Monday Morning Media Minute

Media Minute: Be ruthless
By Jerry Brown, APR
www.pr-impact.com

Edit, edit, edit. Then edit some more. Be ruthless when editing your own copy. Don’t fall in love with your own words just because you wrote them.

Some writers don’t like to let other people review what they’ve written before they publish it. I’m in the opposite camp. I want other people to read what I’ve written and give me feedback.

There are times, of course, when you don’t have a choice. If you’re writing for a client, they’ll generally want to review and edit your copy. That’s their right. And they get to decide what does or doesn’t get used in the final draft.

But there are times when you, the writer, have the final say. If I have the final say and one person suggests a change, my rule for myself is that I pick the version I think works best. Sometimes it’s mine. More often it’s theirs. It’s important to be objective when deciding. And to be grateful for the help. If two people suggest essentially the same change, I make their change unless I’m absolutely certain in my own mind that my version is best. If three people suggest a change, I make the change no matter what. My version isn’t working.

I also have some editing games I use to improve my own copy. Here are four of them:

• Eliminate the orphans. An orphan is a word or two alone on a line at the end of a paragraph. Edit every paragraph that ends with an orphan. If you’re not used to doing this, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is most of the time to take a word or two out of these paragraphs to eliminate the orphan without affecting your message. Your writing will become crisper and, therefore, better.

• Make it shorter. Your word processor will tell you how many words you’ve written. Pick a smaller number and see if you can eliminate words, phrases or even sentences and paragraphs that shorten your copy without removing anything you consider essential. You wrote 500 words? Can you get it down to 400? If you get to the new word count easily, then pick a smaller number and repeat. Keep trimming until the only way to cut any more is to eliminate something that’s important to your story. Then it’s time to stop.
• Listen to your writing. Good writing, like good music, has a rhythm. If something doesn’t sound right consider changing it. I learned to do this as a speechwriter. But it works for other writing, too.
• When you think you’re done, put your writing aside and come back to it later with fresh eyes. Are you still satisfied it’s the best it can be? Or can you hone it further? I often make major improvements when I come back to a “finished” piece for one last look. Even if you can’t wait until later, taking one last look before pushing the send button is a good idea.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

Media Minute: Be gentle
By Jerry Brown, APR
www.pr-impact.com

Good editing is a blessing, bad editing a curse. Unfortunately, there are more bad editors than good ones.

The reason for this unfortunate situation is that too many of us don’t know when to quit editing other people’s copy and when to keep editing our own.

Be ruthless when editing your own copy. Get out your axe and chop away. But be gentle when editing someone else’s. Put away your axe and use a scalpel.

In fact, one of the true marks of a really good editor is that s/he knows when to leave things alone. We all have our own unique way of saying things. Your job when editing someone else’s copy isn’t to turn their words into yours. Your job is to help them say what they have to say clearly and accurately.

If you’re editing someone else’s copy and find a typo or grammatical error, fix it. If you find something that isn’t clear, make it clearer. Better yet, tell the writer why it isn’t clear to you and encourage her/him to clarify what s/he has to say. If there are extra words that don’t add anything worthwhile, take them out. If you find a mistake, fix it. If you find something you suspect could be a mistake, check it out — or suggest the writer check it out.

What’s written is accurate and clear but you’d say it differently? Leave it alone. You’re not the writer. Your job is to help the writer, not replace the writer’s voice with your own.

It’s a different story when it comes to editing your own copy. Then it’s time to be ruthless. More about that next week.

That’s my two cents’ worth. Whats yours?

Media Minute: Pink Slip
By Jerry Brown, APR
www.pr-impact.com

Did Pink give itself a pink slip?

We won’t know for a while. But it’s certainly possible the answer is yes.

At a minimum, Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s decision to drop its financial assistance to Planned Parenthood will go down as an epic PR blunder. Let the case studies begin.

Komen for the Cure successfully stopped last week’s media feeding frenzy by apologizing and backpedaling from its recently adopted policy of not funding any organization under “investigation.”

But that’s not the end of this story. Komen for the Cure’s still an organization in crisis. Whether it continues to thrive — or even survive — remains to be seen.

Komen for the Cure’s misstep and the ensuing controversy have been well documented. I don’t have anything to add to that.

No-win scenario

My take on the future? Komen for the Cure has created a no-win scenario by injecting itself into the fight over abortion rights. The irony is that the money Komen for the Cure provides to Planned Parenthood is for cancer screening and education, not abortions.

