At the time a lot of people commented on me making such a ‘big change’ and I have to admit that, at the time, I was fairly apprehensive myself. However, in retrospect the changes weren’t that massive and both professions share many of the same attributes.

Journalism is all about telling a story to a particular audience; selecting those stories that are relevant to the target reader / listener / viewer and making sure they are told in an appropriate voice. Turn this concept to PR and you are actually doing exactly the same thing; selecting stories and a tone of voice appropriate for your target media.

Having worked in the media, I also have first hand experience of journalist’s pet peeves when it comes to PRs:

• No background knowledge of the media outlet
• A lack of awareness of the target audience
• No appreciation of deadlines
• A general lack of urgency in following up requests

Knowing these little annoyances has come in very handy and avoiding them helps to build up your contacts and, of course, achieve impressive coverage.

I think back to the random and irrelevant PR calls that I used to receive at the news desk and I find it helps to remember what used to annoy me about them, and use this experience to tailor my own pitches to journalists.

One thing that really amazed me was the lack of understanding as to what makes a good story for radio. General rule for regional radio – trade specific product launches, corporate advice pieces and stories that have no link to the area aren’t going to keep the average listener tuned in!

I always felt a little sorry for the guy who used to call me once a week with a different food related week to plug. Curly Kale Week, National Potato Week and British Asparagus Week all put in an appearance, but much to this guys particular annoyance, not on the radio! One great piece of advice I got from a fellow journalist when on work experience – “There’s always a different week for something. We can’t cover them all and to be honest, no-one actually cares.”

Many journalists still refer to making the move to PR as ‘switching to the dark side’ and I find that some still don’t really want to give the time of day to humble PR folk, regardless of whether we can assist them with a story or not.

They should remember that we aren’t really that different and in reality we can actually help each other out. They should also consider the fact that the shoe may be on the other foot in the future should they ever be tempted to cross over!

Led by account director Paul Muckle, BCS PR will utilise media relations to promote MarketingFile in regional, trade, vertical sector and broadcast media both on- and off-line.

Kirk Dobie, managing director at MarketingFile, commented: “We’ve embarked upon a new growth strategy aimed at reconfirming our long-held position as market leader within the online prospect data industry.

“Hiring a well-established PR agency that knows our target media inside out to assist us with this seemed the logical thing to do. I’ve worked with BCS many times before and have always been impressed with the results. I’m looking forward to enjoying the same levels of success with the new MarketingFile campaign.”

Anyway, there’s a short tale of two contrasting restaurants and how they got customers through the door (or didn’t).

One restaurant was the talk of the town. We’d been told about it and had seen a few adverts in the ex-pat magazines and local rags. We tried it out. Excellent service, good food: we’ll go there again and recommend it.

We also went to a new restaurant merely because it was close to where we were staying. No-one had told us about it, we hadn’t seen anything about it in the local papers. There wasn’t even a sign outside that said what they did.

The service was lousy and the food wasn’t the best. We won’t be going there again and we won’t be recommending it to anyone.

What I’m saying is that if you have a service you need to sell then make sure you do it well. You’ll soon find that your satisfied customers become you greatest advocates. They’ll tell people about what you’re doing and how well you do it.

Perhaps the quote from the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams that reads “Build it and they will come” should be changed to “Build it well, give a great service and get other people to evangelise about it, and they will come”.

This is even more prescient these days, as the word of mouth has found a new home on social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare and LinkedIn to name but four. And there is also a huge number of trusted review sites with user generated content that people do read in order to make informed decisions.

With ease of information flow on the Internet, from a PR point of view, people talking about your service in a good light (on and offline), and the recommendations you get, breeds more recommendations. More success comes from success.

With this in mind it’s become ever more important to know what people are saying or not saying about you and your brand online. If you don’t know, how can you respond to negativity and how can you capitalise on the good things in order to meet your business objectives? This is where using monitoring and alert tools can help give you the valuable insights you need and the ability to respond accordingly. Depending on the size and scale of you enterprise you can use something as simple as Google alerts or more sophisticated free monitoring tools.

Maybe that restaurant we won’t be recommending should take note. Anyway, if you ever find yourself in North Cyprus, then let me know and I’ll tell you about the restaurants I would recommend.

The intense 300-mile test began at Blackheath Common in London, and ended with an exhilarating sprint finish to the Eiffel Tower four days later.

