Update on Mother’s Day PR for Ronald McDonald House

Last week, guest blogger Claire “Voyant” Meyerhoff explained how she was going to use the Triple Ps (Precise Perfect Placement) to get some media coverage for one of her pro-bono clients, the Ronald McDonald House of Durham, NC. Claire sent me another update yesterday.

Here she is on Mother’s Day, with volunteer stylist Natasha Bieber and Amanda Lockyer of Welcome, North Carolina. Lockyer and her husband and son are staying at the Ronald McDonald House while their infant daughter, Gracie Jean, is in the NICU at Duke. Nine-week-old Gracie Jean was born with an abnormally small heart and needs a transplant.

The Raleigh News and Observer’s Ruth Sheehan did a lovely column titled “Mothers’ Tribute a Cut Above” on May 5, the Monday before Mother’s Day. Claire hoped an N&O photographer would show up at Ronald McDonald House on Mother’s Day, but the assignment manager said there weren’t enough photographers to cover everything. However, he was very helpful in giving Claire information on how to get photos to him to be placed in the paper and their website.

With less than 24-hours notice, Claire contacted her friend, Dave Horne, a professional photographer (www.davehornephotography.com). Dave saved the day, taking more than 100 photographs free of charge and offering them free and clear.

In her next guest blog post, Claire will talk about how she used those photos.

The moral of this PR story so far: When the assignment editor hands you lemons, keep asking questions. He may give you the recipe for lemonade.

Tags: Media Relations, PR, Ronald McDonald House

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Triple P Update: Did It Work?

By Guest Blogger Claire “Voyant” Meyerhoff

On Monday, I gave you my new acronym for getting press coverage — the Triple Ps: Precise Perfect Placement. I explained how I was going to put it to the test this week for a Mother’s Day event.

So here’s my casual Friday update. Like I said, I did a very precise pitch to get my pro-bono nonprofit client some publicity. I made a couple of phone calls and sent an email.

First, the event:

My hairstylist Janice and I are going to the Ronald McDonald House of Durham on Mother’s Day. Janice is going to cut hair for the moms who have more on their minds than their hair. They’re far from home, caring for a seriously ill child.

Janice and I did this last year and it was a big hit. It all started when we learned (while she was doing my hair) that we both dislike Mother’s Day because our moms are gone (as in deceased).

My goal this year is to get some QUALITY coverage for the Ronald McDonald House of Durham. I called the Raleigh News and Observer and followed up with an email. Granted, I spoke to the Executive Editor, who is an old acquaintance, and he offered to pass along the info the weekend editor. Still, a good story is a good story. I’m hoping they send a photographer to take some nice photos of the Moms — and that these photos will be in their print edition and on their website.

I made one other phone call — this one to N&O columnist Ruth Sheehan. Now, while the House is in Durham, we hope to expand our donor base in Raleigh, since there is no Ronald McDonald House there. So the N&O is a natural choice. I read Ruth’s column all the time and thought she might like this story.

The key words here are: I THOUGHT SHE MIGHT LIKE THE STORY.

Not — I want her to do the story, or she SHOULD do the story, just . . . hey, she might like this . . . it might be right up her alley. I’m familiar with THE TYPE OF STORY Ruth covers and realize she is always on the lookout for good stories. I know my story is a good story, because when I tell people about Janice cutting hair for the Mom’s, people say, “wow, that’s really great!”

A few days later, Ruth called. We set up a time to meet for coffee. We had a lovely chat and I gave her Janice’s phone number.

A few days later, this is what turned up in the Raleigh News and Observer.

I think the Triple P’s are working, don’t you?

Tags: Media Relations, PR, Ronald McDonald

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The Triple P’s of Pitching the Media

By Guest Blogger Claire “Voyant” Meyerhoff

Fanfare please.

“Ladies and Gentleman, Claire Meyerhoff and Nonprofit Marketing Guide present a new acronym . . .”

PPP

The Three P’s of Pitching will help your nonprofit get better coverage! It will solve all your public relations problems! It will build strong bones twelve different ways! Nine out of ten doctors recommend it!

Or maybe the Three P’s will simply give you a new way of looking at taming that beast called “Media Coverage.” I will now reveal the words behind our acronym . . .

3P’s of Pitching

• Precise
• Perfect
• Placement

If you’re the lucky gal or guy in charge of “getting coverage” for your organization, maybe this is your strategy: You write a press release, send it to every news outlet in town, then make follow up calls. Then you’re disappointed when you don’t get coverage. And it really is a good story.

Some media consultant types do the “blanket pitch.” They contact every single reporter they know, or don’t know, and pitch the same story to everyone. They blanket the city with press releases, jamming the e-mail boxes of every assignment editor, reporter, associate producer, desk assistant and newsroom secretary in the market. Even the guy who services the vending machine at Action News 15 gets the e-mail, “Nonprofit Announces Boring Survey.”

Not me. I do a very targeted pitch. Precise Perfect Placement.

Since Kivi likes exciting experiments, I’m going to bring one to her Laboratory . . .

I’m in charge of a certain nonprofit’s small event on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2008. My entire media strategy includes two phone calls, one e-mail and then some follow-up phone calls.

Next Monday, May 12th, I’ll let you know how it went.

Hopefully, I’ll have good news (and my client will have made news).

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Want more of Claire’s advice? You can listen to her teleseminar with Kivi earlier this year called “Getting Reporters to Cover Your Nonprofit” for free! Get the mp3 link now.

Tags: media, Media Relations, pitching, press, press releases

More Goodies: Get Kivi's Nonprofit Marketing Tips E-Newsletter (2-3 times per month)