Everyone has something that drives them up a wall. You may be surprised at what aggravates reporters.

They deal with horrors like jargon-filled press releases, poorly-written news advisories, and gimmicky pens and mousepads, but reporters consistently and overwhelmingly name one habit of publicity-seekers as their number one peeve.

What is it? It’s when someone calls after a press release has been sent and asks "Did you get my press release?"

This is the single worst way to follow up after sending something.

When you make this no-no call, the reporter thinks: "If I wanted to call you, I would" or "Doesn’t this person think I know how to open mail?" What’s worse, they may even say this to you right over the phone. If they weren’t interested in your story ideas before, they certainly won’t be now.

You think: “Unfair! These guys lose half the stuff they get sent!” True, but remember, they do own the printing presses. If you want to reap the many benefits of free publicity, you have to stay on their good side.

What works better is to find a credible reason to follow up. For example: “Hi, Jen. Since I sent you that release last week on how to buy U.S. Government bonds, Congress passed a new law that makes it even easier.”

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

Considering how fundamental they are to the publicist’s trade,
it’s always amazed me how lousy almost all press kits truly are.
Your typical press kit is a bloated folder filled with puffery,
hype, irrelevant information and worse.  The vast majority of
these monstrosities do little besides kill trees and clog
newsroom trash baskets.

The good news is that creating a press kit that actually works
really isn’t that hard.  Let’s look at the elements of a winning
press kit, and help you avoid some common pitfalls.

The Psychology of a Press Kit

There are two fundamental rules to creating a good press kit:

1. The press kit exists to make the journalist’s life easier, not
for you to present sales messages and hype.  Good publicists are
journalist-centric — that is, they think from the perspective of
the recipient, not the sender.  They take the time to learn what
journalists need and then they give it to them in as simple,
straightforward and user-friendly a manner as possible.
Remember, publicity is not about you — it’s about giving
journalists what they need to create a strong story.

2. Everything in the press kit goes to support your clincher.
Everything else gets yanked out.  (A refresher: a "clincher" is
my term for the one or two line distillation of your publicity
message.  It’s the publicist’s version of the Universal Selling
Proposition that marketers use to boil a product’s marketing
message down to its essence.)  You lay out your clincher in the
pitch letter that gets clipped to the cover of the press kit, and
the press kit serves to flesh out and support your clincher.
That’s it.  If your clincher is that you’ve brought a radical new
way of thinking to your market segment, then a backgrounder about
your "old fashioned commitment to excellence" not only doesn’t
support your clincher, it may actually contradict it.

The Elements of a Press Kit

The Cover:  In my twenty years as a publicist, I have never
encountered a single journalist who told me the cover a press kit
had the slightest impact on their decision whether to run a
story.  Yet, businesses still spend thousands on glossy, four
color folder covers.  Don’t bother.  A simple colored folder with
your business name imprinted upon it will work just fine.

Some businesses choose to get stickers printed up with their logo
and place them on blank folders, which is fine too, as long as
the stickers are neatly applied.  Either way, don’t obsess over
it — it’s what’s inside that counts.

Letterhead:  The first page of each press kit element should be
on your letterhead.  Some folks prefer to get special "News from
(name of company)" letterhead printed, although, again, I doubt
it really matters.

The Lead Release:  If your press kit is going out in support of
an announcement, an event, a trend story or for another specific
purpose, the release that lays out the news should be the first
thing a journalist sees upon opening the folder. This "lead
release" should be positioned at the front of the right side of
the folder.

Backgrounder: This is the element of your kit that provides,
well, the background information to support your pitch.  It’s
written in the fashion of a standard news feature (i.e. in third
person, objective tone).  This is typically the longest element
in a press kit, often going 2 or 3 pages.  As you’re crafting
this, keep something important in mind:  if a journalist is
reading your backgrounder, chances are he’s already interested in
your pitch.  If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t bother with it.  You’ve
hooked him and the backgrounder can reel him in.  To do so, you
must answer the two questions he has:  "Is the claim made in the
pitch legitimate?" and "Is there enough material here for me to
do a story?"

Your pitch letter (based on your clincher) made a claim of some
sort about you, your company or your product.  You’re the
fastest, the most advanced, the hottest-selling, the most civic-
minded, etc.  Now you have to back up your claim.  Your
backgrounder is where this happens.  Provide proof, by giving
concrete examples, third party observations, study results, etc.
to support your pitch.  If you’re claiming that there’s a trend
taking place, here’s where you provide the statistics to back it
up.  If you’ve claimed that you’ve won more awards that anyone
else in town, here’s where you describe them. Don’t stray from
your purpose — to reel in the journalist by convincing him that
your claim is legit.

