We ran into a guy at a private equity event recently who had worked as a CFO – apparently successfully – at two major manufacturing operations, one in Mexico and one in Europe. Those were his two most recent gigs, and now he’s looking for work – ideally with a middle market PE shop, running finance for one of its portfolio companies.

Nothing wrong with that – hey, it’s a jungle out there.

But here’s what he was lacking…a robust search engine profile.

It turns out that my new friend was too busy being a good CFO to think about how well he searches on Google.

So when times were good, he put his head down and got the work done. Let the CEO take the glory shots!

But now that he’s out of work, Google doesn’t have much to say about his achievements, opinions and industry stature. Which is too bad, because that’s where people – including potential employers – look to see what your resume doesn’t say.

So, folks, just a word of advice while you have a good job…don’t be the strong, silent type.

Greg Miller is President of Marketcom PR (marketcompr)

The retired general, speaking to a group of investors, made that comment before answering a potentially sensitive question from a member of the audience.

It wasn’t as though the general was handing out material information relevant to trading in a stock. The question asked required an analysis of the personalities of two public figures, and his frank response to the question may have been embarrassing if made public. That’s all.

He was employing an old school way of saying, “I’m going to let you in on some inside information, but it’s just between us.” There were no members of the traditional media there. They weren’t invited. It was a private meeting. And the general knew it.

Home free?

Not necessarily. Because every person listening to his presentation and Q&A is a potential member of the social media. All those BlackBerrys and wired laptops are a few keystrokes away from broad dissemination of anything the general said through a Tweet or a blog. And if it happens, it happens in real time, and it lives forever on the web. Before you even know it.

Lesson learned? With social media, private words can become public words. So be careful what you say.

Greg Miller is president of Marketcom PR (Marketcompr).

Well, yes, you do. In fact, as advisors to many start-ups over the years, we would argue that good communications practice is critical at every stage of the start-up.

To confirm that thought, we turned to Jeffrey Glick, CPA, Founder and CEO of Start U Up, LLC, which provides specialized consulting services to professionals starting a new business. Jeff, a former hedge fund CFO, quickly summed up the case with three key rules:

Rule #1: Start with really good messaging. Well-defined messaging, both internal and external, is a critical building block for a young organization. Bad messaging makes it difficult to recruit employees, target clients or customers, and get financing. It’s that simple.

Rule #2: For funding, please keep it simple. Even though most funding sources are looking for reasons to turn you down, many companies prepare long and boring investment decks and never get to the most important points: the size of your market, your market expertise, your growth potential, and your deep and experienced management team. Nothing else matters.

Rule #3: Don’t just talk, sell! Why are you selling to small companies if all of your sales materials mention large companies? How are your products differentiated from your competitors? What’s your value proposition – saving clients’ money or selling them valuable valued-added service? If you can’t explain clearly and concisely what you want your targets to buy, you’re making it more difficult for them to buy from you.

“I tell clients to use the BlackBerry test,” says Jeff. “If an audience starts checking emails on the sly or, worse, right out in the open while you’re talking, it’s time to load up and head to the next appointment.”

Good advice!

Greg Miller is President of Marketcom PR

No, the reasons go deeper than that.

1. It has to start with a tight script. Let’s face it; most corporate press releases are a snore. It’s not just because of the story line – Company A acquires Company B, Company C launches new product. Nope. It’s more because the writing is typically formulaic and dull, often flabby.

2. It has to grab people’s attention. It starts with the headline. In real estate terms, you have to have curb appeal – and the headline’s what’s going to do it for you. (It’s a little like a really effective Tweet, when you think about it.)

3. It has to establish a core theme (think of this as the plot line) and use that theme to drive the verbiage forward. Basically, writing a press release is like writing a short story. What is the inherent conflict the release addresses? New technology overcomes age-old industry problems? New product entry threatens entrenched market competitors?

4. It has to fit into a larger context. Why does your widget address common business user problems? How exactly does your gizmo advance consumer satisfaction? Why is your new CMO representative of larger marketing and technology trends? And please, no jargon.

5. And it has to be memorable. I know this one is tough. But it’s important. Try grounding the nuts and bolts of the headline with an industry back story revealed in the subhead. Try introducing a chart or graph that nails the rhetorical argument. Find third parties that support your case. Or have your executives say something that’s worth Tweeting.

Anyhow, you get the idea. The traditional press release is a lot trickier to write than  your clients or senior managers may think. But that’s not a good enough reason not to try!

In Twitter, there’s something similar going on – largely unnoticed by many. No, it’s not stock trading; it’s comments by individual reporters for major media outlets (think the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Reuters, CBS) who talk about their take on stories, and pass along their own coverage as well as stories by their peers.

