The first time you work for or with a firm that sells products direct to consumers, you will likely be shocked at the number of so-called journalists who come out of the woodwork looking for evaluation units they can review or write about.

For reviewers / journalists who are employed by a media outlet, this is typically a pretty easy assignment to work through

• Is the person employed by the company or not?
• Is their name listed on the publication’s masthead or Website?
• Does the receptionist know their name?
• Does Cision or Nexis-Lexis list their name as an employee of the media outlet?

If the answer to any or all of these questions is “No” — be cautious. Someone might be trying to pull a fast one on you, either for the purpose of snagging free products, or (more nefariously) because they work for a competitor.

What about freelancers?

On the one hand, figuring out whether or not someone is actually on staff with a media outlet is fairly straightforward. Where it gets tricky, however, is if the person in question is a freelancer.

For the record, I’ve seen some spectacular PR results in the past when working with freelance writers, reviewers and journalists. At the same time, I’ve also had some pretty bad experiences with so-called freelancers as well.

So . . . here are two rules of thumb for working with Freelance Product Reviewers.

1. If the freelancer claims to be working on assignment, then verify this point. Ask for the name of their main contact at the media outlet, then follow-up with that person to ensure the freelancer is, in fact, on assignment.
2. If the freelancer says he/she is not on assignment but is looking for a media outlet to place the finished review, be cautious. Such a situation does not mean they won’t be successful in their placement efforts, and the finished review might be marvelous. At the same time, I also recommend researching and reading past product reviews and evaluations the freelancer has published in the past before making a final determination to provide them with a review unit.

Naturally, if you have worked with a freelance reviewer in the past and you have a comfort level that this person is a straight-shooter, I would likely provide them with an eval unit even if they did not have a formal assignment.

That said, one of the biggest challenges with providing eval units to reviewers ties back to the cost/value of the product in question and the costs associated with getting the product into the reviewers’ hands. But this is probably a topic for another Politis PR Tip. 

Whether we like to admit it or not, some people in virtually any profession are willing to do just about anything to be successful.

For example, more than 15 years ago, television reporter Connie Chung tricked the elderly mother of Newt Gingrich to reveal that the future Speaker of the House had called then First Lady, Hillary Clinton, a “bitch.”

How’d she do it? By leaning in close and in a muted voice suggesting Mrs. Gingrich “just whisper it to me,” which she did. 

Unfortunately, there are some journalists who will use any means possible to get their story. One such trick is the “Off the record” comment.

If you are ever asked by a journalist to go “off the record” with any form of information, be very, very careful. Chances are the meatier and/or juicier the news nugget, the greater the likelihood that information will be published — with or without your name attached to it.

Recognize also that even if a reporter turns off a video or audio recorder or puts down her notepad and pen, the comment you make can still be attributed to you, either directly or indirectly.

The bottom line is this:

“Off the record” comments typically are NOT off the record.

Be extremely cautious if you are ever asked by a journalist to go “off-the-record.”.

Sometimes the natural inclination might be to answer a reporter with the phrase, “No comment.”

My response? Don’t! Fight it! Resistance is NOT futile!

For better or worse, whenever someone hears the term “No comment” they automatically think

• They’re guilty, or
• They’re hiding something, or
• Gotcha!

 even if that’s not the case at all.

If you find yourself in a situation where you really can’t respond to a journalist’s question, then say so.

Say something like

• I’m not really in a position to answer that question right now,

or

• Because we’re in the midst of a court case, I shouldn’t answer that question,

or

• I don’t want to give my attorney a heart attack, so I’m gonna skip that question for now,

or many other ways of answering the question without actually saying anything.

Just don’t say, “No comment.” That’s the kiss of death!

The question of whether or not a firm should or has to make an announcement to the public, whether that be via a news release, public announcement or press conference, is often more than just an internal debate comparable to the age-old argument about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

In fact, when it comes to companies that have shares that are available for sale and purchase in a public stock market, this question moves beyond the rhetorical realm into the practical world.

Why? Because in some instances, a publicly traded company has no say it the matter — it MUST make a public announcement.

The key to such a triggering event hinges upon the question of “Materiality” and understanding what the word “material” means from a legal/financial perspective when it comes to publicly traded companies.

