An Industry Fighting for Survival

You don’t need a vested interest in the fate of newspapers to be privy to the increasing number of stories about the industry’s struggle in the digital age. ‘Citizen journalism’ and blogging has led to wide cuts in staffing, journalists still employed need to be paid decent – or at least competitive – wages, and newspapers are still extremely dependent on advertisers who are taking their money elsewhere, primarily to the web to improve their SEO rankings and online advertising presence.
Newspapers, as a result, are frantically searching for a practical model to reinvigorate the business. One highly publicized method is to charge for online content. Yet another method has been discussed quietly for months. It is only recently that the chatter has reached the public domain through YouTube videos and in-the-know blogs.
This proposed model has newspapers identifying third party websites with little to no traffic and selling links to them in their editorial content. This would enable papers to regain some of their advertising revenue while tapping into one of the major reasons they lost the it in the first place: advertisers taking a greater interest in page rankings and SEO.

How Linking Works

Around 30% of Google’s algorithm for pages rankings are calculated through links to the website. Google assumes that linking implies recommendation, thus each link suggests the website’s relevance and quality. Links from particular websites count more than others. For example, newspapers have a high page rank with Google. If they link to a page, their benefits are, to some extent, passed on to the linked page.
However, if links are randomly generated or irrelevant to the content, Google’s search results become meaningless, providing results based on quantity of links rather than quality or a real online presence being built. This, of course, is extremely damaging to Google.

Dangerous Consequences

While link selling has gone on for years (even big hitters such as Yahoo and WordPress have been caught doing it), recent public chatter about it has been hushed. Even YouTube videos from the recent Silicon Beach Training SEO event where the discussion originated were made private within a couple of hours. And it’s easy to see why; this topic is not only contentious, it’s downright dangerous for newspapers.
For starters, the topic focuses attention on the difference between ‘white hat’ and ‘black hat’ search engine optimization. In true fairytale stereotype, white denotes ‘good’ or above board techniques to boost page rankings, while black suggests more underhand – and less-publicized – methods. Needless to say, purchasing editorial links is considered ‘black hat’. Many companies employ both white and black hat methods to improve rankings, and, because so many organisations are in glass houses on this one, no one wants to throw accusatory stones or even mention this tension between these approaches.You can find out more about white vs. black hat methods here.

This approach also blurs the line between editorial and advertising – something which can significantly affect the integrity of any news organization.
More important than putting a few noses out of joint, however, is the danger newspapers face in employing this method of generating revenue. When Google finds out about the link selling, as they surely will, they could take two courses of action. The first is to change their algorithms to give less clout to outbound links on newspaper sites. In this case, newspapers will simply lose out on this source of revenue when advertisers no longer invest. The second possibility is far more dangerous. Google could choose to reduce the page rank of the newspapers themselves, thus negatively affecting their ad revenue even more as the sites become less attractive to buyers. Both The Irish Times and The Economist faced this consequence when they sold links in previous months.

There’s no doubt that the next few years could make or break the newspaper industry. For now, the discussion is still relatively hush-hush. Newspapers would do well to keep it that way. In the meantime, the rest of us would do well to keep on top of these industry developments to ensure we can achieve the best results in SEO within industry-accepted parameters.

1. Personalise Your Pitch.

It took me a while to realise how important this is. When I first started doing media relations, I would send the same pitch to every journalist. I wondered why no one was replying – now I know why.

Pitching to the press is like talking to someone of the opposite sex and convincing them to go out with you. In the same way that you don’t go up to a girl you like and say :

“Hey Honey, Let’s go on a date”

you don’t send every journalist the same cookie cutter message. Journalists are just like crushes – they like to feel special – like you’re targeting them for a particular reason, such as knowing that they write about the particular issue you’re pitching. And you most certainly need to know their name. They don’t respond to “Honey”. If you’ve got a big story, offer it first to your “wish list” publications, and then to everyone else. Exclusivity on a story might be what gets you printed.

Bottom Line: learn about the journalist before you ask him to learn about you.

2. Make it Easy.

Humans are lazy creatures, and journalists are busy people. Put those two truths together and you have some great insight into the media industry. Make it easy. Don’t make the journalist jump through hoops to learn about your story.

That means putting a press release in the body of the email (not as an attachment! You’re giving them an opportunity to miss your story!). It also means including all the materials they might need to write a story in your pitch. Provide links to relevant sources, include quotes, etc.

