Campaign News Releases - The New "Online Advertising"

Reaching The World For the Price of A News Release

Ned Barnett

I've been reviewing David Meerman Scott's excellent 4th (2013) edition of his seminal "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" and was impressed by the impact his views can have on a political campaign's media and public outreach efforts.  He maintains that while "press releases" should continue to target campaign and political news media gatekeepers (editors, producers, reporters), "news releases" should be targeted to information users - donors, volunteers, voters - rather than to those traditional news media gatekeepers.

He makes that distinction in naming - "Press Release" (for the press) and "News Release" (for those who want to read the news), and I think it's helpful in understanding, how the role of these releases has changed.

This role- change is at the heart of what I call "Political Campaign PR-Marketing 2.0," and in this (as in most political marketing and Earned Media/PR concepts), David and I are of one accord. For more than 15 years now, I've been encouraging clients to embrace the use of "news releases" - distributed across the Internet into places where real people are really looking for news - as a way of getting "the word" out to potential donors, volunteers and voters - the very lifeblood of any campaign.  Properly handled, news releases can be posted on the many news websites. 

One way of doing this is by using commercial press release placement services, such as BusinessWire (which I usually use, though PR Newswire is the other market-leader).  These services have, under contract, news aggregator sites such as Yahoo, Marketwire and a host of other news (and news release) aggregators. With BusinessWire, you get placement everywhere online from MSN to the Albuquerque daily newspaper - and 293 other sites as well.  In addition to being sent to geographically and topically-selected political news reporters and editors, your news release is sent all over the Internet, where people looking for your news can find it.

Some political news media will occasionally pick up a well-written wire-distributed press release - one which contains real news. They will turn it into an article, or use it to justify an interview-based feature - which, for the campaign, is even better. However, when I want those results, I find I get more placement success by emailing specific editors, reporters and producers directly - or by picking up the phone (if they accept phone calls from campaigns and candidates) and pitching them directly. 

 

But wire-distributed news releases do get picked up and used by those nearly 300 online news aggregators, and when potential donors, volunteers or voters key-word search, they will find those news releases.

After reading David Meerman Scott's insights, I had one of my own. 

 

Political, campaign and candidate news releases that are placed over one of the major wire services  are nothing short of a new online advertising medium. Without quite intending to, these wire services have become a fee-based way of getting your news out, through the Internet, to news-reporting places where potential campaign donors, volunteers or voters can find that news.

Here's what I mean. In traditional campaign advertising, your ad-buy guarantees that your message (in print or broadcast form) is placed in a certain medium, generally at a specific time and often in a specific location. However, in traditional campaign Earned Media - better known outside politics as PR - you were not buying a message placement.  Instead, you were buying a means of reaching out to a news media gatekeeper, asking for campaign or candidate coverage, and using the news value of the release as justification for that coverage. If you used a wire service such as BusinessWire, you were increasing your odds of being picked up, but you were not buying placement. 

That was then. This is now.

Today, when you place a release on BusinessWire or one of it's competitors, you are buying the placement of your message - not only in a direct feed to reporters and editors, but also in a direct feed to Yahoo Business and Marketwire and all the other hundreds of news aggregator sites that contractually agree to place releases provided by the wire service - including your campaign's press releases. 

 

You are, in essence, buying an ad on Yahoo and all 294 of those other sites.

For as little as $400 on BusinessWire (and less on some of their competitors - but believe me, in this, you get what you pay for), you get a very controlled, up-to-400-word message placed in some very prestigious and well-traveled websites. So if you're following David Meerman Scott's recommendation to put out campaign or candidate news releases on the Web to reach donors, volunteers and voters directly, then - when you use one of the wire services - you are, in essence, buying a guaranteed placement in specified locations and at specified times. 

 

In short, advertising. A different kind of advertising (more like an advertorial than a traditional print ad), but still an ad.  You control the content, the timing, the placement.