A Layperson’s Definition of Material News

In the case of a publicly traded company,

News is said to be “material” if the average person would likely make a decision to either Buy or Sell the company’s shares if he/she knew such news.

If the answer is “Yes,” then the news is “material” to the company and triggers the need for a news announcement. If the answer is “No,” then the news is NOT “material” and a news announcement is not needed.

Clearly, what constitutes material news for one company may not come close to being material for another firm.

Materiality and the $1 Million Contract

Consider the example of top execs at a publicly traded firm that learned that one of their associates had just closed a one-year contract worth $1 million. Is this contract material to the company?

The answer is, “It depends.”

If a firm (call it “Company A”) had annual revenue last year of $100 million or more, the likely answer is “No,” a $1 million contract would not be considered material by most individuals. Certainly it would not be a contract to sneeze at, but at less than 1 percent of Company A’s top-line revenue, a $1 million contract would probably not cross the line of being considered “material.”

However, what if “Company B” had annual revenue last year of less than $20 million or even $10 million? A-ha — now we’re talking about additional annual revenue equal to 5% to 10% (maybe even more). Now we’re talking about a much bigger potential impact on Company B from just one sale.

In the examples outlined above, I believe that a $1 million annual contract is a material event in the case of “Company B” (with annual revenue of $20 million to $10 million, or less), while the same size contract would not be material for “Company A” since it has annual revenue of $100 million or more.

The gray area, of course, in these examples would be those publicly traded companies generating between $20 million and $100 million in annual revenue.

Other Types of Material News

Certainly material news is not merely defined by the size of newly won (or lost) contracts.

Material news can also include such things as

• Executives hired,
• Executives fired,
• Board members added,
• Board members dismissed,
• The health of a senior executive (think about Steve Jobs’ liver transplant and Apple’s handling of this news),
• The death of a senior executive,
• The opening of a new plant or facility,
• The closing of a plant or facility,
• Entering a new country or market,
• Leaving a country or market (think about Google’s position in China),
• Launching a new product,
• Issuing a product recall,
• Significant layoffs,
• Significant hirings,
• A flood,
• A fire,
• A storm,
• A natural disaster,
• A war,
• A riot,
• A burglary,
• Etc., etc., etc.

In conclusion, let me restate what I wrote above.

News is material if the average person would buy or sell stock if they knew the news.

And yes, it’s really that simple (or that complicated), depending upon the company, the news and your viewpoint

Just as it makes sense to provide journalists with shorter versions of copy they might use verbatim (see Politis PR Tip #86: Provide Different Copy Lengths), it also makes sense to take a similar approach if you’re working with broadcast journalists.

Hence, consider preparing news copy that can be used in 15-, 30- and 60-second lengths, in addition to any news releases, announcements or background materials you might provide journalists.

Here’s a PR tip I picked up years ago from my friend Jeff Acerson back when he was running the public relations department for WordPerfect Corp.

Provide journalists with 25-, 50- and 100-word descriptions of your new product, service, executive or announcement.

In today’s hypercompetitive and financially challenged world, one of your main goals as a PR professional is to make journalists’ lives as easy as possible. One way to do this is to give them as little editing work to do as possible.

Chances are in many instances they just won’t be able to include all six-hundred-and-eighty-seven words from your press release in the next edition of the newspaper or magazine or use it in its entirety on their Website or during their next newscast — that’s the reality of the situation.

So . . . make it easy for them: Provide shorter versions of your news copy that they MIGHT use verbatim.

Chances are they will. And if they do, they’ll love you for it.

Is your product

• The first,
• The fastest,
• The biggest,
• The best, or
• The smallest?

If so, you’ve got uniqueness and uniqueness is something journalists L – O – V – E!!!

Take the example of the eneloop bicycle from SANYO.

A multi-billion-dollar electronics and technology company based in Japan, SANYO has actually been making and selling electric bicycles in Japan for more than 15 years. In fact, its very first product was a bicycle headlamp which allowed customers to ride their bikes after dark.

So when SANYO North America Corporation decided to roll-out its first eBike at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, they turned to Politis Communications for help.

Long story short, SANYO’s eneloop bicycle won the Best of Innovations award for CES 2010 in the “Eco-Design and Sustainable Technology” category. In plain English, that meant the CES folks had judged the eneloop bicycle to be the most green product at CES 2010.

