Article written by Lisa Clift

Harness the Power of Profiles. In parts 1 and 2 of this series, respectively, we looked at how to market your company to the trade press by building relationships with chief editors and becoming a knowledgeable source who is quoted in articles. The next step in your press coverage plan should be to attract a media outlet to write a company profile about your organization. This coveted coverage can do more to boost sales than any marketing brochure, provided you know how to deliver the right content to the press.

The best company profiles focus on what I call the golden triad: a proven track record of successful business strategies, outstanding human resources, and above-average community involvement. Why? Because balance is the key to excelling at all things in this world—including building a business.

If your company is approached by a media outlet to be the subject of a profile, you must be willing and prepared to provide information on all three of these areas to ensure that the article will present your business in the best possible marketing light. Even if the writer isn’t sharp enough to ask all the right questions, your organization should be smart enough to have the foresight to provide all of the right information needed to help set the direction of editorial coverage.  If an article does not present information on all three of these areas, it will not hold up under reader scrutiny as an industry benchmark case study.

Here are the top three things your company can do to provide detailed information to the press and, as a result, receive above-average marketing benefits from a company profile.

No. 1: Request Questions. It’s appropriate to ask a writer for a list of interview questions and an outline of specific things about your company that prompted the desire to write the story in the first place. A good writer will do this when you ask for it, an even better writer will do this at least a week in advance and send it to you along with a summary of how he or she believes the article angles might develop.

As a chief editor, I had a standard outline of my own that included a list of questions for each part of the triad. I used it to evaluate whether or not a company would make a good profile story. When I identified a company that met the criteria, I would share my outline and a summary of thoughts with the writer assigned to the story. If a writer pitched me a story, I expected the same amount of preliminary research. This is the level of prep work that a good publication/media outlet will undertake, so it should not be a burden to modify the information and share it with you. If you request questions and a writer balks, it’s a fairly good indicator that he or she is not prepared and the resulting article will suffer. If that’s the case, you might want to think twice about going forward with the story.

No. 2: Take Time to Prepare. Once you receive questions from a writer, use them to prepare! I can’t tell you how many times I have shown up at a company to find that the executives I am scheduled to interview have not even looked at the questions I sent in advance. This is a warning sign to the writer that your company is not serious about providing in-depth information for a story. It screams fluff is coming, watch out! Here are three suggestions on how to optimize the preparation process on your company’s end:

• Have one person who is involved in your corporate marketing efforts assigned to distribute the questions to the people who will be interviewed. Have that individual provide assistance in collecting any information, such as statistics and financial numbers, that will be necessary to fully answer the questions. Make sure that information is on paper and in the hands of those who will be interviewed before the interviews take place.
• Prepare a press kit for the writer that includes a summary of vital statistics about the company (sales, locations, number of employees, product lines, etc.) and copies of any positive press coverage the company has received in the past.
• If you are going to provide a facility tour as a part of the interview process, make sure all of your employees know how to respond if a writer asks a question. Take the time to meet with employees and brief them on how to interact with the press. It will make a difference. Trust me on this one.

No. 3: Go the Extra Mile. Of course you are going to tell the press what sets your company apart from the competition during an interview, but will your customers and suppliers say the same things if they are approached by the writer for the article? When you are getting ready to participate in a full-length feature profile, you will get better overall coverage if you take it to the next level by making sure the company has a list of contacts within its immediate supply chain available. It should include representatives from suppliers and customers who are aware that your company is going to be profiled and who are willing to discuss your business positively on the record. This is not a guarantee that a writer will not seek his or her own sources, but chances are a writer will follow-up on leads that you provide too.

Overall, the primary purpose of a profile article in the trade press is to provide a case study of best practices for an industry. It is designed to help educate readers and show them examples of what a company is doing right. Therefore, if your company measures up, you need to be willing to share enough details about your operations in the areas of business strategies, human resources, and community involvement to become a benchmark. Otherwise, the article will not have the depth necessary to make your company shine in the media spotlight.

Article written by Lisa Clift

Become a Credible Source. The best way to receive free press coverage is to become a sought-after, quotable source.  Why? Because when you have something insightful to say—and you are not afraid to stand behind your words—you build a reputation as an expert within the markets your company serves.

During two tenures as a chief editor over two decades, I have found that the most engaging interview subjects for trend-based articles and columns are those who have enough industry-specific insight and confidence to talk both on and off the record without using PR and marketing scripts. Also, their conversations flow without awkward pauses and the repetitive use of words such as “like,” “well,” and “you know.”  Here are the top three things you can do to develop your reputation as a knowledgeable contributor to trade media outlets.