I have some clients who have a “media resources” section of their website that includes team bios, headshots of major stakeholders, and facts & background information about the company & its industry. If I’m a journalist and I open up 2 emails – one that has all this information readily available and one that requires me to do some digging – I’m most likely going to write about the first one because they made it easy.

Bottom Line: The less work the journalist has to do, the more likely they’ll cover your story.

3. Follow Up Respectfully

When you want someone to do you a favour (like write about you), you want to go about it in a way that makes them know you appreciate their time. When you call to follow up try asking them if they have a quick minute to hear a pitch. Comment on a recent piece of theirs you read (because, after all, you were researching your  journalist so you skimmed a few of their articles, right?). Don’t push your story onto them or pressure them. If you have good news, it’ll win the journalist over by its merit, not by how aggressive you are at pitching it. Remember, this is a courtship: you’re thanking them for the chance at a first date. If they don’t want to see you again, its not that big a deal. If you do get some coverage (congrats!), be sure to thank them appropriately. There is a fine line on what’s appropriate and what’s not: writing a thank you card to the journalist who wrote your story is appropriate. Sending them gifts is not. Journalists are ethically unable to accept gifts (they may be perceived as bribes – and you don’t want the misunderstanding dilemmas!) so it’s best to keep it professional and just send them a “thank you” note. This note is possibly one of the most important things you can do. No one really gives a journalist kudos for the hard work they put into every story.. so if you do, they’ll remember that, and be more receptive to your next pitch.

Bottom Line: A “thank you” can go a long way.

There’s so much more I could write on this topic but I’ll leave it for another time. What lessons have you learned from pitching to the press and media relations?

Yoinked from Ezinearticles.com:

What is a boutique public relations specialist? He or she is someone who specializes in conceptualizing and implementing public relations campaigns, and develops good relationships with key editors and reporters on behalf of their clients.

PR campaigns, when conceived and implemented properly, have been proven to work wonders for companies or brands. A publicity campaign, with a combination of tactics including the placement of feature stories, exciting media events and media interviews with key press, can absolutely create the buzz that your brand or company needs. If this isn’t enough below are other compelling reasons why you need a boutique public relations agency:

In this day and age, PR is the way to go. Compared to advertising, public relations activities like press releases and interviews with media, can creatively tell a story and capture the attention of your target market. Details that matter to a consumer can easily be inserted or woven into the story. Consumers are now more discerning when it comes to their purchases; they need good reasons why to make a purchase or why support a campaign.

Social Media Is Gaining In Popularity

The tremendous popularity of blog sites has established social media as a viable medium for disseminating information. Social media uses the internet and other web-based technologies to transform media monologues into social media dialogues, where everyone gets to contribute their 2-cents worth. It supports the democratization of knowledge and information – transforming people from just being content consumers into content producers. With the wide pool of contacts of boutique public relations specialists, your company will be able to feel and experience the full power of social media or media 2.0.

Media Connections Matter

Having a relationship with key members of the media – both traditional and online is very important when implementing a PR campaign. Boutique PR specialists can properly identify and arrange meetings, lunches or interviews with the appropriate media contacts. Whether it’s discussing a new beauty product with a lifestyle editor over lunch or inviting entertainment writers to a press conference to launch the company’s latest endorsers or brand ambassadors, keeping one’s company visible, and top of mind with editors goes a long way.

A Boutique Public Relations Specialist Knows PR Best

A boutique PR firm is a full-service agency that is usually comprised of a small close-knit group of individuals focused on and dedicated to coming up with unique and one of a kind ideas and executions that fulfill the objectives of the company. Unlike pr specialists from pr departments within larger, multinational advertising agencies, boutique public relations specialists are more focused. Being part of a small group dealing mainly with public relations, the company is ensured of personalized client servicing from the specialist.

Launching A Successful PR Campaign

The most important thing to be able to pull of a successful PR campaign is to get a trustworthy and reputable partner – a specialist, someone who will be with you all throughout the campaign – from brainstorming and conceptualization to implementation and post-publicity.

I’ve fallen behind on blogging, but it’s because I’m so busy with clients – which is never a bad thing! I saw this post by Susan Young and it made me giggle, because it’s so very true. Chances are if you work in Public Relations, you’ve heard at least 4 out of the 10 things on that list come out of your clients mouths. The key is to manage expectations from the get go so that they understand that PR is not a guarantee that they’ll receive media coverage.

