Trace Cohen's Insight

Breaking the social norms

10 Essential Principles of PR That I’ve Learned

Aug 17

Posted by Trace Cohen in business, entrepreneurship, inspire, passion, social norms, Uncategorized | 25 Comments

The world of PR has always been somewhat of a mystery to me.

My parents have been in the industry for 30 years and like a lot of my friends, you’re never really sure what your parents do. This all changed a few months ago when I started to work with my father, shadowing him and doing everything that he did. I’ll get more into that another time because I want to share 10 fundamental principles that everyone is PR must master and execute.

#1 Clients are easy to find – Keeping them happy is the hard part

Every company needs a PR agency hustling for them; they just don’t know it yet. Your job is to use your proven track record to convince the client that you will get them press, prep them for the media and help them with their 6 months strategic communications plan. That’s the easy part though. Now you need to keep them happy so that they don’t start looking for another firm to take your place

#2 Everything is positive – If it isn’t, make it

There is no negativity in your repertoire. If you have something to say and it’s not positive or constructive criticism then don’t say it at all. No one wants to spend time with a “negative nancy” because it’s just not fun.

#3 Your job is to get them press – Period.

PR agencies are hired to represent their clients for media coverage. If you’re not getting them coverage, then what are you doing? At the end of the day, no matter how hard you work and how nice you are, if you don’t get press for your client, they will probably fire you.

#4 PR is not public relations – It’s People Relations

A little cliché but still very relevant. It’s the client, media publication and the readers that you build a relationship with. Your job is to be the liaison between the three and master the ability to communicate and translate between all of them.  This is what separates a master from a novice.

#5 There is a reason for every action – It’s all behavioral

Once you start interacting with numerous people on a daily basis, you start to notice a lot of the small things that they do. This is something that you need to be aware of in business so that you can communicate properly with anyone when you need to get something done. The whole “be yourself and don’t conform to anyone else” mantra is dead. You have an objective and you need to accomplish it by any means possible, by playing to your strengths and truly understanding why people do the things they do.

People do things for a reason and you need to figure out what makes them tick. Common sense is an outdated colloquium because everyone has had different experiences. You need to be able to read people on the fly and adapt.

#6 Pitching is a way of life – Learn from Ari Gold

If you have ever watched Entourage, you know exactly what I mean. Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) is one of the biggest agents in the world because he is so damn good at what he does. You need to learn to talk to the press like he talks to his clients. He is a man that exuberates confidence, has no fears and knows exactly what he wants – with some profanity which I don’t recommend.

#7  You need to have an agenda – Six months out

In the PR world, you need to be able to predict the future. No not really but you need to be aware of everything that will happen in the next 6 months that can affect your client. They need to know that you are looking out for them and that you have mapped everything out for them moving forwards so that they don’t have to worry about. There is only so much that can be done in the present which is why you need to plan for the future because it’s coming fast.

#8 It’s PR 2.0 now – Yes that mommy blogger has influence

When I first started working this summer, I naïvely thought that with social media and the Internet the PR world has gotten easier. Epic Fail.

I soon learned that it was the complete opposite because anyone can do PR now, especially social media marketing, which is a large chuck of what companies want today. On the other side of the equation, we have now analytics to track everything we do on our computers, and I mean everything. Years ago when a PR firm got a client an article or ad in a magazine, all you knew was the distribution of it – there was no way of tracking how many people read, glanced or even skipped over it.

That has all changed now that anyone with a computer plugged into the Internet can become a thought leader or influencer. Mommy bloggers, case in point.

#9 Words are everything – It’s not what you say, it’s what they hear (Dr. Frank Luntz)

Frank Luntz is the acclaimed marketing/PR guru who has worked with every politician under the sun and is famous for saying that “it’s not what you say, it’s what they hear.” This means that you need to use the rights words when talking to someone so that your message resonates with them and doesn’t get lost in translation because you said what you wanted to hear. Like the behavioral aspect that I touched on before, you need to tell people what they want to hear, using the right words. For instance, which sounds better – someone who believes in abortion or someone that is pro choice?

