Guerrilla P.R. Wired

Public Relations Quarterly, Summer 2002 by Weiner, Richard

Guerrilla P.R. Wired, Michael Levine, McGraw-Hill, 291 pages, hardcover, $24.95

Reviewed by Richard Weiner Contributing Editor

The subtitle of Michael Levine's 12th book, as stated on the title page, is "Waging a Successful Publicity Campaign Online, Offline, and Everywhere In Between."

The news release that accompanied my review copy was filled with annoying hyperbole and a few errors. The McGraw-Hill publicist changed part of the subtitle, and more importantly, called it "the bible of PR," and a "compact handbook of nuts and bolts."

When I read that, I turned to the book with considerable skepticism. After a few pages, I relaxed and enjoyed this easy-to-read collection of excellent advice. Popular books of this type are for mass audiences and not really for experienced public relations professionals (perhaps it's not fair to review them in PRQ), though this one certainly can be helpful to those who are not publicists or are unfamiliar with opportunities in the wired world.

The thesis of the book is that small businesses and others can obtain major print and broadcast publicity by starting with their own Web sites and using e-mail and Internet techniques. One of the original meanings of wired was an adjective for a home (as with cable TV) or device (as a computer) that is equipped with wiring. A new definition is: making use of computers to transmit information, particularly via the Internet. As such it has become a synonym for the Internet. Since Levine's book is a primer, he should have defined wired. I was not able to find a definition in the book and the word is not in the index.

What I like most in this book are the lists, such as "Levine's Ten Commandments of Internet P.R. for Guerrillas":

1. Thou shalt know thine audience.

2. Thou shalt know thy product.

3. Thou shalt not spare.

4. Thou shalt be fast.

5. Thou shalt not overspend.

6. Thou shalt not lie.

7. Thou shalt send E-mail to interested parties.

8. Thou shalt update often.

9. Thou shalt seek out and provide links.

10. Thou shalt study media websites.

I also like the breezy summaries that end each chapter, with such headings as "And Now What Have We Learned," "What We Have Learned and What We Can Learn," and "What People Learned If They Read This Chapter and Didn't Skim." For example, the top 10 mistakes made by guerrilla publicists are:

1. Not being familiar with the publication or program you're pitching.

2. Creating a dull, unimaginative, hard-to-use website

3. Choosing a hosting service badly

4. Sending too much E-mail to an editor

5. Taking no for an answer

6. Not taking no for an answer

7. Lying to the press

8. Making your site too slow to download

9. Thinking the Internet is the only necessary medium

10. Publicizing a nonstory.

I especially liked the 13-page last chapter, which is a multiple-choice "Guerrilla Quiz," with breezy answers, arranged by chapters. Overall, I like the humorous conversational style and the dozens of tips that obviously are based on the author's experience.

Two of the best lists are "What Gatekeepers Like" (such as concise statements, exclusives, honesty, hooks, local angles, and strong visuals) and "What Gatekeepers Don't Like" (such as interrupting its deadlines).

The book has a few minor errors, such as stating that the com in .com domains stands for commerce. Actually, it's commercial, just as edu is short for educational.

The sample news release in the book is too commercial, not newsworthy, and is not written in conventional, journalistic form. The first sentence is, "Milwaukee Photo Labs, LLC, a leader in photo processing in the Midwest, today made a special offer to consumers: register at our website, and we'll give you free film."

Just about any public relations student can do better. If you want my rewrite, contact me at dweiner@porternovelli.com.

One of the most frustrating aspects of publicity is the follow-up phone call to media. Levine suggests: When connected with the editor (and sometimes they do, in fact, answer their own phones, particularly at the smaller newspapers), introduce yourself and state your purpose. "How are you? (Wait for answer.) This is Michael Levine from Milwaukee Photo Labs. I sent a press release by E-mail a few days ago, and I just wanted to follow up and see if you'd received it."

Surely, he can do better!

Many editors and other media people will cringe when they learn that Levine calls them "prey." I agree with most of his advice, particularly "Know your quarry," though I don't like the jungle jargon.

I was curious to learn more about this jungle hunter. The Levine Communications Office (as he calls his public relations firm) is not listed in the O'Dwyer Directory, nor is he listed in the PRSA membership directory. As Michael Levine notes in his book, do not confuse him with Jay Levinson, originator and author of the Guerrilla Marketing books.

The Levine Communications Office has an excellent Web site, www.levinepr.com, on which is promoted one of Levine's previous books, Guerrilla P.R., as "the most widely used introduction to P.R. in the world."