There Is No Try

We all have great ideas. We all have illusions of grandeur and how much we kick ass.  But how many people execute these ideas/plans? I'm guessing not many. Why? Because it takes a certain type of person to actually take an idea and turn it into something tangible and beneficial. It doesn't have to be a product. It could be a pitching strategy, a marketing campaign or a variety of other things.

This got me thinking about success in public relations and the mentality it takes to actually execute. We need more doers then thinkers these days. So I began thinking about what has helped me execute successfully. Here is what I came up with:

1. Transparency, Transparency, Transparency. Be upfront with what you want and what you have to offer the person you are pitching. I spell out every expectation and nuance before I go further with someone. This goes for sources I consider friends as well. Tell them everything about what you are doing, where it is going and how you think it is going to get there. You'd be amazed at how helpful this is.

2. Explore, scout and conquer. When I start to pitch someone (especially a blogger), I do it in three stages:

I first explore to find out if that person is an interesting, non-spammy and unique individual that would be interested in what I am providing.

I then scout his/her writing relentlessly. I comment, contribute and try to engage that person in every possible way I can.

Finally, I conquer: I tell the blogger about the information and see if he will bite. If he doesn't try and ensure you, at least form a solid connection. The next bit of information that you come across may be to juicy for him to pass up.

3. Don't be lazy. If you are lazy, this isn't the job for you. It moves fast, is immediate and can be a tremendous time drain. Don't take short cuts. Personalize emails, call with tailored angles for that individual. Don't be a robot. It's obvious...and it makes us all look really bad.

4. If you can get away with it: be informal. Some individuals absolutely hate this, but most love the reckless abandon with which I try to spread out information. This usually means that I am fast, thorough and direct to the point. I don't like to mess about and waste your time. If you are interested, great. If not, I'll talk with you about other stuff.

5. Ruthless with a smile. "The best things in life are free. If that's the case I'll leave it to the birds and bees. I want money." Is it bad that I use that song to remind myself of the main goal of what I am after? I don't think you are truly being honest with yourself if you don't admit that you have a bottom line. You need to hit that, otherwise your hard work will all be for naught. But have fun with it. I get off on kicking ass in marketing/PR/social media. I truly love it. I think you have to, though.

Do you have any additional tips?

tagged as kicking ass, no spin pr, no spin public relations, pr. yoda, ruthless pr, transparent pr, transparent public relations