“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate,” is the famous line from the 1967 Paul Newman movie Cool Hand Luke.   It best sums up the Marathassa – Burrard Inlet oil spill and points to a critical failure we often see in a crisis. In planning for a crisis, organizations forget the importance of communication, not only in dealing with the crisis, but also when informing the public.  They plan how to deploy resources and deal with the crisis internally, while often forgetting what exists outside of their organization.

A timeline in the Globe and Mail  shows several communications failures that lead to delays in calling out cleanup and containment crews in the Marathassa spill.  Once deployed, the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) teams did an excellent job, cleaning up 80 per cent of the oil in 20 hours, but the communication delays turned what might have been a minor incident into a major event.  Those internal communication failures were then compounded by a failure to inform the City of Vancouver until 12 hours after the spill was first reported.  This turned it into a major story.

Rather than being praised for its response, the Coast Guard faced a storm of criticism for an inadequate response and cleanup effort.  The public was unhappy. Local politicians were unhappy.  The Provincial Government was unhappy.  This could not come at a worse time for proponents of expanded crude oil shipments out of the Port of Vancouver.  Oil spill prevention and a world-class response are central to gaining public support.  Public and political sentiment is that this was not world-class. Poor communications lead to a slow response, which let the crisis get out of hand.

The Coast Guard’s prime stakeholder in a crisis situation is not the Federal Government or Coast Guard management in Ottawa.  The Coast Guard’s number one stakeholder in a crisis is the public who they are charged with protecting and that includes local governments who represent all of us.  That stakeholder was forgotten.

So how do you avoid making the same mistakes in your crisis?  Here are seven things to think about:

1) Have a crisis communications plan. Crisis planning is not complete without a crisis communications plan. Who to call (or tweet), when to call (or post on Facebook), what to say, and how to best get your message out.  To be seen to be effectively responding, you have to tell someone about it

2) Alert your communications team right away. Don’t wait until the story is out of control—get the communications team working on the crisis from the outset.   Bringing in heavy hitters from Ottawa didn’t save the Coast Guard’s reputation, nor change the public perception of the crisis.  By then the story was written by the public, the media, and the critics.  The story was “clean up was a failure,” “world-class spill response was anything but” and “Coast Guard cuts made the problems worse.”

3) Prepare your statements in advance. Have fill-in-the-blanks templates for media advisories, statements and news releases for predicted events so you can get those out to the public quickly.  It should include social media channels and your website as well.

4) First out with the information controls the message. The first voices set the narrative, the tone of the story.  It’s your crisis so you know the most and you know first.  Use that to your advantage.  Become the source of accurate information.  Media and the public go to who can provide the best information.  In an information vacuum, they go to who screams the loudest.

5) Know who your stakeholders really are.  Make a list.  Make a list and have it as a key element of your crisis communications plan.  Who they are and how to reach them.  If the public isn’t on the list, they need to be there and the best way to reach them is through the media: both social media and traditional.

6) Define each potential crisis in advance. You should have a list of potential crises, each given a crisis rating based on seriousness and a planned response for each level of crisis.  That way in the heat of the moment you can just follow the plan and effectively manage crisis communications.

7) Exercise the plan often. The worst thing you can do is create a plan and never practice it.  If you regularly deal with minor events, get in the habit of pulling out the plan, assessing the seriousness and whether to call in the communications team.  It’s free practice! Follow the same steps until they become routine.  Use the templates mentioned above.  It should become second nature so when a major crisis happens you know what to do.  If you don’t have regular minor occurrences, then you need to do formal practice until you are confident in your ability in a crisis.

Look at the oil spill and relate it to a crisis your organization could face.  Would you do better or make the same mistakes? If you don’t have a crisis communications plan, or if you have a plan but don’t know how to use it or where it is or who to contact and how to do that, then expect bad news.  A crisis defines your organization.   Your response to a serious event is revealing.

