Use All The Internet Tools

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Publicity is everywhere


It’s time to continue the discussion about publicity being everywhere. The most active and productive place is the Internet.

Before we dive into this, keep in mind that traditional pr, such as publications (both newspaper, magazines), and broadcast media should be an on-going mix with your overall pr activities.

Clients tend to either keep the traditional methods and don’t explore the new media, or they drop all the reporters and publishers and only concentrate on the Internet news for press release distribution.

As I began saying earlier, you need to work within the powerful media of the Internet. One good suggestion is the RSS with a blog site.

I’ve mentioned this before, but pr clients tend to not fully appreciate the advantage of this new media. Because we use the Internet as a means of gathering information "quickly", clients feel that their blogsite should have "instant" success.

Remember that Kevin Costner movie…well, just because you build a blog site, not everyone will read it.

You need to market the site. When done correctly and with the right company, professional bloggers (yes they do exist) can make the site become highly ranked. And the company doing the work for you, if they are into RSS and Blogging can get your main web site listed high with the popular search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN and Alta Vista.

There are lessons to be learned when building a blogsite. More importantly you need to have daily blogs. I cannot go into all the needed essentials to building a good business blogsite in this short blog lesson. So keep in mind to be successful in any industry, use all the marketing tools that exist. That may even mean a direct mail program if that’s what is needed to gain favorable publicity. When was the last time you had an open discussion with your pr director, or met with the publicity firm to review a plan? If it’s been over three months, then it’s time to call a meeting.

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Press Releases ON-Line

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Use the media that offers wide reach, on-line releases


If you are a pr pro, or in the publicity industry, you need to make sure that you are using all the resources available.

This means print, broadcast and of course, on-line.

Writing releases for the mass media, such as the print industry, requires information for the editor to feel it is newsworthy. This we already know. One important point is to make the release fit that industry. Sometimes its revising one or two paragraphs to make the release more appropriate to that readership.

Now lets move to on-line.

While print releases can be two to several pages long, on-line releases should not exceed 800 words. Actually it should be closer to 650 words or less. Don’t go the opposite and write something only 400 words.

As much as readers on the net like short reads, we want to feel that the information has value and content and was beneficial to us.

Keep the on-line source as part of your media mix when distributing press releases.

Another critical secret in on-line releases is to embed, or provide links. This cannot be done with other media outlets like broadcast and print. Don’t go crazy with links on every sentence, and make sure these links are support for the release.

The next step is to distribute the releases. Use a service that you know can handle on-line distribution as well as traditional. Some of these companies are PRNewswire, Bacon’s, and Business Wire. Also, remember to add the releases to your own web site.

One more thing you need to make sure you are doing to get the most of a release. In your web site, create a navigation button titled newsroom, pressroom, or something similar. Place the releases, and/or stories published in that section. Now you have an additional on-line presence with your releases.

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Fiction or Non-Fiction

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What gets the attention of editors to publish your article

Everyone wants to read a good book. But what about an article that a reporter, or publisher or editor must put in their magazine, or other print media, do they prefer fiction or non-fiction.

It should go without saying, but the fiction stuff is what they really want. Sometimes publicity people, or pr writers get a little too close to the topic and want to make it more interesting so they add some non-fiction stuff to fluff up the story.

This is what gets you in trouble.

Fiction is what reporters want. Something that has a hook to it is not boring and yet has interest.

Ok, not every article you read is like that. And yes, a few boring articles enter this media.

I saw a pr article by Peter Turkington where he uses the 5 "w’s" to describe what you need in a good article. These are the who, what, where, when, why and how that we all learned in school and journalists classes. Peter goes on to say that the media looks for another "w". It is the Why should anyone care?

He explains that you need to make articles newsworthy. Well, we already know that. But I still feel as much as this is important, you also need to build relationships with the media. Because not everything you write, or read is full of newsworthy stuff. It just isn’t possible.

If you happen to have a unique product or your timing is good with the introduction of a product (such as security items since 911) you have a good chance to get some ink.

So as much as it is important to be newsworthy, it needs to be said that relationships with the media, and the timing of your story are also factors in getting something published.

You can expand on this further by knowing the publication, or the news media you are approaching. Know their readership and audience. Then make sure you have written the story for that audience and the editor/reporter to read.

These are some tips to getting in the news. Other ways exist, but for now consider these as a first start.

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Humor In Advertising

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There can be a funny side to advertising and publicity


How do you capture a readers attention, and make it memorable?

