Guerrilla PR 2.0

by Michael Levine

  By contrast, think how quickly the underwear-free video of Britney Spears made it onto YouTube.com: it took minutes, maybe seconds. Pictures aren’t just worth a thousand words—they’ll dog you the rest of your life, and they’ll be available to the public pretty much instantly via the Web. Be careful.

  At some point during your Guerrilla P.R. campaign, photographs will likely play a part, but you need to understand a few things about their use before you send them out. Pictures can become an expensive and wasteful enterprise, and since I want you to save money, pay close attention.

  You can’t control pictures you didn’t take (or have taken) yourself. Video that shows up on the Web isn’t always your own; it can be taken on someone’s camera phone and uploaded in a matter of seconds. For our purposes, however, we’ll assume you’re not an international celebrity and therefore have no major paparazzi difficulties. Let’s decide that you’re interested in generating some publicity for yourself, and the media isn’t knocking your door down. Do pictures help? It can’t be overstated: newspapers, Web sites, blogs, and magazines all love pictures, and there are few circumstances under which a decent image will hurt your chances to gain more coverage. But your control of the image and the way you present it will be crucial. So take the right steps:

  First of all, if the pictures don’t look good, don’t send them.

  There’s nothing more pathetic than a press release with a fuzzy Polaroid print, out-of-focus black and white, or a 3 × 5 inch color snapshot attached. The media cannot use these. They serve only to label the sender a rank amateur and assure him of either a chilly or a disinterested reception when he contacts the media with a follow-up call.

  Photos can tell a story. The one of the late Boris Yeltsin standing atop a tank during the abortive Soviet coup said everything about his courage and the Communist collapse. But most often, photos do not tell a whole story. Their primary use for P.R. purposes is adjunct illustration. If you send a picture to a magazine, there is no guarantee it will run, even if it’s a good shot, and even if the magazine runs a piece on your project. Space requirements and editorial taste loom much larger in the decision-making process.

  Photography can jack up your costs. So you have to know what pictures offer you in a Guerrilla P.R. campaign. Your photo can do one of several things:

  Make more concrete a hazy news angle.

  Put a face to a name.

  Persuade one publication to run a story, if the photo is granted as an exclusive—that is, for its use alone.

  Reinforce an image in the public mind that advances your P.R. objectives.

  Further legitimize your project with a more elaborate presentation.

  Provide an emotional counterpoint to the story (as Candy Lightner did with her MADD photo).

  Add drama and urgency to a story.

  Help reporters “sell” their story to an editor or producer.

  Emphasize the part of your story you want to feature. A reporter might not use your copy in exactly your fashion, and might put the weight of his take on another aspect of your story, but if you control the image and the media outlet has no other picture, that aspect of your story will be the one that stands out.

  How do you determine if your release merits an accompanying photo? Just answer “yes” to either of the following questions:

  Is there a central photographable “object” in your news angle, such as a new invention or product, or a recognizable building such as a restaurant, mall, or corporate office?

  Is your news story about an individual, such as a significant new hiring or the appearance of a performer at a local venue?

  If you can answer “yes,” then by all means consider sending a photo. If the answer is “no,” save your money and forget the pictures. It’s not worth the expense because the chances of your photo running are practically nil.

  If you’ve made the decision to send a photo, keep a few things in mind. For one, don’t expect to get the picture back. This is generally not a problem with a digital image sent via e-mail, as there is no physical picture to be sent back, and you can continue to distribute it and make as many copies as you need. But with a physical photograph sent in the mail, most news organizations keep massive files, and that’s the likely resting place for any material sent to them. If you send a picture of a person or persons, avoid the standard head shot. It’s boring. Flip through your local newspaper and study the pictures. You rarely see static head shots. Put some action in your photo. And don’t be afraid to use well-composed pictures with atypical angles. Arty no; interesting yes.

  Always attach a caption to the picture, but never write directly on your print, either front or back. I type the caption on a separate piece of paper and tape it to the back. Keep your caption brief, describing what is in the shot and who, left to right. As an example:

  * * *

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  PHOTO CAPTION

  John Jones, Director of the Mid-Valley Youth Center, is pictured above with Mayor Jones at the Center’s May 5th Spring Carnival, which raised nearly $5,000 to support anti-drug programs. Pictured above from left to right: John Jones, Michael Levine, Mayor Jones, and President Bush.

  * * *

  Another way to help increase the odds that your photo runs is to offer it as an exclusive to one particular news outlet. If you do this, write “EXCLUSIVE TO THE DAILY TIMES” on the caption, and make sure the editor is aware of the exclusivity.

  Tips & Traps

  Cheap cameras just won’t do. Your picture must be taken with a 35 mm camera or a digital camera with at least 2-megapixel definition (higher is recommended). If you don’t own one, borrow one.

