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more likely to convince their patients to comply with their recommendations if they display their medical diplomas in their consulting rooms. Other studies have found that realtors are able to secure more property appraisals if they are first introduced by a colleague who speaks to their credentials.

This is valuable information for PR professionals to note, as we can function as those third party advocates for our clients. In your pitches, see if you can find a way to emphasize your client’s particular niche of expertise or speak to their extensive knowledge in a field. For example, when the BIGfish team is working on a story for Ring, we emphasize Jamie Siminoff’s expertise in security and tech innovation; when we’re working on a story for Nightingale, we talk about Christopher Calisi’s extensive experience in sound masking technologies, and so on. You’d be surprised how far a little humble bragging can go.

By Anna McGeady (http://bigfishpr.com/the-science -of-interest-what-makes-us-care/)

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This is Why Your Email Pitches aren’t Working

In the past few years, reports surfaced claiming humans have shorter attention spans than goldfish. In 2013, the average attention span was about 8 seconds (down a whole four seconds from 2000); goldfish reportedly have an average attention span of about 9 seconds. Yikes.

If your email pitches aren’t getting the traction you hoped they would, chances are it’s because you failed to engage your readers in those first 8

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seconds. But what exactly are you doing wrong?

We’re bringing you the top 4 email faux pas contributing to those underwhelming results to help get your pitches back on track:

1) Your Email Subject is More Than 55 Characters

Subject lines are arguably the most important part of an email, as they determine if the rest of your email is worth reading. Avoid using all caps or gimmicky phrase like “Last Chance!” because your reader is probably immune to those kinds of ploys. Instead, make sure your subject is direct, concise, and interesting. And most importantly, always under 55 characters.

2) You Lack a “Call me Ishmael” Intro

If you’re lucky enough to write a subject line that gets your email opened, the second-most important part is going to be those first few words. Draft a sentence that is both intriguing and informative. Too vague and you waste your reader’s time; too specific and you miss an opportunity to offer some helpful context. It doesn’t have to be one of the most memorable phrases in literary history, but it should be pretty solid.

3) Your Email is More Than 190 Words

If an email looks like a full-length novel, chances are it’s going to be ignored. While 190 words is considered a decent length for the standard email pitch, try to keep your word count under that number whenever possible. You’ll have to be extremely deliberate in choosing the information you include in the body of your email, but that level of specificity and purposefulness will only make your pitch stronger.

4) You Don’t Use Bullets

To help your readers make sense of the info you’re providing, it might be worth breaking some information up into bullets or numbers, with the most important information bolded. That way, your busiest reader need only glance at the email to get a sense of what you’re offering, and your chances of piquing their interest go up.

We can speculate and point fingers at smartphones and technology as the

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culprits of our short attention spans, but the reality is those things aren’t going anywhere. Instead of naming blame, we need to reevaluate our communication methods to ensure the content we create catches our readers’ ever-elusive attention.

By Anna McGeady (http://bigfishpr.com/this-is-why-your- email-pitches-arent-working/)

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How Artificial Intelligence will Change Public Relations

While most of us have gotten over the fear that artificial intelligence is some insidious robot plotting to take over the world, we may linger on another, more plausible concern: AI is coming for our jobs.

Artificial intelligence is already largely inculcated in our day to day routines (think Pandora stations, Amazon suggestions, Netflix options), but many of us can’t help but feel uneasy about what further advancements of this technology might mean for our respective industries. How plausible is this fear that AI will make human employees obsolete?

It certainly isn’t something to write off completely; for example, artificial intelligence is set to replace more than 30 human workers in a Japanese insurance firm this year. But that’s not to say the firm will eventually be able to operate without human employees. All final payments must still be processed by human staff. And that’s the key to this whole AI conundrum. It’s about the collaboration of human and machine, not the supersedence of one over the

other.

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But what does this all mean for the public relations industry? PR professionals have been rather reluctant to acknowledge the momentum of AI trends: only 3% of industry-specific articles even mention it. A lot of it is uncharted territory, but there are some fundamental ways the industry will see improvements if it can effectively harness the relationship between human and machine:

You’ll never miss anything

Sure we have Google Alerts and Talkwalker notifications to keep an eye on all the latest news and trends, but these are all pretty rudimentary compared to what the future has in store. Imagine working with a machine that understands who your client is and only offers the most relevant news results. Then you could make sure you were on top of every mention of the “Ring” video doorbell, for example, without your inbox being clogged with irrelevant mentions of jewelry or crime-rings. AI could even have the capacity to alert you when your competitor gets an abnormal uptick in coverage and offer suggestions on how to optimize your response strategy.