Tags: communications vancouver, crisis communications Vancouver, crisis management, issues management, Media relations vancouver, Vancouver PR

Peak Communicators is a green office, and I mean that in both the literal and figurative sense.

The walls are green, the carpet is green, our logo has green in it, as does some of our office supplies, and there are a few pieces of greenery around the office.

Sometimes we also wear green.

But green isn’t just one of Peak’s brand colours. When it comes to environmental practices, green is our mantra.

While we work hard all year to be environmentally sustainable, here’s a look at what makes the Peak offices green and eco-friendly in the spirit of Earth Day:

1) Car-free commute: Whether it’s by foot, bike or transit (shout out to bus 241!), the overwhelming majority of us Peakers saunter in via an Earth-friendly mode of transportation. We forgive Alyn for driving because he’s kind of a notorious ‘car guy,’ and because Chris offsets Alyn’s drive by telecommuting in from Kelowna.

2) Organic waste recycling: We received our compost bin a few weeks ago and the announcement raised a round of email cheers from the staff. Clearly we’re all about composting because we fill that bin up every single day.

3) Paper recycling: We’re media people and therefore we read all of the daily local and national newspapers. But with great power comes great responsibility, so we happily turn around and recycle them (almost) as quickly as we read them

4) Reusable dishes and containers: Those of us who cook at home bring our lunches in reusable containers and will use the office dishes to chow down. Also, Peak generously provides us with our morning coffee and tea (that doesn’t come from k-cups, and which gets recycled after brewing/steeping), so we keep some of those disposable cups from the local coffee shops out of the landfill by using our ceramics.

We also represent a number of amazing clients who are making huge strides in environmental sustainability and eco-friendly workplaces.

Tell us in the comments what does your company do to go green year-round.

Happy Earth Day from Peak!

Tags: Vancouver PR, Vancouver PR agency, Vancouver public relations

On Sunday April 12th, 2015, Hillary Clinton finally announced her much anticipated run for presidency. When this news broke, the conversation did not seem to focus on her qualifications, her platform, or even the possibility that she may become America’s first female president; the chatter was all about her campaign logo.

Within hours, social media was ablaze with critiques and comparisons to her block-letter “H” with a red arrow running through it: some saying it resembled hospital signage, while others stated it looked like something created by a 10 year old on MS Paint.
To be fair, Hillary is not the only political pundit to be on the receiving end of this type of “crowdsmashing”, a term coined by Paul Ford to describe how social media has allowed people to rally in a mob-like fashion to pick apart something they are not pleased with.

Crowdsmashing can be even more vicious if a well-known entity decides to undergo a rebrand. People do not like change, and social platforms allow them to voice that displeasure, and find out who else shares in their unhappiness.
This whole debacle surrounding logos and social media got me thinking about two facets of communications I deal with on a daily basis:

1. Our world is becoming increasingly visual

Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram currently lead the way in terms of fastest growing social media platforms. What else do these three platforms have in common? They’re light on text and heavy on imagery. In a digital era where our attention is so fleeting, we are placing increasing value on things that are visually appealing to us. If we don’t like what we see almost immediately, we are clicking/swiping/scrolling on to something better.
This phenomenon can also be extended to something like your company website. You may be the best and most innovative at what you do, but if your website appears dated, unorganized and difficultto use, it will be seen as a reflection of your business and users will start looking elsewhere. Remember that 55% of users spend as little as 15 seconds on your homepage, so your website has to catch their eye in order for them to stick around and potentially use your service.
In terms of media, TV places an extremely high value on great visuals. If your pitch to TV outlets doesn’t offer imagery that will entice their viewers to continue watching, don’t expect to have it picked up.