#10 Celebrate every success – more reasons to party

If your employee lands a good coverage for a client, let them know that it was a job well done. If a client lands a big deal or is celebrating a 1 year anniversary, make it count. Celebrating every success – even the small ones – shows that you care about them, which at the end of the day is the only thing that separates you from the competition. People like to work with people they like, make sure that your client not only adores you but that they respect you as well.

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Everyone I Know Wants To Work For a Start-Up: Updated!

Aug 9

Posted by Trace Cohen in breaking social norms, business, entrepreneurship, gen-y, inspire, passion, social norms, technology | 2 Comments

It has only been a few weeks,  but I am officially a college graduate. Four long years of bad habits to be broken down and assimilated to whatever establishment feels I’m worthy among the masses. Luckily for me I get to stall this future for another year or so while I go off to graduate school to become a master. For everyone else though, my fellow graduates, the majority of them will move home or to a thriving city to join the “real” world that was only oh so far away when we were in school.

This past weekend, I had dinner with an older friend of mine from college (I only graduated a few weeks ago, that’s weird to say) who has been working for two years now. When she graduated, her job at Company X was a huge accomplishment and the culmination of years of hard work. After a few drinks and some prying questions, the truth came , out – she wants to quit her job and join the exhilarating world of a start-up.

Everywhere you look, you will see some social media, hi-tech company raising money, getting acquired or hitting the million-user milestone. It is all very exciting of course, but you still have to realize that 99% of entrepreneurs fail and that they are actually in the business of failure and not capitalism to put it so bluntly. If that doesn’t shatter your dreams, you’re well on your way to becoming the next Zuckerberg.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of doing so – some of which can go both ways:

PROs – Some positive outlook on why you would want to work for a start-up.

#1 Working with passionate, like-minded individuals

If you start a company you are most likely working with others who share the same passion as you. When you join a start-up they aren’t just hiring you because you are smart and have a great background, they are hiring you because you are someone they want to spend time with.

#2 Less strings attached

One of the major factors that drive people to working at a start-up is the freedom that they are granted. A small company most likely doesn’t have the same corporate structure as other places you may have worked and thus you have the ability to try new things and be more creative.

#3 Everyone is close – maybe even back to back

With most start-ups it’s a rag tag office set up in whatever place that they can afford (hopefully nicer if they received investment) Your co-workers are within arms length, if not a just a simple shout away. This can make for a more enjoyable workday assuming you like everyone you work with.

#4 Inspire Others

One of the best parts of starting my own company was the ability to inspire others to do the same. Anyone can start their own company – hopefully for the right reasons (another post in the works) – they just need a little push and encouragement sometimes.

#5 Stock options!

You have heard all the success stories about companies early on not being able to pay their employees so they gave them some “imaginary” stock options. That paid off huge for the original Google janitor who is now a multi-millionaire. Long story short, if you receive stock you now have a vested interest in the outcome of the company, which will hopefully motivate you to work that much harder.

CONs – Not really the worst things in the world but things to consider.

#1 Job security

When you receive a job offer, hopefully you are looking at it as more of a career and not just another placeholder for the next few years. In the start-up world, companies come and go with the blink of an eye because it is such a crowded and hard place to survive. Be weary that your company can seriously go under at any point and you can be looking for a job again.

#2 It’s just another job

To touch on my first PRO, and this is really only for more of the ego driven bunch, the true excitement of working for a start-up comes from being a founder. This is debatable of course but from experience, while you can work with others or have others work for you, the “glory” and “fame” is usually only for the founders.

#3 9-5 is optional

Your company will most likely have you working the 9-5, but the day doesn’t end until you finish all of your work. Unlike larger companies, some items can wait until the next day, but in a start-up timing is everything and it needs to get done ASAP. How many times have you slept in your office?

#4 Small Budget

Lots of new companies are bootstrapping their way to success, which means less money to spend on most initiatives. In times of drought you either shine or burn out, hence why new companies seem to be more innovative.

Advice from the community!

David Spinks of Scribnia:

My best advice to students who are on the job hunt and worried about whether to go startup or corporate is to not consider anything permanent. Anything can (and will) change at any point in your career. If you try something and find that you don’t like it, then you’re one step closer to finding out what you do like.