Paul received generous sponsorship, which has now enabled him to make a donation in excess of £1,200 to the charity, which works to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia, supporting them and their care givers.

After six months of hard training and much trepidation, Paul completed the challenge alongside 46 other riders all cycling in aid of different charities.

Paul commented: “The ride was really enjoyable and actually much less grueling than I’d expected. I’ve had so much support and it’s fantastic to be able to donate so much money to the Alzheimer’s Society.”

Paul is already planning his next cycle challenge, with a 450-mile ride from Madrid to Barcelona a possibility.

So what is it that makes corporate events like these worthwhile attending? I love a good top tip, and some of the following pointers may even be glaringly obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many organisers forget the basics. So here goes:

 Ruthless organisation – right down to practising speeches and sound equipment, to drawing up a daily schedule of activities to keep everything in check.

 Day-time seminars – so as many people as possible can attend – social and family commitments will always take priority in an evening, so just keep it to an hour or so over lunch.

 Adequate parking and directions – a client of mine couldn’t attend a roundtable discussion because of poor navigation from the organiser, so make it easy for people to get in and out as quickly as they can.

 Feeding time – the best events are those where the host is generous – people always wonder why there’s nothing to eat if you haven’t made the effort other than dismal coffee and an array of pathetic rich tea biscuits that have seen better days. It doesn’t have to be a full-blown buffet spread or anything costly – just be a bit different compared to the seminars you’ve attended yourself.

 Content – business owners, entrepreneurs and corporate bods are far from stupid, so don’t harp on about a subject and its finer details that are obvious to your audience – they want to learn something new, not necessarily to reinvent the wheel, but if you give people information that will make them truly believe you’re an expert in your field, the potential for doing business with them afterwards and well into the future is far more realistic.

 Jargon – likewise, don’t speak in complicated gobble-de-gook or give off some marketing or sales BS just because you want to boast about your company to ultimately shift products or services to the masses – seminars are not about the hard sell – you need to give to get.

 Experience – you need to give examples of personal lessons learnt so that people can relate to the subject matter easily.

 Reading material – do not, and I repeat do not, let the speaker’s eyes be glued to their notes, as the speech will become sterile, and more importantly, people will think the speaker in question is overly nervous and not particularly confident or passionate about their subject. Just make sure there are simple bullet point reminders to glance at if needed. If the speaker needs a confidence boost, give them some training, hold a practise run or simply find someone else!

 Hydration – make sure there’s a drink on the speaker’s stand or nearby – I’ve led a presentation where I’ve talked for at least half an hour without having enough water, and as a result, I had a mortifying coughing fit, complete with red face, as I was shaking hands to say thank you and goodbye after what was a fantastic pitch.

 Testing, testing – test the AV equipment, USB stick, PowerPoint software, cabling connections, Broadband speed, video content and sound. There’s nothing worse than a royal ‘kefuffle’ at the beginning or right in the middle of the seminar – people can take a joke whilst you bumble around, but most get rather impatient if the technical issue isn’t quickly resolved, so rehearsals are all important.

 Slides – if you’re using these, don’t make the content so tiny that your audience needs superhero laser vision to read it – I don’t want to look at the speaker no matter how attractive or ugly they are – I want to view the on-screen presentation in full, so make it big and clear.

 Multimedia – do incorporate video and imagery throughout, as it breaks up the speech and allows the speaker a quick breather.

 Forced fun – you can interact with your audience, hold a Q&A session and ask for a show of hands, but don’t force people into role play – not everyone likes to be put on the spot unawares, so don’t take the unnecessary risk.

 Communication after the event – send the presentation in an email-able format or provide a small hard copy hand-out at the end of the session so that people can remember you and your company – you can also pass it onto businesses that weren’t able to attend as a nice gesture.

 Venue – it’s always better to fill a small room so it looks like there are plenty of people in attendance – and it’s better to have a venue without any hard floors, as the click-clacking of high heels for latecomers prove irritating for the audience and speaker, and embarrassing for the prime offender.

 Webinars – you could even consider these as alternatives as you can invite plenty of people from across the globe, as well as easily collate sets of questions before the event, so that there isn’t a lull when no one wants to stick their hand up and ask something interesting and note-worthy.

Above all, keep it short and sweet. Concise information; a personable attitude; no pre-panicking or post-rambling; and no lame jokes about the speaker being tired because of a heavy weekend – you get the idea.

