Parts I and II of this series offer insight into what to expect from and how to maximize your visibility and effectiveness at events in Eastern Europe. In this final installment, Abeceda komunikacije shares useful tips it employs to successfully unlock new media coverage and analyst relations opportunities for clients.

Phone Versus Face-to-face Briefings

On daily basis, we reach out to more than 20 reporters and journalists. Sometimes, one or two phone calls are enough to confirm a meeting or an article. But most of the time, we prefer to schedule face-to-face briefings. We start by sending them a short memo via email to exchange contact information and data, however, before we finalize any deals or events, we meet face-to-face to hash out the details. This way, we minimize any confusion and there’s less of a chance of misunderstanding.

Lunch, Anyone?

Lunch is definitely on the menu. In Croatia, people often like to hold meetings over lunch. Interestingly enough, it’s not just an excuse to get out of the office; rather, it’s an opportunity to discuss business in a less strict environment. With today’s stressful daily routine, these face-to-face business lunches are an important way to build relationships. And we mustn’t forget – when people are relaxed and having a good time, they’re more likely to open up.

Let’s Get Social

Social media is an important tool for events and media relations in general. With platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, we generate cost-efficient, high quality opportunities for online exposure on behalf of our clients both during events and on a day-to-day basis. Social media is a great way to follow what people are saying, and find out what they want or need. It’s also an effective means for monitoring our competitors. Through social media we can:

• Attract more customers
• Build up brands
• Provide a more personal touch
• Create a community and build relationships
• Showcase products and services

Following these strategies will help open the door to maximum exposure for your clients, while developing meaningful, productive relationships with key media, analysts, and others across Eastern Europe.

Want to unlock new #media opportunities for clients at Eastern European events? Then try these tips:
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Part I of this series offered an overview of what to expect of media and analyst relations at events in Eastern Europe. In Part II, we cover practical tips for maximizing your visibility and effectiveness.

One thing to keep in mind about reporters, not only in Bulgaria, but anywhere else in the world, for that matter, is they deal with tight deadlines on a daily basis. What’s more, these reporters will receive about one hundred pitches every day. So, here’s the question: How can we get their attention and ultimately, encourage them to attend the event we are organizing? These useful tips can help when working with Bulgarian reporters:

1. First, think about how you will approach the reporter. Take into consideration whether they would prefer a phone or face-to-face briefing. Of course, this will vary person-to-person and will also depend on the situation, but keep in mind that most Bulgarian reporters spend their days out of office. They will often be found in a meeting or at an event. Our advice here is to make initial contact with a phone call. Keep it short and concise, but with quality content.

2. After initial contact with a reporter, the next step should be a group briefing or press conference. Yes, the reporter will attend a press conference if it is about an important social or political issue. Also, it’s important to take into consideration that when it comes to corporate events, reporters in Bulgaria are tied to budgets that regulate the advertising and sponsorships. Therefore, in the case of a corporate event, the name of your company is very likely to be dismissed if included in an article.

3. We already know that journalists are busy people, but what if you need more time to brief them about your wonderful new campaign and invite them to a lunch meeting? This one is quite simple – if you have personal contact with the journalist, by all means, have lunch with them and guide them through your campaign. If you don’t have personal contact with the reporter, it’s important to think of an angle that relates to topics the reporter is already covering or another topic that might interest that particular journalist. Still, keep in mind that a lunch meeting might not be the best option as they are working on short deadlines.

4. At this point, you have successfully contacted the reporters and they attended your press conference or event. That is all great news, but what happens next? They know you have deadlines as they do and will work to get the coverage out and in the papers as soon as possible. In Bulgaria, when a reporter says it will be out as soon as possible, this normally means it will appear the day after the event. Worst-case scenario, the coverage will be available two or three days after the event.

5. Now that we have gone through how to communicate with reporters, it is time to consider social media. In Bulgaria, Facebook is the most used form of social media. In recent years, online communication might have shifted to Twitter and Instagram, but in Bulgaria, the main source of information surrounding events and other happenings is Facebook. If it is necessary to use LinkedIn, keep the posts to a corporate nature.

Want actionable intelligence on #events #PR management? Then check out @United_Partners’ guest blog:
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Every media and promotion market has its own characteristics. Even those countries that are geographically close, such as Poland and Germany, are characterized by completely different journalist expectations and editorial approaches. To that end, it’s important to know how to communicate and work with journalists in various locations through Eastern Europe. This three-part series from GlobalCom PR Network member, Planet PR, gives you the inside scoop on maximizing your visibility at your event being held in Eastern Europe.