With its miscalculation, Komen for the Cure has put itself under a microscope for scrutiny by opposing groups important to its success and survival. And it almost certainly will suffer more losses to its reputation and influence regardless of what it does in the wake of last week’s events.

Many supporters of continued support for Planned Parenthood believe last week’s apology and backpedaling were nothing more than an effort to stop the immediate PR damage while leaving the door open to cut off money to Planned Parenthood later.

Some of these skeptics are likely to withhold their support for Komen for the Cure at least until they’re satisfied there won’t be a repeat of what happened last week. That’s going to hurt Komen for the Cure’s reputation and fundraising for some time to come.

And neither these skeptics nor those who took the apparent reversal by Komen for the Cure at face value are likely to forgive a repeat performance.

On the other hand, pro-life advocates intent on putting Planned Parenthood out of business aren’t likely to reduce their pressure on Komen for the Cure to sever its ties with Planned Parenthood. If anything, the pressure’s likely to increase because they now have a proven headline-grabbing hook for their crusade.

That leaves Komen for the Cure in a no-win situation. If they wait for the dust to settle and then cut off funding for Planned Parenthood as the skeptics fear, they’ll lose the support of a critically important constituency for good. They might not survive that. If they continue funding Planned Parenthood, they antagonize pro-life advocates and become a highly visible pawn in the vitriolic debate between pro-life and pro-choice supporters.

Either way, Komen for the Cure loses.

So, now what?

Shutting down the media frenzy was the easy part. Now, Komen for the Cure has some tough choices to make, choices that will cost them politically and financially no matter what they do.

So, Komen for the Cure needs to decide what it wants to be and what it will do when it comes to this issue. Whatever it decides, it needs to be completely honest and transparent about what it’s decided and why. And then it needs to step up and do it, openly and honestly. Fake reasons designed to soothe the feelings of the side it offends will backfire.

Did Pink give itself a pink slip? Time will tell.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
———-
Next week: The article on editing I originally planned to do this week. And a few tips for becoming a better editor.

Media Minute: Make it visual
By Jerry Brown, APR
www.pr-impact.com

Is a picture really worth a thousand words? Maybe. But I have a different question for you: Are you using pictures and other visual design elements to bring out the full value of your words?

If not, you’re missing the boat.

With digital photography, high-quality stock-photo services that charge as little as $1 per picture and how easy it is to put pictures and video online, there’s no excuse for not adding strong visual impact to your story.

A few examples (you’ll come up with more) of how to do that:

• News releases aren’t just for the news media any more. If you’re writing a news release, add it to your website or blog with one or more pictures — or even a video — that help tell your story. You can offer the picture(s) to the media, too, of course. Just make sure it/they are professional quality.
• Do you blog? Or use Facebook? Pictures add impact to what you’re posting.
• Do you use PowerPoint for presentations? Word-packed slides are deadly. If you aren’t using more pictures than words on your slides, you’re probably guilty of “death by PowerPoint.” Avoid clip art. And don’t add visuals as an afterthought. They are at least as important as the words you put on your slides. If you do a lot of PowerPoint presentations, I recommend you read presentationzen by Garr Reynolds. It radically changed the way I do PowerPoint slides. And my slides are much better as a result.

Next week: The importance of editing. And a few tips for becoming a better editor.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

Media Minute: Anecdotes, analogies, examples
By Jerry Brown, APR
www.pr-impact.com

Anecdotes, analogies and examples are powerful storytelling tools. Use them whenever possible.

Anecdotes humanize your story. That makes your story more appealing to the rest of us — and more likely to get our attention. They make it more likely that we’ll hear what you say. But go easy on anecdotes that paint you as the hero. And stay away from anecdotes that criticize or poke fun at someone else.

Analogies simplify your story. They make it easier for the rest of us to understand your story. And they’ll help us remember it, too. Have you seen the new “that’s the Egg McMuffin of . . .” commercials from McDonald’s? My prediction is they’ll prove to be among the more memorable commercials of 2012 — and may even become part of our pop culture. They embody a great analogy.

Examples help explain your story. They provide a concrete memory hook that makes it more likely your story will be remembered. The Monday Morning Media Minute is the Egg McMuffin of media tips, for example.

Anecdotes, analogies, examples help get your story heard, understood and remembered.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.pr-impact.com

Mark Twain once said: “Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.”

My variation: Never let the facts stand in the way of a good story — including yours.

Those two statements embody a rule every good storyteller knows and follows instinctively. And so should you.

