How can a PR agent demonstrate value to the board?
We work with several organisations with boards that demand “proof” of our PR value.
A board is usually a group of differently wired humans – some are numbers of people, others big picture visionaries, and others detail-orientated folks.
We need to appeal to them all!
Measuring PR success for a board requires presenting clear, data-driven results tied to organisational goals. Here’s a comprehensive guide tailored for such an audience.
Focus on KPIs that directly connect to the board’s priorities, such as:
Numbers are persuasive. Highlight these metrics:
Boards value stories that show influence and impact:
Tie PR efforts to tangible outcomes. For instance:
Use tools like Google Data Studio, Power BI, or PR software (e.g., Meltwater, Cision) to create dashboards. Include:
PR success often builds over time. Highlight progress in:
Include 1-2 brief case studies illustrating PR wins. Example:
Boards appreciate realism. Share challenges, lessons learned, and plans to address gaps.
End with actionable strategies to build on PR successes:
By presenting this range of insights, you ensure the board views PR not as a cost centre but as a strategic contributor to your success.
If we can help you communicate successfully with your board, hit us up!
Pivot.
Synergise.
Guardrails (personal peeve unless we are talking about a toddler bed).
These are common buzzwords or “industry speak,” peppering the business banter and online conversations of 2024. These terms often have a place – and come and go – and to be clear, they are not bad, but we can all do better.
I always get spokespersons to find other ways to share ideas, especially when we do media training with our clients. Buzzwords are sometimes seen as lazy and too obtuse.
Let me explain my thoughts a bit.
While buzzwords have their place, there are good reasons to avoid them in media interviews, as overuse or reliance on them can harm your credibility or dilute your message. Here’s why steering clear of buzzwords can be beneficial:
Focus on clarity, relevance, and genuine insights to make your primary message impactful.
When you prioritise meaningful content and personal examples even over trendy terms, you build greater credibility, foster audience engagement, and ensure that your message won’t be forgotten once the buzzword loses its currency.
For more details on how we work with leaders to master their media speak, go to our Corporate Media Training page.
I was at my eighth #MeetTheMedia event last week in Sydney (yep, Chairman’s lounge status, as founder Nic Hayes says), an annual ‘mainstream journalist meet us ordinary folks with a PR angle to pitch’ curated event run very well by Media Stable.
During the Q&A session, one business owner asked Holly Fallon, a Weekend Sunrise producer, whether they preferred pitches from a PR agency or the source. She said, “I have no preference, but a well-crafted, targeted, and to-the-point email pitch will stand up and get my attention.”
So, can you do your PR? Should you do it?
Doing your publicity and comms is often appealing, especially for startups or small businesses looking to save on costs. However, it comes with risks that may impact your brand visibility, credibility, and overall effectiveness. Here’s a few of them:
In certain situations, DIY PR can be a viable option:
Suppose you aim to build a long-term brand with a solid reputation, increase your ongoing media visibility, or manage growth and potential crises. In that case, an agency can provide structure, expertise, and strategy that elevates your PR efforts. It’s also helpful if you’re entering a new market or launching a high-stakes product where media impact is crucial.
Agencies bring professional insight, but DIY PR can still work for smaller efforts or businesses just starting out. Balancing these options often leads to an approach that suits your budget and goals best.
If we can help you understand more of the often-mysterious PR world, connect via www.amberdaines.com.
Speakers stand out and remain in our minds usually for two reasons:
There is a middle grey area, where many people play safely with room to grow as they speak more regularly to higher stakes groups.
Helping a CEO become a more authentic speaker is essential for effective leadership communication and is one of my favourite gigs. The business impacts are real! Authenticity fosters trust, connection, and credibility. But speaking with impact does not always come naturally, no matter how competent, savvy, and successful you are. We love to help leaders get the speaker style mastered!
Here are my best 10 ways a CEO can enhance authenticity as a speaker:
Authenticity starts with self-awareness. A CEO should reflect on personal values, strengths, weaknesses, and leadership styles. Knowing themselves allows them to speak from a place of honesty, which audiences recognise and respect.
Incorporating personal anecdotes makes speeches more relatable. Sharing real-life experiences, challenges, and even failures humanises a CEO and helps the audience connect emotionally.
A passionate speaker naturally appears more authentic. Speakers should focus on issues they genuinely care about right there and then. Their enthusiasm will resonate with the audience, making their message more impactful and creating a chance to be memorable long after the speech ends.