No. 1: Know Your Industry. Intelligent business people, just like smart editors, get out into the market and continuously learn, track happenings such as mergers and acquisitions, and look at economics outside of their business areas. They are inquisitive, connect with other industry executives, and are good at identifying patterns that foretell future trends. Editors are professionally trained to do this, and when they spot industry leaders that have the innate gift of seeing the big picture too, they are drawn to them as sources. It’s the Law of Attraction in action.

One of the best ways to get to know an industry and its key players is to attend events including trade shows, conferences, and industry summits. They cost money, but the intangible returns in terms of heightened visibility and opportunities to learn what’s happening in your business world are worth every penny. And, as discussed in Part One of this article, you need face-to-face events to make contact with the trade press and start building a rapport.

Moreover, if you really want to get the most out of events, become a speaker. If it is intimidating, start out by participating on panel discussions and then work your way up to bigger presentations. Not only are you likely to get press coverage for the event at which you are speaking, you will be at the front of the interview list when an editor knows that you are knowledgeable enough on a particular subject to discuss it in public. Whenever I was planning an article on a specific topic, I would review the agendas of recent and upcoming industry events and identify speakers to call for interviews. And many times during the course of a subject-based interview I would learn interesting information about that individual’s business that would prompt additional coverage in future issues, and it might even lead to a company profile.

No. 2: Share insider information. Most trade media outlets are not looking to develop reputations like tabloids. They are in place to educate and report on industries, not see how far they can push the limits of liable law. Objective news reporting is a keystone of any good publication and, honestly, I’ve never met a trade editor who purposely intended to slander a company in print. So have some faith and develop a relationship with at least one editor you believe is going to respect your confidentiality. In return, it’s likely that individual will look out for your best interests in the press by notifying you of editorial opportunities or giving you the inside scoop on things before an upcoming article’s publication date.

Good chief editors understand the concept of off-the-record information and use it wisely to make informed decisions about which stories to pursue and the angle(s) to take on a particular subject. If you told me something was for my knowledge only, it was off the record. I knew that if I breached a source’s trust I would lose his or her confidence and word would get around the industry that I could not be trusted. Many times, for example, close confidential sources would steer me away from covering companies if they were aware of potential trouble behind the scenes. I worked in industries where most of the firms were privately held, and it was difficult to dig up accurate financial information. However, there were a lot of closed roundtable networking groups, and people often would tip me off if I should avoid a particular company that was in financial or legal trouble.

No. 3: Avoid Canned Commentary. Do you remember the old commercial “Is it live or is it Memorex?” If so, think about it when you agree to an interview. You will be wasting your energy if you start playing back a tape that the sales and marketing department downloaded into your brain. Canned responses end up in the editorial trashcan because they lead to boring discussions about your company’s products rather than lively talk about the topic at hand. (I’ve had to throw many tapes in the garbage after coming away with nothing but marketing fluff.)  If you know a subject, you are going to be passionate about it, and it will come through positively in an interview. If you are nervous and fearful of saying anything significant, don’t bother.

In preparation for an interview, it is fine to ask for a list of questions beforehand. However, it is not acceptable to ask for the opportunity to review an article before publication. You shouldn’t give an interview to a publication if you do not trust the capabilities of the editorial staff. If you step over the line by demanding to see something before publication, a credible media outlet usually will cut your material from the story.

I also know it’s easy for an editor to say “trust me” and not take that obligation seriously or quote something out of context. For that reason, I suggest you do a little research before agreeing to an interview, especially if it is regarding a controversial subject. Find out who will be writing the story, read other stories that the editor has authored, and then call some of the people who were quoted in those stories. Ask them how the writer conducted the interviews, find out if any mistakes were made, and determine how impressed these people were with the final stories. Finally, the sign of a careful editor is someone who calls back to clarify quotes and ask follow-up questions. If you feel that an editor might have been unsure about something you said, trust your instincts and contact him or her to see if there is anything from the interview that you can clarify because it’s much better to be proactive than reactive.

Article written by Lisa Clift

Know the Chief Editor. Why? Because he or she just might be the right marketing connection to help successfully promote your business and put it into a positive media spotlight—without costing your company a dime.

