Zamo PR & Communications

📣 What Can PR Do for YOUR Business? Whether your organization is large or small, you can almost certainly benefit from incorporating PR and related communications/marketing strategies into your broader business plan. Here are just a few compelling reasons why: ✅ Eyeballs and Ink—If potential customers/clients read something about you that resonates with them or piques their curiosity, they are more likely to give you and your products or services a chance. And when someone is doing their ‘due diligence’ before hiring you, e.g., by researching you online, PR increases the odds that they will find a robust and positive media footprint. ✅ A Bright Spotlight—Even in the most competitive markets, PR helps businesses stand out and differentiate themselves, present their unique offerings, and/or cultivate a reputation as THE go-to, expert (re)source. ✅ Conferred Credibility—Ads are great, and should definitely be considered as a possible component of any marketing plan. But self-promotion can often feel inherently suspect. Whether it is a reporter from a trusted media outlet or a client/customer posting a review or a comment, an objective third party communicating about you positively—not because you’ve paid for it, but because you’ve earned it—creates exponentially more trust and credibility in your audience. PR can make this happen. ✅ Promotion and Protection—In addition to boosting you up during the good times, PR can help prop you up during the bad. When facing challenges or business crises, PR can be a powerful part of managing those issues and protecting/rebuilding your reputation. ✅ Endless and (Cost) Effective Repurposing—Both your PR efforts and the results you achieve (e.g., positive stories mentioning you) can be endlessly repurposed for your marketing efforts, giving you a very good return on your investment (ROI). If you're ready to get started exploring some of the specific ways that PR can boost YOUR business, reach out at [email protected] for a free consultation. #publicrelations #marketing #PR #businessstrategies

Happy #NationalSmallBusinessDay! This is also a good day to remember the wide range of 'themed' (non-federal) holidays that exist—from the serious to the silly—which may offer your business additional opportunities for PR and marketing content.    Today, for example, also happens to be National Shrimp Day, Clean Your Room Day, Trust Your Intuition Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day and World Lupus Day. Whatever your business, you can probably find at least one holiday that relates to you, or around which you can structure some outreach or special events. B2B, professional service providers and nonprofits will no doubt gravitate more towards the more serious and issues-based holidays, but even they can sometimes take a moment to play (e.g., a bank or credit union might offer free, bank-branded cupcakes to everyone who comes in and opens a new account on National Cupcake Day). So, if you're a small business, why don't you consider posting something today? ~It can be as simple as wishing everyone a Happy National Small Business Day, "from one small business to others!" with some art to accompany. ~Pen a more thoughtful and personal post about some aspect of your experience (your origin story, how you overcame a challenge, lessons learned, etc.) as a small business founder. ~Or you might simply use the holiday to gently remind your followers of the importance of supporting small businesses such as yours. You should already have a content calendar that you use to plan and schedule a steady stream of PR, thought leadership and marketing content. If so, consider saving some space for holiday-themed PR. While it certainly shouldn't be your first priority, it can make for some useful or simply feel-good filler. If you'd like to brainstorm about some holidays that might be a good fit for your business, and what specifically you could do with them from a marketing perspective, reach out at bincubate [at] zamopr.com. #smallbusiness #PR #marketing #bincubate

