In 2014, we accidentally launched the PESO Model©.
And by “accidentally,” I mean there was no forethought or strategic plan as to what might happen when people read Spin Sucks and found the pretty little graphic we had created. It was the model we used internally, and at the time I wrote the book, we were still testing out what worked and what didn’t—most often on us and sometimes on clients.
The model itself was created because my publisher pushed me on it during the book editing phase. She said it needed a name. Once we had a name, we had to ensure it wasn’t already used or copyrighted. Then, we had to create a graphic to go along with it. So I hired a designer and had it beautifully created…and then we published the book.
Fast-forward to today, and let’s just say it’s everywhere, by means, both fair and foul.
From where my team and I sit, the PESO Model is a total no-brainer (although we’ve been constantly refining and improving it over the years), but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy for people to implement
PESO Model© Struggles
The PR environment leading to the PESO Model has also changed significantly. Back in my day…hahaha! I’m just kidding. I’m not ancient. Yet.
But A LOT has changed in just the last ten years.
Some of you will remember when we were glorified scrapbookers. We used to cut stories out of newspapers and magazines and paste them into clipbooks using glue sticks.
But that’s not the landscape we’re looking at anymore. Not even a little.
Times have changed, and clever people (ahem) have developed a new model to help communicators.
Sometimes, using the PESO Model can be a struggle for communicators, especially because it’s different from what they’ve used in the past and what executives expect.
Let’s start by discussing those struggles, and then we’ll discuss how to overcome them so you can successfully implement the PESO Model.
There are five key reasons people struggle with the PESO Model:
- Experience and wisdom
- Lack of data
- Being. So. Excited. About. Tactics.
- Wishful thinking and untrue assumptions
- Lack of a big picture understanding
Experience and Wisdom
Those of us with many years of experience know that it can’t be replaced. We’re wise, and we have expertise that only comes with experience. At the same time, we get stuck in our ways.
Not intentionally because we often know what works and what doesn’t—so we stick with the what works part. But that also doesn’t leave room to learn new skills, add new strategies, or figure out which tools we can add. Even as forward-thinking and willing to take risks, I struggle with adding new things—especially when we’re crazy busy.
We had a client who will always be one of my favorites. He would come to our weekly calls with a list of questions to ask me, and we’d have high-level conversations about what was changing in the industry and how he might incorporate those things into his business.
One day, probably eight or so years ago, he asked me what I thought about doing some things on Pinterest. I told him that because his business wasn’t very visual, I thought it was a waste of time. Well, he had a crack-jack intern who totally proved me wrong!
Because their centers of influence—the people who influence the decisions in school systems—were teachers, they were all over Pinterest. And it ended up driving about 80% of their new leads.
The point is, don’t let experience and wisdom stop you from implementing the PESO Model. Don’t let a lack of those two things prevent you from suggesting ideas and moving things ahead, particularly regarding shared and owned media.
Using Data to Make Your Case
What do you do if a colleague, boss, or client is stuck in the past and cannot implement the PESO Model because they only care about follower counts and media impressions?
You have to hit them with the numbers.
While they may ask for media impressions—and you probably do have to provide them, much to my dismay—you can also show them what types of data and metrics work when you do more than earned media.
Look for case studies with similar companies or even your competition.
- What do they do?
- What can you see has worked from the outside?
- Hard data helps here. Did their page rank change? Are they showing up on the first page of Google results?
- Did they suddenly start getting tons of mentions, reviews, or stories?
If you’re lucky, you’ll find a published case study, but if you have to develop one, a little research will get you there.
The best part of the PESO Model, in general, is you can make decisions based on data. Communicators often ask me if they should track web traffic and social media fans.
Absolutely!
While they are vanity metrics and don’t mean anything as they relate to real business goals, they will tell you if something is working or not. I’m a big fan of showing the “metrics” an executive or client asks for—and providing the ones you can deliver through the PESO Model.
You know, the things that amount to driving an organization’s objectives.
Another strategy is to start small. Start small if you have a decision-maker who is a little gun-shy about adding a totally new strategy to their communications plan. One platform, project, or campaign so that you and they can understand it and determine how it will affect the organization.
People tend to have the main concerns that something new will take too much time to learn and implement, won’t be as effective as older strategies, or isn’t as reliable. Sometimes, they may even be right. And sometimes, they’ll have a Cracker Jack intern prove them wrong.
Getting a yes for something small and low-risk is easier than implementing a massive campaign. Sooner or later, everyone has to come to grips with what actual audiences use and how they behave.
This leads me to the flip side of the problem of being stuck in the past: being SO excited about every new thing that comes along.
Being. So. Excited. About. Tactics.
I get it. New things are exciting. And every new thing feels like a chance to launch yourself to the top of the market, move faster and smarter than your competition, and make waves as an innovator.
That’s not going to happen.
Not because the tactic isn’t great and you don’t implement it well, but because tactics aren’t strategies. And they certainly don’t represent a good execution of the PESO Model.
