The Essentials to Getting Coverage and Creating a Buzz: PR PREP

This is the first in a series of posts on how to create a buzz for your company via PR. This first post details the items you need to get you started.

Hi-res (300 dpi) photos of your products. These should be on a white background and in focus – if you have a product with labels then make sure when you zoom in you can read the label clearly. If you are service-based company then you need hi-res photos of images of you and images of what you represent (i.e. if you are a money expert and the PR campaign angle is about offering quick tips on saving money then have pictures of people pulling their hair out, sitting at a kitchen table looking over bills, enviously looking at a luxury family car). If the photos are too large to email then look at ways to share the photos via services like YouSendIt.

A press kit. Companies always ask if they really need a press kit. The short answer – YES. The media will not take you seriously if you do not put the effort into providing them with information on you, your company, your products/services, price, and distribution (retailer list). Have a professionally designed press kit which means get a graphic designer to lay it out (not your brother Tom who can do wonders in MS Word). The good thing is that a press kit can double as sales kits which means you (or your sales reps) can use it to solicit new accounts; the investment goes beyond media outreach. 
Bloggers are more forgiving so if you are planning on doing a blogger outreach campaign then you can typically get away with supplying them with photos and a brochure (along with a pitch letter). However if you are including e-newsletters in your blogger list then note that they do require a press kit.

Samples. Be prepared to send samples of your product or provide your services for free (if that’s possible). Bloggers and editors require samples; don’t expect them to give you coverage based on photos. Better yet, for bloggers, offer them samples or a discount they can offer to their readers.
If you are service then think about ways you can offer them your expertise. This could include quick tips, free tickets to your speaking engagements or cross-promotion of your blog posts.

Target list. Whether you are approaching media outlets or bloggers, you will need a contact list. This requires time to research the outlets and read/watch/listen to past articles/posts/reports in order to find out who the best person to pitch, if they write straight product reviews or take a larger look at an industry surrounding the product/service. For traditional media outlets, target the reporters or assistant editors vs senior editors.
Build your list in Excel with multiple columns headings: outlet name, web address, contact name, contact email, contact phone, address, twitter ID, facebook page, statistics (subscribers, number of followers, etc).

Press release or social media release. This is a debatable essential. Bloggers don’t want to receive press releases but some will accept social media releases; the media are inundated with press releases but most of the time they don’t read them right away unless they know the sender or company. Sometimes a well written email can take the place of a press release. We recommend writing press releases for events, a product launch or if you are planning a wide distribution (via a service like Cision).
In the end, a press release is simply a tool used within a process, but it’s the process that really counts.

Next post will be on establishing a benchmark to determine success.

Report: Growing Number of Moms Using Social Media

Mediaweek.com just published some great insight into moms' social media vs traditional media habits thanks to a new research report released by BabyCenter.

According to the article and the report, 63 percent of women report being active on social networks. When compared to a similar study done in 2006 when just 11 percent claimed to be social net regulars, we can see that moms' priorities and community is continuing to change. Most also claim that as their personal time is constrained, they end up sacrificing time with magazines and newspapers compared to before they had children. BabyCenter data indicates that "women with new babies at home cut back on media consumption by as much as three hours, with print taking the biggest hit. According to the report 49 percent of respondents claim to read magazines less after giving birth, and 46 percent said the same about their newspaper usage."

The article and report go on to details that "moms develop two distinct friendship circles: their real friends and their mommy friends - who they may or may not have actually met in person. Because these women are so social, and so information hungry, they often meet other mothers in similar child-rearing stages on sites like BabyCenter and a variety of mommy blogs."

To read the complete article visit: Report: Growing Number of Moms Using Social Media

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Canadian Moms' Media Habits

New Survey Reveals Canadian Moms' Media Habits

Vancouver, BC/Toronto, ON (May 6, 2009) - With moms controlling 85 percent of household spending and more companies focusing their marketing efforts on gaining the attention and loyalty of this powerful consumer market, limelitePR, Canada’s first PR firm wholly focused on connecting companies with moms, has conducted a nationwide survey in conjunction with Toronto-based urbanmoms.ca to investigate Canadian moms’ media habits. Results reveal that moms trust and refer to websites and TV for current and relevant information, are most interested in local stories and receive more information digitally than by traditional mediums such as magazines and newspapers.