Ryan paugh of BrazeenCareerist:

Consider more practical concerns like health care, mobility, benefits and vacation time. You won’t always find these types of luxuries at early-stage startups.

I’ll tell you what though. If you can get past all of that stuff and focus on the pros you listed above, you’re going to get a learning experience that you can’t necessarily find any place else.

—

I hope that these reasons inspired or discouraged you to join a small company. My goal is to give you a realistic point of view that the press and other publications are unable to do.

What are the other PRO’s and CON’s of working for a start-up?

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Social Media Rant: Anyone can push a button but how do you make it count?

Jul 5

Posted by Trace Cohen in breaking social norms, business, gen-y, Linkedin, social media | 3 Comments

As a recent graduate (still weird to say) and avid user of social media I have numerous profiles across the web. For the past two years I have adamantly tried to get my friends and fellow Gen-Yers to embrace social media to assist them in their networking and job searches. While I was successful on a few fronts, it never caught on as originally intended.

Lately I have been getting invites from friends to connect on LinkedIn and other professional networks, which is great. Unfortunately I have drawn a line between my professional and personal online life and take it seriously. So when I get an invitation to connect on LinkedIn with a generic message “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” from a friend with an incomplete profile, I get a little twitch in my neck. As much as I love my friends and want to see them succeed, I refuse to accept their invitation. If they don’t take the time to complete their profile and think that by pushing a button with the click of the mouse that they can join my network then they have missed the boat on the meaning of social media.

When I get an invite on LinkedIn or any other professional network from someone I don’t know with a generic message, I simply reply to them asking for an introduction and why they would like to connect. The point of social media is to be S O C I A L. If I connect with someone whom I don’t know for unknown reasons then they are of no value to me and can actually be detrimental if someone asks for an introduction to them. This is almost like the only debate about quality over quantity. Is it better to have 10 close friends or 100 acquaintances?

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Creating BlueSkys on a Cloudy Day: Interview with Entrepreneur Matt Ackerson

Jun 1

Posted by Trace Cohen in breaking social norms, business, college, entrepreneurship, gen-y, innovation, inspire, Interview, passion, technology | 1 Comment

As I look over my balcony in the city right now, I can see everyone scrambling for cover due to the approaching thunderstorm. Not only is it an inconvenience, but also from a business prospective think of all the lost revenue that restaurants and retailers lose out on because no one wants to travel in the bad weather. What would it take to incentivize you to go out in this weather? Would you go out to eat if it was a few dollars cheaper, or if you got a special deal on your meal?

My friend and fellow serial entrepreneur Matt Ackerson solved this dilemma with his company Bluesky Local, which is the world’s first Slow Sales Response (SSR) marketing solution. All around the country, bad weather has been blamed for dropping sales, as much as 28% in certain locations.  As a consumer, all you have to do is sign up at your favorite participating restaurants and they will send you notifications every time they have a special deal or discount because of bad weather, slow days or holidays. It’s that simple!

Believe it or not, Matt started Bluesky Local in college! That’s right, when he was just 20 in his dorm room at Cornell, he built the initial platform himself and started partnerships with local businesses. My initial thought when he first explained it to me was that he was trying to make the world a more efficient place. In order to find out more, I interviewed him so that he could share his knowledge and experience with you.

1. You started your first company in college, what inspired you to do it and did you have any idea what you were doing?

I had little clue of what I was doing. All I thought was that it would be a fun and great creative challenge to create something that could change the world around me and do it from scratch. I was inspired to do it because I wanted to change things, and making money as a by-product was not such a bad trade-off either.

2. Being a college student, were there benefits, setbacks or any other problems you encountered along the way? How did you deal with them?

I tried to drop out of school at least once. I didn’t see the point in doing it when I was learning so much more from entrepreneurship. Looking back, there was a point… It enabled me to “safely” experiment with different start-up ideas and make mistakes. This was good in many way, but there was definitely a huge time trade-off. I’m not sure if I would make the same decision again. I don’t like playing it safe.

There were plenty of setbacks and problems to solve along the way. None of them really mattered, so long as the scope of my vision remained undeterred. The scope of your vision in life is the only thing that constricts your success.

