I had the great pleasure of meeting and photographing champion boxer David Starie on Tuesday who has agreed to host a charity ball at Ickworth West Wing for Sport For Rwanda in September.

The Sport for Rwanda fundraising appeal was launched by the St Edmundsbury Steering group for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in January to ensure the legacy of the Bury St Edmunds Pre-Games Training Camp stretches far beyond London 2012.

Sport For Rwanda aims to raise £80,000 to provide 140 schools in Rwanda with sports equipment, a place to store it and educational materials to help teachers run sports lessons.

Sport and PE are not taught in Rwandan schools so this appeal will give more than 100,000 Rwandan schoolchildren the ability to take part in sport and leave a lasting legacy from London 2012.

The money raised will help youngsters in Rwanda take part in the PE lessons and exercise that our children take for granted at school and through sport they can build friendships, grow in confidence, learn about role models and fair play, and develop leadership skills.

The ball takes place on Friday 9 September and tickets priced at £50 are available from Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre, Tourist Information Centre, and Haverhill Leisure Centre. For more details visit www.sportforrwanda.org

With London 2012 less than 500 days away having the Olympics in our home country has never been so exciting. The legacy theme that London 2012 encompasses is leading to homegrown local  projects on our own doorstep which, for the first time, gives us a sense of participation that no other Games has been able to convey.

Simply PR is working in partnership with St Edmundsbury Borough Council, Suffolk County Council and Abbeycroft Leisure, in publicising this legacy work in St Edmundsbury. In July 2012, the first of many of Rwanda’s athletes will arrive in Bury St Edmunds to train at the local leisure centre in preparation for the games. For two weeks, Rwanda’s hopes for Olympic Games success will be training on our doorstep alongside many of our talented sportsmen and women. Education, business, sport and cultural links are being cultivated with Rwanda to celebrate and welcome the athletes’ arrival and learn a little more about their country.

Next month, sees the first of three lunches organised by Simply PR and The Time Finder Agency at Ickworth West Wing to raise money for Suffolk SportsAid Foundation, which provides grants to up and coming local Suffolk sports stars – the Olympians and Paralympians of the future. Our first guest speaker has been confirmed this week as Olympic swimmer and gold medallist Karen Pickering MBE. If you’d like to find out more about the lunch click here

I am excited to be involved in these Olympic legacy projects and to raise awareness that we have here in Suffolk a rare opportunity to be involved in the Games on a local and national level.

Photo courtesy of The Design Office

Is it really news? What stories does the publication you are targeting publish? Is your story really newsworthy? Sending press releases out for the sake of it can actually damage your reputation and are a one-way ticket to ensuring that newsdesks see your name and immediately press delete.
Think visuals. A photo really does tell a thousand words so either send a good quality photograph with your news story or arrange a photocall. If you are lucky enough to have a story that is of interest to TV then make sure you know what visuals they can use.
Write like a Pro. Understand how journalists write. Journalists never have enough time and with recent redundancies in the media, now they have even less time. Make it easy for reporters to use your story by writing in a format they use.

Get online. Use online public relations to develop relationships with clients. Write a blog, get to grips with social media and get your business on online forums. Start an e-newsletter and directly target former clients, prospective clients and keep in touch with your stakeholders.
Use the economic climate to your advantage. Has your business bucked the trend? Are you thriving in the current climate, winning contracts and taking on staff? Do you have some advice for others struggling? Tell your story!

The biggest mistake that companies make during a time of economic instability is to cut down on their Marketing when they should be doing all they can to increase it.  Public Relations is seen as more valuable than ever as the credit crunch makes customers even more choosy on where they spend their hard earned cash.

Many businesses can promote themselves in a more creative and customer-friendly way by rethinking the more traditional methods of advertising and to devote more time and energy on PR. When someone reads a third-party article written about your product or service or hears coverage of your event on the radio, they’re seeing something you didn’t pay for and view it differently than they do paid advertising. It’s this third-party endorsement that gives PR its power and credibility. In a recession people rely more heavily on the credibility of a company’s reputation than believing an ad campaign.

Now is the time, to seize the day and believe in your product or service. Get to grips with new ways of publicising what you do through online PR, social networking, and think about the good news stories your business has to tell. The changing media climate, with  journalists being made redundant and editors requiring more and more content for channels such as the web, video, social networking, means there are rich opportunities to provide copy, photos and video for local and national media outlets.

