SHIRTSHORTS

On my 41st birthday just a few weeks ago, I marked 20 years doing public relations, a reflective moment for sure. Then, right after, I had the pleasure of spending the day with the Ketner Group in Austin, to brainstorm and refresh all of us in PR fundamentals. To prepare, I spent some time thinking about what things I’ve learned in 20 years, what “secrets” (that aren’t really secrets, but pretty common sense stuff) I put into practice that other PR people sometimes forget. The result – 20 PR Secrets from 20 Years Experience. When I spoke at Texchange last night, with some other great marketers, including Cybele Diamandopoulos from Folio Communications, she convinced me to share! And so, with apologies for the length, here are my 20 secrets from my 20 years!

1. USE THE PHONE – call someone, surprise them, care enough. How many voicemails do you get these days? (just don’t expect a call back, but they will remember you)
2. SAY THANK YOU – when an article hits, follow up, drop them a note, tweet a thank you. Appreciate
3. READ THEIR STUFF – read their articles, and comment on them, drop them notes, do a blog response
4. GET TO KNOW EM – figure out opportunities to meet press when you are NOT in hard pitch mode, invest in/attend conferences, just to meet em. THEN, after you’ve met, do a follow up. “Lobby conferences” are a great value. Make a goal to meet one new reporter a month, outside of pitching/needing something from them.
5. BE A RESOURCE – share leads, story ideas; make introductions and pass good content along to press. Even if it has nothing to do with any of your clients. If they feel you are a value, they’ll come back to you again and again.
6. BE HONEST – if you are sharing a piece of news with 3 outlets at the same time/first, tell them. Level with them, and what your intentions, goals are. If you don’t know something, say so, but get em the info.
7. FREELANCERS ARE HUGE – freelancers may write for many outlets, and be looking for story ideas/leads. Especially outlets like the Examiner, it’s a great way to get a few names of writers based in a particular city
8. CONNECT THE DOTS – make it super easy for a journo to get all the pieces to the story, anticipate what else they’ll need, and have that info at the ready, including the tough Qs, the competitors, etc.
9. DON’T WASTE ANYONE’S TIME – train your clients, and push back on what is news, what is not. Sometimes a release is just to be put on the wires. Build relationships with the press where they know, when you reach out, its worth listening.
10. INTERACT ON BLOGS – get your client to engage, respond, agree or disagree, share their own links. Power of back links.
11. MAKE A COMMITMENT – don’t hang out a blog shingle unless you are committed to be active on it, and be active on other blogs FIRST, read, respond, interact. Establish a voice and THEN put up your own blog
12. ENGAGE ON SOCIAL – make sure your social strategies aren’t a one way street, just pumping out content. Interact, ask questions that get others to reply back and engage too.
13. ANTICIPATE LANDMINES – prepare your client’s for the worst, make them practice how to answer tough questions so they can do so evenly.
14. HARO THREE TIMES A DAY – read em all, and pay attention. Results are infrequent, but it’s a great resource for breaking news and stories in play at any given time, outlets and writers to target in the future.
15. STAY FRESH – get to know other people’s clients, and have them think about yours once and awhile, that outside perspective is critical
16. ONE NEW IDEA A WEEK – share a new idea, a pitch angle, a program, and approach with your client once a week, or at least force it among the team, to bring new ideas, pitches, targets to each team meeting, etc.
17. USE A CHEAT SHEET – especially for phone interviews, have a cheat sheet in front of you with the key messages, and points, and highlight or check off as you/your client say em. The most important points should have several checks (importance of repetition)
18. BE IN THE ZONE – during a meeting, on a call, in a press interview (and teach your client the same), remove ALL distractions, don’t look at your phone or your email. Be focused and in the moment. People will remember that.
19. BRING A WING MAN – yes to “clumping,” work a room, a conference, a press event with a colleague. Two people can engage with another, bring em in a lot easier than the pressure of one on one, and you can rif off each other and show that you are smart, but also playful.
20. HAVE FREAKING FUN – PR is a hard job, a tiring job, sometimes a thankless job. Work hard, play harder. Let your client see you care and enjoy working with them, enjoy your job.

The old men continue to keep it interesting, go Celtics, go Spurs!

As we continue forward to NBA Finals, which could be played as late as June 26, there is still plenty of time to get striped up for your fav of the 8 teams:
• Celtics v. 76ers – green and white v. red and blue
• Pacers v Miami Heat – blue and yellow v. red and black
• OKC v. LA Lakers – blue and orange v. purple and gold (purple and white!)
• Clippers v. Spurs – blue and red v. black and gray

Go to www.stripedshirt.com and support your NBA team in a fun, fashionable way!

