The Latest PR Tips for Pitching, FAMs and Blogger Outreach

Speaker: Leif Pettersen

• What to start doing (or stop doing) when sending pitches• Tips for adjusting your blogger outreach• Tips for working with a difficult blogger• Tips for not being a difficult PR person • FAM trip dos and don’ts

Takeaways:

• Freelance travel writer for over 11 years• Visited 54 countries and lived in Spain, Romania and Italy

• Tourism Communications Manager for Mall of America• Not vomited since 1993

• Killing Batteries will have its 10th birthday in February 2016!

Why me?

Why me?

Tips for pitchingStop the shotgun pitching, please

Tips for pitchingConcentrate your efforts on targeted pitching

Tips for pitchingEngage with writers on social media

Tips for pitchingWhat not to do on social media

LOL! LOL PR@leifpettersen @lonelyplanet @spudhilton @johnnyjet Hey guys! Join us in our travel chat about the best places to break your femur!

LOL! LOL PRHey mate! Thanks for following us! You should also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, and download our app WhatsInstaKittySideBoob!

Make it easy for media to request information

Dear Lief,

Thank you for contacting Visit Haplessville CVB!

Please complete this 14 page media form and fax it to 555-5555.

We require two weeks notice for photos, six weeks notice for interviews and 17 months notice for press trips.

We very much look forward to working with you! Warm regards!

Visit Haplessville

Make it easy for writers to reach you

Provide prominent contact information for media

Make images easily accessible

Image gallery is great

Images available for immediate download are better Don’t give the writer an excuse to use an outdated image from Flickr!

Tips for working with a difficult writer

“Give me all the things!”Don’t hesitate to push back on unreasonable requests

Document everything – aka CYANever simply say “all expenses paid”

Tips for not being a difficult PR person

Answer emails promptlyLimit meet-and-greets

Maintain one point of contact for the bloggerThings will go wrong. Be cool, man.

FAM trip dos and don’ts -a list sourced from real,

live bloggers!

FAM trip don’tsOnly getting about one waking hour to enjoy the very swanky hotel rooms that have been provided. (Ten minutes of which are spent photographing said hotel room.)

FAM trip don’tsEating the equivalent of Thanksgiving dinner twice a day for 3-5 days straight or, alternatively, starving on long days.

FAM trip don’tsNOT ENOUGH READILY AVAILABLE CAFFEINE!(eg Provide caffeine after that huge lunch at the very least if you want your bloggers to remember anything that happens in the afternoon.)

FAM trip don’tsBeing loaded down with one metric ton of books, brochures, media and other stuff that can’t possibly be brought home without an extra checked bag.

FAM trip don’tsPushing social media engagement, then confining us to a bus without wi-fi for 10 hours.

FAM trip don’tsNo bathrooms.

FAM trip don’tsGetting itineraries the day before departure, or worse, having itineraries change mid-trip. This makes it impossible to pitch stories before the trip or plan interviews.

FAM trip don’tsNo time for interviews and independent exploration.

FAM trip don’tsRequired coverage is a major turnoff – and sometimes impossible, depending on the outlet.

FAM trip don’tsTrying to pack too many activities into too short a span of time, aka death march schedules. Put some air in there for me to sit, take notes, and enjoy where I am.

FAM trip don’tsNot having enough free time or time at night to upload photos, videos, organize notes and stories from the day.

FAM trip don’tsBeing escorted around a swanky hotel, where you are not staying, with an assumption that by walking inside the room and seeing the view you will write about it.

FAM trip don’tsDon’t take us to places and activities that are not accessible to normal travelers. I can’t write about that.

FAM trip don’tsIf I stumble onto a story or hook during the trip that is not on the itinerary, that I am confident I can sell, please consider allowing me to pursue it.

FAM trip dosCustomized itineraries or at least options for activities and tours, so everyone isn't forced to go to the dog racing track or the world's largest Kmart or whatever.

FAM trip dosTrips designed as if the writers are your best friends who have come to visit. Everyone, hosts and writers included, will have a great time.

FAM trip dosProvide exhaustive info on public transport, even if the FAM trip is all buses, cars and limos. Writers need to be able to pass along transport information to independent travelers who will need it.

FAM trip dosOffer to ship PR material, alcohol, souvenirs and whatnot to the writers’ homes. Otherwise, these items will likely be thrown out or given to hotel clerks and taxi drivers due to lack of luggage space or carry-on only travelers who can’t travel with liquids.

FAM trip dosProvide a list of everyone going on the trip in advance. “Gives me the chance to gracefully bow out if my nemesis is going, too.”

FAM trip dosProvide a price list for hotel rooms, food, activities and anything else. The writers will almost definitely need to include this information in their articles.

FAM trip dosSend quality pre-trip reading. Not PR stuff, but history, short stories, and/or stuff relevant to the destination.

FAM trip “other”Vet your writers carefully. From a prominent blogger: “I look at past people who have been on trips with that company. PR people really fall for anything, sometimes, and pick some really awful folks to go on trips. It makes me think twice about what the expectations are when I see 'yes men' go on fams.”

Swag: the good, bad and the garbage

Good SwagUSB mobile phone chargers

Classy shampoo, conditioner or lotionCool sunglassesGood notebooks, eg Moleskin“High end socks”

Apps with free subscription serviceIn-flight wi-fi vouchers

Good SwagChocolate of all kindsAlcohol of all kindsCamera lens clothsScreen cleaner

Flash drive with EVERYTHING from the conference Collapsible pouches

iTunes gift cards

Good Swag“Ideally nothing that I have to add to my bag”Speakers’ books or locals’ books

Airplane snacks High quality, sport backpacks“Gadgets that work”Practical first aid kits

Local Music

Bad SwagPaper of any kindNotebooksFlash drives Liquids of any kind Dull tech brand t-shirtsMugs/glasses

Garbage SwagPaper marketing material of any kind

Cheap bags Breakables

“Generic conference crap”

Thank you!Questions?

Story timeThat one time I lost my cool with a

spammingmarketing firm

Story timeSubject: Story idea!

From: Spamming AgencyTo: Leif Pettersen

Dear Lief,We hope you’ll cover our press release listicle about holidays with demon spawn kids and stuff.Love, Spammers

Story timeSubject: REMOVE

From: Leif PettersenTo: Spamming Agency

Please remove me from this distribution list. Thank you.

Story timeClick Unsubscribe if you no longer want to receive our dumb emails.

Story timeSubject: RE: Story idea!

From: Leif PettersenTo: Spamming Agency

Dear Lief,Just checking in to see if you got our previous email and whether or not you’d like to give us free advertising on your site. Lol!Love, Spammers

Story time

Story timeDear Idiots,

Story time

Story timeSubject: Another story idea! :P

From: Spamming AgencyTo: Leif Pettersen

Dear Lief,We hope you’ll cover our press release listicle about what to do when the wi-fi is slowish.Love, Spammers

Story timeMoral of the story: don’t do anything

these people did, ever.