News & Opinion

By Roxanne Leone, Director Marketing & Communications The Interview Interviews are the basic tool of gathering news and insights.  Journalists must rely on spokespeople like you for newsworthy information and insights. A news interview, regardless of how casual it may be, is much like a formal negotiation, during which the journalist represents the public and your responses or comments are directed through the journalist to the public.    The journalist wants a compelling story, on his terms to meet the needs of his readers. The journalist isn’t interested in anything but news. Your role is to think like a journalist and control the interview - keeping answers short, factual and personable.   Preparing for an Interview Do your homework. It is challenging to remember everything about various activities within the company when you’re under pressure during the interview.  Homework may include a refresh on key messages, statistical data as well as recent reading articles authored by the journalist. Anticipate Q and A’s. Your knowledge of your organization, strategies and products or services is important but the publicity you get isn’t always about your solution but about general insights, trends or a preexisting news story. Prepare a set of objectives. Rather than simply responding to questions, your most important assignment in the interview must be to ensure that the things you want to communicate through the journalist are focused and captured during the interview. What to do When you Meet with Journalists There are several things you should do when you are introduced to a journalist. Consider these tips: From the beginning, you should steer the journalist in the direction of your objectives and keep track of your key messages during the interview. Since you are more educated about your business than he is, he will gladly listen for informal guidance about the nature of the story. If you’re led in another direction, utilize these transition phrases to get back on topic. Attempt to gain some common ground on a personal basis with the journalist. Continue to utilize your personality and share stories to help build credibility and come across as a thought leader. Journalists are skeptical people looking for an emotional response. If there is emotion around a certain response, they will grade that higher than the responses which are unemotional.  Positive emotion may be a tremendous force in winning interviews. Winning the Interview You are not at the journalist’s mercy.  All you must do is execute your game plan. Place your most important points at the beginning of each response where they will be clear and isolated. Journalists want colorful language, not dry technological jargon. The more informal, the better.  If an answer must be technical to be accurate, provide an appropriate analogy.  The most important point is to listen carefully. You must understand the question before you begin to answer it. If you need additional time to craft your response, repeat the question.   According to a PR News Media Training Guidebook, they reiterate the importance of newsworthiness. If you feel your story is newsworthy ensure it will influence the masses, be interesting and contain unique or never-been-done before components. For the latest PR News Guidebook click here, it not only provides tips for interview preparation but offers information on journalist relations, crisis management, influencer relations, social media and more!   For additional guidance on media interviews or the importance of media training, review our blog, “Did I Say THAT? Three Reasons Why Executives Need Media Training.”

Over the years, we’ve learned that if we focus on client satisfaction, we’re golden. In any partnership, the most important consideration is our customer’s happiness.    That’s why we continue to refine our knowledge of best practices for corporate communications, event management, and online reputation management firms. We’ve maintained a strong focus on the latest trends in crisis communication as well.   It’s no surprise that we’ve been recognized by Clutch, a B2B directory resource site, as a leader in those same categories!     Our public relations services have been rated according to Clutch’s data-backed methodology. They analyzed our market presence, specialized services, and, most importantly, verified client reviews. Using the results of this research, they determined that we’re a leader in our industry.   Looking at our reviews on the ratings and reviews platform, it’s no surprise that we’ve achieved this award. Our nine reviews average out to a stellar 4.9 rating out of 5 possible stars!   “Clutch has been a great partner for our agency - and a primary source of referrals to us.” — CEO, Bob Gold & Associates   All of our reviews give us exceptional ratings for the quality of our services, our ability to meet deadlines, and our value for cost. We also received high ratings on the client’s willingness to refer our services to others.     This award reminds us why we’re named Bob Gold & Associates, instead of Bob Silver and Associates. Our founder, Bob Gold, has a last name that exemplifies our high standards.   We’ll never be satisfied with positive recognition. Instead, it inspires us to continue striving to reach higher levels of customer satisfaction. If you’ve been searching for public relations assistance, we’d love to chat! We’ll help you tell the story your audience has been waiting to hear.  