Avoid overly corporate jargon, crazy acronyms, or heavily scripted speeches. A conversational tone that aligns with the CEO’s natural speaking style makes communication feel genuine and accessible. Never sound like a researcher’s white paper or a heavy legal document unless you want to cure insomnia for the audience.
Eye contact is crucial for building trust. A CEO who makes regular, meaningful eye contact with the audience shows engagement and confidence in their message.
Showing vulnerability creates an authentic connection. A CEO can admit to not having all the answers or talk about times they’ve struggled. This transparency makes them more approachable and relatable.
Authentic speakers are fully present in the moment, responding to the room’s energy rather than rigidly sticking to a script. Being attuned to audience reactions allows a CEO to adjust their tone and delivery for a more significant impact.
A CEO who actively listens during conversations, meetings, or Q&A sessions demonstrates respect for others’ input. This ability to listen shows that they value a two-way dialogue, enhancing their authenticity. Be willing to read the room as they say and change your speech style to engage rather than lecture.
Authenticity involves consistency between public and private personas. A CEO who behaves similarly in small meetings as in large public addresses will be seen as genuinely themselves in all situations.
Clear and transparent communication builds credibility. A CEO should avoid evasiveness and offer honest answers, even when discussing complex or challenging issues.
By integrating these strategies, leaders can become more authentic and influential speakers, strengthening their leadership presence.
We want to help every CEO shine as they speak! For any presentation coaching needs, please contact us at amber@amberdaines.com today.
PR can look easy from the outside.
Barriers to entry are pretty low.
A mobile, laptop, sometimes a uni degree, and sometimes just a sideways move from PR adjacent worlds like journalism, marketing, or administration.
Yet, if it was simple from the inside, would we even have a PR industry?
Some days, I wish it was as simple as just shiny socials, significant events, creating ‘hype and spin’ online, and calling my journo mates for a story run for a new client – then again, as someone who gets VERY bored VERY quickly, maybe I’d have lost interest in this field after 20 plus years.
There are several myths about public relations (PR) that can mislead people about how the industry works and what it can deliver. Breaking these myths helps people understand the real value PR can provide, whether it’s for a small business, the government, a charity, or a giant corporation.
Here are some of the biggest myths around PR:
Find more media-savvy advice in this one-off webinar on 13 November 2024 with Phil Mercer, a veteran BBC journalist, and me. Tickets are $97 here.
If there were a prize for the most significant business trend in 2024, the gold would land with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Over the past few years, the AI conversation has changed, and in PR land, we no longer think about IF or WHAT we can do with the tech but HOW and WHY.
It can take some tinkering (and failure), but in our client campaigns, we have seen how many of the available AI tools can be used better, more intuitively, and more integrated into the bits of our daily grind that suck our time and headspace? That is the magic.
Like many PR agencies, the Bespoke Co. crew has had some hits and misses in leveraging AI tools. As I am not a natural tech head, I took a while to appreciate how to streamline our small business operations, enhance client results, and remain competitive in the ever-evolving media and digital communications landscape.
The upshots? Here are some top ways AI has changed what we do in a good way without diminishing our value or creative mojo:
1. Media Monitoring and Sentiment Analysis
2. Content Creation and Curation
3. Media Outreach and Personalisation
5. Influencer Identification
6. Client Reporting and Analytics
7. Audience Targeting and Segmentation
8. Speech Recognition for Transcribing
9. Chatbots for Client Communication
10. Predictive Analytics for Campaign Planning
Integrating AI into key value-add areas allows smaller PR agencies to enhance efficiency, deliver more personalised services, and offer data-driven insight. The real win is if the tech can lead to better client outcomes.
To get more from your PR, please let us know how we can help – book a free and confidential chat.
When a crisis hits, most people go either way regarding communications – usually the extremes of either nuclear or they go to ground.
After 15 years of working with businesses and high-profile business leaders in their most challenging times, how they prepare and present themselves to the media (including social media) can significantly impact public perception and the future of their organization. In these moments, the media becomes a powerful tool to communicate with stakeholders, employees, and customers. But navigating these waters requires careful preparation, strategic messaging, and an authentic presence.
You also can’t ignore a crisis – what positive PR you have earned in goodwill helps. Still, the crisis comms process is like a raging fire that you need to metaphorically walk through before you can start to regroup or repair your business reputation.
Here’s our 10-step guide (and essential tips) on how high-profile business leaders can effectively manage media interactions during a crisis – whether it’s a faulty product recall, a significant accident, or a sexual harassment case.
Preparation is essential for any media appearance, especially during a crisis. Understand the issue inside and out, anticipate difficult questions, and develop clear, concise key messages. However, be prepared to adapt if the conversation takes an unexpected turn. Flexibility allows you to address new developments and maintain control over your messaging.