There are several methods to use. The shock approach, the factual/informative approach, the serious approach and the humors approach.

We chose to use the humorous approach for this specific campaign for our client, Foundations Financial.

The reason, we wanted to break away from the clutter of the typical institutional ads and show the investors we have something unique to offer than traditional companies.

The campaign consisted of placing two different ads in the publication. In addition, this magazine, Personal Real Estate Investor, has a conference at the end of this month and Foundations Financial will be one of the guest speakers on the panel.

The conference will allow our client the opportunity to meet one-on-one with investors and to get to know Foundations Financial personally at the conference.

When possible, using the two marketing tools of Advertising and Publicity can be very rewarding.

I like to always include the two because the final result is powerful and creates a stronger impact.

It also helps to position our pr client as a forward thinking and progressive company.

Publicity has many different applications. One of those is what I just described. Too often, the two departments of advertising/marketing and publicity work separately. I feel this is a waste of time and money.

So the next time you plan an event, or have an ad campaign running, try to incorporate your overall marketing strategy to get the two departments to work together. You will be pleased with the outcome.

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Articles That Get Published

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Short or long, which is better for editors?


If you own a publicity firm, your clients are probably asking you to write articles that can be sent to the media, right?

And if you are a company, you’re probably asking your in-house pr person to do the same, or wondering why your publicity agency isn’t getting those articles published.

Well, this isn’t the only way to get noticed and published, but this suggestion is one method to consider. We call them "briefs".

These are short articles, usually less than 100 words. I share the same opinion as another company, called PR Ideas. He too writes that sending good short briefs can be excellent for editors who need fillers, or just short stories on different topics.

This can also position you or your company as experts in the field. Everyone is busy trying to jam long articles to reporters, publishers and editors. When in fact, they need short articles many times.

I like to think of doing these as a way to help the media people with their job and by showing them we offer a lot of valuable information.

On the other hand, don’t go wild sending dozens of these briefs every month. Especially to the same reporters. That will put you in a negative position with them. Timely briefs are good, but can be difficult for a publisher or reporter to consider if the timing is not right for them. I suggest doing timely briefs, and have a few that are not subject to an economic situation, or a trend or something that might become dated too soon.

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Public Speaking for Better PR

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Improve your publicity opportunities as an expert


I told you the other day that one of the best methods to build recognition for yourself and your company is to do public speaking engagements, seminars, or lectures.

I practice what I preach.

Last month I made a presentation to 109 Community Colleges in Northern California about a subject I firmly support, that is “Soft Skills”.

Rather than give you my presentation, I am showing you that by speaking on a subject that you believe, or support, or a topic that relates to your industry, is a great way to gain favorable publicity.

Soft Skills is a topic that I support. I am on the BESAC committee for the community colleges in California, and the presentation was on why we need this curriculum in our school system. It was based on research within the business community and the facts proved a need for this program.

The amount of positive return was great. The subject matter was close to the hearts of these educators, and I showed how it would help students to get better jobs while making businesses increase productivity by incorporating this program.

Finding a subject or topic to speak about should not be difficult. Especially if you are active within your industry. Whether you attend trade shows, or are a member of an association, or belong to the chamber of commerce, a topic should be easy to find and write about. Make yourself known to reporters that you have this experience, or subject that can benefit others in your industry, or community.

The rewards are plentiful. Both for your company and for yourself.
So get out there. Use this form of publicity for your pr clients, or for your own company.

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Working With The Press

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What to do to make it right with the media

Editorial is "priceless". That’s what we are told in the publicity industry.

But how do you get publicity for clients, or for yourself. You need to understand what the media want and what they don’t want.

Too many times, eager pr people are trying to sell their idea and forget to put in perspective what their job really is.

It is to make the reporter, publisher, or editor’s job easier by supplying compelling information about a product or service that their readers will enjoy (benefit from).

One of the things to do is attend your industry’s trade shows. If you can only afford to attend one, or two, select the ones that will make the most impact.

Then do your homework. Just like knowing the buyers of that industry, you should know the media. Know about each publication that interests you, making sure these are the right fit for your company.

Then put together a press kit. The kit should contain a fact sheet, a bio on key personnel, and several releases. If possible, include a company brochure or a product brochure. Don’t put a catalog in the kit. Too much sales information will only get your press kit tossed out!

