Linda Rutherford, PR Director at Southwest Airlines (Dallas), who helps manage the airline's measurement programs, says it was an Aha! moment.
In the last several months Rutherford has developed a new method for measuring the company's PR efforts, using what for most PR execs is an essential tool of the trade: the
press release (see nearby). As Rutherford explains, press releases are not just for reporters anymore. (Aha!) While it's important to craft press releases in a way that will make
reporters pay attention, there are several other steps PR people can take to optimize their releases so others (read: potential customers) will take note and not just editors et
al. (who are inherently skeptical of press releases, anyway).
"It's not just about the 5 Ws," Rutherford says, referring to who, what, when, where and why that shouldn't be hard to find in a press release. "You have to understand the
organic nature of both Google and Yahoo," she says, "and include key words that research [into your specific market] will show what consumers are looking for."
The result of Rutherford's measurement effforts: $1.9 million in ticket sales directly attributed to press releases sent out by the airliner concerning quarterly earnings,
schedule expansions, for example, as well a flurry of releases this past summer when Gary Kelly replaced Jim Parker as CEO.
Rutherford provided a road map for PR execs embarking on the next frontier of measurement: moving from outputs to outcomes. (See PR News, Oct. 20, 2004.)
Getting from Point A to Point B -- none too easy -- was the topic of discussion during the Oct. 20 recent PR News-sponsored Webinar titled "High-Return Tactics for
Measuring & Maximizing Your Media Relations."
Katie Paine, CEO of KDPaine & Partners LLC (Durham, N.H.), who helped to pioneer PR measurement, amplified Rutherford's comments that measurement is no longer just
about print or broadcast hits. "It's chat rooms, blogs, e-zines, and community gatherings," says Paine, referring to the rapidly growing number of online media vehicles that PR
people can exploit.
Yet finding new ways to measure first means developing more sophisticated research. Indeed, your new best friend should be anyone who can get you measurement data and
intelligently analyze the stats. "Research without insight is just trivia," Paine says. "You need a lot of outside help to make these programs work. If your gut tells you it won't
work it probably won't." PRN
(For a Webinar transcript, please go to prnewsonline.com.)
CONTACTS: Katie Paine, 603.868.1550, [email protected]; Linda Rutherford, 214.792.4625, [email protected].
19% of the "public" and 81% of the "media" use search engines daily
- 203 million American adults
- 128 million go online (63%)
- 107 million use search engines (53%)
- 64 million go online each day (33%)
- 38 million use search engines each day (19%)
- 98% of journalists go online daily
- 92% go online for article research
- 81% are searching online daily
- 76% to find new sources/experts
- 73% to find press releases
How to Optimize
- Conduct keyword research to identify at least two relevant search terms that your target audiences are likely to use for a news search
- Edit your press release and optimize it with the relevant search terms so it receives high keyword ranking for up to 30 days in the news search engines
- Build anchor text within each news release to link with related content on your Web site
- Insert JPEG images into a news release ensuring your photo gets picked up and displayed in Google News