When PilmerPR has the chance to represent a truly great Green company, the feeling is terrific. Green PR is a passion for us and helping start a revolution in recovered energy power generation is a lot of fun.  ElectraTherm is a startup with huge potential. Today, they are making the following announcement:  

ElectraTherm, Inc. (www.electratherm.com) today announced the successful installation of its first commercial waste heat generator. The ElectraTherm Green Machine makes electricity from residual industrial heat that has, until now, gone to waste.    Using patented heat and pressure recovery technology, ElectraTherm employs minimal heat (200 degrees F liquid) to generate fuel-free, emissions-free electricity at a very low cost: three to four cents per kW/hr during payback period, under a penny/kW hour thereafter.  Testing of the 50kW ElectraTherm Green Machine, installed at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, by Gulf Coast Green Energy and ElectraTherm has exceeded expectations, reaching output well beyond its 50kW rating. 

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that the available seven quadrillion Btu of waste heat sources exceeds the current production of all other U.S. renewable power sources combined. This includes hydroelectric, wood, biofuels, geothermal, wind, and solar photovoltaic. With a  subsidy-free payback period of  three  years or less, the implications on the world stage of a modular, scalable (50-500kW output) unit making electricity from unused, accessible heat are huge.

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As PR professionals, our ultimate goal is to get press coverage for our clients.  But not all press hits are created equally.  A truly successful PR campaign will result in a variety of hits in both small and large publications that cross all types of media.  The key is finding the most targeted publications, and then pitching the right editors.Depending on the company and their goals, the press list should have a minimum of three categories. 

• Vertical Trade Press
• Local Press
• Business Press

Remember, in each of these categories you should include social media, print and online publications, and broadcast media.  Then, once you’ve got a comprehensive press list to work from, you can pitch your client’s story.  For a more detailed look at building a comprehensive press list, click here to download more secrets to Building a Comprehensive Press List.

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The older I get the easier it is to understand long-term consequences. As a father, my young adult offspring have heard many times about “ripple effects” – those unintended after effects of our actions - for good or ill. Well, ripple effects radiate out from the actions, or lack thereof, of companies, governments and people every day.  

Look at the lingering after effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. With its own Wikipedia entry the long term ripple effects of crew negligence ran in to the hundreds of millions of dollars along with devastating environmental impact. There’s an above average chance that Exxon, convicted ship’s captain Joseph Hazelwood, the State of Alaska, and many others would like a “do-over” of that fateful mishap in 1989. Yet, the ripple effects from Prince William Sound continue even today.  If we are to learn from history, states, nations, and companies must consider the long-term Green PR ripple effects of our actions impacting the environment.

Consider the case of Utah’s environment. With an economy that leans heavily on quality-of-life, skiing, outdoor recreation, and tourism it seems short sighted to this writer that the Utahns, its industries, and governments (city & state) are moving soooo slowly to turn the pollution train around.  Asthma rates are up, due in part to declining air quality. The Utah Tourism industry must recognize the long term image implications of such moves as allowing other countries to dump nuclear waste in the back yard of the “greatest snow on earth.”  

Pesky little things, those ripple effects.

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Editors take just a minute or two to read your business news pitch.   They may only read the headline, or if you’re lucky, they’ll get through a few sentences.  If you have compelling news written clearly and succinctly, they may even read a few paragraphs. 

The February issue of PR Tactics featured an article on brevity written by the PR Maven, Margo Mateas.   The article stresses the importance of grabbing the editor’s attention and conveying your point quickly.   

So remember, keep it short and sweet.  If your pitch is more than a few paragraphs, cut it down.  And when writing a press release, keep the most important information at the top.  Also, keep this PR strategy in mind when planning your entire campaign.  A PR campaign formed around a simple, newsworthy idea is most likely to get noticed.

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An article at CFO.com suggests the cleantech sector is a “bubble”, which is to suggest that the sector will implode at some point. That seems pretty short-sighted to me like saying “the global market for computers is about 5″ back in the early days of that industry.