Take a look at what they’re writing about in those 140-or-less-characters analyses and you have a pretty good idea of where these market professionals see things going in your industry – and what they’re interested in. (PR people take notice.)

Here’s how to play the game.

1.  Follow the reporter on Twitter. (For a comprehensive list of reporter Twitter handles by media outlet, go to MuckRack.com).

2.  Check in once a day and see what’s got them going. (Often an interesting mix of business and personal interests, accompanied by a healthy dose of “look at me.”)

3.  Retweet their stuff. (They will notice!)

4.  Use your take on what they’re writing to look smarter in front of your clients or your management. (This is business, after all.)

5.  And filter what you read on Twitter into your media management, including how you position your client or company. (See point 4.)

Fine. We’re done with that topic (for now).

Now let’s talk about how to make a reporter into a friend (and make it work for both of you!).

1.  Give them what they want. Like any professional, they want you to respect them and their area of expertise (so don’t send a mortgage reporter a pitch on fashion design).

2.  Give them an exclusive. A first look at an embargoed release or white paper creates a lot of good will.

3.  Give them access to credible industry viewpoints. They need to write stories, right? So why shouldn’t your stuff be in their stories?

4.  Follow them on social media. A great conversation starter is paying attention to them on Twitter. Also a great way to know what stories they’re thinking about.

5.  And don’t pick a fight with them. Again, mistakes do happen, but it’s not a good reason (absent clear evidence of malice on their part) to go to war with them over the way they wrote a story. (And there’s also a little thing called the 1st Amendment.)

Great, you say, but what’s in it for me?

A friendly reporter is a great thing to have when you’re pushing a complex or controversial story…or your company’s taking a lot of hits…or your client or senior management is breathing down your neck to get something printed…or you’re having trouble breaking through the news clutter.

Enough said?

(PS: Don’t be afraid to thank a reporter for a good job on a tough story. Everyone likes a legitimate compliment!)

One of our clients who was quoted in a press release put out by one of his clients (a major financial institution) found himself named as “Managing Director” of his client in a news story based on the client’s own press release.  Not all errors are so egregious. More often, reporters will take information from other coverage or, increasingly, blogs and recycle without fact checking data or content. Incorrect websites get listed. And, as always, names get spelled incorrectly.

Why does it matter? Because on the web, mistakes feed on themselves

Here are five things you can do to ensure accuracy in media coverage about you, your company and your products:

1.  Script your press release like a 60-second TV commercial. That means short, to the point, and relevant. Jargon, complexity and self-congratulatory prose are breeding grounds for confusion.

2.  Put all responses in writing. Ask the reporter for written questions before the interview, and respond by email with specific comments and information. That way, even if you do the interview, the core information is in writing. Variation: Send the reporter an email after the interview laying out the key facts on an “as we discussed basis.”

3.  Keep it simple. Make sure all “snapshots” of your company under your control are accurate and easily understood by busy reporters. Take a look at your company boilerplate and your home page, as that’s where reporters are most likely to grab quick information hits.

4.  Ask for read-backs. Reporters don’t necessarily like this, but ask the reporter who wants to interview you as an industry expert to read (or email) you anything they want to attribute to you before publication. Then you can check it for accuracy.

5.  Pay attention. Always review coverage as soon as it appears, whether online or in print. Ask for an immediate correction and provide written direction on the wording for the correction.

A client of ours paid us a nice compliment the other day that proves the point.

Two years ago, no one knew they existed. They got meetings, because of the founders’ (great) backgrounds, but word of mouth alone isn’t enough for a startup.

So they brought in a PR agency (us) and said, “What can we do – and how quickly can we do it?”

We said, well, the usual things. Sell your point of view. Sell the consumer need. Sell into market trends. Sell your expertise in prior jobs. Sell what makes you different (the famous new-mousetrap paradigm). And once you start selling, keep on doing it.

Now, two years later, they have major clients. They also have coverage in major media, including a range of high visibility outlets (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time) and all of the most relevant trade publications read by their clients and targets. They are also fully engaged in social media. And it’s working.

Can we claim that our targeted PR was the key to success? No. Absolutely not. This company has a great concept. It has very smart managers. And its team has a great Rolodex.

But it helps.

So the client said, “I’ve got to tell you, when we printed out all of the media coverage we’ve received to date, it’s very impressive. It really tells our story well.”

It’s always nice to get a compliment.

Sure, that’s a little hokey. But let’s think about it.

It rewards those who keep up on it. It keeps track of those who have abandoned it or invest little in it. (We know who you are, and you can’t hide.)

It presents another “public face” of your company that clients, influentials and others (including the media) look to see what you’re up to. And just think of the other benefits: you can track your competitors…you can track your industry…you can track your brand…you can track customer issues…you can track your critics…and you can track the journalists who cover you and your industry.

Time to get on board!