“In order to develop impactful campaigns for our clients, we felt it was important to determine the most trusted and valuable mediums for the mom market,” says limelitePR Principal Jeanette Miller. “What this survey has produced is a deeper understanding of where moms currently turn for relevant information. We strongly believe that Canadian moms’ reliance on digital sources will grow as younger Gen Y moms move up the ranks but word-of-mouth (aka word-of-mom) will continue to reign as #1.”

The survey garnered over 700 respondents from coast to coast and polled Canadian moms on the sources they most commonly refer to and receive in their home.

The limelitePR and urbanmoms.ca survey highlights include:

• 73% of moms receive 4 or more e-newsletters
• 43% of moms consider websites the most trusted, valuable source for accurate & relevant information
• 37% of moms subscribe to 1-2 magazines, with 20% receiving no print subscriptions at all
  40% of moms refer to TV programs as their source for news and current events
• Canadian moms are most interested in local stories (30%) but parenting/family stories and lifestyle stories (food, fashion, trends) also garner worthy attention at 20% each.
• Moms’ community of peers and friends (including online community) overwhelmingly influence moms’ decisions by being the primary source when looking for information and recommendations on products or services.

“Mothers and community is not a recent trend. Throughout history moms have been depended on each other for connection and information. However, technology now enables moms to connect and share virtually which provides a trusted voice with a vastly broader scope and reach,” says Jen Maier, urbanmoms.ca founder.

“The survey results demonstrate that moms refer to online sources for stories about their community and rely on their peers and network to provide them with practical information that will make a positive impact on their families’ lives. We believe that it’s important to have multiple points of contact in order to create brand loyalty in the mom market,” says Miller.

About limelitePR limelitePR is a boutique public relations firm that is dedicated to creating a buzz and connecting leading brands with moms across Canada and the USA. By conducting traditional media relations, blogger outreach, and creating influencer mom-market activities and programs, the limelitePR team develops an integrated PR approach that will generate brand awareness at a consumer level, which directly increases sales and maintains brand recognition.

About urbanmoms.ca urbanmoms.ca, founded by Jen Maier, Toronto marketer and mom of 2, is Canada’s leading online community for moms. Based on the philosophy that when a woman has children she doesn't magically conform to a one-dimensional world of motherhood, urbanmoms.ca provides women with a forum to connect and build relationships while directly influencing some of Canada’s leading brands.

For more information contact:
Jeanette Miller, principal limelitePR O: 778.786.1495 M: 778.552.2949
E : jeanette@limelitepr.com T: @limelitePR

One final note: Hatley was generous enough to donate one pair of adult rain boots and one pair of child rain boots for one survey respondent. We hope you love them as much as we do!

Newspaper Niche

I just read a great article about alternative business models for newspapers which referenced this article from the Wall Street Journal on how local media companies are launching websites aimed at mothers.

#1 lesson to be learned: '"Face-to-face interaction helps build loyalty back to the site, says Karen Gutierrez, managing editor of CincyMoms.com. "People start to feel responsible for the well being of the site."'

Even the media are learning it takes more than just great content to capture the attention and loyalty from the mom market. Participate in local events in order to mingle with moms in your community, hold a mom mixer so they can have the opportunity to experience your product and meet the people 'behind the scenes', even develop unique in-home parties that provide moms with a fun, comfortable environment in order to experience your brand on a whole new level.

To feel the impact of their purchasing power engage directly with moms through multiple points of contact so they can develop a loyalty to your brand and a passion to help spread the word to their network of friends.

