We found this video on youtube with Virgin CEO Richard Branson talking about the importance of good PR to help grow and build the reputation of your business.
Check out the video here.
Yours in PR
Archive for Interviews
How to Grab a Journalists Attention
How do you grab a journalist’s attention? Do you like to send samples or gifts, or do you like offering exclusives?
At Maximise The Media discussion in Sydney on Tuesday night, executive producer of 2GB’s Ray Hadley Morning Program, Sophie Onikul said journo’s love anything free and that food and concert tickets stand out from the 80 – 90 press releases she receives daily.
“You guys think we have an awesome life, we really don’t, so send us stuff,” she said.
However, the executive producer of Nine’s Morning’s with Kerri-Anne said, “we’ll take your flowers, we’ll let you take us to dinner and then we’ll break your heart.”
On the other hand, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar magazine, Edwina McCann said building a relationship with the journalist and offering them exclusives will be most beneficial to the publicist.
To read the full story visit 
We often recommend to clients to send product samples and appealing media kits to journalists for a number of reasons.
Firstly, you get cut-through and your information immediately becomes experiential because the journalist sees and touches your wares.
Secondly (also important), it demonstrates your commercial generosity to the journalists, from whom after all, you are seeking coverage.
However, don’t go overboard with the gifts…
Yours in PR
Our First Queentessentials!
It’s finally here! Welcome, Queentessentials – our monthly newsletter. It’s just been sent and should be hitting your inbox now.
Each issue will have a theme and will include different interviews with journalists, a range of PR tips, client of the month and various business stories.
Our first newsletter is themed around new businesses, so we have crafted a range of material which will include PR and business info for people who have a start-up business or are thinking about starting one.
This issue features an interview with Jen Bishop, Editor of Dynamic Business magazine giving us her secrets for success in start-up businesses. We have also included PR tips for your start-up business, client of the month – Australia’s Biggest Bookgroup and useful business stories, plus more.
So if you haven’t yet signed up for our Queentessentials newsletter, then quickly head to our sign up page at – http://www.publicityqueen.com.au/resources/pr_tips/newsletter
Yours in PR
A Pearl of Wisdom from Jim Collins
Renowned Jim Collins, author of Built to Last and Good to Great, was interviewed for the New York Times recently and explained what he looks for when hiring students to help out with his book projects.
When he is going through the interview process he looks for people with four specific traits; smart, curious, willing to death-march (“there has to be something in their background that indicates that they just will die before they would fail to complete something to perfection”) and spark of irreverence (“because it’s in that fertile conversation of disagreement where the best ideas come, or at least the best ideas get tested”).
These four traits reflect the types of businesses we love to work with as a PR company and who the media love too. Maybe they will be helpful for your business and its growth trajectory too…
To read the full article head to the New York Times website;
Yours in PR
James Tuckerman Interview – Part 2
It’s time now to welcome back James Tuckerman to the blog as we learn the inside scoop on Australian Anthill…
PQ Your roles at Australian Anthill are both Publisher & Editor-in-Chief – what do each of these roles involve?
James Publisher is running the business day-to-day and managing the four revenue streams: advertising, retail sales, subscription sales and custom publishing (which is producing magazines for third-parties).
Each segment involves different marketing skills. For example, advertising is about building one-on-one relationships through a sales team. Selling retail requires an understanding of merchandising and distribution channels. Subscriptions requires an understanding of direct mail and data management. Custom publhisng is about client management and production.
I also look after the general management of the business – essentially, as Publisher, I run the business as MD or CEO.
As Editor-in-Chief I provide overriding direction at the beginning and end of each edition - I can bring content in line with marketing, online and annual activities such as our Cool Company Awards.
I also oversee the development of our longer-term editorial calendar and play a very hands-on role with respect to design, particularly the development of visual motifs and final sign-off. But, once again, I rely heavily on a manager, who is more hands-on – that is Paul Ryan.
PQ As Editor, what role does Paul Ryan play?