2. Everyone’s a critic

When a client story is told on any outlet type, the content is typically shared across social channels, or is open to comments online. You could be telling the happiest or most factually correct story possible, but there’s likely someone out there who wants to point out something negative, or who claims to know even more than you (I’m sure all the people critiquing Hillary’s “H” have years of graphic design and branding experience).
One negative, anonymous commenter on a story likely isn’t something to sweat about; however it is important to continuously monitor the chatter surrounding your brand online. Whether you’re running a social media campaign or a news story about your company just broke, following along with audience sentiment is vital in informing you of what aspects are and are not working, and whether or not you need to get out in front of a crisis before it starts to escalate.
When it comes to day-to-day social media responsibilities, if your company is receiving questions or complaints, it is important to respond to them quickly and professionally even if you find them trivial or know them to be incorrect. Ignoring these public comments will make it appear as though you have something to hide, or are neglectful of customer needs.

So whether you’re trying to become the President of the United States or just trying to generate business, understanding what is visually appealing to your audience and monitoring the conversation surrounding your brand online is important.

Tags: Government relations Vancouver, Vancouver PR, Vancouver social media

The foundation of successful communication is clear writing.  If you want your message to get across and be taken seriously you need to be clear.

Some people believe that in order to gain attention, their story needs to be BIG and that leads to exaggeration.

One year at CTV Vancouver, we were major offenders ourselves.   We had to ban the term “parent’s worst nightmare” because we used it so often on our newscasts.  It had become lazy shorthand for almost every story involving a child.  A child’s serious life threatening illness was a parent’s worst nightmare.  A child being bullied was also a parent’s worst nightmare.  So too were a murdered child, injured child, a missing child, even a close call involving a child.  It was unnecessary hype which detracted from the news rather than enhancing it.  Our news had become a parent’s worst nightmare.

You see this phenomenon in other storytelling.  I had a chuckle recently when the price of oil rose by about three dollars overnight and business writers said it had “skyrocketed,”“soared,” or “surged” higher.

The writers might defend themselves by saying a  seven per cent overnight move in oil prices, albeit temporary,  is a big move, but in saying so it lacked context.  It ignored the fall that preceded it.  By having a narrow focus on just a few hours, the writers looked foolish to anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of the oil market.

Imagine you are watching a movie where actor Jackie Chan jumps off a 107 foot tall building.  I like Jackie Chan; he does all his own stunts and has the bruises to show for it.  At the 45 foot mark Jackie hits an awning and bounces up about three feet.  Would movie goers gasp and say “look at him skyrocket! Wow Jackie is soaring!”?  I think not.

Oil had fallen from a high of $107 in the summer to about $45 before thisskyrocketing, soaring, surging move happened.  That’s the proper context.

Here are seven ways to avoid similar news release exaggeration, that makes you and your company look silly:

• Never forget the context. Context is important and relates not only to you but also to your community and sector in which you operate.  So for example, your “best year ever” may be true, but if your competitors have grown twice as fast as you, you might want to focus on something else—like innovation or new product development.
• Don’t be lazy; be creative. Clichés such as “parent’s worst nightmare” are a crutch.  Don’t use what you used last time by default.   Take the time to be creative and get it right.
• Be specific. If it’s your best year ever, what is the measure?  Sales, sales growth, staff growth, profit, happy customers?
• The headline needs to match the story. The headline at the top of the news release needs to be supported by the words below.  A critical error is using a jaw-dropping headline which isn’t supported by the facts.  It causes media blood pressure to shoot up with excitement and they get let down by the content.  A disappointed assignment editor will kill your future story opportunities.
• Stick to what you know and can prove. Facts are important.  Media will want proof and if you can’t prove what you are saying then a positive event can turn negative in a hurry.  Media are like sharks, when they smell blood in the water a feeding frenzy begins.  Don’t believe me?  Ask a media person.  Feeding frenzy is a news media term not limited to the Nature Channel.
• Tell your best unique story. If everyone in your industry is telling the same story, highlight what makes your story unique.  If you can’t think of anything fresh, neither will the media.
• Be flexible. If it’s a busy news day, your story is not getting on.  It means your plans need to be flexible.  If breaking news has made your story no longer relevant for that day, make yourself available tomorrow.  Show you understand the needs of the media and it will pay off down the road.  Don’t get mad that your story was bumped, even if the media cancelled an interview at the last second; get your story out there the next day instead.