3. A lot of companies don’t solve problems the way yours does. How would you describe the pain that you are trying to alleviate?

A business has fixed costs for keeping their restaurant or store open 6 or 7 days a week. If it’s a slow sales time, those fixed costs remain while customer traffic plummets. Bluesky Local helps business owners to get a grip on sales dips because there’s a clear pattern to when and how sales slumps occur (e.g. a Monday, a rainy day). By automatically sending out coupons to consumers it helps draw them back in during that slow period. This incrementally increases profitability and helps businesses to move more time-sensitive inventory than they otherwise would.

Check out the video below to understand the pain he alleviates!

4. Did you have a mentor or someone to talk to for advice?

Yes, but it’s important to always make up your own mind based on your own reasoning or instinct. Don’t let others overshadow your own judgment simply because they have more “experience.” Experience is overrated, just like advice. You have to live with your decisions, the advice-givers don’t.

5. Now that you have graduated, is it different to run a company? What has changed?

That “safety net” is gone. The desire and pressure to make a stable income can be overwhelming if not kept in check.

6. What advice do you have for a current college student looking to start their own company?

Do it. Stop reading this and do it.

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For more information check out Bluesky Local , follow Matt Ackerson on twitter or connect with him on Linkedin

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Quick Thought: What is the next generation of politics?

Mar 25

Posted by Trace Cohen in change, gen-y, Goverment, innovation, inspire, Politics, Quick Though, technology | 2 Comments

I try to watch Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report a few times a week just because it is so damn stimulating and funny! Generally they rip apart politicians and current events and break them down into simple metaphors so that we can truly see how irrational and/or corrupt the system is sometimes. One common trend though is how slow the process of passing laws and legislation is because the government seems to be taking its leisurely time.  This is a bi-partisan argument because every party of politics is guilty of this fault. My focus though is that when these older and non-techie politicians are out of office and Gen-Y takes over, what will happen!?

Gen-Y is known for being rash, hasty, very liberal, tech savvy and less religiously based that seems to be the opposite of most politicians today. One of the many problems that you have to overcome is the technology boundary. Right now we have social media, which connects anyone to anyone at anytime, but what will we have in say 20 years that will assist us?

I could ramble on for a while but I want to know what you think will hinder or help us in the future and how Gen-Y in politics will change our country or even the world.

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Quick SEO Tip: Using LinkedIn Links To Your Advantage!

Mar 8

Posted by Trace Cohen in business, seo, social media, technology, Uncategorized | No Comments

I was reading one of Eric Friedman‘s blog posts today – Writing for humans and robots – which by the title is about how to write content that is SEO friendly on both fronts. SEO is a double-edged sword because as Eric puts it, “One of the fundamental bits of SEO advice I give most people when talking to them is explaining the difference between the two audiences you are writing for; humans and robots (computers).”

Once you understand that anything you publish online from pictures to links can be SEOed and searched for, you are already ahead of the game. In my comment to Eric’s post, I mentioned that once I learned this tip, I went back to all of my social networks and changed the name of my links, specifically on LinkedIn. The example is below:

On the left you see my SEOed links that I changed so that it is both human and robot pleasing. The right example is the generic titles that LinkedIn gives you, which gives up valuable information that someone can search for and find. Because of these links, if you type in “Trace Cohens Blog” into Google, my LinkedIn profile shows up first. Amazing!

Google results are Web sites that use SEO to their advantage. By learning simple SEO tips and tricks like this, you can control results for your name or any other word (depends on the word!) and control how you’re perceived online. Remember that your social media presence and Google results are now your first impression with most people.

Do you have any other tips or questions that I could answer? Let me know!

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Welcome to The Wild Wild West of Social Media

Mar 4

Posted by Trace Cohen in inspire, passion, social media, technology | 2 Comments

Right now, it is like the wild wild west for social media. New networks and platforms are popping up each day, which only convolutes the playing field even more. This makes first time social media users feel like they are behind the curve when all they really need is a clean Facebook profile, a blog to become a thought leader and possibly a twitter account to start out. The biggest misconception I hear day after day is that Gen-Yer’s are avid users of social media, which I hold to be a fallacy. Most of my friends don’t have a blog or comment on any and only know about twitter because everyone is talking about it. Please don’t get me wrong though, there are some amazing kids out there changing the world with social media everyday.

