Calling Editors? Tips for PR Phone Etiquiette.

If you are lucky enough to have PR support, good for you!!! But for many retailers and wholesalers, managing their own publicity is part of their long tasks of to-dos.

To help support you in your PR efforts, consider the following points next time you pick up the phone to call an editor or other media contact.

• Make sure you are respecting the time of day you call an editor. Avoid Mondays and early mornings. Tuesdays through Thursdays in the late mornings or early afternoons tend to be a fair time across the board. By Friday, no one’s mind is on work as much as it is in the other parts of the week, so save your pitch for another day.
• Always introduce yourself to an editor, even if you have spoken with her many times before. They are very busy people who have countless conversations a day. Politely say who you are without expecting them to ever remember your name – although always hoping they do.
• Before going into your monologue about why you are calling, ask your contact if they have a quick minute to talk. This shows you respect their time and also identifies that you don’t want to take up too much of their time. Make sure you quickly point out that you will make the call fast and that you know they are busy.
• If you have to leave a message, speak clearly and quickly. Identify 1) who you are 2) what the name of your store or brand is 3) why you are calling and 4) how you can be reached.
• Hold off until 36 hours before calling your contact again if you still have not heard from them. Chances are they are busy. If they don’t plan to call you either way, your second (or third) call will let them know you are persistent and professional. Remember to be polite and never point blame on them for not getting in touch with you.
• When speaking, give them enough information that they gain interest in your pitch without them having to feel like they need to dig for the story. Be quick, concise and clear in your delivery. Every word counts. And remember – tell them newsworthy information, not just fluff.
• Return phone calls in a timely fashion. Don’t make them hunt you down like you may have had to hunt  them down because they won’t. The competition is tough for press coverage, so get back to them right away or better yet, answer their call right away.
• Before calling your contact, give them time. If you have already sent them a press release via email, don’t slam them with phone calls within the same week. Let some time register before following up. A week is a fair amount of time between your first outreach and initial follow up.

Of course having good phone etiquiette is just one small part to the entire PR mix. You need to also consider how you deliver your content (press releases, via email, via online services, etc.) and your timeline. Depending on who you are pitching, you should refer to their unique PR calendar so that you know 1) what kind of stories they may be looking for and 2) what day / week / month they are working on for future coverage.  For example, a magazine editor in May is likely already thinking about Fall.

Finally, always remember to kill your PR contact with kindness. Let them throw their weight around – not you. Of course, hopefully they won’t play that role but it’s likely they might… and can get away with is. So smile and toughin’ up. PR isn’t always an easy game, but it’s certainly one worth getting in.

Wrong Product, Wrong Time, Wrong Market

It hurts to hear the truth sometimes. But hearing the truth is exactly what new business owners often need to hear so that they can better position themselves to be successful when launching a new product.

The “3 Wrongs” below can help you evaluate if your product is ready to launch or may need some support still before your big kick off.

1. Wrong Product. Right or wrong, if your product isn’t on track with what consumers want or if your competition outshines you, then your product is wrong. Period. Consumers have access to many product reviews and many product choices. Don’t launch yours until it can keep up with this reality.

2. Wrong Time. It’s no secret the economy is tough with a capital “T”. Don’t let that steer you away from launching a product. But plan your timing on whatever it is you are launching. For example, if you are launching a seasonal item too late in the buy season, you could be effecting your overall brand launch. Want to introduce a new swimwear line? Stores are buying this as early as August and September for the holiday season and by October for the resort and early Spring season the following year. Be prepared.

3. Wrong Market. Trying to launch a baby’s luxury blanket collection to any baby store retailer? Whoops, try again! Make sure you know who your audience is so that you don’t waste your time or their time with communication. Know where your product would be best suited and target those markets when reaching out to potential clients. Way too many new wholesalers and designers think their product should be everywhere, but really it will only be wasted somewhere if it is not in the right space. Understand who your target market is, then decide which retailers sell to this same target market and reach out to these stores. Your success will be returned more easily this way and your initial time investment will be rewarded, as well.

Finally, preparing to launch a product takes time, investment, dedication and strategy. There are many, many layers involved in preparing a successful product launch. Getting your website up and ready (and looking sharp) as well as having a buyer’s packet ready for retail communication is key. But these are just a few steps in a million so if nothing else, make sure to slow down and be prepared before launching too soon. An early launch is like a buzz kill – it may be great at first, but it can quickly become miserable if you can’t handle it!