The important thing to note is that machines can help provide essential information in an efficient manner, but it is still up to an agency’s human employees to determine the best way to react and proceed.

Target audiences will be better optimized

Like AI, big data is another unstoppable entity; there is more information available about consumers today than ever before. For PR professionals, this means that we have the potential to create hyper-specific material that is, in theory, perfectly aligned with our audiences’ interests. But big data is merely a tangled mess of information without any sort of organization. And that’s where, you guessed it, AI comes in. With massive amounts of information compiled in a digestible way, PR professionals can make better sense of the big data they receive and plan future strategies more effectively.

AI also has the capacity to better optimize media relations. Imagine asking a chatbot to show you the top travel influencers on Instagram and receiving an accurate list of relevant accounts in real time. From there you

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could refine that list as needed just by asking the bot to show only US based influencers or influencers with a certain number of followers. Sure there are databases that have some of these capabilities, but often the information they return is outdated, irrelevant or still requires a good amount of refinement. The more advanced AI becomes, the easier it will be to pin down the most pertinent people for your outreach and engage with them before your competition does.

Creativity will flourish

All these AI applications will help PR folks save a ton of time on longer projects, resulting in increased opportunities to focus on what really defines a PR agency: ideas. Some companies have even been experimenting with automating things like earnings reports to maximize their creative engagement. And while artificial intelligence in the public relations sector is still a developing phenomenon, it’s not hard to see the significant impact its potential has.

Instead of worrying if machines will take our jobs, we should be more focused on how they can improve our own efficiency and creativity. The reality is, this trend isn’t going away; the ability for a PR agency to embrace and employ AI wisely may just be the thing that differentiates a good agency from a great one.

By Anna McGeady (http://bigfishpr.com/how-artificial-intelligence- will-change-public-relations/)

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TEXT 6

How to Run a Successful PR Event just like the Pros

9 Steps to Add to Your PR Event Planning Checklist

Whether you’re planning a corporate event, a national fundraiser or planning a party for your top clients, having a successful PR event helps generate an increase in ROI for your event management business.

Follow these 9 steps to add to your event planning checklist for specific, actionable tips that you can use today.

1)CLEARLY DEFINE YOUR GOALS – Even before you begin the planning process it’s imperative to fully understand what you want to achieve to ensure a successful PR event.

It could be a media event to make the press aware of a new product or service available in the marketplace or to raise public awareness of your company or business.

In order to put on a successful PR event, nail down your expected outcome right from the start. Ensure all your event planning ideas are tailored specifically towards your carefully planned goals.

2)THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT REACH – Who is your target audience and what publications do they read? Make sure to target the right journalists and don’t forget to consider using bloggers and even vloggers (video bloggers) to generate online exposure for your PR event.

Remember that, in order to have a successful PR event, it must be newsworthy. Consider why the media wants to write about your event, blog about it or even make a video to interest website visitors.

3)GET NOTICED – One of your main objectives in planning a successful PR event is to make sure that your event stands out from the many PR events that journalists are invited to.

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Consider using celebrities (even local celebrities) to up the ante and differentiate your successful PR event from others that may be taking place at the same time. Whether your PR event is a demonstration of a new product or perhaps the launch of a clothing line you need to give the press a solid reason to attend your event over any other event.

4)THEME YOUR PR EVENT CONSISTENTLY – Along with your WOW factor make sure to have a consistent theme that runs throughout everything you do with your PR event. This should include the invites, signage (posters), press materials and follow-up materials, including all promotional materials used on the day of the event.

The theme should form part of your “vision” for your PR event which should be clearly defined in the early stages of planning.

5)GET IT RIGHT FROM THE START – Like it or not you will be judged on the very basic building blocks of planning a successful PR event. Send out a poorly designed and uninspiring invitation and you’ve shot yourself in the foot before you’ve even started!

Be prepared to spend a decent amount on getting a professional and inspiring invitation designed. Make sure to entice your attendees with something that captures their imagination and inspires them to attend your PR event.