With so much news circulating about this virus, it’s easy to get caught up in the politics or shocking aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak. Recently, I went to China to visit my in-laws and found a surprisingly positive light into a room that currently is darkened by fear and a generally bad impression of China.   On January 19, I excitedly embarked on my first-time China trip to meet my in-laws and celebrate the Lunar New Year in Harbin, the capital of the northeastern Heilongjiang Province, dubbed the “ice city.”   It wasn’t until my first day of travel that I heard of the Wuhan-based coronavirus on TV and saw a broadcast-station news van at the LAX international terminal. At that time, I never thought the virus would impact my trip — I was just excited to be traveling to Asia for the first time. [caption id="attachment_8858" align="aligncenter" width="225"] My wife and I wearing a face mask in front of the deserted Saint Sophia church[/caption]   Once we were in Harbin, about 1,400 miles from the epicenter of the outbreak and with still little concern for the virus, I carried on with my trip and was looking forward to some home-cooked meals.   My 83-year old grandma-in-law, who lives on the sixth floor of an apartment with no elevator, prepared most of the meals and did just about everything one could expect from a doting elder, except pinch my cheeks too hard. The holiday food we ate included non-western dishes like silkworms, hairy crab, chicken stomach, squid with Chinese chives, hot pot and durian and less exotic, but uniquely prepared dishes such as sauerkraut, whole fish, porridge, dumplings, and oysters. [caption id="attachment_8859" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Lunar New Year feast[/caption]   Most of these were sourced from a local wet market, which gets its name because it sells perishable goods, including live animals that are stored, sold and slaughtered in close proximity to other animals and humans. Authorities believe the coronavirus originated in the Wuhan wet market.   At the Harbin wet market, we were greeted underground by a cacophonous sea of shoppers and an abundant array of different vendors. Live turtles and crabs crawled at the sides of red, water-filled plastic buckets on one side. Across the way, flesh-toned butchered animal organs, like livers and pancreases, were displayed on metal trays. Retailers selling everything from dry goods to toys to Chinese herbal medicine also coexisted nearby.   While the turtles seemed crammed in their buckets, this market was also part of my wife’s childhood to the point where the smells brought back memories of home. Experiencing the wet market in Harbin made me realize how rooted in the community it was. To me, this impression created a view of the wet market somewhat at odds with the more extreme wet markets fraught with bats, civets and all manner of reptile that I had heard about in the media surrounding COVID-19. [caption id="attachment_8860" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Harbin Market – Left to right: silkworms, live hairy crab, and various animal organs[/caption] As our visit continued, news reports and the overall commanding presence of the deadly virus intensified. Streets emptied.   Someone passed out from a non-coronavirus issue at a local McDonalds, causing widespread panic and news alerts.   My in-laws showed me a video about the government rapidly building a temporary medical center in Wuhan that contains over 1000 beds, and a family friend gifted my mother-in-law with a 3M facemask as a New Year’s gift.   Additionally, under government orders, all public ceremonies were canceled, tourist locations were all closed, and businesses were shut down but still required to pay employees even if they couldn’t work remotely. According to my wife, who grew up in China and lived in Harbin during the SARS outbreak, this was the first-time businesses across China have ever been shut down in this way.   Because public activities were largely canceled and my wife’s family feared for our safety, we mainly stayed inside – looking at old pictures, playing go and mahjong, getting a haircut and receiving cupping therapy. We were still able to go to the supermarket, convenience stores, the wet market or wander the city.    During this time, government and media warnings kept the streets and the retail locations that were still open very empty. We went to the closed gates of Jile temple, the biggest Buddhist complex in Heilongjiang, and walked around an empty amusement park adjacent to it. This area would normally be packed with tourists and believers praying for a good New Year, but we only encountered a few old men playing Chinese chess, a man practicing his Qilin whip technique, and a few other pedestrians.   Though everyone was taking measures to avoid getting sick, the people we encountered in the city were all very helpful and friendly. While quarantine in Harbin was relatively light at the time I was there, the Chinese people I met all took it upon themselves to avoid getting sick or passing along any illness.   Notes were placed on doors about reporting symptoms to the government, US airline companies began canceling flights, and we were afraid to so much as sneeze when traveling in public.   Soon, all we could do was stay inside or go to the supermarket, a convenience store or the wet market.   Family and coworkers were also sending me urgent messages to come home, and it became clear that we had to leave China, or we would risk being stuck there, so we booked an early flight to back.   