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| Features |
| Team and Driver Marketing Tips - Improving PR Efforts |
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by Rhonda Mims-Brown
Have you ever wondered why certain drivers get all the attention and some lack in coverage but are just a talented? Putting forth a public relations effort is an essential ingredient to the overall success package. An effort to communicate through the media is an important function carried out by both the famous and the not so famous. It is also a key ingredient that has helped the not-so-famous achieve the other side.
What is public relations? According to Cuclis Communications, who has a wonderful web site (http://www.cucliscommunications.com) explaining PR, tells it this way:
Public relations encompasses a variety of marketing tactics that strengthen your credibility, enhance your image, develop goodwill or influence public opinion. These tactics, such as speeches, special events, newsletters, annual reports and news releases, are targeted to an audience. P.R. involves communicating who you are, what you do, why you do it, and how you make a difference.
The difference between publicity and public relations
The terms public relations and publicity are often misused. They are not interchangeable. Publicity is only one function of public relations. It is media coverage -- news stories, feature articles, talk show interviews, editorials and reviews.
The difference between publicity and advertising
Other commonly confused terms are publicity and advertising. The key distinction is you pay for advertising. Because publicity is free, it is more credible and more likely to have an impact on the reader, listener or viewer. Advertising is generally not considered a public relations function.
What Are Some Of The Things You Could Include In Your Public Relations Efforts?
The Media Kit
This is a basic package of information that provides the media with the facts they need to function in their job and is typically compiled into a pocket folder. Materials within a media kit include fact sheets, bios, news releases and copies of clippings from feature type articles. All drivers at a professional level have one including Michael Schumacher and Helio Castroneves. It also improves your chances for a better write up with correct facts.
You can put this together yourself or hire professionals to do one for you. If you can’t afford to hire a professional, contact your local college to inquire about the possibility of having a communications or journalism student do something for you. This won’t guarantee you to get media coverage, but it shows professionalism in your efforts, assists the media in getting their job done and assists with accuracy. Here are some fundamental descriptions of what’s inside:
Fact Sheets: These are short, one page sheets representing simple facts. They can be separated into several categories or combined into a single page format. They should be in a typed in a standard font in a one-page, easy to read format and include facts about the driver, team and equipment used.
• Driver Fact Sheet - Personal quick reference facts about the driver. List in a quick to find, easy to read format the following: Name, email and phone contact, hometown, current residence, age/date of birth and physical description. Depending on your circumstance, include family info. If married, include spouse and kids’ names with ages. If young and unmarried, include parents’ and siblings names with age. List your team name, series and classes you compete in with chassis/engine combo. Add engine builder/tuner’s name, sponsors by priority, plus quick accomplishment facts. For accomplishments, be sure to include organization, year and division of karting accomplishments were made in.
• Team Fact Sheet: A team fact sheet focuses on info for the overall team. Include team name, phone and email contact, location, team owner, crew chief, tuner, crew, years in business, and all team drivers’ names. Include equipment facts such as chassis/engine info. You can also list any notable team accomplishments such as, SKI Team of the Year, 20 years experience, force behind 10 national championships, etc. List team sponsors as well and place in an order of priority.
• News Releases: Also called a “press release,” this is a news type story designed to either capture an editor’s attention to garner a news story or can be used for direct publishing if it’s good enough. There are tons of local newspapers seeking leads on news stories and many of the smaller ones will publish news releases directly if a photo is provided and the news story is written well enough or requires little editing. If you don’t tell someone about it, they won’t know – your story doesn’t come to an editor during their sleep - you have to toot your own horn for others to know.
A news release should be written in a journalistic style with the most important facts (the five W’s) up front in the lead-in paragraphs and summarized in the first paragraph. The five W’s are who, what, where, when and why. The headline should be interesting enough to capture the editor’s attention or it goes in the trash quickly. Look at all news stories, it’s all there right up front. The closer a release is written as a real news story, the better your chances to make print. Leave out excessive hype, make it an interesting read or provide a reason of value to the public masses. Releases for product or of an advertising nature are the hardest to make print, but if well written and unique, it’s possible to by pass the advertising stage and get the word out.
Cuclis Communications provides further details of how to gain publicity for yourself, your business or the products you sell. It helps with construction and talks about journalistic style. For specifics on how to write a news release, visit http://www.cucliscommunications.com/newsrels.html Again, if you’re not the creative type on paper, seek out college students taking journalism. They can always use the experience and extra bucks at a reduced rate.
Public Relations Tips
• Don’t expect it to run. Just because you sent it in, it’s not a guarantee it will run. Sometimes, it might get picked up, other times it may not. The decision an editor makes in using a news release depends on a number of factors at the time it was received. Some of those include what their needs are, how busy they are at the time, staff availability, value or interest to the public, the timeliness of the news release (old news is no news), the way it was written or how much editing or work it will require to use. There are many factors so continue to keep trying with different stories as circumstances change. The easier you make it for them to utilize, the greater your chances are. Also remember that different mediums have different focus and goals. They are not all alike and don’t compare or expect them to be.
• Don’t call and ask why it wasn’t used. It’s not a good idea to contact an editor with criticism of their judgment. Leave the critical comments at the door when you approach an editor. You don’t sit at their desk or comprehend what they are up against to perform their job. Don’t make judgments and don’t take it personally. Every editor I know is working under pressure, on a deadline and over loaded. The karting media is slightly different and more understanding of such calls, but make that call to a magazine or professional newspaper and most likely, all your future news releases will hit the trash before it’s read. Don’t burn your bridges. A better approach would be to drop an email, ask if they got it and see if there is any thing in particular you might be able to change or do to make it work for their needs.
• Advertisers and news is independent functions Just because your company or team advertises with a publication or web site, doesn’t mean it should be published. Any respectable news medium keeps the two as independent functions. In the long run, this type of philosophy benefits both the readers and the advertisers. Bottom line, don’t push the issue of how much your company spends and make demands. The two (news versus advertising) are different and it’s unethical to do so. Your decision to advertise should be based on numbers and those numbers are derived from a performance of standards that bring in the readers.
• Invest in some good photos There are a ton of professional photographers out there who are more than happy to work with you. I recommend all drivers and teams to have both a good and current action and head shot to send along with news releases. Include the photographer's name as well.
This will be the first in a series of PR tips to assist drivers, teams, race promoters and the trade industry. Future articles will show specifics of news releases and collateral material a driver should have on hand plus more of the do's and don'ts with examples. We hope you’ve found it informative and that you’ll continue to find others interesting as well.
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