One final thought.  Every time you interact with the media you are making an impression, even when the media decides not to run your story.  A good impression means you will get a fair hearing next time while a bad impression closes that door, sometimes forever.

Tags: communications vancouver, Media relations vancouver, Writing

The public relations and social media landscapes are constantly changing and, sometimes, it’s hard to keep up. One way to help stay up-to-date with new techniques and tools is by learning from bright public relations and social media professionals around you.  I recently attended a YVR PR Roundtable – a casual meet up group for public relations (PR) pros in Vancouver – and the crew introduced some interesting PR and social media tools that are worth sharing. Although there are many more uses for each tool listed below, I wanted to give an example of how each tool could be used in a PR campaign.

Social Mention

o   What it does: aggregates user generated content from across the web into a single stream of information.

o   Useful for: when a crisis happens  it’s great for tracking sentiment, and getting a good snapshot of what’s being said.

Muck Rack

o   What it does: Muck Rack’s mission is to make journalists, PR pros and marketers more successful by connecting them through its platform.

o   Useful for: finding and pitching the right journalist.

Meerkat & Periscope

o   What they do: live-stream video through Twitter. Meerkat was all anyone could talk about at SXSW this year!

o   What’s the difference:  although they are very similar apps, Meerkat was first on the scene, while Periscope is owned by Twitter.

o   Useful for: raising the profiles of thought-leaders and CEO’s. For example, Hootsuite recently used Periscope to live-stream an AMA (Ask Me Anything Session) with Ryan Homes.

Coverage Book

o   What it does: grabs coverage, crunches all the data and designs an impactful showcase that best presents a client’s brand.

o   Useful for: curating earned media hits, and handing a beautiful, client-ready report.

Product Hunt

o   What it does: curates the best new products on one website; the most popular products are positioned at the top of the site.

o   Useful for: gaining momentum for product launches.

These are just a few of the many PR and social media tools on the market today that help communications pros garner top tier results for their company and clients.  To keep up with the latest PR and social media trends, connect with YVR PR on Facebook and Twitter.

Tags: Vancouver media relations, Vancouver PR, Vancouver public relations, Vancouver social media

Until recently, my experience with Kickstarter was fairly limited—I loosely understood it as a fundraising platform for companies or projects. So when one of my for-profit clients announced they were launching a new product via a Kickstarter campaign, and needed extensive PR support to get more “backers” (campaign supporters who donate funds in exchange for a product or service) to reach their fundraising goal, I knew I had my work cut out for me. 

In a nutshell, Kickstarter was developed to help creative projects flourish among target audiences—it is a low-risk channel that connects early adopters and innovators by introducing new products or services online at a discounted price. The concept is comparable to a commercial version of online dating—matchmaking in commerce. Typically campaigns last for 30 days and all financial proceeds collected during this time are used to help the company cover innovation costs and the expense of bringing the product or service to market.

While Kickstarter was a novelty that received extensive publicity when it launched in 2009, it is now ubiquitous. Rising above the chatter to deliver a topline Kickstarter campaign can be a difficult task that requires a well-thought out marketing and publicity strategy. Product websites, ad buys, news releases, case studies, video, social media, bloggers, events and direct marketing executed before, during and after a campaign are all excellent promotional tactics that increase exposure.

However, I quickly learned one of the most invaluable tactics, that has consistently achieved the best results in campaigns, is word-of-mouth support from your backers and brand supporters. Getting your backers to endorse, rate and review your product or service will always produce more authentic public content than you can generate internally.

Furthermore, if the media—i.e. influential bloggers and well-known outlets (such as The Huffington Post, Forbes, Fast Company, Mashable)—see that the general public is buzzing over your campaign, they will listen and are more likely to mention you in their next blog or article. Don’t underestimate the power social media, word of mouth and the loyalty of brand fanatics. While marketing your campaign is both important and necessary, taking your Kickstarter campaign to the next level requires looking outside the walls of your company for support.