Twain told tall tales. So, for him, it didn’t matter whether the stories he told were literally true. He wasn’t concerned about whether they happened the way he told them — or even whether they happened at all.

Twain was interested in entertaining his audiences. And, often, he was interested in telling a bigger “truth” than the facts he used in narrating his stories. Many of his stories had a moral.

Twain could get away with bending or ignoring the “truth” because of the kind of stories he told.

But those of us in the business world usually don’t have that same latitude.

To be credible, we need to stick to real facts. But it’s important not to let facts stand in the way of our story.

I’m not suggesting you play fast and loose with the truth. You’ll destroy your credibility if you do that. But don’t bury your audience in so many facts that you forget to tell them your story.

Why is the story so important? Because we teach, learn and remember through storytelling.

Your story is like the wrapping that goes around a gift. The wrapping builds interest and anticipation.

Your story is there to keep the rest of us interested long enough to hear what you’re saying and to help us remember your message once we’ve heard it.

A litany of facts is easily and quickly forgotten. Or ignored entirely. A good story will be remembered, and even repeated. Your story is the the wrapping that adds interest to your message. And helps us remember it.

Next week: Three tools you can use to make your story more interesting.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.pr-impact.com

Tell me a story. And make it about me.

Whether you’re issuing a news release, delivering a speech or using social media, the best way to get the rest of us to hear, understand and remember what you have to say is to tell us a story.

People love stories. People have been telling stories for as long as there have been people. We teach, learn and remember through storytelling.

So, if you want to be heard, understood and remembered, become a good storyteller.

And make your stories about me. Why? Because everybody’s favorite subject is me. Find a way to make your story relevant to your audience and you increase dramatically the chances of getting the rest of us to listen to what you have to say.

In fact, two of the biggest mistakes storytellers make is telling stories that focus on themselves instead of their audience and telling stories that are boring.

I’ll explore ways to make your story more interesting over the next few weeks.

Coming up next week, a basic rule every storyteller should know: Don’t let the facts get in the way of your story. And, no, I’m not suggesting you be dishonest.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.pr-impact.com

One of my great frustrations over the years has been watching clients wait too long to respond to crisis situations or take advantage of stories in the news they could use to help tell their own story. Waiting too long to tell your story can mean a missed opportunity or, in some cases, a damaged reputation.

But there’s a flip side: Speaking before you’re ready. That’s also dangerous.

I stumbled across two examples of speaking too soon last week. One involved a promotional email sent out by the New York Times. The other involved a Denver city councilman a little too eager to claim credit for bringing California’s famous IN-N-OUT Burger chain to Colorado.

The Times sent out an email on Wednesday encouraging readers who had canceled their home subscriptions to change their minds and offering them a 50 percent discount for renewing. The email, which was supposed to have gone to 300 people, went to 8.6 million people, including me.

After a flurry of Twitter comments and phone calls to the Times from puzzled readers who hadn’t canceled their subscriptions, the Times put out a message on Twitter that said: “If you received an e-mail today about canceling your New York Times subscription, ignore it. It’s not from us.” Except, of course, it was.

So, the Times had to follow up with another message acknowledging and apologizing for two mistakes instead of one.

A minor miscue? Sure. No one died or got hurt. But the incident generated several negative stories and some embarrassment for the Times. And under different circumstances — a serious crisis, for example — it could have meant a serious loss in credibility.

The lesson for the rest of us: Make sure you know all the facts before you issue a public comment.

The other incident involves a Facebook comment by Denver City Councilman Albus Brooks claiming he had a “great conversation” over the holidays with a relative who has  “close ties” to IN-N-OUT’s CFO and that attracting the popular California burger chain to Denver “will be on my agenda heading into 2012.”

That, in turn, led to a story in the Denver Post speculating about the potential for IN-N-OUT coming to Denver.

Is IN-N-OUT coming to Denver? Maybe. But Brooks’ Facebook comment looks to me like a case of someone speaking out way too soon about something that’s far from certain — or about a conversation with a relative that was nothing more than idle chatter.

Brooks could still have claimed credit by waiting the deal — if there is one — was done. By jumping the gun, there’s a good chance he embarrassed IN-N-OUT’s CFO and his relative with “close ties” to the burger exec. And, if serious discussions for bringing IN-N-OUT to Denver really were in the works, he may have made a successful outcome more difficult. In short, Brooks made a mistake by speaking too soon.

One thing both of these incidents have in common: Comments made on social media. Facebook, Twitter and other social media make it very easy to say things that shouldn’t be said in public. So, beware.