So, good luck with your future events, whatever the occasion!

A simple PR campaign doesn’t have to cost the earth though, and can be very effective if it is well-planned and focuses on the key issues.

Key factors
Prior to starting any PR activity, there are a number of factors to be considered. The most important of those is to establish the key messages to promote, determine the audience you wish to target and agree on the tone of voice to use.

The key messages and audience should already be established as part of the charity’s existing fundraising objectives but these should be clarified and the types of media outlets agreed on – ie: do we have people available for interview if the broadcast press is targeted? Do we have regional spokespeople if we target regional newspapers?

Tone of voice can be a tricky thing to master as there can be a tendency to talk down to or appear patronising, when actually trying to be sympathetic. Using terms like ‘sufferer’ or ‘wheelchair-bound’ can immediately lose a reader or alienate a section of your audience. Some journalists may not know the correct terminology to use and so any press releases issued from a charity should reflect its viewpoint.

Creating a PR campaign
Having established this information, it needs to be weaved into the overall PR campaign but they shouldn’t be the focus; they need to support more substantial and meaty news angles. Don’t be fooled into thinking that simply announcing the start of a national awareness week or highlighting the issues surrounding the charity’s membership will generate press coverage – far from it, in fact.

I fell foul of this once and will always remember the dressing down I received from a national press journalist telling me that my awareness week press release was the third they’d received that day (at 10am) and to never call them again unless I had a news angle to my story!

Having said that, national awareness weeks are a good building point for a PR campaign, but a strategy behind it is required. For example, a survey could be carried out across the membership with the results being announced on day one, or a new research partnership collaboration could be announced promoting future work.

Think and plan ahead
These things may seem like common sense, and to many PR professionals they are, but it’s easy to either look at things too compassionately or, in contrast, view them as a traditional business and miss the key messages.

The key to carrying out a successful PR campaign is to plan ahead and ensure there is a genuine news hook before speaking to the media. Every charity has lots of great news stories to talk about, they just don’t realise it until they speak to their PR team!

Well, fear not my ignorant stranger, as I’m about to tell you exactly what it takes to pull off a successful ‘do’ and the cold blood, nervous sweat and tears of joy that inevitably go with the process.

There are very distinct types of events that hold different purposes and more importantly, different audiences. More often than not, they can simply be categorised into business seminars, networking clubs, launch parties, awards ceremonies and general celebratory merriment.

Here, I thought I’d cover the fluffier Ab Fab style events first, as let’s face it, they are far more fun and colourful compared to the stiff suit brigade.

The number one secret to making a party or event memorable, heavily relies on the planning – an obvious statement and not exactly a secret, but by drawing up an itinerary, it will help keep everyone thoroughly organised and sane.

The hope that you will achieve repeat business means that targeting the right kind of people when organising any kind of event is definitely one of the most important aspects of party planning.

Therefore, the guest list should not be rushed or thrown together, but should instead be carefully thought out. It’s vital to send invitations or teasers out fairly early, as well as reminders to those that have RSVP’d a couple of days before the event – people are extremely busy and will sometimes forget they’ve accepted the invitation, so a helpful nudge doesn’t do any harm.

Regarding communication with the guest list attendees, I think sending a follow-up e-mail to everyone after the party is a great way of saying thank you for the support. And with a cheeky offer thrown in if the event was to help publicise a venue, people will be more inclined to visit again sooner and offer positive word-of-mouth publicity.

Now the venue itself – it should not be viewed simply as a space in which to hold the party, but I believe it can be used to its full potential by making the most of interior features and existing props – meaning that the budget can be spent elsewhere. People make great props, so getting organisers and staff to wear smart outfits or even (non-cheesy) costumes if it’s themed, will help to create a memorable atmosphere.

A theme can also help make a party, as the organisers can use the theme in the invitations, as well as for help in determining the type of music, catering and entertainment required. It also provides guests with guidelines about what they can expect from the event, including dress code and activities surrounding it.

Finally, I come to the food and booze. A complimentary cocktail, glass of vino or bubbly on arrival is always appreciated and is a good way to help guests relax. Freebies, such as food and drink, will encourage people to attend a party – I know this sounds crass, but it’s very true – and having enough food to soak up any alcohol is very important. Do provide soft drinks though – the party shouldn’t get out of hand, and there are designated drivers to consider too.