James Paul looks after the editorial content of the magazine on a day-to-day basis. He has a very strong say in what goes in the magazine and what angles we run. He understands the ‘personality’ of Anthill intuitively because he’s helped create it. The Anthill personality and editorial style was founded in the early editions, but Paul has added extra dimensions to it and today the style is more a composite of our combined attitudes (and senses of humour).
He pulls together freelance contributors, photographers, illustrators and facilitates our relationship with other participants such as designers. He sub-edits vast amounts of copy to make sure it reflects the Anthill style and he writes features. He’s a very gifted journalist and treats his art very seriously. In many ways, he’s the conscience of the magazine, making sure that editorial is always compelling and of a high standard.
It’s a very compatible relationship. I’m more likely to throw in something absurd and Paul is an excellent sounding board. Sometimes these absurd ideas take root and can turn into great editorial, such as the Cool Company Awards and other times Paul provides me with a sensible does of reality.
PQ What’s the editorial charter for Australian Anthill?
James We don’t have a formal editorial charter. In the early days I was very flexible about content and today we’re still evolving – so it would be counter productive to restrict ourselves.
The magazine will always be about business growth and it will always focus on Australian companies. We will continue to cover issues of relevance to SMEs and middle-market companies. Occasionally , we also cover small publicly listed companies and innovative spin-offs from large Australian public companies.
PQ What’s the decision making process about what editorial makes it to the magazine?
James Anthill is structured according to sections: INSIDE, BULL-ANTS, Q&A, TUNNEL TALK etc. We have two big meetings each year where we brainstorm who and what we would like to cover in each section over the next 12 months (6 issues). Then we create a rough calendar to ensure that each edition is not too heavily weighted in one area – although occasionally we decide to theme an edition.
Then before each edition, we have another meeting to determine whether our original decisions are still relevant and whether we have the resources to pursue a given topic at a given time. For example, a feature can be postponed because the subject goes missing or the topic gets covered elsewhere (and we’ll look like also-rans if we head in that direction).
Ultimately, it’s a juggling match between pre-established stories and new topical items. Of course there are sections of the mgaazine that specifically relate to new deals, events, announcements, but we treat these sections with a certain level of expected serendipity – if we hear of something and it’s interesting, it goes in. (The PR pipeline keeps us well fed).
PQ What are your 3 top tips you’d give to a business owner that wants to send you a media kit?
James 1. You are not ‘unique’ but you might have a point of difference – emphasise that or .. present an opinion that will make me sit up.
2. Don’t use high tech language or corporate jargon – if we can’t understand it in 15 minutes, we’ll bin it.
3. Pitch to the ‘personality’ of the medium. Read the magazine first. Identify sections where your ’story’ might fit in.
PQ What kills an editorial submission for you?
James Overselling a lack lustre story, technology or angle really annoys most journalists. Tone it down. For example… “We may not have discovered a cure for cancer, but we think what we have is kinda neat”.
PQ What’s the best way to approach Australian Anthill with a story?
James OK, here it is…
Email, or call and say “G’day”.
Send your info to Paul Ryan, the Editor.
His address is p.ryan@australiananthill.com.
His phone number is 03 9428 3777.
Make sure your photos are at least 300 dpi.
And send your info one to two months before release date.
PQ Any other pearls of wisdom?
James Remember that everyone loves a story. Present your case as a ‘tale’ and preferably humorously – you’ll get a better result.
PQ James, you’re a treasure and thank you soooo much for spending the time with us and being so generous with your information and insights about Australian Anthill.
James My pleasure.
Well, now that you know all about Australian Anthill and you’ve heard directly from the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief no less, it’s time that you go out and buy yourself a copy, or better still, subscribe.
Become familiar with the magazine (you’ll learn heaps in the process) and see if you can start getting some publicity in one of Australia’s most exciting titles. (And make sure you keep me posted on your progress too – I’d love to hear!).
Yours in publicity
PS. Sorry for this post being so long – but there was so much good stuff it was impossible to make it a shorty!
Australian Anthill – An Interview with James Tuckerman
As the owner of a small business it’s important to keep informed – your competitive edge depends on it.