Media Coverage of Events Requires a Lot of PR Officers’ Commitment

Press releases and save-the-dates are now a standard that cannot be ignored, but unfortunately, their effectiveness is low. The growing number of outlets, combined with the rising number of events, requires more and more work to attract editors. One way to attract editors is by offering an interview with keynote speakers, but it’s very important to know the specifics of the medium as well as the interests and specialization of the editor.

Journalists in Poland also value how PR specialists take care of them during the event. If they themselves have to look for the interviewees and topics, without support from the press office, they will most likely not come back either immediately or in the future.

Polish Journalists Are Very Sensitive to Advertising Messages

Communication with the Polish media must be free of advertising stigma, therefore it is necessary to avoid phrases such as “XXX, the leader in the industry”, or “YYY, the biggest supplier”. In turn, communiqués with extensive descriptions of products, events or functionality can immediately mean the redirect of the email to the advertising department. The rare exception here is industry press but even then, editors expect moderation.

Press Conferences Are Already a Holdover

Unfortunately, many editorial offices these days have a very limited number of journalists. Therefore, unless the topic is very relevant and important, they avoid long press conferences that are not necessarily highly informative. If organizing a press conference is really necessary, the safest days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in the morning, and Tuesday and Wednesday in the afternoon. Choosing another day increases the risk of high absenteeism.

Instead of a Press Conference, Arrange an Interview or a Small F2F Meeting

Sometimes, it is worth providing an exclusive, especially if it is a respected and often cited outlet. An important matter to consider for interviews are the questions. Many journalists will agree to define the scope of the conversation in advance, but not everyone may agree to restrictions on questions, and being prohibited from going beyond the original scope. Many experienced journalists will even quit the interview when someone tries to make such a determination.

Journalistic Social Media

In this case, it very much depends on the industry. Tech journalists are present on Facebook, but they also use Twitter or LinkedIn. Political, social, and local journalists are most likely to use Twitter – at present about 1,000 of these journalists have accounts, and the majority of them are active. On the other hand, fashion journalists are often found on Instagram, where they manage their own accounts and engage with other users. It is worth noting that some journalists clearly state that their social profiles are their personal accounts and do not want to receive press releases or topics.

Get more information now on Planet PR at http://www.planetpr.pl/en, the GlobalCom PR Network at https://www.gcpr.net.

International #EventManagement can be tricky, but these tips will help you maximize your impact:
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Working in international PR, translations belong to our daily tasks. To make sure the content and correct meaning of articles, press releases or comments is transferred into another language we differentiate between translation and localization – meaning we expect our consultants to understand each paragraph and message and express it in their local language.

This also means restructuring texts due to the preferences of the local media and audience as well as adapting the wording accordingly.

If the client already has documents in the respective language we also make sure the corporate wording is consistent. If a client expands into a new market we support the creation of corporate wording in the new language.

Most of the translations for actual PR texts are done in-house as the consultants have an in-depth knowledge about their client’s offering, messaging and corporate wording. If we cooperate with professional translation services for specific translations (e.g. for websites or a full portfolio of marketing material) we make sure that the necessary background knowledge is transferred and texts go through an approval process to assure they are technically correct and in compliance with corporate wording and other standards.

While the translation of technical topics is one of the most challenging tasks and an area of expertise for the GlobalCom PR Network teams around the world, the difficulties of bridging cultural gaps in translations can be demonstrated particularly well with the use of Idioms. The translation agency Tongue Tied Manchester Ltd. shared some examples in their current newsletter:

Idioms are closely related to their respective cultures and whilst in the Norwegian and Czech language you are “walking around hot porridge”, in German you “speak around hot mush” and in English you are “beating around the bush” – all these idioms refer to “not getting to the point.”

More idiom examples from around the world include:

• To seize the moon by the teeth: to try the impossible (French)
• To reheat cabbage: to rekindle an old flame (Italian)
• When the crayfish sings in the mountain: never (Russian)
• Cleaner than a frog’s armpit: to be poor, broke (Spanish)
• To think one is the last suck of the mango: to be conceited (South American Spanish)

Many cultures have an individual way of saying it is raining:

• In English, it would be “raining cats and dogs”
• In some African countries, people might say “it’s raining old women with clubs”
• In Norway it’s on the other hand “raining female trolls”
• and in Ireland you would say “it’s throwing cobblers knives”

A language is a living substance, which continuously evolves under the influence of different factors. English, just like other languages, constantly enriches its vocabulary with words invented by the respective speakers, making it more colorful with new idiomatic expressions and, over time, refills its stocks with these borrowings and neologisms.

What do frogs and armpits have to do with PR success? A lot, actually. Read more at:
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