And, of course, goodie bags always go down well, but don’t just bung in a load of boring leaflets that will just be chucked away – give away items that people actually want. Some local businesses may help out and provide goodies for free in return for a presence at the event or some other small form of publicity. So it doesn’t have to be expensive.

This is just skimming the surface, but the most nerve-racking moments are always when you stand in the venue like a worried teenager or student, wondering whether anyone will attend your birthday party, as there are inevitable drop-outs at the last minute, and some that don’t even let you know that they’re not going to make it.

For an introduction into the world of b2b events, and the do’s and don’ts that I believe should be associated with them, check out the second part of my events blog that will be posted shortly…

Rob graduated in 1994 with a BSc Honours degree in Electronic Imaging and Media Communications. As far as I can understand it, this seemed to involve him dancing naked in front of a camera and then burning it to CD – but I’ll leave that to you to ask him about it!

From then to being part of the Freeserve phenomenon, becoming Chair of Doncaster college to taking equity here at BCS, Rob has always straddled the world of academia and commerce well and it has really got me thinking about how this should be the norm rather than the exception if we are going to raise our game here at UK PLC.

Some of our most talented thinkers are in academia and, to date, the “joined up thinking” between the two worlds isn’t as strong as it could be.

As belts have been tightened due to the recession, graduate recruitment programmes have shrunk, and today’s school leavers and their parents are going to have to think long and hard if this is the right direction for their children to follow.

Now I’m not saying I have the answers, though at BCS we do foster strong relationships with our local university (where we work with final-year students on a range of video work for on-line video press releases and podcasts) but surely by bringing these two worlds together we can come up with a strategic way forward.

It’s worth seeing this video of Rob at the ceremony (if nothing more than for once the man is wearing a tie!).

http://www.brad.ac.uk/awards/honorary-graduates/

The Nottingham-based agency has been hired to handle PR campaigns from organisations in sectors that range from database management, financial services, social media software, public sector consultancy and creative event management.

Managing Director Alan Boyden commented: “It’s a double hat-trick of success for the team at BCS, which continues to deliver great results for clients.

“It’s clear that our positive approach to finding stories and telling them using the right media, online or offline, is proving to be extremely attractive to potential customers.”

One of the clients that BCS has picked up is public sector performance consultancy Black Radley. Founded in 1999, Black Radley operates across the UK and works to improve performance in public sector organisations by using the ethos of fairness and effectiveness.

Founder Peter Latchford commented: “We’re already delighted with the proactive approach taken by the dedicated BCS team that has resulted in raising our profile in key publications.”

Another client win for BCS is Hubbub, a company that has developed the www.nationthinks.co.uk website that allows the public to share their ideas on political and national issues, such as the budget.

Hubbub founder Jason Burrows commented: “BCS hit the ground running and have already secured coverage in local newspapers and national television. It’s great to have them on board.”

The wins follow a busy time for BCS, which back in March announced that it had recruited Freeserve co-founder Rob Wilmot to its board as director of its digital division.

For more information, visit www.bcspr.co.uk, or follow @BCSPR on Twitter.

Switching off the resource supply to public sector PR is easy, but once the proverbial budgetary dust has settled following a lengthy break, firing up the rusty communications engine will be an altogether more difficult proposition.

In many ways an effective PR campaign can be likened to The National Grid. There must be a consistent supply of energy, more or less depending on demand, but provided at the correct frequency all year round. And as with a power station, if the PR switch is turned off and all the lights go out, it can take some time for normal service to resume and proper two-way communications to once again be nurtured.

Successful communications professionals build effective campaigns by fostering trusted relationships with journalists over time, through careful investigative research and strategic planning, and by applying extensive knowledge of the media landscape. When started and stopped, these functions fail to work as effectively. And an effective campaign can mean the difference between stimulating foreign investors to create thousands of new manufacturing jobs, businesses being aware of the benefits available to them, or even successful social initiatives being given the credit they deserve to give them the chance to be rolled out across the country. At a time when public services are being cut, effective communications encouraging core economic activities couldn’t be more important.

Due to the unprecedented scale of the cut-backs it would be naïve to expect public sector communications to go completely unscathed, but then again, it is also naïve to believe switching off all the lights to save on the electricity bill will be the best solution. The question is, will this government flatten all comms infrastructure put in place by the previous Labour government to build their own afresh, or maintain some of the core PR functions already in place?