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Writing a Press Release and How to Make a Media Pitch

Jessica Fuqua — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:03:23 +0000

Writing a Press Release

A press release offers the media more information than a pitch. Sometimes, if written well enough press releases can be used as articles in some media outlets, or, condensed into a blurb or announcement in others. A press release should not be longer than one page. It should always have an accurate, interesting headline and the first sentence is crucial.

For instance, you are having an event to launch your grand opening. Between your headline and first sentence, or lead, you should answer the who, what, where, when, and why.

“Cute Boots will be having an open house on Saturday, May 1st at their 313 Main St. location from 1– 3 p.m. to celebrate the retail store’s grand opening.” Who? Cute Boots. What? Open house. Where? 313 Main St. When? 1–3 p.m. Why? Grand opening. The following sentences can be used to explain the how. How will you be celebrating exactly? Free giveaways, contests, refreshments?

If there will be a photo opportunity (ribbon cutting?) or interview possibilities, it’s always good to let the media know that as well. Press releases should always begin with the release date, the headline, and then a dateline at the beginning of the text. Always include your contact information in case they need more information. Generally, press releases end with ### so that editors know there is nothing more. There are plenty of examples online on how to format a press release.

It also helps if your press release can be written in AP Style, the style used by most major news outlets.

How to Make a Media Pitch

If you are trying to get a media outlet interested in covering your business or your products, a short pitch just might do the trick. A pitch is a shortened press release, of sorts, and can be prepared and presented in several different ways. If you have a personal relationship already established with an editor or reporter, you could pick up the phone and give them a call. “Hey, Julie, this is Amanda from Cute Boots. I just wanted to let you know that we’re just about ready to release our fall line and we have some great new looks. I think your readers would love a sneak peek.” Or, something similar.

However, if you do not have a relationship with the editor, or you are trying to establish one, a short e-mail would probably be better. Always try to address it to the appropriate person, you’ll be taken much more seriously. Make it short, give your name, your company, and in a sentence or two why you think your item/business is newsworthy for their publication. Always attach a photo. And, always give them a way to get in touch with you. Chances are if they want to feature you they will want to get a hold of you quickly.

Basically a pitch is a short teaser. Give them a little bit of information but offer them more. Don’t forget to include why you believe what you have is relevant and of interest to their readers. Why would they want to publish something that their readers care nothing about?

Guest post written by:

Dawn Berryman is the Founder of Market Mommy, an online marketing resource for mom entrepreneurs that tells you how and where to market your business. In addition to the website, Market Mommy offers a free e-newsletter that is published at least once a month, and a blog. Both offer great marketing tips, success stories and various features and hints that are valuable to WAHMS. Visit www.marketmommy.com or http://marketmommy.blogspot.com for more information!

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Networking Your Mom-Owned Business

Jessica Fuqua — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:01:38 +0000

The media is not the only component when it comes to public relations; your peers are also crucial. Building relationships with them will lead to unlimited possibilities!

If you own a local business, join your Chamber of Commerce or other similar groups and attend their events. It’s important to get to know your fellow business owners. If you own an online business, join a work-at-home mom (WAHM) group. Also, get to know other moms. They will be your best customers.

If you have the opportunity or the budget to attend a trade show or fair, do it. These are great networking opportunities! Make sure you find one that fits your business niche and go for it! Your display doesn’t have to be elaborate; just make sure you have identifiable materials that help promote your brand. And make sure to take your smile! A giveaway or door prize will be sure to draw more traffic to your booth.

Some of the newer online social networking websites can be great tools as well. My Space, Facebook, Twitter all allow you to network with others that share your interests. There are also networks just for moms that offer message boards and networking communities. Check out Baby Center, Cafe Mom and Urban Baby; they can be great resources too.

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What’s in a name?

Jessica Fuqua — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:56:16 +0000

A name leaves a first impression. A name gives a customer their first glimpse into your company and what you do. A name is passed by word of mouth. A name will last a lifetime.

So, needless to say, the name of your business is a pretty crucial element to your overall business plan.. How in the world do you ever begin to name your business?

There are several questions you can ask yourself that may help you begin to formulate a name.

What does your business do?
What is unique about what you do?
What type of impression do you want to leave? Classy? Quality? Bargain?

It is a good idea to come up with three to five potential names and move on from there. Then you can begin to narrow them down. You’ll need to do a trademark search, to make sure you aren’t infringing on anyone else’s company name. You can do it yourself by visiting The United States Patent and Trademark Office. And, it’s also a good idea to search the internet and see if anyone else is using the name without a trademark. Or, if your budget allows, you can always hire a lawyer to perform a comprehensive search for you.

