By Jaymie Scotto Cutaia

Here are the top 7 pitfalls to avoid when working with your Public Relations firm to increase your media visibility.

Why 7?   It’s my favorite number and far less of a time-commitment then top 10.  And there is the best selling book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, which further illustrates that 7 is just great.

So without further adieu– here’s the JS&A Top 7 “Must Avoids” for PR:

7.  Don’t Lie: Sure, it sounds easy enough, and we may have all the best intentions in the world to remain 100% honest 100% of the time, but when a journalist asks a tricky question which might not be within your expertise, just say “I’m not sure, and I will further research this and get back to you,” rather than touting something you might not be 100% certain on.

6.   Don’t Delay: Ok, you know all those silly adages your mom used to say, “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today” or “The early bird gets the worm” etc.  All true.  Sorry.  Journalists (like all of us) are under tight deadlines – and especially in this day and age when they have content due for their in-print mag, online column and blog site, their deadlines are often fast-approaching.  If you can respond quickly with a quote or a 10-minute chat, even considering how hectic your day is already, it further cements that your company is media-friendly.

5. Don’t Be Vague: If the news isn’t ready for prime-time yet, don’t mention it.  If it is, try to have as many details, such as maps, photos and customer quotes etc.,  available to back it up.  Stats on industry trends, percentages of how much you have increased your sales or sales force and an industry analyst quote are also excellent.

4. Don’t Claim its Newsworthy– When Really…: How often do you see a press release and think, “really?”  It’s not worth the time, energy and expense to announce this particular “news” about a company.  Often companies set “PR Quotas” on their PR team– whereas they must send at least five press releases a month, for example. But here’s our advice: don’t announce it unless it’s worth it.  This will only frustrate your journalists who will opt out of your future news, if they feel they are only getting spammed with stuff that’s not worth their time.

3. Don’t Assume PR Means Wires Only: Sending your press release out on the wires is just one small fraction of the overall media outreach (or at least, it should be).  For example, here at JS&A, we target the ten top media organizations that are perfect for the given news and pre-market the embargoed release, then we distribute via wires, via our personal contacts and via social media (among other of our “secret sauce” activities)– to insure a very large but appropriate net is cast.

2. Don’t Avoid the Power of Social Media: It’s free, it’s got an incredible audience, and if used accurate, it can deliver powerful, targeted results.  Make sure your news is hitting the appropriate groups on LinkedIn, FaceBook, Digg, YouTube, Twitter and more.  If you harness these tools, it can be powerful.

1.  Don’t Forget to Ring the Bell, When Appropriate: When it’s big news, really big news (think acquisitions, for example), build a complete PR campaign around the news.  Don’t expect that one press release will cover it.  Consider html emails, client/prospect communications, internal communications, website revisions, and then staff your team appropriately, to be available when the media comes knocking.  Also consider a media roundtable or road show.  Let us know if you need help with any or all of these things!

So words to end on:  PR is a craft.  And if done right, it can increase your company’s brand power and ultimate net worth.  If done incorrectly, you can damage both you and your company’s credibility with the media and overall marketplace.  Have questions– let us know: pr@jaymiescotto.com.