Take Pebble Technology’s most recent Kickstarter campaign for its new Pebble Time smartwatch. The company has raised $$19,256,637—3,851% of its $500,000 Kickstarter goal—with seven days of the campaign still to go. While Pebble benefits from previous experience with Kickstarter, much of the campaign success is due to the company’s large social media following, word of mouth and ongoing media attention.

Here are a few basic tips that I learned from my experience. I hope they prove useful for those of you preparing to launch a Kickstarter campaign of your own:

• Be sure there is a genuine interest for your product or service, and a real need for external funding
• Communicate with your customers before you launch your campaign, and maintain consistent communications with backers and customers during and after the campaign—do not lose contact with them simply because they have pledged for your campaign
• Ask your backers to talk about your product or service among their networks
• Remain active on your social media accounts and be sure to post consistent updates to your website and Kickstarter webpage
• Proactively identify and reach out to select media and bloggers that have a specific interest in your product or service area
• Be consistent, transparent and genuine—continue to post updates and communicate with your backers and the media well-after the campaign is completed. You never know when you will launch your next Kickstarter campaign and the ongoing exposure is vital for the success of your company.

Many of the writers and bloggers I spoke with were interested in publishing a follow-up piece on the successes and learnings from the campaign. All publicity is good publicity, after all! So you didn’t get the results you were after? My advice: reach out to your media contacts and backers anyway to tell them what you were happy with, and what you would change next time. This shows your humility and willingness to learn, and will help generate support for your next Kickstarter campaign before it’s even been conceived.

Interested in learning more about Kickstarter? Here are a couple of useful articles that may help get you started:

• 88 Creative’s Erin Bury on Crowdfunding Dos and Don’ts
• Crowdfunding isn’t just about money. It’s a publicity machine.

Tags: bloggers, branding, Communications strategy, crowdfunding, endorsements, fundraising, Kickstarter, Pebble Time, Public relations, publicity

By now everyone knows to be careful what they share on social media.

Potential and current employers may be monitoring your online activity, or it may be brought to their attention by others who deem your posts inappropriate or offensive. Even corporate social profiles have a heightened sense of what they share after the US Airways NSFW image fiasco, and more recently the Delta Airlines giraffe debacle (get it together airline social media!)

When we share on social channels like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, we know our posts will be broadcast to either the public or to a list of followers we have approved. Emails, however, we often assume are private. Like a phone call, they are typically not intended to be viewed by the general public.

Evan Spiegel, the 23-year-old founder of the billion-dollar app SnapChat, learned that this isn’t always the case, when a number of blatantly sexist emails he sent out to his fraternity during his college days, were publicized on Gawker.com and nearly every major business and technology publication in the days following. I am not here to condemn Mr. Spiegel on his less-than-eloquent language, as it may be argued that he was, and is, a 20-something frat boy uneducated in the impact of language. What I am here to do is remind us that we too could fall victim to embarrassing email mishaps, and provide some simple steps on how to prevent them.

Double check who you’re sending to

A certain member of my family who shall remain nameless once told me how he responded in a not-so-favourable manner after finding out that one of his colleagues would be taking charge of a major project, not realizing that the same person had been cc’d on the email. This resulted in a 45-minute phone call of back pedaling and apologies.

Proofreading the body of an email is second nature for many, but it is also important to make sure you check who exactly you are sending a message to before hitting send.

Know your audience

You may be quite chummy with clients, reporters or coworkers, but at the end of the day you are involved in a working capacity and a level of professionalism must be maintained when communicating over work email. Be aware that what you share and how you present yourself to these people could have an effect on your rapport with them.

Be wary of your formatting

Tying into the previous point, how you format an email to your mother or best friend should be different to how you format a business email. A proper greeting and signature, punctuation, and a clean font can say a lot about the quality of your work. It’s difficult to take someone seriously in Comic Sans.