  Your photo does not have to be in black and white, even in publications that don’t use a lot of color—they can shoot it in monotone themselves. Make a good study of the media outlet you’re pitching, and determine what kind of pictures that are most likely to be used, based on the photos you see in the current issues. Digitization of images has made it much easier to take multiple shots, preview them on your computer, choose the one (or two) you think will best represent your story, and then send them. But as with all e-mail attachments, don’t expect editors or other media gatekeepers to open them until they know who you are, and establish your legitimacy. No newsroom wants to be infected with a computer virus, and they are extremely careful about such things. You might want to call ahead and inform the editor that a picture is on its way. Ask what format is best for them, and if they have a special e-mail address where images are sent (this is not uncommon). Then, send away.

  Make sure your exclusive shot is distinct from the others.

  It’s best to submit 8 × 10 photos, but any size is possible with digital photography. Ask about pixel sizes before sending, if you speak to the editor ahead of time.

  Don’t send in “mob shots,” i.e., photos of a big crowd. Identifying everyone is difficult, they’re uninteresting pictures, and they won’t run.

  If you’re pitching to a print medium, why not see if they’ll shoot the pictures themselves? It guarantees quality and makes it far more likely the newspaper will run the shots. For one thing, the publication then owns the rights to the picture and will be more inclined to use it, having spent the money and time sending a photographer out on a shoot. It’s not a great bet, but you have nothing to lose by suggesting.

  In terms of photo quality, especially for a shot you hope to see reprinted in newspapers, make sure the print is not too dark. Sheldon Small, who owns Multiple Photo, a top photography lab in Los Angeles, told me this is one of the most common blunders. Pictures always reproduce darker, and if your shot is dark to begin with, you’re in trouble. So lighten up!

  The Perfect Press Kit

  A press kit is a package of materials to assist the media in comprehending a story. Whether it’s for a movie star, a chic boutique, or the Jerry Lewis Telethon, a press kit distills the important features of a story and makes them clear to the media. As I said before, you often h
ave to do much of the media’s work for them, and the press kit is one of the best ways to do that.

  It’s a common misconception that better press kits are necessarily expensive. That’s not true. Good press kits embody two central elements: they tell a clear story about who or what they represent, and they display some originality in their presentation. And that doesn’t necessarily mean bells and whistles. It may mean simply that they’re well written. If those elements are missing, it won’t matter how much was spent—the press kit will stink. Generically, most press kits contain the following (although no single item is required):

  A biography of the principal individual or individuals involved

  A photo of same

  A history of the person, place, or thing described

  Reprints of newspaper clippings, if available

  A timely press release, if applicable

  Some publicists add such materials as a quote sheet (a collection of quotes from critics, colleagues, commentators, etc., extolling the virtues of the project), canned features (self-written “articles” suitable for reprint in newspapers and magazines), logos, promotional audiocassettes, vital statistics sheets, and even sample products, such as the little box of raisins I found in one promo giveaway, or the 3-D glasses I found in another. (The most phenomenal I ever saw was the one a major record company sent out to promote a new band. Each kit contained not only lavish printed materials but a microcassette machine with a personalized message to me à la Mission Impossible. It must have cost tens of thousands to produce and distribute.)

  In a perfect world, where you’re the richest person in town, you could afford large quantities of fancy embossed press-kit covers, with inner pockets to hold lavishly produced materials. But you’re not the richest person in town, so our aim is to devise good press kits on a Guerrilla budget. It can be done, but as with everything else in Guerrilla P.R., most of the capital required consists of your own imagination. First, let’s define terms by breaking down the main components of the kit.

  Bio

  To write a good biography, you don’t need the skills of a Hemingway. Unlike fiction, bios are quite formulaic in structure. If you follow the formula, you can generally produce a serviceable bio. That doesn’t mean it’s a piece of cake to write—all good writing requires thought and effort—but it does mean you have at your disposal clear guidelines to steer you through.

  In some cases you may only want to write a short-form bio, which would be akin to a somewhat expanded version of those brief biographies on the backs of book jackets. This short-form version may prove useful as a paragraph in an initial press release. But when it comes to press kits, you will want to include a more extensive long-form bio.

  Here’s the formula: No more than three double-spaced pages in length (try to limit it to one page or a page and a half if possible). Don’t begin with “Mr. Smith was born in a log cabin in Manhattan.” Instead, your lead should encompass the salient features of the person as they relate to your project. Make it catchy, but not cute.

  The next paragraphs should remain current. Describe recent achievements of your subject, especially those the media will tie to your project. Then insert a transition sentence to segue into the person’s history. The next couple of graphs describe highlights of his or her past, leading up to the present. Recap place of birth, interesting aspects of childhood, and how the person entered his or her particular field, and provide a summary of pertinent career achievements. Tell the story narratively but succinctly.

  Wrap it up with a brief but upbeat concluding graph, catchy but not cute. Remember, this bio will be read—or more likely scanned—by media people unimpressed by hype. If you’re too adulatory, the media will scoff. How can you impartially claim something is great when it’s you you’re talking about? Let the facts speak for themselves.

  The following are two bios I wrote for clients before the original release of Guerrilla P.R., which give a good illustration of the formula.

  Jason Scott Lee

  As Avik the Eskimo in Miramax’s epic film Map of the Human Heart, actor JASON SCOTT LEE portrays a simple man grappling with overwhelming change. Ironically, his performance in the film, shot near the North Pole, may soon have

  Jason himself grappling with change. For with the release of Map of the Human Heart, the world will discover a major new star in JASON SCOTT LEE.

