Happy Earth Day (Late)

Many companies (including a few of our own clients) slanted environmental news for release on April 22, Earth Day.

One announcement that caught my attention was the launch of the Patagonia Footprint Chronicles Web site.

The site highlights 5 of the company’s newest products with interviews and photos from the factory and to the finished product. Beyond providing a transparent view of “friendly business practices” the company says it hopes to encourage thought and discussion. Something they term “learning out loud.”

What I like the most about this move is that Patagonia puts a lot of information out there. They give what they call “the good” and “the bad,” each section highlighting what they know they are doing right and where they need to improve.

Considering Online Video? Keep It Short Stupid

A recent survey by eMarketer found that online video viewers prefer shorter video clips. What does that mean for marketers? Well, for starters consumers either have shorter attention spans or less time –  or both.

This is a concept journalists have gotten for a long time –  and we here at Politis pride ourselves in — KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). This is the same idea and is becoming more and it is becoming more critical for marketers to either grab and keep the audience’s attention or get the message across faster. In this info-saturated world where everyone is vying for attention, we must be smarter and more in touch with our audiences.

Politis Pointer #7: Sometimes Circumstances Require a Longer Headline

Although the post below did not run originally as a Politis Pointer (when it first ran on DavidPolitis.com on February 2, 2007), I believe it’s worth re-posting here as part of The Betty Factor. Truth be told, sometimes you have to write a longer headline.

So with minor edits, here’s the original post.

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However, Sometimes Circumstances Require a Longer Headline

Notwithstanding Malcolm Atherton’s comment in our recent training meeting about the rule to keep headlines in news releases short in length, the truth is that sometimes reality trumps the rules. Here’s a case in point.

One of our clients at Politis Communications, HandHeld Entertainment (now ZVUE), notified us the other day that it was going to be adding a new “outside” member to its board of directors. Obviously, adding a board member is significant news, so we began drafting up a release.

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Politis Pointer #6: Shorter Headlines are Best

On February 1, 2007, the post below originally appeared on DavidPolitis.com. Although not officially a Politis Pointer in the original form, I believe it is worth including here as a Politis Pointer.

So with minor exceptions, here is Politis Pointer #6.

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Shorter Headlines are Always Best

This was just one of the “loud and clear” messages that struck home in a recent training meeting with Business Wire’s Malcolm Atherton at the Politis Communications offices.

To be specific, news release headlines eight words long was deemed the ideal length. Such length was best for several reasons, Atherton explained.

1. Shorter headlines improve results in SEO efforts (Search Engine Optimization).
2. Shorter headlines have greater impact with readers as there is less to read.
3. Shorter headlines don’t get truncated in returned search results. (Both Google and Yahoo! only include the first 50 or so characters of a headline in the returned summary result; everything else is cut-off in the summary.)
4. Shorter headlines force writers to truly understand the thrust of a release, boiling the content down to the absolute essence — the core of what is needed — no more, no less.

TIP:

A simple lesson then. When in doubt, shorter headlines are best for news releases.

Politis Pointer #5: PR & the Bottom Line

Although not labeled originally on DavidPolitis.com as a Politis Pointer on January 22, 2007, the post below definitely fits the bill.

So . . . with some modifications, here are some thoughts on the relationship between public relations and an organization’s bottom line.

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When I began my first professional job in public relations in January 1984 at Tycer-Fultz-Bellack in Palo Alto, California (then the largest high-tech ad/pr agency west of the Mississippi River), we had to write or type our news releases by hand and then give them to a secretary who would get them “word processed” for us.

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Politis Pointer #4: Media Receptions are Great PR Tools

Although not labeled originally on DavidPolitis.com as a Politis Pointer on January 9, 2007, the post below definitely fits the bill.

So . . . with some modifications, here are some thoughts on the value media receptions can bring to a strategic communications program.

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Showstoppers Rocks CES!

For about the 15-billionth time, Politis Communications took at least one of its clients to a Showstoppers Media Reception at a major trade show — in this instance, the Consumer Electronics Show. And once again the results were awesome!

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Politis Pointer #3: Misspellings by Journalists?

The Politis Pointer below was originally published on July 8, 2006 on DavidPolitis.com. It is re-purposed below with minor edits.

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So what should you do if you find your name (or your company name or a product/service name) misspelled in an article or editorial?

Simple, tell the author. That’s it? Yeah, that’s it.

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Politis Pointer #2: Sending Unsolicited Emails

This Politis Pointer first ran on June 16, 2006 on DavidPolitis.com. It is re-purposed below with a few minor changes.

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Back to this same unsolicited email I received yesterday (6/16/06) from a job applicant, included in the To field were email addresses for 15 different companies, some of which are direct competitors of Politis Communications.

Nope, I’m not kidding. And in reviewing the addresses, it’s clear that this job applicant did a bit of Web digging/scraping and came up with potential employment email addresses. These included addresses beginning with contact@, employment@, info@ and resumes@.

Naturally, since I felt a lot of personal attention from this job applicant I had a lot of interest towards this person. NOT!

TIP:

If you’re going to send an unsolicited job application/inquiry to a company,

• take the time to identify a real person inside the company, and

• email that person directly.

Politis Pointer #1: Email Misspellings

As explained today on DavidPolitis.com, I am now going to use that blog ONLY for personal writings. Anything related to strategic marketing communications is now going to be posted here, including prior writings originally posted on DavidPolitis.com.

So . . . the original post for this Politis Pointer was on June 16, 2006 at DavidPolitis.com. It is re-purposed below virtually as it appeared in its original form.

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So I get this unexpected job application yesterday afternoon. No problem; I get ‘em all the time, it just goes with the territory when you own a business.

But here’s what I found in the Subject line: “employment inguiry.”

Seriously! All lower case (which is fine), but the word “inquiry” misspelled as “inguiry?” Wow.

Is this someone you’d want to hire? Me either.

TIP:

If you care about how people preceive you, use the spellchecker in your email program before sending emails. If you really care, proofread the email before sending it too.