Assemble information that can be worthwhile to a reporter. Such as industry trends, statistics on your product and how it compares to competitors, new technology, techniques and useful advice. Whenever possible attach a letter, or fact sheet from the CEO, or president of the company describing the outlook of your industry…not your company’s outlook, but the industry.

If you schedule it correctly, invite several press in your booth, or at designated room to hold a small press conference. Make sure you have something worthy to say, or it will haunt you forever.

Also, never assume the reporters know about you, or your industry. I don’t mean that you bring the level of conversation to a 3rd grade. But if the media is diverse in your market, give them some credit, but don’t make them feel foolish by using a lot of abbreviated terms that only you or the "in" people of the industry use.

Last point. The reporter you talk to today just might be that publisher or editor tomorrow at a major publication. So treat all the media with high respect and it will pay off.

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Getting Publicity By Talking

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Interviews, books and seminars are good publicity tools


Releases, stories and articles as well as interviews can deliver getting your message out to the market. Sometimes conducting seminars can open a new market for potential customers.

Such is the case when our client, Foundations Financial, had two opportunities to present their services by being interviewed on these TV talk shows. Our client was given the opportunity to present (before the show aired, about four days earlier) the five key points they wanted to make that related to the host’s topic. Then the host would have questions relating to these points making the interview successful for everyone. In all, both shows gained favorable pr for our client and they attracted several inquiries for new business.

It seems that reporters and publishers are constantly being hit with press releases and pitched by companies and pr firms to do a story on a specific product or service.

But how many times have you tried to contact a TV show, or a radio show that might specialize in your industry, and offer the producer a representative from your company to speak about a topic that will fit their audience? Probably not often enough.

This media, broadcast, can be an excellent way to get your message out. But you need to understand just like the print media, you need to make your pitch fit that shows profile. You can’t just sell your product/service. You need to position yourself as an expert and explain how the listener (audience) can benefit by using a product/service like yours. Again, this is a thin line that usually the host will control on how much will be about you (your company) and how much will be about the topic in discussion.

Being prepared is important and knowing what to say is critical. So consider all areas of publicity. Don’t limit yourself to one media.

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Cold Calling Is Like Publicity

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Know your prospect and know the media

How many times do you or other companies you know ask their sales people to make cold calls. Or tell them it’s a numbers game. The more calls you make, the more chances you have in getting a sale.

This is a bad method to doing business. Because the reality is that you loose more prospects and probably don’t get past your 5 seconds of intro before the person on the other end hangs up on you. Also, you are wasting a lot of hours making calls that may never buy from you.

This can be compared to publicity. It isn’t a numbers game in sending out a flood of press releases to media that are not interested in your product or service. Be selective. Know your media. Contact the reporter, the publisher and send them a press kit with a cover letter. You can do this as an email if the publication you are contacting accepts this form of communication.

By choosing a limited number of cold calls that you have identified, you should know about that prospects company, the products they are already buying (from you or a competitor), know what they need then make your call. And that call should start off with a question. Asking them to help you with a problem. Make it relate to their situation and your product or service.

This may not be exactly the way to make a call to the media. But think about it, you call them not knowing anything about the publication, or you haven’t done your homework to see if your product or service will be a featured subject a few issues from now, or maybe it already has been written about.

Contacting the media is not a numbers game, nor should your sales department think it is either.

Target marketing is the best solution and that applies to your publicity as well.

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Trade Shows

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Use the shows for positive PR

A month ago we had several clients attend a Natural Products Expo. This show exhibits natural products, for food we eat, to cleaning solvents that are natural, to natural dog and cat food. Yes, even the animals get healthy stuff.

One of our clients was Prime Choice Foods. They produce Organic Snack Foods. The show was held at the Anaheim Convention Center and was in three of the major halls.

Trade shows are an excellent time to get positive publicity and meet the press one-on-one.

This being one of the major shows for my client, we created the booth graphics and carried that image into the brochures for the show to hand to buyers.

In addition, we created a press kit, with several press releases inside describing the new items the client was presenting at the show.

I was able to meet with a few of the media reporters and publishers. At these meetings I presented our clients products and the features they offer in comparison to what already exists.

Being prepared is important. You want to spend your time wisely and not make it a sales pitch but a fact finding for the reporters. Their time is limited and you need to understand that when arranging a meeting with them.

So the next time your client attends a trade show, get the press kit together, any published articles about your company, and samples (if possible) to give to the media. Make use of trade shows, it might be your only opportunity to meet-the-press.

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