Either The Media Interviews Me Monday At Noon - Or It's Off

Synopsis: Although you will usually have time to plan and arrange your schedule to do an interview, there are going to be times that the media wants to schedule it at a time that is inconvenient, or reschedules it at the last minute, forcing you to, once again, change your plans. My advice – do it!

You have a busy schedule, you have a job to do, a business to run, products to sell. Your time is valuable. Who do the media think they are? They think that you can just drop whatever you're doing to do an interview when they want to do it? It's inconvenient. It's not fair. Maybe, but it's reality and if you play it smart, it can pay off for you big time. Although you will usually have time to plan and arrange your schedule to do an interview, there are going to be times that the media wants to do an interview and wants to do it immediately, or wants to schedule it at a time that is inconvenient, or reschedules it at the last minute, forcing you to, once again, change your plans. I had one client tell me that he was willing to appear on the Today Show, but that they had to come to him and that the only available time he had was between 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday. Needless to see he and I had a long talk.

There may be times that you're just not going to be able to accommodate the media's schedule. There are going to be some interviews that you'll have to miss. But only miss an interview if it's completely unavoidable - the plague, an alien invasion - you get the picture. You may be annoyed, and you may be angry, but if you can possibly arrange your schedule so that you can make the interview, do it. The press isn't purposely trying to inconvenience you. You wouldn't believe the amount of times that an editor or producer has to switch from one story to another on a moment's notice. A million things can come up, a fire, an international breaking story, a Presidential speech, any number of stories are going to preempt you. This is just the nature of the business. It happens all the time.

It does you no good to take your anger out on the interviewer or the producer. It was not done to harm you. The decision was circumstantial. Always keep your objective in mind. Your objective is to build your business, to create success through media exposure. And you're going to accomplish your goal by reaching as many people as you can. Your objective is to do those interviews, not to alienate the press. Remember, press begets press. Every interview you do is helping to pave your way to greater success.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

Why Press Kits can Backfire

Synopsis: Press kits can be effective, but only if they're used sparingly and shrewdly. Don't inundate the media with information, and if you've hired a firm, don't give them carte blanche in the matter.

You've got it, you're going to put together a huge, glossy press kit, fill it with bios, press releases, fact sheets, photos, graphs, statistics, brochures, covering everything that ever happened in your life, with every possible bit of information that you have on yourself and your company, and you're going to send it to every media outlet you can think
of. Interesting plan, if your aim is to throw money away and alienate the media. To begin with, unless you have loads of disposable cash, you're going to go broke. More importantly, chances are, that it's going to be incredibly boring, not to mention annoying for the media to receive all that information - information they never requested. Press kits can be effective, but only if they're used sparingly and shrewdly. Don't inundate the media with information, and if you've hired a firm, don't give them carte blanche in the matter. Too many PR firms have a tendency to send out press kits en masse. It's a common practice, but a wasteful one. Also, keep in mind, public relations firms can make a heck of a lot of money charging their clients for high-priced press kits.

Frills and fluff do not make a public relations campaign. Buy yourself some two-pocket folders at any stationery store. Buy a good median-priced folder; you don't want the most expensive, but you don't want the cheapest folder either. Inside the folder include copies of any articles or interviews you have appeared in, a fact sheet, a short bio about you and your company, a press release, and any visuals or photos that you believe are important. No fluff, only include the pertinent stuff. That is your press kit. First send a release, make a follow-up call. If a producer or editor asks for a kit, send one, but only to people who have requested it. Be selective. Be smart.

Also, modify your press kit to fit the media that you're sending to. You may not want to send the same press kit to Time magazine that you would to Runner's World or Forbes. Be discerning in who you send the kits to and in the materials you include. It will pay off in the long run
Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

I Am Only Going To Talk About What I Want To Talk About

By: Anthony Mora

Synopsis: If you adamantly refuse to broaden the scope of your story, I hope your mother's a good listener, because there aren't a hell of a lot of other people who you're going to reach. People who are inflexible, or have a one-note story, usually have failed media campaigns.

We all have different expressions, different moods, and different topics we enjoy discussing. None of us have one-note personalities, but so many people try to launch one-note media campaigns. If you adamantly refuse to broaden the scope of your story, I hope your mother's a good listener, because there aren't a hell of a lot of other people who you're going to reach. People who are inflexible, or have a one-note story, usually have failed media campaigns. Why? They're boring! When people think this way, it's generally because they erroneously believe that the rest of the world is just as fascinated by their ideas as they are. Well, they're wrong.

Most people are going to be bored to tears by what you think is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Now that doesn't mean that the topic is boring, but that your approach is. Remember, your job is to meet the media's needs. Broaden your scope. Come up with other ways to pitch your story. You'll be able to talk about your story, but not until you interest the media. And to do that, sometimes you have to use the indirect approach.

If you are a landscaper, you may have to pitch a story that has you critique the pros and cons of the White House grounds. That's not the story you probably particularly want to address. You want to tell people that you are a wonderful landscaper and that they should hire you, but there's no story there. By talking about the White House grounds, you have added another dimension. You have raised the stakes. You're not just discussing how to landscape Joe Blow's home, you're outlining how to best landscape the First Family's home. These are grounds that everyone has seen (at least in photos or TV) and can relate to. More importantly, you are establishing yourself as an expert in your field.

Be open to new ideas, brainstorm. Come up with as many ideas as you can. Let them be as crazy as you want - don't edit yourself. Now review your list and start to edit out the ideas that don't work. Formulate two or three new story angles. Write them up as releases. Broadening your scope will help ensure your success.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008
For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

I Don't Want PR; I Just Want To Be Successful.

By Anthony Mora

Synopsis: Effective public relations isn't about wanting to be a star or simply appearing in the media - it's about success. It's about establishing yourself as an expert in your field and zooming beyond your competition.


A lot of people have resistance to launching a public relations campaign and doing media. They don't want to do interviews, they don't want to be "stars," they just want their business to be successful. If you feel that way, ask yourself what you're willing to do to be successful. Are you willing to utilize the most powerful marketing tool available? Are you willing to take risks, utilize the magic of the media, and give your business a real chance for success?

Effective media placement isn't about wanting to be a star or wanting to appear on the media - it's about success. It's about establishing yourself as an expert in your field and zooming beyond your competition. Media relations is a creative, effective, relatively inexpensive, and dynamic way to achieve success. You are not positioning yourself as a "star" or an entertainer, but as an expert in your field. You are establishing yourself as an invaluable resource for the media. You probably don't like to pay the bills, or do the books, or purchase supplies, but you do it because it's part of doing business. It is a part of your bottom line. Media placement should also be an integral part of that equation. You do it because you want to be successful. Period.

© 2008 Anthony Mora
www.anthonymora.com