When you compare the relatively nominal costs of a BusinessWire placement to the relatively astronomical costs of an advertisement in any mainstream medium, even with campaign discounts, this becomes a huge bargain. One ad on an ABC/CNN/Fox News program costs tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars - even in a local cable market, those can run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars - and those campaign messages are here and gone in 15 or 30 seconds. 

 

However, a much longer campaign or candidate news message placed via BusinessWire lives on up to 295 news-aggregator websites for 30 days, 90 days or an infinite number of days, where they are there to be found by any Google, Bing or other key-word search.

In the world of Campaign and Candidate Earned Media/PR-Marketing 2.0, a traditional low-cost PR distribution tactic has evolved into an incredibly cost-effective targeted-voter, targeted-donor and targeted-volunteer advertising tactic, making use of the way that press release distribution wire services ensure that their clients generate coverage through their news-feed contracts with Yahoo and hundreds of other other online news aggregators.

If you need help with your campaign's Earned Media (PR), speechwriting, strategy, ghost-writing, or many other campaign-winning services, contact me at ned@barnettmarcom.com - or 702-561-1167

The Seven Deadly Sins of Campaign and Political Public Relations

or ... Why is it We Never Have Time To Do It Right ... 

But We Always Have Time To Do It Over ...?

Ned Barnett

In the promotion of your candidate or campaign through Earned Media - better known as public relations, publicity or PR - there are a number of “fatal” mistakes you can make that will kill or distort your coverage.
Of these, there are the “Seven Deadly Sins of Campaign and Political Public Relations” that will ruin your chances of success, and probably lead to bad press. So do as I say, not as I’ve done …

1. "No Comment"

The worst thing you, your candidate or your campaign can say to a reporter is “No Comment” – that has become a tacit admission of guilt. And while the reporter may not know what you’re guilty of, this is like a red flag in front of a bull … he or she will take this as a personal challenge to find out what you’re hiding (and we’re all hiding something).

Practice saying something like this:

“I’ll have to research that question and get back to you – is next Tuesday soon enough?”

Don't just say you'll get back to them - give them a date/time-certain. That builds credibility and trust - but don't blow that deadline, or you're guilty as charged.  Or give them some other answer that promises a future answer, but isn't a "no comment."

In short, give a “real” answer that doesn’t answer the question, but makes it clear that you are not dodging or dissembling. One important caveat: You must pick an answer that is honest – they will check up, and nothing (not even “No Comment”) is worse than self-aware lying to a reporter. They will crucify you, your candidate, your campaign – and by their professional standards, they are both right and honor-bound to do so.

2. Spin Control

Even professional political spinmeisters are having an increasingly hard time persuading the press that what they think they heard (or read, or saw) isn’t what was really said (or printed or acted out). If your candidate's or Campaign Manager's or chief donor's wife likes to go skinny-dipping in public fountains at 3 a.m., you are not going to spin your way out of the embarrassment – especially if the reporter has witnessed this. Better to have her admitted to Betty Ford, then explain she’s had a rough time recently, but is being helped. That really is better than try to pretend what they “saw” isn’t what was really there.

Once, this approach was so brazen it actually worked, but from over-use, it has become a serious negative.   For instance, in the '50s, Georgia governor Gene Talmadge, father of the late Georgia Senator "Hummun" Talmadge, was caught taking beef cattle from prison farms for his own ranch.  When confronted by the media, he invited them all to a barbecue, where they helped him eat the evidence.  But those days are long gone.

3. Disinformation

This is a favorite government tactic – often manifest by “leaking” information about a political or bureaucratic opponent that isn’t exactly true (or it may be completely false, though if so, it will be impossible to prove it's false). As with spin control, this technique has become increasingly discredited – and a righteously wrathful media actively seeks out and punishes the disinformants (whom they deem no more worthy of fair treatment than politicians caught with their hands in the public till).