10 Things Clients Say that Scare PR Professionals

by susanryoung on December 7, 2009

The relationship that public relations professionals share with their clients can be unique. With any business, when a PR consultant is hired, there is typically a learning curve as projects begin to progress. It may take a few days or weeks to get into the rhythm of the process and working together.

Most people hire PR consultants because they are either miffed by the news process and want someone who is well connected, media savvy and creative…or they simply don’t have the time or desire to write, pitch and place press releases and stories.

If you are a PR pro, you’ll likely get a good chuckle out of the following list. If you’re a business or nonprofit professional, please keep in mind that my list is intended to politely remind you that thinking and breathing is not newsworthy. You must be willing to do something or say something that impacts the public, without being self-serving. Above all, if you hire a PR consultant, allow them to use their expertise to help you get publicity.

Here are 10 Things that Clients Say that Scare PR Professionals. Do any of these sound familiar?

1. I want to be on Oprah.
2. I wrote a press release once in college.
3. How much will it cost to get my press release printed?
4. I want to get publicity but I don’t like to talk to those pushy reporters. You know I was once misquoted.
5. I know your PR ideas will make me money. I’m on a very tight budget.
6. We’re sponsoring a giveaway with the local minor league team and will be giving away travel mugs with our new logo. It’s Tuesday night; which TV crews can you get to cover our story?
7. Oh you have an opportunity for an interview with a reporter?  Tell them I’m available on Wednesday at 8 AM or next Tuesday at 3:30.
8. I’ve scheduled a free seminar for next month…
9. My friend works in my field in Connecticut and his publicist got him into three magazines, an interview with Matt Lauer and a quote in the Wall Street Journal. That’s what I’m looking for.
10. I’ve scripted out all of my answers for the TV interview you’ve arranged so I can just bring my notes on the set.

Being realistic about expectations and trusting the people you work with are critical to the success of any PR campaign. And if you want to be on Oprah, hurry! The end of her show in 2011 is just around the  corner.

Top Ten Things You Can Do To Get Blogged

1. Build a kick ass company. You can ignore everything else in this post (although you shouldn’t) if you build an awesome web 2.0 company that solves a real problem in an efficient manner.
2. Approach Bloggers Directly. Most bloggers have email and other contact information up on their site (email: editor@techcrunch, GoogleTalk:techcrunch, Skype:marrington). Use it to contact them directly with your thoughts.
3. Be Persistent. We are all busy. Emails get pushed down in the inbox and forgotten. Send a reminder or two and try to get a conversation going. Don’t be defensive when you are asked hard questions.
4. Start a Blog. This is important for multiple reasons. First, it is an easy way for bloggers to see what you’ve done over time. It is also a good way for bloggers to find out about new releases and milestones via your RSS feed. Most company blogs have only a few subscribers but don’t let this discourage you. Those that have subscribed are keenly interested in what you are doing. It is very likely they have a blog. Make it easy for them and they will post about you.You can also use your blog to promote bloggers who write about you. Other bloggers will see this and want to write about you too.Jeff Jarvis says
   

   In this new world, links are currency. Links grant authority. Links build branding. Links equal value.

   If you don’t have a blog, you don’t even have a wallet, let alone currency. Having a blog gives you a tangible way to say thank you” to bloggers who write about you.

   Encourage your employees to blog too. Go easy on the blogging policy in the early days.