With PR you can reach more people than ever before and deliver strong messages that reinforce your brand and you can bet that the companies and organisations that do this now will come out of this economic downturn stronger than those who did not. As Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates once said: ‘If I were down to my last dollar I would spend it on PR’.

Delighted at £1,000 Donation to St Nicholas Hospice Care

Cheque presentation at Cineworld Haverhill

I had the great pleasure of presenting more than £1,000 to St Nicholas Hospice Care this week on behalf of Haverhill Chamber of Commerce. Simply PR organised a charity preview of the Disney film TANGLED on behalf of the Chamber to raise funds for the Hospice.

Disney kindly agreed to allow Haverhill Chamber and Cineworld Haverhill to preview its new 3D film ‘TANGLED’ five days before it went on general release in the UK on Sunday 23 January.

Cineworld Haverhill kindly donated the screen for free and a pair of 3D glasses for every ticket holder.

A huge thank you to Paul, Jamie, Dominika and the staff at Cineworld Haverhill, Disney and Printwise for their support but especially to the people of Haverhill who brought their families to see the film and donated such a large sum for the hospice.

Go Rwanda Press Launch

Photo courtesy of The Design Office

There was a great turnout for the press launch of Go Rwanda today with BBC Look East, BBC Radio Suffolk, the East Anglian Daily Times, Bury Free Press and local community website Bury St Edmunds People all in attendance.

As some of you may know, The West Suffolk Athletics Arena at Abbeycroft Leisure’s Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre has been chosen to host the Rwandan Olympic and Paralympic teams as they prepare for London 2012. Simply PR is providing PR support to the St Edmundsbury Steering Group for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Steering Group has created Go Rwanda, a project to encourage people in the borough to support Rwanda as their second Olympic team during London 2012 and to ensure that the legacy of the Pre-Games Training Camp stretches across the borough far beyond 2012.

The Group has set up the ‘Sport For Rwanda’ fundraising appeal which aims to raise £80,000 by 2012 to leave a lasting legacy in 140 schools in the country by giving them sports equipment, a place to store it and educational materials to help teachers. Sport is not taught in Rwandan schools so this appeal will give more than 100,000 schoolchildren the ability to take part in sport. Other fundraising activities for the appeal will take place in 2011 and 2012 and the equipment will be distributed by charity Rwanda Aid.

One of the fundraising ventures that will take place in 2012 to raise funds for the appeal appeal will the the Cycle 2 Rwanda challenege in which cyclists Pete White and Pete Goodwin will travel 6,000 miles by bike from the UK to Rwanda in 70 days to raise thousands of pounds. They were interviewed, photographed and filmed by journalists today on the very athletics track the Rwandan athletes will use.

Find out more about their challenge and other fundraising events at www.sportforrwanda.org For more details on the Go Rwanda project visit our Facebook page here

One of the great joys of being in public relations is that you get to help local charities in terms of raising awareness and raising money.

This week I have been busy heavily promoting the charity preview I am organising on behalf of Haverhill Chamber of Commerce of Disney’s new 3D movie TANGLED. Working with Cineworld Haverhill which has been tremendously supportive, donating a screen, staff time and a pair of 3D glasses for every guest, we hope to raise lots of money for St Nicholas Hospice Care.

The hospice looks after people with terminal and life limiting illnesses. This can include cancer, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease and the advanced stages of heart and lung disease. As a registered charity, St Nicholas Hospice Care has to raise £10,000 every day through the generosity of the local community. St Nicholas Hospice Care provides care and support throughout West Suffolk and Thetford. This is not only through their Hospice site in Bury St Edmunds. Every year nurses from St Nicholas Hospice Care, which is member of the Haverhill Chamber, help people living with terminal illness in Haverhill by visiting them in their homes to provide care and support.

The preview takes place on Sunday 23 January at 3pm and tickets priced at £10 are available from the cinema. Help us support a great cause!

It still astounds me when people say they do not have time or do not see the relevance of networking for their business,

The biggest asset you have when it comes to publicity is YOU. You are the face of your business or organisation and talking to people about your product or service is vital if you want to see a continuing stream of business.