One common (but largely unrecognized) way of putting forth disinformation is to talk about your competitors. You cannot be objective (who could) – and the more bitter the rivalry, the more your honest emotional outrage will color anything you say … however, unless it’s scrupulously honest and easily proven, reporters will assume (generally correctly) that it’s disinformation. They’ll lose respect for you while assuming the competitor is the “good guy …”

Bottom line - if you're bound and determined that you're going to leak something about an opponent, make sure that it's honest - and also make sure that it doesn't come back to bite you.  Better not to do it, but that's like telling a college kid that it's better to study than to go to a kegger.  Good luck.

4. "Baffle them with BS"

This is sadly familiar in sports and in politics, governance and campaigns. When information about a law or regulation or issue is technical or hard for a layman to follow, it is easy to use jargon or inside-the-beltway techno-babble to confuse the reporter. This is also done to try to make the techno-babbler appear larger-than-life and far more knowledgeable than he likely is. This is a poor strategy with a huge potential for boomeranging - just ask Al Gore. The full quote is “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with B.S.” – and in PR, that’s an inside joke, but it's also a measure of contempt for those who cannot present brilliance and who have to resort to confusion.

Don’t go there.

5. Playing (media) Favorites

This may seem harmless, right? One reporter’s been good to you. One has been stern-but-fair (or maybe not quite so fair). You’d rather feed a good story to the nice guy/gal, right? Short-term, that’s a good idea. But long-term (and long-term can be pretty short in this day of instant communications), it is a campaign or candidate suicide pact. Despite playing favorites, you're probably not going to be able to really curry favor with your favorite reporter. However, you can bet your pension and your wife's inheritance that you will earn the disfavor and disrespect – and in many cases, the active enmity – of the reporters you snub.
One of the first lessons in PR school, one that especially applies in politics and political campaigning is this: “Never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel.” Reporters and editors ALWAYS get the last word. So respect them all (at least outwardly) and play no favorites.

OK, some campaign PR people can do this and seem to get away with it – they do it by juggling, and they succeed (sometimes) because a professional who really knows the rules can sometimes break or bend them. Others do it because their candidate is so "big" that the media really wants to earn a few favors.  Some pros can get away with this - at least in the short term – by knowing the risks and rewards, and by playing the game with skill and finesse. This is another game you don’t want to play at home, or in your campaign. Play it straight with reporters, and more often than not, they’ll play straight with you.

If they don’t, write a letter to the editor (really – it often works).

6. Demanding Coverage

This is one of the worst failings of amateurs, and of self-important candidates who have more power in their mind than they do in reality. They somehow think, perhaps by the divine right of kings (and candidates) that they actually do deserve favorable coverage because:

• Their parents raised such wonderful children

• It's their turn – hey, the other candidate was covered last month, and fair’s fair, right?

• Their story is devastatingly important (or, it’s vital to help launch their campaign, or turn a corner, or steal a march on an opponent, etc.)

• The big boss (the candidate's spouse) is demanding it

There are other excuses – pick yours. Then understand this. While reporters and editors need stories and news, they almost never need yours, no matter how important you think your candidate or campaign might be. They have what is called “editorial judgment” – which means that absent libel and slander, they can write and publish (or ignore) just about anything they want – and they do not have to answer to anybody.

If you must know why your story didn’t run, you can ask – if you do it right. Here’s what I do.

“Sir (or ma’am), apparently I did something wrong – I thought it was a good story, but clearly it wasn’t good enough. If you have a minute, I’d appreciate it if you could tell me what I could have done different or better to make this worth your time and interest.” In this case, the fault is yours (probably true – it is with PR professionals, so why not with candidates or campaign professionals … good as we are, we can miss some big point or subtle nuance). But it’s better not to ask – some editors get real defensive. And if you “demand,” kiss your future positive press coverage, and maybe even your campaign, goodbye.

7. "I was only following orders ..." (doing what you are told, rather than what is right)

This only works if you're not the candidate yourself - unless you can persuade someone that you were following your Campaign Manager's edict.  If you are doing your campaign's or candidate’s PR and are answering to someone else, you may find that the candidate or the Campaign Manager is asking or expecting you to do things that your gut instincts say avoid, and these brief lessons tell you to steer clear of. Do not be tempted to follow bad advice - or worse, bad orders - just because it comes from the top. However, if you do as your told (and it blows up in your face with the reporters or editors), take the heat with integrity. Don’t blame others (or cop out with “I was only following orders …”) – its amazing how little damage comes from admitting you were wrong – and moving on. Almost all reporters and editors respect that, if only because it’s so rare.