6)GET YOUR TIMING RIGHT – There are certain times of the year and particular dates to be avoided when planning a successful PR event. Make sure you’re aware of key dates such as major award ceremonies, fashion weeks and other conflicting events that the media might attend in preference to your PR event.

7)SET AN ADEQUATE BUDGET – Is your intended budget realistic and accurate? Make sure to include all possible expenses in your budget along with some “wiggle room” for the unexpected. Consider a contingency fund of about 10% to err on the side of caution.

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Remember to allocate funds for the venue, invites, merchandising (props), marketing materials and don’t forget the cost of a professional photographer. Top quality images will be required by bloggers and the press to promote your cause in a professional and enticing manner.

8)EXPLOIT SOCIAL MEDIA – Social media channels such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are the ideal vehicles through which to spread the word about your PR event. They are easily accessible and immediate and have the potential to make your event go viral.

As well as a Facebook page for your event, create a memorable and simple hashtag for Twitter – it may just send your event trending and explode your exposure!

9)REMEMBER TO FOLLOW UP – It’s absolutely key to follow up with journalists and other attendees after the event. A “goody bag” at the end of your PR event is an excellent way to show your appreciation for their attendance.

Include emailing a professional PRESS RELEASE outlining success factors from the event, along with any other informative materials that can be referenced to help promote your cause further.

These are just some of the essential event planning ideas of how to run a successful PR event just like the pros. Be sure to incorporate them into your event planning checklist going forward in order to maximize your long term ROI.

By Melanie Woodward (https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-run- a-successful-pr-event-just-like-the-pros-1223355)

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TEXT 7

How to Find Social Media Influencers: the Definitive Guide

With all the social media platforms available, there is no shortage of opportunities for companies to get noticed online. But brands have to consider carefully who would be the best person to relay their message, especially when non-celebrity endorsements are 10 times more likely to drive in-store purchases than their conventionally famous counterparts. Noting this trend, PR professionals, marketers and advertisers alike are scrambling to figure out who best champions their brand.

Enter the “influencer.”

An influencer is an individual who has amassed above-average impact on a specific niche by offering instruction, inspiration, entertainment or advice. According to TapInfluence.com, “influencers are self-made success stories; people who turned their creative outlets into beacons that others rally around. They pour personality into their work.”

As authenticity continues to rank as a brand’s ultimate competitive edge, influencers introduce an opportunity to bring a genuine voice to a brand, while reaching vast audiences who trust and respect their opinions. In fact, these individuals carry so much clout that Forbes cites influencer marketing as the trend to watch in 2017.

It’s not hard to see the value in having an influencer champion your brand; instead, the challenge lies in identifying the most relevant influencers for your industry (especially if you occupy a smaller niche). To help you track down those elusive game-changers, here are our top, tried-and-true 5 tips to help kickstart your search:

1. Google it.

While this may seem blaringly obvious, the reality is that there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Chances are some pretty comprehensive lists already

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exist, citing the top bloggers or Instagram accounts in a particular industry. Do a little digging and see what other people have already found to start your search efficiently.

2. Cyber-stalk.

If your Google search yields a few people who are particularly relevant to your industry, find them on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc., and spend some time combing through the list of people they follow to get a sense of some of the best influencers they’ve identified (and then take a look at their followers’ followers, too!). Be prepared for a slow-going process here; you want to make sure you’re identifying quality leads. Just because a Twitter handle speaks to your industry doesn’t mean it has a strong following. Keep in mind: Too small of a following and your message won’t reach a broad enough audience; too big you might run the risk of being buried by other collaboration offers. Make sure you’re also monitoring who your competitors follow on a regular basis to keep tabs on who they’re identifying as quality industry influencers!

3. Keep track of hashtags.

As you uncover more influencers, take some time to scroll through their pages to get a sense of the hashtags they use and the posts they share. It might be helpful to compile a document with some of these hashtags to serve as inspiration for your own page and ensure you’re engaging in the most pertinent feeds. Be sure to follow the pages that post relevant content to make yourself more accessible, too!

4. Leverage Databases.

Once you’ve gone as far as you can on your own, it will be helpful to employ a media databases such as Cision or MuckRack. These (along with a number of others) can help you find the most popular content related to your industry. Once you’ve tracked down a few more people, repeat steps 2 and 3 to build your list out even further.

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