Key Tips:
Identify three to five key messages you want to convey during your media appearance. These should focus on acknowledging the crisis, outlining the steps your organization is taking, and reaffirming your commitment to your stakeholders. Reiterate these messages throughout the conversation to ensure they resonate with the audience.
Key Tips:
A crisis often involves affected individuals or communities; showing genuine empathy is crucial. Acknowledge the human impact of the situation and express sincere concern. Authenticity builds trust; avoid scripted, robotic responses that can be insincere.
Key Tips:
Journalists may ask tough or confrontational questions during a crisis. It’s essential to remain calm and composed. Reacting emotionally or defensively can escalate the situation or create new negative headlines. Practice controlled body language and maintain a steady tone, even when provoked.
Key Tips:
Transparency is crucial, but it must be balanced with strategic messaging. Share verified facts and information but avoid speculating or providing details that could compromise ongoing investigations or legal proceedings. Work closely with your legal and PR teams to determine what can be disclosed.
Key Tips:
Media appearances are not just about delivering your message but also about listening carefully to the questions asked. Active listening helps you understand the raised concerns, identify underlying themes, and respond more effectively. It also demonstrates respect for the journalist and the audience.
Key Tips:
While it’s important to acknowledge the crisis, spend more time talking about the steps your organization is taking to resolve the issue and prevent future occurrences. Highlight your commitment to change, corrective actions, and any positive measures being implemented.
Key Tips:
Non-verbal cues speak volumes during a media appearance. In a crisis, your body language should convey confidence, openness, and calmness. Please consider posture, facial expressions, and gestures to ensure they align with your verbal message.
Key Tips:
Control the narrative by focusing on facts and promptly correcting misinformation or rumors. Be proactive in dispelling myths and presenting accurate information. This builds credibility and demonstrates that your organization is on top of the situation.
Key Tips:
A single media appearance is rarely enough to manage a crisis effectively. Plan follow-ups to keep the public and stakeholders informed as the situation evolves. Staying visible and consistent with your messaging will help rebuild trust over time.
Key Tips:
In a crisis, how you present to the media can be the difference between escalating the situation or restoring trust. High-profile business leaders should approach media interactions with a clear strategy, empathy, and a commitment to transparency. By preparing thoroughly, delivering consistent messages, and engaging with the media effectively, leaders can turn a crisis into an opportunity for growth and demonstrate resilience and leadership under pressure.
We get you camera ready for a crisis with a strategic focus on the 4 stages of a PR crisis– contact us for crisis media training today.
Marketers create whitepapers to educate their audience about a particular “hot button” issue backed by a well-articulated methodology. In PR land, the media can use this whitepaper for informed editorial content and to help form the backbone of news or feature stories.
Most business PR campaigns have a formula, and depending on your type of organisation, sharing some of your intelligence via a well-crafted whitepaper remains one of the most persuasive ways to:
Here is why.
Writing a whitepaper can be a powerful tool for public relations (PR) for 8 major reasons:
1. Establishing Thought Leadership
A well-researched and informative whitepaper can position your company or organisation as a thought leader in your industry. You demonstrate expertise and authority on a particular topic by sharing valuable insights, data, and analysis.
2. Building Credibility and Trust
Whitepapers provide an opportunity to present factual information and evidence-based arguments. This helps build credibility with your audience, who perceive you as knowledgeable and trustworthy.
3. Generating Media Coverage
Whitepapers often attract the attention of journalists, bloggers, podcasters and influencers looking for fresh ideas, expert opinions and newsworthy trends for their content. A compellingly written and well-researched whitepaper that sells a new idea can lead to widespread media coverage, interviews, and quotes in mainstream and industry publications.
4. Educating and Informing Your Audience
Whitepapers are an easy way to quickly educate your target audience about complex issues, emerging trends, or new technologies – and show you as an expert on these areas. This can help them make informed decisions and recognise the value of your products or services. Sales may follow!
5. Lead Generation and Customer Engagement
You can collect valuable contact information from interested parties by offering a whitepaper as a downloadable resource on your website or other digital platforms. This creates an opportunity to engage with potential customers and nurture leads through targeted follow-ups. For our business, giving free templates or whitepapers on getting started with podcasting, for example, has been a great leader generation tool.
6. Supporting Marketing and Sales Efforts
A whitepaper can be valuable in marketing campaigns and sales presentations. It can be used to back up claims, provide detailed explanations, and offer in-depth content that supports your messaging. It shows you are open to sharing your own knowledge and specialized ideas and even leading new perspectives on established discussions.
