We talk a lot about media relationships here at Bailey Gardiner. But we do more than just talk about it internally. We continuously hone our skills and share contacts and tips with one another. To formalize this process, we just introduces a “media bootcamp” for the PR team, where we review best practices and set team goals to strengthen all our relationships with local, regional and national media. Here are a few tips from our recent bootcamp session on how to strengthen your relationships with media:

• Stay professional but human. While these are professional relationships, it is also important to stay human, friendly and authentic.

• Understand each reporter’s beat and interests. Pitching them interesting stories they will like and need is the first step to creating goodwill.

• Become a valuable resource to media. Offer them information beyond your clients and get them in the habit of reaching out to you for help.

• Be informed on news and trends in your clients’ industries. That way, when a reporter is looking for something specific that your client may not offer, you may still be able to help them by letting them know about another business or trend you have seen.

• Follow media on Twitter. Try to engage and build a relationship with them online. Media are often more open to conversations online, and Twitter is a great way to form a relationship that can then jump offline.

Any other tips for PR professionals to help strengthen media relationships?

As public relations professionals, we are always trying to cut through the clutter and get the media’s attention. As the media continues to shrink and PR grows, journalists are getting bombarded with more pitches, invitations and press releases than ever, and grabbing attention is getting harder to do. We are always trying to come up with creative ways to stand out and get journalists to notice our clients.

We recently needed a new way to get media attention for our stylish bicycle client, Electra. We had been pitching the same bike models for a few months, and needed a reason for media to take another look at these beautiful bikes. The solution? We planned an LA bike ride day, and invited key media in Los Angeles to join us for a bike ride around their neighborhood. We loaded my car with bikes and gear, and drove around LA to a few editor’s offices and took them for a leisurely, midday ride.

Every single one of our media riders told us it was one of the most unusual invitations they had received and that was precisely why they had said yes. It stood out against all the other boring pitches and invitations. And, it was fun! We had great weather, some laughs and it was a perfect way for them to learn about the bikes and what makes them special.

What other creative events/pitches/invitations have you used to grab the media’s attention, and was it successful?

*This post is part of Bailey Gardiner’s Public Relations Tactics series, which highlights tools and best practices to ensure a successful public relations campaign. The series will run weekly.

Technology has revolutionized the public relations industry. Almost all our communication these days is done via email, phone or social media. While all these technology advances may have made our jobs faster and easier, they have made our communications with media more impersonal.

We have spoken before about the importance of face-to-face meetings with the media. Also important, but getting lost in the hustle and bustle of our job, is the art of the handwritten thank you note. Whenever I work with a journalist on a story, I always make sure to send them a handwritten thank you note afterward. It makes a much bigger impact than an email/text/tweet. It is thoughtful and stands out from the thousands of emails and clutter on our computers, and is just one more way to build stronger relationships with the media. I keep a stack of beautiful stationery on my desk so I have them handy for whenever I want to send a gracious thank you.

Handwritten notes may be old-fashioned, but a thoughtful, personalized thank you will never go out of style.

We have talked a bit about hotel marketing before, and another area where hotels can get a public relations boost is by offering unique deals and packages.

Hotel packages are often used to increase sales for a property. The equation is simple. Offer an enticing package that adds value, discounts or ease to the traveler and the traveler will be more inclined to book. Even someone that wasn’t planning a getaway may choose to do so if the package is attractive enough.  Hotels have come up with every type of package imaginable: 3rd night free, 50% off, packages that include dining or spa credits, etc.

But there is also another reason to offer packages, and that is for public relations. Hotels have offered all sorts of wacky packages to get some added media coverage. Do they expect many people to book these packages? Maybe not, but these packages do help build awareness for the property. Packages can get press for being outrageous, tying into pop culture, or popular events or holidays. Hotels have offered everything from a Survivor package, which offered rooms for $19 a night – if you didn’t mind giving up all luxury amenities, including a bed and toilet paper. The package got huge attention from the media. The Tropicana in Atlantic City even offered a Jersey Shore package, tapping into the incredible popularity of the show. Media coverage ensued.

Packages are just another way for a hotel to tell a story about the property, regardless if the property has any news or not. I personally love some of the outlandish hotel packages I come across, but that doesn’t mean I am going to book them anytime soon. I personally like sleeping in a bed when I go to a hotel, and while I watch the Jersey Shore, I don’t really feel the need to reenact it. But, those packages have raised my awareness of the hotels, and I may book there the next time I go on a vacation, at full price.