So . . . not only was the eneloop bicycle the very first electric bicycle introduced by SANYO into the U.S., it turns out that SANYO actually makes more rechargeable batteries than any other company in the world. Oh, and did I mention that SANYO’s eneloop bicycle also has regenerative properties, meaning it can produce power when coasting downhill or braking?

Take all of that together (along with the Best of Innovations award too) and that’s how we ended up pitching SANYO’s eneloop bicycle to most journalists: 

The SANYO eneloop bicycle — the No. 1 “green product” at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (for all of the reasons listed above).

And the media coverage so far for SANYO’s eneloop bicycle has been VERY POSITIVE!

So yes, whenever you can, look for ways to position and pitch your product, company, client or service as unique in some way, shape or fashion. And remember this:

The more unique, the greater your chances for better media coverage.

Is it possible that something happening in San Carlos, California or Silver Springs, Maryland might be of interest to people in Tokyo, Japan or Bern, Switzerland?

If you answered “Yes” to that question, get to work; you’ve got a PR opportunity at hand.

If you answered “Maybe,” then work a little harder to refine and tighten-up your story idea.

If, however, you answered “No” to that question, my response is, “Are you 100% sure?” If not, revisit the topic again, perhaps by bringing a colleague or two into the conversation and brainstorm for awhile on the subject.

Chances are if you can come up with a suitable angle, you can create additional buzz (both abroad and back home) by landing media coverage outside of your home country.

 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

BONUS TIP #1:

If you

1. don’t speak or write in the language of the country you’re targeting, and/or
2. don’t have easy access to a resource that provides contact info for foreign journalists,

find out if one of more major media outlets from your targeted country have a local bureau or office.

Case in point, several of the largest media outlets from countries such as China, England, France, Germany, India, Japan, and Russia each have a bureau or two on the ground in the United States. And it IS possible to identify journalists working in these bureaus and pitch them directly.

BONUS TIP #2:

Depending upon what industry you work in, it is also possible that foreign journalists might be easily accessible here in the U.S. IF there is a major industry trade show or conference held here.

Cases in point include such event as the:

• Consumer Electronics Show for reaching foreign technology journalists,
• Detroit Auto Show (formally known as the North American International Auto Show) for reaching foreign automotive journalists,
• Interbike International Trade Expo with cycling industry journalists,
• International CTIA Wireless Show for cellular industry journalists, and
• Outdoor Retailer for journalists focused on the outdoor and active lifestyle industries.

For example, we recently generated media coverage in Canada, England, France and Russia for a company in the solar power marketplace by targeting journalists based both inside the U.S. and on foreign soil.

Think globally, but act locally!

This cliché is an appropriate piece of advice to remember when it comes to media relations.

If you can find a way to tie your company, client, product or service to a local market, you dramatically increase the likelihood you can generate additional media coverage in that area.

Such ties can include

• A local office,
• A former native of the area who is now an executive or manager with the firm,
• A local business partner,
• A local investor,
• The local roll-out or unveiling of a particular product or service,
• Current customers excited to buy/try a newer version of a product/service,
• Holding a local event,
• Or many, many more.

For example, when the folks behind the teenage-focused vampire vs. werewolf Twilight movie series prepared to open the second movie, Twilight: New Moon, they staged pre-launch parties and events across the U.S. Each event garnered significant local media coverage as hundreds and sometime thousands of swooning fans showed up to show their devotion to lovely Bella Swan and her prospective supernatural lovers.

Call it silly if you will, but from a professional public relations and marketing standpoint, localizing the movie’s opening with such events made the movie even bigger than it might have been.

My advice? Localize your story pitches whenever and wherever you can.

As mentioned in Politis PR Tip #81 (Identify and Pitch Trend Stories), it is also possible to pitch ideas tied to “breaking news” stories.

Examples might include:

• The benefits of a home security service pitched after a celebrity’s home is broken into;
• Tips on conflict resolution from an author who has written on the subject as a high profile divorce hits the judicial system;
• How taking video or still images with a cell phone can expedite insurance claims following auto accidents; or
• Minimizing sunburns and skin cancer risks by using clothing treated with a UV shielding treatment.

The point to this tip is this:

There are always “breaking news” stories happening every day, stories tied to geography, industry, etc.

Smart Public Relations pros will look for ways to generate additional coverage by piggybacking your products and services onto breaking news stories.