I have a really good friend who took a new job overseeing operations in a start-up. He texted me the other day and said, “Hey, my boss wants to know if I know any PR bullshitters to create some press releases.” He followed it up with, “And he’ll only pay per placement.”
Unfortunately, this happens all the time. In working with agency owners, I hear story after story after story like this:
- A prospect asked for a list of media contacts (because the other agency they’re talking to started with that) while discussing their business goals.
- A prospect said using PR to drive lead generation sets us (the PR industry) up for liabilities if we can’t deliver.
- An RFP asked to provide the client with a weekly report correlating published results with impressions and earned media value.
- Another agency suggested the client focus not on a PESO Model approach, but on building their website SEO by working on the keywords in the website’s footer. Yes, working on keywords in the footer.
Ultimately, tactics are always just steps to fulfilling the goals in your PESO Model communications plan. When a lot of our work can take a long time to see returns, a new tactic that promises fast results can be compelling.
The fix for this one is to allow some wiggle room in your PESO Model program to experiment with different tactics. You know, like using Pinterest to build engagement with teachers.
When you find something to get excited about, ask yourself which media types it will help you attain. Add it to your strategy with expectations, budget, timeframe, and a win-lose scenario you can evaluate after you’ve attempted.
It’s like when you’re trying to eat a consistently healthy diet. You can still have the cake if you plan to have it when it’s fun, makes sense, and doesn’t disrupt your other plans.
You know, like on your birthday once a year.
Wishful Thinking and Untrue Assumptions
I love to tell this story, so you may have heard it before. A few years ago, I got a call from a very nice man who needed some PR. He had just had a meeting with his buyer at Target, who told him that if they didn’t sell out of his product by Christmas, they wouldn’t be able to reorder in January.
The trouble with his phone call—and his panic—was that he seemed to think that if we got a story about him and his product in a massive media outlet, such as the New York Times, he would sell out at Target, and all of his troubles would be solved.
Oh.
And it was a week before Christmas.
I felt bad for him, and I could sense real anxiety on his part, but I also knew there was no way we could deliver that.
It’s hard. I wish I could do what many business leaders think we can do. I’d be a lot richer if I could. So rich. Heck, we’d ALL be rich.
Is What We Do Black Magic?
A few years ago, I spoke at a Vistage meeting, and one of the members told me he thought PR pros and SEO marketers were wizards.
He said, “It’s all black magic, as far as I’m concerned.”
Of course, that’s not true. We’re strategic planners, good communicators, and logical thinkers. However, strategy, communication, and logic aren’t quick fixes.
We’re in PR for the long haul, and if you find yourself having to correct some really wild assumptions, the best way to do that is to use the PESO Model itself and tie it to specific short-term goals that eventually lead to long-term outcomes.
If you can demonstrate to a client, colleague, or boss that you have a clear path to achieving their goals, they will be much more likely to let you pursue them.
I recently had a tough conversation with a client who had a massive dream but completely unrealistic expectations. I thought long and hard about how to approach it—and finally settled on showing her how, even if we reached the goals she had set for the year, what it would do to her business operationally and why she wasn’t ready.
We discussed getting her there and what she’d need to do. The annual unrealistic goals moved to a very doable but aggressive three-year plan. We could have told her we couldn’t achieve those goals and moved forward. That probably eroded some trust, and we’d eventually parted ways. But now we’re all in on helping her reach her three-year plan.
Lack of a Big Picture Understanding
And now is the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the last struggle we can face when implementing the PESO Model.
Once upon a time, you had your corner of the world in one industry. You knew all the important people, the influencers, the competitors, the journalists, and even the jerks. Now it’s that, plus every other industry and every person with a smartphone who is even tangentially interested in the topic.
It’s significantly different today than it was even five years ago, and highly specialized knowledge doesn’t cut it anymore. We talk a lot about artificial intelligence and how it will change the work that we do and what it means for our careers and for the industry.
One of my favorite descriptions of what this will all look like comes from Mr. Christopher S. Penn.
He said you should think about artificial intelligence as a symphony—and you are the conductor.
This means you must know everything about the PESO Model, how it works, and how to integrate all media types to create authority, credibility, reputation—and results. If you are going to be able to conduct your symphony of robots, you have to become a generalist in how it all works together.
You won’t do the work (which, in some cases, is music to our ears), but you’ll have to know enough to be strategic and smart…and to make sure your robots are doing the job they’re supposed to.
If you don’t yet have the skillset to do that, or if you don’t understand the big picture, now is the time to get there. The PESO Model is well suited for this industry shift, and you still have time to get there.
Get Your PESO Model Groove On
A couple of years ago, Eric Schwartzman wrote an article for Spin Sucks about the lifespan of a brand as it compares to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how the PESO Model fits into it.
Before you read it, the sneak peek is that you start with owned, add shared, grow into earned, and then add paid.
This is a great way to think about how you’ll add the skills you don’t have. Figure out the big picture—what you need to achieve in the end, like our client who has massive goals and needs to temper them a bit so she can achieve them.
Gain the skills you are missing. And be ready for the future.