Think before you hit send (or at least be prepared to stand by what you say)

At the end of the day, be it on social media or in an email, don’t send something you’d be embarrassed to have publically shared. I’m sure Mr. Snapchat figured his messages would never go beyond the inbox of those in his fraternity, but in a leadership role with his Stanford University chapter there was an expectation of him to have a  level of professionalism, and his subsequent success made him an easy target for dirty laundry airing.

Though most of us won’t go on to create wildly successful phone apps, everyone wants to have a good reputation in the working world. If you are going to say something risqué, be confident in backing that statement if it is ever brought to light.

Tags: correspondence, editing, email, proofreading, social media, Writing

Tags: branding, crisis communications, issues management, Public relations, social media, storytelling

It’s the goal of every PR professional to get a good headline. In the case of bad news, the goal is to avoid the cringe-worthy one. The cringe-worthy headline is even worse when it’s a self-inflicted wound, based on an actual quotation.

Take this headline from the Globe and Mail last month, “Canada Post CEO defends delivery cuts, says seniors will get more exercise.” Trying to find the silver lining in a dark cloud of negative news is not a good strategy. The “positive spin” of forcing seniors out of their homes to collect mail from a community box rates an eight out of 10 on the cringe-worthy scale. Canada Post CEO Deepak Chopra lost the good headline where the rationale for the decision could have been explained. Instead he was mocked by MP’s at an emergency session of a House of Commons committee for his “mail Participaction”.

It is unlikely you or I will ever be called before a Commons committee, emergency or otherwise, to be grilled by partisan MP’s, but a news conference bears all the same characteristics, especially when you are there to deliver bad news. Reporters can be just as tough as opposition politicians.

Here are my top 10 tips for avoiding the cringe-worthy quote.

1. KISS – Keep it Short and Simple.Because your announcement is “big news,” you feel that you need to hold an hour long news conference so the media gets the full story. Wrong. You need to hold a news conference which is just long enough to give the media what they need for a story, without giving them what they want, which is the negative comment headline. News conference success is measured in messages and not minutes. You don’t have to sit there and take an endless string of questions. In fact, reporters don’t like long news conferences, so you aren’t doing them any favours. Make your opening statement, answer a few questions make a wrap up comment and get out. If you find questions are becoming repetitive, you’ve already stayed too long.

2. Have the news conference professionally moderated. A CEO is at the top for a reason. Unfortunately turning to others for help often isn’t one of them. The stronger the CEO’s personality, the more they usually think they can “handle the media” by themselves. There is a reason politicians have someone run their news conferences. It’s so they can concentrate on providing the best responses to the questions. It is too much to expect one person to answer questions, keep track of who is up next, and not let one reporter dominate the news conference while at the same time judge the mood of the room and decide when it is a good time to wrap up. A moderated news conference stays on track and on topic. Professionals hire professionals to help them.

3. Don’t try to defend the indefensible, express regret instead. When you are delivering bad news, nobody thinks it’s funny. A glib response makes headlines (see above) and shows disrespect to those adversely affected. Present the facts and the reasons you are being forced to take the actions you are taking and the consequences of doing nothing. Don’t try to find the good news spin. It’ll just make you look ridiculous at best, insensitive, elitist and uncaring at the worst and your message will get lost.

4. Make a plan and stick to it. Every news conference needs a plan. It should be laid out minute by minute from when to give media the information (always before you start) through to how long you will speak and how long you set aside for questions. You should know which media members are coming, how they are likely to view the announcement and what questions they will ask.

5. Get media training on your specific announcement with real former reporters. Simulating a rough ride from veteran reporters will pay off. There is no substitute for being prepared and having specific training for your news conference with professionals putting you through your paces. You need to train until you are comfortable with whatever might happen. You should never be surprised by what is asked or how it is asked. But if there is something way off base, being trained how to deal with that scenario will ensure you don’t make the cringe-worthy comment. Again having a moderator there, managing the news conference, is crucial.