Have you ever been misquoted? Or, for some reason felt dissatisfied with a story in which you appeared? In a recent post, we offered tips on avoiding a negative PR outcome. FOLLOW them. But sometimes mistakes still happen. Once the story runs, if you notice something that is actually, factually inaccurate or an error, let the reporter know politely and as quickly as possible, request a correction. Even if I know who the editor is on a story, I usually start by emailing only the reporter, without copying their editor. Think of how you feel when someone cc's your boss. The reporter will likely discuss with their editor anyway. But don’t just tell them it’s wrong and leave them hanging, or require them to ask you for details. In the same email, provide SPECIFIC change instructions (e.g., line edits or a proposed alternate version) that will help the reporter correct the inaccuracy as easily as possible. Now, if you simply don't like the exact language used, or the tone of the article—while you can of course still ask politely, and try to persuasively plead your case—you are, mostly likely, out of luck. If the reporter disagrees that something rises to the level of factual inaccuracy and is refusing to correct, at that point you might consider pulling in their editor. But odds are they already have. The reporter's job is to investigate and digest all facts, and then report the story—yes, objectively, but still as they understand and perceive it, based upon their experience and professional judgment. You may not have written the story in exactly the same way, but—unless you can make a case for factual inaccuracy—never working with that reporter again may be the extent of your remedy. It can be difficult to accept the fact that there is nothing you can do—especially if you are genuinely convinced that the reporter misquoted, or at least meaningfully misrepresented you, e.g., with somehow loaded language, subtle implication or tone. This kind of experience can unfortunately make some people feel "burned" by PR, and unwilling to take a risk again—but I hope not. On the rare occasion that I've experienced this, I've steered clear of that reporter for my clients again, but the majority of reporters, certainly at top tier publications, are professional and fair. And the benefits of editorial PR far outweigh its risks. If you are new to PR, and a perfectionist, you may simply be suffering from "source remorse." This sudden onset of doubt, regret and second-guessing (about exactly what you said, and how others could misinterpret it) is natural, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Try to remember that, while the end result may not be perfect, it is probably not as objectively bad as it feels. And while it may seem like a small consolation now, your comfort level and the quality of your coverage will no doubt also improve with each interview you do. -Tania Zamorsky, Founder Zamo PR #pr #mediarelations #corrections

Zamo PR Founder Tania Zamorsky was recently quoted in Of Counsel magazine, discussing some recommended #PR "do's." (Stay tuned for the June edition, for the don'ts!) #legalmarketing #lawfirms #mediarelations

No matter what some people say, all PR is not good PR. GOOD PR is good PR. Here are some ways to ensure that you only get the good stuff! #PR #interviews #mediatraining

When it comes to PR, of course you'd love a dedicated feature that focuses entirely on you and your news.   But very often, you will be instead (or also) be included in a broader story, or what is known as a “roundup.” Don't underestimate the potential value of this type of coverage as well.   Despite the unfortunate cattle connotation, inclusion in a roundup story can be just as desirable and impactful as a feature only focused on you—depending on the context, possibly even more so. #PR #bincubate #PRtactics #roundup #smallbusiness

The final post in Bincubate's "Prepping for PR" series asks you to think about the role that social media will play in your upcoming PR push. "Even if you don't currently have the time or inclination to sustain a steady stream of original social media content, your social media platforms could still be providing you with valuable additional ‘PR pathways’ to amplify whatever basic messaging, news and/or announcements you are already otherwise generating and sharing, e.g., on your website, however sporadically. Don't leave that potential PR on the table. Every little bit helps, including for SEO purposes." #pr #socialmedia #pressreleases #companynews

Next up, in Bincubate's "Prepping for PR" series, we take a look at websites. Before any big PR announcement or effort potentially drives more traffic your way, ideally you can take some time to assess your website’s current state—both in terms of content and underlying structure. Your website doesn’t necessarily need all of the latest bells and whistles, but it should be meeting a few basic needs for your business. #smallbusiness #websites #ecommerce #websitecontent

As with many things, the best PR requires preparation. So, before you launch or share an announcement that may inspire people to look more closely at who you are and what your business is all about, ideally you can set aside time to answer those questions in the most complete and compelling way possible. This Bincubate series of "Prepping for PR" posts aims to help you do that, beginning with a discussion of business names and logos. #smallbusiness #brand #logodesign #rebranding #trademark

[SOUND ON] Wishing you the jazziest of holidays, and a New Year that hits all the right notes! So grateful for the rewarding work we've been able to do this year, and looking forward to new and continued collaborations in 2024!