Yes, it’s true that networking can be time consuming, for some events costly, and yes it does involve leaving the mountain of work on your desk. However, if you do not build new relationships when that mountain becomes a molehill you’ll be pleased that you have a contacts book full of people that will help you generate new sales leads.

This morning I hosted the Haverhill WoMenta Coffee Morning on behalf of MENTA which is a free networking event for businesswomen in Haverhill and surrounding areas. It has a regular following of ladies who come along to network and socialise over coffee. It’s very informal and we get new visitors each week. This morning Haverhill Weekly News Reporter Jo Deeks spoke about what it like to be a journalist and the sorts of stories she is looking for from businesses. Her colleague Louise Cohen gave us an insight into how advertising works and the benefit of her 13 years of experience working with local newspapers.

These businesswomen took two hours out of their busy day, made new contacts and learnt a little bit more about how to get your story into local newspapers. To me, that makes good business and good PR sense!

Carrying out media interviews is nerve-wracking. Even the most seasoned interviewees get nervous.

Giving interviews and dealing with the media takes practice. But research and preparation is key whatever level of experience you have.

Here are my top tips to help you prepare:

Establish before the interview whether it is going to be live or pre-recorded (taped). If it is pre-recorded you can stop the interview at any time.

If you are doing a TV or radio interview resist the urge to shout into the microphone. Speak and gesture naturally.

If a TV crew is visiting your home or organisation think about a back drop. Try to get the crew to do the interview near your company logo or sign. If the weather is good crews will often choose to do the interview outside. Have an indoor and outdoor location in mind.

Wherever you choose to do the interview ensure you will not be interrupted and that the area is free from background noise.

Talk to the reporter/interviewer, not the camera.

If you are doing a standing interview stand up straight and do not put your hands in your pockets

If you are sitting during the interview sit up straight and do not fidget.

Be aware of your dress. Which attire is appropriate for the interview you are giving?

Ladies avoid short skirts, gentlemen check your tie. For television avoid bright colours, striped shirts, ties and scarves.

If radio/TV – what questions will you ask me? Broadcast journalists prepare their questions before they do the interview – it’s in the best interests of the reporter to tell you as this will help interview go more smoothly.

A word about telephone interviews

Never ever do a telephone interview on the spot. Buy preparation time by asking to call the reporter back.

Ensure the room in which you carry out the interview from is free from background noise and interruptions.

Use notes

Imagine yourself talking to one listener

Have a glass of water to hand

I’m often asked asked about how to prepare a PR brief when engaging a PR Consultant or Agency.

I thought I’d share with you the key areas I have thought about when preparing briefs in the past when working in-house.

PR Brief

About your business/organisation
Write a short summary of your business/organisation , including brief details of its key activities/products or service, website url, number of employees, how long it’s been established, and geographical location.

What is your USP (Unique Selling Point)?
What are you key strengths/weaknesses as a business/organisation?

Are there any significant market trends that are affecting or will affect your business in the near future?

Who are your key competitors and what is the market share/position in your industry? What are your competitors strengths and weaknesses?

What is the major challenge facing your business today?

Your key objectives
What are the main short term/long term goals of the business/organisation?

Do you have a business plan for the year and are you able to share this with your consultant?

Audience
Your key publics and how they view your organisation (list your publics in order of importance to your business/organisation).

Do you have any research or market intelligence about their habits/views/buying preferences and if yes, are you able to share this?

Marketing Activities
Have you or are you planning to undertake any marketing communications activity such as promotions, events, advertising, attendance at exhibitions or sponsorship activity?

Do you have a marketing plan for the year and are you able to share this with your consultant (strict confidentiality applies)?

Have you used/are you intending to use social media as part of your marketing activity?

PR aims and expectations
Do you currently measure the success of your PR activity and if so, how?

What budget have you set aside for PR?

Do you have a timescale? When would you like PR activity to start?

Media
What are the key trade publications that serve your industry?

Provide details of any previous PR activity.

Who has been/will be your company spokesperson/people? Are they experienced at talking to journalists? Have they received professional media training?

Are there any issues that could attract negative press coverage now or in the past that your consultant needs to be aware of?

Key contacts
Include key contacts for your organisation (telephone, mobile, email, and out of hours).