We all hate Mondays… right? For TeamRev, that really couldn’t be further from the truth. Admittedly, there’s a little less enthusiasm flying around the office in the early hours of a Monday morning than there is on a Friday evening – but after our morning catch-up, we’re back in top gear and raring to go. Hating Mondays means you hate 1/7 of your life and hating your job means you hate 1/3 – it really doesn’t get any more depressing than that.
A Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) is a way to combat this feeling… and it’s catching. PMA encourages a culture of shared enthusiasm with your team, encourages your employees and colleagues to trust in you and your brand and, essentially, makes your business a great place to be. This outlook is often how we secure our PR wins – by remaining positive and encouraging this positivity within the four walls of Rev PR.
Here’s how you can use some positivity to secure PR… and some other wins too!
P – Pitching to press
Journalists are very busy people, with limited time to deal with the hundreds of stories dropping into their inbox every day. They’re more likely to run a story pitched to them by a friendly, conscientious and informed voice at the end of the phone, than they are to run with something sent in a dull, formal email. With such little time to devote to each story – and approximately 10 seconds to devote to you and your pitch – it’s likely that a call to a journalist will be met with an abrupt request to get to the point. They’re not intentionally insulting you or cutting you off, they simply don’t have enough hours in the day.
A positive and conversational tone will keep the journalist engaged for long enough to deliver your information. Start off with a quick introduction, then hit them with the headline. Keep it factual, conversational and try not to talk ‘at’ them. Don’t be shocked if the call lasts between 50 seconds and a minute and a half – that’s all you need.
M – Making staff feel valued
People don’t leave jobs, they leave toxic work environments and, at the end of the day, employees are loyal when their loyalty is appreciated and replicated. Quite often, staff don’t expect their employer to move the earth for them. What they do expect – and deserve! – is recognition, compassion and professional development. When people feel valued, they feel comfortable enough to be able to share their own experiences and personal goals with those around them. This builds a culture of trust within your team and, more often than not, the great PR stories come directly from your staff.
Keep the conversation flowing – both professionally and personally. Whilst we’re not suggesting inviting the whole team to your next family BBQ, take the time to get to know them and their motivations.
A – And communicating with clients
No man is an island – true for men, women and businesses alike. As part of the service you provide, you will deal with people on a daily basis. And dealing with people is an art-form in itself. People buy people, so make sure you’re a person your customer wants to buy from. Have genuine conversations with your clients, leave corporate jargon at the door, and put away the pride hat. Being a nice person, in a more general sense, will achieve far greater things than approaching life with a ‘what can I get out of this’ mentality. But, in terms of PR wins, human interest stories come from satisfied and engaged clients, who are happy to share their story with the wider world… you get where we’re going with this.
So, as you can see, adopting a PMA isn’t just one component of a successful comms plan, or a tactic to get the team on side. Whether you’re a glass half full or half empty sort of person, a positive attitude is crucial – not just for PR wins, but for #winning at life, in general!
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