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Public Relations: Simplified!
Author : Erin Banister
Public Relations: The art of creating interest in you, your
company, and your product/service by convincing others (namely
media outlets such as print, TV, and radio) to report about who
you are, what you do, and why it’s important to the world at
large.
Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? PR is perhaps a little
deceiving in definition. PR involves a lot of hard work and
dedication. There are several things you must do (and do well)
in order for the media outlets to recognize your expertise and
your business.
First and foremost: You must be an expert at something. No one
will want to book you for their show or write an article about
you unless you’ve done your work and are an expert in your
field. So, before you go any further, be aware that if you are
not already an expert (usually, if you own a small business, you
are an expert) you need to take some time and learn about
everything related to your product or service. The worst
publicity is the kind that says you don’t know what you’re
talking about.
The next thing to do is to zero in on your buying audience. Take
your buying audience and identify various segments – different
segments of your audience will require different promotional
efforts. Figure out what magazines and newspapers they read, the
news and television programming they watch, and the radio
stations and programming to which your audience listens.
Now you can zero in on the media audience that will be the most
effective in your PR Campaign. If you’re selling high-end
computer servers, for example, sending a press release to
Parenting magazine is not your best bet. I would suggest
gathering an extensive list of all media outlets that might be
interested. If you are sending your materials to several hundred
media outlets, you will have a greater chance of publication (or
booking) than if you send it to only 20. So be exact; but find a
LOT. A good resource for finding the best media outlets for your
product or service is Bacons MediaList Online
(http://www.medialistsonline.com).
TIP: You must fully believe in what you’re publicizing – the
media has a way of sifting through the hype and seeing the
product/service for what it’s worth. Enthusiasm is contagious.
When you promote your product, be enthusiastic and sincere.
Impassioned people always find their way to the top! Believe
from the heart that what you’re promoting will change the world,
that you promoting it makes a difference, and that YOU know more
about it than anyone else. You can’t fake it!
The next logical step is to create a press release. Generally,
TV and radio producers do not have the time to read press
releases. Send it to them anyway. It may just fall through the
cracks and find its way into an interested producer’s hand.
Newspapers and other print publications will usually pay more
attention to your press releases than their radio and TV
counterparts.
Press releases sent to print publications should differ than
those you send to radio and TV outlets. Print outlets can
publish a press release at little or no charge; so make sure
that your press release is newsworthy and includes all the
information (the who, what, where, when, why, and how) as
concisely as possible. You should limit all your press releases
to a single page. The first paragraph of your press release is
vital. Many editors won’t get past this first paragraph if they
do not like it. Use this paragraph to inform them of what you
are promoting. It should be no more than four sentences and
should include all the points you are making throughout the rest
of the press release. Do not go into great detail here. Most of
the people to whom you are sending your press release will not
care about the details unless they read the rest of the press
release. If you insist on going into greater detail about you or
your product or service, include the details on another page in
your media kit. Make sure to include your contact information at
the top and bottom of every page you send to the media.
Press releases sent to radio and TV producers should be much
shorter. Generally, they don’t have the time to read the press
releases. When they do, they just read the headlines and
sub-headlines. These headlines should only be one line. They
should only take a couple seconds to read; and they should
immediately show the value/benefits of what you are promoting.
The media is obsessed with certain topics – sex, money, and
health – so try to incorporate these ideas in your headlines.
Make sure to bullet your main points. Keep the bullets in order
of importance; readers probably won’t get past the first three.
And keep the list short, five bullets is probably best.
Make sure you record who you send your press releases to. Keep
track of their names, addresses, phone number, employer,
specialty area, source information, and any other information
you have on this particular person. Make sure your list is
always up-to-date, there is a huge turnover rate in the media.
You don’t want to waste your time sending your media kit/press
release to people who no longer work for those outlets.
Follow up with the editors/producers to whom you send your press
release/media kit. Telephone them within 3 days of receiving
your press release/media kit (Note: FedEx packages are opened
more frequently than any other delivered package – so if you’re
sending your press release/media kit out and you have the
resources, send them via overnight FedEx delivery). When you get
these people on the phone, ask them if they got the press
release, if they have any questions about it, or if there’s
anything further you can do to help them. Building relationships
with media outlets is essential; but it’s a one-way information
street. To have a successful relationship, you must be willing
to give them information, to do some extra research for whatever
project they’re working on – YOU must help THEM in some way.
Offer your expertise for whatever project on which they are
currently working. Or, if you have no expertise in that area,
offer to make contact with some of your associates on their
behalf for their piece. These people are addicted to
information. The more information you give them, the more apt
they are to help you promote yourself! So don’t be shy! Ask if
and how you can help them!
Your media kit should highlight your press release. Without a
great press release, sending a media kit is an act of futility.
Media kits are no longer necessary for initial mailings; they do
better as a follow up tactic. Your media kit should be presented
in a nice two-pocket folder with your business card included.
Keep your media kits short, no more than a few pages; and you
can include any of the following in addition to your press
release:
• Company history • Personal history • Suggested questions •
Brochure • Articles • Your photograph • Testimonials • Quizzes,
trivia, or giveaways
Make sure to print your logo and contact information on the
cover of your folder. If you are in a money crunch, print out
some labels and stick them on there – but make sure that
information is there. You will also want the entirety of your
contact information on every page of your media kit. If any of
these elements get separated from the rest, you want them to be
able to reach you!
As you can tell, this information is really only the tip of the
iceberg. While PR is time consuming, it is an integral part of
your marketing efforts. Take the time, plan what you need to do,
and get a PR strategy working for you!
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