Well a fantastic information resource for small businesses with big ideas is Australian Anthill.
Australian Anthill
Published: Bi-monthly
Price: $7.95
Available: Newsagencies & subscription
Circulation: 15,571
Readers: Business owners & professionals
James Tuckerman the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of this fabbo magazine has been kind enough to spend some time with me and give Publicity Queen blog fans the inside scoop…
PQ What was the inspiration for starting Australian Anthill?
James Essentially, when we launched in September 2003, there were only two types of ‘consumer’ business magazines in Australia – big business magazines such as BRW, and little business magazines that focussed on the nuts and bolts of running a small business.
I wanted to create a business magazine that was targeted toward rapid growth businesses, companies with genuine global potential. I wanted to create a new and vibrant business magazine for new and vibrant, ‘fast’ growth companies. I wanted to help Australians understand that being entrepreneurial can be highly rewarding and that innovation fuels economies.
To do this, I needed to create a magazine that I thought would appeal to three core groups: entrepreneurs, investors and service providers. In short, ideas, money and skills.
To build the appeal, it was my view that the magazine needed to be equally fresh and that if business can be fun, why can’t business journalism.
PQ Originally you were in PR, how did this help you in establishing the magazine?
James PR helped me to lobby, open doors and reach new audiences and this helped me to promote the magazine and importantly sell advertising space.
My PR skills also helped in relation to the development of editorial – I could isolate the most interesting angle even when the subject was otherwise uninteresting.
Finally, consultants in the PR world are required to churn copy and this helped me particularly with the first three editions of Anthill which I wrote from cover to cover. I would spend my weekdays selling advertising, managing retail channels, organising subscriptions and looking after the general management of the business. On the weekends, I would write stories at fever pitch – I couldn’t have done that without my PR background.
PQ In your opinion, what’s made the magazine so successful?
James In a nutshell, it’s the exciting content and the magazine’s unconventional personality.
Anthill provides an educational function but has also adopted a personality to reflect the attitudes of modern business owners who are young in mindset and vision, open and collaborative in their approach to commerce and fuelled by the process of creation, rather than mere wealth creation.
Well that’s it from James today, but in the next entry he’ll be giving us a sneak preview into the news hub of the magazine as well as the Editor’s contact details so that you can ring or email the magazine about your business.
So keep reading and spread the word among your friends who also want publicity – the next entry is too good to miss…
Yours in publicity
Publicity with Pictures
Here are some more wise words from Jaime Murcia…
PQ What is it that Editors look for in photos?
Jaime The photo has to be connected to the subject matter of the story and give a strong sense of what the story is about. A great photo will help bring the story to life and give the reader a visual representation of the words – and ideally, an emotional response too.
PQ Is a story without a photo dropped before one with a photo if space is tight?
Jaime Yes. By and large, words will get cut before a photo, particulary if the publication has commissioned the shot. It depends on the media of course, but rather than drop a story with a pic, the Editor might opt to cut the story right down and leave the photo in tact.
PQ To get a run in the media, what must a photo have?
Jaime First of all forget film – most media now is set-up to use digital photos, so don’t bother sending in transparencies with your news release, use digital files.
So on the technical side, there are some golden rules with digital photography. Make sure that for magazines, your file is high resolution and is at least 300 dpi (that’s dot per inch, PQ) and for newspapers it should be around the 140 dpi mark.
If the file size is too small, they can’t stretch it and it won’t get used because it’ll be too soft.
The bottom line is, media needs to fill space constantly and if you give them the right stuff, they’ll use it.
PQ Does a good shot increase your chances of getting publicity?
Jaime I think it does - photos make a publication more appealing to readers. If you’ve got a good little story and you send it in with a great photo, you’ll increase your chances like crazy.
And here’s a tip… when taking your ‘great’ photo consider it from an editorial point-of-view rather than a flat and boring approach. Think about ways that you can add a twist to the picture that will add another dimension to its interest factor – boring is bad!
PQ What are your top tips for a business owner when taking a photo to submit to the media?