Cleantech will definitely have stock value corrections like any new sector, but you just need to understand the soon to be shrinking finite world oil supply to understand cleantech is here to stay.

I for one will continue to invest in and do PR business with cleantech businesses that are “sustainable” like Raser Technologies and ElectraTherm.

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At last week’s monthly PRSA luncheon attendees sat at the feet of pitching guru and BYU national new director, Michael Smart. Since serving with Michael on the local PRSA chapter board, we’ve enjoyed sharing PR ideas and successes.  One passion we share is the need for developing a customized public relations package for each national editor we approach. Michael shared strategies to avoid the following common blunders people make when pitching the national press. It should be noted that these relate to building new relationships more than to existing editor relationships.

1. Don’t give background first – Those less experienced with the press may be tempted to launch into their news pitch without any context. First take a sentence or paragraph or 20 seconds to build background and context for the editor before talking about how cool your news is.

2. Use a ”we do stuff” pitch – Editors care more about what you have to say if you have a newsy angle that relates to their area of interest. If you use multiple examples or sources to establish a timely issue or trend, you also increase editor interest. Using metrics, research, or surveys related to current events further ensure successful pitching.

3. Ask if they are on deadline – Some may disagree that this is a blunder, saying you need to find out if you are interrupting when you call to pitch. Michael’s point is that if we have done our homework we will know the publication’s news cycle and hence know ahead of time if the editor is likely to be on deadline. In addition, we should always assume they are busy and be prepared to quickly deliver powerful, well thought out messages that engage the editor and leave them wanting more – even if on deadline.

4. Rely on emotion and emphasis – Raising our voice, increasing intensity, or using adjectives like “biggest, coolest” won’t impress media veterans. Get facts straight, do your research and deliver powerful messages if you want coverage of your news. ‘Nuff said.

5. Focus on yourself – Know your journalists and focus on what interests them. This shows you have done your homework when you call and that you genuinely want to help them. Michael cited an example when then PilmerPR staff member, Devin Knighton, began delivering a series of pitches to Wall Street Journal tech editor and industry titan, Walt Mossberg. Devin had done his homework and wrote the pitch in the context of Walt’s world, not Devin’s or my own. The result was the Mozy CEO and me sitting in Walt’s office and that eventually landed an article in Mossberg’s busy calendar.  

Good reminders for effectively pitching the news. Thanks Michael.

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Last week I moderated a UVEF panel discussion on “Online Viral Marketing & Public Relations in Web 2.0 Time.” I was fortunate to bring some of the brightest marketing minds in Utah to the table for a large crowd at the Novell campus in Provo.

NextPage VP of Marketing Cydni Tetro shared some compelling statistics on consumer online buying behavior. She challenged entrepreneurs to ask some tough questions before developing Internet strategies. What’s the market? What’s the objective? She spoke about the power of podcasts and other media to “create conversations” and meet the demand for interactive customer experience. She mentioned an incredible story about how a social media speech given in Europe by noted blogger Robert Scoble  appeared online around the world in five minutes. Dave Bascom, president and CEO of SEO.com, told attendees customers now communicate across the world to gain product/service information. Getting in front of people when they are looking for accurate information is critical. Dave shared tips on how to improve Internet Search Engine Rankings for products and services. Serial entrepreneur Paul Allen shared his excitement about social networking’s access to millions of potential users cost effectively. He said there are 26 social networks with over 10 million users.  Paul founded World Vital Records (Family Link). Family Link launched a Facebook Platform application called “We’re Related” and recruited one million users in 29 days. George Wright, VP of Sales and Marketing for Blendtec shared his thoughts on how he has attracted 70 million viewers of their “Will It Blend” online viral marketing campaign on You Tube. Listen…

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Web 2.0 media, social media, viral media, podcasting, blogging are all rapidly becoming familiar to savvy marketers and PR professionals. As part of a well thought out customized PR package these outlets coupled with effective SEO PR are vital to business success. Some time back Jack Herrington published an extensive list of ideas for becoming better podcasters. I’ve summarized what I feel are the best of the best suggestions for your perusal.  

