Shake it up

Osborn Barr reimagines a press release

When Rachel McGrew, manager at Osborn Barr PR, wrote a release about a client product, her first instinct was to take the traditional route.

Before: a traditional PR 101 release

McGrew’s first draft used conventional approaches that rarely stand out from the crowd, let alone generate a great deal of interest and coverage.

PR 101 releases tend to:

• Focus on the client’s stuff, not the readers’ needs
• Lead with a dry, familiar news announcement
• Include longish paragraphs, sentences, phrases and words
• Make copy impossible to scan with one long, unbroken block of text

Here’s how that looked:

New Mobile Application Makes Pen-and-Paper Crop Scouting Obsolete

Rev!ID Partners with SST Software to Revolutionize Crop Scouting

The new agriculture crop scouting application, Rev!ID, hit the market last week with a revolutionary approach. Rev!ID is a mobile all-in-one tool that allows crop consultants, growers, retailers and field scouts to work independently or together from a single program. Rev!ID is the first mobile app that allows you to scout more than 300 crops and track/identify over 1,500 issue types.

The use of mobile technology in the field continues to rise, and Rev!ID joins forces with some of the most innovative and influential information technology companies in the world. Among them is SST Software, the leader in agriculture information management.

Rev!ID leverages the power of the SST agX issue and crop taxonomy data. In addition, a revolutionary feature is Rev!ID’s field boundary integration. Users can draw their own field lines, upload a shape file or utilize Rev!ID’s automated sync with boundary providers such as SST Summit.

“The partnership with SST for field boundary record integration is so critical for scouting,” said Mark Green, vice president and general manager, Rev!Co. “Today, retailers and consultants are using multiple files to manage records about farm fields. With Rev!ID, we integrate a retailer or consultant’s existing SST Summit field boundaries so the scouting information is captured on one set of field records. This increases efficiencies and accuracy of data.”

The need for the pen and paper process of crop scouting is obsolete with Rev!ID. Users can take pictures of scouting events with their mobile device, create field-specific reports and email results to retailers, applicators and growers.

Also, Rev!ID uses its own “Wiktionary” photo and reference tool to harness the power of group think. This tool allows users to crosscheck photos and diagnoses from the palm of the hand.

Users can also drop pins on maps where they found issues, share this information digitally and see what is most common and accurate across fields. Favorite or common issues can be tagged for quick access to create event reports.

All data is stored on a secured Rev!ID web management site. Users can set up collaborations, manage their account, track their issues, edit reports, download and share. Rev!ID can be downloaded today from the iTunes store. It costs $.01 per acre scouting and $25.00 per month. To get started with Rev!ID, go to www.revidapp.com and create an account, or call 888-721-1971.

“Our mission is to uncover opportunities to create value in the agriculture industry where it’s previously absent or needs advancement,” Green said.

After: a feature story with a WIIFM angle

But then McGrew brought me to Osborn Barr for a Catch Your Reader workshop. After the workshop, she took another whack at the release to:

• Refocus the message on the readers’ needs instead of just promoting the client’s stuff
• Surprise and delight readers with a feature-style lead instead of a dry news announcement
• Make reading easier with bright, tight copy
• Lift ideas off the screen, making copy more scannable, with subheads, callouts and other display copy

Here’s how that looked:

Pen-and-Paper Crop Scouting Becoming Obsolete

New mobile application Rev!ID scouts, syncs and saves

ST. LOUIS (July 29, 2013)— In 2013, tractors can practically drive themselves, and farmers tweet up to five times a day. But crop scouting is still done with pen and paper. This technology gap in the ag industry costs farmers and retailers time and money.

Now, thanks to a new software solutions company, Rev!Co™, crop scouting joins the digital age, offering farmers and their retailers the ability to electronically scout and record common crop issues. In real time. In one single application. The company’s scouting application, Rev!ID™, provides consultants and field scouts one central tool and field reference that leverages integration of the farmer or retailer’s precision ag field boundary data.

With its powerful tools and timesaving functionality,
Rev!ID enhances the value of field scouting
in the 21st century.

Rev!ID hit the market May 1, 2013. It’s the first mobile-all-in-one scouting tool with capabilities to scout more than 300 crops. The app also has a reference library of more than 1,500 issue types. Farmers, retailers, crop consultants and field scouts can work independently or together and collaborate via Rev!ID for synchronized records.

Rev!Co partners with SST Software

Rev!Co works with some of the most innovative and influential technology companies in the world. One partner is SST Software, the leader in agricultural information management.

The Rev!Co scouting app, Rev!ID leverages the power of SST’s agX issue and crop taxonomy data to drive the recording of field-level issues and disorders. In addition, within the iPad app, users can automatically sync with boundary providers such as SST Software through the Rev!ID open API. Users can also draw their own field boundary lines or upload .shp files.

“Today, retailers and consultants use multiple files to manage records about farm fields,” said Mark Green, Vice President, Rev!Co. “With Rev!ID, we deliver value to the retailer in two specific ways – we integrate existing SST Summit field boundaries capturing scouting data on the same field boundaries that the retailer services the farmer. And two, the scouting data can be an important input to the operational analysis for the farmer by the retailer’s precision ag departments.”

Geared for success

Connected with the Rev!Co retailer management software platform, Rev!Matic™ , retailer field sales consultants now have a real-time view of what is happening on and around the fields of their customers, and can take immediate action or see what was ordered to resolve a scouting issue.

Users can take pictures of scouting events with their mobile device and create field-specific reports. Then, they can email results back to the retail office, applicators and farmers.

Rev!ID also uses its own “Wiktionary” photo and reference tool to harness the power of groupthink. With this tool, users can cross-check photos and diagnoses from the palm of the hand.

All data is stored on a secured Rev!ID web management site. Users can set up collaborators for shared scouting events, manage multiple accounts and users and invoicing, track issues, edit and customize reports, download and share.

Rev!ID can be downloaded today from the iTunes store. It costs $.01 per acre and $25.00 per month. To get started, visit www.revidapp.com and create an account, or call 888-721-1971.

The result?

“We’ve already gotten some amazing coverage,” McGrew says. “It was picked up by Ag Professional (among many others).”

How can you reboot your traditional releases to increase interest and coverage?