And a personal footnote: If IN-N-OUT does make it to Denver, make mine a double-double, animal style.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

Merry Christmas. I also hope you have a happy, prosperous new year. Well, prosperous may be a bit of a stretch given the state of the economy.

My greetings extend to those of you who celebrate a different holiday this time of the year. If you do, I hope you have a grand time celebrating whatever you celebrate.

If you’re one of those people who go around wishing everyone “happy holidays,” I’m happy to accept that as well. But I won’t be wishing you “happy holidays.” That’s because I have achieved one of my longtime goals: Becoming a curmudgeon.

My current curmudgery centers around political correctness in general and “happy holidays” in specific. It seems to me that those of us celebrating Christmas should say so, just as those of you celebrating something else should say that, too — and we ought to all be grateful we live where we can openly celebrate different things without fuzzing it all up with a generic label that doesn’t own up to any of them.

Curmudgery is a word I believe I’ve invented, but I’m happy to be a practitioner. When you’re young, complaining — even about things that deserve to be complained about — is often called whining. Later, it becomes a rant. It’s only when people begin to see you as old — we never see ourselves that way, of course — that you qualify as a curmudgeon. So, as one who has whined and ranted much of his life, I’m glad now to be able to curmudge. It’s still the same thing. But it has a better ring to it.

As long as I’m curmudging about Christmas, I’m inviting those few people who are inclined to buy me a Christmas present not to buy me any more “stuff.” I have too much stuff already. I like my friend Adrienne’s idea: If you want to give me a gift, give me a haircut (hint: Adrienne is a great barber) or a massage or something else that will give me pleasure and an American worker the gift of being able to earn a few bucks doing whatever it is they do. Two gifts in one.

But enough curmudging. The whole point of these annual letters is, I believe from the ones I’ve received, to provide a recap of the past year so you can catch everybody up without having to write everyone a personalized letter.

So, let’s get on with it. I’m lucky enough to have nine grandchildren in my life. Four of them are mine. Five of there are Mary’s. But I have the privilege of watching all of them grow up. All of them are bigger, smarter and cuter than they were at this time last year. I don’t know how they do that. It’s magic, I think. But I’m glad they do because I enjoy watching them do it.

I’m smaller (I lost 40 pounds), smarter and no cuter (which is to say not cute at all) than I was this time last year. Like the kids, I’m also a year older. They want to be older than they are. And I’m okay with getting older. Being old enough to qualify as a curmudgeon is an interesting time of life.

If you know the kids in my life well enough to care about the details of what happened to them during the past year, you probably already know the details. If you don’t know the details, you probably don’t care about them anyway. But if you’re curious, then let’s chat. That’s way more fun than a form letter.

I also remain in awe of my grandchildren’s parents — some of whom are my former children. I say “former children” not because I’ve disowned them or vice versa (as far as I know). I’m still their dad. But they’re not children any more. I’m happy to report they all seem to be doing a better job of making it through life than I was doing at their respective ages. I take some credit for that. But not much. They’re mostly doing it on their own.

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Much love to all. And don’t forget to laugh at your problems. Everyone else does.

Jerry

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.pr-impact.com

A basic tenet of good storytelling: Surprise me.

I woke up this morning to find a surprise in my email — an offer for a “free app” for my Kindle Fire. The “free app” is a shameless promotion for a book, The 4-Hour Chef, scheduled to come out next September. The book provides recipes, meal plans and exercise ideas to help readers get through the Christmas season without gaining weight.

The reviews of the app are decidedly mixed. Several users gave it five stars. But there were one-, two- and three-star reviews as well.

The lead review when I checked the offer out in Amazon’s online store gave it three stars and had this to say: “This is basically an ad for Tim’s (Tim Ferriss) next book that’s nearly a year from coming out. This shouldn’t be a surprise as the title clearly states 4-Hour Chef Teaser, but reading the reviews you may think this is something earth shattering and it really isn’t much more than advertising, albeit very clever and well done. . . it’s worth the download for the exploding cow graphic alone.”

I downloaded the app, checked it out and concluded the review quoted above is spot on.

So why am I telling you all this? I’m not selling the book. But this promotion is clever and unusual enough that it’ll sell a lot of books. The idea won’t be nearly as interesting the next time someone tries it. The surprise factor that comes from the promotion’s unique approach is what makes it fun.

Hats off to author Tim Ferriss and Amazon for a clever little surprise that will sell a lot of books.

The lesson for the rest of us? Find a way to surprise me and you’re more likely to get me to at least listen to your story.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?