Innovative and Interactive

2008 was a tough year for most media outlets but there were a two leaders that launched innovative and interactive applications that will appeal to mom’s values and motivations:

SavvyMom Media, publishers of savvymom.ca, launched ShareSavvy.ca an online community where moms can share local resource recommendations. This user-driven city guide invites moms to ask or answer questions about mom-friendly finds.

SavvyMom co-founder Minnow Hamilton is quoted in saying the reason they started this micro-local content site is because over the past three years they have received hundreds of submissions from readers who want to share their finds, but they are not always relevant to the wider SavvyMom audience. They know that mom’s love to share and want a source that saves them time when searching for information and solutions.


Canadian Living launched a smartphone application right before Christmas that automatically delivers and stores content to a user’s handheld device. Need a recipe on-the-go? download m.canadianliving.com to your iphone or blackberry.

Appealing to moms' need for convenience and feeling of accomplishment, this application puts some of the most popular features from the printed magazine directly into a mom’s hands; placing a focus on a free service that saves times, provides freedom, and makes her life easier can only strength the reputation of this icon in the Canadian magazine industry.


A final note: 2009 stands to be the year of engagement with those wanting to reach the powerful mom-market making steps to take marketing efforts to a whole new level. “Employing” mom influencers to help promote your brand is crucial as word-of-mouth continues to be the most powerful external force affecting a brand.

Consider Xbox’s new marketing plan which is targeting moms by inviting 1,000 women from across the USA to host a house party to showcase their Xbox 360 console and new services, including Netflix and Xbox live. They got an Xbox party pack of freebies that included microwaveable popcorn, Xbox trivia game Scene It? Box Office Smash, an Xbox universal media remote control, a three-month subscription to Xbox Live, and 1,600 Xbox Live points (used for game, movie and TV show purchases).

The moral of this post is that moms trust and act upon third-party endorsements. Tapping into media outlets and mom influencers will leverage your brand to new heights.

Spring in December

Yes, we are already thinking about Spring and its not because we have the winter blues.


In the PR business, our world is ruled by timelines, deadlines and knowing how and when to pitch a story idea to an editor. Right now, magazines are working on their March, April or May issues. Yes, they work 3 to 5 months in advance!

Combine this with Spring, or as we have nicknamed it - the mom season, you might just hit the media jackpot.

You see, once the birds start chirping and the flowers start blooming, the media turn their focus to all things related to the 'birds and the bees'. Articles and news segments are dedicated to great products, services, and new inventions that appeal to moms. This is also a great time to promote mom entrepreneurs stories. And if your brand has an eco component then you could have double the reward because April is now eco-month, thanks to Earth Day on April 22.

We've achieved some of the best results for clients when we've done a single PR campaign in stages - target the magazines first and then 3 to 5 months later target the dailies (newspapers, TV, radio and blogs). What this does is ensure that your brand is seen across multiple platforms all around the same time.

When it comes to moms, this broad coverage gives them more opportunities to recognize your brand, develop faith and trust from all the 3rd-party endorsements, and then make the decision to act when they next come in contact with your product or service.

Another one bites the dust

Alas, St. Joseph Media (the publishers of many great Canadian magazines) have suspended the production Wish magazine. The December 2008 issue will be their last; same goes for Gardening Life.

I know many moms who looked forward to this great publication because it had a little bit of everything - fashion, beauty, home decor, recipes. It featured great tips, techniques, interviews and solutions for everyday living. You would think the format was perfect for today's busy lifestyle.

What happened? Well, the actual printing of a magazine is still expensive (and so is the shipping) and their readers are looking for info online more than ever before. Combine that with the fact their ad revenues are declining, you have a situation that most media are facing today. Sink or swim online.

The Wish 20-Minute Supper Club has grown to 55,000 members online so St. Joseph Media made the decision to concentrate their efforts by launching a stand-alone website and an annual 20-Minute Supper Club magazine.

Reality does bite sometimes. Its sad to see such a great magazine disappear as it means fewer traditional outlets to target for press coverage but it does demonstrate the growth of power going to online media outlets.