After determining if your name(s) are available you can make your final choice. Do some research, ask others what they think. You might use these items to help eliminate some of your finalists::

Is the name easy to pronouce?
Is it relatively short and easy to remember?
Do you have a catchy slogan in mind that will accompany it well?
Is it descriptive and accurate?
Do you like it?

Hopefully you’ve now narrowed it down to a solid, strong business name that will stand the test of time.

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Social Networking & Customer Service

Jessica Fuqua — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:33:36 +0000

Written by Guest Blogger Tamara Putvin

Social Networking & Customer Service

For those in the Customer Service industry, remember the days that you were told. “If you have one unhappy customer they will tell 20 others”? Those days are long gone. I recently did a little study by doing a search on twitter for customer service I was able to find on any given day over 700 complaints about service received or lack of. Now imagine some of these complaints were coming from people that have over 1000 followers, see gone are the days of “telling 20 people”. Now not all of the “tweets” were complaints, some had good experiences, but they were overshadowed by the bad.

I believe this is going to have a huge impact on business’ everywhere. Consumers are standing up for the service they deserve. It’s time for companies to stand up and implement change in customer service standards. Companies that already have these standards in place need to take the time to revisit them. Customer service standards are at an all time low when the fact is they need to be at an all time high.

Some of the most common responses I viewed were things such as:

“Wasted 2 1/2 hours of my life today”
“{Company Name left out intentionally} has the worst automated customer service ever. I haven’t been so angry after a phone call ever!”
“Frustrated at {Company Name left out intentionally}…bad customer service is my pet peeve. UGH!”
“Their customer service NOTORIOUSLY & INFAMOUSLY SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Customer service in retail? Sadly, a thing of the past.”
This is just a few examples of what is being thrown out there everyday. Each one of these comments listed a company name. Just another avenue companies need to be aware of? Believe it or not they are taking notice and signing for the likes of twitter. They are watching what their customers have to say and their customers are getting results. One complaint about Company A promoted a Customer Service Rep. to contact the angry customer via twitter with satisfactory results.

A perfect example of an excellent customer service program is Zappos. Just listen to what their customers are saying and not only on their website but all over the net.

“Excellent Service – As usual the product and service from Zappos was EXCELLENT! I have done business several times with Zappos and have been extremely satisfied with the service, and I will continue to do business with them in the future. They are A++++++!”

“Amazing Customer Service! I ordered a pair of shoes as a Christmas gift for my husband. Zappos upgraded the shipping to overnight (without my requesting such). I emailed to thank them and they took the time to email back. Their customer service is astounding. I highly recommend this company and will definitely shop with them again! Thank you Zappos, I wish more companies were like you!!!”

“Superior Customer Service!!! I just wanted to take time out to say that I placed the order for shoes on 12/03/08 on the East Coast around 7:30 ish that morning and to my sheer amazement, it seemed as if the shoes arrived the same evening! Prior to their arrival during the day I’d also gotten an e-mail from customer service stating that they’d given my order an upgrade of priority status. I just wanted to also thank the customer service rep for her patience and hospitality of excellent customer service.”

Amazing huh? Wouldn’t it be nice to read these amazing testimonials about every business? Zappos sure has cornered the market on customer service and is leading the way with superior customer service skills. They are seeing a person behind the computer screen, and on the other end of the phone line.This is what I call “WOW EM Service”.

Looking for ways to spark customer service creativity within your team? Check out Spark new thinking operated by Mark Henson. Spark new thinking is all about “Inspiring better Customer Service, Team work, and creativity”. Mark also runs 100 sparks.com. Here they share with you how they deal with small issues that come up while running their business. Creative ideas are shared from all their team members. Even in print you can see their unity. I have been in the customer service industry for almost two decades and I have learned so many new things just by stopping by this site. If you would like to learn more about Mark and his team stop by SparkSpace.

Here’s hoping you receive “WOW” service today.

About Tamara Putvin

Tamara Putvin has worked in Customer Service for almost two decades.

She works from her home in Shelton, WA.

This article is 2 in a series.

Follow Tamara on Twitter – http://twitter.com/TamiPut

Please feel free to contact us with suggestions, ideas, or help.

Email: tjputvin@hctc.com

Phone: 360-229-2339 Feel free to call for a consultation.

Address:

The WOW Em Factor
6612 E. Agate Rd
Shelton WA, 98584
Need help writing your Customer Service Policies, we can help.
Need information on training available, we can help.

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Setting Your Customer Service Standards

Jessica Fuqua — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:47:34 +0000

This article was written by guest blogger Tamara Putvin

Setting Your Customer Service Standards

Things are changing in the online business world. People are trying to keep their business’ going and they are trying new avenues. The business’ that will succeed are the ones that truly care about their customers needs, and go above and beyond to exceed their expectations.