It’s been a little hard to get into the NBA this year – lock out, shortened season, etc. But now that we are down to 16 teams (and one of em is the Celtics, and two of em, you just have to admire the old guys continuing to do the work – Celtics and San Antonio Spurs), it’s time to remind you to stripe up to support your team!

Of the 16 teams, we have exact colors for 13 teams, and are close for Dallas (royal and white instead of royal and black) and the Lakers (purple and white instead of purple and yellow). Make sure to get a stripedshirt to wear while cheering on your favorite team, through to – I’m not making this up – the latest possible date for the play offs and NBA finals: June 26, 2012. (WHAT?)

16 teams in playoffs, and their colors/our stripes:
• Celtics v. Hawks – green and white v. red and blue
• Bulls v. 76ers – red and black v. red and blue
• Pacers v Magic – blue and yellow v. blue and black
• Heat v. NY – red and black v. blue and orange
• Dallas v. OKC – blue and black (royal and white!) v. blue and orange
• Lakers v. Denver – purple and gold (purple and white!) v. blue and yellow
• Memphis v. Clippers – blue and yellow v. blue and red
• Spurs v. Utah – black and gray v. navy and white (?)

Today is one month until Memorial Day, the official start of Summer. At stripedshirt, we are making it the Summer of Stripes! We have 15 great color combos now, awesome shirts for women, kids and babies, its time to get em out there, and into more hands.

The shirts are perfect for Summer: nothing more crisp, Preppy, nautical, sailing club, pool party, park and picnic. I’ve been loving navy and white stripes with Kelly green; yellow and white with indigo; royal and white with hot pink, purple and white with turquoise. Great, bold, color blocking fun for Summer.

And don’t forget all your USA moments, whether Memorial Day or 4th of July, that red and white stripe will suit you well (and be able to be used for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and perhaps Halloween (if you want to be Waldo, Olivia the Pig, a pirate or French sailor).

And when you have that family reunion, family photo, family vacation, day at Disney, an amusement park, a fair or festival, outfitting all the women, kids and babies in the same stripes is a sure-fire way to stick together and look a-freaking-dorable at the same time.

At less than $20 a shirt, why wouldn’t you get some stripes? Order up NOW, be ready to be part of the Summer of Stripes!

Today is an amazing day for Red Sox fans, but frankly all fans of baseball, of America, of traditions, of history. Baseball is the ultimate American pastime, and while there are dozens of beautiful ball parks out there, major and minor league, Spring training, etc., there are but two historic parks left: Wrigley and Fenway.

Today, April 20, 2012, Fenway Park turns 100. Happy birthday old girl!

Anyone who has been to Fenway knows it’s a magical place. And no more magical than October 2004, when the Sox miraculously came back from being down 3 to the Evil Empire, to win 4 in a row and go on to win the World Series, first time in 86 years, breaking the Curse of the Bambino. If you are a Sox fan, or just a baseball fan (as long as you aren’t a Yankees fan), and haven’t yet watched the ESPN 30for30 on Four Days in October, DO IT. You will have chills, you will cry! http://30for30.espn.com/film/four-days-in-october.html

The Red Sox, that team, that park, means so much to my fam, our oldest daughter, born that same year, has the middle name of Fenway. My mother tried to discourage us, telling me Fenway means “swamp area.” No luck. Then and now, we think it’s a pretty cool name.

And, of course, my love for the Sox, and their park, was a big motivator to start stripedshirt. I wear my red and blue with pride, often, even during slow season starts, end of season implosions, or clubhouse beer and fried chicken scandals. So today, give a little cheer for Red Sox Nation and our amazing Fenway Park. 100 years is worth a hat tip, even from a Yankees fan!

Recall, I had the idea of stripedshirt since about 1997 or so, back in my Boston days, when we could “dress down” on Fridays, and when I started whining about wanting just a cute maroon and gold shirt for BC football games, a red and blue striped number that didn’t have Garciaparra’s name on the back for Red Sox games.

I just happened to finally make stripedshirt a reality right when stripes are all the rage. Great timing and famous striped wearers out there like cute Louis Tomlinson of One Direction in his stripes. But stripes are really everywhere, and some of the very cutest, in my opinion, are ridiculously expensive. I’m so happy to be the affordable – and stylish – striped option.

At stripedshirt.com, every shirt, every size, is $19.99.

I had to speak up and write something about this, b/c I just saw J Crew carrying the awesome Edith Miller shirts, some cool stripes, but at a bank-busting $82 a piece. For a TSHIRT!

To give you some other shockers, of comparable short sleeved striped shirts from some of my favorite brands:
• Vineyard Vines, which I adore, has a sailor T at 49.50
• Splendid, $64
• Chance Co, $62
• The grand daddy of them all, Armor Lux, around since 1938, begun in Brittany France with the signature Breton stripe, barely has any women’s options in the US, but the closest I could find, runs 99.98.