6. Practice. Media training is not one time only. There is no substitute for actually practicing it. You should have the team put you through your paces until you are comfortable. And don’t forget a refresher just before you go out to face the media.

7. Run your key messages and Q&A by a real former reporter. It’s like getting a second opinion. You get the fresh set of eyes and a fresh perspective. Remember that reporters are outsiders, so when you bring someone in for another look, they are simulating the reporter experience and are more likely to ask what a reporter will. No matter how thorough you are, I’ll guarantee they’ll find something that could trip you up. It doesn’t mean your communications team has done a bad job. It simply a matter of perspective.

8. Give the media the facts and rationale before you start. To tell your story, the media needs to have your story. The most common mistake that ensures a bad news conference experience and bad news coverage is giving the media the information when it is over. To ask intelligent questions, to understand your point of view, they need the information before you start and in time to digest it all. Then they will concentrate on the highlights you give them during the news conference.

9. Give the media what they need not what they want. What reporters want is enough time to ask questions that will get you to say or do something stupid, which for a reporter is a golden moment. What reporters need is enough information to do a story. That means they need to get only enough time to ask questions that supplement the information you have given them. It’s a lot less time than you think, particularly if you have already given them a clear set of facts. Give them the story you want by giving them only what they need.

10. Stay on script and on message. This is often the hardest step, avoiding message drift. I put it last because everything above leads to this. Doing the other nine steps will naturally help you to stay on script and on message. If you get the urge to go rogue, don’t do it, or you can guarantee what the headline will be. And I’ll have more ammunition for a blog post.

Tags: communication, headlines, key messages, media relations, newsworthy, Public relations, storytelling

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. The wine flows, mince pies are in abundance and parties become the norm during the working week.

Yet for those PRs willing to work hard throughout silly season, there are rewards – and not just from Santa – for their efforts.

So how do you capitalize on Christmas from a publicity perspective? Here are some suggestions:

Christmas gift guides: Do you have a client looking to reach consumers with a cool new product? If so, then now is the best time of year for product PR withoutnecessarily having to pay for advertising. Naturally the competition for placement in these gift guides is fierce with many other retailers looking to capitalize on the same opportunity. However if your product is interesting and relevant and you have imagery to showcase its beautiful design, then go for it. Be warned: you’ll want to start your pitching early as some gift guides decide on content in summer.

Freebies: Who doesn’t like free things, especially in December, the season of giving? Certainly no one in my address book. Consider sending ‘stocking fillers’ or other gifts and gadgets from clients as a way of getting media attention. Always provide journalists with a story along with the gift to give them a reason to write about the treat you’ve provided.

News hijacking: Christmas becomes a major focus for many Canadians during December, and that means journalists turn their attention to this topic as well. Capitalize on this interest by pitching story angles relevant to the season. Put forward a quirky angle or offer a perspective that’s unique to your client to heighten your chances of media interest. Trends in particular can generate headlines.

Timing: I’ve noticed a ‘black hole’ appears in the PR scene between Christmas and New Year. Most PRs are on holiday so the number of stories being sent to media is minimal. This is a great opportunity if you’re willing to work. Issuing a news story – so long as it’s relevant and timely – between Christmas and New Year can go further than it typically would. If you decide to telephone pitch you may find you leave a lot of voicemails. However those journalists in the office are almost guaranteed to be having a slow news day and will therefore be more receptive to suggestions than normal.

We all know that December is for planning as well as partying, and work time is spent focusing on 2014 plans for clients. However taking time out for media relations can lead to a spike in coverage, which is always a fantastic way to finish a campaign.

And if all else fails, the New Year is just around the corner, providing a great opportunity to pitch trends and predictions, which works for almost any client from any industry.

Tags: Christmas, headlines, holidays, new year, news hijacking, Public relations, winter