What other crazy packages have you seen, and have you ever booked one?

We have talked a lot here about how important it is in public relations to build strong relationships with the media. While email and phone calls are important parts of building any media relationship, nothing can replace a good old face-to-face meeting.

The public relations team at Bailey Gardiner makes an annual trip to New York for a whirlwind tour of desk-sides with various editors, producers and freelancers.  It never ceases to amaze me how successful these trips are in building stronger relationships, getting inside information on what stories and trends the publication is looking for and securing some really great press for our clients.

Carrie and I just got back from our 2010 New York press trip, and have already secured a number of stories for our clients  from the trip (W Magazine and the Today Show are both featuring one of our clients!), and have generated interest in many more. And more importantly, we were successful in strengthening our relationships with dozens of national publications, which only helps us for future client pitching.

When the green movement first started garnering major awareness a few years ago, it seemed that any eco-friendly product or service was able to capitalize on the attention and get positive press and accolades.  As the movement continues to grow and green products flood the market, however, it has become harder for new brands to infiltrate the cluttered marketplace of  green marketing. As consumers continue to get inundated with green messaging, new products and services are under much more scrutiny and must do more to differentiate themselves from the pack. Having handled the public relations for a few green brands, I have a few tips for how eco-friendly products can distinguish themselves in the green market.

Provide value

The down economy affected the green market considerably. Just being green isn’t enough anymore, and consumers are much less likely to pay a premium for green products and services. Consumers have to see green products as providing value to their lives, especially if the products cost more than a non-green alternative.

Implement a corporate culture of sustainability

These days, just having an eco-friendly product or service is not enough. Companies have to practice what they preach and embody a corporate culture of sustainability. Has your green company implemented sustainable business practices, such as recycling, using renewable energy, consuming less and conserving water, as well? Is your company involved with green charities and organizations? Green initiatives should be implemented across all sectors of the company.

Provide a unique product or service

Provide something new and different to the market. It is much harder to gain recognition if there are 20 other brands that offer a very similar product or service to yours.  Do we really need another basic, organic cotton t-shirt company?

Be committed and authentic

So many brands are trying to capitalize on the green movement by making small tweaks and throwing an eco-friendly label on their product. The public is getting much more savvy and is no longer buying it. If a company is not fully committed to the cause, and is just trying to jump on the bandwagon, it can backfire. If, for example, you are using organic cotton, but are also using toxic dyes, you might face scrutiny and a backlash from the media and the public.  Don’t claim to be eco-friendly unless you can really back it up.  And as with any brand, authenticity is key.

Do you have other tips for green brands? Which green brands do you think are doing a good job?

*This post is part of Bailey Gardiner’s Public Relations Tactics series, which highlights tools and best practices to ensure a successful public relations campaign. The series will run weekly.

We have all had a client that wants to be on Oprah or wants a full-page feature in the Wall Street Journal, whether they are a fit or not. And wants it tomorrow. PR pros often encounter a client with unrealistic expectations, and it is the public relations firm’s responsibility to properly manage a client’s expectations. When starting a new public relations campaign or a new relationship with a client, an agency should remember:

Don’t over-promise.

When you are pitching new business or planning a new campaign, don’t promise the moon if you cannot deliver. Be realistic about what outcomes and successes can be expected for your public relations campaign and it won’t come back and bite you in the butt later when you cannot achieve what you said you could.

Explain the public relations process to your client.

Not all clients understand how public relations works, what is a normal time frame for getting press, and what is a reasonable outcome. Share the process with your client. Explain the details of your strategy, objectives and tactics. It could also be beneficial to share case studies with your client to help frame reasonable expectations for a public relations campaign.

Set and agree upon your scope of work, goals and benchmarks in advance.

Establish in advance how your success will be measured. Write down how you will be evaluated, discuss with your client and get approval. Make sure your client knows what falls under your scope of work and what they are responsible for doing. This should all be agreed upon before work begins.  Once work does begin, always provide your client with detailed reports on your progress and report your benchmarks clearly.

Communicate with your client, and communicate with them often.