The backgrounder also must demonstrate that enough material
exists to support the claim - and that it will be easy for the
journalist to access this information.  Journalists don’t have
time to do extended investigation on every piece.  Provides leads
to websites, trade journals, experts and other resources to back
up your claim and help the journalist complete the story, you’ll
have a big edge.

To write a backgrounder, do some role playing.  You’re a
reporter.  Your editor has handed you a pitch letter and said
"write this up".  In this case, of course, the pitch letter is
your own.  While you’re writing it, try to forget that the piece
is, essentially, about you.  Pretend you’re an objective
reporter.  Track down  resources, dig up stats, interview
experts.  Try to see if you can create a credible piece that
proves the pitch’s claim to be valid and interesting to the
reader.  If you can, you’ve got a great backgrounder.  If you
can’t, it may be time to come up with a new pitch!

Bio:  Only include bios of people who are  relevant to the pitch.
A bio of your sales manager in a press kit designed to support a
claim of technological superiority is pointless.  A bio of your
head of R&D is valid.  Keep bios short (three paragraphs at the
most) and include only information relevant to the pitch.  The
fact your head of R&D spent twenty years at NASA is relevant,
that she loves golf and has two cats isn’t.  The point of a bio:
to show the legitimacy of those quoted in your release or being
offered for interview, and to help the reporter craft a short
description of the person when writing the piece.

Fact Sheet:  The fact sheet should distill the entire press kit
into an "at a glance" document.  Keep it short, use bullet points
and bold headings.  For example, I might start with the heading
The Story: and include a bullet point repeating the pitch.  The
next heading might be Why It’s Important:  followed by some
bullet points putting the pitch into a broader industry-wide (or
perhaps even worldwide) context.  Finally, I might use the
heading Why (name of my company) is at the Heart of this Vital
Story: and run some bullet points taken from the backgrounder
giving support to my claim.  Put this fact sheet at the front of
the left side of the folder, just across from the lead release.
This sort of fact sheet is amazingly powerful and almost never
crafted in the fashion I just laid out.  I’ve sold countless
stories because of this style of fact sheet and you can too.

Other Stuff: Filling out the kit with a company brochure and a
photo or two is reasonable, but don’t get carried away. Keep your
kit simple, stick to your clincher and think like a journalist,
not a marketer, and you’ll have crafted a first class press kit!

Bill Stoller, the "Publicity Insider", has spent two decades as
one of America’s top publicists.  Now, through his website, eZine
and subscription newsletter, Free Publicity: The Newsletter for
PR-Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp
he’s sharing — for the very first time — his secrets of scoring
big publicity.  For free articles, killer publicity tips and
much, much more, visit Bill’s exclusive new site:
http://www.PublicityInsider.com

Always ask, “Is now a good time?”

Deadlines in journalism are unrelenting and unforgiving. Using these as your first words after “hello” shows the reporter you’re sympathetic to her needs. It also ensures your pitch gets heard when the reporter is devoting proper attention.

Your goal: attract

In your first contact with a reporter, don’t come off like a talking encyclopedia. Your job now is to attract and interest them – not to deliver the whole story yet. Keep it short and enticing.

Offer that reporter a nugget of information they need

The best way to get a reporter’s attention: put yourself in her shoes and ask yourself, “What do I know about my topic that would help this reporter do a better job or get a big story?”

Don’t go “off the record”

Memorize these words: “There’s no such thing as off the record.” It’s just too risky. If you don’t want to see your words splashed across page one, don’t let them out of your mouth.

When the interview’s over, don’t just hang up

Wrap up every media interview or informal chat with a reporter with this question: “What else are you working on?” Finding out what else is on the reporter’s plate can line you up to get interviewed for the next story, too.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

To many marketers, the press release is something of a "one size
fits all" proposition.  You want to get media coverage, you knock
out a press release, send it to some journalists and sit back and
wait.

Of course, smart Publicity Insiders already know that’s a
prescription for failure.  You know that your press release has
to have a "hook", be well-written and sent to appropriate
journalists in an active, not passive, manner.  But there’s
another part of the puzzle that even savvy publicity-seekers
sometimes miss — you can’t just write "a press release", you
have to write the right kind of press release.

