|
|
They're called publicity hounds and I'll bet you know at least one. They're people smiling back at you from color photos that accompany their profile story in the morning paper. Turn on the radio and there they are again, chatting away on a local talk show. Two months later, their columns show up in three popular e-zines.
How do they do it? Why do they get free print space and air time when you have to pay big bucks for an ad?
Media relations is a sophisticated game with its own etiquette, protocol and rules. The publicity hounds know the rules of the game. Too few people do.
Free publicity is one of the most powerful ways to spread the word about you. Here's why:
- It hits a targeted market or a general audience--for FREE.
- It gives you an edge on your competitors who don't use it.
- It is often more credible than paid advertising--almost as if the media outlet is giving you its stamp of approval by featuring you.
- It often generates more publicity.
- Publicity in newspapers, magazines, trade publications and newsletters has a long shelf life. Even online publications often archive articles that are featured at their web sites.
- It can attract qualified employees by positioning your company as a great place to work.
When I worked as a newspaper editor, I was often frustrated that I didn't have enough time to teach my readers how to use the product. We were so busy with the daily grind of publishing a newspaper that there was little time left to write columns, host town hall meetings or give community groups tours of the newsroom. That's why I'm pleased to be on my own, writing columns like this one that teach you the value of free publicity.
I'll also be passing along many examples of successful women who have learned how to leverage publicity.
Willie Ripple, for example, the author of the popular series of books called "What Do I Do?" gives parents and children all kinds of ideas for fun parties for Halloween, Valentine's Day and Christmas. She piggybacks off national holidays when pitching ideas that tie into her books. And she is very generous with her how-to information, whether it's demonstrating how to make easy Halloween foods for a local TV show or showing how children can make Valentine boxes.
Kimberly Stanséll, author of "Bootstrapper's Success Secrets: 151 Tactics for Building Your Business on a Shostring Budget," positions herself as a golden source and invites the media to call on her when they need story ideas, background or commentary related to entrepreneurs or small business. One of her biggest publicity success stories was an article in USA Today.
Shelley Peterman Schwarz of Madison, Wisconsin, who has multiple sclerosis and helps people cope with disabilities, is the author of three books. She gets thousands of dollars in free publicity through a syndicated newspaper column and frequent appearances on a local TV show.
Paulette Ensign of San Diego, California, also known as "The Tips Booklet Queen," has created a mini-empire teaching people how to write and publish informational tips booklets. She is relentless about seeking free publicity to draw people to her web site at http://www.tipsbooklets.com, which features an online discussion board for booklet publishers.
All the women above have all learned the Number One secret for generating lots of free publicity. You must be helpful when dealing with the media. Understand what each media outlet needs, who their audience is and what their audience needs. Then determine how you can help provide it. Too many people make the mistake of pitching an idea to a magazine without ever having seen the publication. They don't understand the difference between how they must interview with a print reporter versus a broadcast reporter. They mistakenly believe that if they badger the media long enough, reporters will cave in and write about them. In other words, they don't know the rules.
Any working woman who has a product or service to sell, a cause to champion, an image to create, or profits to build can learn how to self-promote and do it well. Here's a sample of what you'll find in this column.
- Tips on how to generate publicity to promote your e-business.
- Advice from media people on how to catch their attention with clever news hooks and pitches that don't waste their time.
- The best books, reports, cassette tapes, booklets and other resource materials to help you.
- Tips on how to be a guest on radio talk shows all over the country without leaving your home or office.
- Suggestions on how to create great offline publicity.
- Seasonal story ideas.
- The best sites on the Internet for self-promoters.
- Tips on how to build your own e-business through tools such as ezines, e-mail marketing and interactive web sites.
- Suggestions on how to use offline publicity for your online business.
Because you can teach an old Publicity Hound new tricks, I hope you'll contact me with your publicity success stories, or your media dilemmas, so I can share them with other readers of eWorkingWomen.com in the months ahead.
P.S. Please send good, clean dog jokes, too. Each issue of my weekly ezine features a "Hound Joke of the Week." It's become one of the most popular parts of the newsletter.
|
Joan Stewart publishes the popular electronic newsletter "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," chock full of tips, tricks and tools for free publicity. She is a media relations speaker, trainer and consultant who works with organizations that want to use the media to establish their credibility, enhance their reputation and position themselves as the employers of choice.
|
| Joan, a former newspaper editor, is a frequent contributor to newspapers, magazines and trade publications. To sign up for her e-zine, visit her web site at PublicityHound.com. You will receive free by autoresponder the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release." Contact her at Jstewart@PublicityHound.com.
 work at home
get paid to shop
write articles for traffic
free content
|
|
