit. From the small business owner’s perspective, these larger companies should back off.

But a funny thing happened on the way to trademark litigation. Social media has made it so that small business owners can get large groups of people on their side, ultimately shaming the larger companies into dropping the lawsuit against the small business owner.

This new social media battle significantly impacts small business PR because of its ability to alter the perception of both companies. In a classic ‘David versus Goliath’ battle, throngs of people come to the defense of the small business owner, who is perceived to being pushed around by the larger, corporate giant.

The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about this issue illustrating a few key examples of small business owners turning to social media as a way to drum up support for the litigation campaign. In the story a law professor says the new tactic illustrates how startups can take advantage of social networks as a way of building a perception of being picked on by the larger company.

The story cited an example of a Vermont businessman who sold T-shirts that said “Eat More Kale.” Chik-fil-A thought that was too close to the company’s “Eat Mor Chikin” slogan and sent out a cease-and-desist letter. Thousands of fans lined up on Facebook in support of the Vermont businessman and the large fast-food restaurant has not pursued the matter.

Keep in mind that in some cases the small business owner isn’t necessarily driving the shame campaign. When entrepreneurs build their brands the right way they develop fiercely loyal followers. Since the Internet has the ability to spread information quickly, these followers take it upon themselves to begin social shaming campaigns in an effort to defend the small business they have fallen in love with.

Here are a few tips for small business owners looking to leverage social media PR campaigns that want to raise pressure on larger companies to drop their trademark suits:

1: Understand that you will not be successful if you really are trying to play off a larger company’s brand or marketing. It doesn’t matter how many supporters you can get, if what you are doing is blatant trademark infringement, you are doing business the wrong way.

2: Make your social media PR campaign about information and fairness, not about emotion. Keep your position professional and leave all the name-calling out of it.

3: Use all of your social media platforms as a way to send out these facts, information and any updates. Use Twitter, Facebook and your blog to keep your community updated so they have all the latest information, too.

4: Foster a true sense of community so that your followers, customers and fans can also provide feedback, insight, advice and share their general thoughts.

5: Encourage your community to use their blogs and social media platforms to spread the word about any information or position you want to get out to the masses.

6: Keep the media updated by sending out press releases, story pitches and tip sheets, and link over to your blog where they can get even more background information on the matter.

7: Leverage YouTube to offer video updates. Use this opportunity to be the spokesperson on the issue. People love sharing videos which will spread the word even more. Additionally, when you link to your YouTube channel when sending updates to the media, television news producers will see how you come across in front of the camera and be encouraged to book you to discuss the matter.

8: Know when to pull your foot off the gas. Sometimes it’s best to let the legal system run its course before you pour fuel on the fire. Always consult with an attorney and make sure your social media campaign won’t hurt you in the long run.

If you find yourself being trademark bullied by a larger company, follow these tips and see if you can arm yourself with a large support network ready to help you defend your position.

Win Trademark Concept Photo via Shutterstock

The post How To Trademark Shame A Larger Company appeared first on Small Business Trends.

But hold on a second. There might just be a silver lining here and small business could be a big part of it.

When you think of public relations (PR) and the cruise ship disaster you probably think of the PR nightmare the cruise ship company (Carnival Cruise Lines is the parent company) had to deal with in the ensuing days, weeks and soon-to-be-months following the disaster. You are not wrong in this assessment. No doubt, it’s been a big lesson in crisis PR.

But there is actually an opportunity to be had from this and other crisis that have unfolded before our eyes, Blackberries and iPhones. On any given day it would be nearly impossible for a local travel agent to capture the attention of a CNN producer or USA Today reporter, but that is exactly what happened to CruiseOne franchisee, Amber Blecker. It would also be nearly impossible for a local restaurant in New Orleans or oil boom manufacturer to get the attention of FOX News or The New York Times. But while some face crisis, others see opportunity.

Local travel agents have an opportunity to chat with reporters when a major cruise ship situation occurs anywhere in the world much like an oil boom manufacturer is in demand when a BP oil well ruptures in the Gulf of Mexico.

Whether it is Carnival Cruise Lines, BP, Tiger Woods or a political candidate embarrassing themselves on social media, news stories occur as a result of tragedy and the following days are filled with plenty of talking heads serving as subject-matter experts. These experts can and should be represented by small businesses that have something to add to the story.

This is not ambulance chasing. This is a PR opportunity. See, the story is going to be written whether you think it is fair or not. Small business owners can and should seize the opportunity and get their company in the news, positioning themselves as a subject expert. Some might think this is capitalizing on someone else’s mess. The truth is, it is an opportunity for a small business to feed the news machine with information that is ultimately going to be distributed anyways. And If you are not participating in the story, your competitor will be more than happy to give information and a quote.

To be fair, this is certainly not the time to be promoting special deals. But it is appropriate to provide information and perspective interested viewers and readers want to learn. More importantly, you will develop a relationship with a key national reporter who may or may not listen to a story pitch a few years later when you have an idea for a different story.

The 24-hour news cycle is filled with plenty of news that is not very positive. As a small business owner you have an opportunity to see where you fit in with the story line and offer up your insight. The ensuing coverage will position you as an expert and just might lead to a few people who want to learn more about you and your business.

Tragedy happens almost daily in today’s world. In this tragedy, small businesses can find a PR opportunity.

Costa Concordia Photo via Shutterstock

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