This is most important, as the key to a great client relationship is communication. Having consistent communication ensures everyone is on the same page and your client is not in the dark about what you are doing, when they can expect results, and what those results might be.

Any other tips for managing client expectations?

As winter approaches, people are starting to think about the upcoming holidays.  Here at Bailey Gardiner, though, our creative public relations team has had the holidays on our mind since May, when we first started strategizing our holiday gift guide pitching efforts for our client, Electra Bicycles.  For most consumer products, one of the holy grails of media coverage is the holiday gift guide. It is important that companies be top-of-mind when consumers stampede the malls and begin the holiday shopping frenzy. Because the holiday gift guide placements are so coveted, they are also very competitive.  Here are a few simple tips for pitching gift guides:

Start pitching gift guides earlier than you think.

Long-lead publications often start planning their gift guides as early as June.  Even dailies will often start planning in August. Think ahead and start your pitching early. Like I mentioned, we started pitching for Electra in May.

Offer editors something new.

Most editors are looking for new items for the gift guide.  Whether it’s a new product entirely, a new model, or a new color, your best bet to scoring gift guide ink is by offering something they have not seen before.

Find out how the gift guide will be divided and structured.

Often times the gift guide is divided into different sections, whether they are by recipient, trend, price or category.  Ask the editor what types of products they are looking for and see where your client fits.  For Electra, we pitched the bicycles for a wide range of gift guide categories like men’s, women’s, luxury, children’s, eco-friendly, celebrity favorites and more.

Be prepared to send samples and images.

Editors will often need samples and images months in advance. Make sure you are prepared and, more importantly, make sure your client is aware of the gift-guide pitching schedule so they have ample time to provide you with whatever you need.

Do you have any other tips to score holiday gift guide coverage?

There is no doubt that the public relations industry is evolving at a rapid pace.  Remember when people would fax the media press releases one by one? Those days are gone and have been replaced by social media press releases, Twitter pitches and company blogs for news distribution.  And while email has become the distribution tool du jour for public relation firms across the world, there is still a time

and place for that traditional, old-school public relations delivery method: Snail mail.

Here at Bailey Gardiner, a San Diego public relations firm, we recently integrated traditional mail (yes the kind from the Post Office!) into our media outreach for our client, Electra Bicycle Company.  Electra’s bikes are well known for their strikingly visual bicycles and their colorful, playful catalogs embody the company’s eclectic style.

While I love and prefer email for being faster, easier and more eco-friendly, in certain instances sending an actual hard copy of materials helps make more of a statement.  When we planned to announce Electra’s 2010 bicycle lines, it made sense to incorporate their beautiful catalogs into our media outreach.

We sent each person on our target media list a catalog, a personalized letter and a pretty Electra bicycle bell. The response was immediate and positive, and I feel much stronger than had we just emailed everyone the information.  The Electra catalog is a strong, eye-catching marketing piece, and it is much harder to ignore or delete than an email.

Traditional mail is definitely not the preferred delivery method for all things public relations, but if a company has a strong marketing piece that makes a bold statement, like Electra, consider sending it the old-fashioned way.  It can do wonders to get an editor’s attention.  What else do you still send to media via traditional mail?

When we first started handling the public relations for Electra Bicycle Company, I was thrilled.  Now let me start by saying that I am not a bike enthusiast by any means.  I am more likely to be found at a mall than a bike path.  I didn’t read bicycle or fitness magazines, and I am probably not what many would consider the target demographic for bicycle marketing.

I do, however, own an old, beat-up bike, and though I don’t bike far or often, every now and then, I will take a leisurely ride around the bay.  While I may not be on the market for a bicycle, if I saw a bicycle that spoke to me, I would definitely consider buying it. For my lifestyle, bicycles are more of a fashion statement and a means for self-expression rather than a fitness tool, and I am most likely to look at bicycles in a fashion magazine.  And I am not alone.

It is important for bicycle brands to grow their market segment by targeting a larger audience that may not know they love bicycles yet, but could become fans of your brand.   With Electra, we not only target fitness and bicycle publications, but fashion, celebrity, design and travel publications, too.  By expanding our outreach, we are reaching a much larger audience of bicycle fans and would-be bicycle fans.  I am a prime example of that… I may not have been in the market for a new bike and I may not be a hard-core bicyclist, but I have already picked out which new Electra bike I will be purchasing this Fall.