I believe that the largest users of social media are our parents and the older generations because they find it fascinating and are intrigued by it while we are jaded by it. This poses problems when an employer Googles your name, which they will, what they find (or don’t find!) will be their first impression of you. Using simple techniques you can manage Google results of your name and control how you are perceived online.

For anyone starting out with social media, here are a few things that you need to be conscious of:

  1. Set goals/milestones for yourself before you start to use social media
  2. Add value to the conversation before you ask anyone for anything
  3. You’re not special and won’t become a star over night, it takes time
  4. Comment on other blogs and @ reply them to get involved
  5. Monitor your reputation online using Google, Google alerts and other search engines.
  6. Be transparent, no one likes a liar or talking to robots

So what’s next for social media and when will it start to slow down and build a solid foundation? Will we be able to regulate it with sheriffs in each domain or have an overarching law enforcement agency? What’s next for social media?

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Common Sense Isn’t That Common

Mar 2

Posted by Trace Cohen in breaking social norms, common sense, inspire, passion, social norms | 3 Comments

Have you ever thought to yourself when talking to someone that something is “common sense.”

I have come to the conclusion that common sense, well it just isn’t that common these days. Why is this happening?

The underlying problem is that there are just to many things going on today that anyone you meet should have a general understanding of what you may be talking about. According to Wikipedia “Common sense is based on a strict construction of the term, consists of what people in common would agree on: that which they ‘sense’ as their common natural understanding.”

So according to the common consensus on what common sense is, they say that it is something that “common” people would agree on. Our world is so diverse and constantly changing that I find it hard to find someone often enough that shares my same understanding to be able to call it common sense. This is an industrial age, web 1.0 word that needs to be changed for modern times.

My question to you then is what is the new 2.0 word that would fully encompass the meaning of common sense in current times? Or if you like the notion of common sense, defend it!

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The Generational, Technological Black Hole

Feb 23

Posted by Trace Cohen in breaking social norms, business, change, social media, social norms, technology | 2 Comments

While these may sound like they coincide, they actually are two separate things that overlap with some gray area. Also the title is in a particular order as the generational differences are first an foremost the underlying issues at hand, the technology is just what makes it more convoluted and scary.

We are in the midst of a recession the likes of which we haven’t seen since well, The Great Depression of the late 1920′s. Is this how we want to be remembered though when we look back on this like a bottle of wine, “Oh yes, I remember 2010, that was a bad year.” The answer is no, because I won’t let it happen and neither should you.

Our Generation – I’m talking roughly about Gen-Y – is known for being rebellious, strong headed and misunderstood. We are the product of our parents generation who unfortunately didn’t grow up with the luxuries that we are so accustomed too, for instance our abundance of information thanks to the technology that binds us all together. We have grown up in a faster moving society then ever before and it will only continue as we move forwards because of the Law of Singularity, which states that “through a law of accelerating returns, technology is progressing toward the singularity at an exponential rate.” Gen-Y is only trying to assimilate itself to the current times but at the same time being bombarded by studies, research and corporations to try and get into our heads to see what makes us tick so in the end we can buy their products. It’s the sad truth but the truth of the capitalistic society that we live in.

Now, Technology only fuels and clouds everything I just talked about. It is true that we grew up with the Internet so to speak, so we “understand” and “get” it. Whatever that means is in the eye of the beholder based on what they want to hear. The BIGGEST misconception I hear day after day is that:

“Gen-Y is connected to the Internet at all times, loves to use social media and knows technology like the back of their hand.”

While the first part is generally true, the rest of the sentence is way off. Most of my friends don’t have a twitter account – let alone know what it is besides what they see on TV. They do Facebook though – a lot – but does that really count as social media if it is only posting pictures and comments on each others walls? I have found that it is actually the older generations and professional who use Social Media (Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc.) effectively because they think that we use it and want to profit from it.