Conclusion

OK, so you’ve seen the Seven Deadly Sins – and you know what your candidate or campaign should avoid. You’ve seen how to choose between targeted and broadside distribution of releases, as well as how to prepare and distribute a pitch. Now, let’s go out there and get us some good, solid campaign Earned Media PR, OK?

The reporters are waiting for you … Good Luck!

And if you need help with campaign Earned Media relations, PR, speechwriting, strategy, or ghost-writing/speechwriting - give me a holler - ned@barnettmarcom.com or 702-561-1167

Staging a Political Campaign Event? Think "Wedding"

Campaign Event Management – Think “Wedding”

Ned Barnett

 Note - I was inspired to write this because my "last" single son got married Saturday night, in a big event that was held (but with no political overtones) at the Clinton Center in Little Rock.  Yes, it really does look exactly like the world's largest double-wide, and the inside is even tackier than I'd feared ... it's really almost a parody of itself, and of President Clinton. But it made a fine venue for a great wedding, and having talked at length with the wedding planner - she had dinner with my wife and I after the rehearsal - I was inspired by how closely weddings and political events can parallel.  So learn from the events-masters - wedding planners - and make your next event a life-altering success!

Everybody has experienced a wedding – their own, in most cases, along with the weddings of brothers or sisters, daughters or sons – but even if you’ve only experienced a “Hollywood Wedding” on the Silver Screen, you’ve got an idea of what one is like.  And if you can imagine putting together a wedding – a big wedding, with all the bells and whistles – you’ve know everything you need in order to put together a successful political campaign or fund-raising event or other voter-growing project.

The key to success is planning, whether it’s for a wedding of for a political campaign event.  Except for elopements, visits to the Justice of the Peace, or last-minute spur-of-the-moment “quick, before we sober up” Vegas weddings, all really impressive weddings begin with planning.  And planning begins by making a master checklist.  With just a few exceptions, the lists are the same.

Wedding	Campaign Event
1.     Wedding Planner & Timetable	1.     Event Planner & Timetable
2.     Theme	2.     Theme
3.     Date and Time	3.     Date and Time
4.     Location or Venue	4.     Location or Venue
5.     Priest, Preacher or Rabbi	5.     Master of Ceremonies
6.     Guest List & Invitations	6.     Guest List & Invitations
7.     Caterer & Flowers	7.     Caterer & Decorations
8.     Entertainment	8.     Entertainment
9.     Wedding Favors	9.     Campaign Hand-Outs
10. Rehearsal & Rehearsal Dinner	10. Pre-Event Run-Through

Let’s run through those.

1.     Event Planner.  Whether this is something you do yourself, something that you assign to your campaign manager, or something you hire out, this is essential. Someone has to be in charge.  If “everyone’s in charge” (i.e., everyone instinctively knows what they’re supposed to do) then, in fact, nobody’s in charge.  Success happens by accident, not intention.  Recommendation:  Hire or retain an event planner – this frees you and your staff up for what you all do best – take care of voters, donors, the media and campaign business.  Then, ask the event planner to create a time table for the events – indicting who does what, and when, in order that it all comes together on campaign event day.

2.     Theme.  This is a central element to the event.  Weddings usually have themes – from “back to nature” to “traditional church” – and this defines everything from the location and date/time to the nature of the invitations and the flavor of the edible decorations.  So create a theme that focuses on the event – and focus the event in ways that will bring in your goal, be they donors, volunteers, the party faithful or potential voters.  Sometimes traditional is best, but sometimes thinking out of the box works.  Traditional means having a voter-education component (“this is who I am and why you should vote for me”) or announcing a new position on an issue of breaking-news importance.  Media events designed to generate press also are traditional, but unless you're already a Governor or Senator who's running for re-election, getting the press out to a "press event" can be tough (meaning "impossible").