So, striped lovers out there, remember, you don’t need to break the bank to get into some cute stripes for Spring and Summer, we have em, 14 color combo choices, for women from XS to XL, but also for babies and kiddos. All stylish, high quality and at a very wallet-friendly $19.99!

With MLB opening day this Thurs, April 5, and opening night TONIGHT, Wed, April 4, with the reigning champ St. Louis Cardinals at the new Miami Marlins field, and April 20 fast approaching to mark the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, we have baseball fever over here at “stripedshirt world headquarters.”

And what an exciting season for us. Of the 30 teams in the AL and NL, stripedshirt has colors for 26 of em! (and it is very likely we’ll never have all the colors for the new Miami Marlins – orange, blue and yellow? Yuck!)

As you know, baseball is a longggg season, so order up your www.stripedshirt.com Ts now to cheer on your favorite baseball team (which better be the Red Sox!)

Go to www.stripedshirt.com NOW! Yeah Baseball!!

American League
Baltimore Orioles – dark orange and white
Boston Red Sox – red and blue
Chicago White Sox – black and gray
Cleveland Indians – red and blue
Detroit Tigers – navy and white
Kansas City Royals – royal and white
LA Angels – red and blue
Minnesota Twins – red and blue
NY Yankees – navy and white
Oakland As – green and white
Seattle Mariners – navy and white (no teal yet)
Tampa Bay Rays – navy and white (no light blue yet)
Texas Rangers – red and blue
Toronto Blue Jays – red and blue

National League
Arizona Diamondbacks – red and black
Atlanta Braves – red and blue
Chicago Cubs – royal and white
Cincinnati Reds – red and white
Colorado Rockies – purple and white
Houston Astros – cranberry and gray
LA Dodgers – royal and white
Miami Marlins – orange, blue and yellow?? Not seeing those stripes in our future
Milwaukee Brewers – navy and white
NY Mets – blue and orange
Philadelphia Phillies – red and white
Pittsburgh Pirates – black and gray (don’t have black and gold)
San Diego Padres – navy and white
San Francisco Giants – dark orange and white
St Louis Cardinals – red and white
Washington Nationals – red and blue

Several months ago, I was fortunate enough to be chosen by FedEx to be part of its amazing FedEx + Me program for small businesses, being piloted in Austin. I had heard of this program at least a year prior, and was so anxious to be a part. But they were looking for very young, very first time business people, who were also starting their own businesses. At then 39, and starting a new chapter with stripedshirt after 18 years of PR agency life, I was hardly a new-kid-on-the-business-block. But they took pity on me or something and let me into the program end of 2011. It has been amazing! Such a great group of businesses, people I respect and admire, and who are such a great support network to me. And FedEx does so much for us, from inspiring speakers, to training sessions, to small groups brought together for information sharing. Perhaps the very best value – to date- from the FedEx + Me program, was me winning a professionally produced video!!! I was so excited to be one of five selected, and wow they were good! I went into a studio end of February, and the next day, a crew came to my house – I mean stripedshirt world headquarters – and filmed several of my friends and their kiddos. Less than a month later, and LOOK what I got!!!! So darn exciting! I love, and appreciate very much! Thank you FedEx!

Today, March 27, marks the “birth” of the beautiful Breton stripe. Those smart Frenchies making the iconic navy and white striped knit shirt the official uniform for all navy seamen in Brittany. This became official in the March 27, 1858 Act of France.

And so, today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beloved navy and white Breton stripes!

You have been worn by so many, and inspired so many other stripes, including www.stripedshirt.com. To celebrate the birthday, today only, March 27, 25% of any of our 14 color combination stripedshirts, including the navy and white Breton inspired stripedshirt. Just enter “Breton” at the code at check out. Now is an ideal time to get your navy and white, or any colors, to stripe it up for Spring and Summer!

Merci, France, and Bon Anniversaire Breton Stripes!

Next Sat night, 3/31, 4 teams battle it out for the NCAA men’s basketball championship. So excited my Ohio State Buckeyes are still in the hunt, taking on Kansas, both beating #1 seeds to face each other. And Louisville surprised everyone, now having to face Kentucky. It will not get much better than seeing Pitino and Calipari coach against each other. Awesome! We, of course, have stripes for all four teams, and plenty of time to order em up now to make sure you are supporting those teams at the end of March Madness. Buy em now at www.stripedshirt.com. GO BUCKS!

Ohio State – Red and gray
Kansas – Royal and white
Louisville – Red and black
Kentucky – Royal and white