So here is my Black Hole scenario:

  1. Everyone wants to get in touch with Gen-Y through Social Media, which most of us don’t use. Statistics show this

  2. Social Media “experts” teach us how to effectively use Social Media to accomplish step 1. It is generally older people teaching older people how to reach younger people.

  3. By the time someone finally “understands” Social Media and how to use it, it is to late because a new technology comes out and Gen-Y has moved on.

  4. A vicious circle of learning and trying to apply it. This is were you get lost in the Black Hole.

No one has all the answers because everything is constantly changing. If you are really passionate about Social Media or whatever it is that you might do, it is up to YOU to keep up to date on it and learn from other people. The “Black Hole” is not a bad thing to get sucked into as long as you don’t get lost. My advice to you is that “Nothing is as it appears to be” until you see it and feel it for yourself. Take everything at face value until you determine it’s validity for yourself.

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Focus Focus Focus: You Need a Target to Hit

Feb 18

Posted by Trace Cohen in breaking social norms, business, change, creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation, inspire, passion, social media, technology | 4 Comments

My father happens to be a New York Angel, so I have read a lot of business plans (all confidential) that have gotten companies funded. As of late, more and more of them are becoming increasingly general in terms of their “target” market and who will use their product/service. To give the benefit of the doubt, the majority of them are tech start-ups that are just looking for mass adoption – a shot in the dark that even Robin Hood has a hard time doing. I think that this is a symptom of the digital revolution and the maelstrom of web 2.0 social media.

With the advent of social media, a lot of marketing plans (I’m guilty of it as well) revolve around the notion that if you create a blog, you tweet or Facebook then you’re all set. FALSE.  Creating a marketing plan revolves around your strategic marketing initiatives and the way you will execute them, that are set up to fulfill a goal or milestone you have set in place.

To gain some focus, here are a few things you should remember when defining your target market and reaching them:

  1. Define your target market with as much detail as possible. It is great that you have a social media plan that covers a broad range of markets but you need to pick one that you can focus on. This will help you with the wording of your content to make it pertain to a certain demographic.
  2. Back up your target market decision with reasons why you chose them over another market. You obviously chose your market because they are the consumers interested in your product/service and will pay for it. You’re convinced of this, but you need solid evidence and proof to back up your decision as to why you choose them.
  3. Create a plan to deliver value and information – Online that is all you are known by. This sounds easy but each market is only receptive to certain kinds of marketing initiatives and wording. If you are targeting Gen-Y, you generally want something short, quick, simple and to the point opposed to the older demographics that generally put a little more thought into it. The wording though is the most important because it needs to factual and sell the product but it also can’t offend anyone and discourage them.
  4. Join social networks or communities that your target market is in. It’s hard to believe but there are actually other social networks out there beyond Twitter and Facebook that you need to find. There is a blog, network, community or forum out there that your market participates in that you need to be active on. Find them!
  5. Execute step 3 in a timely and ordered fashion. This is one of the hardest things to do because you have so much information that you want to deliver but you need to be patient. Social media and marketing initiatives take time to settle in and deliver results for the most part. If you put out to much information, it can look like spam but if you don’t put out enough then you don’t seem active and no one will notice you. Delivering value is a delicate balancing act that you need to master quickly.
  6. Analyze the results and plan accordingly. This is critical to the success of your campaign and it’s effectiveness to your target market. While social media doesn’t have a set formula to determine ROI, use the information and data you have to figure out your reach and influence. For all of initiatives, you can do the same thing.
  7. Change your target market if necessary. No one is perfect and can predict the future. Either you chose wrong based on research you had or your product/service changed since you started and pertains to another market – it happens often! You now have more information and experience than before and can make a better decision.

With my first company, we initially started out targeting college students and Gen-Y (all 18-32ish) as we felt they could use our service the most. After a year of tedious work trying to get them to use our service, we realized that it was an uphill battle with little to no returns. We actually changed our target market in order to realign our focus on a market that could really benefit from our services with a realistic chance of acquiring them as a customer.

The lesson is that on paper, one market looks very appealing but once you start to interact with them, you understand their true intentions, wants and needs. Sometimes the spray and pray method works but it is always better to start small then think big.

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