There’s no such thing as a "one size fits all" release.  Smart
publicists have variations of the press release model ready to be
go, depending on the occasion.

(Note: for a general introduction to press release writing and
formatting, see: http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp

Let’s look at some releases suitable for "harder" and more timely
news….

The News Release

To some folks, "news release" and "press release" are
interchangeable.  Not to me.  I use the phrase "news release" to
refer to a release that, well, carries actual news.  Let’s face
it, most of what a business has to say to a journalist isn’t
exactly "stop the presses" kind of stuff.  But, on occasion,
something of real significance occurs.  A merger, a stock split,
a major new contract, winning a national award…something that’s
truly timely and important.  For these sorts of events, don’t
mess around.  Craft a solid, hard-hitting News Release that’s
written in pure journalistic style (lead includes "who, what,
when, why and how", language is in 3rd person and completely
free of hyperbole).  Use journalism’s "inverted pyramid" — most
important information at the top, next most important info in the
second paragraph and so on down.

Tell the entire story in the headline and subhead.  Again, don’t
get cute — get straight to the point.  The headline Acme
Corporation Selected by Pentagon to Supply Troops with Widgets is
far better than something like Guess Who’s Making Widgets for
Uncle Sam? or something "clever" like that.  In the subhead, fill
in some details: $18 Million Contract Largest in Company’s
History.  Talk about getting straight to the point! You’ve just
given the journalist the meat of the story before she’s even read
your lead.

Add a "dateline" (Akron, OH) at the beginning of your lead
(first) paragraph.  In the dateline, use your company’s home town
(or the location where some news has broken.  You can be a bit
creative here, if it helps maximize your impact.  For the above
example, you can dateline it Washington, DC and say that "The
Pentagon today announced that it has selected an Akron
company…").

In distributing the release, use e-mail, fax, or even overnight
courier.  The goal is to get it into journalists’ hands on the
same day you distribute it.

Executive Appointment Release

Most businesses send out a brief release and headshot when
someone new is hired or a major promotion is made.  That’s fine,
and it will get them in the "People on the Move" column  on page
8 in the business section.  It’s an ego stroke for the employee,
but that’s about it. Savvy publicity seekers use the Executive
Appointment release to generate real publicity. Here’s the key –
don’t just announce that someone’s been hired or promoted.
Rather, explain why the move is significant to the company — and
perhaps the market — as a whole.

For example, Jane Smith has been hired as your company’s new
director of sales.  Not so exciting.  However, the reason you
hired her is because she came from a major online retailer and is
planning to overhaul your sales system to compare with the state-
of-the-art systems used by the big guys.  Hmmmm…that’s a lot
more interesting.  So why not tell the media about it?

The key  ingredient  is context.  Your headline may still look
like that of a typical Executive Appointment release (Acme Names
Jane Smith New Director of Sales), but starting with the subhead,
you begin your journey off page 8 of the business section and
onto page one (Hiring of Key Figure in Online Sales Explosion
Marks Important Shift in Acme’s Sales Strategy). Ah, now you’ve
entered the realm of news, not business as usual.  And a sharp
business editor will see that a local company is doing something
far more significant than just making a hire.

Dateline the release, fax (or even messenger), email or regular
mail it over to your local business editor and follow up with a
phone call.  Offer Jane Smith for interview, too.

The Media Alert

The Media Alert is a deceptively simple creature.  It’s
essentially a memo from you to TV, radio and newspaper assignment
editors, city desk editors and others who decide whether a
particular news event is worth covering.  They’re used to alert
the press about news conferences, charity events, publicity
"stunts" and other events.

The point of the Media Alert is to, in just a few seconds, tell a
journalist about the event, how to cover it and why it’s
important that the media outlet, in fact, covers it.  Most
publicists are pretty good on the first two points — almost all
media alerts do a decent job of telling what the event is, where
it will be held and what time it starts.  It’s the third aspect
– the "why" — that will make the real difference, though.  And
it’s the thing most publicists do a lousy of job of conveying.

