Make Your Business Famous

Use Publicity to Get Your Name Everywhere! 

Pam Lontos

 

When most people think of publicity, extravagant things come to mind: big business, excessive budgets, extreme crisis management, ridiculous celebrities, and exaggerated press releases about upcoming product lines or mergers and acquisitions.

 

Well, the truth is, publicity is no longer reserved only for corporations or the rich and famous. Whether you are an entrepreneur to a small business, consultant, author, or expert in your field, it’s time to make yourself famous using the power of publicity.

 

Publicity can come from anywhere and in many different forms.  It can be as simple as having a letter published on the editorial page of your local newspaper, or as dynamic as a front-page article with your name across the headlines.

 

A PR campaign is designed to generate free publicity for you – that means getting the attention of the news media.  People are far more likely to believe what they read and hear in the news media than what they see advertised. Today's consumers know your advertising messages are paid for, and designed to make you look good. Your potential clients or consumers, no matter their industry or demographic, are more impressed when they see your name in the media, as an expert, and they are more likely to buy from you when they need your product or service.

 

Your publicity plan should include a variety of elements, such as issuing press releases, writing articles for national trade magazines or industry journals or even staging events local TV and newspaper outlets might cover. 

 

When dealing with the news media, keep in mind that news is their business.

To get yourself noticed, you must make yourself newsworthy. Presenting an irrelevant topic for the audience, or promoting a weak idea that revolves around you, will break the deal. If you provide a good idea backed with solid information, your credentials will speak for themselves.

 

Pitch the story first and then your background once you’ve sold the idea. 

To make your idea relevant, look at current topics in the news, such as an important merger if you’re a strategist, a devastating hurricane if you’re a disaster expert, a high-profile lawsuit if you’re an attorney, a new gadget if you’re a technology expert, or a Hollywood marriage if you’re a relationship expert.

 

As gardening weather approaches, for instance, a landscaping company might write an article or send out a press release with how-to tips to establish an organic garden. A few weeks before spring allergy season arrives, many editors would welcome a press release full of ideas for planting beautiful shrubs and bushes that produce low-pollen flowers.

 

When authoring an article, crafting a news release or pitching yourself as an interview guest on a news program, go heavy on the benefits. All they care about is, “What’s in it for my audience?” Simply describe your business, your topic or your expertise, and they’ll trash your article or release. Instead, show them specifically how your information will help their audience. Provide solutions to their readers’ problems.

 

Recently a story broke in USA Today about declining summer labor availability. Ken Whiting, an expert on teen labor and summer jobs, pitched a press release titled, “Teen Jobs teach Value” to daily newspapers within hours of reading the USA Today article. New York Daily News picked up the release, resulting in an interview for Ken.

           

Chase’s Calendar of Events is a resourceful book for creating a newsworthy story angle for your business. Oct. 5 is the start of “Work from Home Week.” April is “National Lawn Care Month.”  March 8 is “Organize Your Home Office Day.”

 

Take “Laugh at Work Week,” for example. If you are a humorist, that’s obviously a great title, but if you are a management consultant, you can speak on how laughter increases productivity in the workplace. If your business is medically oriented, you can tie an article or news release into the endorphins that laughter releases. 

 

When deciding whether to pursue TV, radio or print, give some thought to your potential customer. Who buys your goods or services? Which age group, which gender? Which income level? To find out who reads a particular magazine, study the advertising. Then aim to get yourself published or quoted in that magazine if you’re seeking the same sorts of clients.

 

No one can afford to ignore the Internet.

You must not only have a good Web site, but you may also need a blog. Blogs can create a valuable emotional connection with your prospects, customers and clients. Post as often as you can, and keep your blog focused on the theme of your business. You can also share such personal details as you are comfortable with; people do business with people they like!

 

Consider sending out an e-mail newsletter regularly as part of your publicity campaign. Pack it full of value and don’t self-promote. 

 

Should you hire a PR agency?

If you are good at selling, you can get editors on the phone and you have the time, you can do it yourself. However, to be successful in pitching story ideas to editors, you must understand the etiquette of dealing with journalists. Journalists operate under tough time constraints, so you must be sure you quickly get to the point.

 

If you don’t like pitching yourself, or you’re too busy to do so, you might want to engage an agency.  For some business owners, the prospect of picking up the phone and getting an editor on the line may be excruciating, and many agencies already have journalistic contacts established. They can pitch story ideas and write articles for you, freeing up your time to devote to other aspects of your business.

 

Whether you hire an agency or do it yourself, getting your name out there is an achievable goal. All it takes is a good idea, a way to tie that idea into the news and a willingness to approach the media.  There are few limits to how rich and famous you can become.

 

About the Author:

 

Pam Lontos is president of PR/PR, a public relations firm based in Orlando, Fla. She is co-author of  I See Your Name Everywhere and is a former vice president of sales for Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting.  PR/PR has placed clients in publications such as USA Today, Entrepreneur and Time, & clients include Brian Tracy.

PR/PR works with entrepreneurs who are just launching their company, as well as established businesses. For a free publicity consultation, e-mail or call (407) 299-6128. To receive free publicity tips, visit PR/PR's website and register for the monthly e-newsletter, PR/PR Pulse!

 

October 29, 2008   by Network Abundance Publications