7. Enhancing Brand Visibility and Reputation
Publishing a whitepaper can increase your brand’s visibility and reputation within your industry. It showcases your commitment to sharing knowledge and contributing to the broader conversation, which can enhance your brand’s image.
8. Creating Shareable Content
Whitepapers can be shared across multiple channels, including social media, email newsletters, and websites. This helps extend their reach and amplifies your message to a broader audience.
If we can help you craft a whitepaper worthy of the PR spotlight, we are ready for it. Contact amber@amberdaines.com.
Unless you are on a tech-free break, it is very hard to miss the big global political news of the week. For the first time since President Richard Nixon stood down 50 years ago amid the Watergate scandal, a sitting US President has decided the time is up on his leadership. President Joe Biden had a few events stacked against his ability to successfully lead the Democrats to a second term in office. These include:
However, what stood out for me was his style of communication – a written memo on an American Sunday when folks would be running errands, coming home from church, or just doing anything other than watching the news was puzzling. President Biden is a man who knows Washington politics like no other elected official and understands deeply the value of strategic communications and media timing.
Most big announcements, like standing aside as leader of the free world, would be usually delivered by himself behind a lectern or a desk in the Oval Office, televised to the people. Was he hiding because he was not well enough given his Covid recovery, or was it best to craft (with all the careful checks and balances of a media team) a short, fairly innocuous written statement because he was forced to? We may never know the true reasons, but it reminds us all when our leaders need to be able to “front up” and deliver the big news with all the visual and spoken channels we have available – from mainstream TV to varied social media forums like X or YouTube.
Leaders should speak publicly whenever they have big news to be seen as effective. If they issue a statement, it may follow this event, and in several key situations, this remains vital to maintain transparency, provide guidance, and foster trust.
Here are some instances when it is appropriate for a leader to do so:
The end game? Ensuring any President, PM, CEO, founder or industry leader’s communication should be clear, honest, and empathetic to effectively connect with the audience and address their concerns.
If we can help you tell your heroic or challenging story, contact us for details on what we do for leaders in crisis.
It’s four years since the pandemic first shut down the world as we know it, and in 2024, much has essentially gone back to BAU in how we deliver keynotes, panel presentations, and other speaker engagements, many being live (or hybrid) events once more.
Yet the online presentation remains a mainstay, and I deliver once every few weeks – perfect for someone who now resides a few hours away from the Sydney CBD, where much of the conference circuit plays out.
Here are my tips for your next online presentation to keep audiences engaged from the waiting room to wrap up.
Your laptop should be at eye height. Use books to elevate it. This will give the impression that you are sitting across from the person or people you are talking to. You don’t want people looking up your nose or across your head to a vast space. The number of media interview crosses, or business webinars I see where speakers look like they just turned the laptop on and hoped for the best is cringeworthy.
Don’t sit too close to the screen. People should be able to see your entire head and down to the edge of your table. This lets you communicate with your hands – something quite natural and helps drive a point home.
Keep a little screen to see what you look like all the time. This will help you notice certain things you can secretly and instantly fix without someone else pointing it out.
Use plain, still backgrounds. Animated or virtual green screen backgrounds take away from your reality, and as we have learned from the memes online with kitten filters, they can be rather tricky to get rid of. Instead, pick a spot or well-lit room with lighting on your face or above you. Natural light is excellent when it works, but a simple clip-on ring light lets you have an even light across your face, even if it’s cloudy outside or in the evening.
All your clients and colleagues know what you look like, and the screen can become a way to look even slicker with great lighting, angles, and a filter.
Do not face the camera directly. Looking directly at the camera can come across as confrontational. Angle yourself to a certain degree – this softens your look and makes you more approachable.
When making a point, turn your nose to face the camera directly, and when making an important point, turn your nose and navel while looking directly at the camera. This will ensure that your point is taken seriously!
Everyone should log in separately on their own laptop in a boardroom group meeting with another company or client. This will ensure everyone knows who is talking, and no one has to shout from across the boardroom table to be heard.
Suppose you are presenting something; alternate between the video option and explaining a critical point and the slides. We never want all the main points on a single slide – share information point by point as you go through the presentation. This will ensure that people don’t read ahead and lose interest.
Practice! There is no escaping this step. Try to sound natural; your expertise will come through that Zoom feed once those nerves get under control. The key is to know you are prepared and rehearsed.
To ramp up your speaker skills, we’d love to help you become more polished and confident faster – see our Business Leadership Presentation Skills programs.