First, a word about format.  Use standard press release headings
(contact info, "For Immediate Release" and headline).  The rest
of the document should be a few paragraphs, spaced at least three
lines apart from one another.  The first paragraph, should begin
with What: and continue with a one or two line description of the
event (WidgetFest 2004, a celebration of young minds).  Next
paragraph, When:, after that Where:

Now here’s the key paragraph,

Why You Should Cover WidgetFest 2004:  The brightest young minds
from around the region will gather to present their inventions,
as Acme Corp. celebrates the state’s top high school science
students.  The event will be a visual feast, with a host of awe-
inspiring inventions, many colorful, active and exotic, on
display.  As part of the event, more than $10,000 in scholarships
will be distributed to budding Einsteins by John Smith, Ohio’s
Science Teacher of the Year.

The key?  This line: "The event will be a visual feast, with a
host of awe-inspiring inventions, many colorful, active and
exotic, on display."  I just spoke an assignment editor’s
language, telling him that this will provide lots of cool
visuals, making for great video or photos.  The bit about the
scholarships and the Science Teacher of the Year assures him that
this won’t just be a promotional stunt.  So what are we offering?
A non-promotional, feel-good event with great visuals.  Just what
an assignment editor is looking for.

Bill Stoller, the "Publicity Insider", has spent two decades as
one of America’s top publicists.  Now, through his website, eZine
and subscription newsletter, Free Publicity: The Newsletter for
PR-Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp
, he’s sharing — for the very first time — his secrets of
scoring big publicity.  For free articles, killer publicity tips
and much, much more, visit Bill’s exclusive new site:
http://www.publicityInsider.com

Sometimes a phone call isn’t intimate or long enough to convey all the information you have for a reporter.

Two examples would be: if you have a dozen or so story ideas, or if you’d like to explain an extremely complex financial concept or strategy to a reporter.

If this is the case, you should consider offering to meet the reporter over coffee or for a quick lunch, for a "backgrounder" on your topic.

It’s a relatively common event in the media world. Many reporters jump at the chance to pick a knowledgeable expert’s brain. You may be able to get information from them about what types of stories they are interested in, and what other reporters at their outlet might want to use you as a source.

And, as I’m sure you’ve recognized from your years of client service, meeting a client in person jumpstarts a personal relationship that can cement a professional one.

One caveat: Whereas you might take a client to an expensive restaurant to emphasize your financial planning success, don’t do this with a reporter. No lavish, expense-account spots. It looks like you’re trying to buy favor.

Most publications have pretty strong ethics codes—the reporter will probably be obligated to pay for their own meal, and they won’t like shelling out for filet mignon. Suggest too fancy an establishment and they probably will turn you down.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

In an ideal world, your business would be overflowing with
newsworthy stories, and the media would be waiting with bated
breath for your next press release, ready to give you front page
coverage.

In the real world, however, it’s not always so easy to generate
real news.  There are only so many hot new products or
breakthrough achievements with which a business can capture a
journalist’s attention.

So what do top publicists do to get news coverage for clients who
have no news to share?

They create opportunities for publicity from thin air.  A good
publicist can quite literally invent a story that the news media
will eat up.  And, best of all, they’re usually stories that can
be presented with little or no adjustment year after year.

Here are  few of the ways you can create a great story from
scratch:

Start a Hall of Fame.  There are two reasons for you to take a
look at http://www.publicityinsider.com/HallOfFame.asp — my very
own Public Relations Hall of Fame. First, it’s filled with
examples of companies who have created great publicity stories
from thin air (the Pillsbury Bake-Off and the National Discount
Broker’s Duck Quack, to name a couple) and second,  it’s an
example of a time-honored publicity technique — the Hall of
Fame.

It couldn’t be easier. For your field, create a Hall of Fame,
induct some of your industry’s top luminaries, send out a press
release. You don’t need a marble-columned building or bronze
plaques. A simple press release (and maybe a supporting website
similar to the Public Relations Hall of Fame) will do the trick.
Each year, induct some more members and send out another release.
Really, it’s that simple.

Make a List.  Mr. Blackwell made himself  a household name with a
simple "Worst Dressed List".  And the "Most Boring People of the
Year" list that gets huge press every year?  It’s the creation of
a single, very clever publicist from New Jersey.   And take a
look at one of the more recent lists to get massive publicity –
the Most Annoying People of the Year from AmIAnnoying.com (
http://www.amiannoying.com/2002/mostandleast.aspx).

The media simply devours lists. The best, the worst, the most,
the least, the top 10, the bottom 10, whatever. Is there actual
news here? Nope — it’s just entertaining, fluffy and a bit
gossipy. In short, lists are the perfect fodder for an editor
seeking to balance out all the horror and sadness of a typical
news day with a bit of levity. Lists such as these are
practically the reason "People" columns in newspapers were
invented.