During a 20-year publishing career, I held the position of editor-in-chief for two well-respected industry magazines, both of which were owned by top 10 business-to-business publishing companies in the United States.  Drawing on this background, this series of articles offers you a unique perspective into the editor’s world and how to play an important role in it—one that will position your company to receive credible coverage through feature articles, interviews, and news columns.

The trade press can be an excellent vehicle to promote your company at no cost—provided your business has something meaningful to cover and you know how to pitch it properly. Your first step on this marketing journey, and our first topic, is how to cultivate a lasting relationship with editorial gatekeepers, which includes understanding the boundaries between advertising and editorial coverage, and then doing your best to show consideration for them. Here are the top three things you need to accomplish to create a lasting bond with the top editors in your field.

No 1: Establish Contact: I know we now live in a virtual business world, one that is quickly becoming dominated by the Internet and online media channels, but I have yet to be convinced that personal contact doesn’t matter anymore. If I can’t look into people’s eyes and experience their personality and interact with their energy, I’m hesitant to make a judgment on whether or not they are credible and trustworthy—and when you are an editor nothing is more critical than guaranteeing the quality and truthfulness of the information you present to an industry. Not only are you liable for the content and its accuracy, you must ensure that you are not playing into and promoting false business claims and marketing hype.

If you take the initiative to meet the editors of your industry’s media outlets at trade shows, conferences, and other in-person events you will have a much better chance of breaking through the barriers that separate the average corporate Joes from the valued industry sources in the eyes of editors. And when you do make connections, be honest, straightforward, and truly interested in the business trends of the day rather than focused solely on pushing for media coverage of a new product or company announcement. Truly exceptional editors do not soley report on industries, they also are active participants within them, and they are looking to align themselves with people who have a similar modus operandi.

No 2:  Be Available, not Arrogant: As an executive or representative of your company, your personality is a reflection of your business image. Don’t squander the headway you may have made through personal contact by being arrogant and not making time to nurture an editorial relationship.  This leads me to the next important point, which is to never be too important to return a phone call or e-mail, or to take the time to offer advice or leads. Editors work on deadlines and they don’t want to have to go through secretaries and assistants to relay messages and receive information. It screams out that you are not interested in helping the industry or giving back if it’s not a convenient time for you.

I always had an A-list of industry executives that I called on a regular basis to hash out economic trends, sort out which acquisition and merger rumors where true and which were bogus, confidentially verify facts, and throw around story angles and coverage ideas. Remember the old saying, out of sight, out of mind. The people I trusted and talked to on a regular basis were much more likely to receive prime press coverage when something big happened at their companies because I heard about it immediately and directly from the executives in charge.

No 3: Respect the Editor’s World: When pitching your company to a trade press outlet for coverage, be aware of the tug-of-war that a chief editor typically endures behind the scenes. Often, there is a constant pull from publishers to support advertisers, and there is a push back from editorial to try to maintain ethical journalism guidelines (which will be the topic of another article in this series). Editors walk a tightrope here, and it makes them very touchy and standoffish when companies that advertise develop an attitude of entitlement when it comes to editorial coverage.

Don’t fuel the fire. Recognize when you are treading on thin ice with the editorial staff and back off with demands. You may win the battle at hand with threats of pulling your schedule, for example, but likely you will lose the war. In the long run, your company will be marked either consciously or unconsciously as unethical in the eyes of editorial, and that will impact your opportunities for coverage in the future. It is human nature to pull away when something is forced upon you, and editors are no exception to this rule. I’ve been there many times myself, and it’s hard to get over resentment in these situations. As a result, your company is likely to get passed over in the future as a quotable source or to be included in subjective editorial coverage on a particular subject related to the services your company provides.

In the editor’s fantasy world, there is a brick wall that separates the editorial and advertising divisions or, even better, these two groups are located at opposite ends of the country. Make no mistake, resentments do develop, divisions occur, and fights happen. It can get even trickier when the publication or media outlet is owned by an association. The politics of the organization can be overwhelming, and it can result in even more drama behind the scenes.

Remember, a chief editor’s reputation is on the line with every issue. If something reported is blatantly untrue or exaggerated claims about a product are made, it will be embarrassing at a minimum and even could be detrimental to the reputation of the media outlet and its editorial staff. Under this pressure, editors do recognize and gravitate toward the companies that are doing everything possible to present their business activities honestly within trade media outlets. No doubt it’s hard to do this when economic times are tough, but there are great payoffs, which include credibility as source and increased opportunities for prominent press coverage and feature articles—and there is no better marketing promotion than a glowing report from a credible editorial source. It’s something you just can’t buy for any price.