At the airport we all wore facemasks, there were large digital signs showing how to put on a facemask, and our forehead temperatures were checked at several waystations. We also had to fill out a form verifying that we had no symptoms of the virus and had not been to Wuhan.   [caption id="attachment_8861" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Forehead scan at Harbin Airport[/caption] Once we returned home, my wife and I underwent a fourteen-day self-quarantine and heard from my in-laws that the streets in Harbin were blocked and guards stood outside apartment buildings to ensure people only went outside a few times a week. Additionally, a family friend of my in-laws reported that her father turned himself into the hospital with great fear and sadness when he had a fever and cough – which luckily, turned out to be a cold.    Of course, my positive-minded mother-in-law would never complain about such things, but it must have been distressing. My wife, who is a Chinese language teacher in Los Angeles, also informed me that many parents took their kids out of the classes at her school to avoid any contact with the virus.   It also saddened her when she heard one of her students say the disease was “made in China.” [caption id="attachment_8862" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Blocked street in front of Harbin apartment complex and empty street[/caption] Today, fresh from my 14-day voluntary quarantine, the universal messages of companionship from my hospitable in-laws and the opportunity to become better acquainted with their personalities resonate the most from my trip.   While some individuals or government policy may be to blame for this outbreak, it’s unfair to broadly condemn and shun all Chinese people based solely on their customs or outward appearance. I think it’s important to learn from incidents like COVID-19 and support more sanitary practices.   Now, COVID-19 is making its way to LA. At a time when something new, like this virus, appears and reshapes the world we live in, we should ask how we can become more tolerant, understanding and caring, not how we can shun people or isolate an entire culture. [caption id="attachment_8863" align="aligncenter" width="300"] My wife and I giving thanks for red pocket.[/caption]   Read this story on The Bipartisan Press here - http://bit.ly/2vaFwyh

By Roxanne Leone, Director, Marketing & Communications  With many of today’s content marketing programs measured by total sales – it’s not surprising that 70% of marketers are actively investing in content. Whether they are creating blogs, white papers, and social posts or focusing efforts on video or podcasting, the key is to develop informative and entertaining content to support a business goal.     Today’s public relations and marketing agencies are evolving and it’s critical that we develop and deliver on an integrated marketing program based off the PESO model— earned, shared, owned, and paid media. With three billion people on social media globally, it’s an integral part of every organization’s success.     Marketers are no longer alone in this journey to grow sales and meet the needs of prospects and customers — social media now impacts many departments across the organization and by selling stories versus products, you can improve your bottom line.     PR is marketing, sales and customer service and this is how we meet the needs of our clients.  Humanize your brand  Public relations professionals are in the business of relationships—because people respond to people. That’s why we guide our clients to humanize their brand and share a compelling story. You could be sharing original content, curated content, or a combination of the two—but what’s important is that whatever you say is relatable to your audience. Shareable content will prove to be a winner for your sales, marketing and customer care teams!   Connect with media  Businesses use social media to help prospects and customers connect to your core values as well as interact with bloggers and journalists who are consistently putting out content relevant to your industry. And, with quality, earned media placements you can equip your colleagues with third party endorsements and have additional content to help build out your social media calendar.   Develop More Video  Video marketing is now the #1 form of media used in today’s content strategies. We get the most traction for our clients when we incorporate video. For example, a technology client hosted their own “Curated Conversation and Cocktails” event at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, and we edited the raw footage of panel speakers into short clips to promote and distribute on various social media channels. This helped highlight key aspects of the event, drive corporate messages across social media, and engaged those unable to attend.  Improve Customer Service  Many marketers are finding themselves working hand in hand with customer care teams to ensure their corporate strategies are aligned to get the most out of social media. Why? Social platforms, especially Twitter and Facebook, are great avenues to witness interactive dialogue between organizations and individuals. From time to time, you’ll encounter a displeased customer on social media. Many communications teams have a crisis management plan in place to react quickly to content that could affect their reputation negatively.    If your social media team is still working in a silo, it’s time to maximize your entire team’s productivity and results by building synergy across departments. Sharing vision and respect for each other’s role will help your PR and marketing teams justify their social media budget and improve customer service, which could ultimately be the game-changer in closing a sale. 