Jaime First tip is – think twice about taking the photo yourself! If you’ve invested significant resources into bringing a product or service to market, then it makes sense to invest in a photographer who can take pictures that do justice to your investment.
Second tip is to think of a good ‘hook’ for your photo – don’t make it too cheesy, but get certainly get the creative juices flowing.
I’d also suggest that you make the photo strong and clean – don’t clutter it up with too much detail, it shouldn’t be too busy.
And lastly, send in a couple of options. Perhaps you’ve taken similar shots but from different angles and with different lighting – send in these different interpretations because it increases your chances of one being suitable to the style of the publication.
PQ Ok, last question, can you show us some examples of your work?
Jaime This photo of Tammy van Wisse, the long distance swimmer is probably one of my all-time favourites – it was even runner-up in the Melbourne Press Club’s Quill Awards for Best Editorial Photograph.
This photo was taken in the middle of winter (I felt guilty asking her to get into the water) and I used artificial light to highlight the incredible sunset. I wanted to give the feeling that she could have been alone anywhere in the middle of the ocean.
And I vividly remember this shoot too because I was busy trying not to get salt water on my $6,000 camera and not get electrocuted with the battery flash the assistant was holding in waist-deep water!
PQ Thanks so much Jaime for sharing your insights – it’s been wonderful.
Don’t forget to visit Jaime’s website for more examples of his work at www.jaimemurcia.com.
And if you need a great corporate portrait taken, then visit Jaime’s new site, www.ceoportrait.com.au.
Inside Information from an Editorial Photographer
I recently spent some time with one of Australia’s most talented Editorial Photographers – he’s taken photos for The Australian Financial Review, BRW, Inside Sport, New Woman and Melbourne Weekly (just to name a few) as well as newspapers and their magazines such as Herald Sun, Sunday Life and Good Weekend.
Our illustrious Editorial Photographer is the superb Mr Jaime Murcia and you can visit his website at www.jaimemurcia.com.
PQ Why did you want to become an Editorial Photographer?
Jaime I was inspired by a photographer in the 1980s who’d been to Iran and had taken some amazingly powerful shots of the country post-war. The shots were published in the The Age and National Geographic and when I saw them, they were my motivation for getting into photography. I was working as a Doorman at Parliament House at the time and had a young family to support so I couldn’t afford the time or money for formal qualifications. What I used to do, was take my young son out in the pram and wander about the streets of Prahran taking photos, experimenting with lighting and composition. Over time, I built-up the technical knowledge and confidence on how to take a good shot.
PQ What was your first experience in working for the media?
Jaime When I was learning, I took a photo of an electricity substation with a hole in the fence and it got a run in the local newspaper. While I didn’t get paid for it, I was rapt and on my way!
PQ So how did you break into the media?
Jaime My first paying job was with the Herald Sun where I got a couple of freelance days. From there I did some photo essays that got published in QANTAS’s The Australian Way and Inside Sport. I then was able to secure some freelance work with The Australian Financial Review and from there I was offered a position with Melbourne Weekly.
PQ How are photos worked into the production of a print publication?
Jaime At Melbourne Weekly for example, we’d have a weekly meeting to talk about the contents of the next issue. We’d discuss the possible cover story and photo ideas and from there I’d start booking the people I needed and go and take the shot.
There’s lots of people involved in the selection of photographs in a newspaper or magazine – firstly there’s people like me, the photographers and we report to the Picture Editor who works closely with the Art Director who works closely with the Editor. So sometimes, each of these four professionals will have an opinion on how to make the most of the photo for the story – it can become quite a complex decision at times!
What I always try to do is get information about the story that the photo is to accompany and develop ways that I can take the shot that adds strength and power to the words. I also like to compose a few different shots of the subject, even if I’m using the same elements and this way I can offer the Picture Editor, Art Director and Editor a few different options.
But in the end it’s the Editor who has the responsibility to make the final decision on the cover and then it’s up to the Art Director to make the photo work.
In the next entry, I’ll show you an example of Jaime’s work and he’s going to tell us how important photographs are when trying to get publicity, so make sure you keep tuned in…
Yours in publicity
