Articles: Anthony Mora Communications
You Don't Have to Be a Publicist to Get Good P.R.
Los Angeles Business Journal
By Anthony Mora
This is no time for an entrepreneur to be media illiterate.
Not only is public relations savvy an important insurance policy when it comes to damage control, but, just as a negative image can harm a company, positive media exposure can help build a business, often establishing a company overnight.
But no, you protest, you could never interest the media - your story's simply not exciting enough. Or, you insist, media would be a waste of time and money - that's the type of marketing the movie stars do.
Wrong! Most effective media placement is done by mainstream, nuts-and-bolts business people. Why do you think that your competitor was featured on the local news? It just happened? Dumb luck?
Maybe, but probably not. It probably was the result of effective media placement.
No other form of marketing can give you the exposure, legitimacy and validation that public relations offers. Through effective media placement you become the story, you are the news. They say that word-of-mouth is the most effective form of marketing. Well, think of public relations as word-of-mouth magnified a thousand-fold.
So, how does this marketing magic work? It takes knowledge, patience, creativity and persistence.
The following are some tips that can hopefully increase your P.R. IQ. The rest you'll have to supply yourself.
Define your business. You can't tell others about what you do until you fully understand it yourself. Write a short, clear and concise paragraph that defines what you do. Write it so that an eighth grader could understand it. You may be surprised.
Define your target market. You can't successfully sell your product or service until you understand who you are selling it to. Again, in a paragraph define your target market. How old are they? Are they male or female? Where do they live? How much money do they make? What media do they read, watch or listen to? If you produce baby food and are targeting members of AARP you may want to rethink your demographic profile.
Think in terms of stories. People understand concepts best when told in terms of anecdotal stories. If you are a physician, instead of trying to explain a new surgical procedure in medical terms, tell the story of a specific patient's experience. Tell it as an interesting anecdote.
Write a clear, concise one-page press release. A five-page press release may say everything that you want to say about your business, but believe me, it's more than anyone else wants to know.
You don't want to tell your life story here, you want to interest the media in article or segment ideas. A press release is not meant to explain a topic, but to interest the media in finding out more. Write in headlines, use plenty of white space, use bullets and boxes. And don't forget to include the name of a contact person and number where he or she can be reached.
Study the various media outlets. You don't have the same conversation with every person you know, so why would you send every media outlet the exact same release? Each media outlet has different story needs and a different audience. Tailor your releases and your pitches to each specific media outlet.
Less is more. If you're thinking of sending out a huge press kit filled with reams of paper, photos and brochures, think again. This may work when pitching clients, but remember the media is interested in only one thing - a good story. Burden them with pounds of useless information and they'll see you as a nuisance.
Examine all of the available angles. Your first pitch may not work. Be creative. Keep at it. Eventually you'll hit on the right one. Media outlets vary. Each magazine, newspaper and TV program has different needs and demographics. Each time you're preparing to pitch a story, put yourself in the place of that editor or segment producer.
Work backward. Approach it from their perspective, and you will be much more creative, and more effective. What would make a disinterested party want to catch a segment or read an article about you or your business? Once you hit on the "hook," you have a story.
Learn patience, be persistent and prepare for success. This is the toughest concept to master. We've had campaigns that have hit a home run in the first week, but most take time and persistence.
So, although patience is the operative word, you need to prepare for public relations success. If you are interviewed by the media and receive hundreds, or in some cases, thousands of calls or orders, be prepared to deal with the demand.
Set up contingency plans to deal with the various possible scenarios. Public relations is a slow-building, cumulative process. If you are going to implement a P.R. campaign, make a commitment to stay with it for a minimum of six months. It will be worth it. Your business will be glad you did.
Anthony Mora is president of Anthony Mora Communications, a public relations company specializing in media placement, image development, and media training.
Entrepreneur's Notebook is a regular column contributed by EC2, The Annenberg Incubator Project, a center for multimedia and electronic communications at the University of Southern California. Contact Dan Rabinovitch at (213) 743-2344 with feedback and topic suggestions.
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