Posts in category: Blog

Whether you’re an individual or company with a product or message, maintaining a relationship with media – either through yourself or through a public relations agency – is vital in shaping your message and sharing your story. There are endless ways to engage with earned media owners. It’s crucial to harness knowledge, professionalism, and to never be that pushy, 10-times-a-day-follow-up caller. Equally, it’s important to effectively craft your company communication in a way that’s valuable and meaningful for both your audience and the journalist. Below we share four (of many!) ways you can deliver information and connect with media. 1. The Opinion Piece Media outlets are increasingly happy to publish your content in its entirety if it contains content that’s valuable to an audience. Put aside all self-serving and advertising-esque writing, though, because that’s a sure fire way to land your pitch in the ‘junk’ folder.A value-packed, educational opinion piece can be a great way to get your name or product out there, particularly if it offers a differing or alternative perspective. 2. The Tip Off Just as Daily Planet’s mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent *always* seems to land breaking news on Superman, tipping off your best stories to the media provides them with an exclusive and gives you plenty of space to prepare your information in advance. Perry White would be proud! 3. The Backgrounder Making a journalist’s job easy with a simple backgrounder about who you are and what you do makes their job a million times easier. Who wouldn’t love that?Journalists are busy people. And just like Gordon Ramsay, they prefer everything handed to them on a plate, deconstructed, so they can serve it all out.. …Stay with me. The backgrounder serves the purpose of parsing out information for media. You don’t want to leave writers digging around for your story; you want to hand them all your information, complete, with the proverbial cocktail umbrella on the side, right? The backgrounder exists as a separate, discrete piece of information that you can distribute alongside other PR collateral. 4. The Media Release aka The Elder Wand of PR If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll know I’m kidding… There’s no way anything can be as powerful as the most powerful thing in the history of Wizardkind! GOSH.But seriously, the media release is definitely up there.This tool still remains by far the number one way for brands to communicate with media. It allows you to cleverly construct your key messages and deliver them in journalistic format. A smashing, well-timed, value-packed, efficient media release truly is half the job done.  

Whether it’s media releases, media engagement or simply content you’re after… Please get in touch with us! Header image: 123rf.com/profile_alexpokusay’>alexpokusay

Like many traditional public relations firms RG Communications has seen first hand the growth of content marketing from a small niche player in the marketing world to all-pervasive monster. We have also seen first hand how companies have sometimes struggled to deal with the large volume of content required to feed the beast. Content can get complex, painful and expensive very quickly; particularly in a small team where resources are scarce and priorities numerous. We wanted to find a way to ease the pain for marketers who know what they want and when they want it. We wanted to be able to provide content on demand. Over time we developed the idea for a portal that provided organisations with the ability to refine their content ideas and out-source the hard yakka to professional writers, giving them the chance to focus on more important things. We call it ‘short order’ content, and naturally, we called the site Content on Demand.

 

Briefing is the key

As part of the planning process we quickly realised that to make developing one-off content pieces cost effective you need a briefing system that provides writers with a clear, unambiguous brief about the project. Understanding the purpose and style of your content from the outset is the easiest way to streamline the content production process.

Much of the frustration with content production comes from the endless iterations that are a direct result of having limited consensus among stakeholders about the purpose of the piece.

That is why Content on Demand is underpinned by an intuitive briefing system we’ve called EziBrief. EziBrief allows customers to order a range of different content types by completing a simple briefing form. The brief is then assessed by one of our in-house editors and assigned to either an in-house writer or external subject matter expert. Think of it as your inspiration, and our perspiration. You develop the idea and we bring it to fruition. A range of standard content pieces are available to be ordered through the site, including media releases, feature articles, advertorial/editorial, testimonials, white papers, blogs and case studies. Each project is priced based on the quality of the brief and the expertise required to produce the content.

What we believe

In developing Content on Demand we were cognisant of the fact that there are already numerous marketplaces available that provide a link between brands and the masses of freelance writers. Our vision was a bit different and we based our business on four founding principles: Quality content, requires quality writers We believe the skills required to produce high quality content that engages customers takes many years to develop and expert practitioners are hard to find; and extremely valuable. Technology has an important role to play We believe traditional methods of sourcing content can be improved by utilising technology to streamline the process, making it more efficient and affordable. Great briefs = great content We believe that by streamlining the content briefing process while maintaining high standards we can help business maximise the opportunity of content marketing. Speed is of the essence We believe good content producers should be able to quickly understand your business and content needs quickly and deliver high quality content in a timely and cost effective manner.  