5. Be humble. The more humble you are, the more outstanding I assume your product is. Showmanship often equals desperation.
6. Be confident. Find the right balance with humbleness. Don’t be humble to the point of mumbling or leaving important stuff out.
7. Be descriptive. Tell me what your product does immediately in crisp and interesting prose that is FOA (Free Of Acronyms). FaceBook is a social networking site for college students. Pandora is a music recommendation engine. See? I need more details down the road, but give me something to hold on to before you jump into the cool way you’ve implemented ajax into the FAQs, or whatever.
8. Tell a Story. Bloggers want to tell a story. Help them. Pandora is different because they break down music. Technically interesting! 60% of FaceBook’s users log in daily. wow! Writely is allowing people to visualize a world without thick clients. big story!
9. Don’t hide information. Put your location, contact information, team bios, faqs, blog and other important information up on the site in an easy to find location. Don’t make bloggers look up whois information or read your terms of service (for legal jurisdiction) just to guess your location.
10. Don’t be a Jerk.If someone just won’t write about you, move on to another blogger. Don’t heckle them. If someone does write about you and you don’t like what they say, deal with it by sending an email or leaving a clarifying comment. Don’t attack. Other bloggers will see it and avoid you like the plague.It’s hard to determine tone in a written blurb. Bloggers easily take offense. Think twice before you post something that can be taken the wrong way, and be very quick to apologize if you screw up. Don’t try to explain yourself – just apologize. If you are going to say something nasty or controversial, do it via email, not in a public comment.One example of this came up today. 9rules network has been adding blogs to their network and people have been writing about them. Paul Scrivens doesn’t like the fact that people sometimes refer to 9rules as 9Rules (capital R), and Mike Rundle wrote an arguably condescending post about it today on the 9rules blog that said:
    

    Since our company/service/network is getting links from everywhere nowadays, I wanted to quickly clear up some confusion regarding the name of what it is we’re doing.

    The company is “9rules, Inc.” and the network is “The 9rules Network” or just “9rules.”

    These capital R’s dropped everywhere are making our CEO cry in public, and believe me, that’s not pretty. Lowercase r’s are where its at. Uppercase is for suckers

    The post was picked up by TurboBlogger and BlogHerald and 9rules has been roundly trashed in comments.

    Bad idea. Don’t do stuff like this. Once you have done it, apologize immediately and sincerely.

    I won’t even bring up the Rollyo thing. Perfect example of how poor/hasty communication can hurt a company. Like I said, bloggers are touchy and I’m a blogger. The company handled this the right way and in the end everything was fine.

Twitter Apps for the Public Relations Pro

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (RPRN) 10/27/09 — Since its explosion in popularity, much has been written on the fate of Twitter—will it survive, will it make money and how, do users want to monetize?

While industry-insiders debate its longevity and surviving business model, the public relations industry is still experimenting with how to best use micro-blogging. Much like other forms of social media, the industry still grapples with how to best use the medium to create brand buzz and fully engage consumers.

There are a number of apps to help you tweet more efficiently and, thus, more effectively. First, if you publish press releases online, use all available social bookmarks available, including the retweet button. If you house your press releases somewhere on your own website, install a retweeting button like Tweetmeme. The Tweetmeme button not only let’s you or anyone else retweet your press release with a simple click, but also automatically shortens the URL and allows you to view retweets, allowing you to track the popularity of a story, sense reaction, view who is reading your press release, and to respond to any negative tweets.

If you don’t currently publish press releases online, however, FileSocial or TwitDoc allow you to upload and tweet documents—a great way to tweet press releases.

There are a number of apps that help you to automate your Twitter acitivities, including Twitterfeed that automatically tweets your RSS feeds—be it blog titles or your media feed. Tweetlater allows you to, among a number of other automatic functions, schedule your tweets. Queue them in the morning, and tweet them throughout the day. This app can be especially useful for event reminders and updates.

Twitter caused a stir when it unveiled its trending topics function that allows users to see what everyone is tweeting about. There are now a number of apps that help you do the same. Tweetnews tracks all news-related tweets. Twitter Search, however, remains the ubiquitous tool that shouldn’t be overlooked. With Twitter Search, you can quickly search tweets about your brand and other related keywords, direct from the Twitter interface.

Twitdir is a directory of twitterers, searchable by location, email address, and even aliases.

Tweet Deck is a great agency tool that allows you to manage several social media accounts and to tweet directly from your desktop or smartphone.

For those who manage several brands, thus managing several branded and personal Twitter accounts, there are a number of apps that help centralize your company’s Twitter activities. Hoot Suite allows you to manage multiple users over various accounts, track and analyze link statistics, and monitor your brands.

CoTweet is a platform that helps companies and agencies to engage on Twitter. With the interface, you can manage up to six twitter accounts, monitor keywords and trends with integrated Twitter search, assign tweets to colleagues, and receive email notifications when tweets are sent to your various accounts.

Overall, there are a number of simple rules to follow, but one fundamental rule remains: keep your followers interested with relevant, interesting, personalized tweets. Think of Twitter as a 140-character pitch.