Craft an Index. Here’s a neat variation on the list concept.
Essentially a twist on the government’s cost of living index, a
publicity index is a fun way to quantify a trend.

Let me give you an example of a good index that generated strong
publicity year after year. Back in my agency days, one of our
clients was the company that imported Moet Champagne.  Somewhere
along the line, a very sharp publicist had a brainstorm, and
invented "The Moet Index". It was basically a list of some luxury
items — such things as a Maine lobster, a jar of Russian caviar,
a diamond bracelet and, of course, a bottle of Moet — with the
total cost of all the items if one were to purchase them.  The
number was compared with the amount they would have cost last
year, and the year before and — voila — the Moet Index was
born. The Index purported to ask the question "How much more
expensive is living the good life this year as opposed to
previous years?"  The media loved it, and Moet had a nice annual
story. They simply tallied up the new numbers each year,
distributed a press release, sat back and counted the clippings.

Create a Petition. Is there a hot topic in your industry? A
growing controversy? Something people would like to see happen
that’s not taking place? Create a petition!

Thanks to the Internet, starting a petition drive is a breeze.
No need to stand outside supermarkets with a  clipboard — just
provide a link for your visitors and you’re off and running!
Sites such as PetitionOnline.com
http://www.petitiononline.com/petition.html allow anyone to
start a petition for free.

Take a look at some of the petitions on the site:  "Operation
Keep Vanessa on General Hospital";  "Request to CBS to air the
Lane Bryant Lingerie Show"; "Declare Sept. 11 a National
Holiday"; "Eminem For President In 2004". Whether serious or
lighthearted, a petition that generates lots of signatures is a
great publicity hook.

For example, take a closer look at the "Lane Bryant Lingerie
Show" petition. It notes that, because 60% of women in America
wear at least a size 14, CBS should provide a plus-size fashion
show as a counterpart to its airing of the Victoria’s Secret
show.  Now, I don’t know who was behind this petition, but
imagine if you ran a website for plus-size women, and you were
the one who started the petition.  And let’s say you managed to
get 3000 people to sign the petition. Do you think you might have
a pretty good shot at getting coverage in newspapers, women’s
magazines and other media outlets.  Heck, yeah!

Petitions are an awesome way to create publicity from thin air –
and hardly anyone is using them for that purpose. Jump on this
idea and keep it to yourselves. This is one just for my Publicity
Insiders!

Here are my tips to create a story from thin air:

*  Keep it light.  Journalists know what you’re up to, and
they’ll play along if it’s all in fun. Think in terms of placing
the story in the "People in the News" column or with a "notes"
columnist who specializes in lighter stories. Don’t try to
pretend that your "Top 10 List" or online petition is
earthshaking news. Keep your tongue planted in your cheek and
you’ll have a much better chance of placement.

*  Keep it positive.  Mr. Blackwell is pretty tart in some of his
comments and, I suppose, one of his targets could up and sue him
one of these days. That probably won’t happen because he’s well-
established and a star who took him to court would end up looking
like a bad sport. Still, for your efforts, try to stay positive
and avoid criticizing, ridiculing or otherwise embarrassing
anyone.  We live in a litigious society, and there are folks who
wouldn’t take kindly to finding themselves on the "Top 10
Buffoons of the Year" list.  Let others take those chances. While
calling people boring, or annoying, or hideously dressed does
seem to generate attention, there are plenty of ways to succeed
taking an opposing approach.  What about the most heroic, the
most inspiring, the coolest, the smartest, and so on? Let your
list, index, petition or Hall of Fame celebrate the positive in
our society or your industry, and it will reflect well on your
business.

*  Keep it Relevant.  To make it work for you, a created story
needs to fit your business. Mr. Blackwell is a designer, so a
worst-dressed list makes sense. It would do no good, however, for
a car dealership to put out such a list. Keep it relevant.Let
your story support your marketing message (e.g. Moet Index =
"Moet is part of the good life") and it will do more than fill
your clipping book — it will fill your cash registers, too.

Bill Stoller, the "Publicity Insider", has spent two decades as
one of America’s top publicists.  Now, through his website, eZine
and subscription newsletter, Free Publicity: The Newsletter for
PR-Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp
, he’s sharing — for the very first time — his secrets of
scoring big publicity.  For free articles, killer publicity tips
and much, much more, visit Bill’s exclusive new site:
http://www.publicityInsider.com

When you are planning to call a reporter for the first time, it can help to imagine that you are a phone solicitor (albeit one with terrific, useful ideas).

