One of the biggest challenges for PR professionals is nailing
down some face time with their C-suite executives, who can be like
wisps of smoke, what with the endless meetings and forever flying
30,000 feet above the trees. It's frustrating when you think
there's a hot media story suitable for the suits to participate in,
but you would have better luck during the Cold War of getting
inside the Kremlin than you would getting 15 minutes with the head
honcho.
However, there's a remedy to the problem that's quickly winning
PR converts: in-house Speakers Bureaus. They're primarily used to
garner speaking opportunities that help executives position
themselves as thought leaders through delivering information
up-front to whatever medium -- print, broadcast, Web -- without the
PR person resorting to having to chase the executive across three
time zones. Here's how Speakers Bureaus work: First, you need to
score quality time with the executive(s) to crank out some written
"abstracts" that focus on a particular problem in XYZ industry or a
new way of doing business in a particular space. The abstracts can
then be distributed to media representatives when the PR
professional sees a story percolating that would be a good
opportunity for company executives to get some exposure.
Additionally, be sure to set up a Speakers Bureau section on your
site so the press can pick and choose from your thought leaders.
Include your contact information, rather than the executives'.
"You need to pool resources to get [executives] in the door"
about a story in which they can showcase their expertise, says
Helen Garrett, an account executive at Shelton PR in Dallas. But
the follow-through is key. If the media bites, "the [manager] has
to make an obligation to take the interview, write an article or
make the TV appearance," Garrett says.
But you have to be careful that the "abstracts" don't devolve
into canned goods. That's just going to turn off journalists, who
always prefer something fresh. To avoid any pitfalls, Garrett
stressed that the executive -- with PR prodding -- has to commit to
updating the abstracts on a quarterly basis. Otherwise, the
information will get stale and all that energy the PR executive
spent on getting the executive to agree to do the "abstracts" in
the first place will have been wasted.