Those traditional programs often work – but sometimes, it helps to go beyond traditional, to think out of the box, to make this more than an Amway-like sales pitch.

For example:

Super Bowl Sunday could be a horrible setting for an event – but you could make a Super Bowl Sunday event the hit of the season … IF you want to attract women voters who would otherwise be stuck at home, bored beyond tears as they serve up hot wings and cold beers to their significant other and his buddies as they make fools of themselves in some kind of weird annual male bonding ritual. 

Women can be a powerful force in your volunteer team, but they have other priorities.  Staging a “Gal’s Night Out” kind of events - for voter calling or envelope stuffing or training them to be effective advocates - can really be effective, especially when your event includes the free delivery of (hopefully-donated) pizza and wings, sent home to the husbands of any woman who actually show up, making it “ok” for them to be away from home at supper time.  That may seem a bit pricey, but it could provide a huge pay-off in new volunteers and get-out-the-vote efforts.  They’ll even come home to a happy and well-fed family.

Think out of the box.  If it's not a couples event, come up with a theme that works for the guests’ spouses and families, as well as the guests – and one that also works for building new volunteers, donors or voters.

3.     Date and Time.  You need a date that doesn’t conflict with local civic or charitable events, or Wednesday night church services or other scheduled conflicting events.  You need a time that won’t require you to close your campaign office for too very long (you will have to shut down if stage this event in your own office, or manage the event with your campaign staff.  But to have it somewhere else means your guests won’t see what a great place you have (assuming you have a great-looking campaign headquarters, and that's a bit of a stretch) – and that’s not a good thing.  You also want a date and time that will allow your target audience to turn out in force.   Tie your schedule to something that works for you, or find a way to make it work.  Most events should not be held during office hours (except for noon-time lunch-hour brown-bag rallies) – unless you can come up with a workable exception that makes sense. 

4.     Location or Venue.  The ideal location in most cases is your campaign office, because it allows you to show off your office (and because you've already paid for it).  But there could be a case made for having it off-site - especially if the space is donated.  Cash bars help cover costs and make people happy (and can "pay for" the room) - but be careful if you're in the Bible Belt (that's where I learned politics, and I learned that everybody drank, but nobody admitted it, or would do it in public).   

     Also, The location should be tied to the theme of the event.

5.     Master of Ceremonies. You don’t need a priest, preacher or rabbi to “officiate” the way you do at a wedding, but it often makes good sense to have a third party as your MC – this allows you to more effectively circulate with your guests and not have the pressure of being “on” every instant.  The MC can do double-duty if he or she also represents in some way the theme.  The key here is that the candidate is the only one who can close a deal (I don't mean this in a negative way) - the candidate should talk to donors, representatives of voter blocks, etc. - s/he is the only one who can make the assurance that yes, I'll vote for (or against) that legislation, which is what most voter-block group leaders and potential donors want to hear.  You're not for sale - but if your position and theirs coincides, they want to know this so they can support you.

Having an MC can be especially important if your event involves you making a presentation to your guests (and you'll certainly want to give an informal and rah-rah version of your stump speech).  The MC can hold their attention until you’re ready, then introduce you. 

Whomever you choose, you want someone who creates confidence, and who is glib on his or her feet.  Even better if he or she adds a little local celebrity buzz to the event.  Do not underestimate the importance and impact of local “celebrity,” and make use of it in attracting the guests you want – the ones who will become donors, volunteers or voters.

6.     Guest lists and invitations.  These perhaps should be two distinct categories, so let’s start with Guest Lists. 

a.      Guest List:  Your invitation list should include:

                                                    i.     Known supporters or donors

                                                  ii.     Friends of known supporters or donors (ask your supporters to nominate potential guests)

                                                 iii.     Prospective donors or voting block supporters

                                                iv.     Civic, Religious and Community leaders (especially those who might some day become supporters)

                                         

b.     Invitations and Promotions:  Your “invitations” should include mailed and emailed invitations that would be professionally designed and written, then mailed or emailed (or both).  This is important, and a professional should be called in.  Also consider phone banks, to both offer invitations and to serve as reminders - you won't be top-of-mind for the people you want, so a reminder helps.