By Roxanne Leone, Director, Marketing & Communications  A study published by The Manifest documented that 62% percent of organizations with 5,000+ employees produce daily content. That percentage drops drastically to 39% for small businesses with employees under 500. So, how do small teams keep up with competition and maximize the lifespan of existing content?    I’m a team member at a boutique public relations agency based in Los Angeles specializing in content creation, and we help service our clients around the globe. I’m proud to tout that we’re part of the 78% of effective content marketers that use press release services in our content marketing strategy, but we don’t stop there.    Many of our clients struggle with content management and thought leadership. They either have too much or too little information to work with. Regardless of the number of assets, they don’t know how to best utilize them – so they enlist a PR or content marketing agency to help in repurposing the content to penetrate new markets.    Repurposing Worthwhile Content    To kickoff many client engagements, we start by doing an audit of content to see what’s worth leveraging. As a collaborative effort with our clients, well review content based on quality, past audience engagement and timeliness of topic. Our clients have achieved success with converting blog articles into bylines, slide decks into webinars and videos, and sharing statistics from trend reports, original research or customer polls into shareable social media posts.    For example, we’ve helped leverage case studies for a UK-based client by giving them new life when tailored for a U.S. audience. Based on prior media placements across the UK, my team already knew the content was solid, and we helped gain more exposure for their products and services.    We also make it common practice to review our clients’ sales and marketing materials which provides insight into how they are addressing customer pain points. For example, with one client, we effectively revamped a popular sales presentation for their application into a video for use on the company’s website. They had a clear mission to transform how the world accesses mobile video to ensure audiences can view all kinds of video content seamlessly when and where they want it. This video helped get that message across in a simple, easy to understand fashion.    Getting It Right from the Get-Go    One of the hurdles I’ve seen PR professionals and marketers face is lack of time. The clock is always ticking. Deadlines are always creeping up. However, if you’re a firm believer in doing things right from the get-go, it’s bound to save both time and moolah in the long term.    To develop informational, educational or inspirational content, you must return to the basics and put in the necessary time during preparation. For those seeking to do just that, here are some recommended guidelines:  Define your objectives  Understand your audience  Review analytics  Build your content calendar  Draft your outline (including SEO keywords)  Write and re-write  Promote and distribute    Repurposing content is great for both your bottom line and your content’s visibility. It’s a proven path you can take to maximize the lifespan of your content plus reap the benefits on investments you’ve already made. Charge ahead, you got this! 