Prepare, But Don’t Script  - Preparation is the key to a great podcast. Good podcasters prepare some level of notes for the show in advance to remind them of the topics they want to cover and specific information about each topic. Let’s face it, putting on a pair of headphones and listening to your own voice as you record a podcast is not something that comes naturally to most people. The more you can do to eliminate the uncertainty and stress, the better. I recommend against completely scripting your podcast. A personal podcast having a script that you follow completely will end up sounding stiff. The one exception is audio theatre, where a script is essential because it’s an on-air play that requires choreography between the players. 

Reduce Noise - The world is a lot noisier than we realize. The brain filters out a lot of the noise to allow you to concentrate on the more important sounds. Microphones have no such filter, and you will find that your recordings will have a very accurate rendering (and annoying) of the noise in your environment. Environmental noise is the most common form of noise in recordings. This noise usually comes from air conditioners, fans, fluorescent lighting, and refrigerators. Power off as much as you can. If that doesn’t do it, you can try recording in a closet with lots of clothes.  

Slow Down and Relax - Talking too quickly is a very common mistake. If your podcasting routine is to practice your podcast a couple of times before recording it for release, then you need to watch your pacing. As you get more comfortable with the content, you may find yourself speeding up your pace and you will need to keep an eye on that as you record. Give yourself enough time to slow down and to try enough times to get the podcast to where you want it. 

Detail, Detail, Detail - Audio is a uniquely intimate medium. You are talking directly to each person and they are experiencing your podcast on an individual level. Television is a passive medium; the images and sounds are presented to you as a package. You just sit back and watch. Audio, on the other hand, is an active medium. As you hear a story you create an image in your head of what the speaker is talking about. This is called the theatre of the mind. To draw the listener into the story requires detail. It’s a blue house. It smells like cinnamon bread from the scented candles. It’s an old house and the floorboards squeak. As you read this you are painting an image in your mind; the same types of images that your listeners paint as they hear your show. It’s the details that create an engaging show.

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At PilmerPR, we use many PR strategies and tools to help clients gain headway in the press.  As this year comes to an end, publications have made their 2008 Editorial Calendars available – which reminded me once again of this valuable tool.  Any well-organized PR campaign should set aside some time to research and follow-through on Editorial Calendar opportunities. 

Editorial Calendars describe the topics a publication plans to focus on in each issue throughout the year.  The calendar should include the overall theme of each issue, what topics the major articles will cover, and the deadline for being included.  At PilmerPR, once we identify a topic that suits one of our clients, we contact the publication to find out more.  If it still seems like a great fit, we talk to them about featuring our client. 

Based on Editorial Calendar research, Project Insight is being considered for a feature titled “Best Software for Entrepreneurs” in the April 2008 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine.  With a circulation of over 500,000, Entrepreneur Magazine is a top target – and their Editorial Calendar can be very useful for finding out about opportunities like this one.  Here are some other issues they have coming up: 

May: Hot 100: Fastest Growing New Entrepreneurial Businesses

June:  Entrepreneur Awards

July:  Special Innovation Issue

August: Socially Good Biz Roundup 

Every publication should have an editorial calendar, usually found in the “advertising” section of their website.  So take a look and land your top targets!

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The San Francisco Chronicle reports Google will invest millions of dollars to neutralize their carbon footprint and drive down the cost of alternative energy. Sustainability is here to stay and this is one more example of companies seeing the value of a social responsibility strategy. 

Success in environmental sustainability will depend on a combination of individual, government and corporate efforts. As a practitioner of Social Responsibility and Sustainability PR, PilmerPR applauds these efforts. Having served on Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s PR team while at Novell, I see his vision in this initiative.  

Does Google’s Green initiative PR value? Absolutely! Will they make a difference? Time will tell. But, they have some brilliant folks over there and a creative environment that spawns revolutionary breakthroughs. I for one would love to help them promote their work in this area.

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