1. Don’t call to “see if they got your release.” Journalists hate this. Folks send out mass mailings and then call to see if the release made it there. If you really want to get a story in the Post, call first to pitch your story and then follow up with your release, photos, etc.
2. Plan your call around their deadlines. Most papers are morning editions. Thus, journalists’ deadlines range from 2 p.m. local time and on. Don’t call during this time! The best time to reach a newspaper journalist: 10 a.m. to noon local time.
3. Don’t start pitching right away! If you get Joan Smith on the phone, don’t just dive into your pitch. This is rude, as Joan may be on the other line, working on a story, entertaining guests or who knows what else. Start by saying something like, “Hi Ms. Smith, my name’s Bill Jones and I have a story suggestion you might find interesting. Is this a good time for you?” Joan will reply “yes”–which is a green light to start your pitch, or “no”– to which you reply, “When would be a good time to call you back?” Your courtesy will be greatly appreciated by the journalist…which can only help your chances.
4. Pitch to the voice mail. It’s fine to pitch your story to the reporter’s voice mail. Keep it very short and end the message with your phone number. If you don’t hear back, try again until you get the actual reporter or editor on the phone.
5. Don’t read from a script! The bane of many journalists’ existences are 22-year-olds sitting in cubicles in big PR firms reading pitches off a sheet of paper. If you’ve ever been called by a telemarketer doing the same thing, you know how annoying it can be. Practice your pitch so that it seems natural and spontaneous.
6. Give them a story, not an advertisement. Newspapers do not exist to give you publicity. They exist to provide readers with interesting stories. Your job is to give the journalist what he or she wants, while getting the free exposure. Make your pitch newsy, exciting and relevant. How about: “Ms. Smith, as you probably know, obesity among children is growing at an alarming rate. Because of the ridicule they face from other children, millions of overweight young people are being marked with lifetime scars that can seriously damage their self-esteem. I host a unique website, were overweight kids can anonymously express their feelings and discuss this issue. I think I’ve learned some important things about a very serious subject.” That’s a whole lot more interesting to an editor than: “Ms. Smith, I have a website where overweight kids post messages. Would you like to do a story about me?”
7. Follow up immediately. If she’s interested, Joan Smith will ask for more information. Be sure you have a press kit (including news release and photo) ready to send . Send it out via priority mail, and write “Requested Information” below the address.
8. Call again. Now it’s appropriate to call to see if Joan’s received your stuff…after all, unlike a mass-mailed release, she asked for it! Ask if she’s had a chance to look through it, and what she thinks. If she likes what she sees, you’re about to get some very valuable free publicity!

I’ve been hunting for good blogs to add to my RSS and came across copyblogger. They’re doing a great series of lessons on copywriting, and this one about writing an eyecatching headline is SPOT ON. I’ve cross-posted to share the intellectual wealth.

Lesson #2: Man’s Head Explodes
in Barber’s Chair

Today we’re going to jump into the second pillar of Internet Marketing for Smart People, which is copywriting. More specifically, direct response copywriting, which is used by direct marketers to trigger very specific responses from readers.

The first thing you should know is that copywriting and content are two different critters. Related, but different. We’ll talk lots more about that as we go forward.

One thing they do have in common, though, is that they both need fantastic headlines.

The headline for this lesson is from Dean Reick’s “Direct Creative Blog.” You can read the article here:

21 Great Headlines from Trashy Tabloids

Most of us glance at the tabloids when we’re in line at the supermarket and figure they’re written for (and by) morons.

But the truth is, smart copywriters study them, because cheesy tabloids are masters of the #1 copywriting skill: the art of the headline.

Take a look at these three Copyblogger lessons on precisely how you can adapt an existing successful headline (like one on a tabloid or a popular magazine) for your own content.

• The Cosmo Headline Technique
• The Hidden Key to Cosmo Headlines: Sex and the City?
• Magazine Headline Remix: Details Edition

This is also a great technique if you’re a bit stumped for a post topic. Mentally translating a tabloid headline to your own topic can spur all kinds of creative ideas.

If your headline fails, you might as well go home

If your headline is boring, or wimpy, or doesn’t capture anyone’s attention, the game is over.

Your headline has one job, and one job only:

The job of the headline is to get the first line of your copy read.

(“Your copy” in this case might be a blog post, a sales letter, a landing page, or even a lesson in a free e-course.)