By Roxanne Leone, Director, Marketing & Communications  Per CBS News article, The 10 most and least stressful jobs in America, a Public Relations executive earning a 6-figure salary ranked as the 8th most stressful job. That’s just a few spots above firefighter and police officer. Thinking more broadly, the American Institute of Stress documented that 80% of American workers feel stress on the job with almost half saying they need to learn how to manage stress.  I’m confident that just about every employee regardless of profession can relate to stress at work. However, if you’re part of an organization that favors intrapreneurship and innovation – you’re in an excellent position to combat stress physically and emotionally.  Encourage Open Dialogue  As agency PR professionals we are in the business of relationships. We are taught to dive into our work with clients as if we were part of their in-house communications team. To do that we must feel ‘safe’ with the individuals with whom we engage. Psychological safety, in a work setting is a belief that team members can share ideas, questions, apprehensions or slip-ups without punishment or humiliation from those around them.  For PR execs to successfully manage stress within our teams, we must collaborate, brainstorm and plan campaigns openly and honestly without judgement in order to develop strategies that are going to move the needle. We cannot allow stress to prohibit us from meeting our clients’ goals and expectations. In our office, we’ve embraced psychological safety and I didn’t even know it had a name!  Improve Personal Wellness  People are accustomed to managing challenge or conflict at work differently. Some rely on daily exercise, others eat healthy, and a handful practice meditation and happiness skills - yes that’s a thing.  With the introduction of Headspace, Calm, Ten Percent Happier and countless other apps over the last decade, we’ve seen meditation go mainstream. By exploring these apps, people have become more knowledgeable about meditation and understand it is less about changing the mind, and more about changing our perspective. Which is a necessary skill if you’re in the PR biz.  Other organizations such as Happier, Inc. are on a mission to help people thrive in work and life by improving their emotional health with science-backed skills and practices. Happier trademarked the “Happier Method” and offers a variety of ways to practice happiness from online courses, to its mobile app, blog, workshops, and books. Nataly Kogan, company founder and author of Happier Now, offers a realistic path to living genuinely happier and believes that it is a skill you can learn and improve through practice – just like meditation.   Select the Right Clients   Having a work culture that encourages a consistent flow of ideas internally is critical to the success of our business but its equally important to have synergy with clients we onboard.  With a background in consumer electronics, I imagined that making the transition to telecommunications would create unnecessary anxiety and stress for me. But I quickly realized that our cable clients, The Cable Center, and Corning shared similar views on innovation, professional development, diversity in the workplace, and more!   We cannot control all the stresses that life throws our way but PR execs can play a key role in ensuring that their team has the tools and support they need to flourish. 

Originally published in Noteworthy – The Journal Blog   I say hi, I smile and speak. But I’m not accessing the heart of it, still.   I mean to ask if we really know our neighbors. Mine are steps away and farther than I had imagined.   Over the course of two years, the cost of LA living has circulated three families in the unit behind me and whisked away two, leaving me with pleasant interactions but a sense of community that’s fleeting and disjointed. The rainbow macaw that used to sit perched on the balcony next door has since left. The sun is high here, and sometimes we forget, so is the turnover rate.   What becomes of connections is discouraging. People come and go quickly and conversations even more so. Large, metropolitan, LA is a fast-paced, ever-changing matrix. We become so used to people leaving, or simply moving, that we refrain from interaction. Fear takes hold, like habit.   I admit I’ve felt guilty for falling into this habit myself. My job in PR requires an ability to network and mitigate fear. Every time I’m at an event, in a conference room, and every time my hand reaches for the ringing phone, my job is to be reassuring — to spread awareness, build trust, and most importantly, develop community.   But if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that public relations begins intimately. Your ability to create community on the job is reflective of the one you’ve built in your own neighborhood.   On my way to the office, there is a digital screen plastered on the back of a small sign shop; it glows several pounding animations of the word “SIGNS,” in a rainbow of colors and neon circles, transient effects and all. In many ways, it’s hardly noticeable, but once spotted, the sight of it is magnetic and strangely alluring. And sometimes, mapping the road back to community requires such things — signs.   