  Although he’s landed several significant roles in the last few years, from Born in East L.A. to the acclaimed CBS feature Vestige of Honor, in which he played a Vietnamese Montanyard warrior, Jason Scott Lee took on the role of his life in Map of the Human Heart. Written and directed by Vincent Ward (The Vigil, The Navigator), the film spans thirty years in the life of an Eskimo villager and his lifelong love affair with a Cree Indian. The film also stars John Cusack, Patrick Bergin, and La Femme Nikita’s Anne Pariaux.

  “My character is about sharing, giving, and following his heart,” notes Jason. “It may seem naive from a Western point of view, but coming from the Arctic, it makes sense that he lives so far out on the limb in both love and war.” That describes Jason himself to a degree, although as a native Hawaiian, life above the Arctic Circle couldn’t have been more strange.

  “No one would want to vacation there,” he says, “but it’s one of the most amazing places I’ve been to. The land is constantly melting and developing. Shooting was quite difficult at times.”

  Perhaps most memorable for him was a scene in which Jason stood alone atop a twenty-square-foot chunk of ice that started floating out to sea while the cameras rolled. Eventually, Jason was out in the channel in rough frigid water. With his ice raft breaking apart, he was rescued just in time.

  Most challenging of all was aging his character from sixteen to forty-five. “I would get up at 3:00 AM to begin the four-hour makeup process,” recalls Jason. “I used that time to bring myself to a slower rhythm and prepare.” All in all, the making of Map of the Human Heart and playing such a demanding role fit right in with Jason’s natural sense of adventure and inner exploration.

  Raised in Hawaii, Jason Scott Lee grew up playing sports. He was an excellent surfer and gymnast, and for a while delved deeply into Hula, which he found a powerful form of expression. While in high school, he became interested in drama, but didn’t study acting until attending college in Orange County, California. There he met acting coach Sal Romeo, then in the process of launching a new theater in Los Angeles. Jason had shown much promise in acting class, and was invited to join the theater.

  Not long after moving to L.A. he connected with an agent. Jason successfully won his very first audition for a small comic role in Born in East L.A., the 1986 hit by Cheech Marin. “I play one of the vatos,” says Jason.

  Later roles included that of a hoverboarder in Back to the Future Part II, and the lead in the moving after-school special American Eyes, in which Jason played an adopted Korean youth searching for his roots. When time permitted, he also performed on stage at Sal Romeo’s Friends & Artists Theater, which he found enormously gratifying.

  “If you seek certain truths in acting, it’s a never-ending adventure,” says Jason about his profession. “It takes on both a spiritual and technical aspect, and teaches you to be honest.” As for his approach to a role, Jason has no absolutes. “There is no ‘method.’ I use anything and everything within my reach,” he says. “All the world’s a stage.”

  As for the future, Jason eagerly looks forward to more film work, as well as returning to the theater when time permits. He is a talented artist, and he sketches whenever possible. Writing and directing are other dreams he also expects to realize one day. As for now, he has his hands full nurturing an acting career. Yet he sees a strong parallel in his work as an actor and his larger role as a human being. “By being honest in your life, you can transfer that onto the screen,” he notes.

  JASON SCOTT LEE: a star of tomorrow with feet firmly planted in today.

  Lynn Montgomery

  The most common adv
ice to writers is “Write what you know.” That’s just what Lynn Montgomery did in creating The Torkelsons, a Buena Vista production from Michael Jacobs Productions, which premieres this fall on NBC, airing Saturday nights at 8:30 PM. Unlike most half-hour comedies, The Torkelsons draws its humor from real-life situations…literally. Millicent Torkelson, the matriarch of the Torkelson family (played by Connie Raye), is actually based on Lynn’s grandmother, a proud Oklahoman who raised thirteen children.

  “Millicent is a real survivor,” notes Lynn. “She’s in her late thirties, poor, and yet instills in her five kids a genuine joie de vivre.” Reflective of Lynn’s Southern-influenced sensibility, The Torkelsons is very much a character-and language-driven show. If William Faulkner or Tennessee Williams had ventured into the world of the sitcom, they might have come up with something like The Torkelsons.

  As creator and writer of The Torkelsons, Lynn Montgomery crafted a uniquely personal vision of a quiet Southern world. “The show was born out of the folklore from my mother’s early life in Oklahoma,” says Lynn. “I grew up in Southern California, but spent every summer in Oklahoma on my grandmother’s farm.”

  Though The Torkelsons takes place in the present day, the show’s humor and characters are timeless. Millicent’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Dorothy Jane (played by Olivia Burnett), struggles for independence and understanding. Millicent, whose husband left the family one day, balances loneliness and the pain of abandonment with love for her children and a powerfully positive outlook.

  “So much of TV is mean-spirited,” observes Lynn. “I hear over and over from people, ‘Why isn’t TV written for us?’” With The Torkelsons, Lynn Montgomery has sought to remedy the situation, bringing to the television screen a large measure of simple human values and gentle humor.