A bit about us

Content on Demand was designed and built by RG Communication’s in-house digital design business Villain Designs using WordPress and Gravity Forms. RG Communications was established in 2014 by Ben Ready and Brenton Gibbs and services a range of clients across the tourism, travel and property industries. Clients include AirAsiaX, Aquis Australia, Oliver Hume, Daydream Island, Devine Limited, FIIG Securities and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ).

Leading Queensland communications firm RG Communications (RGC) has today launched a short-order content portal designed to streamline one-off, custom content sourcing. Content on Demand has been more than six months in development and is underpinned by an intuitive content briefing system called EziBrief. The site allows customers to order a range of content types by completing the briefing form. The brief is then assessed by one of RGC’s in-house editors and assigned to either an in-house writer or external subject matter expert. RGC is one of Queensland’s most experienced communications, content and creative firms with extensive experience in brand publishing and content. The company owns and publishes MBA News Australia and the primary content partner for a range of independent publishers, including TheUrbanDeveloper.com Content on Demand Founder Ben Ready said the portal was designed to provide large brands and SME’s with efficient access to quality content producers, without the hassle of auctions or constantly sourcing new suppliers. A range of content pieces are available to be ordered through the site, including media releases, feature articles, advertorial/editorial, testimonials, white papers, blogs and case studies. “The site was borne out of our own frustrations with peer-to-peer marketplaces where expectations around quality are rarely met by the reality,” he said. “Content on Demand is designed to fill the gap for clients who know what they want and want it done at an affordable price by local writers with local knowledge.” Each Content on Demand project is priced based on the quality of the brief and the expertise required to produce the content. “Our writers and editors are professional content experts with many years experience with pricing reflecting that expertise…there are plenty of freelancing sites where you can get content cheaper but at what cost?” Mr Ready said smaller companies increasingly understood the importance and value of content marketing, but lacked the internal resources to generate consistently, high quality content. “Many SMEs struggle to keep up with the volume of content required to feed effective content, social and digital marketing strategies,” he said. “Good quality content that engages an audience The new site was designed and built by RGC’s in-house digital design business Villain Designs. RG Communications was established in 2014 by Ben Ready and Brenton Gibbs and services a range of clients across the tourism, travel and property industries. Clients include AirAsiaX, Oliver Hume, Daydream Island, Devine Limited, FIIG Securities and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ).

Creating content is one thing. Creating content that your audience loves and wants to share is entirely different. And if you aren’t generating content that your audience cares about, then you’re wasting valuable time and resources. How can you create something that matters to your audience, bolsters your company image and isn’t sales-y? Over many years of experience we have found some simple tips to help generate quality content and create authentic, engaging posts. First of all, ask yourself:

• Are you creating something that will serve to educate, improve or better the lives of your audience;
• Or, are you just trying to sell something?

People can easily sniff out the latter and will generally feel aggrieved if you duped them with the promise of great content, only to hit with a slogan. Here’s some simple ways to start generating valuable content on Facebook:

1. If you’re at the early stages of social media, or your analytics are lagging behind, why not ask your followers: What do you want to see from us? Make a list of the requests and start from there.
2. Create ‘Milestones’ on your company page; they can be both serious and fun, and it demonstrates your business growth.
3. Don’t screen shot and post a graphic; instead, print out a hard copy and take a picture of the printout in a specific context; this makes your brand human, highlights your creativity, and makes your company less digital – even if it’s shared digitally.
4. Tag other local brands and show appreciation for their work – but make it genuine. People can tell the difference.
5. Highlight your company’s strongest assets – your employees! People love seeing well-written profiles of employees, what they do, and what they love about the company.

Social media presents a highly cost-effective way to generate brand awareness, so it’s important to ensure your online content is on-point. Here is a bit of a guide from the folks at Marketing Strategy HQ on maximising content on Facebook.