First thing you want to do is make your customer’s your priority. Without your customers your business is doomed to fail. Have a customer service policy for yourself. As your business grows only hire those that can understand and abide by your customer service standards, not everyone is cut out to serve the public, and you are ultimately responsible for how your customers are treated whether it’s you are not. With that said another good rule of thumb to remember is customer are not just people who purchase from you they are also the people that work for you, internal customer service is just as important as external. When you respond internally to requests quickly and efficiently your employees will see that value and do the same for your customers and each other.

No matter what business you are in you will win your customers, when you “WOW” them with service. Customers are no longer taking the laid back approach to purchases or services. They know that they have other options. Your biggest win will be when you truly put your customer first. Exceed their expectations, customer service has not been a priority for a long time, and with the economy the way it is it’s coming back, bigger and better then ever.

How can you exceed their expectations?

Listen to what your customer is saying to you or what they are asking of you. I once heard a quote “You have two ears and one mouth, so you can listen twice as much as you talk”

Make it a practice to respond to any calls, emails, etc within 24 hours. I read recently that an author doing research for her next book would call different companies, of all the ones she called it was the people that run the most successful companies that were the most responsive. If you do not have an answer for the question or concern, you can still respond within 24 hours letting your customer know that you are working on their request. It’s important for your customer to feel acknowledged.

Go above and beyond, “A little Home town Hospitality”. Several days ago I was at our little country store down the road, While I was visiting this little store, there was a customer in line in front of me, the checker was checking them out and the gal that owns the store was on the phone, when all of the sudden the gal on the phone looked at the customer in front of me and said, “You know my husband is in town right now, do you want him to pick you up some almond extract?” Now you wouldn’t think that is a big deal, but we live 25 minutes from town and there are several big hills between the stores and our homes and to top it off we were getting a our worst snow fall in years. Of course, the customer was overjoyed and said yes please, but tell him I want the real stuff no imitation. In that one sentence she earned a customer for life. That is above and beyond. It’s small town hospitality, when I was working at the bank we would think nothing of driving documents, or whatever our customer needed right to their door. Things like this will stick with your customer, so the next time they are looking products and you carry it, you are the person they are going to call.

If you don’t have it, help them find it. Even if you do have it but it’s not exactly what they are looking for give them options, your customer will probably buy from you because you gave them information to make an informed decision. You are going to be the go to person. As an example, I ran across a request last week asking about Candle warmers and wax bars. The company that I represent carries these, we have a limited selection, so in wanting to give the customer all the information I could I did a little research I found another company that carries the product in a wider variety, I invited that companies rep. to join our conversation. I let my potential client know that that I was aware of what they were looking for and wanted to give them all the resources available to they could make the right decision to fit their needs. Will I get that sale? I don’t know, but I don’t care either, I exceeded her expectations by putting her needs before my own. With this philosophy my business may not soar today, but its lasting effect will be longer then those that are in it for the dollars only. Whether she purchases from me or not she will get thank you note, if she makes a purchase with me she will get one that says “Thank you so much for your support” Enjoy your (product name). If she does not buy, She will get one that says “Thank you for your consideration, enjoy your new (Product and company name) you are sure to enjoy your wonderful new (product name)! This is going to set me apart even further! A very good source for thank cards is Send Out Cards, this wonderful company will print it, stuff it in an envelope, and mail it all for less then the cost of a card from the store. The quality is spectacular.

Always be sincere, if you say you are going to do something for your customer, you need to do it. Sincerity is described as free of deceit, hypocrisy, or falseness. So when dealing with your customers, it’s always wise to remember to avoid those characteristics. Even if you do not have an answer, do not make one up, be truthful a good response when you do not know the answer is “You know that is a good question, I don’t have the answer to that, but I will find out and get back to you.” With the technology today finding answers for our customers has never been easier, and truth be told if they wanted to they could find the answer they are looking for on their own. If you give them false information and they end up doing research on their own you will lose credibility.

In order to succeed in customer service you need to have a servant’s heart. A genuine caring for other people puts you in the top of your market, believing people before dollars is 99% of the battle. There is a video that is a must see for anyone in customer service, The Simple Truth of Service, this video says it all in only a brief few minutes.

Tamara Putvin has worked in Customer Service for almost two decades.

She works from her home in Shelton, WA.

This article is 1 in a series.

Follow Tamara on Twitter – http://twitter.com/TamiPut

Posted by Nicole Ibarrondo, former editor here at Mom Fuse

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