When phone solicitors call you, you don’t want to hear a long explanation of their product. You just want to know the basics so you can make a quick decision and get back to work.

That’s why, in a first call or contact with a reporter, keep it short and sweet. Have one or two story ideas – no more – ready to convey.

Don’t try what I call the "shotgun approach" — firing away with seven or eight ideas in the hope that one will hit the mark. Would you want a phone solicitor trying to sell you that many products at once? Of course not. It’s too much for the person at the other end of the line to absorb and process.

Before you call a reporter, pick your best two story ideas. Take a few minutes to rehearse your explanations of the stories, then make your call. If the reporter isn’t interested, don’t be discouraged. Thank them politely for their time, and then make a note to call them back in a month with two more story ideas.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

It’s safe to say that we live in interesting times.  It seems we
hardly have a breather between wars, tragedies, scandals,
epidemics, circus trials and other events that capitalize the
media’s attention.  For the business seeking publicity, the "news
hole" for more traditional stories — new product reviews,
business features, offbeat promotions — keeps shrinking as the
"big story" mentality takes hold.

Fortunately, you’re not completely at the mercy of world events
when it comes to obtaining some exposure.  By being smart and
aggressive, you can find a way to break through the logjam by
tying-in — where appropriate and tasteful — with the news of
the day.

Here are a few good examples (including a couple in which I was
personally involved):

Taco Bell’s Mir Brainstorm.   The Soviet Mir space station was
falling, and Taco Bell reaped the benefits. The company set up a
40’ x 40’ vinyl target — emblazoned with the company’s logo and
the words ‘’Free Taco Here!'’ — 10 miles off the coast of
Australia. In the extremely unlikely event that Mir hit the
target, the company promised free tacos to all 281 million
Americans. Space-travel experts said the prospects of the debris
hitting the mark were slim to none. Taco Bell added relevance to
the public relations stunt by claiming to have taken out an
insurance policy. A minute-by-minute countdown of Mir’s descent
and a photo of the floating target were anxiously seen by
millions of hungry websurfers on the Taco Bell site. The result?
Millions of dollars of free publicity on major news programs and
media outlets around the world. Their website could hardly handle
the traffic.

5 Star Shine Goes to War.  Fellow Free Publicity subscriber Glenn
Canady discovered that his car polishing product — 5 Star Shine
– was being used by the U.S. Navy to keep the Aegis radar
equipment up and running in the face of saltwater, sea air and
other potentially damaging elements.  Take a look at Glenn’s
press release — along with a great hit he earned in the San
Diego Union Tribune–by going to:

http://www.5starshine.com/press-coverage.html

Dan’s Lucky Angel.  We were charged with getting publicity for
the "My Little Angel" doll, so we sent one to a photographer in
Ireland, who took a shot of the doll "kissing" the lucky Blarney
Stone.  We then sent the newly-lucky doll on to Olympic
speedskater Dan Jansen at Lillehammer.  When the previously hard-
luck skater finally won his elusive gold medal, we took the
credit — and got lots of press!

Here’s how to tie-in with a news event:

1. Be prepared.  If something happens that can offer the
possibility of your involvement, you’ll need to act quickly.
Make sure you have press materials prepared beforehand so they’re
ready to go when needed.  Obviously, you can’t predict news
events, but you can begin examining your product, service or area
of expertise to discover the types of events that may occur and
the role you can play.  Put together a strong bio that details
your background and expertise.  Make a list of the news editors,
assignment editors and producers at, respectively, your local
newspaper, TV stations and talk radio stations.

2. Be appropriate.  This means two things, actually.  First,
don’t force a fit where none exists.  If the world is focused on,
say, a manned mission to Mars, your carpet cleaning business
probably has nothing much that it can do to tie-in.  There has to
be some legitimate connection, or else you’ll be laughed out of
the newsroom (on the other hand, if it’s proved that the germs
behind some fast-spreading respiratory illness can live in
carpeting, you’re just the person to talk to the press about how
to kill germs hiding in carpets).  The second measure of what’s
appropriate is common sense and decency.  Jumping on a tragedy
with a hype-filled press release is just plain ghoulish.  In the
aftermath of something truly awful, go to the press only if you
have something unique, helpful, non-promotional and newsworthy to
offer.

