7. April 2010 01:38
By Shoshana Deutschkron
I can tell you from firsthand experience, as a PR practitioner over the past decade, that compelling data helps land dream targets. I’ve used it to get coverage in The Wall Street Journal, NY Times and USA Today, and to generate social media buzz. Plus, leveraging data turns up overall volume. The head of communications at online real estate search site Trulia.com told me that approximately 80% of their media coverage is data-driven. Surprised? You shouldn’t be in today’s information economy.
Probably no one would dispute that being able to provide information for industry discussions -- or show thought leadership -- is critical to a company’s success. But anyone can spout visionary claims. How do you sound credible and rise above the clutter? Three words: Cold Hard Data. With it, you are going to stand out because a) you have something to offer that truly is currency and b) you become more credible. Reporters will use your survey results to back their story up with scientific evidence. They’ll also be grateful for the jumpstart the numbers provide to their reporting process.
One of the major benefits of research I’m not sure people realize also is that it levels the playing field. Whether you’re a big name or an up-and-comer, with data your voice carries weight. Yet, I suspect many PR people haven’t commissioned surveys. Having been on both the PR and research side now, I wanted to offer some perspective. Here’s an abbreviated version of my 10 Steps For PR To Use Research. If you’d like to see more of my thinking around each step and some related examples of good PR polls, I’ve posted a complete version here.
10 Steps for PR To Use Research
1. Set clear business objectives – What you’re trying to achieve for your business guides your research methodology and topic.
2. Figure out your associated PR objectives – Establish media goals that tie back to your business objectives.
3. Craft your media strategy – Determine this before drafting your survey, you may want to involve media in the process.
4. Find a trusted research partner – This is important for the credibility necessary to generate coverage (especially with elite media) and for your own counsel.
5. Have fun telling a story – Research really is fascinating. It reveals surprises and informs stories you would never arrive at otherwise.
6. Make the story a good one -- Cause a reaction… empathy, astonishment, frustration or any range of emotions. Also, tie into hot media topics to draw attention, but be careful not to gather data that’s already available elsewhere.
7. Maintain focus -- You won’t want to overwhelm media with too much data and after about 20 minutes (approx. 50 questions) you risk losing survey-takers.
8. Make sure you have pretty pictures –Visually represent your results. Everyone likes pretty pictures, right?
9. Invite everyone – Put press materials and data online where everyone can access to it once it’s public. This, combined with the visuals, extends your online reach.
10. Create a data legacy – Trended data is even more powerful. To get the best impact from research for PR efforts, provide a regular “pulse” by tracking key measures ongoing.