Media publicity is not terribly difficult – in theory. In practice it is incredibly complex and nuanced, which is why their is now entire industry built around it. As I have explained previously, there is a vast difference between media publicity and public relations. While both attempt to influence awareness, understanding and perception, they serve a different purpose and require vastly different approaches. In it’s simplest form, a media publicity campaign is about getting your brand, product or service in front of potential customers. It has always been my experience that while many clients talk about wanting ‘public relations’, what they really want is to see their name in the paper (for doing good things). Public relations on the other hand is largely concerned with managing the perceptions of complex publics, of which media is just one. While entire books have been written on public relations theory, very few writers have definitively addressed effective publicity strategies. Over many years of developing, refining and implementing effective strategies I have learnt that the only three things that matter are your Content, Contacts and Cadence. To keep the alliterative theme going, it is the what, the who and when. Content (What) Your content is your story and is the starting point for any publicity strategy. Without an engaging story, your contacts and cadence are irrelevant. Developing a strong narrative (or narrative series) is where you need to invest the greatest amount of time and resources. Unfortunately it is more art than science, which is why developing a good narrative is largely intuitive and takes many years of experience to do effectively. In a newsroom it’s called ‘news sense’, in the content marketing space it is called ‘story telling’, we call them opportunities. The key to developing great opportunities for publicity is to take yourself out of the story and concentrate on the needs of your audience. Simply stacking up your marketing messages into a pile is not creating a story, that is advertising. Ask yourself some simple questions:

• Why is this story interesting?
• What value is there for the audience?
• Is it ‘news’ or ‘marketing’?
• Who does this impact?

Contacts (Who) Your contacts are your target audience. In media publicity, it is the journalists, influencers and gatekeepers who control what appears in the media. It can be contacts in the traditional sense of people you know and have established relationships with or it can be people you haven’t dealt with previously. It is important to have a clear understanding of who your target audience is and then work backwards to find they media they consume, and the gatekeepers who decide what they consume. The first priority should be to establish and build relationships with people who may be covering your company or organisation on a regular basis. The easiest way to build relationships is to provide contacts with a steady stream of good stories. The easiest way to break their trust is to pitch them crap (highlighting the importance of content). It is important to establish and maintain wide databases of RELEVANT media. Cadence (When) Cadence is the regularity by which you target the media. You can execute opportunities too often, or not often enough; getting the balance right is difficult. The regularity of opportunity execution should always depend on the quality of your content, not the schedule in your planner. Setting up a schedule to release something on the third Thursday of every month often leads to missing great opportunities which happen at other times while using content that is not suitable, just because it is in a schedule. The best news (content) should be released when it happens. The longer you wait the less newsworthy it becomes. be prepared to be flexible and responsive to opportunities as they emerge and don’t let yourself be restricted by an arbitrary schedule. There are many different names for each of these aspects of a media publicity strategy. Regardless of what you call them, understanding them and finding solutions is the only strategy you will ever ned for getting yourself in the paper.

Producing consistently good, readable content can often be overwhelming, especially if you don’t have any writing experience.

One way to ensure your writing is up scratch is to look to the experts: journalists. Every day, journalists must write interesting, enticing and engaging content. It’s their job to produce stories that will help sell their publication.

There is a lot that content marketers can learn from journalists in order to improve their writing skills. Here are three tips to take on board:

The inverted pyramid style

Early in their careers, journalists are taught that readers will only read the first three paragraphs of a news article before they get bored or distracted. As such, journalists learn to position the most important elements of a story at the beginning of the article, with the least important elements at the end. This is called the inverted pyramid style of writing and it’s a good habit for content marketers to pick up.

Snappy headlines

Newspapers and magazines regularly publish attention-grabbing headlines to attract more readers. Apart from the front cover image, the front cover headline is the only guaranteed way to stop a reader in their tracks.

Content marketing is no different. When faced with a sea of search results, a reader will always click on the article with a catch headline first.

Here are a few tips for writing a good headline.

• Use verbs – an ‘active’ headline is far more interesting and compelling;
• Use interesting adjectives;
• Use numbers (i.e. Five Tips for Writing a Great Headline);
• Use trigger words like ‘How’ or ‘Why’ (i.e. How To Write a Great Headline In Five Easy Steps)

Tell the truth

One of the key tenets of journalism is to write the truth and present the facts in a clear and unbiased fashion. It’s a great lesson for content marketers to take heed of. Unlike advertising, content marketing is about developing a relationship with your readers. Much of that relationship will be built on trust and honesty. So be up front with your readers and they will reward you with their loyalty and dollars.