Little, extraordinary reminders.   When Fairfax resident Rita Tateel transformed her neighborhood carob tree into a fairy garden, the response was overwhelming. Random strangers began adding to the whimsy, supplementing the garden with figurines and messages that uplifted everyday passerby. Neighbors who would otherwise walk on stopped to share their appreciation. A network of community suddenly sprouted like gargantuan carob tree roots.   Camera in hand, I catalog the same movement happening in my South Bay neighborhood. There’s a pink castle and bed of heart gems by Catalina with a sign that says, “take one.” A few blocks down, a cute wicker neighborhood connects by a popsicle stick bridge. Its sister town is a few feet away, where the rainbow windmill blows. Laced with tea lights, fairies, gem trails and hidden castles, the largest one flanks the ocean. In the 15 minutes that I take pictures, three people approach me to say this was their first time ever noticing such gardens and how much they loved the discovery. We talk and get to know each other. They all leave giddy. An older couple sits by the largest one, smiling like the valentine figurine nearby.   There were no cold calls, no emails — just an organic rush of people, conversation and self-assurance.   While seemingly trivial, the impact of these gardens can be thoroughly measured. And I realize that the positive reaction shouldn’t surprise me. What’s made possible in art can be mimicked in life — so it goes with these fairy gardens. Like the bonsai trees that inspired them over a 100 years ago, the gardens serve as manifestations, emphasizing the possibility and power to change the surrounding world. The resulting creations, however small, translate — in this case, into something as large as community.   The point, however, transcends gardening. For PR, these small undertakings create an active practice of storytelling, filling in vital gaps in person-to-person interaction and community. Above all, they bring back the friendly neighbor mentality that remains forever necessary.   And to the colossal world outside of PR, small uplifting projects can be the bridge to building a truly connected neighborhood. These projects take many forms that go beyond fairy gardens, like local bookshelves, lemonade stands, food banks, co-op farms and more. Choose your cause and make your mark. The options are limitless, so start small, build slowly and create artfully.   No submission to fear.   You’ll be surprised at how quickly you get to know your neighbors when you throw seeds of inspiration into the surround.  

After previously being named one of the top PR agencies in Los Angeles by Clutch, we’re back at it again with yet another leadership award — albeit, this one even more prestigious than the last. Clutch, a globally trusted B2B ratings platform, has recently released their list of Clutch 1000 companies, and we’re ranked at 204! These listed service providers represent the top 1% of nearly 160,000 companies across multiple industries.   That’s quite the feat considering how thorough the vetting process is. All of Clutch’s leading agencies are evaluated based on a number of criteria, including digital presence, market research, and technical industry experience.   One of the most important parts of Clutch’s scoring methodology is verified client reviews. To assess a company’s ability to deliver, Clutch employs a team of analysts who personally interview a service provider’s past clients over the phone. They then publish that information in the form of case study-like reviews, all with the goal of equipping prospective buyers with on-the-ground research.   As a PR firm, we know how important it is to actively cultivate a strong brand reputation through organic client feedback, which is why we’re proud to work with Clutch.   “Clutch has been a great partner for our agency — and a primary source of referrals to us.” — Bob Gold, Principal   Our clients have given us a near perfect score for our efforts. Just take a look at what some of them have had to say:   “They constantly generate new ways to increase our press appeal.” — VP of Marketing, Fathom Events “They act as an extension of our marketing department and are genuine partner.” — Chief Revenue Officer, Penthera “They are as punctual as a Swiss watch and always highly responsive.” — Communications Manager, Global Software Dev Firm   Our outstanding customer satisfaction record has also allowed us to be featured on Clutch’s sister site as the top 3 Manifest agencies in the Los Angeles.   Thank you to all of our clients for supporting us, and here’s to another year!   If you’re looking for a PR firm to help tell your business’s story, send us a message. We have the right connections to help you communicate your story with the people that matter most.

If you missed the 55th Annual Los Angeles PRism Awards hosted by PRSA-LA, you can still check out Bob's acceptance speech here! https://youtu.be/UeNgIjReJiU Mic drop! Bob Gold, President & CEO of Bob Gold & Associates has always known how to keep a crowd entertained. It's no surprise that guests at the 55th Annual Los Angeles PRism Awards rose from their seats in a standing ovation to celebrate Bob being honored by PRSA-LA as the 2019 Communications Professional of the Year!