3. Be timely.  If you have something of immediate value to offer
(e.g. you’ve written a book about a major figure who’s just
died), time is of the essence.  Work from the media list you’ve
already prepared and hit the phones.  Tell the reporters, editors
and producers who you are and the kinds of insight you can offer
about the current situation.  Since seconds count, offer to stop
by with a copy of your book, or to email or fax your press
materials.   If you really are an expert on the subject of the
breaking news story, you’re doing the journalist a huge favor
right now, so don’t be shy.

4. Be timely, part 2. The other side of the coin: You have a
story that might fit in with what’s happening, but it’s lighter,
softer and less timely (5 Star Shine is a great example.  It fits
with world events, but it’s not hard news).  In these cases, wait
until the dust has settled.  The first few days covering any big
story, the media is interested solely in the hard stuff.  The
who, what , when , where and why info.  If you can help with
that, great.  If not, hang on until the media machine needs more
fuel.  After a little while, there will be huge blocks of time to
fill, breaking news will dissipate and the media will begin
turning to lighter stuff to fill the void.  Consider that, just
in the past few weeks, you’ve begun hearing about such things as
the "Talking Iraqi Information Minister Doll".  Expect much more
to come.

5. Be creative.  For non-tragic events, taking a fun approach
often works wonders.  Consider the Mir idea (it was already
determined the station would land in the water, so there was no
element of potential tragedy involved.  If there was a chance
that people could have gotten hurt, the promotion wouldn’t have
been such a great notion).  Or think about how ice cream
companies that get mileage out of naming flavors for newsmakers,
or fashion designers who send out lists of fashion hits and
misses for major Hollywood events or DJ’s who do things like
sleeping in a billboard until the hometown team breaks its losing
streak.  When there no lives at stake and the story is purely for
fun, be as creative and "out there" as you can to tie in.

6. Be smart. One very important caveat has to be mentioned:
unless you specifically cater to a particular audience — all of
whom are in agreement a particular issue — don’t take sides
politically.   No matter how strongly you may feel about a
certain issue, if a segment of your potential or existing
customer base may feel differently, you’re taking a major gamble
by choosing sides.  If you want to poke fun at politicians,
include both Democrats and Republicans.  Unless your area of
expertise requires it, steer clear of divisive issues such as
religion, abortion, gay rights, etc.  Using your business as a
personal political soapbox can come back to haunt you.  This
isn’t about "wimping out", it’s common business sense.  Customers
are hard enough to attract and keep — there’s no point in going
out of your way to alienate them by showing disdain for their
beliefs.

Bill Stoller, the "Publicity Insider", has spent two decades as
one of America’s top publicists.  Now, through his website, eZine
and subscription newsletter, Free Publicity: The Newsletter for
PR-Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp
, he’s sharing — for the very first time — his secrets of
scoring big publicity.  For free articles, killer publicity tips
and much, much more, visit Bill’s exclusive new site:
http://www.publicityInsider.com

Just because a publication is small doesn’t mean that getting your name in it won’t have great impact.

Trade on the reputation of the trades

Some of the trade publications have very loyal audiences who are much more likely to trust someone they see there than someone on the local news or in The Wall Street Journal. Now I’m not talking about the trade publication for your profession – the only people you’ll reach are your competitors. Get yourself in the publications your prospects and clients read!

Don’t forget the Sewer Cleaner Association’s newsletter

It’s a great to get yourself in the newsletters of the associations your prospects in that niche belong to. Whatever your market is, you can bet it has a professional or trade association. Sure, their newsletters are “smaller.” But there’s nothing better or more tightly focused on reaching your targets – and no one else!

Offer yourself as a guest columnist

Unlike the major publications, which receive 100 times more material then they could ever print, smaller publications usually scramble to get enough content. Ask one of those industry publications, or your local paper, if they’d like a guest columnist to write advice articles on your topic. Or offer to answer “reader’s mailbag” questions.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

How do you make a friend of the media? A press package can go a long way in helping you deal with the media. It allows you to have everything you need handy.

Many individuals in the media will ask you to send yourpress package to them, so it is very important to be sure to make one up and to keep it up to date.

What does a press package contain?

1. Your biography
2. Your picture
3. Information on Your Company
4. Press Releases
5. Any articles written about you

Note: If you are a frequent speaker, you also want to have an updated itinerary in your press package of where you will be speaking.

Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2002

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it’s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com