If the headline does that job, it worked.

If it doesn’t do that job, it failed.

Great headlines can also do tricky things like make people want to Digg, Stumble, re-Tweet, or otherwise share your work.

What headlines don’t do, and don’t need to do, is to “sell” anything. They don’t have to deliver your biggest promise, or communicate a customer benefit, or some of the other stuff you may have read about.

(I’m not saying it’s bad to put a promise or a benefit into a headline. But you do it because it works to get the first line of copy read.)

And because headlines do fail sometimes (happens to the best of us!), here’s a Copyblogger lesson on one that didn’t do well for us . . . and how we tweaked it to work better:

One Big Way to Avoid a Headline Fail

Why you want to write great headlines

More people will read your headline than anything else you write.

They read it in your Twitter stream, they see it fly by in their RSS reader, and it shows up in their email in-box.

Mastering headlines doesn’t automatically make you a great copywriter, but it is a skill you’ll need if you want to effectively market anything.

If you haven’t yet read the 11-part Copyblogger series on “How to Write Magnetic Headlines,” here’s the complete list for you:

1. Why You Should Always Write Your Headline First
2. The Cheater’s Guide to Writing Great Headlines
3. Do Key Words in Post Titles Really Matter?
4. How to Write a Killer “How To” Post That Gets Attention
5. 7 Reasons Why List Posts Will Always Work
6. Why Some People Almost Always Write Great Post Titles
7. 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work
8. 9 Proven Headline Formulas That Sell Like Crazy
9. 7 More Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work
10. Warning: Use These 5 Surefire Headline Templates at Your Own Risk
11. The Art of Writing Great Twitter Headlines

What else gets read?

The other places you want to have great, compelling content are your first paragraph, your image captions, any P.S. you might have, and your subheads.

(Subheads are the second-level headlines you see in a post like this one that break up the copy, like “What else gets read?” above.)

Those are the most-read elements of any kind of copy, whether you’re sending out a 28-page paper sales letter or a Twitter Tweet.

The same skills that will make you a great headline writer will also serve you well when you’re putting these elements together.

For more ideas on subheads, check out The Deceptively Simple Steps to Persuasive Writing that Works

Content vs. copywriting

Remember at the beginning of this article, I mentioned that content and copy are two different critters?

The main purpose of copy is to persuade. The main purpose of content is to create trust, familiarity, and warm fuzzy feelings in your audience. A smart 21st-century strategy uses both.

Used together, direct response copywriting and social media-style content are much more powerful than either one used independently.

Five Things You Can Say At a Social Event

It turns out that lots of people still don’t know what to do or how to connect at face to face social events (like conferences or meetups or family parties). I’ve got a few spins on what’s normally said, and how you can navigate those socially challenging waters. If you’re stuck for what to say to someone to start a conversation, here are five suggestions. Pick one or two that work for you and practice them.

1. “So, what are you into when you’re not hanging out at social events like this?” I use a variation on this often. It lets the person talk about themselves without asking the dreaded, “What do you do?” (I loathe that question. My answer? “I type.”)
2. “Do you ever wonder what Adam West is doing right now? Me neither.” A non sequitur accomplishes a few things. It sets a level of the other person’s sense of humor, their pop culture knowledge, and many other things. Just replace “Adam West” with whatever fringe character you want to use to identify what the person might share in common with you.
3. “I’m always unsure what to say at events like this, so I thought I’d start with ‘hi.’” You can’t get much simpler than this. It lets the other person know you feel just a hair awkward, but it’s straightforward and direct, and lets them know you’re hoping to say a few things. Follow this up with, “I’d love to know more about what you’re into.”
4. “You look like the kind of person who has a different opinion than the mainstream. What’s your take on this so far?” This sets yourself up for talking with the kinds of people who always offer the biggest value to your perspective.
5. “What were you doing three years ago?” This one sets a person back a moment. They tend to either answer with a wistful smile or a guarded “who wants to know?” You learn something from this exchange, too.

Note that in all cases, I didn’t ask what someone does. I didn’t ask about the weather. I didn’t give them yes or no answers (except in #2, and that’s a trick), and I didn’t let you stay stale. The goal is to get past the awkward and into the meat. Weather is not an option. “Hot enough for you?” is the kiss of social death.

What do you think? Do you have any others you like to use? How hard is it for you to try something out of the box like this?