So the DaytoDisconnect project was officially a success. People worldwide registered close to 300,000 hours, and we achieved our goal of spreading awareness about how much we miss out on the lives of the real people around us – when we’re too connected virtually and constantly checking our email & SMS. Thousands of people registered to disconnect, and over 50 articles (that we found) were written about it, in languages including – besides English – German, Indonesian and Dutch.
Here’s the first round of feedback we’ve gotten on the first DaytoDisconnect.
So how did we do it? I should start off by telling you what my involvement was. I did
-social media marketing
-email marketing
-blogging
-copywriting
-consulting on the web design
-ghostwriting for some of the magazine and newspaper articles on the subject
-and PR.
I did this through BiG Productions for DaytoDisconnect.
This was actually my first time doing official PR for an organization that was not my own. I’ve done it for Hoffman Productions – hence all of the articles you’ll find about me and Shmuel scattered across the web. But that’s about it. Here are some basics of PR that I picked up along the way.
1. It’s all about who you know.
Marketers and salespeople are natural schmoozers. PR people too. You have to know the right people to get into the right publications. I’m a newbie, so Rabbi Wallerstein’s and Charlie Harary’s celebrity certainly helped. But you can’t be afraid of sending out a random email to someone you don’t know. All those years of cold calling sales have paid off!
2. Ask permission before sending a press release.
Would you be open to a random person’s press release? We don’t like to receive strange attachments from people we don’t know. So just send an introductory note first telling them what you’re about, and asking permission to send a press release.
This proved to be pretty successful. They didn’t all respond, of course, and they didn’t all say yes. But I found that only two people out of the whole many who said yes did not write something about DaytoDisconnect. If you can’t get a journalist’s email, ask them on Twitter. If they’re not on Twitter, they’re not really serious about journalism. IMHO.
3. KISS – Keep It Short & Simple
Everyone in sales, marketing and advertising knows this.
No one wants to read your novel. That’s why Twitter is so popular – it forces you to whittle down your really deep thoughts to a mere 140 characters!
So when it comes to writing a press release (or a blog post, or anything for marketing) do not show off your poetry skills.
Stick to the facts, the numbers, the dates, the locations, and the quotes. KEEP IT WITHIN ONE PAGE. Some editors junk 2-pagers out of hand.
Think of it as a resume. Your press release should cover who, what, where, when, why, and how, and how to contact you. That’s it. Pictures are good too.
4. Advertise your friends!
The people who post articles about your topic are your friends. Retweet, and love with links. It’s good for you and for them. And it’s a nice way to say thank you.
PR is super-fun, and fits in nicely with everything else I do – the marketing, the advertising, the emails, the social. It’s just part and parcel of a bigger package. Think of PR as doing the social, blogging, and email thing – on someone else’s network. It amplifies it that much more.
5. Use Rich Media
I found that many who wrote an article about DaytoDisconnect embedded the video as well. I sent the Youtube link in my original email to the journalists and editors. This is a great way to give them an idea of what you’re all about and to give them extra media to put into their article. Most ended up embedding the video, which has seen about 5,000 views per day since the beginning, thanks to all these embeds.
It helps to have a phenomenal video of course! 
6. Follow Up!
Journalists, bloggers and publicists get so much email that things get lost. Follow up once with a friendly phone call or email just to make sure they received your request or press release. Do not spam them and do not put them onto your mailing list. Seems like common sense but of course it must be said.
People have posted articles with my press release and have forgotten to tell me. That’s why using tools like Google Alerts and Rhino Reputation is so important. More on that in a future blog post.
There’s much more to PR, and I’m just getting my feet wet. Any tips from seasoned pros are welcome in the comments below!
Margelit
Like what you saw here? Leave a comment below letting us know. And sign up to get our email newsletters so you never miss a beat! Sign up here.
