Prospecting Tools: Publicity
It is amazing what the effect of even a small amount of publicity can be. People you don’t know recognize your name. You get requests for information out of the blue. Doors may open that were closed previously. Your overall credibility is enhanced. This is because we still have an almost reverent belief in what we read and see on the news. The irony is that public relations professionals know that as much as ninety per cent of the news is generated through the efforts of publicity pros. Editors and producers in the media have an insatiable hunger for more content. Every day or every month they must start over with a blank page or dead air and fill it with interesting, stimulating information for their audiences. You can be a source for that information.
When you do or participate in something newsworthy, you should tell the press. What is newsworthy? Anything that involves the interest of the readers of that publication or the listeners of that talk show. You need an interesting angle, recognizable names, unusual products or experiences and a good story that is uplifting or thought-provoking. While this may seem impossible to someone running an apparently mundane business, remember your story doesn’t have to appeal to the general public, it only needs to appeal to people with an interest in what you do: Your customers and prospects. If you’re in a very specialized business, aim your press releases at trade magazines and web sites, newsletters and other industry media. Or come up with a story explaining your unusual business to the general public.
This involves having an angle. An attorney I know who is a corporate litigator recently received an extensive article about himself in the local business paper. It wasn’t based on his litigation skills, it was based on the fact that he is a well-respected children’s music performer with several CDs to his credit. While the angle was ‘lawyer plays children’s music’, much of the article was information about his business.
Simple publicity is rewarding because it costs little and has a broad effect on your sales. There are many books that tell how to put together a simple press kit, write a press release and do effective interviews. The time spent learning the ropes of publicity can be invaluable when you make one of those cold calls and the recipient says, “I just read about you in the paper.” Just make sure the exposure is positive. Unless you’re a rock star or certain politicians, the old saw about any publicity being good publicity just isn’t true.
Publicity and Search
Press Releases distributed by press release services like PRWeb and BusinessWire can reach thousands of media outlets in minutes. Perhaps even more important, if they are written with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind, they will get indexed by search engines like Google and Yahoo, meaning your message will come up when people search for keywords relevant to your business. Those keywords should be in the headline(s) and content of your releases. Make sure you include a live link to your web site, particularly to a landing page dedicated to the product, service or story highlighted in the release. And make sure that landing page has an action the visitor can take: Contact you, register for a white paper, fill out an order form, etc.
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All your arguments in favor of press releases are right on the mark. And I love the example of your attorney friend.
Posting press releases online is a terrific way to reach consumers. No more going through the media gatekeepers, crossing your fingers and hoping they’ll use your press release.
Now that we can post them online, we can reach consumers, who can find our releases after doing a Google search, and click on a link and come to our websites and maybe even buy something.
As a publicity expert, I get more questions about press releases than about any other topic. I created a free press release writing tutorial. Anyone can sign up for it at http://www.PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips/art.htm.
Comment by Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound — April 30, 2008 #