Okay, here's a tough one, what is your message? What is the central idea behind your business? Two or three people can run the exact same business, whether it's a clothing line, a dry cleaners, a law practice, or a skin care company, and the message behind each of the businesses can be completely different for each one. It is vitally important to understand what your message is and what you are trying to communicate to your prospective clients. Take a few minutes and write a des... Read Full Story

I have worked to position my firm as a resource instead of a sales force. This is particularly important to keep in mind when calling producers or editors to follow up on a pitch. Go in with a bullying, used car salesman approach and you've already lost the battle. They don't need you and if you push them, they will make that absolutely clear. You might not find that fair, but this isn't about fair, this is about what works. I knew one person who used to call up editors and produc... Read Full Story

There are firms that charge per placement. In other words, you do not pay for the media until they place a story. This sounds awfully attractive, but in my experience, it is not the way to launch an effective brand-building campaign. Look at it from the perspective of the media relations firm. If they are only going to get paid for the media they place you in, chances are they are going to try what they consider will be their easiest placements. If those magazines or TV programs pass, what is... Read Full Story

Should you handle your own public relations campaign? No, not if you don't know the process or truly understand the intricacies launching a PR campaign. Can you? Yes, at least to a point. Effective media placement is a full-time job. It takes skill, know-how, persistence, and contacts. The art of effective PR entails more than writing releases and putting together press kits. If you do it haphazardly or incorrectly, you're better off not doing it at all. The last thing you want ... Read Full Story

According to a recent study, one in twenty Internet visits went to social networking sites during September 2006, which was nearly double the traffic of the previous year. Social networking is no longer focused solely on the social, but is quickly entering the realm of the business world. Facebook is doing an about face and is transforming itself into a powerful marketing site. For some time now companies and marketers have been launching campaigns on MySpace. But knowing that there is an au... Read Full Story

Keep your message targeted and focused. You may be well versed on a number of topics, but believe me, you don’t want to pitch the media a Chinese menu. Generally when people assure me that they can discuss everything, I find they have real trouble focusing on anything. Generalists tend to remain just that. The media wants an expert. They want someone who is an authority, someone who is well versed on a certain topic or in a particular field.Be specific. Sharpen your story. You may have ... Read Full Story

The media wants stories, but beyond that, not even the media knows what they want. They are constantly searching, trying out new stories, coming up with new ideas. You have to study the various media outlets, review the different formats, study the types of stories they've run in the past. No one knows what the media wants because what they want is constantly changing. Don't take for granted you are some kind of media maven and that you know more than everyone else does. Remembe... Read Full Story

Ah, the infamous press release. What is it? Traditionally, a press release is a one-to five-page document that tells your story. Unlike a letter, there is no salutation, nor is the release personalized or written to a particular person. It is a general document you can use for the different media. There are some set-in-stone, very specific guidelines to press releases, such as covering the who, what, where, and when information, adhering to the press release format, and keeping it double-spac... Read Full Story

Once you have defined and written your message, it's important to define your target market. Who is your audience? If you've developed a new anti-wrinkle cream and are marketing it to teenage boys, you'd better take another look at your strategy. You may have the best product in the world, but if you've picked the wrong target audience, it's not going to work. Believe me, this isn't an uncommon mistake; more businesses than you think have done everything ri... Read Full Story

First a quick press kit overview, a press kit generally consists of a two-pocket folder in which you include your press release, fact sheet, and a biography on yourself and your company. You can also include a photo, some graphics, statistics, visuals, a brochure, a sample list of questions, and a Rolodex card. Some companies include buttons, audio tapes, video tapes, booklets, whistles, trinkets, and all sorts of knick-knacks. You name it and someone has jammed it into a press kit. There are... Read Full Story