However, the idea of “invitations” should also include other approaches; here again, professionals (PR, Social Networking, Advertising, etc.) should be involved as well.  

But be careful here.  Back in '78, a Texas senator, Lloyd Benston, was thinking about running for President, and was in South Carolina to talk to some local leaders. However, the event was publicized in the paper, so I went.  There were about 15 "suits" in the room - political professionals - then there was me.  Ol' Lloyd spent all his time talking to the voter (me), which was smart, but the meeting was a bust - all because it was publicized in the wrong way.  So, be careful.

Here's how to promote the event (though I'll address this in much more detail in a future blog post).

                                                    i.     Press releases posted via wire services (BusinessWire, etc.) announcing the event and giving a call-in or social network contact account link by which people can RSVP (and give you their contact information)

                                                  ii.     Social networking “invitations” posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc., and supported by blogs, photo spreads and other “content” that will make the right people interested in attending

                                                 iii.     Advertising in local political and civic media, both online and print/broadcast

                                                iv.     Posters at strategic allies – anywhere you can find supporting organizations that will let you post because they share a common target demographic audience

7.      

     Caterers and Decorations.  This means event decorations, such as bunting and American flags, blow-up photos of the candidate, etc – there may be catered food (or not) – but whatever you do, you will want to decorate the location – and offering snacks and beverages is almost always an excellent idea.  If alcohol is involved (always a risk, and a reward if you're careful), open bar makes sense unless you've got a financial donor.  Rely on your professional event planner here – she’ll have established business arrangements that should (if you picked the right event planner) get you premium services and discounts. 

However, do check to make sure that the events planner isn’t getting kickbacks from vendors – that kind of business arrangement does not generate superior quality (vendors providing kick-backs have to either cut corners or lose money), and it sure doesn’t get you the best prices, since if at all possible, the kick-back will be passed on to the event planner's client – you. 

8.     Entertainment.  In many events, you – the candidate – you are the “entertainment,” making a presentation about who you are, why you want to be elected and what you'll do when you're in office.  But think beyond the box.  A soft/light jazz combo could add class to the event. The MC might be a budding stand-up comedian who will lighten the event, but no offensive jokes - make sure of that.  On-the-spot entertainment, such as character-sketch portrait artists and even palm readers, can be used effectively - but only in the right event.  You can be serious or light, but you want the entire event to be memorable, and great food, great drinks and great entertainment can add to any event. But never forget - the bottom line - YOU are the event.

9     Campaign Hand-Outs.  These remind your guests that this is ultimately about electing the right candidate - you. It might include samples of custom/branded products - T-shirts, ball-caps, or even buttons and bumper stickers (though I'm not sure of their current value, except on eBay) - and it might also include a “gift bag” with free-service coupons and samples from supportive businesses.  Make them campaign-connected, or make them memorable

     Pre-Event Run-Throughs.   This is where most events run by candidates and their teams fall flat.  Practice.  No wedding goes forward without a rehearsal, and a rehearsal dinner. That’s part of what makes them special, and part of why amateurs (grooms) so seldom mess up on the big day. They rehearsed.  Then, and only then, they partied.

Make your event special.  Do a run-through the day before, or a few hours before - whatever you can make work.  It should be a “dress rehearsal” of the entire event. Make sure everyone on your staff, and every hired gun, is ready. Then, if you do it the night before, reward them by having an event “rehearsal dinner,” at a nice place, and pick up the tab.  That will put everyone in a confident and positive mind-set when they’re ready to move forward.

Bottom line:  A wedding is the beginning of the rest of their lives for the participants. It’s a big deal, and people who care do the planning, sub-divide the responsibilities and make sure everything is done right.  Your campaign event could be the beginning of the rest of your life - if you don't believe me, ask Howard Dean about Iowa.  Make it work for you, and you won't regret it.